Every October the church sets aside a month for missions. It is easy to think of missions as something that happens far away, carried out by a few brave people. Jesus described it very differently.

One commission, many places

Before He ascended, Jesus told His disciples, "ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Jerusalem was their own city. Judaea was the surrounding region. Samaria was home to people they had grown up avoiding. The uttermost part of the earth was every nation. Notice that Jesus gave them all four at once, not one after another.

Your Jerusalem

For us, Jerusalem is the street we live on, the school gate, the office and the family group chat. London, Harlow and Milton Keynes are mission fields full of people who have never heard the gospel explained clearly and kindly. Missions starts with the people God has already placed around you.

The uttermost part of the earth

CEM's Christ to the Rural World outreach takes the gospel to remote and rural communities that few others reach, and never with words alone. Alongside the preaching, the team gives out clothing, food and medical care. Every mission like this depends on two kinds of people: those who go and those who send.

How you can take part

1. PrayJesus said, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). Pray for missionaries by name, and for places you may never visit.
2. GiveSending is a calling too: "how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10:15).
3. Go localJoin outreach in your own town, and look for the Samaria near you: the neighbour or community you would normally pass by.
4. Ask God about furtherSome are called to go a long way. Ask Him honestly whether that includes you, and talk to your pastor.

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