Stories from the Field
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Business as Mission: The Light-Bringers
AN INTERVIEW WITH TWO OF PIONEERS UK'S 'BUSINESS AS MISSION' MISSIONARIESPioneers: Hi, Tom and Alex. Thanks so much for being willing to share with our readers your experiences of Business as Mission. Let’s start by hearing about your business and business model.
TA: We decided to create a business to provide electrical consulting services to local businesses and individuals. On receiving a maintenance/installation project, we contract local...
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Church Planting Movements
BY KERRY, A PIONEERS UK MISSIONARY IN CENTRAL AFRICAI wonder what comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘church planting movements (CPMs)’? Maybe you imagine numerous church buildings under construction, or large gatherings of people meeting to worship Jesus. Maybe you think of Bible training facilities with pastor-production lines that then send out pastors to the ends of the earth. If this is the case, then I invite you to think again about CPMs.
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Get Sweaty for Mission
BY MARK, PIONEERS UK'S PARTNERSHIP MANAGER Marathons, 5k runs and Tough Mudder events are back on the calendar again! Over 600 people will be running through my tiny little town in Derbyshire next month and I'm giving out cups of water to folk as they run by – well, not just me, that would be mad – but I have a team with me from my church who will be ‘giving a cup of water to a stranger’ on what is always the most exciting day of the year in the life of... -
I was a Stranger
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Matthew 25:35
Jesus didn't mince His words when He told His followers in Matthew 25 to look after those who are in need. He was pretty explicit, actually: If they are hungry or thirsty, they are to be given food and drink; if they are strangers, they are to be welcomed; if they are naked, they are to be clothed;... -
Unwanted Scraps
BY EMMA, A PIONEERS UK FIELD WORKERArua, a bustling town in the north-west of Uganda, has one of the best fabric markets in East Africa. Shelves of colourful, fun rolls of cloth (called ‘kitenge’) lie stacked up, begging to be sewn into smart shirts and cute dresses. On the market floor, amongst the mud and dirt, lie discarded scraps of fabric, unused and unwanted.
The sounds of laughter and chatting ring out. It’s Thursday evening and we’re meeting...
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My People, My Country, Myself
Our world is constantly changing, and field workers in ‘creative access’ countries have to be flexible and innovative to find ways to stay on the field. Stacey* has been with Pioneers for several years and has been involved in a variety of ministries, but her calling has remained the same: sharing the love of Jesus with the people of Asia. We recently asked Stacey to share with us about life in her country, and some of her highlights and lowlights of serving...
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Spirit Walk
BY KERRY, A PIONEERS UK FIELD WORKER
Thoughts on Spirit Walk, by Steve Smith (2018, 2014 Ventures)
Oh no, not another book about the Holy Spirit! This was my initial thought when I saw Spirit Walk, but having become somewhat students of Steve Smith, my team decided to read what turned out to be his final book. Steve died of cancer, aged 57, and...
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How is Your Inner Life?
BY DR DAVID SMITH Readers of this blog may know that I have spent a lot of time over the past couple of years writing a book on the biblical tradition of the prayer of lament. But in addition, I recently worked on a set of Bible reading notes dealing with Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, which of course includes Jesus’ teaching on the subject of prayer. So let me begin with the words of Jesus. At the very heart of what might be called the ‘manifesto’ of the kingdom of... -
Africans in Europe: A Call to Prayer
BY HARRIET, A PIONEERS UK MISSION MENTOR African diaspora Christians living in Europe are confronted with a phenomenon that presents both a great opportunity and a challenge of equal magnitude. The state of the continuing decline of Christianity in Europe has been a great concern in the global church for a long time now, with many churches in this region being deserted and eventually closing. However, in these same regions, African churches are on the increase. At the same time, there has been...