Features for 2023

Did you know there's a trust that gives small grants to those embarking on mission trips, placements or gap years? Christians in Overseas Service Trust (COST) was established in 1972 to assist short term volunteers to obtain initial funding, which enables and facilitates them through the provision of monetary grants. COST is open to applications only from Christians who are British nationals.

This new book, by Jonathan Trotter, delves into the reality of serving in mission, particularly the harder things that mission workers face. A good book for anyone who wants to know what it's really like.

OSCAR's Christmas section includes some mission focused advent and Christmas resources as well as an extensive list of Christian organisations that sell Christmas cards and gifts for their ministry, plus 'alternative gifts' for people in need all over the world.

We have created a new page specifically for those who offer debriefing services to mission workers. It should make it easier for anyone needing this service to know the options available. If you or someone you know does this and you/they are not on the list, get in touch with us please.

If you have benefitted from, or appreciated, all the free stuff that OSCAR provides through our website, why not help us to develop it going forward? We are in the process of some major website re-development and it's an extra cost that we could always use your help with. Thanks.

How have the challenges of cross-cultural workers changed over the last few years? What about the effects of the pandemic on them? Christine Paterson from Field Partner International gives us her personal takeaways on a survey they conducted earlier this year amongst cross-cultural Christian workers.

In this article, Chip Bugnar helps unpack some of the traits of Gen Z and reflects on whether any of these might help them engage with mission and equip them for cross-cultural work.

OSCAR's Christmas section includes Christian organisations which sell Christmas cards and gifts for their ministry, plus 'alternative gifts' for people in need all over the world.

Trustees' Week is in November, so we are offering FREE posting of all trustee opportunities for the whole of the month! Just submit them through your account or, if you haven't got an account, send them to us and we will sort it.

We have updated our pages with details of job advertising and package offerings for 2024. There are quite a few changes. Prices are increasing slightly and we are introducing some different elements to packages plus a whole new level - Platinum! If your organisation isn't on a package yet and you sign up now for 2024, you get the rest of 2023 for FREE! 

What's it really like to be a single person on the mission field today? Is it really much different from being single in any situation? We may all have our preconceptions but it's only when you are in the situation that you really understand the reality. Sophie Parker, of Unreached Network, has been chatting to single men and women who serve cross-culturally to find out what it's really like for them. This article details some of her questions and a summary of the answers given.

This new book by Carrie and Morgan Stephens weaves the Book of Ruth with real life stories from their multiethnic, multigenerational, and socioeconomically diverse church. They highlight the power of unique friendships in God's greater missional story. A good read if you're longing to build relationships with people of very different backgrounds.

Patrick Johnstone has written a fascinating article documenting the current world factors that are dismantling  globilization. These have big implications on how and where we concentrate our mission efforts and will, no doubt, be steering some of the discussions leading up to next year's Lausanne Soeul 2024 conference.

Do you need help with personal support raising? OSCAR has a 4 module, 2 hour condensed online course you can take which will motivate and equip you for building up your support team. It's useful if you're new to personal support raising or if you need to increase what you currently have.

Next month the Christian Resources Exhibition will be taking place in Birmingham. Within the larger exhibition, there will be a 'Mission on the Map' area sponsored by OSCAR with a range of mission organisations exhibiting. There are mission themed seminars and the usual jobs and resources boards from OSCAR. Come to meet us and network with FREE tickets on OSCAR!

During the recent air traffic control problems in the UK, we found outselves relying on flight tracking sites to give us the most up to date info on the flight of an international guest who was staying with us. Here's a good summary guide to some of those available. If you don't use these, you should take a look.

Charity Excellence provide a range of free services and resources for charities and non-profits. This includes help with researching and applying for grant funding. AI can do much of the hard work for you.

This section of the OSCAR website has grown since we launched it a few years ago. We even added several entries to it last month. Check out the various categories to see who can help you in the various areas of your work and ministry.

We are just back from David's Tent, a great weekend of connecting with people and talking about calling and mission. If you attended a Christian festival this Summer, please tell us what you thought. In particular, if you visited the exhibition and browsed the stands, how was that? What could those of us who exhibit do differently in the future that would appeal to you? We are always keen to listen and learn.

From Sep 1st we can offer our Gold advertising package for the rest of the year at just 33% of the annual fee! That gives organisations and churches a great opportunity to try out our all-inclusive advertising service over 4 months for one low fee. See our Packages page or contact us directly for a quote for your organisation or church.

How can the West help facilitate the sending of mission workers from other countries without imposing its own criteria on those situations? This podcast from UFM Worldwide explores how the West can best partner with others to enable majority world mission sending.

A personal mental health guide by Don Mingo for missionaries, pastors, and other Christians, too. It was developed over years of learning to deal with his own mental health during challenges that arose from abuse during his childhood years, then witnessing horrendous atrocities during a twenty-two-year missionary career in Africa, added to his PTSD struggles.

Many of us need our devices for work when we travel. It's not always an option to just leave them behind. So, here are some tips from Malwarebytes to keep your devices and your information safe whilst you are on the move.

King's InterHigh, a leading UK online school, have recently put together an excellent guide for those thinking about homeschooling their children. This includes advice for those wanting to homeschool independently right through to those who want complete homeschool support.

August is our busiest month for events and exhibitions. If you're going to Limitless, Bangor Worldwide or David's Tent, come and see us in the exhibition. Deadlines for job card submissions for display at these exhibitions are about a week before the event.

At the midpoint of 2023, Leanne Marega, CEO of Thrive Worldwide, reflects on the trends being noticed in purpose-led organisations and highlights eight keys areas for consideration.

This new book by Robert Reach combines multi-dimensional research on disciple-making movements with practice within three different movements that the author helped to facilitate. The result is a set of seven concrete, root principles that have proven to bear kingdom fruit.

AfriGO is a website and magazine that aims to see the African Church inspired and equipped to send, support and pray for African missionaries. There are some great stories from the African Missions Movement.

Many people have delayed or curtailed their holiday plans this year, due to the increased cost. If that's you and you haven't sorted out your Summer break, OSCAR's Holiday section could provide you with the inspiration and value you are hoping for. Many places listed offer discounts for Christian workers.

Later this month we will be at Refuel festival in Moray, Scotland, for the week. If you are at the event or in the area, come and meet us. It's FREE to attend (if you book online before 9th July). If you want to advertise any jobs/opportunities or resources on our board at Refuel, please book via our exhibitions page. The deadline is Friday 14th July.

How are your stress levels? One of our regular contributors, Helen Calder, has written this helpful and practical guide on managing stress. Useful for any situation that is causing you anxiety.

Justin Long has put together a page listing prayer resources that are either downloadable PDFs or available for purchase for a nominal price. All prayer resources listed are generally about mission especially mission to unreached peoples. 

Why try to book travel tickets on your own when there are specialists who can get better deals for you and help you if things go wrong? They can also help you with planning for complex journeys.

Are you considering leaving the field? Are you finding it hard to discern God's will in tough times? This new book by Sue Eenigenburg and Eva Burkholder will help you decide whether it's the right time to leave or stay and stay well. 

Summer festivals are approaching and OSCAR is planning a Christian job and mission opportunities board at some of them. Our first two events are new to us! If you want to reach a new audience with your job or mission opportunities, book a card for our board!

It's not just the 'Unreached' who need missionaries. There are categories of 'Reached' who do, too. A.J. Gibson explains, with the help of the apostle Paul, that there have always been three groups of 'Reached' people who also need great commission workers. Some of these groups may be closer than you think!

Times are changing, and conventional methods of funding missionaries are shifting. Churches in Africa, Asia, and Latin America no longer depend on Western funding for sending out their own missionaries. How then does the Majority World fund missionaries? This new book, by Tim Welch, looks at seventeen alternative missionary financing methods learnt from the Majority World. 

Penhurst Retreat Centre has been serving the mission community for over 20 years, by providing a place for mission and ministry partners (overseas and UK) to find physical rest and spiritual restoration. They also provide opportunities for debrief in a supportive, caring, neutral and unhurried setting, both during specific debrief retreats and individual stays.

Education and training has usually been the category with the most Opportunity listings on our website. This is especially true at the moment as many international Christian schools are recruiting for the next academic year. Would you like a year abroad in a supportive Christian community?

OSCAR provides a flexible range of mission-related training products that can be applied to a huge variety of situations. We can also tailor-make sessions with exactly the things your team, group, organisation or church needs and deliver them for you in any location or online at very reasonable cost. Contact us with your requirements.

What if our picture of ministry wasn’t one person in front of a group of 10, 100 or 1000 people but individuals and groups of ordinary Christians released to use their gifts and share the gospel with those around them? Alex Hawke explores the topic of every person mission and ministry.

If you want a good printed or pdf resource to hand out in your evangelism and mission activities around the world, this little booklet, by Mike Hensher, could be just the ticket. It is available in 17 different languages and has had 2 million copies printed!

This new course, starting on 19th April, is in 5-sessions aimed at Diaspora Christians seeking to gain a better understanding of British culture, enabling more effective intercultural relationships and cross-cultural evangelism among their British neighbours.

Rekonnect camps offer mission children and teenagers five fun-filled days with others who have lived overseas and now find themselves back in the UK. There are camps for those aged 6-12 (rekonnect kids) and those who are 13-18 (rekonnect teens) planned for this Summer and they still both have spaces!

Would you like to sponsor a section of the OSCAR website? Costs start at just £10 per month for up to 1000 views of your sponsor graphic. This will raise the profile of your organisation and keep OSCAR online at the same time.

Have you been following the Asbury outpouring/awakening/revival? Many Christians, particularly across the Western world, have been watching it unfold with interest, wondering about the nature and impact of what's taking place. What does it mean? Will it spread beyond the USA? Will it lead to a renewing of the Church or a new move of mission? We have collected together a number of links to official websites, stories and reports so you can read and see for yourself what's been happening. 

Ukraine Christian Ministries have published six downloadable resources for use in a church service, small group, personal prayer time, or any other setting, to encourage prayer for Ukraine. Published to coincide with the one year anniversary of the most recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, but will remain available for the next month.

Airline flight tracking is useful if you're catching a flight or meeting someone who is flying in, so you can know actual departure and arrival times. Here are the best apps and websites to track flights in real time.

Stewardship has provided training in support raising for over ten years now. Whilst their training is only available to account holders (why not sign up?), they also have a series of free videos entitled 'What I wish I knew before I started support raising'. These bring together a summary of things people have learnt whilst living on support.

OSCAR is planning a Christian job and mission opportunities board at some of this year's Christian festivals and exhibitions. The first one is Refuel in Scotland in July. That event is free, so if you fancy a few days with us in the Scottish highlands, come and join us! Bookings for job cards at all events are now open.

How does your church's practice reflect the cultures represented in its members or the surrounding community? John Root has some very interesting insights and observations from his many years of working in culturally complex London. Cross-cultural understanding and skills are often needed in any multi-cultural situation, overseas or at home.

CMM have downloadable resources to help anyone explore their part in God's mission. Includes a look at key verses in the Biblical Basis of Mission as well as the various roles you can do.

We have updated our Bible Weeks & Festivals page so you can see what's happening across the UK during this year. OSCAR is planning to be at some of these! For the first time, we are exhibiting at one in Scotland; Refuel in Speyside. It's free to attend, so come and join us!

We have started to collate a list of mission-related podcasts for you to access and enjoy. If you know of any that you would recommend, please let us know.

During 2022 our website received 185,000 unique visitors (up 5% on the previous year), 2 million page views (up 10% on the previous year) and advertised 2,702 jobs and opportunities. We now have 831 organisations and churches signed up to one of our three member packages.

How should Christian New Year resolutions differ from any other? Perhaps they should be much more outward looking and maybe not just for our benefit? Surely for God's glory too? Starla, a Christian life coach, has created a very helpful guide with lots of ideas for setting your own Christian New Year Resolutions.

There are four Global Days of Prayer planned for 2023. These will be encouraging people all over the world to ‘Pray Together’ for gospel movements in the Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu nations. The first one comes up on 22nd January.

This is the first year since the pandemic where there have been no restrictions in the UK, so travel is practically possible but the financial and climate impact are still very much under consideration. OSCAR's holiday section can link you with UK based holiday solutions aimed at those in Christian mission and ministry. 

Thank you to those of you who took the opportunity to give us feedback about our various services through last year. You can read many of these on our comments page. Keep them coming.

Last year we advertised more jobs than in any previous year! Our online job advertising prices are remaining the same for 2023. That includes both our individual listings and our package fees. As the most comprehensive, most viewed and most reasonably priced Christian jobs website in the UK, that makes us even better value than last year!