Assembly appeal for people to go

06/05/2009Dozens of Baptist ministers made a public re-commitment to send people from their churches to go for overseas mission during the Baptist Assembly 2009 in Bournemouth (1-4 May).

Church leaders came to the front of the main stage in response to a plea for more long-term overseas mission workers.

The heartfelt appeal came from BMS World Mission’s general director David Kerrigan and Daveen Wilson, a BMS mission worker in Brazil, who highlighted the great need for more UK Christians to go and share the gospel around the world.

This public re-commitment took place during Saturday’s world mission celebration, which included a talk from Neville Callam, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) (pictured right), an interview with BWA President David Coffey, and worship and a Bible reading both in French.

David Kerrigan was also welcomed and prayed for in his new role as general director.

Left: David Kerrigan is prayed for by Jeff Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, Daveen Wilson and Kingsley Appiagyei
Above: David Coffey is interviewed about his interfaith work

During the same evening, 13 BMS mission workers were commissioned for service, either for the first time or for further work.

Harland and Gill Rivas-Thurgood, and their daughter Ingny, are currently in training at BMS International Mission Centre, before leaving this summer to do social mission work in Peru’s Amazon region.

They were joined on stage by Dan and Becky Parnell, mid-term workers in Nepal, currently in the UK whilst expecting their first child, along with nine long-term workers: Mike and Daveen Wilson, with children Paul and Julia (Brazil); Julia Stanbrook (Brazil); Sarah Pryor (Nepal); Justine Horsfall (Kosova); Phillip and Vivienne Hatton (Belgium) and Dan and Anastasia (Tunisia).

BMS mission workers are commissioned

Sunday morning repeated the world mission theme, with BMS workers and partners appearing on the big screen from Peru, Italy, Tunisia and Afghanistan and South Africa, where Dan Pratt joined the Assembly live from Soweto (pictured left).

This was also when BMS held its annual general meeting, which included a presentation of finances and other updates.

The Baptist Assembly, hosted jointly by BMS and the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB), took place from Friday afternoon to Monday lunchtime.

The theme of ‘Who do we think we are?’ looked at what it means to be part of the Baptist community, 400 years on since the movement started.

In addition to the BMS-led sessions, on the main stage there was also the induction of and address by new BUGB president Kingsley Appiagyei and talks from Jonathan Edwards (BUGB general secretary) and Pat Took (BUGB regional minister for the London Association). David Kerrigan addressed the Assembly during the final session.

Kingsley Appiagyei

Bible studies, seminars and special interest groups took place across the weekend. Among the guest speakers were writer Adrian Plass, anti-trafficking campaigners Lauran Bethell and Baroness Caroline Cox, and Andy Duncan, head of Channel 4.

Click here for more photos from the Assembly.
Plus, you can read about new environmental initiatives at the Assembly by clicking here.

Utilities

All photos: Ian Britton

Click here for details about how you can go overseas – as an individual, couple or family

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