St Giles’ church Northampton has a distinctive global edge to it. UK mission in the 19th century targeted Africa and India. St Giles’ website offers a new emphasis on five continents. The white man or woman in a sola topi is notably absent. No Bishop Hannington chasing butterflies. No singing of ‘From Greenland’s icy mountains’. No mud-hut missionary boxes. This is today’s international mission style, urban, un-colonial, multi-cultural.
Ruth ventured into Brazil in 1992 with Latin Link to work amongst street-children. In 1997 she married Brazilian Izaias and together they served in a school for street children in Belo Horizonte. In Cariré they, founded Proclamation church. This required organising a brick-making facility; only then could they begin building a place of worship. Their son Jonathan is studying at Hillsong College, Australia.
Alf (an Anglo-Chilean) and Hilary are based in Santiago, Chile. They went there under the auspices of the Church Mission Society. Ruth is the daughter of missionaries in South America. Alf served for four years as chaplain to the President of Chile; he is now auxiliary bishop responsible for church planting, having set up La Trinidad church in Santiago.
Ann started out as a GP in nearby Long Buckby and then served with AIM (Africa Inland Mission) in Kenya, where she found it necessary to learn Arabic; she gained wide experience in Africa, developing health centres and learning a local language when that too was required. In 2015 she took part in AIM’s programme of church planting in urban areas.
Vera Zhuravleva is working in Russia with Scripture Union at a Bible centre for Christian families. She sets up training events and deals with problems such as alcoholism. She also supports a centre for the disabled.
Peter and Gill Vriend are working with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) in Thailand. For six years they were in Penang. In 2013 they moved to Chiang Mai and started a ‘Living Wholeness’ centre. They have moved into online working. Their two children are at university, one in England, the other in Canada.
Richard and Frances Jones are serving in Hungary (‘difficult language’), where Richard is an English teacher; they support local churches as self-supporting members. It is noticeable that the EU can make do without the English but they still have a use for the English language.
Is mission global? If you want a 21st century answer, ask St Giles.
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