Around the World
2020: The Refocused Church
By Mike Lumbard
What makes a church’s response to COVID-19 successful and effective? The worst response a church can make is to do nothing or to choose not to adapt.
One leader from the past who was criticized for his methods responded, “I like what I am doing better than what they are not doing.” As the pandemic unfolded in the first quarter of 2020, the Church did not have good modern precedents to follow. Many have looked to the Church’s response to the bubonic plague of the 1500s, during the time of Martin Luther. Luther wrote this:
This I well know, that if it were Christ or his mother who were laid low by illness everybody would be so solicitous and would gladly become a servant or helper. Everyone would want to be bold and fearless; nobody would flee but everyone would come running. . . . If you wish to serve Christ and to wait on him, very well, you have your sick neighbour close at hand. Go to him and serve him, and you will surely find Christ in him . . . .
Churches have usually been slow to adapt to changes in the culture around them. This pandemic has forced the church to adapt quickly. The worldwide response and lockdowns have forced a view of ministry that is not focused around a building. It has caused churches to rethink how to minister to their own people as well as to the needs of their communities. In the past two months we have seen creativity, innovation, and God-inspired changes that will alter the way we minister from now on.
Below I will share three case studies from Open Bible churches outside the U.S.A. that have adapted their ministries.
Bayshore in Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago
Bayshore is a small church in an economically depressed, high crime, squatter community. Although the attendance is small (25-30), its members are actively involved in the transformation of their community. About two years ago the church began streaming their services over Zoom for members who could not attend. Normally only two or three people logged on. When the pandemic forced the closing of the building for services, church staff quickly moved all services and prayer meetings to Zoom. The leaders worked with members to download the app on their phones and then showed them how to use it.
Services are interactive as various members lead shared worship, prayer, and testimonies followed by a sermon. At the end of the service mics are open for everyone to allow members to greet each other. Members were also taught how to pay their tithes online. Each week, even though Pam and I are in the States due to the lockdown, I teach during one of the Zoom services.
The Bayshore church quickly recognized the needs in their community, so they organized and distributed 40 food boxes to needy families. They also use the app WhatsApp for members to daily interact and encourage each other. The result is that this church has seen growth. They are adding new people to the WhatsApp group chat, and new people are joining the Zoom services.
Ndengelwa, Kenya
Pastor Charles Omina, Kenya’s Open Bible field director, pastors a rural church in Western Kenya. In the first two months of 2020 the church was experiencing growth. There was excitement; people were bringing friends and relatives, and many were getting saved. Then the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns across Kenya. While churches in other parts of Kenya and the world shifted ministry to social media, Pastor Omina did not have those options. Most members of his church do not have Internet and therefore do not have Facebook and other social media options. Most of his people do not even have the WhatsApp on their phones. The only ministry available to Pastor Omina was to personally call his members and to visit some of them.
After a time of prayer, God gave him a strategy. He began to meet with his cell group (small group) leaders and then release them to contact and minister to the rest of the members of their groups. Each week after contacting the members of their respective groups, the group leaders would then report back to Pastor Omina. The group leaders were excited about the plan, and that excitement has transferred to the members. The result of this God-given strategy is that even with no social media options, Pastor Omina’s church is experiencing growth. New people are joining the church.
The church has also been ministering to the physical needs of its community. During this time there is great need among the people. Because people are not working during the lockdown, they do not have money to buy food. The church found a way to buy some bulk food to distribute to help meet the needs.
San Fernando Open Bible (SFOB), Trinidad and Tobago
The San Fernando Open Bible Church is one of the largest Open Bible churches in the world with a weekend attendance of over three thousand people. While larger churches have options that other churches do not, it is often harder for large churches to make changes quickly because the effects of those changes impact many people.
SFOB has been broadcasting their services on the Internet for years and developed a large online following. When they were forced to stop services in their building due to the pandemic, they immediately shifted to online devotions on Facebook Live six days a week at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. with two services on Sunday. People quickly embraced the new schedule. Hundreds are actively engaged for every session with comments, likes, and shares. The church’s 35 cell groups (called clusters) began meeting weekly via social media like Zoom. Other groups, including prayer groups, youth, and new believers’ classes, are now all online. A prayer line was added for people to have an intercessor or pastor pray with them personally or to receive counseling.
A system for pastoral care was developed to maintain contact with the thousands associated with the church. The pastor divided the church into zones built around the clusters. This way church leadership has been able to be in contact with everyone from active members to casual attenders. When needs are identified, the church steps in to help meet the needs.
One of the most significant innovations involved worship. SFOB has been known for their worship and music ministries. Before the lockdown their music ministry, Gates Praise, had hosted six worship events called Worship Without Walls. After the lockdown the decision was made to host Worship Without Walls online resulting in a nearly three-hour worship event during which Gates Praise partnered with worship leaders in 14 countries. It struck a chord in the hearts of people who were weary with the pandemic and the lockdown. Thousands logged on and were moved to worship the King of the universe.
My Conclusions
God has a unique strategy for each church that will enable them to minister to their people and their community during this time. We can learn from other churches, but there is a specific strategy that works best for each church.
The Church is rediscovering ministry that does not revolve around a building. Church buildings will once again be used to help facilitate ministry rather than to define ministries. Some of the previous strategies will need to be reevaluated and some of them laid aside. This new normal that is emerging will increase the effectiveness of ministry.
God’s kingdom will advance especially during times of crisis. The persecuted Church around the world already understood this. In uncertain times people look for answers and stability, which are ultimately found in God. There are hearts that are open now, waiting for a message of hope. This should be the Church’s finest hour.
About the Author
Mike Lumbard and his wife, Pam, were pastors in the States for thirty years. Since 2010 they have been missionaries in Trinidad and Tobago. As Directors of the School of Global Leadership, they show people how to have God’s heart for the world and for the lost.
Around the World
Hope Rising in Venezuela: How Open Bible Churches are Transforming a Nation Through Faith and Compassion
Despite Venezuela’s fifteen-year ongoing humanitarian crisis, with nearly seventy percent of the population enduring multi-tiered poverty and almost half facing severe humanitarian needs, a movement of hope has unfolded in Open Bible Churches. Across the country, Open Bible is not only responding to urgent physical needs but is also nurturing a generation of believers in faith and service to stabilize Venezuela’s future.
Open Bible is not only responding to urgent physical needs but is also nurturing a generation of believers in faith and service to stabilize Venezuela’s future.
Church soup kitchens have long ministered beyond their walls to ensure that vulnerable children receive a hot meal. They also see that families receive food supplies, clothing, and shoes, bringing tangible relief to their neighborhoods. The Church has also stepped in where public services falter through medical outreaches – with eye exams, vaccinations, and even free haircuts. Through these initiatives, a vibrant children and youth ministry has emerged. The youth are not just recipients of aid but have become leaders, actively involved in church life – in worship, evangelism, and home groups.
Often, children and youth have no Christian family support and are the only believers in their homes. Many were left with relatives when their parents went to nearby countries in search of a better life. So, the church teaches and empowers youth to grow spiritually and practically. These “little-big giants” are proving to be a wave of hope as they grow “in wisdom and stature, and favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
Venezuela’s church is resilient, reinventing itself to meet the social, spiritual, and familial challenges with creativity
Over the years, events like the “Good News Festival” have sparked revival, resulting in Open Bible church plants. This festival, focused on children, reflects God’s heart for the youngest and most vulnerable, and brings new life and whole communities into faith. It is not unusual for entire families to be brought to Christ through their children.
Despite the widespread emigration of many adults, Venezuela’s church is resilient, reinventing itself to meet the social, spiritual, and familial challenges with creativity and, above all, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Open Bible brothers and sisters in Venezuela demonstrate how the Church can thrive despite adversity by living out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors, serve the least, and disciple this generation. Through continued partnership and prayer, we look forward to seeing Venezuela transformed by the hope, faith, and love found in Jesus. If you’d like to support our Open Bible family in Venezuela as they share Christ’s love and serve those in greatest need, please send a check to:
| Open Bible Churches 2020 Bell Ave. Des Moines, IA 50315 | Make checks payable to Global Missions of Open Bible Churches and write “Venezuela humanitarian aid” in the memo line. |
Thank you for partnering with us to extend Christ’s love and mercy in Venezuela.
About the Author
Tammy Swailes is passionate about cross-cultural Christian education, so working with INSTE Bible College to disciple and equip leaders throughout Europe and beyond is a great fit! Tammy has lived in Europe since 1999 – first in Hungary and now Ukraine. Before that, she was in Japan, as well as Spokane, Washington. She now serves as INSTE regional director in Europe, assisting INSTE programs in five languages. Tammy has her undergraduate degrees in both Missions and Christian Education and a MA in Intercultural Studies. Photography, good coffee, multi-cultural experiences, and the family’s Yorkie are some of Tammy’s favorite things.
One of wonderful things I get to do as Executive Director of Global Missions is discover new missionary candidates. God is still calling young people to be missionaries, the “sent out” ones. We are always looking for those who are called to help us reach the unreached people of the world with the gospel of Christ.
In today’s culture with high-tech technology, advanced communication, and even AI, we have a special need for young men and women who are able to respond to the Great Commission and spread the gospel in today’s context.
For this reason, we are excited to announce the appointment of our two newest missionaries, both of whom were presented at our recent national convention in Kissimmee, Florida.
McKendre Veenstra has been appointed to serve as a missionary in Japan. The leaders of Open Bible Churches in Japan have long desired to have a missionary come to teach English, not only as a means of learning the language but also as a tool for evangelism. In addition to teaching English, McKendre will also be using his God-given talents to assist our churches in Japan with worship and youth ministries. This collaboration between Global Missions of Open Bible Churches and Japan Open Bible Churches is a great effort to work together to reach the Japanese people with the gospel of Christ.
McKendre is currently itinerating in the Central Region to raise his support and hopes to go to Japan in fall of 2025. Thank you for your prayers and support! Donate to McKendre here.
Zac Anderson will be serving alongside the directors and staff of Puente de Amistad in Tijuana, Mexico. He will be leading teams and supporting existing ministries and churches in their work to reach the youth of Tijuana. Since 2010, Zac has impacted the lives of thousands of children throughout the Ohio region and around the world. His life verse is Matthew 5:16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (NIV).
Zac shares, “I know what it’s like to be ignored and feel unloved. My goal is to be the person someone feels comfortable talking to who will point them toward the Savior who changed my life.”
Zac will be itinerating in the Open Bible East Region in fall of 2025 and plans to move to Tijuana, Mexico, in January 2026. Thank you for your prayers and support!
Donate to Zac here.
God is still calling young people to be missionaries, the “sent out” ones.
Please pray for the Lord to anoint and bless McKendre and Zac as they begin their ministry overseas. We are expecting God to do great things through their lives and ministry as they obey God’s calling.
Vince McCarty serves as the Executive Director of Global Missions, giving oversight to Open Bible’s work in 55 countries of the world. He is thankful for the great missionary staff and all the national leaders he has the opportunity to serve with. He would like us to remember that the Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone and too important not to try to do together.
The Global Missions office has a unique window into the miraculous ways God works in and through Open Bible churches around the world. Here we share four powerful, real-life testimonies of God’s healing, protection, and divine intervention from different corners of the globe: Nicaragua, Cuba, Ukraine, and Nigeria.
A healing testimony from Nelson and Tirsa Gaitan, missionaries in Nicaragua
We have a wonderful testimony of a little girl, Esther Paola Sánchez, who just turned two months old. When Esther was just one month old, she was hospitalized for two weeks, undergoing many tests, and was ultimately diagnosed with congenital heart disease. The doctors told her parents that an operation was necessary and that baby Esther wouldn’t leave the hospital without it. The whole church went to prayer for her healing. Two days after we prayed for her, the doctors did a pre-surgery examination and found the baby no longer had anything wrong with her! Glory to God! Now baby Esther is home and free from all illness. The parents are joyful and praising the Lord for their baby’s healing. Christ heals and frees us from all illness. Hallelujah!
A healing testimony from David Moreno, field director of Cuba
One of our pastors, Rafael Freire, fell ill and was hospitalized with severe dehydration, dangerous levels of low blood pressure, and a heart rate of over 200 beats per minute. While in the hospital, diagnostic tests revealed he had lived his whole life with a congenital heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) consisting of four heart abnormalities that lead to reduced oxygen to the blood, causing a bluish color to skin, difficulty breathing, and fatigue. This disease is usually discovered in infancy and requires surgery to correct the issues. Without surgery, the life expectancy with TOF is only twenty years. Remarkably, Pastor Rafael discovered the diagnosis at age fifty-seven! For the glory of God, this pastor ministered for thirty years in difficult and mountainous terrain in Cuba without presenting any symptoms or skin discoloration. God performed a further miracle in the intensive care room: in just ten days he made a full recovery! We thank God for His healing and sustaining touch on Pastor Rafael’s life.
A testimony of protection from Serhiy Pushenko, pastor in Ukraine, as told to missionary Tammy Swailes
On March 13, 2025, a KAB (laser guided bomb) flew to our city right in the middle of the day. We live on the frontlines, so bombings are common, but daytime bombings are surprising. This KAB targeted the grounds at the private medical clinic where my wife, Oksana, and eldest son work. It fell and detonated next to the clinic. The way this KAB exploded was a miracle: instead of detonating on the ground, it hit a large tree and exploded mid-air, minimizing the overall damage. Had it exploded on the ground, the damage would have been catastrophic. The clinic remained intact, but the windows shattered and the suspended ceiling fell.
…miracles don’t always come with lightning flashes, but oftentimes arrive quietly, unexpectedly, and always in deeply personal ways.
The Lord miraculously protected us in so many other ways. A medical employee on her way to another room lingered that day at my wife’s desk, and because of this, she escaped the shattering glass. The clinic’s ceiling fell on my wife’s head and the heads of other staff, yet no one was badly hurt. Our son always leaves work at a certain time every day and yet that day, he left fifteen minutes earlier than usual. If he had left at his usual time, he would have been outside at the bomb’s epicenter, and we can only imagine what could have happened to him. Other people who were on the street survived; the photos of the area show what a miracle this is. My friend, an Orthodox priest, was driving through town but stopped a block from the clinic for a coffee. Just as he arrived, the bomb exploded. Had he not stopped for coffee, he would have been passing the explosion site. These are just a few of the testimonies convincing me that even in this time of trouble, God is with us.
A healing testimony from Nwanase John, member of Calabar church in Nigeria, as told to Nigerian field director Okon Obot
Sometime in 2023, I noticed a lump in front of my neck that moved back and forth when I swallowed. After a physical examination and scans at a clinic, it was confirmed that the lump was a goiter. It continued to bother me for two years. In March 2025 I was at work when suddenly I felt like I was choking. I tried clearing my throat a few times. When I rubbed my neck, I didn’t feel the goiter any longer. I was confused and kept rubbing my neck, not believing what I felt (actually, what I didn’t feel!). Praise God, the goiter is gone! I’m so grateful, and I give God all the glory for the miraculous healing.
These testimonies remind us that miracles don’t always come with lightning flashes, but oftentimes arrive quietly, unexpectedly, and always in deeply personal ways. May these stories encourage your heart and strengthen your faith, stirring you to believe that the God of miracles is still moving – perhaps even in your life today!
