The Missions Hub was delighted to be part of the 2017 University of Toronto Missions Week, called the Relevant Series (relevantseries.com). Each day of Missions Week, the Missions Hub hosted between 30 - 45 students, campus ministry staff and well respected apologists for breakfast, worship, prayer and a devotional time here at Knox Church. We were so grateful to be able to support such a passionate, missional group as they led this great outreach. We are thankful to SIM, TEAM, SEND, OMF and Wycliffe Bible Translators for each sponsoring a breakfast during the week.
Missions Hub Christmas Letter & Update
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Looking back on the year that was with the Missions Hub, we are so thankful for how God has been at work in and through our community. It has been an exciting year with great collaborative events like Discerning Your Call, Why Commit Your Life to Christian Mission, & Internship Extravaganza. This year we have also welcomed Chez Johnson to be the new Missions Hub Mobilization Coordinator. In this unique role, funded by 5 Missions agencies and Knox Church, Chez is working to mobilize students at the University of Toronto for Missions. It is exciting work, and we are grateful to be seeing fruit. Thank you so much for being part of the Missions Hub. We look forward to continuing to work together in 2017 and beyond.Click here to see the complete update: Missions Hub Christmas Letter & Update
CCF Missions Night
U of T Chinese Christian Fellowship collaborated with the Missions Hub to host a Missions Outreach Night on November 23rd. The focus of the evening was prayer and learning, for the purpose of being on mission together. We are especially thankful for the leadership of Carol, CCF Outreach Coordinator, and Eugene, the Missions Discipler. All of the diligent work they did to make the night a success was amazing!Photo Credit: David Li (thank you!)
Tom is honoured by the Governor General!
Did you know that before starting the Missions Hub, Tom Affleck founded a not-4-profit called SchoolBOX, which helps 17,000 kids a year receive a basic education in Nicaragua? He will be in Ottawa this weekend to receive a prestigious Governor General's award. We celebrate with him over what God has done!We are so proud of you, Tom!Read more here!
Missions Extravaganza!
Last Sunday, the Missions Hub hosted a group of university students for our 1st ever Internship Extravaganza. Approximately 50 people gathered together at the event to learn about internships in Missions around the world. Presenters from 5 Missions agencies shared inspiring opportunities and encouraged students to step out and experience global missions first hand. We praise God that 17 students expressed interest in receiving more information on specific missions opportunities that they learned about during the evening.
Social Media Success!
Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming 7 missions organizations to the Social Media & Fellowship lunch on Thursday, Nov. 3rd. This free day of training is part of the Missions Hub Engage! Series which aims to equip and support Missions workers. The morning session was a refresher on the Twitter training that the Missions Hub facilitated last year. Martin Lamb brought his 19,000-follower-strong wisdom to share. If you would like the notes from Martin's presentation, we will pass along that info to him. The Facebook session, led by Darren Lung, Graham Watt and Matt Brodie from Power to Change National Communications Team, helped us all to understand the best ways to use this very important tool. Their slide deck can be downloaded. If you would like more info on future sessions, please email chez@missionshub.ca.
Pray for Students, the Campus, and the World!
Friday at 9am is a beautiful time at the Missions Hub. We get to welcome students from several campus groups and pray altogether. Please pray for us; that unity in Christ would abound in these sweet times of fellowship; & that the Lord would call many to the harvest!We love these campus groups and students! Thank you for prayerfully loving them with us.
"Why Commit Your Life to Christian Mission?"
The Missions Hub event "Why Commit Your Life to Christian Mission?" brought 50 people to hear the stories of five panelists who have committed their lives to Christian mission. The panelists spoke effectively to their experiences, and the audience engaged thoughtfully. Many conversations and prayers were heard afterward. Thank you for praying for this event! We are looking forward to the next!
We invite you on September 25th!
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We are excited to invite you to our upcoming event, Why Commit Your Life to Christian Mission? This panel discussion will feature dynamic panelists from a variety of professional backgrounds, and focus on some of the biggest questions related to full time service. Please "like" us on Facebook, RSVP and invite friends! We look forward to seeing you there!If you have any questions regarding the event, please send them to chez@missionshub.ca .
Missions Hub Fall E-newsletter
Here is the link for our Fall e-newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cfC8gzIt gives a high level overview of what's happening in the Missions Hub including; upcoming events, a new staff member, a new Facebook page and more. Please have a look, and be sure to be in touch if you have any suggestions, ideas or feedback. We are so grateful to see how God is working in and through the Missions Hub in this exciting season.Please do keep the Missions Hub in your prayers.
Mobilizers Day of Prayer
On September 7th, mobilizers from 11 missions agencies gathered together for a day of prayer. Hosted by the Missions Hub and led / organized by Tony Vanderlaan (Avant), the day focused on praying for the wider Church, our respective Missions agencies, Bible Colleges and mobilization efforts. It was a wonderful day and a great sign of growing unity in the body of Christ.
Introducing Chez
The Missions Hub is very grateful to welcome Chez Johnson as our new Mobilization Coordinator. Chez is a truly passionate champion for missions. As you will read in her letter, Chez has recently returned from serving for 2 years in Africa. In this new role, Chez will be mobilizing people on campus and in downtown Toronto for global missions. Please pray for Chez as she embarks on this exciting work. The Missions Mobilizer position is being funded in equal parts by Avant, OMF, SIM, TEAM, Wycliffe and KWM. If you are interested in getting more involved in Global missions or the Missions Hub, please feel free to contact Chez at chez@missionshub.ca . The following is a letter of introduction from Chez.Introductory letter from Chez
Mobilizers Roundtable Discussion
Mobilizing in today’s world is a challenge. Evangelical Christianity is being pushed into the margins of our society and it can be very difficult to find and engage Christians who would consider serving long-term in Missions. The challenge is made more complex by the fact that we have so few people focused on mobilization in such a massive country like Canada. It is the norm to meet with individual mobilizers who are responsible for vast geographical regions – sometimes all of Canada!On May 16th, the Missions Hub hosted a Roundtable Discussion with 30 mobilizers from 20 Missions agencies participating. Fruitful discussions, led by Matthew Gibbons of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, were had around such themes as 'how to effectively communicate missions opportunities; how to engage Millenials; how to collaborate effectively and much more. A report on the findings can be found below: Missions Mobilizer Roundtable Report
MISSIONS HUB JOB POSTING: MOBILIZATION COORDINATOR
We want to build on the passionate work that is happening at the Missions Hub by focusing very intentionally on mobilization. We recognize the opportunity on our doorstep-‐‑-‐‑ 700,000 people live in downtown Toronto. The largest age group is between 25 – 34 years old. 58,000 students are enrolled in the University of Toronto St. George, located literally across the street from the Mission Hub. 5 Missions agencies and one Church, working together through the Missions Hub, see the amazing Kingdom potential here and are resourcing the creation of the ‘Missions Hub Mobilization Coordinator’. Do you or someone you know have the experience, faith and gifts to make the Missions Hub a bustling center for mobilization in downtown Toronto? Does the idea of this job get your passion for serving Jesus and working for God’s Kingdom really flowing? Can you demonstrate how you have taken an entrepreneurial approach to your Kingdom work? Are you a creative leader with a heart for students? If so, we would love you to apply to be the Missions Hub Mobilization Coordinator.PLEASE SEE THE JOB DESCRIPTION HERE: Mobilization Coordinator, MH, Job Description
'Sending Out, Not Selling Out' May 9th Talk by Andy Bannister, Canadian Director, RZIM
The Missions Hub hosted a talk on May 9th from 7-9pm by Andy Bannister (RZIM) on 'Sending Out, Not Selling Out: Missional Lessons for Reaching Our Culture from the Book of Acts'. Andy is a very gifted speaker and serves as the Director and Lead Apologist for RZIM Canada. His talk was very well received.Talk overview:Given the increasingly postmodern, secular culture in which we live, there’s a temptation for believers to hide in our Christian ghettos, rather than engage the culture meaningfully with the gospel. We’ll take a look at how the first Christians in the book of Acts faced many of the same challenges that we do—yet overcame them through in the power of the Spirit to go on to transform their culture and the world for Christ, as they became the first—and arguably one of the most effective—missionary forces in history.
Missions Hub Pilot Report....
Just over a year ago, the Missions Hub Pilot launched here at Knox Church. Our vision was to support and encourage Christian Missionaries and Mission in downtown Toronto. In partnership with TEAM, and working alongside Avant, MECO, LAM and OM we officially opened the doors of the Missions Hub in February 2016. We longed to see the Missions Hub as a catalyst for collaboration, bringing together the Missions agencies and missionaries for the Kingdom.It has been amazing to see how God has worked in and through the Missions Hub. 31 Missions agencies and hundreds of Missions workers have taken part in the Missions Hub collaborative office space, events or meetings. We are truly grateful to God, and to each of you.The following report provides a highly visual summary of the results of the Missions Hub pilot.Missions Hub Report-2
Discerning Your Call, February 20th
120 people gathered for Discerning Your Call on February 20th. This exciting and innovative event brought together 40 seasoned missionaries and 80 young people aspiring to get more involved in Missions. 13 Missions organizations worked together through the Missions Hub to host Discerning Your Call. The event was designed to support people who had attended Urbana or P2C+ and made a commitment to get more involved in Missions. Thank God, the event proved to be very encouraging. We are exploring the potential of hosting other Discerning Your Call events in the future. Thank you so much to everyone who supported or took part!
University of Toronto 'Missions Week'
2016 marked an exciting new beginning with Missions on CampusThe University of Toronto Missions Week, branded as The Relevant Series (relevantseries.com), took place from Jan 18th - 22nd. The Relevant Series included 15 speaking events, and represented an exciting collaboration of 10+ campus missions groups and even more local Churches. Each morning, the Missions Hub, Knox Church and our partner Missions agencies hosted a breakfast for between 25-45 leaders of the Relevant Series. It was wonderfully encouraging to support these passionate Christian students. A big thanks to TEAM, Interserve, New Tribes Mission, MECO and Knox Young Adults for providing the breakfasts.
Engage! Training: Jan. 20th, 'Making presentations & Raising (Personal) Support
Missions workers face many daunting tasks. Yet few tasks seem to evoke as much anxiety and stress as making presentations and raising (personal) support. As part of our ongoing efforts to support workers in the GTA, we hosted a free day long training on January 20th to help equip workers for this important work. 33 missions workers from 15 agencies took part in the training. It was a great time of equipping and encouragement.Arnie Adkison, who spearheads Global Resource development for TEAM international, facilitated the training on ‘Making Presentations and Raising (Personal) Support’. Arnie travelled to Toronto from his home in Texas to lead this Engage! training.
Your Work, God's Way
What a gift it was to join together with representatives from 9 missions agencies to host 'Your Work, God's Way' on Saturday, Oct. 17th. People from all over the GTA gathered for this exciting event, which was organized in partnership with the Missions Hub. Well respected speakers Patrick Fung (OMF International Director), Jamie Taylor (OMF Consulting Director and Great-Great Grandson of Hudson Taylor) and Minho Song (Senior Minister, YoungNak Church) shared messages on the importance of Missions. Participants were able to explore resources and talk to missionaries about the 6 ways to get involved in Missions- Pray, Go, Send, Mobilize, Learn, & Welcome.Thank God is was such a wonderful event. It is beautiful to see what can happen when Missions groups come together to serve God.