13
Mission Ministry
NPC Mission Partners Tom and Dora Becker
REACH Global Europe
Tom works with ReachGlobal Europe Division Leadership
as a “Catalyst for Ministry Among Marginalized People,”
and as such mobilize the church worldwide to serve with
compassion and justice alongside some of the world’s most
marginalized people. Working with mission city teams
and national partners, Tom’s end goal is to start or directly
influence gospel initiatives among marginalized people. His
main ministry activities include: Mobilizing Prayer, Advancing
Research, Creating Awareness, Networking Broadly, and
Facilitating Partnerships. Tom also coaches 5 regional
ministry leaders. These are pastors who oversee regions in
their own countries or mission work in several countries.
Tom also consults for the board of Roma Networks which
has representatives from 30 countries in Europe, who are
refining a Statement of Faith, Mission, Values, and document
of understanding between partners. About 80% of his work
is with the Roma in Europe. The revival among the Roma
in Europe demands new partnerships for resourcing and
empowering Roma leaders. Leadership development is a
key to the movement so that is where Tom focuses a lot of
his time. Tom is also involved, to a smaller degree, in some
research and awareness in the areas of disabilities ministry,
homeless beggars, and anti-human trafficking ministry and
hopes to be able to spend more time in “cross pollination”
activities that touch these various groups of marginalized
people.
Tom’s wife Dora who has been a partner in his ministry
throughout their marriage has recently taken on additional
ministry responsibility. Some of our women heard about
this ministry when Dora spent time with us at last year’s
Women’s Retreat.
Dora’s new role is as Third Culture Kids (TCK) Care
Coordinator for preschool through junior high kids and their
parents who are missionaries with ReachGlobal.
A TCK is someone who has spent a significant part of his or
her developmental years outside their parents’ culture. These
children build relationships with all of the cultures while not
having ownership of any. These parents need someone who
can provide pre-field training and ongoing support as they
and their children navigate issues unique to missionary life.
They face complex questions, such as:
• How can I help my children say goodbye and live so far
away from family and friends?
• Where will my children go to school? Should they
attend a national school, a boarding school, or be
homeschooled?
• How can my children best learn the language? How can
I learn the language if I’m trying to help my child adjust
to life in a new culture?
• How do I balance being a parent and being in ministry?
Dora supports the families with Skype calls once a month
and through Facebook and Facebook messenger, e-mail,
FaceTime, and other electronic apps. This ministry role is
in direct response to the needs of TCK’s and their parents
requesting help. Many TCK’s don’t have help processing
their “other-ness” until they reach their teen years. Heading
off many of the struggles and addressing them before they
are huge and require expensive counseling is a key aspect of
this ministry. Having lived and worked on the field with her
own family Dora is uniquely equipped to provide the support
and care needed to missionary parents so that they can carry
out their work effectively and care for their children.
Would you be interested in visiting Tom and Dora’s ministry
to Roma and missionaries in Eastern Europe? If so please
contact Stella or any of the mission team to discuss this idea.
Stella Clarke,
Mission Director
