International Mission Partners
Leaving your home and culture is always difficult. These people have obeyed the call of God to work abroad, and we have agreed to support them for as long as they believe that call remains valid.
Long Term Mission Partner Prayer Requests:
Spring 2011
Autumn 2010
Andy & Uta Buckler
Crosslinks and the French Reformed Church
www.crosslinks.org
Andy and Uta Buckler live on the outskirts of Paris where they have led a small French Reformed Church (ERF) since 2002. The church has experienced many changes recently, with significant growth and with more people committing their lives to Jesus. Now, Andy has taken on a new post with the ERF to be responsible for training and ‘formation’. This is an exciting new challenge carrying implications for the church to develop greater autonomy under Andy as part time pastor - as well as logistical issues for Andy, Uta and their 5 children. Meanwhile, Uta somehow finds time to continue her intensive course in family and marriage counselling.
 Charles & Jocelyne Montagu
Arab World Media, Worthing
www.awm-pioneers.org
Charles and Jocelyne have been working at AWM’s office in Worthing since September 2006. Charles is encouraged with his work on AWM’s Arabic evangelistic and teaching website, which gives Muslims the opportunity both to learn about Jesus and to contact us directly. He coordinates a team of around 20 workers, both part-time and full-time, national and expatriate, who correspond with visitors to ours and other sites. Currently, emails come in at the rate of 20-30 per day from all over the Arab world and further afield. We answer questions and objections, give encouragement and, for those who are seriously interested, offer a personal contact, at first by phone and then face to face wherever possible.
Jocelyne helps out with various administrative tasks in the office. She and Charles are also both involved in their local church, Charles as a church warden and Jocelyne in charge of the tea and coffee! Edward (20) is studying Maths at Sussex Uni. Emily (17) is in her final year of school and thinking about her university application. Robert (13) enjoys school, drumming in the church band and swimming.
Sharon Morad
World Medical Mission with Samaritan's Purse
www.samaritanspurse.uk.com
Sharon left Kijabe Hospital, Kenya, in May on her marriage to David Pitches, and is now back in the UK to complete a further 2 years of training in obstetrics and gynaecology. For the last two years she has been learning how to care for women with a variety of conditions never seen in the UK. David is also a medical doctor, specialising in public health, who trained in London and Birmingham and has worked more recently with MedAir in Eastern Congo. We offer congratulations to Sharon and David on their marriage and continue to support them in prayer as they listen to God for future direction.
You can keep up to date with Sharon at her blog.
 Hugh & Heather Nelson
World Horizons in Japan
www.worldhorizons.org
Hugh and Heather pastor a ‘small church with a big God’ in Izunokuni Shi, close to Mount Fuji. The Sunday worship meeting is smaller than some of St George’s small groups! They ask: ‘please pray for us and these faithful Japanese Christians as we grow in faith and reach out to the people of this traditional country town’. There are several ‘not-yet-believers’ who regularly attend church and Bible studies. The church’s biggest outreach is through ‘Happy Clubs’ where over 120 children aged 0 – 12 learn English and hear a short Bible message each week.
There is an urgent need to find a new church with an estimated cost of £450,000 to build. Currently activities take place on different sites resulting in fragmentation. Hugh & Heather feel God has given them a vision for one centre where they can offer a range of outreach activities, build relationships and share the gospel freely throughout the week, welcoming local people in. They give thanks for the prayers and support of our church.
 Chip & Diane Cowles
Agape International, Global Movements Team
www.agape.org.uk
Vision: To ignite fires of spiritual revival which result in a generation of people who are recklessly abandoned to Jesus Christ, going to the hardest and most un-reached peoples of the UK, Europe, and the world until everyone, everywhere, has heard the good news of Jesus Christ.
Chip and Diane work with Agape which is part of Campus Crusade for Christ International. They have a passion for cross-cultural missions to the un-reached peoples (people isolated from a chance to hear the gospel by geography, language or culture). They lived and worked in Russia for 6 years. In the summer of 2008 they assumed the leadership of the Global Movements team which mobilizes, trains, sends and receives cross-cultural missionaries. Currently Chip and Diane oversee workers in Africa, Asia, The Middle East and Russia. Within the UK they also help support the ministry to Farsi speakers called First Acts.
As part of their role, Chip helps give direction to the movement of Agape nationally. Locally they are involved with their Church, Holy Trinity, Jesmond, where Chip is a warden and Diane is involved in women’s ministry. Diane has recently been invited to attend the Lausanne conference on world evangelisation to be held in Capetown in October, 2010. This is a huge privilege and Diane is very excited at this amazing opportunity.
|
