Rolland & Heidi'sNewsletters

Iris Global Leadership Meetings in Pemba

It was an unlikely spot for a leadership conference aiming for global revival! Hidden away in our cozy little African prayer hut on the beach, with stiff ocean breezes whipping our crude canvas walls, we gathered together to represent our worldwide Iris family. Far out of town on a rough, sandy road under clear, brilliant African sky by day and under a starry southern array with a bright moon by night, we met with God and melted together in His Presence. The natural ambiance felt wild, raw and peaceful; the spiritual ambiance was a milestone in our Iris history.

For the first time we convened our key Iris leaders from bases around the world to pray, soak, worship, dream and find unity together. Well over one hundred missionaries and nationals from dozens of countries descended on little Pemba in our remote corner of Africa. For days we ate and drank, wept, laughed and celebrated together as we built each other up with faith-building encouragement and testimonies. We were so honored to have Bill Johnson as our guest speaker, and he brought such an atmosphere of depth and holy presence. We were awed as we began to grasp the extent of what God has been doing among us, and the strength of our family bonding. We as a missions-oriented body are in fact enjoying God and our life of service to Him to a degree Heidi and I never anticipated thirty years ago when we first headed for the mission field.

The meetings were also a chance for us as leaders to articulate like never before what it is that makes Iris "Iris." The word is Greek and also Portuguese for "rainbow," as Heidi and I began as a Christian dance-drama ministry called "Rainbow Productions." We saw our different creative talents as colors of a rainbow that the "Son" shines through, giving a beautiful result.

We "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), and have never tried to emphasize anything that is new, unique, clever or different. We try not to be controversial, and share with all Christian streams what no born-again believer can argue with: the glory of the basic Gospel, repentance and faith in Jesus, the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ, avoiding anything that would empty the Cross of its power, knowing nothing but Christ and Him crucified when backed against a wall, seeking righteousness that comes from faith, transformation through adoption by our Heavenly Father, and understanding faith working through love as the only thing that counts (Gal. 5:6), with the hope of attaining to the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:11).

As we changed course from an itinerant evangelistic ministry to stopping for the poor, we became more and more holistic in our approach to missions. We had no choice. When people are thirsty and starving, the holiest thing we can do is offer a cold drink of water and fresh bread. But we're not just social workers; we have fresh bread that comes down out of heaven, Jesus Himself! And so our ministry is not finished. We go on to "proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ" (Col. 1:28).

In the process we find that we cannot just be an orphanage, or a church, or a Bible school, or a humanitarian aid organization. We can't just hold bush conferences, plant farms and engineer micro-investment. We can't just specialize in education and technical assistance. We as a broadly-based international family must embrace all of the above, and more... All the while we share with Paul his attitude in Acts 20:24: "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God