BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund: One Year of Local Impact

Last year, the British Isles North District (BIND) unveiled its Compassionate Ministries Fund, aimed at equipping and empowering local congregations to effect change in their communities.

Today, BIND Nazarene Missions International President Reverend Sammy Robinson shares more about the fund’s vision and impact.

What led to the creation of the BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund?

The BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund was born out of a prompting of the Spirit to enable churches to engage in mission not just around the world through WEF, but also in their own local communities, where God has planted them. We wanted to help our churches respond practically to the needs around them, recognising that sharing the love of Jesus involves both proclaiming the Gospel and demonstrating His love through compassionate action.

Our hope was that this fund would empower local churches to be intentional in meeting the needs of their surrounding communities by offering grants of up to £500 towards successful applications for community-based compassionate ministries.

We have seen the fund support very different ministries. Was giving churches the freedom to respond to their own local context an important part of the vision?

Absolutely. Local churches are often best placed to identify the needs of the communities in which God has planted them. Each community has its own unique context and challenges, so we felt it was important to give local churches the freedom to respond appropriately, rather than prescribing a particular approach from District level.

The variety of ministries supported so far demonstrates why that flexibility matters: the needs of one community may call for a drop-in or mentoring programme, while another may be reached through summer outreach, community events, or opportunities to explore faith.

Looking back over the first year, is there one story that showed you the fund’s impact?

There have been so many “God-stories” through the projects we have been able to partner with. In Carrickfergus, we’ve heard stories of people experiencing life transformation through Alpha, with individuals coming to faith and seeing that faith have a wider impact within their families.

In Paisley, the “Welcome Brew” community drop-in has helped people who were previously connected with the church reconnect, while also welcoming new people and helping them build relationships with the church.

What has surprised you?

Through investing in our local churches across the district in this way, we have seen the highest level of giving to the World Evangelism Fund, relative to the number of active churches, in over a decade.

It was always our hope that renewed engagement in local mission would also lead to increased engagement in global mission. We believe the BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund has played its part in helping make that a reality, demonstrating that investing in our local communities and supporting God’s mission around the world can, and should, go hand-in-hand.

How do you see these projects helping churches build long-term relationships within their communities?

For some churches, this investment has enabled them to launch or develop ministries earlier than they had anticipated, creating opportunities to connect with people, build relationships, and become more involved in the life of their community. At Glasgow East, our grant formed a small part of a wider funding package put together by the local church, and 23 people decided to take the first steps in their relationships with Jesus. That is a powerful reminder that these initiatives can be about so much more than an individual event or activity; they can create opportunities for people to encounter Jesus and begin a journey of faith.

What have you learned during this first year that might shape how the fund continues in the future?

One of the biggest things we have learned is not to underestimate what God can do with relatively small resources when local churches are empowered to respond to the needs around them. A grant of up to £500 might not fund an entire ministry, but it can help a church take a step of faith, get something started sooner, or contribute towards an initiative that creates opportunities for lives to be changed.

We have also been reminded that local mission and global mission are not and should never be competing priorities. We can invest in the communities where God has planted our churches while continuing to support His mission around the world.

As we look forward, our hope is to build on what we have learned, giving churches the freedom to respond to their own contexts and equipping them to demonstrate the compassion of Christ in tangible ways in their own communities.

How can people pray?

Pray that the grants distributed to local churches across BIND through the BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund would act as “loaves and fish” in the hands of our God who would bring an increase abundantly more than recipient churches could ask, think, or imagine as they reach out to their communities with the Compassion of Christ.

Pray that God would lay the BIND Compassionate Ministries Fund upon the hearts of individuals who are able to partner with us through prayer, participation, and financial giving.