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Mission picks up momentum Miller-Eshleman just wanted to help some guys get to church— a new church, meeting at his home in Dover, Ohio. Turns out, it took a team of supporters pushing the same direction to help him climb the hill and reach the roadway—his goal that winter night—just as it has taken a team of Ohio church partners to create and support ministries in their neighborhoods and across the globe. “I actually like the dent in the side of the truck. It reminds me of what we do for mission,” Miller-Eshleman said. “We go all out for it because we’re trying to reach people. There are some costs and some pain in it, but it’s great to be on the cutting edge.” That edge involves the process of partnership. Chet and Holly Miller-Eshleman started talking with neighbors in the Dover/New Philadelphia area in October about LifeBridge Community Church, a church plant they are driving with fi nancial and prayer support from three other nearby congregations: Berlin Mennonite Church, Martins Creek Mennonite Church and Walnut Creek Mennonite Church. All three have long been a part of the Mongolia Mission Partnership, a seven-congregation group that has supported workers with Joint Christian Services International through Mennonite Mission Network since 1993. Mongolia came first “The Mongolia partnership was the first venture we did together,” said Ross Miller, pastor at Walnut Creek. “Through that, we saw how working together as churches could bear such fruit. It built a trust between us. “If we could do this together,” Miller continued, “what are some other things God is asking us to do?” Since the Mongolia partnership began, the partner churches have supported Agora Ministries, an outreach in a low-income Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood; New Grounds Coffee House in Walnut Creek; and two church-planting efforts in Dover/ New Philadelphia, including the Miller-Eshlemans’ endeavors. Miller said the Mission Network helped the Mongolia partnership congregations delineate responsibilities across congregational lines. That also helped when organizing the Dover plant—it allowed the Miller-Eshlemans and the supporting congregations to decide what each party could do and which pieces each party would avoid. Investing in partnerships also means fl exibility as congregations evolve and develop new energy for different forms of outreach. Walnut Creek initially took the lead in the Mongolia partnership, and then Smithville Mennonite Church leaders pushed the group for a while. Miller said his congregation is now making room for other churches to lead, while its members get excited about projects in Dover. “When you’re active in [the] missions of the congregation, it enlivens the congregation. People learn how to serve,” Miller said. “This is what we need to be doing.” Walnut Creek members fi rst felt called to Dover/ New Philadelphia, an ethnically mixed community that struggles with poverty. One congregation planted in the early 1990s disbanded after years of positive ministry. Miller said the time was right to try again. “There’s this huge mission fi eld that’s 12 miles from us,” he said. “We said, ‘God is calling us to step out in faithfulness. This is what we want to do. Whoever wants to come can join us.’” Carl Wiebe, pastor at Martins Creek, said there is a role for congregations like these three, that can back a ministry without needing to infl uence it. The previous Dover plant involved people from many communities driving into Dover for worship and church activities. The Miller-Eshlemans’ initiative, Wiebe said, is different. “They are trying to build it with local people because, long-term, that’s what needs to happen,” he said. Relationships, history and trust are important Wiebe said emphasizing proximity also emphasizes relationships and history. Within the Mongolia Mission Partnership, the congregational leaders trust each other, which allows them to better collaborate when one is inspired toward a ministry vision. It also stretches a congregation. In June and July, 15 people from Smithville and Martins Creek spent time in Mongolia learning about the JCS ministries they support. They learned about microfi nance loans, vegetable garden programs, eye care, ger (a type of Mongolian house) distribution and educational ministries, then built a playground in Erdenet. The goal, Wiebe said, is to fi nd opportunities for members of the congregation, both close to home and across the world. “The right people in the right places at the right time can do amazing things,” he said. In Dover, the Miller-Eshlemans have used the financial and prayer support from the three congregations to place themselves where they can encounter others. They practice friendship evangelism—meeting people, asking them about the needs in their community, and inviting them to cookouts to share stories and unpack the words of Jesus. The men who did the physical pushing on Miller- Eshleman’s truck are still in the picture. None have become Christians, but all continue to come to LifeBridge social events. They are still part of the community, working together, pushing forward. 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