“This just feels like language articulating what we’ve always been doing,” said Makenzie, our Prayer + Worship Coordinator, at a recent retreat with our leaders. “Yeah, and like every area of our work can be measured by this mission,” agreed Violet, our Training Coordinator, in response to processing through our new mission statement.

We’d be lying if we said we’ve concisely and effectively communicated what we do over the past 16 years. A multicultural pioneering ministry, with a bit of a tumultuous journey of transition, growth, leadership changes, strategy shifts, and adjustments… It’s been challenging to state simply what we do in a way that is holistically true and encompasses the width and depth of our mission.

Overall, I am deeply grateful for how God has used each step of this journey and how He has formed Poetice, myself, and countless others along the way. We have learned so much about the Father’s heart for His people in this generation, His unrelenting pursuit of this square of the earth, and been a witness to many different strategies for the church, NGO’s, and missions organizations. Though I do not believe we will ever fully arrive, each year we are taking another step towards a more whole version of what God has designed for Poetice.

It’s been about 5 years since Poetice had a mission statement. In a season of major transition in our organization’s structure and leadership, we took a sort of hiatus after so many iterations and attempts at articulating our mission. To be honest, though zealous, we were also pretty overwhelmed. So we thought it might be wise to do it for a while first and explain later.

For we are God’s workmanship (poiēma), created in Christ Jesus for good works (justice),
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 has always been a guiding scripture for Poetice, as our name is derived from it. This year, it has provided us a framework for reflection, as we considered what God has prepared for Poetice. As we reflect on our past 5+ years, there are ‘good works’ that we have witnessed, fruit we see budding or flourishing on the branches. As we consider our team, we see a collection of hearts God has gathered together that are burning for the same things.

Poetice longs to see God revealed, to be known. And Poetice desires to see His followers activated as vibrant participants in His Kingdom. This is the essence, the motivation, the why behind everything we do.

We are driven to create platforms for people to know God more. We believe that God desires to be known. Though incomparable, a mighty God, He invites us into a relationship with Him as an Everlasting Father, thus offering eternal life. Jesus says in the gospels, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Paul reiterates the same in his letter to the church in Ephesus, ‘I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”

Knowing God is not a one-time thing. It’s our lifelong adventure with Jesus. We are invited into an unending revelation of the One who has no end. A revelation is something previously unknown that has been made known, or as we have heard it said, ‘the journey from your head to your heart.’ We hope to create opportunities for disciples of Jesus, no matter where they are on their journey with God, into a greater revelation of who their God wonderfully is and what His Kingdom is like.