Eight 18 year-olds at Shiloh Baptist Church on the island are going on a BMS World Mission Church Team to India next month to support the work of a project in Delhi, which aims to help some of the poorest people in that city.
“They are very excited and well up for the challenge,” says church pastor Rev Billy Gilvear, who is leading the team, and pictured below.
“We’ve been discipling them and wanting to give them a picture of, and
a passion for, world mission before they head off to university.”
The team will be hosted by BMS partners, John and Abha David at their Anusaran project. Billy says, “Those that are going to do teacher training are especially wanting to gain experience in local schools. Everyone is just looking forward to seeing all that India has to offer.”
Each team will be getting alongside BMS workers and partners to help those living in the developing world: leading worship, teaching English, encouraging Christians and getting involved in practical projects.
There are eight Church Teams, three Summer Teams, a Lawyers Team and – for the first time – a University Team, from Birmingham, which has already arrived in the Indian city of Kolkata.
Linking upThe Lawyers’ Team, which is sent each year in partnership with the Christian Lawyers’ Fellowship, will again be in East Africa, linking up with BMS lawyers based in Uganda.
One of the Summer Teams will also be based in Uganda and you can read more about that by clicking
here. The other Summer Teams are headed for China and Kolkata.
This year’s Church Teams hail from across the length and breadth of Britain. Baptist churches from Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Northampton) and West Cliff (Bournemouth) are going to Brazil, while Queen’s Park (Glasgow) and Norton (Stockton-on-Tees) will be going to Ecuador.
Sudbury Baptist Church is bound for South Africa, Emsworth Baptist Church is in Kolkata, while the Baptist Church at Frampton Park (Hackney) is – like the group from Guernsey – going to Delhi.
Opening eyes
While it may be only a few members of each congregation that can actually travel overseas, it’s crucial that everyone at the church engages with this mission experience – as Billy Gilvear at Shiloh explains.
“Our church has been very positive in its support for the team, with fundraising curry and quiz nights, and a sponsored car wash.
“My hope is that this experience will strengthen our church’s ongoing relationship with BMS and that we’ll send more people on mission in future.”
He adds, “We’re a local, semi-rural, island church and I really want the team going to India to open everyone’s eyes to what God’s doing in the world today.”