At CBC we are privileged to have links with, and actively support in prayer and financially several individuals and organisations who are serving God in various contexts overseas. This follows from our Lord Jesus’ commission in Mark 16:15 to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation”.
Over the last few years, several Gap Year and other students have spent a varying amount of time serving in countries and areas as diverse as Bolivia, Brazil, China, Guatemala, India (Calcutta), Mozambique, Peru, Siberia, South Africa, and Thailand.
The MOST (Mission Overseas Support Team) is available to offer confidential advice, support and prayer to anyone who is considering the possibility of working overseas in a Christian context. We have a small budget and are particularly keen to use this to enable young people to take opportunities such as those mentioned above.
MOST meets every few months, usually over a meal, to pray for those we support overseas, and those they serve. If you would like to join us you are always most welcome.
For more information please contact the church office, who will put you in contact with the team.
The Coe Family
Matt and Bronwen Coe are missionaries sent out by CBC. They have three adult sons and 3 grandchildren and serve under TeachBeyond UK. https://www.teachbeyond.org.uk/
After joining the church as an engaged couple in 1995, Matt and Bronwen were married at CBC Coxwell Street and later their three boys were each dedicated at the church. Matt and Bronwen were actively involved in small groups and were part of starting Friday Under Fives and the Curry Club. In 2004 CBC undertook a season of studying God’s purpose for our lives. During this time the Coes felt they needed to surrender their careers and lives fully to the Lord and be open to His leading. This led to them being commissioned and sent by CBC to work in Chiang Mai Thailand in 2005.
Matt and Bronwen Coe spent over a decade teaching at a school for missionary children called Grace International School and started and established holistic ministries in a juvenile prison, refugee camp and hill tribe communities. It was thrilling to see how a church in Cirencester could partner with so many ministries in northern Thailand as lives were changed and God was glorified.
In 2016, due to family circumstances, the Coes felt led to move to Germany to serve again at a school for missionary children called Black Forest Academy. Here Matt was one of the school’s directors and Bronwen was the Safeguarding Lead. The students are mainly high schoolers whose parents serve in the Middle East, Europe and Northern Africa.
At the start of 2022 Matt and Bronwen moved near to the TeachBeyond UK headquarters in Lancashire to continue their involvement in world missions in their roles as UK National Director of TeachBeyond (Matt) and TeachBeyond Safeguarding Lead (Bronwen). In addition to these roles, Matt develops and leads leadership and team training for TeachBeyond missionaries and Bronwen is busy developing and running training programmes and responding to safeguarding needs across the world as Training Manager and board member to CPSN. Although based back in the UK now, they both spend a considerable amount of time overseas, supporting and encouraging their co-workers, both virtually and physically.
“Thank you CBC for your partnership through prayer, friendship and finances these past years as we protect, lead and serve in global ministries . Thank you for sending us out and caring for us.” M&B Coe
Mission trips to Transylvania, Romania
After 12 years of visiting 2 small Baptist Churches in the Republic of Moldova, we have since 2017 been supporting Pastor Daniel Antonesei and his wife Claudia in their mission of pastoring 4 small Baptist Churches in the region of Transylvania in Romania. The churches are in Plescuta, Acuita, Dumbrava and Tarsa.
After an exploratory visit in November 2017, our church agreed to develop a partnership with Daniel by regularly visiting, encouraging and supporting him and the churches. In 2018 we visited 3 times: in July and August to run summer camps for children, and in October to support Daniel’s pastoral ministry visiting people in their houses and helping to lead services.
We are pleased that a small team including our pastor Matt Frost was able to visit Daniel and Claudia in Romania in February 2020, our last visit due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Daniel and Claudia have also visited us, most recently for a week in March 2020, during which they enjoyed hospitality and shared their story with several small groups and supporters at CBC, and Daniel spoke at one of our services.
Through our mission trips to Moldova, we developed a partnership with two Moldovan translators, Vera and Vova Nicu, who are vital to our missions in Romania. They join us on our trips to Transylvania, including all 3 trips in 2018. In March 2020 they welcomed their first child, Amadeo, into their family.
For various reasons, we have been unable to visit Romania, or vice versa, since 2020, but in the meantime we keep in close touch and support our friends there by regular contact, prayer and financially.
BMS (Baptist World Mission) – Bangladesh
Since 2014 our BMS links have been to their work in Bangladesh. BMS has had links to the area since its very early days. It was in 1793 that William Carey went to India as a BMS missionary. The area where he and his family first settled is now part of Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi Baptist Churches are very proud of this history.
Since summer 2018 we have been pleased to support Peter and Louise Lynch who are seconded to the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (the main Baptist denomination in Bangladesh) and are involved in leadership development, training and encouraging pastors and community leaders, theological education, relief and disaster recovery work, and championing child protection work. Click here to find out more about them including their latest newsletters.
Interserve – South East Asia
We support, through Interserve, a couple working in a university in South East Asia.
Several CBC Members are involved in both long-term and short-term projects serving communities abroad:
Bala Children’s Centre – Kenya
The Bala Children’s Centre is a small grassroots charity, based in Cirencester, that raises money for the Bala Children’s Centre in South West Kenya.
A number of people from CBC are regular sponsors and have visited the centre, and both Maura & Dorian Ferdinando are trustees of the charity and have visited the centre 10 times.
Find out more here: Bala Children’s Centre.
Tansen Mission Hospital – Nepal
John and Melody Sleggs used to make annual trips to Tansen Mission Hospital in Nepal where John helped with the training of Nepali doctors. This is a 160-bed hospital nine hours by bus west of Kathmandu. They worked there 1977-1980. Although currently not able to continue with visits, they maintain an active interest in this hospital. They are also involved with one of the three Nepali churches in Swindon.
http://www.tansenhospital.org.np/about/
Jethro Kingsley in Japan
Jethro Kingsley is a missionary sent out by CBC currently serving in Japan with TeachBeyond UK. https://teachbeyond.org/ .
“Having been a part of CBC almost all my life, I was an active part of children’s and youth groups at CBC throughout my entire childhood and teenage years. I served for a short time as a support youth group leader and played in the church football team- the Cirencester Pilgrims. Having struggled in my teenage years, God brought me powerfully back to himself and planted a desire to take the name of Jesus to other countries. I then went on mission trips to Romania with CBC for 10 days and supported a sports ministry outreach in Malta, both in 2018.
In 2019, I responded to a clear call from God to visit Japan to join a large-scale sports ministry outreach during the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. I stayed for 2 months and grew a unique love for the people of Japan.
I then returned to Japan again in 2020 and was offered a job in a missionary capacity teaching English, Bible studies and Sports at a small church school near Osaka, Japan.
I returned to England to prepare, and being delayed by the Covid pandemic was called into homeless ministry for 3 years, co-founding a ministry in Cirencester called Mangrove House which has been in operation since 2023.
After a long time of preparation and waiting, I finally returned to Japan in March 2023 to take up the position at the school and have been serving there since. I am currently on a 3-year visa and am awaiting the Lord’s leading for my next steps.”
“To all of the people of CBC, your prayers, financial support and encouragement have always brought a smile to my face and given me strength as I aim to bring the love of Christ to the mysterious lands of Japan. Thank you for serving Jesus and blessing me over the years of being in your midst.” Jethro Kingsley