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A Time To Celebrate

Celebrate with us those mission partners who have served 50 PLUS years in their country of choice. Well done good & faithful servants!...

Martin & Matilda Komau

Martin and Matilda married in 1999, when they were about the age that many Kiwis graduate from university. However they didn't have the opportunity to carry on their education as teenagers. Martin completed 11 years of schooling in 1996 and was unable to do more. Matilda, like many in PNG, only finished primary school.  "Our Christian life after our marriage was not firm and stable, until we answered God's call and went to English Language Bible School (ELBS)," Martin said. ELBS is a 6-mont...

A Seed That Bears Much Fruit

As a former mission partner who worked with the Christian Brethren Churches of Papua New Guinea, I want to acknowledge the strategic significance of the Global Connections Scholarship Fund. With its support, each decade dozens of young leaders have completed Bible training in their home countries and begun ministries as teachers, preachers, chaplains and translators—bringing the gospel to people who few others can reach. Although the CBC churches have a number of local and several regional...

Be A Game Changer

You've heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”? We often feel like both the horse and its leader when it comes to regular times of prayer. My Bible dictionary says that prayer “is any form of communication with God on the part of believing people in response to situations that may arise in life”. So why do we struggle to drink in God’s gift of prayer? Prayer re-orientates our thinking and our hearts to lead us to productive living and God-centre...

It Began With A Conversation

In a land in Asia not too far from here, an amazing movement is flourishing. A conversation that started between a Christian and a leader of another faith in a café has become a tsunami of conversions. Bright Hope World has been partnering with this movement for several years. It’s hard to comprehend the numbers that are now encompassed by this movement. I met one young man who cares for 9,000 groups of new believers. Another oversees 12,000 groups. Every 15 months the movement doubles in si...

Missions Reset

This time of challenge to the church’s activities worldwide and to local congregations has been a reflective one. We have been led to ask serious questions about the reasons for which our churches exist. This may be our best chance at a constructive biblical reset. A foundational purpose of the church is to evangelise the lost. Now this purpose does not minimise or reduce the importance of its other functions, such as the edification of the body or the exaltation of God. But it is ne...

Words, Words, Words!

Early in 2019 I was visiting a large M country. I spent several days listening to, and writing, the stories of men and women whose lives had been transformed by the Good News. I came away from these meetings deeply moved by the radical changes in the lives of the new believers. More than that, I was intensely challenged by the burning passion of those taking the message out, and the cost they were willing to pay to do so. No wonder this movement has been doubling in size every 15 months for the ...

Has the mission changed?

The dramatic events following COVID-19’s outbreak have turned nations upside down. This has impacted social activities, job security and motives for living. Examples of suffering, mental stress and confusion about how to respond have been our daily news diet. This assault on our lives is supposed to be rebuffed by “going quick, going hard.” Missions are not immune from the new boundaries on activity and interaction. In the past month I have writ-ten to most of the missionaries listed in GC...

why the title “GC3 Missions Ambassador?”

The online Merriam-Webster dictionary provides this definition for the word “ambassador:” an official envoy: a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or monarch or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment. At face value, this definition implies a lofty title with power and authority. However, as we look at biblical uses of the word “ambassador,” we discover a...

a defining moment in the history of the church

No matter where you look in history, you will find a wide range of events occurring that forever changed the world. In the following ‘To sharpen Our Thinking’ article, Kathleen (Day 20) asks us what such a defining moment in the history of the church means to us. “Bye Family. I gotta go”.   “But Daddy, we’re in lockdown.”  “What? I mean, it’s Sunday. I gotta go to church!” Our routine of “going to church” has been interrupted. Some would say, sabotaged. Las...

experiencing something of how a mission partner often feels.

Last week in our ‘To Sharpen Our Thinking …’ article, we were asked to ponder a series of questions on what the current world situation meant to our faith or actions and responsibilities to those around us in our communities. Another interesting point to consider is whether our current lockdown situation could also be giving us a taste of what some of our mission partners have to live with daily.  We have shared with you below, some thoughts and comments from one of our mission p...

to sharpen our thinking

Not matter where we are in the world at the moment, Covid-19 has impacted all of our lives, and as a result, we are all having to rethink how we live and work. Part of that rethinking also requires us to relook at how we do church and what that means to the way we live out our faith in daily life. Some friends of ours in Asia have put together a few questions for you to ponder over the next few weeks. 1. What truths and stories from God’s word can I meditate on and share with others during thi...

introducing our new missions ambassador

Recently we announced we were entering a transitional season in the life of GC3, one where we are deliberately taking the time to evaluate, to look forward, and to wait on God for His direction as to what could be. It’s against this backdrop that we’re able to announce the first exciting step in this process! We are pleased to tell you we have appointed Murray Stevenson to a new role of Missions Ambassador within our GC3 team. This role will see Murray liaising with churches and their missio...

this week is an important one! it really does matter!

COVID-19   As we look back, we are all experiencing the challenges that COVID-19 has brought to us in Aotearoa NZ.  We have our restrictions which may make us feel uncomfortable and a little disorientated.  But I’m sure you’re thinking, like me, our situation is nothing compared to that of so many folk in other countries.  Many are experiencing inadequate health systems, little or no hygiene, with little or no clean running water, and often government authorities tak...

Mission Recovery: Guns, Baths and Trees

Where do you think effective mission activity will go from here, in 2020, and beyond?  There is no point rehearsing the tired news of COVID-19 that is impacting us all.  Most of us want to know what steps are needed for recovery, to move forward.  That is a question for businesses, I’m sure, for educators and even churches.  But what about missions?  Where do you see missionary activity going? The forward progression, as I see it, hinges on a simple question of risk. R...

Covid-19 - Update

It’s important that you are aware of how COVID-19 is impacting us here at GC3 and what we are doing about it. As far as we are able, we are wanting it to be ‘business-as-usual’. The greatest impact is that we will be working from home from now on. We are all set up to do this. That means we will continue to be able to offer most of the key services we have in the past. However, for a time, it may also mean we will be forced to sacrifice some that we have traditionally offered. Let me list ...

COVID-19

The emergence and spread of COVID-19  has faith leaders wondering about their role and response. At such times, we are reminded of how interconnected our global world can be and how important it is to approach one another with compassion and care. We sometimes focus on the numbers and the maps, yet we need to remember that each reported case of the virus has behind it a person, a family, a community. We are connected globally, and our compassion and care needs to reach out across all humani...

Mission's Not Dead

Years ago, a friend of mine asked me the question, “If you saw ten men carrying a heavy log down the road and there were nine at one end and only one at the other, which end would you go to in order to help?” I’ve never forgotten the challenge that was to my heart at the time and it has continued to shape my thinking ever since. think it is a very good question for us to ponder, especially given the on-going healthy tension there is with the allocation of our time and our church resources....

It Has Been A Privilege

It has been such a privilege to be the Missions Director of Global Connections in Missions (GC3) over the last ten years. It’s been a privilege to link with churches and individuals to encourage and facilitate mission in the ways that you see God leading you. Pearl and I wish to thank GC3 for the opportunities to meet with mission partners overseas and for their prayerful support and care. We have made a lot of friends among you and won’t forget your love and desire to serve the King of King...

Looking Forward

Every few months, the natural world around us transitions from one season into the next. At GC3 we find ourselves in the middle of a change of seasons that God is bringing about. Over the last few months, we have farewelled Charlotte Shadbolt (Charlie), who served as Youth Director for eight years. We then welcomed Matt Lister into that role at the end of last year, and this coming week we will be farewelling Russell Thorp from his nine-year role as Missions Director of GC3. With any change, the...

To Chase The Wind

King Solomon was eminently qualified to make the following statement about human effort void of God, that “work that is done under the sun…is meaningless, a chasing after the wind” from Ecclesiastes 2:17-22. Many of us have felt that futility--that vapor, that appearance of substance only--during our lives. For me, this was experienced at a time when I had a perfect job at an oil company, without debt, happily married and a stable future of ease and comfort. But, what was missing? Why...

Ministering To The Military In The Asia-Pacific Region

It was over 10 years ago that my wife and I were ambushed by God and evicted from our comfortable lives on a government salary with the military, to reach back into military communities across the Asia-Pacific region. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, but we are thankful that He interrupted us! Our basic ministry strategy starts with finding ways to serve military personnel and their families, without an agenda. As we do that and trust builds, we look for opportunities to share our faith (1 Pet...

Refelcting On Mission From A Very Middle Eastern Tale

Walking in the centre of our town one evening, we lost our wallet. It had a considerable amount of money in it. We live in a town of around 60,000 people. We had been in the country for three months by this stage. This is what happened next… Three days later, I miss a phone call from Omar, a Christian acquaintance who lives not far from us. I receive a message from him to get in touch about ‘something important to (me)’. The other few times I have seen Omar around town, h...

Take A Risk

As a little boy, I loved hearing the stories of Abraham, Joseph, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, … the list goes on. Growing up, these men were my heroes. And they still are I must add! And if I had been a little girl, I am sure my heart and mind would have deeply impacted by the stories of Esther, Sarah, Hannah, Dorcas and the like. In these stories we encounter real-life people who, in their pursuit of God, took huge risks. For some it was reputation, for others their very life! When gettin...

Australian Fires

We’ve all been concerned for the loss our friends in Australia have had as a consequence of the bush fires.  Their devastation is massive.  Many are facing the loss of life of loved ones.  Many more are now displaced, having lost most of their personal assets.  Their future is uncertain, the loss of hope will be huge and the need for help to rebuild lives is urgent.  As we pray for them, let’s also consider ways we can practically support them too.  Through our ...