The theme for this month is Mission and what it means for us. This year we have seen the renaming of our Overseas Mission Board from Churches of Christ renamed to Global Mission Partners. This is a real step forward into integrating their role and place in the way we do mission.
What is mission? The encyclopaedia defines mission as being “groups and organizations arising within a particular religious tradition whose concern is to witness by word and deed, at home and abroad, to the beliefs of their religion, so that others may come to know and live the truth as they understand it.”
Ask your friend or neighbour what mission is and I am sure that the first thing they say is working overseas to tell the third world countries about the Gospel.
While I am a firm believer in spreading the Good News across the seas, I am a very firm believer that mission is where ever we are at any given time when we are with other people. Mission is people.
As I have said before when sharing with you, most businesses and churches have their Mission and Vision Statement which is often displayed for all to see. It is paramount as they search for meaning and a purpose for how and why they exist.
This is what mission is also for us. We have a mission and vision to be! In the Discipleship Development Program that is organised by GMP (Global Mission Partners) for young adults to participate in, the emphasis is on Being not doing mission. In others words being the Mission of life and not doing the mission of life. I find the “being” quite confronting, but it is only as we live mission that we will be the church in the world today.
What is mission? The encyclopaedia defines mission as being “groups and organizations arising within a particular religious tradition whose concern is to witness by word and deed, at home and abroad, to the beliefs of their religion, so that others may come to know and live the truth as they understand it.”
Ask your friend or neighbour what mission is and I am sure that the first thing they say is working overseas to tell the third world countries about the Gospel.
While I am a firm believer in spreading the Good News across the seas, I am a very firm believer that mission is where ever we are at any given time when we are with other people. Mission is people.
As I have said before when sharing with you, most businesses and churches have their Mission and Vision Statement which is often displayed for all to see. It is paramount as they search for meaning and a purpose for how and why they exist.
This is what mission is also for us. We have a mission and vision to be! In the Discipleship Development Program that is organised by GMP (Global Mission Partners) for young adults to participate in, the emphasis is on Being not doing mission. In others words being the Mission of life and not doing the mission of life. I find the “being” quite confronting, but it is only as we live mission that we will be the church in the world today.
One of our suburban churches has on the inside of its front door a poster displaying the words “You are now entering the mission field”.
Our neighbourhood and also our homes can be the mission field that we are involved in more than the going overseas. Yes we can serve also by supporting GMP and ACCIM which are very active parts of the mission work of Churches of Christ, but so should the local church, which is in fact not the church that we might attend, but each one of us who claim to be Christians. On Sundays, or when ever we meet, we are the church gathered, but when we leave the building we are the church scattered for service.
Each one of us is a missionary called to serve where we live and work.
A few years ago, my husband and I felt the call of God to overseas mission service, but so far we have not gone there. However the call to serve has not diminished. We serve Him right where we are in our life and work. Actually we have now contact with 3 distinct but separate groups in our community and church which enable us to serve Him. Our overseas mission field came to us!
Our communities are our mission field! “How will they hear without a preacher?” My friend we mustn’t leave the telling of the message to chance for our neighbourhood. We must listen to the call of Christ on our lives to “Be” His witness in our homes, communities and the world. We need to be willing to be home missionaries wherever we live and work. Going into to all the world means sharing the message starting at our back door. For some it starts before the back door as they witness and live at home.
Our neighbourhood and also our homes can be the mission field that we are involved in more than the going overseas. Yes we can serve also by supporting GMP and ACCIM which are very active parts of the mission work of Churches of Christ, but so should the local church, which is in fact not the church that we might attend, but each one of us who claim to be Christians. On Sundays, or when ever we meet, we are the church gathered, but when we leave the building we are the church scattered for service.
Each one of us is a missionary called to serve where we live and work.
A few years ago, my husband and I felt the call of God to overseas mission service, but so far we have not gone there. However the call to serve has not diminished. We serve Him right where we are in our life and work. Actually we have now contact with 3 distinct but separate groups in our community and church which enable us to serve Him. Our overseas mission field came to us!
Our communities are our mission field! “How will they hear without a preacher?” My friend we mustn’t leave the telling of the message to chance for our neighbourhood. We must listen to the call of Christ on our lives to “Be” His witness in our homes, communities and the world. We need to be willing to be home missionaries wherever we live and work. Going into to all the world means sharing the message starting at our back door. For some it starts before the back door as they witness and live at home.
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