One of the fruits of the ongoing Life22 mission initiative of A Passion for Life has been the initiation of some promising conversations around Scotland about the possibility of the establishment or in some cases re-establishment of Regional Gospel Partnerships (RGPs).
Nick McQuaker, the development officer for the partnerships, has been on a tour around Scotland meeting key church leaders in Edinburgh, Fife, Aberdeen, Moray, and Ayrshire.
These conversations are very much in their early stages and your prayers would be very much appreciated, but the interest in effective gospel partnership is strong. The materials presented by Nick resonated with the existing informal relational networks dotted around the country; the sharing of lessons learned, materials produced, training courses established and innovative events from the network of partnerships in England was highly valued. Additionally, the resources produced by A Passion for Life, which was birthed out of the RGPs, have been well received in Scotland, and the number of churches who engaged with the month of mission significantly increased.
Calderwood Baptist Church in East Kilbride are a part of the only existing formal partnership, the West Scotland Gospel Partnership, and they recently enjoyed a unique encouragement when Aeron Caldeo, a pastor from the Philippines studying at Cornhill and hosted by a Sussex Gospel Partnership church, paid them a visit. He preached powerfully at their Sunday morning service from Hebrews 12:1-2 and shared effectively at their midweek prayer gathering about their church and its two church plants in Bacolod City in the Philippines, effectively broadening the reach of partnership in the gospel.
Biblical partnership should always be one of grace, prayer, giving, and the gospel, and the connections made through these shared experiences not only enrich the local church but facilitate gospel growth across nations.
