Looking outwards
Some of the Priory’s Mission Partners from Crosslinks (Place of Grace) top, and the Church Mission Society, below.
Sometimes, in the busy-ness of Priory life, the world outside can seem a little distant...but in reality, that’s far from the case.
As a church, the Priory really does ‘look outwards’, supporting Mission Partners across Britain and the world, through prayer and by tithing the gifts received through planned giving.
So it’s wonderful when Priory Mission Partners are able to visit and share ‘what’s on’ in their busy ministries.
In June the Priory congregation was treated to a lesson in Thai, when the Robinson Family visited from the Place of Grace, in Bangkok, where they’re reaching out to people in slum communities and sharing the Good News. They told of the school that they run, the children’s clubs, the food bank and the infectious joy and enthusiasm of the youngsters.
After the service several of the congregation took the opportunity to sponsor individual children. Even now, Christmas cards are winging their way east to the children, bearing (early) Christmas greetings from supporters in what must be a barely imaginable snowy Malvern in the heat of Thailand.
On Sunday, another Priory Mission Partner - Paul Tester from the Church Mission Society - shared his ‘walk’ alongside the people of Peru. Bringing with him a brightly coloured Peruvian cloth and using ever-willing curate, Adam, as his assistant, he demonstrated its potential different uses in the climate zones - wrapped loosely round the body in the humid heat of the rainforest zone, or as a sling, to carry firewood, or over your shoulders in the temperature extremes of the mountains. Finally, in the coastal desert the cloth could provide shade from the relentless sun and dry heat.
Afterwards Paul gave a presentation, showing how local people are being equipped as leaders to share the faith in a place where half the population is under 30 years old. In mining settlements, where drunkeness and prostitution is rife…in the streets of the towns and cities with the homeless, amongst the homeless, a living church with a name that translates as ‘I’m still alive’. Sobering and uplifting in equal measure. Christian hope.
So, as the Priory moves into the busy-ness of Advent and the Christmas season, we remember to look outwards and pray for all our Mission Partners, far and near.
