Going into all the World

From the beginning, Christianity was a missionary religion. Jesus told his first disciples, that they would be his witnesses to the local area and to the whole world (Acts 1:8). It was the multiracial church at Antioch that sent its leaders, Paul and Barnabas, on a "missionary" journey, sharing the good news of Jesus throughout the neighbouring countries (Acts 13:1-3). The work of modern missionary is not so much to bring the good news to places that have never heard, as it is to assist the local church with its work of sharing the gospel. Today we commission Jolene to assist God's people in their work in the Middle East. We are honoured to have Steve Maina, the national director of the Church Missionary Society, and Chris Grantham, the New Zealand director of MECO. In the service, Jolene affirms her call and we support her in it. What we say in the service is the beginning of a new venture and a new relationship with Jolene, CMS and MECO. In this we acknowledge our reliance on God's help through our declaration and our prayers. Max.