Hunter Churches Mission Coordinators’ 

First Saturday Summit

A report of the meeting of mission co-ordinators 25^th August 2001 sponsored by Hunter-M-link

 Representatives from the following churches were present:

Cardiff Heights Baptist        Belmont Baptist

Warners Bay Baptist           Westlakes Christian Assembly
Toronto Baptist                   Victory Christian Centre

Islington Baptist                   Charlestown-Eastlakes Presbyterian

Wallsend Baptist

  Introduction

Lindsay Mason of Cardiff Heights Baptist opened the meeting, explaining how the gathering came to be; It was the idea of a few people who participated in the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” course earlier this year who felt our efforts in supporting, promoting and sending people to mission work could be multiplied if we of the Hunter worked together.

Promotion Ideas

Representatives from each church present mentioned ideas they had successfully used to promote the mission side of life within their church.

Here’s a brief summary;

• The missions committee organise the social events of the church. These become fund raising events for missionaries being financially supported.
• Craft items are made and sold within the church to help finance the mission budget.
• A special offering is taken on the 1^st Sunday of every month to provide extra gifts for missionaries.
• Letters received from missionaries are put in part or total in the church bulletin
• Soup and damper evenings as a fund raiser
• Mid-week visiting missionary speaker – pot luck where all the Bible study groups gather for that evening.
• Fete for fund-raising
• ABMS calendar included in the bulletin
• Meeting of the missionary committee/focus group to read prayer letters and pray. (It was named a focus to get over the idea that you have to be appointed to come!)
• Written missions policy for the church – lays out basis for level of  financial support and other aspects
• Short term mission trips by groups within the church.
• Evangelistic ‘mission trips’ to country towns
• Awareness of BMWU group
• Missionary or mission representative invited to speak every 2 months.
• Short (7-10 mins) videos obtained from various mission agencies to show during a service every couple of months.
• Cross cultural dinner - $5 a head – ideally with a visiting speaker from that country
• Each home group ‘adopts’ one of the missionary that the church supports
• Second hand clothes sent to missionaries who sell them
• ‘Meet The Missions’ – 10 mission organisations came together for a day – talks, videos, information available
• Telephone hook up with missionary on-site during church time
• Visiting missionaries interviewed in church as mission promotion rather than the promotion of the individual missionaries, as such.

 And some ideas on Mission Bulletin Boards

• One person is allocated the job of changing the board every 2 months
• Computer-printed colourful flags of countries represented by the church’s missionary links at the top of the board.
• Map of the world with photos etc.
• Bulletin board at front of church in plain view of congregation at all times

Perspectives

Ross Webb briefly outlined the course “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” – a 12 week course which will run again in Newcastle starting in February 2002. The course has 4 components, giving a  Biblical, Historical, Cultural and Strategic perspective on mission. Participants agree that it is an inspiring course which gives the big picture of God’s plan for the world, important information about the real world situation, as well as practical help in sending and going! Great for pastors, leaders and anyone else (!) to attend! The course’s goal is to re-awaken the Christian world to the centrality of mission in the Church’s life.

Advertising for ‘Perspectives’ will be sent out in a couple of month’s time and Ross suggest the possibility of being able to send a couple of past ‘students’ to give a minute of two’s promotion at services.

Solutions

We moved onto discussion about possible ways we could help each other in this job.

Some suggestions:

• Email networking – advising of available missionary speakers, representatives in town, other programmes etc.
• Possibility of a ‘Hunter missions and missionaries’ web site
• Develop the ‘Meet the Missions’ programme that the Westlakes Christian Assembly ran earlier this year. It could be similar to ‘Reach Out’ in model. Include Children’s programme, young people’s programme etc.
• Having Nick Green from Evangelical Missionary Alliance speak to the group re his experience in running Reach Out – the Annual missionary ‘conference’ in Katoomba.
• More meetings like this one to share ideas and develop some of the above ideas.

A profitable meeting! Thanks to those who came and to many who expressed interest, though were unable to attend…..there’ll be a ‘next time’!

Last word

A database is being complied of mission committees/groups in churches around the Hunter which will include names and contact details of the key people, names and details of missionaries and agencies supported by various churches around the Hunter, the types of mission activity congregation members have been involved in etc.

Our hope that such a database will facilitate the type of networking and support that this past meeting is aiming at. It’s usefulness will only be as good as the data we have. With these minutes comes a form that those attending the meeting filled out. It would be great if those that weren’t able to attend could fill out the form and return it to help in this compilation.

Our desire is that this initiative doesn’t wind up in a dead end but will serve to heighten awareness of the task remaining in bringing the Gospel of Jesus to the world and become a tool in the hands of those committed to the cause that will result in many more Hunter Christians giving their lives and resources for the Glory of God and joy of the world’s people.

 Lindsay Mason, Cathy Pope, Lyndal Webb, Ross Webb