The Gospel, Ambassadors and the Diaspora!

The Church has been given a diplomatic assignment to send forth ambassadors to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:47, Mark 16:15, 2 Corinthians 5:20). The ills faced by humanity, including war, famine, child trafficking and poverty, can be chosen from a longer menu, most of which transcend borders. Believers must therefore operate with an Issacharian mentality and present cross border solutions so that the world might come to know our Christ and the Paraclete, Who remain the protagonist of our purpose on earth.

Does this mean that the church needs a foreign office or embassy to mediate and medicate under its diplomatic mandate? Yes, it does. And our local church has responded. The visionary leadership of Bishop Dr Murtland Raphael Massiah led to the creation of a Diaspora Ministry within the First Assembly of God Wortmanville (FAOGW) on 2 June 2021. Two roving ambassadors were appointed in Assistant Pastors Kurt Corbin and Celicia Paruag, based in Switzerland and the United States, respectively.

The 1st anniversary celebration of the Diaspora Ministry was hosted on 11 June 2022 in a virtual event with 100+ attendees. The theme of the celebration was The Path Ahead and focused on diaspora footprints as well as diaspora milestones. Assistant Pastor Celicia Paruag moderated the session, which included opening prayers by Minister Rawle Duncan, worship by Sister Marcia Granville and a keynote address by Bishop Dr Massiah. The moderator reflected on the birthing of the ministry out of the COVID-19 pandemic and how gathering for intercession kept and comforted many, as we grappled with the loss of loved ones. A moment of silence was held for members lost during the pandemic, demonstrating the close-knit culture of the FAOGW family.

Assistant Pastor Kurt, in his presentation, acknowledged that the pandemic pushed us to find new ways to evangelise, minister, spread the Gospel, and grow the church — an opportunity to influence the nations of the world. Leveraging ‘opportunity’ as the watchword, he challenged the attendees to execute their ambassadorial mandate by interceding, evangelising and giving back. Likening the celebratory atmosphere to that in Nehemiah 12:27, he reminded those gathered that Nehemiah provided a blueprint for diaspora members to engage both their homeland and adopted lands. Nehemiah interceded before the construction began (Nehemiah 1). Evangelism was done by the Chief Priest as they read God’s Word in the city centre, while Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was the ultimate giving back.

The Diaspora Footprints included reflections from one of the longest migrated members, Sister Corrane Scotland and Diaspora youths, including Brother Hezekiah Lambert, Maxwell Logan, Shequan Corbin, Shequaine Corbin and Sister Rachael Duncan.

Bishop Dr Massiah encouraged the attendees to operate in the power experienced by the believers at Pentecost (Acts 1:8). He shared his faith in the potential of the ministry by alluding to the quote that “it is easier to stop tomorrow than an idea whose time has come.”

The Diaspora Milestones included the following:

• Baby Dedications and Baptism Ceremonies

• Diaspora participation in several virtual programs including Celebration Day, Vacation Bible School (VBS), Women’s Investment Webinar, Sunday School Retreat, and Marriage Retreat

• Diaspora Testimonies of answered prayers

• Diaspora production of Choices GLOBAL – YouTube Programme.

• The milestones reflect the potential domino effect when we operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Diaspora! Dunamis! Dominion!