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Welcome
“Without a vision the people perish”
Proverbs 29:18, chosen by Stella
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“Vision and Mission”, part 2
We have been looking at Vision and Mission for the last few weeks on Sunday mornings at Bethel. To recap,
- Vision is a picture of what God wants to do and therefore, is ‘seen’ with the eyes of faith, it is the destination that the Church is heading towards.
- Mission, on the other hand, is all about what the church is doing at present, on a day to day basis, in order to achieve the vision.
Church Vision and Mission Statements should be short, to the point, and memorable. It should be unique in some way, which distinguishes this Church from other Churches. As we look through a number of Vision and Mission Statements, it becomes clear that not all Churches keep to these “rules.” So, sometimes, Churches refer to their Vision Statement that which amounts to a Mission Statement. Sometimes Churches intentionally or unintentionally blend Vision and Mission into one Statement.
I was part of the Bible College of Wales for 5 years and in that time saw the powerful impact a Vision Statement could have on a group of believers. One day the Lord spoke to Rees Howells the founder and director of the College, words from Mark 16:15: “… the gospel to every creature …” This became their Vision: “The Gospel To Every Creature.” This, then, became the focus of all the Mission they were involved in:
- Sending finances out to missionaries, especially in those isolated areas where the Gospel had made little impact.
- Sending finances to provide Bibles to nations were there was a complete lack of Bibles.
- Helping to finance Bible translations into languages in which there were no Bibles.
- Training future missionaries.
- Providing schooling for Missionaries in countries in which education was lacking.
- Praying and Interceding continually for the Gospel to go into all the world.
- Praying and Interceding for the removal of anything that was hindering the spread of the Gospel,
so e.g., there were men and women who had been there for over 60 years praying for the breakdown of Communism especially in the USSR, and other nations. What joy therefore when this Intercession began to be significantly answered, November 9th 1989, with the pulling down of the Berlin Wall. Communism, which began in Russia in October 1917, ended with the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, some 74 years later.
There must be an aspect of the Vision Statement that inspires. Imagine if those two disciples on the road to Emmaus had foreseen the Day of Pentecost, the birth of the Church, and the mighty impact that Spirit-filled Church was to make not only in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, but to the ends of the earth, how different they would have been, how different would their vision statement have been!
Quote of the week
“Some see what is and ask ‘why?’ Others see what could be and ask ‘why not?’”
Robert Kennedy
Verse of the week
Then the Lord replied: “Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the vision awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:2-3
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, pray show us Your vision for Bethel. Lord show us clearly what You want to do by Your Spirit through Your Church here at Bethel over the next few years in Jesus Christ Name, Amen.