The church actively encourages the support of world wide mission, through regular prayer, information, financial support and visits.

WE currently have three mission partners;

• Operation Mobilisation – Asia Challenge Team.
• Our link is through Tony, Lindsay, Becky and David Holbach.

• Overseas Mission Fellowship, OMF
• Our link is Tim, Jenny, Arley and Josiah Kangas working in Kratie, Cambodia. Tim has been involved in discipling of local Christians to take on leadership of the church.

• Church Mission Society, CMS.
• Our link is Rev. Trish Wick, based in Maridi, Southern Sudan. Tricia has an important role in training leaders for the TEE (Theological training by Extension) programme, as well as preaching and leading worship services.

Our other mission partner is Keith Wills

In addition to our mission partners, we support two initiatives indirectly connected with mission.

• World Vision Projects. – We have raised funds for schools kits for Indonesia and Mosqueto nets for Africa.
• Fair Trade stall held on the second Sunday of the month. An opportunity to purchase fairly traded produce and crafts.

OMF INTERNATIONAL

Tim and Jenny Kangas with OMF in Cambodia.

JENNY WRITES…..

We are Tim and Jenny Kangas and we are both from the USA. Shortly after getting married, we headed to Bolton to work in sports ministry. We lived in Victoria Grove, so St. Luke's soon became our church home. We were in Bolton, and a part of the fellowship of St. Luke's, from 1991-1996.
It was through a St. Luke's missionary committee meeting that we met some OMF missionaries to Southeast Asia. This was in 1995, and at this point we were praying seriously about the possibility of working in Cambodia. These OMF missionaries were the first to mention that a team had been started in Cambodia, and that OMF were looking for many others to join them in church-planting in this war-ravaged nation. Eight months later, we were leaving Bolton with the blessing of our family at St. Luke's church and preparing to come to Cambodia. Our arrival in Cambodia in 1997 was quickly followed by the arrival of our first son, Arley. Josiah, our second son, was born at the end of 1999.
Once our initial year of intensive language training was over, we moved to the provincial capital of Kratie (graw-jeh). The goal was to see, by God's guidance and grace and enabling, a Bible-believing fellowship here in the town. This is happening. Soon the missionaries will no longer be needed here, as the Christians will themselves be able to carry on in evangelization and discipling new believers.
A general prayer request for God's work here in Kratie is this: Please pray for those who believe -- to stand firm in their faith, to be unashamed of the Gospel, to be humble and willing to learn from others and willing for others to learn, to trust God for their daily provision, to be hungry and thirsty for the Word of God. And for those who do not yet believe -- that God's Holy Spirit will work within hearts, unstop their ears, and open their blind eyes. We pray that whole families will come to know Jesus as their Savior and their Lord.

OMF Web site

CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY

Rev. Trisha Wick, with CMS in Southern Sudan.

Trisha is a Theological Education by Extension Manager (TEE) of a programme covering ten dioceses of the Episcopal Church in Sudan. Trisha is responsible for teaching and training church leaders, both lay and ordained, men and women. She is experimenting with the Alpha Course as a much needed basic practical introduction to the Christian faith. Trisha has produced a local Arabic version of the course for radio broadcast.

Trisha has been working in Southern Sudan since 1998, developing and managing TEE courses. The courses enable Sudanese Christians to get the training they need where they live at a reasonable cost, ather than travelling long distances to study at theological colleges.
After a long period travelling from neighbouring Uganda to Southern Sudan, Trisha now has a house in Maridi, one of the towns in Sudan which has become her permanent base.

Mission partner service is the lastest step on a journey which began in Surrey. On leaving school Trisha qualified as a horse riding instructor. Later Trisha felt a call to ordination and studied for a degree at London Bible College. Four years of practical experience followed, working as a nursing auxilliary, a home help and then a lay assistant here at St. Lukes, being involved in the planting of two satellite churches. After ordination training at Oak Hill College, London, Trisha served her curacy at St. Lukes before being ordained priest in 1994. In the years prior to mission partner training, Trisha was a team vicar in Hull, planting a church on a new housing estate.Trisha’s hobbies include horse riding, music and etter writing. Her parents live in N. Yorkshire and she has a younger brother and sister.

CMS web site

OPERATION MOBILISATION

Tony, Lindsay, Becky and David Holbach,

Tony and Lindsy both attended St. Luke’s in the early ‘s90 when their jobs brought them to Bolton. In 1995 they joined the missions society Operation Mobilisaion full time, and worked for a year in the OM Headquarters in the US whilst praying and planning for overseas placement.

In February 1997 they moved to Delhi, India to work with Afghan refugees, and their first child, Becky was born there., in Oct 1998. A delicate political situation meant they returned to the UK for a time, while Tony attended Bible college. They were unable to return to India, instead heading for Sydney, Australia to continue work with Iranian believers and Afghan refugees.

In December 2003 the family, now with a young son, David, (born Oct 2001) returned to the UK. Initial plans to settle in Bolton were blocked and The Lord led them to buying a house close to Lindsay’s parents in Blackpool.
Tony continues to work for OM in the role of ACT Field Leader – ACT being “Asia Challenge Team” – a branch of OM involved in sending short term teams to 7 countries in Asia. He also oversees an ACT travelling presentation team to help recruit and raise support for ACT.

OM web site