Dear Friends,
This is my final letter to you as the director of SIM USA. On October 1, Bruce Johnson will officially assume his role as the new leader of SIM USA. Before then, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some thoughts and also make an important request of you.
Let me begin with a very heartfelt expression of my gratitude for the prayers and support the SIM family has shown to me—and my wife, Marcia—over these past eight years. "Serving in Mission" with you has been a thrilling experience.
I also want to share a prayer that has been on my heart ever since Bruce Johnson was named as my successor. I have been praying that I would be able to hand the reins of leadership over to Bruce with the ministry in the strongest financial position possible.
But doing this will involve meeting a difficult challenge today. SIM has fallen behind in gift income during 2009, and at this point we need $750,000 in new gifts to overcome this shortfall and bring our ministry budget into balance.
I pray that you will be able to help us in a special way. I had the blessing of beginning my tenure as U.S. director on solid footing, which helped so much as I was taking on the many responsibilities that come with this position.
Now I pray you will help me give Bruce that same head start by sending your gift today for the ministry of SIM.
It's very important that we stay on track during this time of transition—both for Bruce's sake in his new role and for the future of God's work. I'm happy to say that SIM is well positioned as a leader in this new era of missions. We have missionaries from more than 50 countries, and we are well connected with the new initiatives and missions from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
SIM also has a strong tradition of emphasizing total church development—evangelism, church planting, and also discipling churches into maturity so that they are sending out their own missionaries. In fact, we are already seeing the fruit of this emphasis as SIM-related churches in developing countries are sending out and supporting missionaries from their own ranks.
As a veteran missions leader, Bruce is well gifted and experienced to lead SIM USA. He also knows what I have discovered to be true over the last eight years: Doing the work of missions is impossible without the prayerful and committed support of many partners—friends like you!
You have demonstrated this kind of commitment again and again, and I am confident you will give Bruce the same unwavering partnership you have shown to me. Therefore, I urge you to respond with your gift of support, whether $25, $50, $100 or more. Every contribution is important, so please make your secure online gift today. Thank you for helping me hand over the reins of SIM to Bruce in a strong financial position . . . for God's glory His work around the world!
Steve Strauss, U.S. Director
