FAITHFUL WITNESS:
PRAYING FOR COMMUNITIES WHERE CHRIST IS LEAST KNOWN We believe that God is everywhere; present, allknowing, and all-powerful. But even in God’s power, he invites us into the work of making his name known to all people. He invites us to show up. I ask myself how often do I ‘show up’? To what degree am I living out the presence, power, and knowledge of Christ in me, the hope of glory? Last quarter we were impacted by the word picture of darkness brought to us by Rochelle Watt https:// bit.ly/3nEL6j4. Today, we consider ways to pierce the darkness. God has promised that out of darkness light will shine. By prayer, we long to see communities transformed and as Dr. Joshua Bogunjoko puts it: “By Prayer is not a slogan pasted on the outside of our literature; it is a conviction bound on the inside of our hearts. By Prayer is not a clever sound bite; it is a humble posture. By Prayer is not compartmentalised as one duty of ministry; it shapes every aspect of ministry. By Prayer is not an empty ritual; it is an activity that in itself expresses love and compassion for others.”
Praise God for faithful witnesses bringing the message of light to forgotten communities. I invite you to pray for our colleagues living where Christ is least known, being the light of the world, dispelling darkness. Pray for unity as multi-ethnic teams form. May the word of their testimony be heard and received. Ask great wisdom, that their good deeds will glorify God. Join with them By Prayer as communities are transformed. Lynell Thomas serves as the Faithful Witness prayer editor and coordinator. You can support the Faithful Witness initiative by mobilising people, prayer, and resources for our eight ministry teams. Email Lynell at faithfulwitness.lead@ sim.org to sign up to receive regular prayer requests.
FAITHFUL WITNESS
MAKING THE GOSPEL LOCAL
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Traditionally, SIM Australia has solely sent mission workers overseas. SIM Australia has developed a local ministry called Across as they try to take the gospel to least-reached people groups in their own country. Headed by Alan Millhouse, Across facilitates mission workers within Australia to reach communities who have yet to hear the gospel, such as migrants and university students. Through Across, SIM supports and partners with local churches as they minister crossculturally in local settings such as universities, counselling and sports. Angela, an Across worker, is the co-founder and coordinator of Freedom To Flourish, a Sydney-based ministry run in collaboration with Pioneers Australia. It seeks to address the mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Sydney who are dealing with trauma.
They have set up a community garden and Miriam*, who is newly arrived in Australia, enjoys coming along. With no friends or family in Sydney, she was feeling isolated when her children were at school and her husband at work. Angela said, “When I first met Miriam, she told me she missed home. She used to grow her own
food, but now struggled to buy all she used to have in her backyard. Iinvited her to come to the local community garden with me.” Miriam loved the idea and joined the group. She came every week, working hard in the soil and growing lots of organic fresh food to feed her family. She also met like-minded friends. “We had a few spiritual conversations and she said the garden was a God-sent activity because she had sun exposure, a purpose, physical activity, fresh produce, friends, and something to look forward to doing while her husband and kids were away during the day,” Angela explained. Miriam has been introduced to new foods and even learnt how to cook new recipes. She is now helping Angela to develop the therapeutic community garden to reach out to others. https://www.sim.org.au/Across https://bit.ly/3t9haNb *Name changed to protect identity.
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