Urban vs Rural
It is interesting how one leap of faith opens doors one never knew was possible. Then that open door leads to another and then another. SEND North does ministry in rural Alaska
and Northern Canada. Our rural focus made people wonder why we moved our headquarters to Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest city. Some people feared that being in the ‘urban sprawl’ would lessen our focus on the remote far north. We found the opposite to be true.
We made better ministry connections in this urban hub to strengthen our rural church building focus. The same holds true in Canada. The Canadian team’s ministry
coach lives in the city of Whitehorse. They find this location helps them to better connect with the teams in the surrounding rural communities. You may remember when we planted our first team in the city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. We’ve made many connections in that urban center which is opening doors of ministry in up to five remote communities in Nunavut.
We see, now more than ever, that urban centers are intertwined with rural life in the far north. It is not urban vs rural, it is urban and rural. The SEND North field of ministry stretches across the “60-70 Window”
from western Alaska into the northern Canadian Territories and this includes the urban areas of Fairbanks, the “Mat-Su Valley”, Anchorage, and the Canadian cities of Whitehorse and Yellowknife. These cities will be considered in SEND North’s new endeavor entitled “Urban Ministry.” We believe there are many more ways in which God can use ministry in one area to boost ministry in the other.
Right now we are in the initial discovery phase of this new endeavor, and Greg Joyce is leading the charge.
Greg and his wife, Kim, have over 20 years of rural ministry experience in the far north, and four years ministering in Anchorage with our Logistics and Support team. They are uniquely qualified to open this new venture. Greg describes his role this way, “My goal in Urban Ministry is to determine who lives where, what ministries are present that may effectively reach them, and how we can be involved in seizing the opportunities that exist. Big goals, with eternal consequences.”
Please pray for God’s hand of guidance as we look to Him to open more ministry in all areas of the ‘60/70 Window’.
If you want another take on this expansion, check out Dr. Barry Rempel’s final ‘State of the Mission’ speech
at the 2016 conference.
Additional Posts
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?
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Explore Georgia's spiritual heritage and the impact of SEND International's mission. Join us in fostering authentic relationships today!
