Milligan College’s Study Abroad partner and nonprofit Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) is still working hard during the pandemic.
CMF International is a ministry based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. They have operations in 25 countries that plant churches and campus ministries, boost community outreach and serve the poor through sponsorship, job training and microfinance loans.
Through their REACH internships and exchange program, they offer college-credit study abroad programs. They are also a partner with Milligan’s Study Abroad program and have worked to bring the message of the gospel from India and Thailand to The Netherlands and Brazil.
In poor, urban areas where CMF is tied financially, including East Africa, West Africa, India and Latin America, wages are implemented daily to support families. Support for this growing concern arrives in the form of food and supplies to vulnerable families, sent by CMF. Their three new COVID-19 funds go to provisions in countries including India and Kenya. If you would like to learn more about their fund or help by donating to their missions, click here.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Stampede reached out to Dr. Kip Lines, executive director of CMF. A Milligan alumnus, Lines gave a chapel lecture for Missions Emphasis Week in 2019.
CMF has been greatly impacted by the level four global health advisory issued by the United States government on March 31, 2020. While each team has a contingency plan, CMF made the decision to restrict all non-essential work travel by early March. By April, 15 team members arrived back in the US, and after deliberation, the 28 office and administration staffers began to work from home.
While CMF’s 2020 REACH Internship Program has delayed their ministries until 2021, they have rescheduled their 38 interns serving positions on every continent. Each have been in communication to find a time that best fits their schedule and outreach, especially those who were seeking college credit.
Through CMF Emma Timmins, a senior with social work and Spanish majors, spent a semester working with children in Atizapan, outside of Mexico City.
“I would just say that my heart goes out to all of the REACH interns who were not able to go this summer,” said Timmins. “I know how much anticipation and preparation goes into this, and I can only imagine how deeply disappointing it must be.”
Despite cancellations in 2020, CMF is still accepting student applications for 2021. If you would like to know more about serving in ministries on a global scale, click here.
“We are expecting to see the numerous ways that God is working through this time and will be intentional to adapt our ministries to work alongside what God is doing after this time,” says Lines. “We have been given good news that can transform lives and communities and can continue in that work even through this time. I pray that [Milligan College] can find meaningful ways to connect with God and others during this time.”
Headline photo: Emma Timmins shares in ministry during her time in Mexico through CMF.