Photo by Jon Moore on Unsplash

A Message from Mission Central's Outgoing Board Chair

Dear supporters of Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver,

It has been an incredible journey as I had the privilege to be involved with the leadership of Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver for the last few years.

Just over a year ago the board felt the Lord directing us to hold one more in-person conference in January 2023 at the Vancouver Convention Centre after two years of virtual conferences. The aim was to celebrate 39 years of God’s faithfulness, so graciously extended to Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver, impacting many lives. Also, finishing strong was our second desire, trusting the Lord would provide for all our needs through His people. And finally, the third goal was to hand off the organization to a new team that we prayed the Lord would provide to take Mission Central into its next phase and season as He sees fit.

The Lord most graciously saw to it that all three goals were achieved, and for that we are so grateful! First, the SERVE and CREATE Conferences 2023 were beautiful, impactful and appreciated. Secondly, we put out an appeal for financial support, and you, our friends and fellow workers in the Kingdom, have responded strongly, providing even more than the $120k we needed to finish well! And lastly, the Lord spoke to Steve Schroeder, that he should lead a team that would take over Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver “as is” from the current board and lead it forward, focused on mission and discipleship. The transition to the new team will be completed by the end of April. Right now, the new team is seeking the Lord for further direction on how to proceed. Please pray for Steve and his team at this crucial time.

On behalf of the out-going board, I want to thank John Hall for his faithful and inspired service for the last seven years as the Executive Director of Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver. Many thanks also go to the former staff and former board members for all their work, support and care for Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver. Finally, thank you to everyone that has been involved with Mission Central / Missions Fest Vancouver in any way—too numerous to even list the groups, you know who you are—blessings!

To God be all the Glory!

Antonio (Tony) Sanz
Outgoing Board Chair
Mission Central

Handover of the Society’s Seal—from one team (on the outside) to another team (in the middle)
Handover of the Society’s Seal—from one team (on the outside) to another team (in the middle)

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About the author

Profile photo for Tony Sanz

Tony Sanz was born and raised in Switzerland in a Christian home, studied Electrical Engineering, made a personal commitment to follow Christ and moved to Vancouver in 1981 for two years, but never left. He and his wife Verena joined West Coast Christian Fellowship (WCCF) in 1981 and never left there either. He worked for an engineering company in Richmond for 34+ years, mostly as a project manager.

Missions is on their family's hearts, and with the children and Verena they have served overseas in several locations. Most recently Tony and Verena followed a call to serve as ESL teachers in Guatemala for 10 months. Prayer and financial support for long term missionaries is part of their fabric, and they are all long-term supporters of Missions Fest, now Mission Central. Tony serves as an elder at West Coast Christian Fellowship and spent several years as the Chairperson of the Mission Central Board.

Church
Church
West Coast Christian Fellowship (Vancouver, BC)

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