On the 29th of this month, St Michael’s will be celebrating its annual ‘Mission Partner Sunday’. It’s an exciting day! We deeply value and are continually excited by mission, but this day provides a particular opportunity to have all our services shaped by our heart and heat for mission.

About this time last year, I wrote about the guiding principles that shape our partnership with different mission organisations: that we want to partner deeply, practically and prayerfully.

That still remains our ethos! But this time around, I wanted to share with you what that might look like in light of Mission Partner Sunday. That, as we gear up for what is a very exciting day in the calendar, we might be ready to make the most of hearing from those spreading the gospel seed abroad.

Deeply

At the heart of our mission partnership, we want exactly that – partnership. Not sponsorship, not endorsement, but partnership. We’re not offboarding a difficult or unpleasant task to someone else. No, we’re after the same thing, serving the same King. In a very real sense, we’re doing this alongside our partners. So we want to care about our partners. We want to go deep with them- be involved in their lives and work. For Mission Partner Sunday, as you seek to deepen your partnership, what if you set the challenge of learning 1 new thing about each of your congregation’s partners? And then, if you’re feeling bold, you could even share this with someone else from you congregation, and see if you ended up with different points!

Practically

Of course, those on mission still have physical needs. For those out on mission, churches need to send them out with the resources and support required. Praise God that we at St Michael’s are in a position to do that! We can also thank God for a faithful Parish Council that sets aside money each year to support our mission partners.

But practical partnership has a broader scope than just money. That’s what distinguishes from our Annual Thanksgiving Day – Mission Partner Sunday isn’t a financial appeal! It’s a chance to strengthen our partnership – so what does that look like in the practical part of our ethos?

Well, that looks different for each of our mission partners. There are opportunities! And the great news is that people affiliated with our mission partners are coming to preach and share on the day. So my encouragement to you is to find them, either after the service or at the 12:45 ‘mission panel’ , and ask them! ‘What’s one way I can practically partner with you guys?’ I almost grantee they’ll have something for you.

Prayerfully

We do all things under our sovereign God. We work under Him, our partners work under Him, and even our partnership is only through his strength and power. We want to be praying for our partners, we want them to be praying for us, and we want to approach this good work together with prayerfulness. Mission Partner Sunday gives us a unique opportunity to do this. To get prayer points that are right at the heart of our partners, but also to share in prayer together.

My encouragement to you is to find the visiting partner at some point during the day and do 3 things:

1. Ask how you can be praying for them
2. Let them know how they can be praying for you
3. Pray together!

What an encouragement Mission Partner Sunday can be, both for us and for our partner’s. I hope you’re excited!

Justin Blanch 
Ministry Trainee