VIRTUAL MISSION TRIPS

A chance to GO ABROAD when we CANNOT LEAVE HOME

Will Stacken, Pastoral Team Member at Living Hope Methodist Church. He is an American citizen and previously served 10 years as a support-raising missionary with Youth With A Mission based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Throughout this period, he had the opportunity to travel Southeast Asia extensively and visited many different ministries and development projects across the region. As he led teams of young people in cross-cultural missions, he observed how these exchanges between diverse Christian communities brought encouragement and a greater understanding of God’s word through the diversity of His church.

Church Planting

For many of us, the topic of Church Planting can feel daunting because the tasks involved are beyond our reach. However, to put it simply, Church Planting takes place when a church or an agency like Methodist Missions Society (MMS) sets out to plant a church in a particular location. It focuses on the basic aspects of Christian community such as preaching, prayer, outreach and the discipleship of those who come to believe the Lord. The initial years of a Church Plant are delicate, and encouragement is vital to help new believers know they are a part of the larger Body of Christ. But they are also exciting times of development as the believers and community grow.

It is with this in mind that in early 2020, just before we were hit by COVID-19, Living Hope Methodist Church (LHMC) began a partnership with Songroi Phee Methodist Centre (SPMC) in Bangkok, Thailand under the guidance of MMS. SPMC is a Church Plant of MMS. It was founded four years ago through local Thai outreach activities. LHMC felt it was not enough just to offer financial support, though this is vital and accomplishes much. We wanted to create opportunities for our members to be involved by visiting SPMC.

As we are all aware, short-term mission trips, a staple programme for many churches, have been put on hold indefinitely due to travel restrictions and safety concerns. As such, we have had to rethink how to engage with our missions partner. We knew while they were in a delicate phase and needed encouragement, they could nonetheless provide us with a refreshing perspective as a growing Church Plant. This process of re-evaluation led to the programme we have called a ‘Virtual Missions Trip’ (VMT). Let me share a few dreams I have for this project.

Cross-Cultural Collaboration

Our relationship with SPMC is an investment in our own LHMC community. By initiating and maintaining this relationship, we push against the passivity of waiting for the new normal to come. The VMT connects LHMC and SPMC youths by developing English lessons, and by interacting in games that teach vocabulary and share interesting stories that focus on teaching conversational phrases. This programme that the youths themselves are developing will empower them to realise their own potential to impact others with the Gospel using creative means.

By learning about one another’s school experiences, local foods and phrases, these groups have a shared experience that brings them from feeling foreign to feeling familiar. Having the opportunity to learn about the culture of the other gives the opportunity to better understand our own. These topics may seem mundane, but they help facilitate relationships that can go on for years to come.

Faith Formation

SPMC is doing the practical ministry of sharing the love of Christ through word and works in their local community, a slow process of allowing Christ to permeate their Thai culture. Through the VMT, SPMC is given the opportunity to impact another nation and culture by allowing them to share their stories and culture with us. This exchange allows them the opportunity to play a part in fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing Christ with another culture and community. Their community is blessed as they give, and we are blessed to receive, and vice versa.

Personally, I feel it is important for our Singaporean youths to see Thai Christian faith expressed. This shows the diversity and power of God’s Church to transform lives globally. Faith formation will occur when both communities play an active role in helping one another know the love and power of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

In closing, Church Planting may seem hindered by the pandemic. However, simple initiatives like the VMT gives an opportunity for LHMC and SPMC to encourage the Church in each other’s nation and fan the flame of passion for God. I pray that cross-cultural exchanges like this will edify both sending and receiving communities, help us all to see the rich mosaic that is God’s Church and embolden us to participate actively in God’s global and expanding Church.