Have you got:

• Between 3 and 6 months to serve God in London or Birmingham, the UK’s most diverse cities?
• Something special to focus on, like working with an inner city church, sport, dance or art?

Teresa Mui from OM in the UK, shares how Customisable Ministry Opportunities (CMO) could be your next step….

What does a typical CMO experience look like?

TM: No two are the same, because OM will tailor your time to reflect your passion! Let us know your special interest or gifting, and we’ll aim to match you with existing OM ministries where you can develop, seeing God working in and through your life. Or maybe you just want to serve for a short time, and are ready for anything!

Who’s a typical CMO participant?

TM: Again, what’s typical? But you’ll be over 18, able to speak English well. You need to be hard-working and flexible, with a heart for urban missions, serving alongside OM teams and sharing Jesus with people from every faith and culture.

Describe a participant’s ‘journey’?

TM: OM UK will liaise with your local OM office before you come, get to know you, and agree the best options for your period of service, and whether you will be mostly based in Birmingham or London. When you arrive, you’ll have an intensive phase of training and orientation, so you experience OM’s local work in all its variety. Then you will focus on your chosen area of service, working with experienced missionaries; alongside this will be ongoing study with a personal tutor, either individually or in a group, and a mentor to ‘walk the journey with you.’

Tell me someone’s story:

TM: Stella* from the Far East was in her 40s, and based in Birmingham for her CMO. Her priority was sharing in outreach with a local church, so after her orientation, we matched her with a Baptist church which we’d partnered with previously; the leaders are passionate about sharing Jesus with those who don’t know him, and already work closely with Birmingham City Mission (BCM).

So Stella not only got to share in the church’s local outreach activities, such as going door-to-door or helping the youth clubs, but she participated with BCM’s book table and street-preaching in Birmingham city centre. Plus she came on OM mission weeks around the UK, from south-west England to north-west Scotland – after these varied opportunities, Stella is ready to talk to anybody about Jesus!

 

Who’s on CMO at the moment?

TM: Emily is from rural Germany. She left school recently and is praying about next steps in life. Before making any decisions, she wants to know God (and herself) in a deeper way, through coming to the UK and going out of her ‘comfort zone’. Emily hopes to develop both her existing artistic abilities, and gifting in childrens’ work; so far, she’s joined with a London church for their art-based outreach, and is now doing creative stuff with a kids’ ministry in inner-city Birmingham!

How can people find out more?

TM: Contact your local OM office or if you'd like to chat through some options, email us at [email protected] and we'll get you connected. We look forward to meeting you!

*name changed