Lifehope Lifeline Autumn 2009

United Kingdom | Carol Ann Greiner

Partnering with the church in its mission

"It was He (God) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up."- Ephesians 4:11,12. The church grows and is built up as people (and organisations) work together, using their knowledge, gifts, abilities and experiences to mutually support one another. In OM Lifehope, one of our key priorities is to “Partner with the church in its mission.”  
In light of this, three words come to my mind “empower, encourage and edify”. 

Firstly, my vision is to see our partnerships with local churches deepen, with the result
being that churches are empowered (for outreach) within their local context.  Through the involvement of our staff and our new recruits in outreach and mission activities of local churches, it's my prayer that these churches will receive new strength to take the Gospel to every person.

Secondly, it is my desire to encourage (the church) through our words of affirmation.  In
today's secular society, I am finding that church leaders are becoming increasingly discouraged.

I love to have opportunities to come alongside church leaders over a cup of coffee, listen to them and pray for them.  It takes time to develop these sorts of relationship, but the end result will be a church that can move forward in confidence.

Thirdly, I take the role of edifying (building up) the local church as a great privilege.  God has provided OM Lifehope with a wonderful assortment of people with amazing skills in training and outreach and having the opportunity to invest in local churches results in an even greater impact in the community.  As church members are trained in outreach and see it modelled through the staff and students of OM Lifehope, my desire is that the church will expand its influence in the communities for the sake of the Gospel.  - Brent Greiner - Church relations co-ordinator

Living in the community...

Tatjana from Germany, participated in the Teens in Mission short term outreach in Southampton in 2008. God touched her heart during that week and in the spring of 2009 she returned to live and work with the churches in Southampton for three months. Tatjana came back and  fully participated during the 2009 outreach and was a great addition to the team.
Tatjana writes: “I spent my summer working with a congregation called Aster House. They work on the Flower Estate. This estate has over 1,000 children between four and twelve years old.

It is well below the national average in community safety, health and education, and has the third highest crime rate in Southampton. So growing up here can quite difficult! 
The church aims to support families and enable them to have a better quality of life. Since 1998 one part of this has been the "Dip Week" in August. That is a week full of action for the whole family including lots of games, activities like face painting and barbecue. Daisy Dip, the green space on the estate, was once a place full of hate and trouble – what a contrast! Each year a lot of families come, they talk with us about their lives, their families and the problems they have. And we tell them about somebody who is different! Somebody who is full of love for them - Jesus!  Over the years "Dip Week" became bigger and bigger and there were not enough people to run the whole week!

The solution: For the past 5 years OM organised that people from all over the world came just to help there. This year it was a team of 32 people. I had the chance to be a part of this team! It was a wonderful experience for me and also for all the people on the estate.

For them it is fascinating to see that people from countries like Japan, America, and Germany etc. are coming just because they believe in this one special person, Jesus. That people spend so much money to come to England just to help them is a sign that they are precious in God's eyes! So it is a big pleasure for the people there and also for Aster House that OM is helping with this project!”

Elsa  from France shares - “I was working with St Paul's church in Warwick last year.
During the Christmas period we took part in a nice seniors-event at church; with people who came from both the parish and outside. They enjoyed the well-known Christmas carols, the fellowship and Christmas Crackers! We also had a Christmas Nativity workshop where we had contact with young and old, and families from the neighbourhood in a relaxed atmosphere!”

Matthias, from Germany, worked in the community outreach team at Cradley Baptist Church, together with three other team members. They helped out with weekly activities for children and youth. They also connected with people in the neighbourhood through door-to-door, visiting old people's homes and even doing some pub ministry.

An elderly lady whose husband had just passed away two years ago still invites the team into her home and gives them tea and biscuits. They helped her grieve by crying and praying with her. She doesn’t let the team go by without inviting them in. The team also take part in the regular church activities and were part of a weekly Bible study.

Throughout their many activities, they were able to help the church in many projects, make good connections with local people and challenge people to hear and respond to the Gospel. Matthias reflects back on his time: “I was really encouraged by the openness of people in the neighbourhood and enjoyed the times where I could visit them in their homes, listen to people's problems and somehow bring in something about my own beliefs. These times when I was really engaging with people and building relationships were a highlight for me”

Partnering with the church in Monmouth

OM Lifehope community outreach teams have been working in the Welsh market town of Monmouth since 2006.  We asked Jonathan Greaves, pastor of Monmouth Baptist Church, about the impact that this has made.

Hi Jonathan! What sort of church do you pastor?
Monmouth Baptist Church is an enthusiastic church with about 70 members, but we have an ageing congregation who don't have the energy and abilities to do all they would like to. We want to be an effective Christian witness in the town - our aim is to 'know Jesus better and make Jesus known'.

What benefits have you seen?
Well, there have been so many benefits! Let's give some of the church members a say:
•    Dave says 'the teams have enabled us to have wider outreach in the town, especially to young people and schools' With the first OM Lifehope team we had, we accomplished more in 6 months than we had been able to in 6 years! Every person in Monmouth has probably received some Christian literature as every household in the town has been visited.
•    Elaine describes it as 'people power for an older congregation!'
•    Beth adds 'It's good to see the town and ourselves through other cultures' eyes'
•    Samantha commented 'It's been enriching to meet Christians from other countries – it broadens the church's horizons and appreciation of missions and the wider world' Friendships are built up and maintained when the team members leave. We are still in contact with almost every person who has been on the team in Monmouth
•    Dave recognised 'it's hard work and costly to have a team – but it's worth it. We
feel we are making a contribution to the wider mission of the church as we hear how team members take things they have learned back to their own countries'
•    Elaine has been 'humbled and challenged as we've seen the passion and commitment of the students that have been here' the team are often models of radical discipleship that challenge older Christians.

Brent & Carol Ann Greiner

From Montreal to the Midlands, Canadians Brent and Carol Ann Greiner have spent two decades serving with OM.  When they originally joined in 1990, they spent five years working among street children, sex workers and the homeless.  In 1995 they left Canada to serve with OM Lifehope.

Since coming to the UK, Brent has been involved in several key areas of ministry, from
leading the Global Challenge team (organising short-term missions) and teaching sessions at the Training Centre, to his current roles as Church Relations Manager and Personnel Administrator. Brent is also the Associate Field Leader of OM Lifehope.

Carol Ann is central to the communication team and is responsible for graphic design and layout. She uses her gifts and talents to help communicate the ministry of OM Lifehope, publicising the diverse opportunities within the training, short-term missions and evangelistic events. She helped create and maintains the OM Lifehope website.  Carol Ann is responsible for the design and layout of the Lifehope Lifeline (this publication you are currently reading).

If you would like to financially support this couple, please contact your local OM Office.

From the Director’s Desk

The importance of valuing the Church cannot be underestimated.  This principle is at the
core of OM Lifehope and remains one of the focuses I most respect about OM as a Christian organisation.  We seek to partner with the Church in its mission, a goal which excites me because it reflects a passion I have and I believe God has too.

Although new to the role of director in OM Lifehope, my family and I have served with this ministry for many years.  From the outset, partnerships with churches have remained paramount to all we have done.  We learned the importance and value of such relationships during our first placement, serving East London’s Bangladeshi community.  The contacts and local knowledge from fellowships in the area proved very fruitful.  Ultimately this lead us to link up with First Fruit, a ministry of ‘the local church’ that provides the long-term unemployed and homeless with training, social enterprise and alternative housing.  This initiative opened our eyes to the transformational combination of Gospel proclamation alongside established church ministries.

Today it is increasingly vital that we as OM Lifehope work with the Church and that our
outreaches are rooted through local fellowships.  Our international teams bring considerable skills and experience which often inspire and motivate the congregations we partner with.  At the same time, some of these churches financially support OM Lifehope team members on our sponsorship scheme, committed Christians from the developing world who would otherwise not be able to benefit from our training. It is God’s divine plan that these partnerships bless both sides  – churches gain insight into winning their local neighbourhood for Christ while OM Lifehope workers grow in their personal experiences of Jesus.  Thus together we are truly stronger, one body with Christ as our living head!

Please pray:
•    For our new director – John - as we adapt to a different leadership style.
•    For the churches where Community Outreach Teams are based.
•    For God to be glorified as we seek to partner with the Church in it’s mission.

Our vision at OM Lifehope is:
•    Bringing life and hope to communities in the UK.
•    Partnering with the Church in its mission.
•    Reaching and discipling people from many nations.

Credit: Carol Ann Greiner
© 2010 OM Lifehope