May 2008 Ministry Idea

No Place to Lay His Head
by Suzanne Krein

In Matthew 8:20, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

Missionaries often feel this way when they come to America on stateside assignment. They don’t own a home. Renting a house or staying in a hotel for months is expensive. Staying with family or friends may not be possible.

Before returning overseas in August 2004, Scott and Shirin Terry challenged Ramoth Baptist Church: “Prepare a permanent place for missionaries when they are on stateside assignment.”

Jo Embrey and others took this challenge and used their spiritual gifts and God-given talents to make Ramoth’s Shepherd’s House a reality.

God has gifted your church with spiritual gifts and practical skills. (Read [link to AOM focus article]. God can use you to provide missionary housing in your community.

1. Location: Most missionaries choose to locate near urban/metropolitan areas. Ramoth is in Northern Virginia, not far from Washington, DC. A Shepherd’s House in Ramoth’s community provides an excellent location.

How close is your church to an urban center? Are there colleges or seminaries nearby? Would your community provide a good location for stateside missionaries? Men and women with gifts related to organization can check this out.

2. Facility: Ramoth had a church parsonage sitting empty and unused. The church voted to turn the parsonage into a Shepherd’s House.

Does your church own property, such as a parsonage? Are there nearby buildings that could be purchased or rented for a reasonable cost? Individuals gifted with organization can go a step further than just checking out your location—they can search for a specific facility.

Do any of your church members gifted with generosity have properties or apartments for rent that could be utilized as missionary housing?

3. Preparation: Ramoth formed an eight-member Missionary Housing Committee and a five-member Furnishing Committee. Members of the Housing Committee used their organizational gifts and writing skills to write policies and plan a dedication service.

Both committees enlisted the help of others with service gifts. Some worked on the heating, air-conditioning, and water for the building. Some painted and put in new flooring. Some cleaned the building. After all of this was completed, the Furnishing Committee enlisted the help of others to decorate and place the furniture they collected.

Do you have people in your church gifted at organization? These individuals could become your Missionary Housing Committee. How about people with gifts of service? When the skills of your church members are listed, you likely have everyone you need to turn a rundown parsonage, an old storefront, or a basement apartment into missionary housing!

4. Furnishing: After evaluating the furniture and furnishing needs, Ramoth’s Missionary Housing and Furnishing Committees put notices in the church’s newsletter and weekly bulletins. They asked for furniture, curtains, bedspreads, pictures, and so on. Those gifted with generosity provided these items.

Do you have church members who aren’t leaders and organizers, who wouldn’t be comfortable writing policies, and who wouldn’t know a hammer from a paintbrush? These people may have giving hearts—the gift of generosity that could fill your empty Shepherd’s House with the items needed to turn a house into a home.

5. Prayer: Each time Ramoth’s Missionary Housing committees met, they prayed for the missionaries who would occupy the Shepherd’s House. “Send them to us, Lord,” they prayed.

Call on your prayer warriors, those gifted with discernment. Ask God to use the spiritual gifts within your congregation to bless the lives of missionaries who need a place to lay their heads.


Suzanne Krein worships at Ramoth Baptist Church in Stafford, Virginia, where she uses her spiritual gifts: prophecy and teaching.