About Glocal Ministries
Glocal: Global + Local
We are continually being challenged to look again at ‘being church’ rather than simply ‘doing church’. So what does that mean for a community of believers such as ours? On the surface, the church does so much, is involved in so many aspects of life, and there are many opportunities to serve, both in Kelowna and beyond. But as we each take a look at our own lives, are we individually fulfilling the command that Jesus gave us in Matthew 28:19? Do we have a burning passion to see our neighbours, this city, this country and the world won for Christ? We are seeking to follow the example of the early church and purposefully develop a missional strategy that is built around Acts 1:8.
“We live here and serve here; yet we also go and serve there. For the most part the church has innovated her Sunday morning into worship and programs. Its time to go deeper. We must innovate the real purpose and be true to the DNA of the church and a transformed life”.
- Bob Roberts ‘Glocalization’
How can we hope to see Christ transforming lives around us, if we aren’t first transformed ourselves?! How are we to demonstrate the radical love and power of the gospel, if we don’t test and approve it for ourselves and reach out beyond our comfort zones? How are we to grow in our love and understanding of our Saviour, and see the world through his eyes?
"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." - Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Iran
Don’t let the term ‘missionary’ throw you! It’s not just those working in Africa and India, or those planting churches in China that are called that. We are all called to be ‘missionaries’, and we are all in the business of extending his kingdom – beginning with our own homes and families. And then we need to move out in to the world…we have to be bold!
2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us that we are ‘jars of clay’, (weak vessels) that carry a treasure of unsurpassed value, that God intended to be shared with the world. Let’s be bold in trusting our Maker to demonstrate his awesome power through us!
"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him." - Hudson Taylor, missionary to China
So how does this happen? Where do I begin? Willow Park Church is committed to enabling and preparing its members to be rooted in the Bible and to foster an environment where we are all able to grow in spiritual maturity and our understanding of Jesus. But beyond that, we want to be able to provide everybody with an opportunity to serve and to be the missional church that God intends us to be.
We want to make sure that we all have a chance to serve in a ‘missionary capacity’ where God is calling us to go. It may be volunteering with Kelowna Gospel Mission, ChurchServe, Okanagan Valley Pregnancy Care Centre, or as part of a short-term team to Mexico, or India. Perhaps God has been challenging you to dedicate your life in full-time service to him; here or overseas?
We would love to open those doors with you, to answer that call!
Pastor Laurence East
Glocal Ministries
“God is calling the church to the hard places of the world, not just the safe, easy or welcoming places. If the physical presence of Jesus were here today, where would he be? If he were ministering, serving, healing, teaching – where would he go? I think Christ would head to the places that hurt the most and start sweating with the people, giving them hope like he he did two thousand years ago. If Jesus were here in physical form as he was in the New Testament, I believe he’d be headed straight for the hellholes of the world.”
- Bob Roberts ‘Glocalization’