A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of being part of the panel interviewing two of our Church Members at Woodgreen as they applied to be missionaries in South Africa with 'Serving in Mission'.
The application process Neil and Bethan Parmenter have been through over the last few months has been rigorous and thorough. They have undergone medical examinations, psychological profiling and a number of interview stages. Their marriage and family life has been put under the spotlight. And they have also wrestled with their own consciences and convictions about how God has gifted them and what he is calling them to do. However at the final interview stage the panel unanimously agreed that Neil and Bethan should be accepted as SIM missionaries to South Africa.
God-willing, they and their daughters, Zoe and Isabel, will fly to Cape Town in mid-November so that Neil can take up the role of Project Co-ordinator based in SIM's South Africa Office. His role will involve overseeing a number of the existing SIM projects in SA. These
include Bible training, church leadership training, AIDS projects and a children’s
home. The role is to oversee these works and to provide support, encouragement and
help to the project managers running the individual projects. Neil will also co-ordinate prayer across the SA field, so that the missionaries have a better sense of being part of a team, knowing what each are doing and supporting one another.
This is a significant and exciting thing for us as a church. As far as I am aware it is the first time the church has ever sent a family onto the mission field in our 130 year history. We want to send them with our full support, knowing that we are prayerfully and practically partnering with them.
Before the Parmenters can leave the UK there is a lot to be done, the route to SA is far from simple! The biggest thing in human terms is the raising of significant financial support. The cost of living in SA is comparative to the UK but with the addition of school fees (even State schools charge) and medical insurance (no NHS) the costs mount up. Then there is also the emotional side of settling into a new culture. And then, there is the reality of the spiritual battle that all Christian workers often feel more keenly.
If you're a Woodgreener can I encourage you to speak with and encourage Neil and Bethan and Zoe and Izzy as they step out in faith in this way. You can do this best by subscribing to their prayer letter. The first one is available to download HERE and it contains details of how you can get on their mailing list.
They have also started a blog, to chronicle their journey. This is a must read, especially to stay up to date with the latest news and hear how God is leading them day by day. The first two blog posts are already online and if they are anything to go by this will be a fun way of keeping in touch with them. You can get to it HERE.
And if you're one of those who reads this outside of Worcester, why not consider asking the Parmenter family to visit your church before they go in November, to share how God has led them to this point and what they're planning to do. Could you or your church partner with them in prayer? Could you partner with them financially? The opportunity to be involved in the journey of a missionary family from scratch doesn't come along very often. Maybe after hearing their story, some in your church will be inspired to see that God calls Christians just like them to serve him overseas.
Direct Links:
Serving in Mission website: http://www.sim.co.uk/
Prayer Letter: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kl1tal25num0lji/Parmenters_June%202014.pdf
Blog: http://africancrossroad.wordpress.com/
