Hearts for Missions: A Legacy of Love

By Pat Laster and Rev. John Mollet

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is one of Jesus’ most profound commands and is one of many scriptures that led First Grapevine, a United Methodist Church in Texas, to remarkable fields of love and caring both in their backyard and as far away as Kenya, Costa Rica, and Latvia. Hearts for Missions encourages all denominations to follow this command while sharing inspirational stories that inspire and guide others in this ministry.

This collection of stories shares distinctive ways to grow missions through building relationships while sharing God’s love. In these accounts, parishioners tell how one church’s mission teams built relationships while falling in love with neighbors locally and worldwide. From the early stages, the village concept evolved, and it serves as a foundation from which these ministries materialize the mission to become Christ’s representatives in the world.

In memory of Rev. Dr. Ken Diehm whose life and commitment to missions inspired this book. Throughout these pages, church members celebrate the myriad ways Ken taught them to discover new relationships, love, and joy in unexpected places and to share that joy and love with neighbors in their own backyards and in faraway lands.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664241824

Pat Laster

Rev. John Mollet, served as a Methodist pastor for forty-one years in North Texas churches. After retirement from First United Methodist Church Grapevine in 2017, he became a senior representative for the Central Texas Conference and the Texas Methodist Foundation. In this position, he guides churches to resources relevant to their mission and goals. Pat Laster, an educator for over five decades and a certified spiritual director, has worked as a teacher, principal, and director of curriculum in Texas schools. Laster has written for Voyager Expanded Learning in addition to other educational entities. With a heart for missions, she felt compelled to share these inspiring accounts.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 Pat Laster and Rev. John Mollet.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4183-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4184-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4182-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021915514

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/11/2021

Endorsements

"Dr. Ken Diehm was a dear friend whose loss I still grieve. For over twenty years we worked and dreamed together in ministry and mission work. Ken had an ability to see people and circumstances that others miss, and through his consistent kindness and grace, he made others want to be a part of the solution. In fact, my trip to Kenya with Ken remains one of my most cherished memories. Beyond our personal relationship, as a longtime neighbor of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine, I have been aware of the enduring history of that congregation. When Ken arrived, something beautiful happened as the heart of a pastor and the heart of a congregation beat as one in the service of Jesus Christ. Ken and I often talked about his hopes and dreams, … and to see them fulfilled in so many concrete ways has been truly inspiring. Hearts for Missions gives us a glimpse into the beautiful story of Christ’s ministry coming alive. As I read, I rejoiced in what God continues to do, not only in helping those who struggle, but by helping those who serve to discover their purpose in Jesus Christ! I lift this up as a testimony of the ongoing ministry of the gospel!"

—Rev. Dr. John McKellar, White’s Chapel United Methodist Church, Southlake, TX

"Hearts for Missions is a true story of what happened in our congregation with a leader, Dr. Ken Diehm, who was brave enough to ask over and over again, ‘What if?’ His words unleashed the Spirit of God in the church, allowed us to think big and creatively about how we might live out the gospel by serving our neighbors in need, locally and around the world. One step forward led to the next. It was a wonderfully chaotic and blessed time as God’s Word energized and transformed our congregation. Even through heartbreak, the church members kept asking, ‘What if?’ What transpired is a love story that continues to this day."

—Dr. Cindy Ryan, Associate Pastor, FUMC Grapevine 1996–2016

"In Hearts for Missions, authors Pat Laster and Rev. John Mollet beautifully tell the story of the congregation of First United Methodist Church Grapevine and how it joined together to more actively pursue God’s work through mission ministry. Using the concept and structure of Villages, this church identified neighbors in need of support in its own backyard and across the world, and set about making a difference in the name of Christ, one life at a time.

Written with a true heart for mission, this story will guide and inspire any congregation seeking a greater opportunity for personal, compassionate ministry through missions.

—Julie Yarbrough, author of Present Comfort, Inside the Broken Heart, Beyond the Broken Heart, A Journey Through Grief, and Grief Light

"Hearts for Missions, tells the powerful story of a church that found its ‘kindness gene’ and created missions as near as its neighborhood and as far away as Kenya, Costa Rica, and Latvia. Pastors and church members traveled to meet the people, form lasting personal relations, and together assess needs and opportunities. The ensuing projects were designed and implemented in true partnerships. Personal friendships were formed, and travel became a two-way adventure with foreign pastors and workers coming to share their stories of faith and mission with their American congregation."

—Rev. Patsy Brundige, author of Hope for a Widow’s Shattered World, and In Touch with Now

Bio of Rev. Dr. Ken Diehm

Kenneth John Diehm was born in 1958 in Oklahoma City to Floyd and Emily Diehm. He graduated from Midwest City High School and began his undergraduate education at Oral Roberts University and graduated from Cal State University. He attended seminary at Brite Divinity School at TCU and received his doctorate in 2005 from Asbury Theological Seminary. He served as Associate Pastor and then Pastor of several Texas Methodist Churches in Burleson, Cisco, Arlington, and finally in Grapevine.

Ken married Kenda Lyn Zwayer in 1981 and was the father of Kallye and Cody. He enjoyed participating or watching his children in their activities and then was thrilled to become a grandpa.

Ken’s family described him as a man of integrity and one who was always the same – whether at church or home or riding his bike. He wasn’t afraid to freely admit his faults and had a wonderful sense of humor.

One of Ken’s amazing strengths was how he brought out the best in people and inspired them to reach their potential. Another gift was his wisdom in being able to simplify seemingly complex issues. On the rare occasions that he became upset, you knew that it was something that really mattered. Ken loved his family and was a loyal friend to many.

Acknowledgments

We want to express sincere gratitude to all who serve on the many mission teams along with those who work diligently in the local community to be the hands and feet of our Lord. It is our hope and prayer that these stories will inspire each reader.

For those from First UMC Grapevine, Texas, who were/are involved in missions in other countries and shared their stories and/or photos, Rev. Armando Alvarado, Lindsay Breunig, Judy Brown, Beverly Campisi, Donna Chabot, Jackie Cox, Vick Cox, Julie Croft, Mark Croft, Jon De La Cruz, Emily Diehm, Kenda Diehm, Carolyn Ernst, Rev. Travis Franklin, Susan Green, Mark Howe, Carol Howe, Trudy Hughes, Cathy Jackson, Alyssa Jones, Barbara Maness, Mark Maness, Melissia Mason, Rev. Jim McClurg, Michelle McNinch, Wayne McNinch, Rev. John Mollet, Jeff Murphy, Rev. Grant Palma, Conner Payne, Julie Payne, Richard Payne, Lori Payne, Madeline Payne, Rich Reece, Kathy Reece, Georjean Sherriff, Rev. Dr. Jesse Sowell, Rev. Annette Sowell, Dawn Treese, Jarred Treese, Angie Vaughan, and Taylor Vaughan.

For pastors at our Villages in Latvia, Kenya, and Costa Rica, Rev. Gita Mednis, Bishop William Muriuki, Bishop Catherine Mutua, Rev. Ishmael Mathiu, Rev. Roberto Barrantes, and Rev. Ray Zirkel.

For those who laid the foundation for local missions or are currently involved, and who shared their photos and/or stories, Teresa Agler, Ana Laura Arellanos, Rebecca Davis, Carmen Drew, Debbie Edgren, Sherry France, Judy Grosbach, Jannette Gross, Gail Hoggatt, Joetta King, Kathy Langham, Carole Lee, Rev. Allen Lutes, Rev. Rick Mang, Crystal Mata, Colby Mowery, Kathy Naylor, Jacqueline Nunez, Leticia Nunez, Barbara Oldani, Angela Ozymy, Karen Pafford, Rev. Carly Payne, Rev. Jenn Pick, Cyndi Powell, Debbie Price, Cheri Rutledge, Rev. Dr. Cindy Ryan, Graham Ryan, Rick Schultz, Sue Schultz, Deb Scheiwe, Bertha Valentine, Teri Vrabel, Miriam Ward.

For those assisting with the book editing, Myrna Loy Ashby (LPC,LMFT), Nancy Baku, Rev. Patsy Brundige, Janice Cook, Mija Garland, Trudy