Tena tātou katoa e te iwi mīhana… (Greetings to all the people in mission)

For a decade and a half as a missions leader I made frequent trips to Thailand for international meetings of one sort or another. Only recently was I made aware of how wonderfully interdependent Thai communities can be.

What we view as a business transaction is much more relationally complex.

Western visitors look on with amazement (and some suspicion) at the street vendors peddling food. But little do we realise that the surrounding community relies on that meal supply. What we view as a business transaction (my money for your food) is much more relationally complex.

People who work long hours have neither the time nor the inclination to prepare food, so the community appoints food preparers to supply a variety of meal options for the neighbourhood. In return, those suppliers are rewarded with a source of income. This becomes a beneficial symbiotic relationship that strengthens community bonds, effectively establishing a common table. Furthermore, it’s much more efficient and cost effective to eat communally.

The Western world has lost so much as a result a pursuit of independence. Collaboration or partnership is reduced to expedience; to what we can individually gain from working together. In his address at the New Zealand Interserve Day Conference, Bijoy Koshi, Interserve’s International Director, reminded the audience that partnership is not a tool to achieve a purpose, it IS the purpose.

In Christ, loving community is an end in itself, for only then will the world know that we are His disciples (cf. John 13:35). With mission organisations feeling squeezed in so many areas, is it finally time to start thinking beyond our own independence, in favour of something more collective?

Follower of Jesus is there greater efficiency, effectiveness, and witness, to be gained from symbiotic mutualism (win/win)? Economic circumstances are forcing us all to revisit such questions, but I suspect there is a greater Spirit behind it, calling us to a common table, helping us to #stayonmission. 👊🏼

Nga mihi nui (warmest greetings),

Jay