Reporting 2011

By Glen Volkhardt, CEO

We saw God’s hand of blessing on Paraclete Mission Group in 2011.  Jesus told us, “Without me you can do nothing,” so whatever true results we see are because of Him.  In preparing an annual report, we are aware of dangers that lurk in the “margins.”  We could overstate or understate what happened, misleading without intending to do so.  Even with the most vigorous of measurement and reporting, there is no way we (or any ministry) can give certainty about the spiritual outcomes of our work.  Yet we desire to honor our Father, and we want to encourage the hearts of those who support us.  Paraclete associate, Pete Holzmann, has thought deeply about this dilemma and is working on new models of measuring and reporting.  For now, we are left with the conviction that reporting is both imperfect and important.

We report, once again, with numbers, words and photographs.  We hope the numbers give you an idea of the scope of Paraclete work—the size and extent of who we are and what we do.  The words and stories are here to capture the heart and warmth of Paraclete’s ministry.  The pictures, as they say, are worth a thousand words (and quite a few numbers as well)!  I hope that all three give you confidence that God is using Paraclete to come alongside the global missions community.

When people ask what Paraclete does, I say that Paraclete does many things, but those things don’t define us.  Who we serve, the global missions community (and ultimately God) and how we serve, by coming alongside, are what make us Paraclete Mission Group.  Let me give you some tangible examples of how this happens from the reports of Paraclete associates.