George Miley

Both during my years in India and those with the ships Logos and Doulos, I found myself in a different church most Sundays, often as the speaker. As a team, we felt a strong sense of unity with and submission to the churches we visited. There were times with the ships when we had a clear idea of the kind of program we wanted to arrange in a particular port city, but local church leaders asked us to adjust it. We always honored their requests. As long as we were in that city, we were part of the body of Christ there. We would never intentionally do our own thing.

While in a port city, we ministered with our brothers and sisters from the churches there. Local believers translated for us in the conferences and evangelistic events. They greeted the visitors to the ship. They served with us in the kitchen, engine room, and other non-public areas. They were part of our prayer meetings and group devotional times. We experienced God together, moving in and through us.

Sometimes hundreds of them came to the quayside just before the ship's departure to say goodbye. It was not unusual for the tugs to be slowly pulling the ship away from the quay while people on the shore and on the ship waved to each other and wept softly. We had been joined together in the work of the kingdom for only two to three weeks, and yet an incredibly powerful bond had been established between us. Doing ministry together tends to do that. We knew indeed that we were one family, one body.

Source: George Miley - "Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations", Ch. 13 "Apostolic Organizational Structures", pp. 143-144