Mission Support
St Luke's has a long history of interest in home and overseas mission and of sending and supporting individuals and families both in the UK and abroad. Some of those working overseas have now returned to the UK. Currently we maintain strong links with the organisations listed below. (Click on the title to link to the web site of that organisation.)
CPAS - the Church Pastoral-Aid Society
CPAS' mission statement is: “To inspire and enable Anglican churches to reach everyone in their communities with the good news of Jesus Christ.” It nominates clergy for appointment as vicars to around 400 parishes in England, including St Luke's Bricket Wood; it provides training, resources and Christian holidays for children's and young people's church groups; and promotes church growth, encouraging and training church adult members to carry out evangelism.
New Hope (formerly Watford New Hope Trust) is a Christian charity whose mission is to help the homeless and vulnerable in our community by providing shelter, food and opportunities to rebuild damaged lives.
Step (St Albans and Harpenden Christian Education Project) aims to share the Christian faith in secondary schools in a lively, relevant and consistent way, through lessons, assemblies, supporting Christian Unions, running social action projects, delivering courses, and mentoring. Chris Birch-Evans (a former youthworker at St Luke’s) initiated the Project and is its Director.
The project has been set up to offer advice, support, encouragement, networking, resources and training in all areas of youth and children’s work across the whole St Albans area. Mike Palin (a former youthworker at St Luke’s) initiated the Project and is its Director.
Unlock exists to help urban churches of any denomination to respond to challenges in communicating effectively with local people. It is especially concerned to help people in ‘traditional tabloid’/‘text-shy’ cultures engage with the Bible and explore their faith, and provides training and resources for individuals and churches. Barbara Funnell, a member of St Luke’s, is a Trustee of Unlock.
Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh
BSFB is based in Bangladesh, a predominantly Muslim country. It is a Bible-based and Christ-centred movement working among students in universities and colleges, aiming to lead them to Christ, lead them on in Christian growth and encouraging them in discipleship. It is affiliated to the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). The Revd Bob Cutler spent his early life in Bricket Wood and was baptised and confirmed at St Luke’s. After work among students in the UK, he was asked by UCCF to initiate and build up up a student work in Bangladesh, where he served for 19 years. Subsequently he was a vicar in Rochdale, before returning to the congregation of St Luke's for the early years of his retirement. He has now moved to Northamptonshire to be near his family.
Bigogwe is an area of northwest Rwanda, in central southern Africa. A health centre was built in 1992 but remained unused for over ten years because of the genocide in the country. The Rwandan Government allowed the local church to take over the management of the then derelict centre, and a clinic opened in 2005, serving around a quarter of a million people. There are plans for the clinic to become a hospital in the future. James Derrick, a member of St Luke’s, is a Trustee of the Bigogwe Trust.
Crosslinks
Crosslinks is an international, Bible-based mission society, working largely within the worldwide Anglican Communion. St Luke’s supports the work of two couples, Bethanie and Andrew Walker, with Maia and Emilio, and Gad and Liz Numadi, with Corban and Lael. Andrew is curate with the Anglican congregation in Santa Trinidad, Buenos Aires, Argentina; they are preparing for future ministry training Argentine church leaders. (Bethanie grew up at St Luke’s.) Gad and Liz are based in Lomé, Togo, West Africa, and are training local trainers and churches for children’s ministry; they also work in the local youth prison and in supporting children with disabilities and their families.
Tearfund is an evangelical Christian relief and development charity, working through churches and partner organisations, with communities in need around the world. Jennie Collins, a member of the St Luke’s congregation, was formerly International Director of Tearfund, and subsequently Executive Director of the United Mission to Nepal and Acting Director of SERVE Afghanistan.