College Mission Teams

All full-time students at SMBC become part of an annual College mission team, lead by a member of faculty. Mission teams travel to different parts of Australia as well as overseas.

Missions within Australia are usually for one week, while overseas missions are usually three weeks in duration. College mission is an important element of training; providing opportunities to put classroom learning into practice, to work within a team environment, and to develop spiritual gifts and abilities (see Graduate Attributes). After mission, the teams continue to meet fortnightly during the year as College fellowship groups.

College Mission 2023

In 2023 we're excited to be taking College Mission Teams to: Evans Head Presbyterian Church, Gungahlin Anglican Church, Lake Cathie Salt Church, Narwee Baptist Church, West Sydney Chinese Church, Tuggeranong Presbyterian Church, Western Sydney Outreach, as well as South Asia and West Asia locations.

See reports and prayer points from our 2023 College Mission teams below:

WEST ASIA TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Ed Grudier and Kathy Grudier

• Pray for each of the 10 of us to realise and rely on the truth that God is our source of wisdom and protection for every aspect of this trip.
• Pray for diligence in submitting our attitudes and hearts to the Lord constantly, especially since attitudes of discontent and complaining are easily detected by nationals around us.
• Pray for our ongoing preparation to foster healthy and realistic expectations for our mission as the Lord shapes our perspective and teaches us to pray.
• Pray that each team member will be enriched by the culture in many ways and that our experiences 'on the ground' will enlarge our understanding of God, ourselves, and others.
• Pray for our spiritual preparation, for love and unity on the team that shouts the blessing of being united with Christ in the local context.
• Pray that we will navigate the pressures of language challenges, and the continuing impact of the regional earthquake on the people we will interact with, so that our hearts remain at peace and the witness of our love of Jesus, life of faith, prayer, and sincere belief in the Word of God will be a blessing with eternal consequences.

LAKE CATHIE SALT CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Anthony Brammall and Christine Kotsaris

Please pray:

• Give thanks for a diverse team - ethnic/geographic backgrounds, age, ministry experience, abilities etc. Pray for unity of purpose and good friendships.
• For fruitful conversations with locals and church people as we hand out welcome packs in new housing estates.
• For engaging presentations/puppetry/input at SRE, youth group, and Salty Kids kids' club.

WESTERN SYDNEY OUTREACH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Tim Silberman and Peggy Harley

• Throughout the week we will be engaging with various groups of people.
  – Specific ministries among local people: Peace Tent, Freedom to Flourish (refugee women’s gardening centre), door knocking, book tables, sewing clubs, and food distribution to refugees.
  – Specific ministries with Christians: Preaching at two local church services, and learning from the OM MAP team, Sydney refugee team, Pioneer’s Summit team and Disciples at Work.
• Please pray that, as we connect with people, we would have wisdom for what to say, humble listening hearts, and a strong desire to see God glorified.
• Please pray for those we will meet during the week who don’t know Jesus. Pray that they would be prepared by the Spirit to hear the message of peace, that they will have hearts open to the gospel, and eyes to see more clearly the beauty and majesty of Jesus.
• As we connect with other ministries around Sydney, please pray that we would ask wise questions and not only listen to their wisdom and insights, but that it would propel us to action.

WEST SYDNEY CHINESE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Karl Deenick and Jodi Crain

• Pray for the students as they prepare for various tasks like preaching, seminars and talks for men’s and women’s events. Ask God that he would give them wisdom and insight and that their ministry would glorify him and build his church.
• Pray that the mission would be a great learning experience for the students. That they would get helpful insights into pastoral ministry.
• Pray for WSCCC that we would be a blessing to them and they to us.

GUNGAHLIN ANGLICAN CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Janson Condren and Heather Condren

Please pray that God would prepare our hearts for a full week of local church and school ministry, and that he would both use us and shape us in significant ways. Pray for our multiple team members who are preaching over three services; for the preparation and giving of many testimonies and devotional talks; and for the organising and running of the youth group on Friday night, as well as three middle and senior school chapels.

EVANS HEAD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Kit Barker and Jenny Doust

Please pray for:

• Safe travel;
• Opportunities to speak to the local community at various events;
• Opportunities at the local public schools; and
• Conversations with regional leaders about ministry in the Northern Rivers.

TUGGERANONG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Mark Stephens and Steph Leung

Please pray that we would be leading from a place of joy in Jesus as we learn mission together; for those leading our Creative Outreach night (Tuesday); for Youth Group leading on Friday night; for the many Bible Study groups we will be visiting – that we will be a blessing to the members of TPC; for our visit to Covenant Christian School for Q and A; for courage and kindness when we do street evangelism on the Monday; for those preaching (Mark, Sam, Tom, and Ben); for all those leading music and church services; and for Loata and Zara giving children’s talks.

NARWEE BAPTIST CHURCH TEAM – 20 MARCH

Team Leaders – Kristen Young and Geoff Harper

Please pray:

• Please pray that the team would connect well with each other, the local church and the local community.

SOUTH ASIA TEAM – 20 MARCH
Team Leaders – Jonathan and Barb James

Give thanks for:

• A great team consisting of 9 keen students, 2 spouses and Barb and Jonathan, who will all be traveling to South Asia in the middle of the year (25 June to 11 July).
• Brett, who is helping us with our preparations, and Liz, who has found and trained a language teacher for the team.
• The language learning session we had last Friday, and the second session that's coming up soon.

Please pray:

• For our team to be growing in love and unity so that we can live and serve well together, as well as for all other necessary preparation between now and mid-year to be effective.
• To grant wisdom to those on the ground there who will be hosting us, as they plan for our visit, and for Father to be preparing the hearts of all those we will meet.
• To grant favour in the eyes of the authorities there so that our hosts and all their colleagues will receive all necessary approvals to continue serving in that nation.
• To provide a committed group of earnestly praying partners for each of our team members who are willing to work with us this year on their knees for the sake of this unreached nation.