Emmanuel Global Reach
Our aim at Emmanuel Church is to be a growing, charismatic, family church, with a world vision.
Emmanuel Global Reach is about the final part: our world vision. We aim to:
School the whole church and a pipeline of people at varying stages of preparing for cross-cultural outreach overseas with the good news of Jesus to make disciples committed to glorifying God.
Send a growing number of people overseas to church-based ministry partnering with apostolic gifts.
Support those sent in an on-going way so that they can grow, persevere, thrive and move on well to their next steps.
Watch this video to find out more
Father God sent Jesus to save sinners through his atoning death on the cross. After his resurrection, Jesus sent out the apostles (Greek ‘apostolos’ means ‘sent one’) in the power of the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth with his gospel.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you”
This started a chain reaction of sent-ones. God, out of the overflow of his character, is a Sender. We then, made in the image of God, are senders and sent, moved to get on our feet and go.
We believe this work of mission continues today, but what exactly is the task? How should Emmanuel Church engage in this? Individually? Corporately? Who should go? Who should we send? How do we send and support those who go? What about when they move on or return?
What is Mission?
1. Target: God’s glory
God is glorified on earth as we obey Jesus in reaching others with the gospel and as they receive salvation and start to enjoy God and worship him in Spirit and truth. Many people groups in many places have never even heard this good news. Jesus wants:
“a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages”
2. Task: making disciples who build local church and make more disciples
The Deepti Centre in Kerala, India, is a centre for children with special needs in a rural area of southern India. It provides free special education, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, counselling and vocational training to children and families, all within the context of Christian values where God’s love is demonstrated in practical ways. We first connected with the Deepti Centre in 2008, when its director Dr Susan Mathew was studying in Durham. Susan’s son Jyothish has cerebral palsy. This led to the founding of the Candle for India charity, to support the centre. In 2013, Emmanuel contributed to the refurbishment of a house used to deliver Deepti Centre services.
For more information, visit www.candleforindia.org or www.facebook.com/deepticentre
Jesus commands and commissions us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This happens as people hear the gospel, repent and believe in him. It begins through reaching those who have no access to the gospel, then continues through the local church where baptism and teaching take place. Making disciples is something we must do in obedience to Jesus.
3. Importance: central to God’s plan
Jesus teaches his disciples what will fulfil the Scriptures: his own suffering and death for sins, his resurrection on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins through Christ alone should be proclaimed to all nations. This is crucial and urgent, not just a hobby for a few enthusiasts, but the norm for the whole Church in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he said to them:
““These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them: “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.””
A painting of a prophetic word to the church, from the floor of The Emmanuel Centre during our Foundations Day, March 2021
Where do we start?
Jesus has compassion for the lost, loves us so much and is not willing for any to perish. So he commands his disciples to pray for workers to be sent out. He calls us to start with prayer. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”
Who goes?
In the Antioch church of Acts 13, we read that during a time of worship, fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit instructed the leaders to send out two of them: Paul and Barnabas. Then in Acts 15 the whole church sent Judas Barsabbas and Silas, leading men among the brothers. The Jerusalem church also sent godly, gifted, qualified members to go.
The Holy Spirit calls and the local church, who know their people well, recognise and confirm this calling.
How can we all be involved?
Pray
Cross-cultural mission is demanding and pressured. We all need to support and shoulder this work together. Front line battles against darkness and unbelief are navigated, resourced and won by God through prayer in the name of Jesus. Paul appeals to his brothers:
“by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf”
Prayer is the church’s fuel for mission which can literally shake the earth. The early church devoted themselves to prayer resulting in many awesome signs, wonders, daring witnessing and effective spreading of the gospel. In Emmanuel Church there are many opportunities to do this:
Helen and Angus Freeman lead Emmanuel Global Reach. They joined Emmanuel in 2020 after many years in East Africa and the Middle East and now live in Gilesgate. They have two grown-up children, Samuel and Zara.
Monthly prayer meetings – first Saturday morning each month. We pray into all facets of church life and regularly intercede for our friends, especially those we currently support, and their work to advance the gospel in the nations.
Regular online prayer - we hold monthly prayer sessions for targeted people and places including the Middle East, India and East Africa.
Weekly prayer meetings - we gather each Sunday before the main meeting to pray and often bring our friends in the nations to the Lord.
Emmanuel Communities - prayer often features in these weekly gatherings. We need to keep bringing our friends to God.
Personal prayer - for each person sent, maybe a different one daily or focussing in on one specifically.
Give financially
God provides for his work primarily through his church as we give cheerfully and generously through our tithes and offerings. The church in Philippi partnered with Paul, sending help for his needs repeatedly. He refers to these gifts as:
“fruit that increases to your credit … a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God”
For more information, visit our Giving web page.
A passage from Isaiah, painted on the floor of The Emmanuel Centre during our Foundations Day, March 2021
Communicate
Paul writes to supporting churches letting them know how things are going. They write back. Visitors come and go. Regular communication is essential.
Come to training events
To get informed, equipped and ready for action and adventure.
Go overseas yourself
Praying the Psalms in different languages, from one of our International Sundays
Go short-term or long-term. We’d encourage you to make sure you are well plugged in relationally to church life. Then speak to your Emmanuel Community leaders as they know you and can help confirm the calling of God and whether this is the right thing to pursue.
They will talk it through with you and the leaders to share what you are carrying in your heart. They would love to pray with you and jointly think through your gifts, experience and what kind of ministry you might be involved in. If together we conclude this is God’s purpose and timing for you, we can put the training in place and help you get ready. It would be thrilling to do this with you.