Mission Trip - today's

This morning I was reading Reclaiming God's Original Intent for the Church by Wes Roberts. "Wherever Christians were, that was their place of mission." This line so fits with what we believe at Linwood House Ministries.

One of our Board members, Gerry Sly, came up several weeks ago with 6 couples and helped with the house painting. Gerry had suggested to his men's group that they go on a "mission trip" - it just happened to be from Vancouver up to Roberts Creek to help paint a large home. Never before have we been the recipients of a mission trip like this that I am aware of.

We have travelled to China, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine with teams of women to minister to women. Sue and Jen regularly go to Eastside Vancouver to work with women we have met through The Journey. This is mission work on home turf. Discussions have taken place on bringing women from the places we have visited in Eastern Europe so together we can do a mission trip in Downtown Eastside Vancouver.

Wes's thoughts therefore just confirmed for me the idea that mission is here, now, today. I appreciate these following thoughts from his book:
These early disciples had a sense of mission. They saw themselves as sent by God into the world for the sake of the world. Wherever Christians were, that was their place of mission. Local congregations become intent on ministering in both word and deed as witnesses of Jesus Christ. Mission wasn't the job of a few professional clergy.
Early Christianity was radical - far more radical than the bland, conservative product we call Christianity today. Early Christians seemed to understand that their faith involved a radical commitment to a wild God who would often lead them to dangerous places.
This new community ...were bound together by the common purpose of the kingdom of God. They served their local communities with good deeds. They sacrificed and gave of themselves for the service of the kingdom of Christ. They had the conviction that they were a part of God's continuing story of the unfolding of redemption.

Thanks Wes for being part of our community. Thank you Gerry for letting the painting party also be a mission/learning/sharing experience for us all. We look forward to our Monday "happy hour" when women stop by to share, encourage and pray with each other.

Today another mission will take place wherever we are if we are willing to be "a part of God's continuing story of the unfolding of redemption". Mission, story, redeeming of story - we live in it, it lives in us and we learn more of life in Christ.