Connect Global

MISSION 

Imagine a world where the global Church is able to connect across cultures and languages in order to fulfill its mission of bringing God’s message of love, freedom, and salvation to every ethnicity throughout the world.  This is the mission of Connect Global: to equip and connect the church at large with people of other languages and cultures through training and ongoing language and culture acquisition support.

WHO WE ARE

My name is Anne Schaffer, the founder of Connect Global, which was birthed in the attempt to meet an unmet need within the Church (More on that below).  I’m grateful for my initial training in intercultural studies and second language acquisition, which began when I earned my M.A. from Wheaton College in 2005.  It has continued over the last 20 years in various roles in cross-cultural settings stateside and abroad that required using second language acquisition skills both as a language learner and teacher.  Having lived in Europe on multiple occasions and served extensively throughout the south Pacific and southeast Asia,  I’m passionate about life-long language and culture learning.  I’m especially passionate about supporting missionaries in their language and culture acquisition journeys.  In addition to the previous roles mentioned, I have served as a language and culture coach for SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) since 2022, though I have coached missionaries in a variety of other denominations and sending organizations.  Connect Global is not just me, though.  This ministry takes a team in order for it to be successful and sustainable.  You, the donors and sponsors, also make up Connect Global!  Thank you!  

WHAT WE DO

TRAINING AND COACHING

Connect Global offers workshops, webinars, and book reviews, which allow for learning in community.  In addition to advertised events, these can be organization-specific by request. Connect Global also provides language and culture coaching services.  A coach helps language/culture learners to assess their situations and guides them through the learning process in a way that helps them feel understood while challenging them to seek to understand those in their new culture.  Specifically, a coach helps the learner set realistic goals, locate or create resources, evaluate their progress, identify and overcome obstacles, and simply be a source of accountability as they carry out the mission they are called to.

WHY WE EXIST

MEETING UNMET NEEDS

Most missionaries get some kind of pre-field training with language and/or culture, but not all of them have a support system to help them to apply that information to their specific context once they’re on the field.  Language coaching in particular meets this great need.  Each missionary is an individual with a unique situation, and sometimes they need help to even identify what their needs are.  In the words of the missionaries themselves, the personalized support that a coach gives is “invaluable.” 

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION

As believers, we are all on mission with God to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  We can all grow by learning about other cultures.  For those who are called to leave their homes and cross other cultures, language and culture acquisition is a life-long journey that requires commitment and investment from all team members: missionaries, organizations, and supporters.  While it can be costly both in terms of time and money, the cost of not investing can be greater, leading to burnout, misunderstanding and offense, or unnecessary walls.  Perhaps a question we should ask is, can the Church afford not to invest in language and culture acquisition?

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

When you contribute to this ministry, you provide much-needed support and resources for missionaries to be able to share the Gospel throughout the world.  In other words, you are helping fulfill the Great Commission.  My desire is to provide these services at no-cost to missionaries.  In order to do so, I need funding and am seeking donors and sponsors to invest in this ministry.  As you read about the different giving options below, would you consider giving to this ministry?  No amount is too small or too large! 

Corporate sponsor:  Corporate sponsors are sending organizations or churches who invest at least $1000 annually in the ministry and receive 50% discounted rates on services for any members in their organization.  

Donor: Donors give to support this ministry, including all operating costs and ministry expenses.  This pays basic expenses for the ministry to exist.  It also allows Connect Global to offer, at a minimum, reduced rates for missionaries of organizations that invest in the ministry.

Sponsor: Sponsors give to offset the remaining 50% so that, as long as operating costs are met, a missionary doesn’t have to pay for training or coaching services at all!   (I’m not there yet, but that’s the goal!) As an example, the initial project goal of raising $60,000 would take one of the following:

• 50 donors at $100/month
• 100 donors at $50/month
• 200 donors at $25/month

Of course, the various combos are endless.  Monthly donations of any amount and one-time donations are welcome!   As the organization grows, the costs will increase; and the goal will change.