“God has equipped you beyond any other generation because of what God has made available to you beyond any other generation. Will you respond to the marching orders of the Holy Spirit? Will you say, ‘God, as You do Your work in an international, interrelated, interdependent, and integrated Church, here am I, send me.’?” With that question, Dr. Joshua Bogunjoko, Deputy International Director of SIM, wrapped up his challenge to students in chapel on the first day of Cairn’s Global Mission Week 2013.
Dr. Bogunjoko, who will assume responsibilities as SIM’s International Director in June 2013, is originally from Nigeria. When he came to know the Lord as a high school student, he was so grateful to the Lord for what He had done that he prayed and told God he was giving Him his life. He told the students, “He redeemed you – not just so you can do what you like, but so you can be part of His global work.” Dr. Bogunjoko is a family physician with significant surgical training and experience, and holds degrees in pharmacology and medicine as well as a Masters of Arts in Leadership and Management. He has served internationally for roughly 20 years.
In preparation for the Global Mission Week, a Cairn Global Mission Week Twitter account (@cairngmw) directed students to resources and news articles about the church around the globe. The week before GMW, Heritage Hall hosted its second annual World Feast event, in which students and staff brought food, music, artwork, and clothing from places around the world to share. Participating were missionary kids and international students from Mu Kappa, as well as mission teams headed overseas later this semester in addition to many others. Alpha Chi Epsilon, the teacher education student group, hosted an online international school recruiting event in partnership with the Network of International Christian Schools. School leaders from around the globe Skyped in to talk to students about international teaching opportunities.
Throughout the Global Mission Week itself, activities and sessions focused students on the interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent nature of missions and the global church. Missionary representatives from over 20 organizations were in over 70 classes during the week, teaching on topics related to the course material and the week’s theme. In addition to classroom visits, missionary representatives held sessions on a broad variety of topics, from Skype conversations with missionaries overseas to informal conversations on cross-cultural experience. Wednesday evening, a student event called “Let Your Light” brought together students, missionary representatives, faculty, and staff to see the ways that technology is being used in missions around the world. Friday evening, the conference closed with a student-led worship service, “The Gospel for All.”
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He redeemed you – not just so you can do what you like, but so you can be part of His global work.
[/blockquote]The week was a time for students to examine the ways in which they, in their daily lives and in their future vocations, can interact with the global work of the gospel. Through opportunities to sit and talk with missionary representatives, Dr. Bogunjoko, and other students, many students had their eyes opened to the interconnected nature of the global church. In that first chapel, Dr. Bogunjoko reminded students that the global nature of the church exists because men and women gave themselves to the mission of God through the church. Today, it is a global church and God is bringing together workers from all over the world. “He has invited you to respond to that, to lay down your gift for Him,” Dr. Bogunjoko said. “You can serve; lay down your gift He has given you – in your church and out there.”