As we drive down the leafy avenue towards the Oakwood Centre in Wokingham where the Unreached Residential is being held for the next three days, our sense of excitement and anticipation increases. Our car crunches on the gravel as we turn into the car-park. Ahead, I see an old friend running towards us, arms wide open. She and her husband frequently go on mission to India. Soon we are hugging each other, and that familiar sense of relief and joy washes over me when I am with those who know what it’s like to obey the call of God on their lives to take the life-transforming gospel of Jesus to unreached places. I am once again with those who ‘get it.’ I am back with my tribe.
“I have found my family”
Gathered here for the weekend are ‘old and new faces.’ Some are those from the Newfrontiers family of churches who have been involved in cross-cultural mission to the unreached for many years. Others are preparing to go. Still others have recently returned and are looking at what comes next. Some are at the exploring stage. And crucially, there are those who have come to learn how they can be involved by better supporting those who are going, and how they can reach diaspora communities from unreached people groups here in the UK.
Sadly, some express that they feel that mission to the unreached is simply not a priority for their churches. Time and again throughout the weekend, we hear the words, “It’s so good and freeing to be with people who share the same passion for God’s mission to the unreached instead of feeling like the odd one out. I have found my family.”
Inspiring teaching
So starts an amazing weekend in which each one of us is enriched by hearing and learning about the stories and experience of others during meals and break times; by worshipping in different languages; by praying and playing together and by the excellent teaching we receive in our main sessions. Although our wonderful speakers have not collaborated together on what they are going to share, there are clear Holy Spirit-inspired themes that emerge over the weekend that makes the teaching hang together as a beautiful whole.
Through David Mosambile’s inspiring talk on the righteous living by faith (Habakkuk 2:4a, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38,) we are reminded that faith is trusting God and what he says, not only in times of breakthrough but also when things don’t go well.
Then, our keynote speakers have seen it, done it and got the T-shirt when it comes to living by faith, working as they do in an unreached nation where security is not a given. They lead us through a brilliant biblical exploration of the lives of Abraham, Ruth, Priscilla and Aquila, and encourage us in groups to discover and discuss the lessons we can learn from their lives and apply to cross-cultural mission. We discover that all of them had to learn to serve God in the new places they found themselves, whether through persecution as in the case of Priscilla and Aquila or through unforeseen circumstances as in the case of Ruth. So often in cross-cultural mission to the unreached, our lives and plans are disrupted by sickness, conflict, or persecution in our host nation, that means we have to uproot at a moments’ notice to other nations or return to our country of origin. In these situations, the words of Jeremiah 29:7 become a living reality, ‘…And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’
Abraham, Ruth, Aquila and Priscilla all knew what it is like to have to live in a tension between settledness and unsettledness – a reality that resonates with most of us in the room!
This is the theme of Ruth’s excellent session on ‘The Pilgrim Mindset: Keeping our eyes on the dwelling place of God.’ There is laughter and much nodding of heads as Ruth memorably says, “Some of us are coming back [from mission overseas], some of us are going, and some of us don’t know whether we are coming or going!” The good news is that God’s people have always been used to living between the temporary and the permanent. As Ruth says, “We have this in our DNA.”
Invaluable mentoring
For many attending the weekend, it is deeply reassuring to discover that they aren’t the only ones living with uncertainty, and seeking greater clarity about the next steps to take on their journey to serve God in unreached places. Therefore, the mentoring sessions with Unreached team members are invaluable, providing opportunities to be listened to and heard, and to have eyes opened to possible options and ways forward. The mentoring session on supporting well those going on overseas mission is so helpful to those amongst us who are fulfilling the vital role of holding up the arms of those going, through the provision of wrap-around, ongoing support. Some in the room have experienced what it is like to have had poor support from their churches whilst they have been on overseas mission, leading to them feeling even more isolated and overwhelmed in deeply challenging situations.
But as John reminds us, ‘So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.’ (3 John:8) “Sending is not when you lay hands on a person who is going on overseas cross-cultural mission,” says Laura. “That is commissioning. Sending is the whole process from exploring to returning.”
We are thankful for the resources and support that Unreached Network can offer to churches who want to send and support their members well and hope to see this as an area of our work that really bears fruit in the coming years.
Honouring our interns
One way of ensuring that workers are well-prepared for cross-cultural mission to the unreached is for them to be supported by their churches to do an internship with Unreached Network that offers a full-time option or a part-time Foundation Course, both of which have been shown to have a transformative impact on those doing them. During the residential we honour and celebrate our latest cohort of interns who have graduated from the programme. Some share how doing the internship has not only been life-changing for them, but has also had a profound impact on their churches. We will now keep connected with them and support them on their journeys.
Embodying our values
As our interns have discovered during their training, going on mission to the unreached is not just about what we know but also how we go. At the end of our keynote sessions, we finish by brainstorming in groups the values that we want to embody and build on as we seek to plant vibrant communities of Christ-followers amongst the unreached. Gradually a large table becomes covered in brightly-coloured post-it notes on which we have written key values such as ‘humility’, ‘hospitality’, ‘listening,’ ‘always being a learner.’
Hearing from God
It’s our last day. Throughout the Residential, we have sensed the beautiful presence of God with us – his smile and his favour. Aboud shares a word from Deuteronomy 28:1-3: ‘If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.’ “Fully obey God on your journey and carefully follow him” emphasises Aboud, “and you will then experience these blessings.”
Susie shares the extraordinary vision of Daniel from Daniel 7:13-14: ‘… I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honour, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal-it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.’ She then quotes from Roy McCloughry who said, ‘We need to recover our courage and our belief in the adequacy of God if we are risk-takers and people of faith.’ As we look to the One who has been given authority, honour and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, we can have full-confidence in his adequacy, and in the ‘adequacy’ of his blood, shed at the cross and the consequences of his death and resurrection. He is more than adequate! So we can take God-led risks and be people of faith as we seek to take his gospel to the unreached.
The weekend has come to a close. Cars are being loaded up and we enjoy a hug-fest with everyone as we say our goodbyes. “I just want this weekend to go on longer…” says one of interns. But it’s time to continue with God on the journey that he has us on. And the great thing is we are part of an ever-expanding missional community that we are journeying with.
If you’d like to be in touch with us about any of the themes mentioned in this blog, or would like to know when we are gathering again, get in touch at www.unreached.network/contact-us.
