In a world where change is considered to be holy by some, and something new is usually more highly prized than something old, it is very tempting to describe the arrival of Stuart Simpson on staff as a new era in Global Mission. To do so would be totally incorrect.
The GMO has been in existence for over five years. During the early days of its establishment, one of the first things I did was study what the Church had done in the past. Many of our emphases today exist because of this great mission heritage, (the centenary celebration of our work in India, to be held later this year, is a case in point). But it is also true to say that the way mission is undertaken has experienced significant change in the last decade or two. The non-negotiable nature of mission for the Church has not diminished, but what constitutes mission has.
One of the main tasks of the GMO since its inception has been to discover how these new ways of thinking about and doing mission can work for us. We wanted to epitomise Gospel values. We wanted it to be contextual. We were determined to work in a long term and sustainable way. We wanted to do more than we thought we could, to challenge and stretch the Church.
It can be likened to building a sand castle at the beach. You have a vision of how it might look but you can’t be sure. So you pack a handful of sand on one side and add another handful on the other and so you go. A wave may come and do some damage, it may shape up somewhat differently to what you intended but in the end you still have a sand castle. Stuart’s arrival is like a friend helping out with a bucket of sand.
Another version of a helping hand is the initiative taken by the Rev Martin and Anne Stewart from Christchurch to raise funds for a ute for the VSA workers at Ebule Urban Workshop in Vanuatu. They wrote a personal letter to family and friends in late November explaining their desire to raise $20,000 for this worthy cause. By January they had hit their target. Other articles in this edition of the Gazette speak of people who have also added their handful of sand. Maybe it is time you added your handful too?
In hope,
Andrew