Forward Foundations of Operations
By Bruce Dare
Having just celebrated our 70th year as a ministry at Source of Light, we have been thinking often about foundations. As we do so, we are thinking not just about the past on its own, but rather how it relates to our future, how the legacy of SLM prepares us for and propels us into a vision for what God will do. So, it’s not just a foundation. It’s a way to move forward. A forward foundation (Hebrews 11:9–10). As we look with anticipation for God to bless the next harvest, we do so with confidence in His favor shown over all these years and with the necessary preparation today of inclining our hearts to His will.
No department at headquarters knows more about physical foundations than Operations, as this team knows best not only the technicalities of buildings and the history of projects, but also how God can create something out of little or nothing. In fact, some in the group can see this in they themselves, coming first as volunteers that maybe came to SLM on one trip but then came year after year until they gave of their whole lives and careers to serve God as an integral and critical part of the staff here. The Lord started a good work in their hearts and built upon it the opportunities, thoughts, acts, and desires that became part of His direction for their lives. He planted a seed that was ready for the rain.
Such is true even for the Director of Operations, Phil Winder, who doesn’t take long to recall stories, miracles really, of God’s faithfulness over his decades serving at Source of Light. Situations such as one of his first assignments where he became scribe for a retired electrical engineer who could no longer write legibly but had a mind to conduct an electrical survey. This man’s former company then brought a team to rewire a significant portion of our main building, eventually turning their work and much of the material into a donation. Such a story became more current last year in the Print Shop, as another retired electrical engineer turned pastor laid out the plans for a lighting upgrade, while a separate volunteer group brought skilled men who even stayed an extra few days to finish the install and get the job done, one traveling to store after store to procure the necessary materials.
Or there’s the story Phil often shares when he gives a tour of headquarters about an elevator needed to access the then new second floor, quite necessary for certain staff members who are often retired missionaries and could not otherwise access each of our departments. Back when the need arose, prayer for the elevator on Thursday turned into a check to pay for it that came on Tuesday. It’s been pointed out the check probably preceded the prayer, but that’s just how God provides, possibly before we even know we have a need but then just in time to meet it.
It is with this heart that the Operations Department envisions their work. As Phil aptly put it, “We are serving one another so that we can better serve the Lord.” There may be no better way to view the oftentimes unsung and sometimes unnoticed work of maintenance or ministry of helps. Those on the team now can answer the same call as those gone before: “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). The previous generation of Operations did this so well, all for the Lord. And how could they not for He who was “among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27). The faithfulness of Jesus, and those in times past who have faithfully completed their course for Him, propel them on.
As we look to opportunities for eternal investment from a physical needs perspective, we do so with this heart of service. We have a heart to serve with our facilities, not only in general upkeep and cyclical improvement of our current homes, but also for a new structure that will include a small apartment. This would provide sufficient and affordable housing for staff often in the process of raising support or in unique support situations. It could also act as another central hub and place of rest for foreign missionaries reporting to churches or church groups coming to work as volunteers. These homes are often places where God implants His vision and increases His heart in His servants, as a first exposure to SLM that grows into a host of prayer partners or paper partners (see pp. 16 & 27). Some volunteer churches or couples have become unofficial reps of Source of Light in their home areas, simply due to the investment they’ve had personally in the work, how they’ve been a part and the ministry has become a part of them.
We also have a heart to serve with our fleet. Three of five current vehicles, including ones needed for regular aspects of ministry, are nearing unreliability. We believe it would not serve our missionaries or donors rightly to be well within the possibility of a breakdown on a standard trip and are praying that God will provide the machines or funds to adequately meet the needs. The vehicles we have are well-utilized and often are a way to save compared to more expensive alternatives, whether it be the trucking of this Reaper mailing and larger equipment, or airport runs and deputation travel. Their purpose is to serve our missionaries in serving the Lord, and we wish them to do that well.
God does not call us to give Him everything that is needed; He calls us to give what we have. For you, this could mean giving up your lunch or taking someone to lunch. For others, it could be spending part of their lives or giving all their lives to missions.
God could be calling you to be part of another building or vehicle storymiracle at Source of Light, but rest assured that He already has called you to be a vehicle of blessing in His service. Let’s move forward from that foundation. Let’s stand together in the storm, ready for the spring of His blessing.
