“I
saw a large crowd with
more people than could
be counted.
They were from every
race, tribe, nation, and
language,
and they stood before
the throne and before
the Lamb.
They wore white robes
and held palm branches
in their hands,
as they shouted,
“Our God, who sits upon
the throne, has the
power to save his
people,
and so does the Lamb.”
[Revelation 7:9-10,
CEV]
Vision
We
have an inspiring vision
to grow Christians and
build our congregation.
In Matthew’s Gospel
Jesus commanded his
followers in the
so-called Great
Commission “to make
disciples of all
nations.” (Matt.
28:18-20). This key
mission command echoes
in different ways
throughout the New
Testament (Mark
16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49;
John 20:21-22; Acts
1:8). Up until recently
this has meant sending
missionaries into far
off countries. We now
observe, however, that
far off countries are
increasingly coming to
us. The nations are
literally our
neighbours. Our
communities and
increasingly our
congregations are
drawing people from many
cultures. We hope to
fulfil this command, at
least in part, by
embracing the diversity
that surrounds us.
