The London office of the Council for World Mission (CWM) hosted eight missionaries from the Congregational Federation (CF) on 19 March. The group visited the office to share experiences from their mission trip to Brazil in 2024, which was part of the Member Church Initiatives (MCI) of CWM.
The mission trip was led by Luzia Watt, a CF National Church Support Worker who visits, equips, and supports churches in many areas such as applying for mission grants, directing churches to resources and materials, and planning and organising national events such as the Youth and Children Assembly.
Watt shared that the 16-day mission trip to Brazil was an eyeopening experience for the rest of the seven CF members who each hail from different churches across the Federation based in the United Kingdom (UK).
The missionaries worked with two Brazilian Congregational churches and saw to several missional initiatives in the northeastern part of the country including mobilising communities in support of animal welfare, children’s ministry, and establishing a soup kitchen that served more than 200 people – a move so successful that the missionaries are looking into replicating its operating model in the UK.
One of the visiting CF missionaries, Thandar, who is originally from the Presbyterian Church of Myanmar and now serves in a CF church in southeast London, reflected with the CWM London staff on her efforts in raising funds for the mission trip, noting, “It is truly a ‘mission possible’ if God is in it!”
While in London, the group will also subsequently visit other CF churches to share their experiences in Brazil and to speak to them about the vitalness of Christian mission.
The visit concluded with a reaffirmation of CF’s continued commitment to working alongside CWM in its various programmes.
