Gathering for the Unreached Network Online Conference felt like being taken by the hand and led on a beautiful journey around the world, stopping every now and then at a different location where we were given a glimpse of all that God is doing there before being guided again to the next destination.
Throughout the day we were treated to snapshots of the lives and worship of faithful disciples in various nations. We heard of God’s provision for desperate refugees in Iraq, of his calling to plant churches among the diverse population of Slough and of the daily wonder of being new arrivals in a new language and culture. We rejoiced at the small things that reveal God’s presence with the team in Baku and we were awed by the beauty of his heart for children and families in Cambodia.
It was a privilege to hear from Laura, our intern this year. Laura shared how she’s seen God move in the lives of her friends, Iranian refugees who are now following Jesus and how the internship has deepened and clarified her understanding of God’s call on her life to serve the unreached. We celebrated her graduation together and praised God for all that he has done.
Listening to our keynote speakers Vinu, Andrey, and Andy reminded me of God’s words in Jeremiah 33:3: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’
Vinu Paul unpacked his years of experience of church planting in India to help us understand the sending out of the 72 disciples in Luke 10. We were encouraged that the harvest is indeed plentiful and that God wants to send out ordinary people to pray and obediently share Jesus in our everyday lives. It was a relief to remember that God is not looking for people who think they are experts but that he simply invites us to receive his peace and share it freely through loving relationships with those who need to know him.
Andrey Bondarenko highlighted stories from the life of Philip in Acts 8, sharing candidly from his own experience of being uprooted by conflict to help us understand the mindset that Philip had which enabled him to see God work in such powerful ways by his Holy Spirit. We reflected on the importance of Apostolic foundations that are tested when people are scattered and of the grace that comes when we accept our own limitations and invite others to minister and labour alongside us as well as the importance of being led by the Spirit in unpredictable ways, trusting that he closes doors as well as opens them.
Andy McCullough took us back to the story of the creation of Eden in Genesis 2 and helped us to see how all scripture speaks of God’s love for the nations and his purposes to bring the whole world into relationship with him through Christ Jesus. Like the rivers flowing from Eden to the whole earth, we were reminded of God’s love and blessing that is freely poured out for the whole world and we were drawn in to see how we can search for his kingdom among unreached people groups, like miners digging for precious jewels.
Following Andy’s talk, he led us in celebrating the launch of the Hummingbird Trust, the new charity that carries the work of the Unreached Network. We heard how hummingbirds are small, agile and uniquely designed to pollinate and live at the limits of what is possible. We celebrated highlights of all that God has been doing through the network over the last 12 months and were encouraged to pray, serve and give in any way we can. Signing up to join Friday prayers is a great way to get involved and hear stories of God’s work in many nations.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the day culminated in 5 incredible seminars led by experts from around the world. The hardest part of the day was choosing which one to attend! I was privileged to hear how God is moving among the Hindu population of Northern India and learned a lot about the importance of contextualising our worship and language in order to see the gospel move freely through different cultures.
Perhaps you joined us for the day but would like to share what you learned with others, perhaps, like me, you’ve got 4 more seminars to watch, or perhaps you couldn’t make it to the conference but would love to hear what our speakers had to say. The main talks and seminars from the conference are available on the Unreached Network YouTube Channel for you to enjoy and share.
Want to Listen to the Seminars?
You can find our YouTube playlist containing the wonderful seminars from the Unreached Network Conference here.
Or, you can find our SoundCloud playlist with the seminars here.
Speaker Recommended Resources
Anna Hampton
Website: www.theologyofrisk.com
Book: Facing Fear: The Journey to Mature Courage in Risk and Persecution
Book: Facing Danger: A Guide Through Risk, 2nd Ed.
Motus Dei
Website: www.motusdei.network
Statement: Reactivating the Church as Movement
Book: Motus Dei: The Movement of God to Disciple the Nations
Andy McCullough
Unreached Network Author Page: Andy McCullough
Books: Amazon page
Sherine Awad Hilal
Website: Speaker info
The Unreached Network exists to inspire and strengthen cross cultural mission to Unreached Peoples across the global Newfrontiers family.
We do this by training, resourcing, inspiring and creating spaces for network, with individuals, churches and spheres as they take responsibility for sending.
Want to partner with us? Get in touch at www.unreached.network/contact-us
Lisa is a disciple of Jesus, teaching ESOL and loving her neighbours in beautiful Yorkshire.
