The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world - just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. Colossians 1:6
Burford Church supports a diverse range of Mission Partners, both financially and in prayer. We exchange news and develop our relationships through regular mission interviews at Sunday Services, and periodic events with individual partners and organisations.
To find out more about each of our Mission Partners, click on their logo:
Tim and Jo Vickers
Local Partner: Tim Vickers
Graduate Impact is a ministry of IFES, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. IFES exists to see students worldwide built into communities of disciples, transformed by the gospel impacting the university, the church and society for the glory of God.
Graduate Impact, founded by church family member, Tim Vickers, has a specific focus on these young Christian adults as they transition from student life into working life. When Tim began this ministry in 2003, John Stott described it as "the most strategic work in the church in Europe", because the ministry aims to: a) mitigate the drastic fall-away from faith that occurs all across the West with people in their mid-20s; and b) inspire this next generation to think, live and speak for Jesus at the heart of society, through their professional careers.
Graduate Impact has developed two main training programmes: Bible and Culture, which is a residential summer school in Berlin (now running in partnership with Regent College, Vancouver); and Cross-Current a mentoring resource that nurtures Christlike character as a foundation to all-life-witness in the workplace. You can learn more about these programmes at http://www.graduateimpact.org
From 2003-2020 the work focussed on the 52 countries of Europe and Eurasia (former Soviet countries). Since 2020, IFES have made the role global, so now Tim is trying to support the growth of this ministry to young professionals in Latin America, North America, Africa, East Asia, Europe and Eurasia.
partner: caitlin ormiston
TSCF is the Tertiary Students Christian Fellowship. It is part of IFES, and its vision is to help thousands of students become servant leaders of character through the transforming gospel of Christ. Following personal conversion and guided by biblical wisdom, they aim to help students integrate faith, study, work and life, and bring cultural renewal to New Zealand’s tertiary institutions.
Caitlin Ormiston served as Burford Church’s Warwick Hall manager before moving into her role with TSCF in New Zealand. She is based in Wellington where she is the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the growth and sustainability of TSCF’s ministry by bedding in systems and structures. Her role carries overall responsibility for the development, integration and implementation of TSCF’s support services. This involves managing the administrative staff and developing plans for improved resources and assistance to staff and students across New Zealand. Find out more about the work of Caitlin and TSCF by clicking here.
RACHEL JONES - UCCF
Rachel Jones (formerly Duckworth) grew up as part of the youth at Burford Church, before heading to university in Swansea in 2018. As a church, we have partnered with her through a Christian gap year programme in 2018 and a church internship in 2021-2022. Following her time of study and church internship, she began her work with UCCF in August 2022 and took up the role of Staff Worker in Nottingham and Derby, supporting, equipping, and encouraging university Christian Unions there as they seek to share the Good News of Jesus in their campuses.
UCCF is the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship. They are a founding member of IFES and are passionate about ‘students reaching students with the Good News of Jesus’. They recognise that students have an unparalleled opportunity to reach their friends with the gospel and aim to support students proclaiming Jesus as they study and live alongside their peers.
Rachel’s role as the Staff Worker at Nottingham and Derby Universities is to help advance the gospel in Britain by supporting and equipping the Christian Unions and helping students recognise the unique opportunities they have to proclaim Jesus to their friends.
Find out more about the work of Rachel and UCCF by clicking here.
Open Doors provides Bibles, Christian literature, training and practical support to the persecuted Church worldwide. They are the world’s largest outreach to persecuted Christians, working in the world’s most high risk places.
The Friends Of Quetta Hospital (“FOQ”)
The Friends Of Quetta Hospital (FOQ) is a UK charity that has been registered with the Charity Commission since 1994. Trustees receive no remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity. FOQ is a bona fide "not for profit" organisation - and separate from the hospital - which is the sole beneficiary of the FOQ charity. (Source: Charity Overview - the Charity Commission).
FOQ supports "...the Christian Hospital Quetta, Pakistan, and its outreach clinics in relieving sickness and to advance the education of those working in the hospital. We distribute funds to subsidize the treatment of patients who are too poor to pay and to help the hospital to meet capital expenditure for the improvement of facilities and purchase of essential medical equipment." (Source: Charity Commission web-site.) Such is the reputation of the hospital that difficult/complicated obstetric cases are sometimes referred there from other hospitals. The hospital has had a Nursing College for many decades for male nurses and has recently opened an additional College for women.
Tristram Holland (one of the third generation in the Holland family to be involved in the hospital) is the Church's contact at FOQ and frequently sends messages of thanks and gratitude to St John's and to Church members.
A Rocha is an international Christian organisation which, inspired by God's love, engages in environmental education and community-based conservation projects. We support Sarah French, Director of Arocha Operations in over 20 countries. Supporting Sarah is a fitting memorial to Chris Naylor as she leads environmental education work with teachers from slum areas in Uganda.
The Besom in Witney
“If I give all I possess to the poor, but have not love, I gain nothing”
1 Corinthians 13:3
WHO ARE WE?
The Besom in Witney is one of over 40 separate Besom groups across the country. Since it was set up in 1987, Besom has been helping people to make a difference by providing a bridge between those who want to give money, time, skills or things and those who are in need. We ensure that what is given is used effectively and the service we provide is free.
As a Christian organisation, we believe in the power of prayer.
Besom in Witney helps people in our churches to take the first (and often the hardest) steps across the bridge towards those in need.
Every service which Besom in Witney offers is as down-to-earth as it can be: people are enabled to give in a way which is rewarding and enables them to get involved as much as they wish.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
● Besom in Witney helps people make a difference
● It provides a bridge between those who want to give time, things or money, and those who are in need
● It ensures that what is given is used effectively
● The service it provides is free
HOW TO FIND OUT MORE
● You can find out more about our work on our website - www.witneybesom.org
● If you have a specific query, then just email us at: contact@witneybesom.org
(April 2024).
Sat-7 is a broadcasting company with a vision to see a growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, confident in Christian faith and witness, serving the community and contributing to the good of society and culture. Their mission is to provide churches and Christian families of all ages with support, teaching & learning opportunities to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative, and educational television services.
Local REP: DIANA PETERS
The local CAP (Christians Against Poverty) centre is based in Witney and is called the Windrush Valley debt centre to reflect the area in which it works.
It currently has 2 debt coaches, 2 lifeskills workers and a number of volunteer befrienders, and is supported by 6 local churches.
Nationally, there are nearly 300 debt centres with over 800 supporting churches and around 2,500 people were able to go debt-free last year through the help of CAP.
How does CAP work?
A client phones CAP Head Office (in Bradford) and gives their details and is then put in touch with their local debt centre. The debt coaches take the client through the process of becoming debt free, with 3 appointments in which their financial situation is put together and sent up to Head Office where the debt advisors find the best suitable option to go debt free.
Clients also have the opportunity to join a lifeskills group where practical advice and tips are given to stay debt-free and make wise decisions with their finances.
Challenges we face (things to pray for):
Cases of mental health issues are more and more common among our clients, meaning they cannot often think rationally or make clear decisions about their finances.
The high cost of living means that increasing numbers of people are falling into debt, causing ever more work for the CAP workers.
Please pray for strength, wisdom and patience and we look to help these people become debt-free and remain debt-free.
For more information, please contact: alastairhobbs@capuk.org
(We also produce a monthly newsletter if anyone would like to receive it.)
Burford Church Mission Strategy
2021 Vision
A congregation that is actively engaged in mission, both at home and abroad.
A church that gives a generous proportion of its income away
Key Principles
Our key principles for mission support are that it is:
- Focused – while operating at the local, national and global level
- Committed – reflected in the whole congregation’s engagement in mission and the church’s resourcing of it
- Strategic – new and existing opportunities for mission are properly considered and planned
- Generous – the church is committed to giving a high proportion of its income away
Objectives
- To encourage the church to continue movement from one that ‘supports’ mission, to one that is ‘engaged’ in mission
- To raise general awareness and understanding of mission amongst the congregation
- To work in partnership and continue active engagement with each of our mission partners
- To make mission a part of everyday life
- To send out more missionaries from our own church
- To equip every member of the congregation to identify and embark on their own mission
Mission Partners
Mission partners are supported in one of three ways:
- Central - Personal - Direct
Each partner has a local contact or ‘champion’ who maintains regular contact with the church.
Financial support is provided for a given period of time, from 1-5 years. Renewal of pledges at the end of each period is dependent upon:
- Good ongoing communication between the partner & church
- Appropriate financial accountability by the partner
- Alignment of the partner’s aims and vision with that of the church
- Assessment of need for ongoing financial support
Full policy available on request.
Church members contemplating short or longer term mission placements
can apply for financial / prayer support via
an application form from