Now Wurzel said he cannot imagine doing anything less than what he has been doing for the past 12 years. He chose the name for his ministry because of his admiration for Joshua of the Old Testament who told Caleb, “If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land ... and will give it to us” (Numbers 14:8).
“That just fits what we do—claim the land,” Wurzel emphasized.
Joshualand in the bluegrass
Primarily committed to Southern Baptist work, Wurzel said he does not “choose” the projects he works on. “It’s all done by prayer—trusting God. He directs it.”
Joshualand Ministries operates thanks to churches and associations in 15 states who have partnered with the Wurzels, providing both labor and financing for the projects.
Roach affirmed the quality of the work Wurzel has supervised. “His ability has been demonstrated in getting plans and permits through the state. We ran into some snags, and Chris has really helped work though that.”
Emmanuel is the fourth church in Kentucky that Joshualand Ministries has constructed. Wurzel asks congregations who have been helped to volunteer to help with the next Joshualand project.
Horton Flats Community Baptist Church in Olive Hill was the first Kentucky church to be constructed by Joshualand, and members from their congregation have since served on other projects.
John Rucker of Horton Flats recalled the church’s story: “There’s only one other SBC church in our county—we were the second one. We had been meeting in a trailer that one of the local folks let us use for two or three years. It got to the point that we couldn’t get enough people in there and we started checking around.”
Rucker said Harold Cathey, director of missions for Greenup Baptist Association, had heard of work done in Wyoming and Montana by Joshualand. Cathey contacted Wurzel who expressed interest in helping.
The Horton Flats congregation began to look for financial assistance in the fall and received several grants through various Baptist groups, as well as donations from churches.
“The interesting thing,” Rucker noted, “is that all the people who donate labor also come in and help out financially. We were running pretty close at the end, but the Lord provided. We’re debt-free.”
Wurzel gives God all the credit for providing in every project.
“We’ve been up against the wall so many times and not known where to turn,” he said, recalling a time in Wyoming when a $12,000 bill was due in a week and they did not know where the money would come from. God impressed on Wurzel to ask the volunteers present to write on a piece of paper how much they could provide toward the bill.
“I gave the papers to someone else to total up and it broke my heart. It was $12,000,” Wurzel recalled. “God just always provides.”
Roach noted the deep level of faith he witnessed in the Wurzels, explaining that a number of serious trials in their lives have brought them to a total dependence on God.
One trial Wurzel shared was the sudden death of a son, Troy, who had a passion for missions work like his father. As a young adult, Troy had been an agnostic. “But the Lord got hold of him, and he changed his major and became a pastor,” Wurzel said. The father and son did missions work together, and Wurzel had looked forward to many years ahead in their common passion.
But one Sunday afternoon, after Chris and Dorrine heard Troy preach at his church that morning, Troy died unexpectedly. In the sermon Troy had prepared for that evening, his topic was Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purpose.”
Troy had planned to use the death of a family member as an illustration of one thing God can work for good in a believer’s life.
Wurzels are “unique combination”
Roach said during the project, the Wurzels became part of Emmanuel’s “family,” living on site and worshipping with the church.
“Chris and Dorrine have a unique combination of ability and humility, and they are people who really walk closely with the Lord,” Roach noted. “It never crossed my mind that we would be able to deal with a builder who had these qualities.”
The Wurzels’ oldest son, Todd, who is deaf and mentally handicapped, was a source of inspiration and encouragement to the Emmanuel congregation.
“He is quite a worker and has a sweet personality,” Roach said. “Just smiling at him and giving him a thumbs up really lights him up.”
The Wurzels currently are praying about a new phase of ministry and about selling their home next year to go on mission full time. Chris said he has been impressed with another need among new pastors who have been well grounded in theology to lead their congregations, but who lack practical experience in church planning.
Many of the pastors the Wurzels minister to are bivocational because their churches cannot pay them to work full time. “These young pastors need a lot of help, and we feel God is leading us to help,” Wurzel noted.
Churches interested in learning more about Joshualand Ministries can contact Chris and Dorrine Wurzel by e-mail at christianwurzel@verizon.net.
Western Recorder issue date: August 12, 2008
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