Fusion students prepare to serve in ‘hardest places’
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new generation of believers will have the skills needed to take the love of God into the hardest places for people in the most desperate need, thanks to a new training module offered by Baptist Global Response.
In January, Pat Melancon, BGR's managing director of disaster response and training, provided three full days of international disaster relief training for students in Fusion, part of a bachelor's degree track at Midwestern Baptist College that instills discipline and provides training for students preparing to deploy around the world in service to the kingdom of God.
“The modules of the training included the biblical foundation for relief work, worldviews and their impact upon relief activities, and specific sector assessment skills training,” Melancon said. “The group divided into teams of five and participated in various training lectures and exercises during the first two days. The third day consisted of various actual disaster response scenarios for which they prepared plans for a team response.
“This cutting-edge program serves as a template for developing future leaders who are willing to go beyond the normal edge of missions to some of the hardest places to reach people in the most difficult of circumstances,” Melancon added. “Within a week of the training, these teams deployed around the world.”
The Fusion website, URL, says the program’s mission “is to equip young believers for Kingdom service by providing a directional process from adolescence into Biblical adulthood utilizing personal and spiritual disciplines, rites of passage, and significant tasks found in global mission opportunities."
Scott Brawner, the national director for Fusion, said disaster relief work allows students to demonstrate the love of Christ to people in great physical and spiritual need.
"Disaster response training and deployment provides Fusion with intense challenges for commitment and service around the world,” Brawner said. “Disaster response provides young people an immediate way to see their Kingdom service pay dividends."
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To learn more about international disaster response training, e-mail Pat Melancon at pat@gobgr.org.
