2024 Annual Ministry Report
With your support and the work of the Holy Spirit, we've accomplished a lot together. Your gifts and prayers made this possible!
Cover Photo: Pastor Pavel preaching at Salt of the Earth Church, a church plant in Estonia that your Resonate missionary Gary Timmerman helps to support.
From the Director
Look for the light
God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts.
Your Blessings Have a Lasting Impact
Resonate leadership team members share how they see the far-reaching effects of your giving in action.
Kevin DeRaaf
Director of Resonate Global Mission
“Donating to Resonate connects churches and Christ-followers to God’s work in their neighborhoods and around the world. You help to equip, send, and support mission-focused leaders to follow the Spirit and share the life-giving, community transforming good news of Jesus. Together, we are part of God’s unfolding global story.”
Amy Schenkel
Congregational Gospel Witness Leader
“Loving our neighbors and sharing the gospel is our core identity, but many churches struggle in a post-Christian context. Resonate walks alongside them with practical and biblical tools to engage in this mission so that more people can become followers of Jesus.”
Joyce Suh
Intercultural Gospel Witness Leader
“Resonate has the privilege of walking alongside churches to provide places and opportunities for believers to explore and live out their mission callings. With your support, we have influence and spiritual impact beyond our numbers because we do the hard work of engaging missions together.”
Sam Huizenga
Learning Programs Leader
Resonate’s learning programs— Global Coffee Break, Timothy Leadership Training, and Educational Care—serve churches with practical and accessible tools for their local ministry. These well-loved resources have stood the test of time because they are rooted in the Bible and can be personalized to fit a variety of contexts. Your partnership with Resonate helps to change lives by placing these programs in the hands of people and communities around the world.”
Tim Sheridan
Church Planting Leader
“Resonate is on the leading edge of church planting, and we are witnessing how God transforms lives as a result. Together with you, we are reaching people across 12 languages and equipping leaders in more than 20 cultures in North America alone. Your giving brings renewal and hope to new communities around the world.”
Stories You Made Possible
Western United States
—David, member of Resonate church plant
Church of Refugia in California
“When we started the Church of Refugia, it was such a blessing. The love and acceptance that I get in Refugia is paramount. It doesn’t wipe the slate clean, but it has really helped me feel that the church is there for me.”
Mexico
—David, Bible study participant
with Resonate missionary James Lee in Mexico
“Connecting with other people who are also followers of Christ makes me feel very good. It makes me feel like I belong to something. . . . I have a family I didn’t even know was my family. I hope to know everything God wants for me. I see myself as a leader like Pastor James with the intention and objective of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Europe
—Isaac, Resonate volunteer
at LCC International University in Lithuania
“It was a great experience to be able to walk alongside someone as they decided to give their life to Christ. We had two students who had never had contact in their lives with Christianity hear about the gospel for the first time. It helped me grow as a Christian to be able to lead people in their own relationship with God.”
Central America
—Noemi, Cohort volunteer
in Central America
“I have been able to see God in multiple ways, where people are valuable, but so is the entire creation, and our mission must be holistic. It was a year of a lot of learning. I hope not to stop here. . . . I want to practice the proclamation of the Word, fellowship, and community.
Eastern Canada
When a Missional Community Meets a Public School
With the guidance of your Resonate partner Terence Schilstra, a group of mission-minded people in Thorold, Ontario, began hosting monthly community dinners at their Christian Reformed Church plant, The Village church. After a time, what started as a small gathering evolved into The Table—a thriving missional community that welcomes 80-100 students and families each week to share meals, study Scripture, and serve their neighbors. Read more about how you are equipping this community to shine the light of Christ at resonateglobalmission.org/thorold
Middle East
You Provided a Life-Changing Experience
All around the world, you are providing people with opportunities to deepen their relationship with Jesus. That’s what your support gave to Aziza, a Cohort participant in the Middle East. Aziza didn’t start out as a Cohort participant, but then she met Ann, your Resonate missionary to the Middle East. Ann invited her to apply for Cohort, and now Aziza dreams of becoming a missionary herself. You are helping to inspire and grow God’s church through your support! Read more about how you helped to equip Aziza to share about Jesus with others at resonateglobalmission.org/aziza.
Central United States
Theology Breakfast on Campus
Your Resonate campus ministry partner Evan Tinklenberg noticed that students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison needed a place to discuss basic Christian theology. So Evan organized Theology Breakfast, a space for students to ask questions about God over a meal together. Calvin, a student who attended Theology Breakfast, shared that being a part of this campus ministry event transformed his faith. Now, Calvin invites and encourages other students to come to Theology Breakfast! Read more about how your support is helping to share the love of Christ with young people at resonateglobalmission.org/breakfast.
Eastern & Central Asia
A Stronghold for Christ
In Chichibu, Japan, your support of Resonate is equipping local leaders like Chieko Ishii to share the gospel. After rediscovering her faith, Chieko started a Bible study with the help of your Resonate missionaries Jeong and MiSook Gho. Now, in one of the largest unreached countries in the world, Chieko, Jeong, and MiSook have launched local outreach activities that are inspiring a new wave of church engagement. Read more about how you are partnering with your Resonate missionaries to creatively reach people with God’s Word at resonateglobalmission.org/stronghold.
Eastern & Southern Africa
A Spiritual Family
When Daniel was abandoned in Kitgum Town, Uganda, you helped to equip Pastor Julius to care for him. After completing Timothy Leadership Training and learning how to care for God’s people, Pastor Julius felt a pull to help Daniel. He provided Daniel with food, shelter, and spiritual guidance, and he even helped Daniel to reconcile with his mother before her passing. Today Daniel lives with Pastor Julius in a supportive faith community. Read more about how you are equipping people like Pastor Julius to mobilize into action and share the love of God with others at resonateglobalmission.org/daniel.
Southern & Southeastern Asia
The Day Ms. Litha’s Life Changed
Ms. Litha was a devoted Buddhist—until your Resonate missionaries in Cambodia, Ly Chhay and Navy Chann-Chhay, invited her to a Global Coffee Break Bible study. Surrounded by a community of believers, Ms. Litha started reading the Bible and witnessed God moving in miraculous ways. Ms. Litha has since dedicated her life to Jesus and is committed to studying God’s Word using Global Coffee Break Bible study materials—resources that your support helps to provide. Read more about how your partnership helped to bring Ms. Litha to Christ at resonateglobalmission.org/mslitha.
Under the Shea Tree
Kang Heo joined the circle of pastors’ wives under a big shea tree next to the village’s grass-thatched church in Uganda. The sun blazed overhead, making the church stifling in the heat, but the shea tree nearby provided some much-needed shade as the group read from the Bible together.
A student at Calvin Theological Seminary, Kang was volunteering with Resonate Global Mission missionary Stephen Omoko to lead Timothy Leadership Training (TLT) sessions in Uganda. That day, the two had traveled for two hours over bumpy, dusty roads from the bustling city of Soroti to a rural village to lead this group of pastors’ wives through TLT.
Women in Uganda, especially in rural villages, do not typically have the same opportunities as men for education and careers. Though it is uncommon for a woman to be a pastor, many women play crucial roles as leaders in their communities and churches. Pastors' wives in particular shoulder significant responsibility in their churches. So, to help supply them with opportunities to learn and grow, Resonate leads TLT trainings with them.
“They were very excited to listen and learn,” said Kang about the participants he worked with. “They really have a curiosity about the Bible and its application to their lives. . . . We really wanted them to find freedom in Christ in the truth of the Bible, and they were really passionate about learning.”
Kang hopes to be a pastor someday. While studying at Calvin Theological Seminary, he was able to participate in TLT himself. He also decided to volunteer with Resonate to see how TLT worked in a context that was different from what he knew growing up in South Korea and studying in the United States. Calvin Seminary also requires students like Kang to gain cross-cultural experience through an internship, so volunteering with Resonate in this way provided Kang a great opportunity.
“Resonate has missionaries all over the world and a good support system for volunteers,” he said. “I was sure that if I worked with Resonate, I would have a good experience and maximize my cross-cultural experience.”
Stephen took Kang under his wing as they traveled to lead TLT in the village. Kang stayed with a pastor’s family while they were there. It was very different, he said, from what he was accustomed to at home and during his stay in Soroti. In the village there’s no electricity or running water. But he valued the opportunity to engage in this experience and meet the people there, he said.
“They all welcomed me with their whole hearts,” said Kang. Some of the highlights of this trip, he said, were in experiencing the warm hospitality of the people he visited and being able to worship with them in a big community-wide prayer gathering.
“Their passions, their attitudes to listen to holy words, was really great. That was the biggest takeaway for me. In Korea and the United States, churches often have big buildings, but I don’t always see that passion,” said Kang.
Kang “was very quick to form friends in the church and the community. . . . He was also able to learn a few words in the local language,” said Stephen.
At the end of the TLT session, each of the participants walked away with an action plan to work on a problem they were able to identify in their church and community. While Kang won’t be able to be there for the next session when they gather under the shea tree, he is continuing his partnership by praying for the work and providing financial support for TLT in Uganda.
Kang “learned that poverty cannot be solved with only financial support,” said Stephen, who referenced the wise saying “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This is one reason why Resonate’s work with TLT is so important, and why Kang wants to continue supporting it. In 44 countries around the world, your Resonate missionaries like Stephen are equipping and empowering leaders to solve problems in their communities and make a difference in people’s lives. Your support through Resonate makes an impact—not just for a day but for a lifetime.
Your Gifts are Vital to the Mission
Ministry shares cover a small percentage of Resonate’s work
Our denomination’s faithful ministry-share giving, including money you give through your church, builds a strong foundation for mission work—but the ministry shares program only provides around 17 percent of the revenue Resonate needs to operate. The majority of our work together is funded directly by your gifts. It’s your partnership that provides stability and sustainability— that’s why donors like you are so important!
Missionaries and church planters are just one part of Resonate
Your giving through Resonate supports ministry around the world in a variety of ways. In addition to sending missionaries and church planters, we partner with national organizations, offer grants to partners, and support other ministry initiatives that align with our mission.
Thank you for your generous support of ministry around the world!
By the Numbers
As your Christian Reformed mission agency, we support missionaries, church planters, and ministry leaders in 44 countries around the world—all of them raised, trained, supported, and sent by you. Your partnership helps to shine God’s light to people and communities around the world! Thank you for joining together in 2024 to respond to our call to share the good news. May God bless you as you join him on mission in the coming year!
Countless stories of new life in Christ!
