The Missions Table
Pull up a chair and take a seat! You’re invited to The Missions Table, an open and casual forum where different voices share their experiences in missions and ministry. Whether you feel a call to ministry, share a burden for missions, or just want to know more about what happens on the foreign mission field, there’s something for you at The Missions Table. Impacting and enlightening lessons in ministry often occur in informal settings—outside the classroom or after the church service has ended—as devoted men and women of God share their life and ministry experiences. These special moments gathered around a kitchen or restaurant table can forever change and shape us, and our ministries. The Missions Table provides a venue for these experiences to be shared with a wide audience and an opportunity to learn from those who have gone before.
The Missions Table
Called to Be Present: From Italy to Switzerland
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In this episode of The Missions Table, we sit down with Steve and Samantha Padilla, regional missionaries sent by the United Pentecostal Church of Italy to Switzerland. They share the story of their calling into regional missions and the steps they took in communicating that calling with their pastors and church leadership.
The Padillas talk about the intentional decisions they made when arriving in Switzerland—including choosing to live in the city they felt called to reach rather than in a less expensive area outside of it. Their heart was simple: if God had called them to a place, they wanted their presence to be known among the people.
Throughout the conversation, one powerful phrase kept surfacing: “Missions is about people presence.” Ministry happens when we are present—walking among the people God has called us to reach.
Their story is a reminder that missions is not only for a few—it is a calling for the entire church. As believers, we must be willing to walk through the doors God opens, serve where He leads, and never be afraid to follow His will when He calls.