A Step of Faith: Loving Our Unreached Neighbors
As the city bus halted to a stop, my friend leaned over to me and said, “As people get on and off this bus, pray for them…” She discreetly motioned towards a woman wearing a chador with two kids in tow and an arm full of groceries and said “Pray for her, because if you do, it will be the first time anyone has prayed for her in the name of Jesus before, ever.” My heart sank. What?! How can that be, I thought. While I was familiar with the concept of unreached people, it was at this moment, while visiting this city halfway around the world, that I began to grasp what unreached actually means.
According to the Joshua Project, an unreached people group (UPG) is a population among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize its own without outside assistance. UPGs make up entire nations and cultures and are highly concentrated in certain regions of the world. It is estimated that 42% (3.2 billion) of the world’s population belongs to a UPG. Standing in front of me on that bus was an opportunity to pray for one of billions.
This stark reality has motivated me as a missionary Mobilizer, where I have served with a missions organization since 2013. I journey with women and men, lay and clergy, individuals, and families as they respond to God’s invitation to reach the unreached. I believe God has had me right where He wanted me to play my part in His mission, that is, until the Fall of 2024.
I had the opportunity to teach an introductory course on Intercultural Studies at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. On the last day of class, we discussed Jesus’ response to the question “Who is my neighbor?” While examining the Parable of the Good Samaritan, I was struck by the Samaritan’s response in a new way. The Samaritan not only took the time to be “interrupted” along his way, but he then leveraged his resources and connections, even putting his reputation on the line, to help this person in need. It was risky. It was messy. It required trust. Martin Luther King Jr. put it this way… the priest and the Levite were concerned with the question, “What will happen to me if I do something about this,” whereas the Samaritan asked, “What will happen to this person if I do nothing?”* And suddenly, my heart raced back to the bus with the Muslim woman. What will happen to the 3.2 billion people without access to the Gospel if we do nothing?
If I’m honest, I like the equipping, encouraging and supportive roles. They feel safe. They’re familiar and easier to predict. They aren’t as messy. But since August, my husband and I have been praying about an opportunity to join a team working with an unreached people group relocating to the US. And while reading this Scripture with my students I knew we needed to press into God’s invitation to get closer to those most in need and “love our neighbor as ourselves” (Luke 10:27).
Though I still embrace the call I have to mobilize and equip the local church, our next “yes” looks like joining a team connecting Muslims to Jesus and equipping and mobilizing believers to do the same. While your response may not be the same as ours (though if it is, let’s talk 😉), how does Jesus’ invitation to love your neighbor as yourself move you closer to those in need around you?
* DeYmaz, Mark. Multi-Ethnic Values https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxTmyZkL46Q
Jackie Fussner’s passion for cross-cultural work began in Manaus, Brazil, and has continued through her roles in missionary mobilization. She graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with an Intercultural Studies and Theology degree and earned her M.B.A. in nonprofit management from Asbury University. She and her husband Aaron are newly appointed to serve on a team connecting Muslims to Jesus and equipping and mobilizing believers to do the same.
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From Rev. Robbie Cansler E2026 Conference Director:
Save the date for WHWC’s E2026 conference, February 23rd- 25th, 2026! We are excited to announce that we will be going north this year, to downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota!
We will be at the beautiful Hyatt Regency, which is connected to the city’s skyway system, a pedestrian walkway connecting the entire downtown! The hotel is also located along Nicollet Mall, and has easy access to the mall’s free bus line. There is a lot of easy access to dining, shopping, coffee shops, historic churches, art, and more!
The hotel has ample space for all 900+ of us to eat, fellowship, and worship in the same spaces! It also boasts a state of the art fitness center, including an indoor pool and gym, a beautiful fireplace, and lots of natural light to embrace the hygge of the north!
There will be ample cozy spaces to meet up with friends, new and old, and have deep conversations with warm drinks in hand!
Our conference will begin at 7pm on Monday February the 23rd and end around 9pm on Wednesday February the 25th! You can travel to the area by plane, train, or receive a discount on parking in the parking garage if you drive!
So, pack your warm socks, your favorite scarf and hat, and get excited as we prepare to join together to worship, to connect, and to engage, equip, and empower one another!
For more information about the Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference: https://www.whwomenclergy.org/
