Moortown Baptist Church has been a faithful supporter of BMS World Mission ever since the Church’s foundation in 1955. This support has been through regular financial giving; through
prayer and hosting missionary activities; and through the numerous church members who have served overseas with B.M.S. for lengthy and shorter periods. We endeavour to continue that support, and this is a brief report of the ways we have done so in 2023.
Financial Support. In Total the church gave £13,306 to BMS (down £950 on 2022). The total was made up of :- Church Tithe £3,960, Birthday ~ Scheme £1,978 (21 Scheme members), Personal Monthly, one-off gifts £6,918 (7 Individuals), Bardai Hospital Appeal £450. This is the giving through MBC. There are also some individual gifts made direct to BMS from Moortown members. This is a commendable response to supporting those who work for God’s Kingdom overseas.
However, it is increasingly dependent on a small minority of Church members, mainly in the older age group. It would be great if more people could join the Birthday Scheme (Giving an annual donation on your Birthday) or making regular monthly gifts. Roger Robson can tell you about both these schemes.
Visits from our Church Mission Partners. As well as supporting the work of BMS in general, MBC currently focuses our support on 2 missionary couples – both of whom were able to visit us in 2023. These personal visits bring the work in other countries alive and are very encouraging. Our visitors were:- Mark and Andrea Hotchkin BMS Doctors in Bardai, Northern Chad. About 30 people met Mark and Andrea on 1 st August for a buffet lunch, followed by an excellent presentation about Chad and Bardai, and a question-and-answer session. We learned about Mark and Andrea’s sense of God’s call to work as Christian doctors in Africa, during their medical training at Leeds University. They have worked with BMS in Guinea (W. Africa) and now for many years in Chad, one of the world’s poorest countries. They are now at Bardai –a small town with a hospital in the north of Chad in the Sahar region. Their continuing sense of call and their self-sacrifice and care for the people was movingly communicated and afterwards we raised a good donation for the Hospital Appeal.
John and Sue Wilson BMS Pastors and Church Leaders in Paris.
Unfortunately, Sue was unable to come with John on his visit to our Beacon café on October 2nd. John and Sue have been our Mission partners for many years. John grew up at MBC and in the 1980’s served as Youth Minister. He and Sue then had a first full Pastorate in Falmouth, and it was there that they felt called to work in ministry in France. They have been there for over 30 years. Their longest pastorate in Lyon was blessed greatly by God, and the Lyon Baptist Church was recognised, in secularist France! as an important part of the city’s community. After their family all had left home, John and Sue moved to Paris, pastoring a city centre Baptist church, whilst John also has a leading training role for new ministers in the French Baptist Federation and Sue takes a leading role in organising the Youth Work of the Federation. John spent time chattng with lots of people at Beacon and spoke briefly and effectively on “N’aie pas peur, car Je suis avec toi” (Isaiah 41 v 10) Very relevant to this time of fear throughout the world.
We look forward this year to either one (or both?) of our Mission Partners being able to visit us for a Sunday service so that a wider number of MBC folk will be able to meet and hear from them.
Publicity and Sharing. Our Mission partners write regular News/Prayer letters which are posted on our Church Newsletter and the MBC website. Their letters are also displayed on the BMS noticeboards in the Church sanctuary and the Meeting Area. These can help us to pray more meaningfully for their work and the people they minister to.
Reading the Engage Magazine also keeps us up to date with other BMS work around the world. Copies are free and can be picked up in church, but the best way is to receive your free copy posted direct to you 3 times a year! Again see Roger Robson about arranging this.
We live in a time of many crises, dangers and needs, and support for the church overseas and for those from our country who are working for God’s Kingdom in the world is a vital part of Jesus’ Great Commission. (Matthew 28 v 19-20). This commission is to all of us.