Occasionally a television program such as Candid Camera or Americas Funniest Home Videos shows someone caught on camera by a practical joke or a totally unexpected happening. We laugh as we watch them reel in surprise, often backpedaling or falling away from whatever has taken them off guard.

It happened to me several years ago when my wife pulled off a classic surprise birthday party for me. We walked through the front door and flipped on the light switch. What should have been a quiet, empty living room was suddenlystartlinglyfilled with noise and motion and energy and a crowd of wall-to-wall people. I staggered backward, speechless and clutching my chest. But once I got the picture of what was really going on, I quickly embraced each person there as an unexpected but welcome friend in my home.

If we will flip on the light switch in 21st century North America, we cannot help but be startled by who has entered our living room. God has literally brought the world to our doorstep. In the Atlanta suburb I call home, my children have friends named Aakash and Teng and Ankit and Yong Huan. Twenty-five percent of their classmates are Asian, and the fastest growing ethnic group is Hispanic. Almost every month a new child enrolls in one of their classes who does not speak English or whose parents do not speak English. These are my neighbors. Their families are my mission field.

Yes, the people groups of the world are now closer to us than ever, but that does not mean our churches are effectively reaching them. I read recently that 70 percent of the worlds leaders are now educated in North America, but 90 percent of those will never darken the door of a Christian church. Many first and second generation immigrants settle in North Americas largest cities, where our churches are often few and small. I recently heard from a pastor who, on a mission trip to New York City, found that in one afternoon he could drive from a Russian neighborhood to a Chinese neighborhood to a Romanian neighborhood to a Pakistani neighborhood to an Ethiopian neighborhood. His astonished observation was, Right here in this American city, I have just been around the world. 

In His last words on earth, Jesus told His disciples they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. Samaria was for them what the North American mission field is for many of our churches todayfull of people who are close in proximity, but very distant in natural affinity. Barriers such as distance or hostile governments may have been removed. Barriers such as language and culture and belief systems often remain.

In addition to helping send missionaries, is your church equipping its members for evangelism, helping start a new church, mobilizing its people for ministry and mission trips alongside missionaries, and seeking to penetrate the lost culture of North America? These mission strategies are outlined on pages 50-67, along with steps your church can take for deeper involvement. If your church would like to go deeper into North American missions, please call the North American Mission Board at 770-410-6000 or explore this web site. Wed like nothing more than to help your church go more intentionally to its Samaria. 

The living room of our homeland is no longer quiet and predictable, and we are no longer the only ones who dwell there. And just as I reeled fromthen embracedthe relationships of that surprise birthday party, our churches must respond to the pleasant surprise of the world that has come to our doorstep by willingly embracing the people who are now so close, so accessible. The gospel will be a surprise to some of them also, and a welcome, life-changing message to many. And the celebration that follows, both now and in eternity, will make us glad God brought these dear new friends to our doorstep.

Nate Adams, vice president, nadams@namb.net