Counting on God’s Provision – It all adds up
18 May 2021
Most of us, from time to time, experience the stress and pressure of managing our finances and making ends meet. For those sent out as cross-cultural workers, financial stress levels can become really high. Workers are often a long way from home and without the kind of safety nets that provide peace of mind. This is why it is so important for our Pioneers Finance Team to be primarily people focussed. Yes, we do love maths and getting the numbers right, but our priority is to manage our workers’ finances in such a way that they can concentrate on the work God has called them to do without being burdened by the means required to do so.
We collaborate with each of our workers to create budgets that are tailor made for their family and the location they will be living. You can imagine the difference between a budget for a young single guy living in Vietnam compared to a family of four serving in Spain. Communication between our team, our cross-cultural workers and our donors is vitally important, working together with one heart for God’s glory. Our Finance Team includes trained accountants and others with previous cross-cultural experience, together providing professional services, empathy and understanding for the various curve balls life throws at our global members.
As a Christian organisation, we look to the Lord to provide for both our organisational running costs and our workers’ needs. Most often these needs are met through financial giving from churches and individuals, partnering with us in the Great Commission. When workers’ funds run low, or an unexpected costly need arises, we can pray together and seek God’s answer to the challenge.
It is such a joy to see how the wider body of Christ participates in mission through giving. One of our families serving cross-culturally has experienced a number of serious health challenges in the past 18 months requiring treatment, tests and extra travel. Their church has gone above and beyond to provide not only financial assistance but practical care. Over the past 12 months, many of our workers have experienced extra financial needs including costly airfares, increased travel insurances, Covid-19 tests, and quarantine hotel bills. We praise God for the way He continues to provide for each need.
Our Finance Team keeps busy managing the donation services, attending to bookkeeping and compliance requirements, insurances, and arranging payments to our members serving all over the globe. One positive outcome from the need to work from home in 2020 was that our team was able to transition from paper to digital record-keeping.
Our commitment is to serve our cross-cultural workers, our organisation and our highly valued financial supporters through high integrity, excellent work practice, and clear and compassionate communication.
-Suzanne North, Finance Team.
Is God calling you to join the mission field? Get in touch.