World Mission

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” – Mark 16:15

Mission is spreading the Good News of the bible along with demonstrating the love of God for all the people of creation. It often involves the provision of practical help to those in most need, and includes work done locally, nationally and internationally. This page concentrates mainly on international projects but please also remember the projects closer to home.

What work is being done by the Church of Scotland?

The Church of Scotland works in countries around the world, usually in partnership with local churches and institutions, and always with a view to involving the church in Scotland in the development of the work, and in the establishment of a 2 way relationship.

The Church of Scotland currently has mission partners working with partner churches in Malawi, Zambia, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Israel/Palestine and Pakistan. These are normally specific projects, using those with specialist training and experience to provide skills essential to the area.

The website of the World Mission Council gives details of the current projects. The World Mission Council now encourages parishes and congregations to consider twinning with churches or projects in other countries. Update is a weekly email publication providing the latest news about issues affecting the world church, a diary of events around Scotland and prayer requests from our partner churches and mission partners.

How is the local church involved?

Along with Church of Scotland parishes in Connel and Taynuilt, our parishes are in the process of twinning with a parish in North India. More about this soon.

There is a longstanding involvement by the local churches in the work of Dalmally-based charity SIR. Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for about 400,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Mary’s Meals not only addresses the immediate needs of hungry children by giving them a daily meal, it also encourages those children to receive an education that can provide an escape from poverty for themselves and their communities. The Harvest celebrations last year particularly concentrated on the work of Water Aid. This is an international charity dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people. Members of our congregations are also involved in the work of the Vine Trust, a charity set up by a Church of Scotland minister from Bo’ness. This organisation works with the street children of the cities in Peru, and has 2 hospital ships delivering health care to remote communities along the river systems of the Amazon Basin.

How can I make a difference?

Prayer

All organisations involved in mission work, locally or internationally, need your prayers for God’s help and guidance in their work. You could follow some of the links below to find out about the current projects, or check Update regularly.

Fund-raising

You may prefer to choose one particular charity to support or to spread your giving between several causes. In addition, you may be able to give your time, for example collecting envelopes for Christian Aid week or organising a coffee morning. None of these projects can progress without funds.

Speaking out

You can get involved in one of the many campaigns for political change. When people add their voices together, the impetus for change can be massive. You could have a look at Christian Aid, Vote for Trade Justice, Fairtrade, Oikocredit or ALTERnativity as an example.

Mission Work

There are opportunities locally, nationally and internationally for a wide variety of people. Some organisations need volunteers for a few days per year, for example the Christmas outreach programme run by the Lodging House Mission in Glasgow, or every weekend, such as the Bethany project in Edinburgh. If you have skills such as teaching, engineering or medical or nursing training, it may be possible to offer these for a short period, or to offer a longer commitment. If you speak a foreign language then this would increase the possible areas of the world in which you could offer your help.

Useful Links