An introduction to some of the mission organisations we regularly support at Ashbourne Baptist Church.
Grace Baptist Mission Good News For Everyone Living Waters Europe Caring For Life UFM MERF Barnabas Fund Christian Institute
Grace Baptist Mission is church-based, helping Grace Baptist churches to support and care for their missionaries through local churches in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Their English and French Bible-teaching radio programmes are broadcast worldwide. The literature ministry of Grace Baptist Mission supplies local churches in the developing world. GBM missionaries plant new churches and help national Christians plant and grow indigenous churches. GBM evangelism includes Amazon river peoples, Austria's deaf, Manila's homeless and Asian women in Britain. Where GBM is involved in compassion ministries, the purpose is to bring the gospel which can change every aspect of life. GBM helps train leaders in formal theological seminaries and in local-church courses.
Good News For Everyone (formerly GideonsUK) is a non-denominational association. They distribute Bibles without charge, in hotels, hospitals, prisons, schools, colleges and universities, care homes and medical centres, and to the police, armed forces, ambulance and fire services.
As they give people their own personal copy of God’s Word, Good News For Everyone also encourages individuals to meet God for themselves through the words of Scripture.
Living Waters Europe exists to inspire in every Christian a God-glorifying passion to fulfill the Great Commission - and to equip Christians for evangelism and apologetics through a variety of training opportunities and unusal, effective and biblical evangelism resources.
Living Waters Europe Training courses for local churches and individuals are available face-to-face, online, on TV or through training videos, books and other media. Annual 5-day trainings, known as "The European Ambassadors' Academy", are also provided.
Living Waters tracts are varied (they include evangelistic films) and are known as 'icebreakers' because they make it so easy to start conversations, even with strangers.
Middle East Reformed Fellowship (MERF) is an evangelical Christian missionary organization - a gospel-centered, evangelistic fellowship of indigenous workers and their supporters, committed to proclaimimg the Gospel to Arab and Muslim countries.
MERF also strengthens believers and indigenous churches across N. and E. Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, where believers are a minority in their own countries. They need to be strengthened in faith and in confidence to reach out, and equipped to disciple new believers. MERF broadcasts in 14 languages on terrestrial radio (potentially to 340 million people). Increasingly, Arabic and Farsi speakers worldwide communicate directly with them via 5 internet radio stations and social media.
Barnabas Fund is an aid agency for the persecuted Church. Barnabas works to provide hope and aid for the persecuted Church, from Christians, to Christians, through Christians. Barnabas works in more than 60 countries where Christians are marginalised because of their faith, especially supporting Christians living in Muslim environments.
Barnabas also acts as the voice of the persecuted Church, making their needs known to Christians around the world, and making the injustice of their persecution known to governments and international bodies. Barnabas provides comprehensive materials to facilitate global intercession for the persecuted Church.
United For Mission (UFM) wants to see Christian believers serve God to their utmost, using their God-given gifts and vision. Their missionaries have been Bible College trained and/or are appropriately qualified. Their call has been tested and endorsed by their local church, and they are supported all the way by their local church. They support churches in making disciples of all nations, in love and truth, word and action - taking the gospel to the least reached and serving under-resourced churches around the world.
UFM exists to support churches in making disciples of all nations. They focus on taking the gospel to the least-reached and currenly support 180 workers, sent by 90 churches, in 35 countries worldwide.
The Christian Institute exists for “the furtherance and promotion of the Christian religion in the United Kingdom” and “the advancement of education”. The Christian Institute is a "nondenominational Christian charity committed to upholding the truths of the Bible. We are supported by individuals and churches throughout the UK. We believe that the Bible is the supreme authority for all of life and we hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. We are committed to upholding the sanctity of life from conception."
Caring For Life By sharing Jesus' love with the vulnerable in our community, Caring for Life offers friendship, support, love and practical help to a world in need, in order to turn things around and change lives by the grace of God.
They do this by supporting people to live independently, providing a supported, genuine home for life through supported living, and offering over 16 therapeutic daytime projects where beneficiaries can learn basic and niche skills, make friends in a safe environment, be part of a team, and feel a sense of pride in their work and themselves.