Hessel Children Monthly Update

October 2026

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

What is “mission?” A basic definition is: an important task, goal, or core purpose that guides someone's actions or an organization's work. So, with that in mind - what is God’s mission? What is God’s “important task, goal, or core purpose?” We read in Isaiah 48:9-11, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” In other words, God’s central aim, or mission, is His own glory. Everything that He does, whether it be creating the world, saving sinners, or building His Church - it is all done for His glory. This is God’s mission.

So, with that in mind, what is “missions?” We commonly refer to missions (in the church context) as sending people overseas to share the Gospel. The practice of global “missions” by the Church does, in fact, consist of sending individuals to cross-cultural contexts in order to evangelize, make disciples, plant churches, and build God’s kingdom. However - “missions” is done in the context of God’s “mission.” In other words, when we talk about global missions, we must do so with God’s glory as our central aim. God is a missional God who desires to save sinners through the preaching of His Word. We get to be His chosen instruments to bring about the message of salvation to the lost world - what a privilege!

Hessel Church has been “missional” in this sense since its conception, and we currently support dozens of missionaries around the world. Why am I talking about missions here? Well, first of all, it’s topical. Our GO Conference is coming up this month. And secondly, kids need to know about the importance of global missions.

Growing up in an unbelieving household, I did not know anything about missions. And even in my Christian life, I haven’t done too much work on the “mission field.” However, as I continue to learn the stories of missions history, how God is working around the world today, and how I can be involved - I get excited. I want our children (and families) to be excited about global missions as well. It doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is called to uproot, go to a third world country, learn an obscure tribal language, and start churches. BUT - it does mean that we need to be “missional” in our thinking, and support the “mission” of God by spreading the gospel wherever God has placed us.

I would encourage you to talk as a family this month about global missions. I have included one helpful book written by Tim Challies (past Connect Conference speaker) that may be a great resource to talk about God’s global Church as a family. There are lots of great resources, videos, biographies, etc. that you can find to help spur conversation and get your kids excited about missions this month.

And I hope to see you all at the GO Conference (Sat, October 17th) - remember it’s free! Sign up at the event link at the bottom of this page.

Blessings,

Julian Marcel | Pastor of Children’s Ministry | Hessel Church | julian@hessel.org