News From the Dyars...

Greetings from beautiful Redding!

Well, if everything had gone according to plan, we would have been on a plane today headed to Mozamabique. Unfortunately, last week Julie’s back went out in a big way, and she spent the week on modified bed rest. Basically, spent most of her time making sure the sofa didn’t run away. We are disappointed by the delay, but not discouraged. There are some advantages, as it allows Mark more time to coordinate the trip to Mozambique with the trip to Kenya. We will now be shooting for a September date.

In further preparations for Kenya and development of the curriculum for Romania, we have an opportunity through our local church to attend a ministry school planting gathering in mid April. The gathering is specifically focused on those who are currently leading or looking to plant ministry schools all over the world with the intention of being able to connect, share vision, and potentially partner together to advance the work. 

In other news; many, if not most of you, are likely unaware that in addition to LTI, Bud and Mary Ann have another non-profit organization called Gospel Communicators, Inc. Without boring you with too many details and a lot of non-profit jargon, GCI is basically an umbrella organization that provides non-profit status to other similar charitable organizations without them having to go through the time and expense of the formal process with the IRS. As you may or may not be aware, the process usually takes a minimum of two years and can cost upwards of $2,500 in legal fees. For many missionaries and religious charities, this is time and expense they can ill afford.

A year or so ago, we began the discussion on what to do about GCI. We could dissolve it, which would potentially have caused our current members to lose their non-profit status.  Or, we could begin transitioning GCI into Mark and Julie’s hands. Ultimately, the decision was made to transition GCI to Mark and Julie as they and GCI are actually a unique fit for one another.

Julie’s work in the non-profit sector provides an expertise that is uncommon in the church/missions world. She knows the language of business, non-profits, the church and missions and how to bridge the gap between these worlds when they intersect. Additionally, Mark’s natural gift for recruiting, as well his experiences pastoring and on the mission field will give us the ability to develop a network among members that can provide both practical and spiritual support. This gives GCI an advantage in launching ministries with a good foundation to see their vision, mission and call come into fruition.

We are still in the process of formalizing the transition, which should be completed by the end of April. In the mean time, if you know of anyone needing to establish a 501c3, we would love to see if there is a way we can serve them. 

Thank you for all that you do.

Yours for the Kingdom,

Mark and Julie