Country Profile: United Kingdom
The UK has a long tradition of Christianity but today the church is in decline. Many people identify themselves with religion for cultural reasons. The Tear Fund Survey in 2007 revealed 53% calling themselves Christian but only 7% are actually practising Christians.
The UK is multi-cultural with immigrants from all over the world and thousands of Muslims as well as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and others in most of the major cities. There is great wealth but also pockets of poverty with all its accompanying problems. Social challenges include the breakdown of families, alcohol and drug abuse, racial tension and an ‘epidemic’ of emotional and psychological problems.
OM has three main ministries within the UK: the OM UK office, OM Lifehope (near Birmingham) and OM Turning Point (in London). Read on for further information about each of these ministries.
OM Lifehope – transforming lives and communities
Check out the OM Lifehope website: www.lifehope.om.org
Based close to Birmingham, England’s second largest city, OM Lifehope’s mission is
• Bringing life and hope to communities in the UK
• Partnering with the Church in its mission
• Reaching and discipling people from many nations.
Throughout the year OM Lifehope offers short-term mission experiences for individuals and groups, partnering with many different churches across the UK for outreaches at Easter, in the Summer and over the New Year period. The team also organises Teens in Mission experiences as part of a commitment to equipping and reaching the next generation.
Medium-term programmes (four months, six months, one and two years) include an initial time of orientation and training followed by placement in Community Outreach Teams. There are opportunities for team members to develop a wide range of evangelism skills on these teams.
Specialist teams work among specific groups. The Kids 'n' Things team presents entertaining programmes with a clear gospel message in schools and churches, reaching out to primary –age children. Ethnic Teams focus on specific people groups, working amongst the Polish, Chinese and Asian communities.
The OM Lifehope Training Centre is used for hosting groups, providing training for teams and acting as a base for all central support services. Volunteers help the centre to function effectively by serving behind the scenes. OM Lifehope’s team of dedicated staff provide essential support to the evangelism teams. They serve as evangelists, trainers, administrators, finance, communication, personnel, catering, maintenance and IT.
OM Turning Point
OM Turning Point has a history of nearly 30 years in training and evangelism among the peoples of the Middle East, Near East and Asian Sub-Continent.
OM Turning Point's training opportunities are from a few days up to two years. We offer many pre-set and custom made programmes for both individuals and for church groups.
OM Turning Point's outreach methods include: personal encounters; such as; in a shop or on a park bench • door-to-door surveys • street and market book tables • refugee drop-in-centre • literature distribution • DVD showings • street surveys • parent and toddler clubs • children's Sunday School • Global Kid's Clubs • university outreach . 'Speakers Corner' and university debates.
All methods are intended to lead to friendly evangelism, which is a significant discussion in a relatively short period of time, with the goal of a further follow up visit. To an Eastern or Middle Eastern person friendship means going the second mile and then the third, fourth and fifth. To a Westerner, hospitality is not as lavish, not as frequent, and not a cultural necessity. The people groups that OM Turning Point works with would put a stranger up for three nights before asking any questions about it. They would fully expect their friends to leave whatever they are doing if asked for help, because they would drop everything if a friend called them.
OM Turning Point can help teach you how to make people more important than time and learn to think more like an Easterner, but it is your step of faith and boldness that will take you there. Beyond that, you can take the skills you have learned at OM Turning Point and continue to minister in London or wherever God leads you.
Your team will be international. You’ll live and work in a cross-cultural environment. Your evangelism training is to support our international bi-lingual church plants. Your leadership training is so that many can have the opportunity to co-lead international teams on our short-term mission outreaches.
In addition, the OM Turning Point training involves classroom studies on the Bible, Middle East and Near East Religions, church planting, cross-cultural understanding, world prayer and personal discipleship. The training is rigorous, and your days will be full.
If you have office skills in areas of administration, finance, IT and communications or practical skills in areas of building, maintenance, repairs or auto mechanics, OM Turning Point could use you to help in the vital support of our inner city mission teams.
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