April 2011 News

QUEST: discovering those who are ready.
Goiânia Candidates are put through their last evaluation process

The Candidates













“Take care of yourselves and the whole congregation” That is Paul´s admonition and part of his final words to the elders in Ephesus. And what a challenge that is- to care for ourselves and the people we minister to! Dealing with the “formation of Christ” in others is not unlike “the pains of childbirth” Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians.

Caring for ourselves, on the other hand, is not only challenging and difficult, it is easily neglected. And in the middle to long term, very costly: emotionally, physically, spiritually, financially and relationally.


As we have learned to better prepare and equip mission teams, we have seen that the sooner the “care” aspect is initiated, the better.

For the past 6 months we have been a part of Continent of Great City´s screening and evaluation process to form the newest team that will establish a church in the city of Goiânia.

Through psychological testing, interviews, phone calls and conversations with colleagues of the candidates, we can assist them in knowing themselves better, assess their strengths and discover areas that need work. We can help them learn to relate better in their marriages, team relationships, and ultimately, with God- who is often the first to be neglected in the minister´s life.

Quest is another fantastic new component of the screening/missionary care process. It is a comprehensive weekend where 14 characteristics of an effective church-planter are evaluated.

Open air worship













The month of April was dedicated almost entirely to preparation for, execution of and follow up for our first Quest seminar in Brazil. Quest is a three day intensive time of interviewing , observing, and evaluating the readiness of couples to take on the task of full-time mission work. For this retreat we had 6 pairs of assessors. Each met with the 5 candidate couples and one single twice for interviews based on 14 characteristics of an effective missionary. We also observed as the couples worked in groups to prepare presentations. Each night the assessors met to share their feedback on each of the candidates.


Assessors: Jerry and Gail, Alaor and Miriam Leite, Bryan and Becky Gibbs, Ina DeMarco, Paulo and Ingrid Bottaro, Becky Holton, Valentim and Leila Zanatta




At the end of the weekend, the candidates were told if they had been accepted to the team or if they needed to work on some area of their lives before being considered for this type of mission. Quest is designed to be a very difficult and emotional process. We were so grateful for the help of Becky Holton who came down from the US to guide us in this event. She is the psychologist who works for Continent of Great Cities and she has been through this process with other teams before. We were amazed at the leading of the Holy Spirit in this process. All the observers agreed on the decisions that were made and felt at peace about God´s direction.


Sharing the bread and the wine















Global Mission Conference

The Global Mission Conference is held bi-annually and this October, for the first time, it will unite all major missionary-support groups with Christian Universities to become the largest mission event in the churches of Christ.
Gail and I have been invited to participate in two key discussions at this event involving missionary care: “Therapy and Missionary Care” and “The Seasoned Missionary´s Role in Missionary Care”. We are excited to help churches and missionaries better understand and commit to invest in on-going care of the ambassadors of the Gospel.
This will be the first time in many, many years that Gail and I can interact with so many missionaries, churches and missionary care people in one setting. In addition we plan to visit Gail´s mom and step-father, who recently suffered a stroke.
To do so, we are asking for your help. Costs for this trip will be $3,000. We do not have the extra funds for this investment. Your generosity over the past 31 years has never failed us and we ask once again that you help us to make this trip. Please send your funds, beyond your normal contribution, to the Prestoncrest church. Earmark the check for “Heiderichs” or “Family Institute” and specify GMC Funds.

Prestoncrest Church of Christ
12700 Preston Road
Suite 210
Dallas, TX 75230

Thank you for your love and support!!