Our Lord has given the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) a number of good ministries, many of which are financially supported by funds from Reformed Presbyterian Missions & Ministries (RPM&M). We invited a few friends from various places to share with you their thoughts on how God has used, and is using, these funds.

From Kyle Finley

Representing Youth Ministries

For over 25 years, the Youth Ministries Committee of Synod (YMCS) has planned, organized, and run various events for young people. If your child or a young person in your congregation has attended one of the following—Theological Foundations for Youth (TFY), Youth Leadership Conference (YLC), Theological Foundations Weekend (TFW), Theological Foundations: Backpacking (TFB), the high school program at RP International Conference (RPIC), or a presbytery youth retreat—they have experienced the work of YMCS.

Is YMCS’s main job producing acronyms? No, but we are proud of the ones we’ve got! Who makes up the YMCS? Generally it is married couples appointed by each of five RPCNA presbyteries in North America. Usually, these YMCS representatives oversee their respective presbytery’s youth retreats. They are the backbone of these events, working behind the scenes to plan and execute many of them.

In addition, YMCS members assemble each fall to encourage one another, ask for advice, swap stories, and plan future events. This facilitates collaboration, leads to more consistent practices, builds relationships across presbytery lines, and results in denomination-wide events.

RPM&M funding makes this committee and its work possible by providing 100% of the YMCS budget. The budget covers the costs of meeting in person, which is crucial for the committee’s work. These funds also underwrite TFY, YLC, TFB, and occasionally some presbytery events, making these experiences accessible to a broader range of young people.

The committee is deeply thankful for the denomination’s ongoing support and investment in its young people. Perhaps as you drop off a child or attend or pray for an upcoming event, you’ll join YMCS in giving thanks for the direct impact of RPM&M on the rising generation of men and women in the RP church.

From Ryan Hemphill

Representing HMB funds and Treasure Valley (Meridian, Idaho) RP Mission Church

RPM&M funds allotted to the Home Mission Board (HMB) benefit our denomination in a variety of ways. The HMB receives requests for, among other things:

• Exploratory grants,
• Aid for churches with residents in training with a view toward church planting,
• Reducing aid for church planters on-site in a new work.

A portion of aid that is granted comes from the money received from RPM&M. Some examples of how this money has helped our work in the Treasure Valley Mission can give you a picture of how it is used across the broader denomination in other church-planting efforts.

We were able to begin the work in Boise because of two main avenues of financial support: Seattle, Wash., RPC provided a significant portion of my salary, and the HMB provided an exploratory grant that we used for evangelistic materials, signage, office supplies, etc. During the second year of our work, we received another exploratory grant to be used toward my salary. In January 2024, we began receiving reducing aid, enabling me to set aside my tent-making job to focus more on church planting. Without this aid, there is no way the Treasure Valley Mission, and others like it across the RPCNA, could have been started.

From Elder S.

Representing RP Global Missions funds, which indirectly support the Chaura RP Church in Pakistan

I am a ruling elder in the Chaura Reformed Presbyterian Church in Pakistan. Many years ago our church belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. EM introduced our village church to Reformed theology. I think Pakistan is in dire need for such an understanding of God’s power. Our communities face significant religious and social challenges and lack access to sound theological teaching and spiritual leadership. We are grateful to the RPCNA, which is a lighthouse for us because it very diligently promotes Reformed theology both at home and abroad.

The RPCNA’s commitment to spreading the gospel through church planting, particularly in regions like Pakistan, reflects a profound dedication to fulfilling the Great Commission. The RPCNA’s efforts are not just about evangelism; they also support the communities in morality and practical service. We are grateful for your mission workers who are a source of encouragement for us. They strengthen us in our faith and make us understand the true gospel of Christ. Their compassionate outreach demonstrates their understanding of the gospel’s transformative power in every aspect of life.

Through its ministry, the RPCNA is fostering a strong, biblically grounded community in Pakistan. By promoting Reformed theology and biblical worship, they are equipping believers with a strong faith that emphasizes God’s grace, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of living a life that reflects Christ’s love. Their work is not just transforming individual lives but also contributing to a much broader spiritual renewal of the nation of Pakistan. We are learning to offer a beacon of hope in a region that desperately needs it.

I would like to thank the RPCNA for its efforts and support and urgently request that they help us to plant more Reformed churches in Pakistan, because Pakistan needs this ministry badly.

From Keith Mann

Representing global short-term missions

RPGM Short Term, formerly RP Missions, has been supported by infusions of funds from RP Global Missions (RPGM) for several decades. RP Missions in the past and RPGM Short Term today have focused on coordinating short-term mission opportunities but also other opportunities for believers of all ages to contribute to the work of taking the gospel to the world. The following quote from one of our “retirement-age” participants give us confidence that our work in the RPCNA is not in vain.

“Since returning from Japan, I’ve enthusiastically shared my experience via a presentation and have encouraged many to go, or to send, or to at least sign up for training to gain a change of perspective. I’ve also updated my church’s bulletin board (and I plan to keep it updated), which has been dedicated to promoting mission work in all forms, especially the work of RP Global Missions. I’ve been praying that God would raise up many in my congregation to become more Great Commission-minded—to truly understand what it means, and to move out of their comfort zones to the place where we’re all meant to go (the harvest)—that the Lord would raise up long-term missionaries where they’re most needed in the world, that I would support missions work however it’s needed, and that I might enjoy the privilege of another short-term mission trip someday (because some must go further afield than next door).”

Our trips involve participants raising funds from family, friends, congregation members, and others. These funds generally pay for the immediate costs of the trips, and our conviction is that the investment that is made into our trips will result in members of the RPCNA developing a global Christian lifestyle. Along with praying for and supporting missionaries in many practical ways, Christians with a global Christian lifestyle give financial support to the work of missions, including to RP Global Missions. RP Global Missions subsidizes the broader work of RPGM Short Term training development and hosts church relationship building—publicity and recruiting, for instance.

During the past year, we were able to attend many youth events and share our vision of taking the gospel to all the nations, and we are currently in the process of developing a version of our missions vision casting course, RPGM Explore.

One young man wrote this after taking our RPGM Explore course: “I want to share God’s heart for the world with people. Before going through RPGM Explore, John 3:16 felt like a boring verse to me, honestly, but after seeing God’s heart for the world, and, by His grace, having my heart grow for it, I now see John 3:16 as a verse that the entire world has to hear, for God so loved the world.”

The contribution of RPM&M to RPGM helps to enable the subsidies that are needed to make RPGM Short Term viable.

God be praised! He uses the gifts of His people, small and large, to further His kingdom. Thank you for your past giving, and please continue to give to RPM&M.