Gold Coast Churches

Global Outreach

acts18˜The church exists by mission as fire exists by burning” (Emil Brunner)

No burning, no fire. No mission, no church.

The church exists to proclaim in word and actions the Good News of Jesus Christ.  The scope of this mission is not just our neighbourhood, but is all the nations (Matthew 28:16-20).

We are empowered for this mission by the same fire that burned on the day of Pentecost and which drove the disciples out into the streets of Jerusalem, then to the towns and villages of Judea and Samaria and finally to the ends of their known world (Acts 1:8).

We are invited to engage in nothing less than the revolution of grace, mercy and love unleashed by God through His son Jesus the Christ.  What an incredible privilege!

Pray Give Engage.These are three principle ways we can participate in God’s mission in the world.

Commit to pray for the people and projects mentioned.  You will receive regular updates at Sunday worship and through our website to guide such prayers

Ask God how you might give financially to support the mission workers and projects that are supported by our Acts 1:8 Vision.  Our big, bold and audacious goal was to give $80,000 during 2008 towards mission beyond our congregation.

Consider how you might engage personally in mission, particularly by being a part of one of the mission trips planned for the Solomon Islands and Thailand in the second half of 2008.

Newlife Uniting Church has established a number of exciting partnerships with mission workers sent out by our church and with churches overseas that enable us to fulfil our Acts 1:8 mandate to bear witness to the transforming power of Jesus “in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world.”

Mission Workers

We are blessed to have the opportunity to support three wonderful members of our church who God has called to mission overseas.

Jon and Elin Morris:

missions-jon-morrisServe with YWAM in Hawaii and throughout Asia.  Jon has the amazing privilege of training YWAM staff who lead Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) in Kona, Hawaii.  Hundreds of young people from around the world attend these DTS’s each year and then are sent out on mission throughout Asia and beyond.  You can catch up with Jon and Elin through jonandelin.com/

Stuart Herschell-Adair:

missions-stuartAlso serves with YWAM, but in the city of Badambong in Cambodia.  Stuart serves in a small team establishing a YWAM presence there serving the people of the city, especially its young people.

You can read about Stuart’s journeys on his blog – www.stuandjo.wordpress.com

Our church supports Jon and Elin and Stuart through prayer and finances.

Bosnia

Bosnia is a country still recovering from years of war and the terror of ˜ethnic cleansing”.  It is also a country with a very small Christian minority living alongside a Muslim majority.

Dina:

Serves as a missionary to her own people.  Dina spent some time serving in our church as an intern in our  ministry intern.  While with us, Dina’s passion for God endeared her to many.
Since returning to Bosnia, Dina has continued to run evangelistic programs for young people in her nation and support her local congregation.

Our church supports Dina and her ministry through prayer and finances.

Thailand

Thailand has proven to be one of the most challenging nations on earth to reach with the gospel.  Predominantly a Buddhist country, Thailand’s Christian presence is very small.

The Thai church is flourishing in parts of the north, particularly near the Thai-Burma border.  This troubled region is home to the Karen people, most of whom are subsistence farmers.

As a church we fund a church plant in one of the villages in this region, Meedet. This village is home to 200 families.  Funds we provide pay for all the costs associated with a locally trained church planter.

Working in the same region are two Australian mission workers, Alan and Jenny Parker.  We support projects identified by Alan and Jenny that help build the church in Thailand.

Solomon Islands

The United Church Solomon Islands (UCSI) has existed for over 100 years.  Based in the Western province of the Solomons, the USCI is a young, vibrant church that is the ˜social glue” in its region ” in particular being the major provider of health and education services.  The Western province was devastated by a Tsunami in early 2007, the aftermath of which still severely effects health, education and economic services in the region.

Our congregation has embarked on a long-term partnership journey with the UCSI.   In December 2007 a group from our church traveled to the Solomons to begin this relationship.  A number of projects were identified, some of which have already been completed thanks to the generosity of many people already in our congregation:

  • Provision of Marine Tools for a Technical College
  • Provision of Power Tools for Goldie College
  • Support to complete Bible Translation
  • Provision of replacement Bibles for Gizo Congregation (bibles were destroyed by the 2007 Tsunami)
  • Provision of audio-visual equipment for youth ministry

In addition to these projects we have a long-term vision to assist the church in the Solomons to develop profitable and sustainable businesses that in turn can support ministry.  We also will help the church address the chronic shortage of housing for staff at schools and hospitals.

You can read more about the Helena Goldie Hospital, which Newlife supports on their website – http://hghospital.jimdo.com/