Whatever your vocation, it’s your life’s work as a follower of Christ to make Him known. And that’s something you can only fully understand as someone who has a relationship with God because of your salvation. Our salvation is central to missions in the same way. Yet all of us are products of our culture simultaneously, in one way or another.

As we grow up in an increasingly sanitized and mechanized world, each generation loses practical experience with hardship. We need to reattach ourselves to the realities of what brokenness, pain, suffering, and loss look like, because daily life doesn’t do that for us anymore. Our instinct as Christians is often to send a verse or a book to those in pain, but we know from the book of Job that approach isn’t always right. Our metric is skewed.

But what if believers, with their unique gifts and talents, were to come together and share their gifts with one another? What if someone with the gift of mercy were to share how they do things in a really practical way? And what if another Christian, with the gift of hospitality, were to hear that and share their own experience in return, creating an opportunity for each other’s ministries to be reciprocally enriched? How would that interdependence affect the way we approach international missions?

Because we know God’s love, we can extend love to others through ministries and programs anchored in the church. But we do medical ministries, give food and supplies, and offer tangible help through the church to create relationships in which we can share Jesus. Christ is the only answer to the problems of pain, suffering, and evil in the world, and we share that hope with others because we know God personally, as a loving Father and the Savior of our souls.

Greg Barshaw is the founder and CEO of Connect 2 Ministries. Early in his career, he studied physical therapy and worked in the aerospace industry, biomedical manufacturing, and construction. While Greg has used these skills in many different ministry contexts, his passion has always been for people.

After starting a ministry for disabled individuals at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA, Greg became the Executive Pastor at Grace Brethren Church of Simi Valley in 2000. Over time, God transitioned his focus to missions, and Connect 2 Ministries was launched in 2009.

Connect 2 Ministries was established to help local churches rediscover a passion for lost people, and to support international churches and pastors by fostering a sound biblical foundation in ministry. Connect 2 Ministries worked extensively in relief efforts after the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake and has continued working with churches, orphans, and the disabled population in Haiti.

Greg also participated in relief efforts following the famine in Ethiopia (1972), the tsunami in Thailand (2004), and Hurricane Katrina (2005). Serving in a variety of settings, both in the US and abroad, has shaped and strengthened Greg’s heart for compassionate ministry.

Greg and his wife, Nancy, are parents to three grown children, and “Papa and Mimi” to twelve grandchildren.

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