By Josephine Lee

Last week, The Master’s University hosted its annual Global Outreach Week, bringing an international focus to the campus with events such as missions seminars and an outreach fair.

A staple in the University’s calendar, Global Outreach Week has a twofold purpose.

“The first purpose would be to celebrate the international students that we have,” said Brayden Campos, TMU’s director of global outreach. “The second part would be to expose our students to what God is doing globally and, Lord willing, stir some hearts to consider using their major or their passions for God’s glory abroad.”

During the week, students were immersed in missions from all angles. Flags representing the home countries of TMU’s international student body were displayed throughout the cafeteria, alongside prayer cards from TMU alumni serving around the world as missionaries.

At chapel, speakers Brooks Buser, Jerry Wragg, and Mark Tatlock — all globally-minded ministry leaders — shared a biblical motivation for missions with students, complementing the semester’s chapel theme of “Life.”

“If we have life and we know what we’re supposed to do with it, then we should be sharing it,” Campos said.

On Monday afternoon, students had the opportunity to attend a global outreach fair featuring representatives from 14 missions agencies, including Reach Global, OMF International, Pioneers, and CHRISTAR. The next afternoon, global missions agency World Team hosted a seminar explaining challenges and obstacles to students preparing for future missions.

At the University’s weekly Missions Mornings event on Wednesday, Campos and Elijah Kellogg, TMU’s global counselor, spoke to students about utilizing their careers and vocations in ministry abroad. Later, students also had the chance to attend a meet-and-greet and luncheon with staff from The Master’s Academy International, a missions organization led by Tatlock that is committed to training indigenous church leaders around the world.

During chapel on Friday, Campos closed the week by announcing the five short-term mission teams to be sent out by TMU in the summer of 2024. Groups of students will be traveling to support missionaries and outreach efforts in Togo, Canada, England, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Global Outreach Week also helps to prepare students spiritually to serve local organizations and ministries during Engage Day, another outreach-focused TMU tradition that takes place in November.

Campos is encouraged by the testimony of those in TMU’s student body who are actively and prayerfully pursuing missions.

“They’re really counting the cost,” he said. “They’re really wanting to learn and grow, and then consider — what could they do abroad? What could they do for the gospel? For students who aren’t interested or engaged, I hope that this week exposes them to missions and possibly convicts them to get more involved — to pray, to be checking in on their local churches’ missionaries. That would be the goal: that everybody has a heart for what God’s doing globally.”

Read more about outreach opportunities at TMU [here].

Josephine Lee is a senior double-majoring in communication and interdisciplinary studies.