The Hearth

A Newsletter for the Friends of OMSC

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SPRING 2008

Newsletter  /  Executive Director's letter  /  Reply card / Address change & comments [PDF]

From the Executive Director: Enough for Everyone?

“Where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”
(Mark 8:1–10)

This question, in one form or another, has persistently recurred ever since the followers of Jesus were instructed by their Lord to feed a multitude—an undertaking that far exceeded their numbers, their capabilities, and their resources.

Here at OMSC, we are often similarly perplexed. The needs of those whom we are called to serve at times so overwhelms our resources that we are tempted to simply send them home with our blessing.

As I write, the staggering scale of the natural disaster that has devastated Myanmar is just beginning to be grasped: as many as one million people have been left homeless; 22,500 are known to be dead, and another 41,000 are missing. Thousands of homes, churches, and pagodas have been swept away.

Because five members of our community are church leaders from that country, what we read in the newspapers and watch on the television has a special poignancy. Rev. Mahn Than Tan, with tears in his eyes, reported that ten churches under his jurisdiction, and all of their members, are gone. Only one pastor survived. More bad news is sure to come.

We anguish with them as they anxiously await word of their loved ones. The tens of thousands of men and women, boys and girls, who have drowned are real people, our brothers and our sisters, who have suddenly been plunged into tragedy and ruin, and who now face the grim prospect of severe want and hunger. These are our people.

This tragedy is particularly poignant to my wife and me since we visited our alumni in that country in February. We were treated like long-lost family members, and hospitality was lavished upon us as we visited schools and churches, preaching, lecturing, and conducting seminars.

It was humbling to see our alumni—some sixty in all—leading congregations, directing seminaries, and administering denominations. Their ministries dwarf OMSC in both size and complexity. Despite this, they spoke gratefully and joyfully of the many ways in which their time at OMSC had renewed and refreshed them for ministry in that land.

The Myanmar Institute of Theology chapel motto reminds students and teachers that the Church in Myanmar is specially called to be a “Dynamic Christian Presence in Society.” Given the recent battering suffered by the country, dynamic Christian presence has never been more crucial.
In comparison to the overwhelming needs of these dear brothers and sisters, OMSC’s resources are distressingly meager. But we are resolved to do what we can. As this year’s residents prepare to return to their stricken land, they go with our community’s cash offering, and with the assurance of our ongoing support and prayer.

“Where . . . can anyone get enough bread to feed them?” We are determined to offer what we have to the Lord, confident that through him our little can serve many.

Also in the isue:

Holy Spirit Led Korean Family to OMSC

Nigerian Professor Finds “Friends and Colleagues Forever” at OMSC

Bonk Lectures at Global South Institute

Tanzanian Couple, Eager to Return Home, Made Many New Friends

Saw Sarsay Mookaw Known for Musical Ability

Korean Author and Family Enjoy New Haven and OMSC Life

Intern Graduates from Yale Divinity, Will Marry in July

Catholic Historian Brings Joy to Community Despite Injury

OMSC Garden Club Brightens Landscape

Seeking OMSC Alums

OMSC News in Brief

Missionary in Los Angeles Enjoys Renewal

Scholarship Will Be Named for MacDougalls

Thank You, Cosponsors and Contributors!

Gifts of a Lifetime: An Invitation to Partnership with OMSC Through a Planned Gift

Japanese Artist Paints as “Humble Response” to God’s Call

Host-Hostess Couples Depart This Summer

OMSC Fall Reception: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

 

The Hearth is a newsletter for the friends of the
OVERSEAS MINISTRIES STUDY CENTER
490 Prospect Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06511 USA
(203) 624-6672      info@OMSC.org