S4E6 - T works with some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Children, orphaned, and with disabilities in an Asian country that has not historically had any provision or place for them. It’s been a 20 year journey for T - being a voice and advocate for the most vulnerable at a systemic level, a trainer and teacher as a team has developed, and quite literally the hands of Jesus as T has nurtured and cared for so many children. God’s heart for the vulnerable and forgotten people of this world shines through T and her husband, D’s, work in both Asia and Australia.There is so much to learn from T as she shares her personal experiences as well as how the gospel has shaped her life and mission. T has seen God do the seemingly impossible to change the lives of these incredibly loved but vulnerable kids.Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S4E5 - A foundational experience in Greg’s faith and ministry was the months he spent in his 20s living in a remote Aboriginal community in central Arnhem Land. He was there to study traditional Aboriginal music as he pursued a career in music therapy. But he also encountered a community alive in the Spirit and fervent in worship as they met every night to share testimonies, read the bible, sing and pray. God was at work in the Top End and Greg wanted to join in. Greg has an immense amount of personal and ministry history working with Aboriginal churches and communities as well as supporting the development of Christian leaders. Many communities have their own rich Christian identity, but are gospel fragile, as they lack resourcing and consistent support. Join Greg as he talks about his passion to see the Aboriginal church thrive and build on the foundations of gospel growth. Contact Greg through the Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory webpage www.ntanglican.org.au or email admin@ntanglican.org.au Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S4E4 - The average student in Argentina takes 8-9 years to graduate. Unlike the sprint of most uni ministries of only 3-4 years, Martin and Julie Field have been able to see God at work, disciple and minister with students for a significant portion of their young adult life. While the Catholic church in Argentina in is decline and evangelical Christianity is on the rise, but it has not been without its own conflict and political confusion. This is a real challenge for cross-cultural ministry to navigate where you long to see the local church and leadership take on its own unique Christ-centered identity, but you also want rich theological truths to not be compromised.  When gospel ministry and deep relationships hurt how do you trust God and remain faithful? Martin shares the complexity of walking with a ministry in conflict and how Jesus provided a way forward during this for both his family and the uni ministry. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S4E3 - With over 30 years in South Asia, Bruce and Libby have seen closed doors open through fervent, persistent prayer.They have been privileged to witness three decades of incredible growth through discipleship and prayer. Bruce and Libby have also witnessed that changing shape of mission from expats leading hospitals and NGO’s to locals now in leadership positions. Bruce expanded his training from the medical field as a GP to include a Masters of Divinity so that he could support the local church by mentoring and discipleship of key leaders in the church.  The key to Bruce and Libby’s longevity has been their openness to seek God’s leading on where to go, what to do, and how long to go for, all while their character and growth in Jesus shapes their witness to non-Christians around them. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S4E2 - “The gospel is the greatest thing we can give.” Adam and Avril were given a real sense of God’s calling to cross-cultural mission after a short-term medical mission trip to Bolivia early in their marriage. They then set the trajectory of serving in the Spanish speaking world while studying at Bible College, maybe South America? Spain? … No! God put on their hearts Madagascar, the tiny East African island nation which has seen a revival with thousands coming to Christ.With so many young Christians and churches there are many threats to the gospel and the health of the church in Madagascar – poverty, drought, Islam, animism …  So, Adam and Avril seek to go and serve by helping to encourage and develop godly, biblically-sound local leadership to grow this generation of Malagasy Christians and the next.Join us for season 4 and hear how God is working through faithful Christians for His kingdom purposes in Madagascar … and beyond. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S4E1 - Amongst the action of God transforming lives and the world is where Arthur and Tamie Davis found themselves in Tanzanian university ministry. After 10 ½ years in Tanzania they share how mission has been an immense privilege, expanding their own faith and worldview, and giving God the opportunity to bring about rich relationships and opportunities for gospel growth.Arthur reflects on how partnering long-term with TAFES leaders meant he could work with them towards making student ministry sustainable and effective in new ways. While Tamie was able to complete her PhD on TAFES women and their theology and has rich insight into the deep faith and sophisticated theology of African Christianity. Other topics they cover are:- Tolerating ambiguity when working cross-culturally- Understanding the prosperity gospel and poverty- Paying attention to how the Holy Spirit is working- Their amazing journey into mission- God’s empowerment and provision for them and their children over the past 10 yearsJoin us for the start of season 4 and hear how God is working through faithful Christians for His kingdom purposes in Tanzania … and beyond. AcronymsES – Evangelical Students (local student group)AFES – Australian Fellowship of Evangelical StudentsIFES – International Fellowship of Evangelical StudentsTAFES – Tanzanian Fellowship of Evangelical StudentsFind out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E6 - How do we work our way through different faith backgrounds to the truth that sets us free? How do we hold out hope and share our faith without descending into arguments? How do we overcome our own ideas of what a conversion experience should look like and actually enter into, not one or two, but years of conversations? Richard Shumack lives in Sydney and is the Director for the Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology. Richard has lived and worked for many years among Muslim communities where he developed his passion for helping Christians and Muslims speak constructively about faith and who Jesus is. Richard shares from his own personal experiences of engaging cross-culturally with Muslims in Australia. Where our secular friends are unable to articulate spiritual things, this is not the case for many of our Muslim neighbours who are willing to have deep conversations about their lived faith and listen to your faith too. As we listen to Richard’s wisdom and love for Muslim people may we all be challenged to take the next step in our conversations. Richard’s book ‘Jesus through Muslim Eyes’ explores this further. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E5 - Chris and Grace Adams didn’t have to go far to get to another country that, despite its geographical proximity to Australia, is deeply under-resourced in the gospel and many other ways. While the people of Timor-Leste are spiritual, it’s a spirituality that is full of uncertainty, and can result in financial ruin as well as spiritual poverty. There are many Jesuses in Timor Leste, however not many people know Jesus of the Bible. Ten years ago, Chris and Grace made a deliberate decision to live in Timor Leste because, even though it’s one of our nearest neighbours, not many missionaries were there.Their decision has meant that more people have been equipped to preach, teach and handle God’s Word wisely, and Bible translation has gone from floundering to flourishing.You can partner with Chris and Grace through prayer or financially - click here. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E4 - Anna is passionate about sharing Christ’s love and lordship over this world through creation care. She is on the cusp of going to Kenya for her first term on the mission field. Kenya is not an unfamiliar place; she grew up there watching and helping her missionary parents. So, she has seen firsthand the intersection between community poverty and environmental decline and is set to work with a local Christian ministry that seeks to educate and restore land and water resources. This is an amazing opportunity to point people to the Lord of creation and the eternal hope and care found in Him through meeting real and practical needs. Anna also speaks candidly about her transition back to Australia as a missionary kid and journey to working out her own identity and relationship with God. She is no stranger to feeling like an outsider and wondering what culture she fits into yet in God’s kindness he has shown her all the resources he has given her to reach others.You can partner with Anna through prayer or financially - click here. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E3 - Today’s episode comes from a live interview that took place at Top End Global, a CMS SANT global mission conference in Darwin. We hear from Marlene and James, two Aboriginal teachers at Nungalinya College in Darwin, helping to equip and encourage Aboriginal Christian students to walk in faith and in God’s word.  Marlene and James are a powerful witness to God’s work in Aboriginal communities. Hear them talk about the blessing and challenges of how they live as Christians in their own community and culture while also navigating white Australia.Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting www.cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E2 - God is already powerfully at work in Africa – after all Africa is currently the centre of global Christianity. The challenge for the African church is to match gospel growth with enough godly, faithful, and well-equipped leaders to disciple this generation and be prepared for the next. Mike and Karen Roe want to be part of this movement and do this by serving in theological education at George Whitefield College in South Africa. They have a heart to train and disciple leaders who love Jesus and are soundly rooted in God’s word. Hear Mike share about being a theological lecturer in a multicultural college and Karen share about her passion for upskilling theological teachers in adult education. They are careful to point out that the African church doesn’t need the West, but we can ask God how He would have us serve with the skills and resources he has given us. This is humble and vulnerable mission.You can partner with Mike and Karen through prayer or financially - click here. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S3E1 - Steven and Sandra Parsons have served in Japan for 26 years! They have a lot to share about their love for Japanese people and culture. Japan is one of the least reached people groups in the world: less than 0.5% identify as Christian, local churches are small, and it can take someone 10 years to decide to follow Jesus. It is in this context that Steven and Sandra have worked faithfully alongside Japanese Christians and other missionaries to develop local ministry and have seen the Holy Spirit at work.Steven explores how from the outside Japan appears affluent, well-educated and has embraced many things from the West, but at its heart it is Eastern, and people yearn for meaning. Japanese people hold strong convictions about their Japanese identity and religious traditions (even if they don’t believe in them), and so, it seems to many that to follow Christ is to reject being Japanese. Yet young people are coming to Christ. Churches are developing their own cultural identity, worship, and programs to reach their friends and neighbours with the good news of Jesus. Sandra and Steven have learnt a lot about trusting God when growth is slow and how obedience to God’s calling gives us strength and conviction when obstacles have come their way.You can partner with Sandra and Steven through prayer or financially - click here for more information. https://www.cms.org.au/missionaries/steven-and-sandra-parsons/Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S2E7 - In our final episode for season 2, we hear from outgoing CMS International Director, Peter Rodgers. Peter has had a heart for mission since he was a child; it has shaped his whole life. For the past 11 years Peter has served as the International Director of CMS Australia and prior to this he and his family were missionaries in Indonesia for 11 years. Peter brings to us his vast knowledge and experience of mission, and what it’s meant to help raise up and send CMS missionaries.Hear what Peter has to say about:His own experience of being a missionary has shaped his pastoral heartHow mission has changed and it's futureQualities CMS looks for in missionariesHolistic missionHis wife, Marcelle's, faithful ministry and their future plansHow we too can foster a heart for mission and see a world that knows JesusIf you are interested in partnering with CMS by praying or giving click here. If you’re interested in mission please contact your local branch.

S2E5 - Earlier this year Gordon was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer and prior to this he had suffered from anxiety and depression. He doesn’t see himself as an exception: he knows that suffering is common to everyone. However, his Christian hope allows him to experience the daily evidence of God’s grace and know that God has a plan for him and his family, even in the face of death. Listen to Gordon talk about how he lives a life without regret, how his suffering shapes ministry and how he is passionate about keeping lines of communication open with missionaries so we can learn to cross cultures in our own backyard.Read Checkpoint online or you can subscribe to receive a posted copy by contacting your local branch.Read Gordon Cheng's blog.Don’t forget to register for your local branch’s summer conference.Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S2E4 – M’s love for Jesus and his engineering skills have led him all the way to majority Muslim South Asia to serve in clean water and sanitation projects (along with his wife, K, and two children). After training, preparing, going and language learning M was excited to join a locally led team to bring clean water to surrounding villages. Only his welcome wasn’t as warm as he anticipated leaving him emotionally devastated. Find out about the power of prayer that took M from the floor his apartment sobbing to gaining the trust and building life-giving relationships with his colleagues. He will challenge us to consider how vital prayer partnership is to building community and care while isolated on the mission field. While unpredictability can be disheartening, “God’s faithfulness in responding to and answering prayers” has given M and his family the encouragement needed to keep going.You can partner with M – partner in prayer by signing up to receive his partnership updates here. If you are also in a position to partner financially, please click here. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S2E3 - Did you listen to Episode 2 yet? If the answer is no, then that’s the first thing you should do after reading this sentence! Because this episode is the second half of a great interview with Maggie about her work in Southeast Asia helping girls back on their feet after they’ve been rescued from exploitation.Once you’re back you’ll be all set to fully appreciate another reference to the “purloined” Bible. You can’t help but finish this episode feeling both hopeful and challenged. Hopeful that Maggie’s organization is making a real difference as they care for the girls who are referred to them. It’s a holistic, long-term kind of care where girls are supported to get back on their feet after some awful circumstances and begin to dream about the future and rebuild their lives again. The hope is not only for an earthly transformation but also an eternal one as Maggie, along with other Christians in her workplace, are making Jesus known and making God’s Word available.You might also feel challenged as Maggie puts forward the question that prompted her steps into overseas mission (listen in to find out what that question is!). You might also consider how you can be involved in supporting mission; whether it’s in praying, giving, caring, or going. As Maggie points out, “We can’t do everything … but we can do something.” What will your something be?On that note, you can partner with Maggie – partner in prayer by signing up to receive her partnership updates here.If you are also in a position to partner financially, please click here. Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S2E2 - In this episode, you’ll meet Maggie. She’ll tell you she’s nothing special – but by the end of this episode, you’ll probably disagree. You’ll hear Maggie’s faith story – which includes a “purloined” Bible, a trip to an Indian Ashram and an unexpected connection between Hong Kong and Adelaide, find out how many countries she has visited, and hear about the great need for the work she is doing in South East Asia, to rescue girls from exploitation and trafficking. While this episode covers content that can be confronting and uncomfortable, it is an important one. Please take care of yourself; don’t hesitate to reach out if you need to talk. You can always call Lifeline (13 11 14) or speak to a trusted friend. The situation may feel hopeless but take heart: the fight against exploitation is being taken seriously by governments and many not-for-profit organisations, including where Maggie is working.Stay tuned for Episode Three … You can partner with Maggie – partner in prayer by signing up to receive her partnership updates here.If you are also in a position to partner financially, please click here.Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

S2E1 - Whilst CMS and other mission agencies are committed to global mission and equipped to send and support workers in locations overseas, it is the Church that inherits Jesus’ commissioning of the Disciples’ to go to the nations. The sending of missionaries is a responsibility that sits with all Christians, and our leaders. So how can local churches deepen their involvement and focus on global mission? What does that look like on the ground? How might a local pastor help their congregation participate in global mission?  To help think through these questions, we’ve spoken to a church pastor who is passionate about global mission - Chris Jolliffe. Chris is the pastor at Trinity Church Aldgate, in the Adelaide Hills. In this episode, Chris talks about his church’s recent focus on global mission through their series on the book of Acts, and shares practical gems about connecting with and caring for gospel workers (including swimming with cuttlefish!! Okay, maybe that’s just Chris …).  Find out more about how CMS can help your church partner in global mission by visiting cms.org.au and selecting your local branch.

The Heart of Mission podcast is back, with this one-off special episode in the lead up to the CMS SANT Annual Online Dinner, on the 22nd of June 7:30pm South Australian time. Click here for more information on the Annual Online Dinner.In this special episode we meet Simon Gillham, our speaker for the upcoming Annual Online Dinner, and a former CMS missionary. Simon has been married to Margie for 28 years and together they have two adult children, Maddie and Noah. Simon and Margie have served together in local church ministries in the Hunter Valley, as CMS missionaries in Namibia, and for the last six years at Moore College where Simon is the Vice Principal and Head of the Department of Mission, in Sydney.Where did his interest in global mission come from? Why did he go overseas on cross cultural mission? What will he be sharing with us from the Bible at the Annual Online Dinner? We dig into these questions, and more...!To find out more about CMS SANT missionaries and how you can get involved in supporting them and God's global mission click here. Begin a relationship with a missionary, and partner with them today.Connect with us on social media:Facebook InstagramClick here to read the episode transcript

Mission in the FutureWhat is the future of mission? Is it different to mission in the past, or of now? What about the impact of COVID-19? Are we better equipped for mission now than ever before with modern techniques, tools and technology?In a discussion with Dr David Williams (Director of Training and Development CMS) we will unpack the future by taking a look at our current culture, and delving into the historical origins of CMS. What will it take to see a world that knows Jesus? Should we still be sending missionaries? It's an exciting discussion on mission throughout time - and God has been at work in it all!We continue learning about what life is like for Christians across the world, this time hearing from CMS SANT Gospel Worker Maggie, serving in Cambodia. She shares valuable insights into life for Christians living as a minority group and amongst cultural pressures. Click here to partner with Maggie.Could you GO on cross-cultural mission? Peter Sholl (Regional Mission Director, CMS Australia) lays out the pathway - right from having initial conversations all the way through to looking at specific opportunities for serving cross-culturally. It's a valuable discussion and helpful for unpacking what it might look like to consider going. Click here to view a list of mission opportunities with CMS. If you're eager to think through whether you could GO on cross-cultural mission, Mark Peterson (Director CMS SANT) is eager to help talk that through. Contact the CMS SANT office at sa.nt@cms.org.au. CMS SANT Gospel Workers Arthur and Tamie Davis share their experiences of deciding to GO and serve God overseas, and an encouragement for us to take steps in considering whether it could also be us going. Click here to partner with the Davis family.To find out more about CMS SANT missionaries and how you can get involved in supporting them and God's global mission click here. Triple the impact of your giving - thanks to the generosity of two donors all new and increased regular giving will be matched until end of June 2022.Connect with us on social media:Facebook Instagram