The Serve Asia Podcast

Hey kids, are you ready for an adventure? Join Chris as he hikes through some of China's geography. Climb the dizzying heights of the Himalayas, where you find Mount Everest. Look out for snow leopards! Cross the sandy Gobi Desert on a camel. Journey down the Yangtze River for nearly 4000 miles. Get ready for an exciting tour of this incredible nation here on Kids Exploring East Asia!

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EopWfE7AClk

David Robinson shares how his life changed from being an indifferent churchgoer to a risk-taking evangelist and the role Billy Graham played in the change! He shares about his decades of missionary work in Thailand and Cambodia and points us to the power of faith and personal relationships in spreading the gospel.

David's strategic approach to church planting emphasises the importance of quality time with people, expectant faith, and the nurturing of local believers to eventually lead their own congregations. He opens up about the personal and spiritual challenges of church planting, from grappling with language barriers and potential dangers to overcoming feelings of inadequacy. Despite these hurdles, he reveals the profound joy that comes from witnessing the growth of individuals and communities who respond to the gospel message.

Your work is a great opportunity for making Jesus known across the street and across the world.

Ngaira joins us to tell us about Work+Go, an event exploring this idea of gospel witness in and through our work.

Saturday 4 November, Manchester. See you there.

In this episode of the Serve Asia podcast, host Chris Watts is joined by John, an OMF worker serving in Japan. Continuing the series on church planting, they discuss the importance of establishing groups of followers of Jesus all over the world. John shares his experience in church planting ministry in Sapporo, a city with a population of two million people. He also talks about his love for spending quality time with his family in parks, climbing trees, and telling stories. Tune in to hear more about the impact of church planting and the joy of creating a loving community.

Find out more about John and Izumi Church:

In this episode, Chris Watts talks to Adam*, discussing the journey of God's leading that brought him and his family to serve in Southeast Asia. We examine the tension between his gifts and passions for church ministry and the restrictions there are on these in his current context in Asia. Adam shares how he learned to be about the building up of God's Church no matter the location, and how he is learning to surrender his own plans so that others can flourish. He explains the term 'unreached people' and the importance of being ready to serve in all circumstances.

We explore how church planting continues to be an effective and faithful way to reach the unreached, and the various roles we can all play in supporting the mission of the church. Adam shares his story of how God led him from ministry in London to Southeast Asia and opened an opportunity for him to serve in a unique way. We discuss how the church planting movement in Asia needs to include passing on the gospel to the next generation, and how creative and compassionate holistic mission thinkers can help churches become more relevant and connected to their culture.

Books Adam mentions:

Allen McClymont is a typical Londoner: born in Malaysia, he grew up in New Zealand and has taught New Testament Greek in Malaysia! He was a guest on Christian Heritage London, and today we're sharing that conversation with you.

Allen has a great story and shares openly and honestly about how he continues to learn what it means to be involved in sharing the good news of Jesus across the street and across the world.

If you enjoy this conversation, do subscribe to the Christian Heritage London podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you

Morgan shares how during a Bible study with a Japanese student, she unexpectedly ended up talking about marine life. She shares how learning a language has taught her more about how patient and generous God is.

If you want to read more about the story Morgan wrote about it in this blog post: https://omf.org/uk/japanese-study-taught-me-more-than-the-language/

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Hope is in short supply in discussions about environmental issues today. The last book of the Bible gives us a picture of 'a new heaven and a new earth' (Revelation 21:1). How does this hope help us engage with the pressing issues of our day?

Finishing off our series Creation Care and Living Out the Gospel, we hear from Ruth Valerio at Tearfund about some of the key passages in this area and the challenges of interpreting them. Plus, theologian Daniel Button introduces us to themes from his PhD exploring what the new creation might look like and how the themes of creation link together Genesis and Revelation. Our other guests explore themes, including the importance of thinking about the 'now and not yet' of God's kingdom and how to ground our theology in our everyday lives.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for people and their relationship with God, for whole communities and for creation itself. But how do these different areas fit together in practice?

To help answer that question, in this episode we take a detailed look at two case studies of two environmental projects in East Asia. First, we hear from Bryan Martin, the founder of Reefs for Life, an innovative non-profit in the Philippines, about the difference caring for creation is making in local fishing communities.

Then Peter Nitschke, the Global Director of Community Partnerships at the Plastic Bank, shares why reducing plastic pollution matters to God, blesses some of the world's poorest communities and has the potential to aid our evangelism too.

Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on the topic of creation care for us.

If you have questions or comments, we'd love to hear from you - email us at uk.podcast@omfmail.com or drop us a DM on Instagram at @ServeAsiaPodcast.

Useful Links

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Are we the planet's biggest problem today? Would it be better off without us?

Increasingly we're told that the answer to both those questions is ‘yes’.

But what does God have to say about our role in the world - as humanity in general and followers of Jesus in particular?

And what on earth does the food you eat, the way you get around, and a host of other practical questions have to do with our discipleship and following Jesus Christ?

We dig into these challenging practical questions in episode 2 of Creation Care and Living Out the Gospel. Guests include Tearfund's Ruth Valerio, Caroline Pomeroy, Director of Climate Stewards and OMF's Jasmine Kwong, bringing a perspective from the Philippines. Plus, we hear from Bryan Martin, a self-confessed ‘unlikely environmentalist' from California now serving as a missionary in the Philippines.

Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on this topic for us.

With the COP27 climate talks underway in Egypt, environmental issues are in the headlines again. As followers of Jesus, what do we have to say about these things? How do we live out the gospel in this area?

In the first of our three-part series on creation care, we explore what the Bible says about the environment. At a time when so many appeals are made to good reasons to care for the environment, what does the Bible have to say? How does knowing Jesus compel us to get involved? We hear from guests including Ruth Valerio at Tearfund, Caroline Pomeroy from Climate Stewards and Dr Tim Davy, a lecturer at All Nations Christian College on these topics and more.

Your host for this series is Reuben Grace. He’s part of the Communications team in OMF (UK) and has been exploring some of the big questions on this topic for us.

Reuben lets us know what's coming up very soon on the Serve Asia podcast. He's been diving into Creation Care and its place in life following Jesus and sharing the gospel with others.

On the Serve Asia Podcast we have conversations about the people and places of East Asia, sharing the good news of Jesus and how you can be involved.

Patrick Fung, OMF International General Director, was recently a guest on the @thekingdomspodcast. They were kind enough to let us share the conversation with you.

Peter Rowan, Co-national director of OMF (UK), was interviewed earlier in the year by Eddie Arthur. Drawing on experience his experience in Malaysia, Peter shares some of his thinking about how the gospel of Jesus, through the local church, is a powerful agent for reconciliation across societal and cultural divides.

Peter Rowan and his wife Christine served with OMF in Thailand and Malaysia before taking up their role leading OMF (UK).

Eddie and his wife have worked for many years with Wycliffe Bible translators and Eddie writes and blogs regularly about making Jesus known across the world.

Sam's work with a hearing dog charity in the north of England turned out to make him just the right person to support a family looking to Thailand with OMF. Through his various life experiences, God had been preparing Sam and his family to be uniquely placed to serve friends of theirs in ways they'd never considered.

Find out how Sam, his wife Heather and their two young children ended up flying to East Asia, and how a global pandemic turned everything on its head. Sam shares how he has grown as a follower of Jesus through these times of challenge and uncertainty and how he and his family continue to be involved in making Jesus known across the street and across the world in Yorkshire today.

Shirley-Anne headed to the Philippines in the summer of 2019 to teach for a year at Faith Academy as part of the Serve Asia programme.

She was all set to teach 5-year-olds for one academic year. God had other plans and in his providence Shirley-Anne was about to experience life, faith and teaching during a global pandemic, with lockdowns, online classrooms, and a whole lot of uncertainty and the unexpected.

In the Unexpected Series, we’re chatting to people whose plans for serving Jesus didn’t quite turn out as they expected.

In the Unexpected Series, we’re chatting to people whose plans for serving Jesus didn’t quite turn out as they expected.

Ten years ago, if you’d asked Sarah what she thought she’d be doing today she’d have told you she hoped to be in East Asia, living in a city of millions with a desire to make Jesus known to people who do not know him. Instead, today she lives in the North of England and her life and ministry look completely different. It was great to chat to her about how this unfolded, all she learned along the way, and how she has found new ways to be involved in making Jesus known across the street and across the world.

Nathaniel talks to CUI worker Hollie about sharing the good news of Jesus with international students. They share their own experiences of ministry throughout the pandemic and share valuable insights and practical ways to reach out to students from overseas. Whether you're already involved in ministry to internationals in your local area or haven't even considered the possibility, we think you'll find this episode interesting and helpful.

When trying to build friendships and sharing the gospel with people from another country one of the biggest hurdles can be language. How do you make yourself understood? Even with hours of practice it can sometimes feel impossible. In this episode we hear from Litsa about an occasion when she unfortunately got her words muddled up when trying to befriend her Malaysian neighbours.

In the fifth episode of the Discover series, we learn more about the beautiful country of Taiwan. From its high-tech and forward-thinking cities, to its colourful festivals, and the people's deep spirituality, Taiwan is full of interesting stories! But how can we show God's love to Taiwanese people? And how can we pray for the Taiwanese church?
One exciting way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about his heart for the nations. This is exactly what the Discover series is all about. We would love for you to join us as we learn more about Taiwan!

In the fourth episode of the Discover series, we learn more about the vibrant country of Thailand. From its wonderful scenery and food, to its deep sense of community, and the people's strong cultural identity, Thailand is full of interesting stories! But how can we start to share God's love with Thai Buddhists? And what might we be able to learn from the Thai church?
One exciting way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about his heart for the nations. This is exactly what the Discover series is all about. We would love for you to join us as we learn more about Thailand!

Discover the Philippines. In the second episode of the Discover series, we take a closer look at the Philippines. From its Christian history to the people's love of karaoke, and its American cultural influences, the Philippines’s 7,641 islands are full of interesting stories. But how can we go about sharing the gospel with Filipinos? And what are the greatest needs of the Filipino church?
One exciting way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about his heart for the nations. This is exactly what the Discover series is all about, so come and join us as we learn more about the Philippines!

Discover Japan. In the first of our Discover series, we head to Japan. Home to over 127 million people. Famous for its futuristic technology, high-pace lifestyle, video games and anime. But what about the church? What's it like being a Christian in Japan and how about sharing the gospel with Japanese people?

One fantastic way to join in with what God is doing in the world is to learn more about the world. That is exactly what the Discover series is all about, so come and join us as we learn more about Japan.

If you’ve got questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, get in touch:

Freddie gives a quick heads-up the Discover series. We're excited to announce this new series that will give insight into countries across East Asia. Each episode will feature a "student" wanting to learn more about a country and culture and the voice of a "teacher" a local Christian providing first hand experience of life across each Asia.
The first episode of the Discover series will be here very soon.

If you’ve got any comments and questions do get in touch we’d love to hear from you

Louise Brady talks about how she sees her skills in finance removing burdens and freeing others up to share the good news of Jesus with East Asians across the world. Hear how her 9 to 5 has equipped her for ministry in her local church and what she learned from short-term experiences in Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam.

A conversation with Chris Watts about coming to faith through youth group Bible teaching, studying design and media at university and lessons learned from 10 years working in the OMF UK communication and media team.

With summer here you might be looking for something to read.
We talk to two of the biggest readers in OMF UK to get some recommendations.

We hear from Trevor Warner about his experience serving with OM in Russia and joining the OMF UK team to lead Bridge Asia, a network of volunteers across the UK.

We chat to Cassandra about growing up in Harare, Zimbabwe, coming to faith in Jesus, nursing, and now walking alongside those who want to explore short-term opportunities in East Asian. How did all this come about?

Will Bacon shares his experiences in Thailand using football to cross-cultures, build community, and create chances to share the good news of Jesus.

We talk to Stephen about how his passion for photography and film became a pathway to northern Thailand. He tells us about the joy he finds in using his skills to glorify God and the excitement of seeing his art connecting the UK church with the people and needs in East Asia.

Still looking for the perfect Christmas present for a friend or family member? We chat to Reuben about some of the best books he's read this year.