Indigenous Ministries Australia (IMA) Coordinator Nick Wight and I had the pleasure of attending the Surrender festival in March. The event’s host, Surrender Co, has a mission to call followers of Jesus to the margins. They are committed to inspiring followers of Jesus to "make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3).
Surrender Co facilitates safe spaces at the festival to discuss challenging and sometimes painful issues related to poverty, justice, and incarnational ministry. By keeping Jesus at the centre of their conversations, people leave with peace, hope, and unity, even when challenged.
They do this because they share a common belief in a risen Christ and the hope of justice, beauty, and wholeness through him. The festival is a Christ-centred, locally led space. That is also extremely important to all of us at Global Mission Partners.
Right from the beautiful Welcome to Country, we felt the “Wominjeka” - the invitation to come with purpose.
Surrender Co does a wonderful job of supporting existing practitioners. They affirm, encourage, and connect people living out the often lonely and unseen work of incarnational mission and justice. They also recognise their crucial role in raising the next generation for discipleship. We gratefully and humbly accepted and deeply appreciated all the various guest speaker's input and teachings.
It was incredibly thought-provoking to listen to the voices of those walking alongside those on the margins. It was also a privilege to hear and listen to some of the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this land. We were reminded of the important work that Global Mission Partners is involved with through IMA and encouraged as we reflected on the Indigenous focus of our recent Easter campaign, Walk for Hope.
The festival is a great tool for motivation. It encourages us as individuals and as the wider church to move from interest to action by becoming personally involved in expressions of Christ’s call to the poor and marginalised. What an invitation to come… with purpose.
If you would like to partner with us to help reach the poor and marginalised or support Indigenous ministry through the work of Global Mission Partners, please contact nick@gmp.org.au