Mission Bridge School

Bridging Hearts to Christ to Fulfill the Great Commission

A few years ago, members of the Canton First Friends Mission Commission began praying for an effective method of training short term missionaries. Some time later, Cindy Mandrell, a full time YWAM (Youth With A Mission) missionary and member of the church, had a burden and a vision to do just that. God answered their prayers and in January 2000, Mission Bridge School was born.

The original vision of Mission Bridge was to focus solely on preparing short-termers to be more effective ministers on the mission field. The first graduates of MBS were a team of men who assisted in a building expansion for San Christobal Friends in Guatemala. Alvin Anderson, a seasoned international outreach leader for Malone College and Canton First Friends, co-led this team. "I have seen many work teams come and go," commented Anderson, "some well prepared, but (others) doing almost as much harm as good. This team was among the best prepared."

Intense training in Christlike character is what prepared them for effective ministry. Mandrell's personal experiences revealed that when we are pulled from our comfort zone we often find ourselves face-to-face with our need for character refinement. Each Mission Bridge session topic addresses the issues teams face on the field. Topics include Root & Fruit of Pride, Prayer & Intercession, Cultural Sensitivity, Unity of Purpose, and more.

The effects of the school were felt beyond the realm of the mission field. Graduates comment that the truths taught in the school affect different aspects of their lives - home, workplace, school, etc. Recognizing that each of these are mission fields in and of themselves, Mission Bridge School has expanded to include any Believer who desires to strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ wherever their mission field may be. Lori Tovar, another MBS graduate stated, "(Mission Bridge) gets down to the core of Christianity; learning to love your neighbor in spite of faults...theirs and yours. It encourages a good hard look at yourself before God..."

Now in only its second year, Mission Bridge is holding its fifth school at Canton First Friends. Says Mandrell, "I believe it's God's heart that we're more than just 'Christian Consumers.' I don't think He desires for us to learn about Him and then just go home...but to go into all the world! We cannot be as effective doing that if we are preoccupied with self, but we can if we model His character. Mission Bridge School's curriculum is designed to teach us how to live like Christ or as I like to say, ...it's a Curriculum for Christlikeness."

Canton First Friends aren't the only benefactors of Mission Bridge School these days. More than 100 Malone College students have graduated from MBS workshops since the Student Activities Department has made Mission Bridge mandatory for all students participating in International Learning Experiences. In addition, the Free Methodist Church in Titusville, PA has enlisted the training experiences of Mandrell in preparing their youth group for its inaugural outreach to Haiti. "Mission Bridge has been a Godsend," commented Associate Pastor Bryce Grieco. "As a first time outreach leader, the intense and thought-provoking classes have reinforced a desire for individual intimacy with Jesus Christ that must be present in anyone who wants to minister in the mission field. It's created a sense of team and purpose within our group...and has forced each team member to make a total self-examination of his or her preparedness for ministry."

Co-Authored by Stefanie Vogley and Cindy Mandrell