Displaying items by tag: Mission

Loren Cunningham, the founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), passed away at 88 on 6 October. He holds the unique distinction of being the first person to journey to every sovereign nation, dependent territory, and over 100 other regions, fulfilling the Great Commission's call. He revolutionised missions by enabling young people to serve globally, short-term, interdenominationally, and without pay. YWAM, founded in 1960, has expanded to reach every nation through evangelism, training, and mercy missions. Despite its status as one of the world's largest mission movements, Loren always attributed its success to Jesus. Under his leadership, YWAM launched global initiatives like King’s Kids International, the University of the Nations, and YWAM Ships. He leaves behind a profound legacy, inspiring generations to continue his mission of spreading God's love worldwide.

Since the USSR broke up, Ukrainians have experienced freedom and democracy, but more importantly they have experienced freedom to preach the good news, resulting in masses of people being saved and many church plants. Ukraine is also a door for the Gospel to other, surrounding nations. Pray for the door to stay open and fulfil the command to ‘go into the world and preach the Gospel’. Pray for the work of Operation Mobilisation in Ukraine as it connects humanitarian aid with those in need. Pray particularly for traumatised displaced children who are receiving small stuffed baby tigers, with a pocket that holds an mp3 player of 38 recordings in Ukrainian for 3- to 11-year-olds. The stories point them to Father God and Jesus, with an emphasis on trauma relief. Please pray for God’s anointing on a team of youth workers in Vinnytsia organising six-day camps for traumatised children during August.

Tens of thousands attending ‘Festival Manchester’ heard the Gospel in the three-day event in Wythenshawe Park that was hosted by hundreds of churches, in partnership with The Message Trust and the Luis Palau Association. A sea of people came out each night to enjoy live music, worship, and prayer which resulted in thousands responding to God's Word. ‘This mission was on a scale not seen in a generation,’ said the founder of The Message Trust. Over 65,000 people heard about Jesus' love for them and over 3,400 responded to the good news they heard.

By 2018 there were 5 billion mobile phone users and over 4 billion using the internet. Desert nomads can watch videos pre-loaded onto their mobile phones. This revolution in communications is increasing the spread of the gospel. Networking tools are being used in astonishing ways. Isolated Muslims who have heard of Jesus or dreamt of a man in dazzling white speaking to them have started to seek Christ via social networking. A project to do this drew over a thousand responses in just one southeast Asian country. When the idea was repeated in the Middle East, the response overwhelmed the available resources. One observer reports that thanks to messaging apps, untold numbers of groups are emerging daily who encourage one another in the Word even in places where the gospel cannot legally go. Pray for creativity and wisdom to make the most of every mission opportunity that presents itself.

The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF), working under the authority of the Ukraine ministry of health, is providing a portal for getting medicines, consumables and equipment to hospitals, health centres and frontline Ukrainian paramedics. It has a window of opportunity and needs to act quickly and decisively. It has appointed experienced volunteers to key roles and has set up a national operation to deliver medical supplies to Ukraine, in partnership with the Keswick Group. Supplies will be received, sorted and packaged near Derby and then sent by lorry to Poland where they have organised a good supply route into a West Ukraine distribution centre operated by a local Christian medical association. Please pray for stamina for the CMF doctors and nurses collecting medical supplies from pharmacies, surgeries and hospitals. Pray for wisdom as they sort the aid and package it, and for safe speedy transport to the areas where it is needed.

Interserve works alongside the Church in nations across Asia and the Arab World, and in other locations where there is opportunity to disciple Asian and Arab peoples. Some missionaries serve long-term, others for a shorter time. Some join through as volunteers or as consultants. Pray for more people to hear God’s call on their lives to be involved in bringing transformation into the lives of the people by starting a business, or working in medicine, or ministering to refugees. Pray for God to send those with the skills to assist immigrants, now in the West, with language classes, teaching, and much more in partnership with the global Church. Pray for those already discipling people in dangerous situations; ask God to keep them safe. Pray for those countering human trafficking, working alongside refugees, and assisting immigrants in every way possible. https://www.interserve.org.uk/focus/ Times have changed, but Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.

God gives some the vocation of serving Him by running a business. Kingdom businesses are businesses with God's perspectives. The world is hungry for thousands of new businesses to be created, and places where the gospel is least well-known often have the highest unemployment and the deepest poverty. Countries which close the door to missionaries often open it wide for business people. Kingdom businesses are an essential part of seeing God’s Kingdom impact every sphere of society. Pray that the Lord will call workers into the harvest field from among business entrepreneurs and professionals in the Church. Pray for essential business skills and resources to be released in greater number for global mission and to address the most pressing economic, social, environmental and spiritual needs: fighting poverty, freeing slaves, providing for communities, creating good jobs, and bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth. Pray for more resources to provide support for mentoring, training, startup, member care, prayer, and knowledge-sharing networks.

Brazil has one of the largest Christian populations in the world; 91% say they are a ‘Christian’ of some form. The Kingdom of God has exploded in Brazil since 1960 as the nation has been saturated with truth in and through Jesus Christ. Jesus said (Luke 12:48), ‘To whom much is given, from them much is required’, and Brazil has certainly been given much from God. The Church has become a strong mission-sending organisation in one generation. Today, God desires it to go to a new level of seeing mission mobilisation emphasised in every local ministry so that every believer contributes to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The Brazilian Church is known as a praying Church; pray for a massive prayer movement across the churches and denominations emphasising intercession for an explosion of church-planting, leading towards communal movements to Christ among all unreached people groups.

ECM UK is an international, interdenominational mission agency whose ministry primarily focuses on planting churches in areas of Europe where there is little or no evangelical presence. They work in over twenty countries, planting churches, training people in leadership development and managing social care ministries. Nearly all ECM missionaries are volunteers, raising their own financial support and prayer cover. ECM also has partners in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, all reaching out to unreached Europeans. See

Matthew Skirton is from the UK but has spent many years in Moldova. He says that mission agencies have noticed a decline in Christians engaging in cross-cultural, overseas mission. Less than 1% of Christians around the world are actively involved in global missions, something termed the ‘Mission Gap’. Has the Church - in some quarters - moved away from the core belief that followers of Christ are all called to go to the ends of the earth, to every people group, to witness and make disciples? Local mission continues - mums and tots groups, food banks, Alpha and online Christmas carol services. During lockdown the move to online church has seen a surge in people connecting with Jesus’ message. Fewer Christians are taking the leap abroad to where there is little chance of the people hearing the Gospel. A Turkish-speaking pastor in London whose services used to attract fifty people now livestreams to over 1,600 Turkish-speakers from his church.