Small church, big impact (part 2)

Glenside Bible Church, a small church in Pennsylvania, had changed their paradigm of missions. They adopted a people group, the Krygyz, and were pouring their efforts into seeing this group reached.

But what happened to GBC’s existing missions program? Did the adoption of the Kyrgyz people and Kyrgyzstan phase out the other missionaries? Absolutely not! The majority of their long-term missionary partners were no longer working among unreached peoples, but they were still doing valuable Kingdom work. GBC did, however, make two important changes that matched their new way of thinking about mission.

Deliberate changes

First, they deliberately changed the way they talked about their missionaries. Instead of saying, “GBC supports Joe Missionary in Mexico,” they began to say, “GBC is planting the church in Puebla, Mexico, through a partnership with Joe Missionary.” They placed the focus on the people they were reaching and began to formulate their prayer information that way, even if it did not involve a specific people group. They learned to love the people they were already touching through each of their existing missionary partners.

The second thing they did was to deliberately ask God to expand their influence among unreached peoples. How? The same way they started. As opportunities came their way, they made deliberate additions to their program that increased their footprint among unreached peoples.

Extending partnerships

As older partners retired and money became available, they reinvested those budgeted funds in the direction of the unreached. For example, one of their long-term families in Irian Jaya had won almost an entire Sougb tribe of 12,000 to Christ in their 30+ years. (The Sougb are a neighboring tribe to the Sawi of “ Peace Child.”) The missionaries retired, but the Sougb tribe is now sending out missionaries of their own. GBC partners with a Sougb pastor who is reaching the Irarutu people of that same region by providing gas for his boat to travel the river.

Back in 2000, through the Kyrgyz newsletter, the church met a woman from India reaching the Kyrgyz diaspora. GBC collects and deposits her support and is in email contact with her multiple times each week as she touches this forgotten Kyrgyz group.

The most exciting new partnership that God has led GBC into is with a tiny church of 80 people in south India that has a vision to reach an entire unreached tribe called the Yenadi. Through them, since 2007, God has raised up 27 Yenadi evangelists, planted about 30 little churches, and started work among Yenadi in 80 villages. GBC helps support the evangelists so that they can afford to live in their villages without going to the city for better work. Pastor Kless prays with the pastor of the Indian church every other week and circulates an e-prayer letter for him.

Two GBC teams have gone to India. They helped to host the first-ever conference for ALL Yenadi believers in south India, and 450 people showed up! They’re almost all illiterate, so the team told them major stories from the Old Testament. What a joy to be the first to share the scripture with these unreached people!

Big impact

Today, Glenside Bible Church has 21 Western partnerships and eight partnerships with nationals or national organizations. They continue to pursue the Kyrgyz and to send out two or three short-term teams each summer to their various connections.

The church budget in 2013 was $333,000; in that year they gave $101,000 to missions. More than $30,000 of this was above their budget.

•  Find resources  for developing a passion for the Great Commission at your church.

• 
Subscribe to SENDING Well , our free newsletter full of encouragement and resources to help your congregation engage with missions and send missionaries who thrive.

Additional Posts

By SEND media Team August 4, 2026
Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
By SEND Media May 11, 2026
Learn about the spiritual harmony in Vietnam & how missionaries engage with college students. Join us in sharing the gospel!
By SEND Media May 11, 2026
Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
Show More