When Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey, the church in Antioch of Syria sent them out with prayer and fasting. On their return, they first visited their home church “and reported...how that God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” Thereafter, Antioch was regarded as the hub church for missions to the Gentiles, parallel to Jerusalem as the hub from which Peter and the other apostles concentrated on bringing Christ to the Jews.

The Hub-Spokes program for foreign missions expansion, while not consciously emulating Paul, the greatest missionary of all time, and the church at Antioch, yet the comparison is apt. The Hub-Spokes program for the expansion of OPC foreign missions was approved by the 55th General Assembly in 1988 and got underway about two years later. It was not intended to replace the support of foreign missions under Worldwide Outreach, but to enhance and enlarge grass-roots support for foreign missions in the OPC. Those churches involved in the Midwest Hub-Spokes program continue their support of the other two program committees (the Committees on Home Missions and Christian Education) - witness the host of new churches that have been added to the Presbytery of the Midwest during our years of operation.

How does the Hub-Spoke program enhance foreign missions giving without deflecting support from the other committees?

In two closely related ways: First, it undertakes the full support of one foreign missionary with funds from our member churches, sent to the Committee and designated for the support of that missionary. We began with the support of Ralph and Joan English in Suriname back in 1990. True, the Englishes had been supported from general Foreign Missions funds till that time. But our goal was to increase the giving from our Hub and Spoke churches till we could add another missionary (and hopefully one who could not otherwise be supported from existing sources). By increasing giving to foreign missions without deflecting support from Home Missions and Christian Education, we were soon able to begin the support of a second missionary. We settled on Brian and Dorothy W., who were first sent to Kenya. Then, when the Englishes returned to the US, we took on the full support of the Brian and Dorothy W. and have continued their support to the present. Since that time we have supported various missionaries as our "second" family. First was Daryl and Yea Daniels, then Herb and Maria Prawius, followed by Matt and Shannon Baugh and currently Ben and Heather H.

The other advantage is the closer contact that we enjoy with “our” missionaries (not that we aim to claim them selfishly as our own). At this point it is fair to ask why are our churches giving so much more for foreign missions? Because of the closeness between supporting churches and supported missionaries. Both are encouraged. They and we are family! Because they are in Africa, the Carribean or elsewhere, they are there for us, and they have a big place in our prayers. It’s a principle that doesn’t need defending - that we pray for those we pay for. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

There’s no end of need for the Gospel of grace in this sinful world. Any way we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ to invest in the work of the Great Commission, we bless both them and sinners the world around.

Hub-Spoke Steering Committee meetings are generally held on the second Saturday in January, April, and October and as needed on the second Saturday in July. You are welcome to attend as a guest.

Except for some changes to bring the missionary history up to date, this text is an excerpt from an article by the late Rev. Lawrence Eyres, which he wrote for the Hubs-Spokes Newsletter in November of 1998.