When the Mobilizer Gets Mobilized

JUNE 19, 2023   |   3 MINUTE READ
STEVE HUGHES, MISSIONARY WITH SOUTHWEST MINISTRIES

A Harvest Fifty Years in the Making

I was traveling with a group of students last year from Ohio Christian University to WGM’s Southwest Ministries. As I spoke with WGM’s missionaries, I discovered that we shared a common vision to see young, passionate followers of Jesus trained and equipped for missionary service—and we dreamed together of what that might look like on our Peoria, AZ, campus.

And I was reminded that five decades before, God planted a seed in my young heart that seemed to be sprouting up in a way I couldn’t have imagined all those years ago.  

Steve eats dinner with the Liston family under their ramada.

I was seven years old, and my family climbed into the old Rambler Station Wagon and set off on a 14-hour drive to Cherokee, North Carolina. We were visiting a close friend of my dad’s who was a missionary to the Cherokee people there. And in the few days that we visited him, I developed an insatiable interest in Native American cultures, lifestyles, and history. I even told my parents that I wanted to be a Native American when I grew up.

What most gripped my heart, though, was the fact that this family friend’s life work was to share Jesus with these precious indigenous people. It sounded like a dream job to me!

Now, in 2022, I stood in Arizona, realizing that God was doing something new. Well, new to me. He’d been working on this for five decades.

Steve stands behind the Southwest Ministries Christian Community Center sign.

Coming to Faith

I came to a personal faith in Christ when I was twelve and immediately wanted to tell the world what Jesus had done for me—but I didn’t know how. Being extremely shy and lacking in confidence, I pleaded with God to give me a way to share my faith. Soon, I discovered that God had made it easier for me to express spiritual truths through writing songs than sharing them with words alone.

Mobilizing Believers for Christ

Within a few years, I began to mobilize people to missions without even knowing what mobilization was! I organized missions conferences, interviewed missionaries on the radio, and traveled internationally for six years promoting missions through music ministry and sharing about the spiritual needs of various countries. I wanted to grow deeper and stronger in my faith, and I longed to see others do the same.

A Native American boy in Arizona wears Steve’s hat.

God continued to give me opportunities to work in missions and discipleship throughout my ministry career. I was able to serve as missionary president at my Bible college, meet weekly with young men who wanted to grow deeper in their faith, and, as a pastor in the UK, host or lead over twenty short-term mission trips. Finally, in 2021, I moved to Marion, Indiana, and began working as a mobilizer for WGM.

I Mobilized Myself

Near the end of 2023, I will relocate to Arizona to serve as program director for “Discovery Year,” WGM’s brand-new discipleship and missionary training residency program which will, in fact, be located on the Peoria campus. My primary responsibility will be to help train and equip young men who have a passion for Jesus to go out into the world as effective disciple-makers and missionaries.

A Harvest at God’s Pace

God works at His own pace. From the moment God blessed Abraham until Isaac was born, 25 years went by. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. Even Jesus wasn’t baptized until He was 30.

I was seven when God first made my heart beat for Native Americans. Now, at 62, I’m seeing His promise come true. And I can’t wait to see what He does next.

Steve with WGM missionaries LeRoy and Sandy Anderson, along with some kids from the area.

ACTION STEP

GO: In the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” (panta ta ethne in Greek—meaning ‘tribes’ or ‘people groups’). That is an incredibly tall order, but the Commission is for all of us. None of us can do it alone. The fields are still “ripe for harvest” and we are all called to be involved, whether going, praying, giving, equipping, or sending. God has called me to go to Southwest Ministries.

Where has He been calling you? Take a look at our interactive map to see where you could serve.

Missionary Bio: Steve Hughes has been passionate about Native American culture, missions, and discipleship for most of his life. He’s excited to see how God uses this next stage of his ministry journey to bring people to a deeper knowledge of His love and goodness.