Mobilization & Missions

Since its founding in 1991, Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCPC) has enjoyed a rich history in missions as we extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world. God has specifically placed it on the hearts of our church leadership to set aside time as a congregation this fall to focus on missions. So for the first time in 12 years, PCPC is hosting “Glory & Goodness” Global Missions Conference on November 1-2.

“The conference’s vision is for mobilization in missions out of trust in the Lord,” said Sam Leopold, PCPC’s Pastor of Missions. During Glory & Goodness, PCPC will focus on the “exposition of God’s Word and His ability to move in our people’s hearts in deep, significant ways. We will hear testimony of how God is showing up around the world,” said Leopold. Keynote speaker Jonty Rhodes, lead pastor of Christ Church Central Leeds in northern England, will go through the whole book of Haggai, looking to God’s Word for the faith to continue the work of church planting and gospel proclamation.

“Our cream of the crop for mobilization would be to inspire and equip a PCPC member who feels called to serve the Lord overseas or in short-term missions. We would also love to see more congregational involvement in missions through giving and praying,” said Leopold. “When our whole church is united, focused on taking the gospel to where it currently isn’t–either overseas or here at home–we are all collectively a better church.”

So what’s an example of a “homegrown” individual from PCPC now serving overseas in this way? We reached out to J.D., a global worker in Southeast Asia, to hear about what he is doing there.

Tell us about your job and family life as a global worker in Southeast Asia.

“I live on an island in Southeast Asia and work closely with like-minded local people to share the Good News in rural areas that know nothing of Jesus. I have a company that buys home decor products from local craftsmen then resells them in the USA, so this business opens the door for us to visit these rural communities. When I moved here, I thought my main focus would be sharing the Good News with people myself. But as I’ve seen how effective local believers can be at sharing the Good News, I’ve realized my time is better spent mobilizing them than trying to do it on my own. So we just started a training program for local believers to learn business and ministry skills so they can be sent into these rural, unreached areas.

As a family, we love to escape to the mountains where there is cooler weather or walk around in the big malls in the city. My wife has found a baby gymnastics class in the city that we take our daughter to every week.”

What do you love most about being in Southeast Asia?

“The adventure! Living here and speaking the language opens up a ton of possibilities that other foreigners cannot do.”

How did your upbringing in Dallas prepare you for what you’re doing now?

“Ironically, I think my stable, consistent upbringing in Dallas rooted in me a steadfastness that has enabled me to thrive amongst chaos and inconsistency. In addition, I’ve been taught the Bible from an early age and encouraged to read it myself, so knowing it well is a huge asset in a place where so few others have that knowledge.”

How can we in Dallas show support from afar?

“We feel so loved by our Dallas community! Simple things like reading our newsletters, praying for us, and reaching out occasionally mean the world to us. Also, we moved across the world to reach the lost because we felt like Dallas already has enough believers to reach the lost in the city... so we’re counting on you to follow through on that work so we can be free to do the work here.”

You will hear from others during our Glory & Goodness Conference including  pastor and author Jonty Rhodes, musical guests Shane and Shane, PCPC’s International Church Planting Partners from Senegal, Japan, the UK, Colombia, Mexico, and Iran, and of course, our very own missionaries. To register, visit pcpc.org/global/. In advance of the conference, we are asking people to commit to praying Matthew 9:37-38 every day at 9:37 a.m. or p.m. Tip: Set an alarm on your phone. Thank you for praying!

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” – Matthew 9:37-38

For questions about global workers or how you can get involved in PCPC Missions, contact [email protected].