4-12-10: Akron First recently received a letter from the Assemblies of God World Missions HQ which in part says the reason for the letter is: "...on behalf of the World Executive Committee to express our gratitude to you for your leadership in missions and for the commitment of First Assembly to the cause of world evangelism." AFA is among the leading 300 churches in giving to World Missions placing at 239 out of approx. 12,000 reported churches. We also rank 66 per capita. Akron First continues to root itself in the Salvation Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Great Commission found in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 28 with a commitment to bringing that Word to a seeking and needy world. We do that through personal involvement in our local neighborhoods as well as sending teams throughout the U.S. and the world.
Isaiah 6: 8 says "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" AFA has a rich heritage on people being obedient to that call. Our youth often focus on evangelism through puppet shows, dramas, and community service. Their most recent trips have been to Mexico and Peru. We also send construction teams to assist with the building or remodeling of new churches, orphanages, schools and other areas of need. This type of ministry allows us to be a true and real testimony of God's Word through our actions. The people not only hear of the love of Christ, often through translators, as we labor side by side with them but they get to see God's love through our sweat and time as well. It is truly a labor of love and we always return home more blessed than when we left.
With the call of who shall I send there are those that for any number of reasons can not go. That does not prohibit them from serving the Lord through their support in prayer and finances. While a team may consist of 15 or 20 laborers there are many more that serve with them. And, while we can not send teams to every part of the world we can and we do support an array of missionaries that serve full time in both local and international ministries. Akron First presently financially supports:
61 Missionaries in 40+ countries
38 local, state, and national ministries
Numerous other ministries as we are aware of the needs.
