As missionaries serving in Central and Eastern Europe, my wife, Jo Beth, and I enjoyed visiting old castles. One of our favorites was the Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.
As we walked through dozens of rooms gilded in gold and covered in priceless paintings, we occasionally noticed a small door in the wall, often well disguised by paneling. Our tour guides quickly explained, “Inside these walls were passageways for the servants who moved silently about the palace bringing meals, emptying the chamber pots, cleaning, preparing rooms, and picking up after the royal family. The rule for these servants was never to be seen unless it was absolutely unavoidable.”
Having served at ABWE’s Home Office since 2000, we have noticed a rather similar demeanor among the home office staff. They are the servants who care for thousands of churches and hundreds of missionaries. Yet no one sees them. No one knows them as we do. They generally scurry out of sight if they sense we want to make very much out of their service or publicly thank them. Most of them have served here for less money than they could have made at a place of secular employment. These servants are not here for glory, or for gold, but to honor their Lord Jesus Christ by serving churches, donors, and missionaries.
Recently, due to the downturn in the economy, many churches have had to reduce their budgets and lay off staff. Some have cut back support of institutions such as schools and mission agencies. This has sharply reduced income to ABWE’s Home Office, so our board wisely required us to reduce our budget accordingly. Following multiple levels of expense reductions and pay cuts, we were forced to close several departments and eliminate a number of jobs. Some who have served here faithfully for more than 20 years were let go. Inevitably, the questions have landed on my desk. “Why don’t churches or donors see what we do as valuable enough to support the home office?” I have pondered the question long and hard.
This is my answer. We are invisible servants who serve inside the walls. The counsel and direction we give are often confidential and not for public consumption. The messes we clean up are not really prayer letter material. The accounts we maintain and the bills we pay are not as interesting as they are necessary. Training, strategic planning, and development of tools and resources, though important, are rarely urgent matters.
Our hallways are a bit quieter now than they were a few weeks ago. Please consider how God may be calling you to help us meet these unfilled needs. For ideas and information, contact us or visit http://www.abwe.org/give/project-details/missionary-services.
I am reminded of a song by Christian musicians Billy and Sarah Gaines that used to echo through the hallways of our home:
The Part That No One Sees
A widow’s hands reach out to give ‘til all she has is gone,
careful there is no one looking on.
Joyful just to know that she could meet another’s needs,
seeking no return from those she feeds.
The part that no one sees, that no one knows,
labor that seldom shows,
The silent gift where honor is not bestowed.
No earthly eye observes these precious deeds.
But there is One who sees,
Who will reward each act of charity.
The secret part, done from the heart.
The hidden part, the part that no one sees.
The secret part that only Jesus sees.
“The Part That No One Sees”
Words and Music by Billy Gaines and John G. Elliott.
My deepest thanks to those who have served inside these walls as unseen servants doing unsung tasks! And to all of those outside these walls who support their work.
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