Praying for children & young people in mission
The Methodist Church in Ireland has many international partnerships through both World Mission Partnership and World Development & Relief.
The prospect of leaving your home country to enter the mission field is a daunting one, no matter what age you are. That’s true for adults, even with years of experience and accumulated resources. But adults aren’t the only people God calls to mission: He also uses children and young people to spread the Gospel and transform the world.
“Global Mission Fellows” is a programme run by the United Methodist Church. Fellows, aged 20–30, partner with community organisations to address a variety of issues, including migration/immigration, education, public health and poverty.
There are currently three Global Mission Fellows serving in Ireland: Benjamin Rose and Isabelle Mbako Matshik are based with the SURF Project in Portrush, and Ricardo Escobar works with the North West Mission in Derry/Londonderry. Each of these young people has stepped out of their old lives, in pursuit of God’s calling. It’s a remarkable sacrifice, and an inspirational act of faith.
But not every young person in mission is a volunteer. For parents in mission, answering the call isn’t just a leap of faith of their part – it requires commitment and sacrifice from their children, too. Their sense of upheaval and dislocation can be profound, and although we know that God works through children in powerful ways, we should also be mindful of the cost that comes with an early life spent in mission. When MCI talks about supporting Mission Partners, we should be mindful of our duty to the children and young people who go with them – and of the need to offer continued care and support after they come “home.” Let us pray.
Father,
We pray for all children and young people involved in Mission,
Whether working in their own right or as part of their parents’ ministry.
We thank you for their energy, passion and courage to pursue your will,
Which many of us can struggle to recapture in later years.
We ask you to bless and protect them,
And as a church, we commit to supporting and caring for them to the very best of our ability.
We thank you for the children and young people in our own congregations,
And for the example their faith sets to us.
We pray that events like Autumn Soul, and resources like JMA,
Will help our children and young people to grow in faith, and to start building relationships with their world church family.
We ask these things in your Son’s name.
Amen
Prayer Focus 2022-23
This month’s Prayer Focus guide helps us pray for children and young people and IMYC.
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