God’s in the business of bringing the whole world under his good rule. And he invites – expects even – his people to join him in that task! The great thing about being a church is that we can do things together that we couldn’t do on our own. We can have an impact in places that would otherwise be beyond our reach. Here at St Saviour’s the World Mission Core Group (WMCG) exists to help us live up to our calling to be Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth!
Here are some of the ways that that takes shape in our church:
- Long-term investment in the Teso region of Uganda, through the work of Teso Development Trust, with which Christine Moyes is closely involved
- Partnering with the work of Bible translation in southern Russia, including contact with Anya and Jacob
- Sending care packages to Syrians through Samara’s Aid, spearheaded by Les Barry
- Filling many Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes each year
- Encouraging cross-cultural opportunities to share the good news of Jesus – like Lois to Amsterdam, Rebecca to Ukraine, Daniel Brooks to Croatia …
- Connecting with refugees here in Bournemouth through International Care Network
- Our annual ‘World Mission Month’, raising awareness through events like Secret Church and rich/poor lunches
- Praying for the world and our mission links, at both Priority 1 and the World Mission Prayer meetings
- And we could add raising money for Christian Aid; responding to emergency appeals; the regular Fair Trade stall; a home group which raises money for a ladies’ Bible study group in Africa and sends cards to a persecuted couple in Cuba …
What an exciting list! And there’s probably more that could be added.
But, important though such activities are, the key thing is that our hearts should beat in tune with God’s, that our longing for the world matches God’s own – to see Jesus worshipped as king everywhere, to see his kingdom of shalom heal the brokenness of our world. If that’s our passion, the rest will follow – starting here in Bournemouth, but extending to the ends of the earth!
If you’d like to get involved or be part of the World Mission Core Group, do come and speak to one of us: Christine, Les, Nathan, Sarah, or Julian.
World Mission Core Group