Jesus’ last teachable moment with his disciples recorded in the Gospel of John illustrates the friendship we have in Jesus. As friends of Jesus we are loved, inspired, nurtured, fed and challenged much the same way branches connected to a vine are sustained by the source of life coursing through the vine. As friends with Jesus we are encouraged to abide, remain faithful and make our home with him in order to tend the relationship.
A natural result and growth of our friendship with Jesus is a wider circle of love, concern and friendship for all who claim Jesus as Friend. With his command in John 15:12 to Love one another as I have loved you, Jesus invites us into partnership with others—friendship—that extends his vision of love into the world.
Repeatedly our friends, whose ministries are the recipients of our Bridges of Hope Mission Offering, affirm that our friendship is what they value the most—not the funds. From Cuba to Waco, from Brazil to Indianapolis, from Nicaragua to Chicago, our mission partners are more than recipients; they are fellow travelers with us in the Christian journey, joining hands with us to extend Jesus’ vision of love into the world.
The starting and ending point of the Bridges of Hope Mission Offering is relationship. Our friendships with Jesus, our mission partners, and with those they befriend are like lush vines flourishing with prolific bloom and abundant fruit.
Grounded in friendship, our mission partnerships and the offering collected and distributed that enable our offerings that we share with our partners becomes ministry with instead of to those living at the margins.
What a friend we have in Jesus—and in one another. Join us in deepening our friendships and in doing what faithful friends do for one another: sharing what we have been given.
Be a faithful friend. Give to the Bridges of Hope Mission Offering.
