Missions Sunday And Fathers Day Combined Sermon Series

It’s Elim Missions Sunday. But, I want to start with the story of THE ELIM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH

The Elim Pentecostal Church was founded in 1915 by a Welshman in Monaghan Ireland.

George Jeffreys was an outstanding evangelist and church planter.

He came from a Welsh Congregational Church background and was strongly influenced by the Welsh Revival of 1904.

Our name ‘Elim’ is taken from the book of Exodus where the Israelites, exhausted from their escape from Egypt, arrived at an oasis in the desert called Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees. Exodus 15.27.

While many traditional churches and denominations were shrinking, The Elim Movement grew rapidly, it really was a place of spiritual refreshment.

So what about Missions work?

Between 1915 and 1934, George Jeffreys was involved in some amazing evangelistic missions.

This unknown preacher would commence a mission with a mere handful of people, and by the end of the week, thousands would queue for a seat.

Amazing miracles of healing were taking place.

And after the missions, large churches were planted.

The Elim Movement continued to grow and today there are just over 600 churches in the UK and we Elim is active in nearly 50 countries around the world.

ELIM INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS was birthed in the spirit of evangelism and church planting.

As early as 1922, Missionaries were sent out to Africa.

In 1929, The Elim Missionary Society was founded.

After the Second World War ended in 1945, missionaries went out to many countries in Africa, South America and Asia.

We are committed never to forget the sacrifice that our missionaries made in the Vumba Massacre on the 23rd June 1978.

The memory of them is our inspiration to keep going into all the world with the Gospel.

Throughout June 2015, would you join us in giving to and praying for our missionaries and partners involved in church planting overseas?

Now known as Elim International Missions, our missionaries may face different situations in different countries, but all of them have the same aim -

to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

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This month we have been encouraging people to support the work of Elim Missions.

Your tithes and offerings this morning will also be given to support the work of Elim Missions.

£1 in the UK probably won’t get you very far:

maybe small cup of tea, a pack of crisps, or a couple of bananas.

But around the world your £1 could be someone else’s lifeline.

If each of us gave just £1 a week, or £4 a month to Elim Missions its amazing the impact it could have.

We missionaries serving across 5 continents and we are also partnered with a number of Emergency Relief organisations and churches around the world.

So this month please help our missionaries, their ministries and projects, church planting, training, teaching, healthcare.

We can be participants in the Mission that Christ has given to His Church,

to go into all the world with the Gospel, the Good News, that Jesus Christ is the only way of Salvation.

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Next year a number of our youth are hoping to go on a short Term mission trip on the coast of France.

Elim Missions, Surf Church and Elim’s Youth Work Serious4God have joined together to take a group of 16-30 year old on a week of serving and worship (with a little surfing if they manage to get some spare time).

It’s a week long missions experience, in Hossegor, France and young people from all over Europe will experience how mission life for themselves.

Daily devotions - Beach mission - Helping at Surf Church - Worship nights - Evangelism training - Seeing the amazing sight of lives being changed and transformed by God - Surfing and serving God!

“A person doesn’t have to live a long life to make a huge impact in the world. A person just needs to be willing to lose it for christ.”

Can you imagine our young people being so passionate about the lost people of the world?

Can you imagine our young people forsaking their own ambitions and careers to gain a greater prize?

Can you imagine our young people learning a new language so that they can communicate with those who have never heard the truth of the Gospel?

Can you imagine our young people speaking out of their own experience a divine message that will continue into their next generation?

Here’s the thing.

Our young people need to raise the funds to pay for the trip.

For travel, food and accommodation each of them will need about £500.

Can I ask you to pray about their fund raising?

Can I also ask if you would prayerfully consider if you could financially in any way over the next 12 months?