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How amazing was the weekend with Ps Richard Guy (if you missed the service checkout the sermon on our Facebook), it is an exciting season for us at Groundswell Church. Last Sunday morning we announced some exciting news for us as church. As you are aware, our theme for 2024 is “Into all the World” and as a leadership team we have had the sense that it is now time for Groundswell Church to reaching into and serving our local community. So, what is this exciting news you may ask? Well, our exciting news is that at the end of July, Groundswell church will be partnering with a youth missionary organisation called PAIS and we will be having 2 to 3 youth missionaries joining our church for 12 months.

Something that has been burning in our hearts and has been in our prayers, is the need for us as church to put our arms around and disciple the next generation.  There is such a need for the young adults and youth of our community and with all the churches in town, there has only been one youth group.  We feel as a church we have a role to play in discipling our young adults and youth of the community, but to also rally and support our local high school. This year we have had some miraculous doors open to us as church, which will see us, alongside our PAIS youth missionaries work within Ulladulla Highschool.  There has been an overwhelming response from the school principal, the senior executive team, and the P&C committee, to have a PAIS team come into the school and help run programs and connect with students.  The meetings with the school have finished with them overwhelmingly supportive and wanting the PAIS team “NOW”. I know there has been much prayer that has gone into our high school and now we have an amazing open door to be a presence in there. Not only that, BUT the PAIS team will ALSO be committed to Groundswell Church and will work with us in getting our very own Young Adults and Youth group off the ground.

 

 

 

What is PAIS?

PAIS is a youth missionary organisation which carries a heart to “spark a movement where the primary mission of every Christian is to advance the Kingdom of God the way Jesus modelled it”. Founded in 1992 by Paul Gibbs, Paul had the vision to help his local church reach their local community. PAIS is now a worldwide Youth discipleship movement, which partners with local churches and helps resource local schools. PAIS Youth missionaries are young adults who volunteer a year of their life to go on mission. More info about PAIS and the mission can be found here https://paismovement.com

What is involved for us as a church?

There are some practical elements and cost for us as a church to host a PAIS team for 12 months. The first thing I would love for us as church to be doing is to Pray.  Let us pray for the missionaries that will be coming, pray for the High School, pray for the next generation, and pray for our church as we engage with the next generation again.

The second thing is Cost. Having a PAIS team comes with a cost, working out to be around $5000 per missionary. At this stage we have two missionaries assigned to us as a church, but possibly three. We will need raise between 10 to 15 thousand dollars to host the team.  This expense goes towards their flights, training, Australian Visas, and transport to and from their compulsory training. So as a church, we are working towards raising $10000 to get the missionaries here.  So, if we had 100 people each give $100, that will get us to our target, and if we raise more than that, we can support three missionaries.  So can everyone pray and consider in giving towards our PAIS team.

Ways to Give: If you would like to give via online into our missions account the details are Groundswell Church, BSB 032701 and Account 148848. If you would like to give cash towards PAIS, simply fill out an envelope at church, write PAIS on it and place it in the giving box at the back of the church. The third option is card payments. You can give toward PAIS using you card by either seeing the Café team on a Sunday and using the Square system or you can give via this link here https://www.groundswell.church/give and select missions from the drop bar.

The third need is Accommodation. We are looking for people within our church that will be willing host a PAIS missionary for a year.  If this is something you are able and would like to do, come, and have a chat to us and we can give you some more information on what is involved.

 

We are all very excited at this opportunity to partner with PAIS and Ulladulla High School.  We are also expectant that as we come alongside the next generation there will be a fresh sound of salvation and we as church will once again be discipling the young adults and Youth of our community.

Thanks for all you do, we love our church and love doing life alongside you all.

 

Love Dave and Kriselle