As a church our desire is to reach out to the world with the gospel of Christ, in love and practical service, by equipping and sending people into God's world.
What do we mean by a Global Partner?
The global partners of St Barnabas Church are individuals, families or agencies who are involved in preaching the Gospel of Christ, sharing the compassion of Christ and building a people of Christ beyond St Barnabas Church.
What do they do?
Current global partners are involved in teaching, training, I.T. development, literacy projects, health, fair trade initiatives, youth work, employment and income generation projects, friendship evangelism and disaster response aid work. Some are long term partners, spending many years in their field. Others are on projects which last for 1-2 years and we also support people from the congregation who wish to spend a few weeks on short term projects.
Where are our global partners based?
Individuals and families from the church are working with organisations such as Operation Mobilisation, Wycliffe, CURE International and Hoveraid. They serve in various countries around the world in the UK, Africa and Asia.
How do we support our Global Partners?
St Barnabas aims to provide prayer support, practical assistance and funding for our Global partners, before, during and after their projects. Support is co-ordinated by the Mission Support Group which meets to review the welfare of current partners, and co-ordinates the discernment process for possible new global partners. It also aims to encourage members of the church to be involved in mission as senders, supporters and potential partners. Clusters play a vital role in supporting the specific global partner(s) that they are linked with.
Why do we do this?
God calls us to bring his love to the world, and especially those in need. We find that Global Partners enlarge our vision of God's church, inform us about situations like drought, Christian fellowship in other cultures, and political issues. They make us and themselves aware of other peoples' points of view and remind us that we are part of God's worldwide church, which has worshipped for over 2000 years.
For more information email the Mission Partner Group or contact the church office.
