December
Help and Hospitality
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/landin.htm
Homes and Housing
It's interesting that in the last few weeks OSCAR has heard from a number of individuals who want to offer their properties for missionaries to use (often at reduced rates). This warrants a feature as I'm sure there are OSCAR users out there looking for UK accomodation for home assignment or for an initial period when they return to the UK. If this is you, check out OSCAR's housing page and the messageboard for the latest.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/comingtouk/housing.htm & www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/messageboard/index.htm#items
Christmas Last Posting Dates
Don't forget that if you are sending anything internationally by airmail and you want it to arrive before Christmas, you probably need to send it early this month. Last posting dates vary depending on where you send the items from.
In the UK the Royal Mail advises that Dec 6 is the latest date to send airmail to some distant destinations to make sure it arrives before Christmas. Our Supporter Zone Post Page has all the details.
For those of you posting from outside the UK, you can check your local postal service for similar information. Our Service Zone Post Page can help you with these links and other services that might help with those last minute mailing crises.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/supporter/communications/post.htm (posting from the UK) or www.oscar.org.uk/service/communications/post.htm (posting from outside the UK)
Give Direct
Christmas is a time for giving, and giving to others can be such a blessing for both the giver and the recipient. This isn't just for within our circle of family and friends, but also for those in need around the world. Last month we published a list of Christian organisations who sell Christmas cards, gifts and alternative gifts for their ministry (if you missed it, see www.oscar.org.uk/christmas). This month we would like to challenge you to think about blessing the individuals you know who work in mission. How about sending them a small gift to encourage them and let them know you're thinking of them? Even if you're in Christian ministry yourself and normally on the receiving end, you can still exercise the privilege of giving to others.
If you're not sure how to get the gift to them, take a look at our sending money abroad page for ideas (check out the Post Office MoneyGram service).
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/supporter/finance/sendingmoney.htm
OSCAR Website Sponsorship Scheme
Ready for 2007, we've updated our Website Sponsorship Scheme. Our statistics show that the number of page views that the OSCAR website receives per month increased by over 500% during 2006 (with the launch of the new website) but our sponsorship fees remain the same! So, you may want to look closely at this opportunity to support OSCAR and have your logo on every page that you sponsor. It's a 'first come, first served' system and we will be publicising this to all UK based mission organisations in the New Year ... so if you want to avoid disappointment and beat the January rush, reserve your pages NOW!
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/sitesponsor.htm
November
Christian Mission and the Environment
Climate change is hitting the news with increasing frequency. Is saving the environment something that those of us involved in mission should be concerned with? This month's guest article, by Dave Bookless of A Rocha, challenges us to think about environment issues and proposes a radical mind-shift to see creation the way that God sees it. A Rocha is at the forefront of both thinking and action when it comes to Christian mission and the environment and they provide a number of practical ways for individuals to play their part in preventing climate change.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/bookless.htm
Christmas Cards & Gifts for Mission
A number of mission and mission support organisations sell Christmas cards and gifts to raise funds for their ministry. Some also provide an alternative gifts catalogue where you can buy all manner of items (including livestock, toilets ... you name it!) for the benefit of someone else across the world. This year OSCAR users have been asked which ones they recommend and we've put together a list in our new Christmas section. Wouldn't it be great if everything we spent at Christmas had a knock on effect for God's kingdom? Start your Christmas shopping right here!
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/christmas
Funding the Family Business, Part 2
Back in May of this year we published a book review of the new support raising workbook by Myles Wilson called `Funding the family business' (see the review). The book was officially launched in September, but this month Myles is starting a series of training events based on the book. This is a prime opportunity for anyone who raises their own financial support (or needs to) to hear it from the horses mouth (so to speak!). Events are currently planned for London and Doncaster.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/finance/support.htm
Free Will Offering
Every two years, solicitors throughout the UK offer their services free during one month for the benefit of charity. They waive their fee in favour of a donation to 9 participating charities, including Christian Aid. Writing a will is essential for anyone leaving for overseas, not just because of increased risk but also because life gets more complicated - and the more complicated your situation, the harder it will be for anyone to decide how to carry out your wishes should anything happen to you. If you don't have a will, this is the perfect time to get it sorted and make sure your assets, and any other things you want to pass on, are taken care of.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/finance/advisors.htm#wills
OSCAR Users - Who are you?
Our regular website statistics tell us very little about OSCAR's 7000 monthly website visitors. So after the new website went live we asked regular users to complete an online survey. The main reasons for this were to find out what role OSCAR users do in mission, how they heard about OSCAR and also to ask their opinion on the new website. Within the first month we had over 100 surveys completed and others have steadily added to this number since. We've put together a few of these results so you can see who your fellow visitors are. Thanks to all those who took part. Your additional comments and suggestions are being used to improve our services.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.u/oscaractive/surveyresults.htm
October
Learning to Get on Together
One thing certain about mission work; it's not an individual sport but a team game. Getting on with the rest of our team is the topic of this month's guest article. This may be the team who you work with on the ground, it may be the team from your organisation who back you up ... it may even be the team who send and support you. It's important that we get on with our diverse co-workers and not let anything hinder the ministry God has appointed us to do. Tony Cross shares with us the vision of a new organisation, set up to help us learn to get on together.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/cross.htm
Flight & Travel Info Online
If you're planning a long journey, whether by plane, car, boat or train, there are a host of websites that you should know about which can save you valuable time and money. These are set up to answer questions like:
- Where can I get an intercity bus or train ticket for £1? see Useful UK travel related links
- Where can I search all the channel ferry operators for the best fare? see Other international travel services
- Who provides the cheapest UK airport parking? see Airport related services
- What about airport information and news? see International flight related services
- What if I'm afraid of flying? see Other flight related services
- Can I get compensation if my flight is delayed or cancelled? see Flightrights
The answers to these and many other questions about travel can be found in the following sections
www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/travel
www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/comingtouk/travel.htm
Frequent Flyer Hints & Tips
Those that fly frequently soon learn the 'tricks of the trade'. Therefore it's good to learn from them rather than find out the hard way. Some time ago we asked frequent flyer OSCAR users to submit their hints & tips for making flying a better experience.
We have put this information together and arranged it under the headings of: planning your journey, travelling to the airport, checking in, choosing your seat and making the most of the flight. With extra security measures and restrictions on hand luggage, it's good to think and plan ahead.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/travel/ff.htm
Interactive Meditation
Interactive meditation is a name we've given to a category of website set up to help take the user through a journey of Christian discovery and exploration. Some of these are based on words, some on images, but all of them give the visitor some space and time to contemplate and meditate around a theme. The most recent addition to this category is 'Lost in Wonder', a site set up by the Methodist Church and designed around the labyrinth style. For those of us wrapped up in busy Christian ministry, these present a great opportunity for us to stop and reflect upon our relationship with the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/pastoral/resources.htm#meditation
New OSCAR leaflets
We've had new, glossy A5 size OSCAR leaflets printed and would love to send you some. Can you distribute them to your staff, partners or congregation? Maybe you could include them as an insert in your publication or newsletter? Why not keep a few in your office or church for others to pick up? Please help us to get the word out about OSCAR so that others can be helped by this valuable resource. Each person that orders a batch to distribute will also get a FREE gift! To order, use the contact form, telling us how many you would like and where you hope to distribute them. It's FREE for UK addresses and 'at postage cost' for sending outside the UK. Thanks for your partnership and support.
For more info about OSCAR literature, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/literature.htm
September
Running on Empty?
This month's guest article opens up a topic that we hope will resonate around the world mission community. Vicky Calver of Global Connections gives us an insight into the subject of the forthcoming GC conference and invites us to participate in the discussion about how we can best allow God to shape our mission and ministry.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/calver.htm
Pricing in Proportion
Since 21st August, the Royal Mail has changed the way post is priced. A new scale of pricing by size as well as weight has been introduced. If you're sending items back with friends to be posted in the UK, or if you're sending a parcel from the UK to overseas you might like to check the dimension limits of the new system.
For more info, see www.royalmail.com/pip
Mission Research Help
OSCAR is a good starting place for whatever you're looking for around the topic of mission - but what if you're looking for something very specific or specialised, or if you have limited access to the Web? Well, you can ask us directly or you can post a message in the OSCARactive forum to see if other OSCAR users can help. Alternatively, you can use a specialist mission search service like Wycliffe Associates or Internet Missions Research. If you're a mission worker, these folk will trawl the Internet for you for free.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/resources/missres.htm
Serving as Senders Reprinted in UK
Part of OSCAR's task is to help and enable people and churches to support mission workers around the world. That's why we promote the book 'Serving as Senders' by Neal Pirolo and have recently been the sole distributors for this book in the UK. Well, the good news is it's been reprinted in the UK and is already available through many UK book sources. The new version has updated links and information at the back ... including a reference to OSCAR!
To order your copy, go to www.oscar.org.uk/service/resources/missbooks.htm#sources
Equip becomes APT
Equip, one of the leading mission training organisations in the UK, is changing its name to 'Action Partners Training' or APT for short. Along with a new brand and a new website comes a new way of training. 'Globally at Home; Becoming an insider in a foreign culture' is a major new
101-part e-resource for cross-cultural orientation and training. The course is being launched at Bawtry Hall next month.
For more info, go to www.actionpartnerscorp.org.uk/training
August
Children's Mission Motivators
This month we're starting a survey of resources that are aimed at motivating
children towards getting involved in mission. A brief search for websites
and magazines with this aim revealed precious little, but what we have found
has been generally very good. We've picked four resources (3 websites and 1
magazine) and have asked our 10 year old reviewer what she thought of them.
Why not ask your children to vote for their favourite?
To see the results and join in the review, go to Children's Mission Motivators
Growing Young Givers
Our guest feature this month is adapted from an article which appeared in
Stewardship's Share magazine under the title `six ways to encourage children
to give'. We have given it a 'mission slant' and reproduced it (with the
kind permission of the editor of course). It's not all what you might
expect!
To read the article, go to Growing Young Givers
Inspiring Children about Mission
Do you know of any good ideas for educating children about mission? OSCAR is
compiling a list for future publication. It may be to help prepare children
for going overseas, or to inspire a Sunday school class about mission ... we
would like to know what ideas you use. Please email us with your suggestions. In the meantime, take a look at
the excellent 'Backpack Missions' strategy developed by an American mission
organisation.
Go to http://namb.net/backpack
Travelling Mercies
I believe that August is the month that involves the most travelling for
people in mission. Why not pause now to pray for any missionaries you know
who are travelling this month ...! For those who are travelling, it's good
to be aware of the various things you can do to make your trip safe. OSCAR's
crisis management page includes various sites that have good hints and tips
for safe travel, including the recently launched, excellent website
'SafeTravel.co.uk'. Make a point of visiting OSCAR's crisis management
section whenever you're planning a trip - it could save you a lot of
heartache.
For more info, see Crisis management
Refine and Refresh
The features this month are being uploaded and sent out from New Wine
conference in Shepton Mallet. Being here impresses on me the need for all of
us to step out of our 'normal' routine and spend time receiving from God.
For some this means teaching and uplifting worship, for others it means
retreat. OSCAR has several sections devoted to informing you about events
and places that can facilitate this 'time-out'. Make sure you have the
chance to be refined and refreshed this year after all the giving out that
you've done.
For more info, see Bible weeks & festivals, Retreat facilities in the UK.
For outside the UK, see Mission guest houses & other accommodation & Pastoral & spiritual section
July
Community Health Global Network
This month Dr Ted Lankester shares with us a vision to combat the world's chronic shortage of health workers. Community Health Global Network (CHGN) is the sort of grass roots network that could have dramatic effects all over the globe and millions of lives could be saved or improved as a result. This, of course, is dependent on each of us playing our part so I would encourage you to read on and see how you can help CHGN make a difference.
To read more, go to Ted's article
'Net to Post Services
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone has email! So it's not usually possible to keep in contact with all of your friends and supporters by using email alone ... unless you state clearly at the beginning of the friendship that email is required (just kidding!). You might be interested to know that there are a few services that offer Internet to post facilities. Some of these give you the opportunity to send a letter to one or many recipients, usually cheaper and quicker than it would be to send them internationally. If you think this is too impersonal for the recipient, TomorrowCards.com will even hand write a card for you and post it in the UK! Great for those last minute birthday cards.
For more info, see our post section
Library Resources
Did you know that if you have a library card from the UK, you may have access to all sorts of reference materials online? Depending on the library who issued your card, and how long ago it was issued, you may be able to use your library reference number to access online dictionaries, encyclopaedias, newspapers etc. If you have a library card, check out your libraries website to see what they offer. If you don't have a card, maybe you should think about getting one for this purpose next time you're in the UK?
For more info, see UK Public Library Resources
Get Safe Online
A new UK government sponsored website has been launched to help and advise on issues of Internet security. Get Safe Online has 3 main sections to help you protect your PC, yourself and your business. Advice is free, pretty comprehensive and very user friendly. There are short assessments and quizzes to help you check how secure you really are.
To visit the site, go to www.getsafeonline.org
For more Internet security advice, see our Internet section
OSCAR at New Wine
Anyone attending this year's New Wine conference in Shepton Mallett will have the benefit of OSCAR's services on site. We are providing mission advice and information through the central 'Re:Source' area of the Marketplace. Part of New Wine's vision is to mobilise, equip and support the church for mission and we are pleased to assist them in this task. If you're there, do come along and say Hi.
To visit the New Wine website, go to www.new-wine.org
June
Focus on Tentmaking
To read more, go to Roger's article
Short-term Mission Guide
We've updated and moved our short-term mission guide to the Opportunity zone. This is a good page to link to from your church website if you want to encourage your users to think about Short-term mission. It doesn't promote any one mission organisation over another, but gives some general advice about the process of thinking about and choosing the right opportunity. Start here and see the whole world open up before you!
For more info, see Short term mission guide
MemCare By Radio
Memcare By Radio is a daily broadcast 15 minute message of encouragement to mission workers serving in remote or isolated places. Coverage has always been limited by transmission and frequency restrictions, so reception has been patchy. But now, these daily radio broadcasts are available online ... so anyone with an Internet connection can access them. Perhaps you might like to make this part of your daily quiet time, or you can browse through their library of mission related topics and listen to them whenever you like.
For more info, see www.memcarebyradio.com
'Partnership Requests' Group in OSCARactive section
Amongst the new areas in the OSCARactive Forum is a section entitled 'Partnership Requests'. The idea of this section is to match up those who are looking for partners in order to achieve their ministry in mission. By partners, we don't mean individual supporters, but organisations, churches or individuals who can help make a particular mission or project happen. You'll see from those request already posted that there are many ways of viewing partnership, but essentially this section is to help encourage us all to work together to achieve God's purposes. If God has given you a vision in mission and you are seeking others to help you accomplish this, why not use this section to find those with whom God has also shared the same or a similar vision.
For more info, see Partnership requests
Email Redirection
One of the most useful things in the 'virtual' world is email redirection. This allows you to keep one email address no matter which ISP you use or where you move to in the world. Some redirection facilities also provide anti-virus and SPAM filtering ... extra protection and help with sifting emails is a must these days. One recently launched service, Ippimail, provides all of this for FREE! What's more, 45% of ippimail's profits go to charity. You can even nominate OSCAR as your chosen charity and we get the commission:-) Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?!
For more info, see Email forwarding
May
Praying for Mission & Missionaries
"God does not want us all to be the same but He does want us to work together as one body."
This month's guest article is written by Matt Rich. Matt, who previously served overseas as a missionary and now runs The Internet Mission, looks at the importance of prayer in mission and why it's crucial that all of us play our part in the 'body'. Matt has just launched two new websites to encourage prayer for mission organisations (PrayerPoints) and individual missionaries (PrayerSquare). OSCAR is pleased to link to these resources and encourages readers to make use of them in their own prayer time.
To read Matt's article, go to How well do you know your body?
Pray 'Smarter' for Missionaries (and their children!)
When you pray for those in mission work, do you struggle with what to pray for? Maybe you have so many things to pray for that it's difficult to focus on the real issues. We don't just need to pray longer and harder, we need to pray 'smarter'. OSCAR has developed a section of the site devoted to praying for mission and missionaries. Along with links to the two websites mentioned in the previous feature, there are several valuable resources to help with highlighting prayer topics for missionaries and their families. There's even one about 'How to pray for missionaries' Children'! Several of these resources are available in print form and online.
For more info, see our Prayer page
Funding the Family Business
This month we re-start our Book & Software Reviews section in the OSCARactive Forum with a preview of a new book coming out this summer. 'Funding the Family Business' is written by Myles Wilson and is a workbook to help those in Christian ministry who need to raise their own support. Myles has many years of experience of both living on support and fund-raising. The book preview is written by Anthony Mckernan, editor of Share, Stewardship's quarterly magazine. You can pre-order the book to make sure you get your copy as soon as it is published.
To read the review, go to Funding the Family Business
Getting around the UK
One thing that we noticed had changed significantly whilst we were overseas was transport in the UK. As traffic increases, new modes of transport come into play. Nowadays, even airlines are competing with the multitude of train and coach companies. This means that for any journey you undertake in the UK, there are numerous ways of getting from A to B. So how do you find out options and prices? Ask OSCAR, of course! We have a page dedicated to UK travel which includes links to find internal/domestic flights as well as sites like the recently launched Traveline website which plans any given route using whatever public transport services are available.
For more info, see UK Travel
Powerpoint Presentations that Inspire
Does your organisation or project have a brief PowerPoint presentation that summarizes your work? OSCAR is building a section of 'Presentations that Inspire'. This will include links to presentations that could be used by churches or conferences before & after meetings (on the big screen), or individuals looking for inspiration for mission. If you have a short presentation that might fit the bill and would like to promote it through this section for FREE ... send us the link (or the presentation itself) and we'll do the rest. Send it to . In the meantime, why not take a look at the 1 minute presentation we've put together for OSCAR?
To view OSCAR's presentation, go to OSCAR1.pps
April
Growing Up Overseas
"So much effort goes into preparing adults for cross-cultural work ... are we as good at preparing our children to cope with this upheaval in their situation?"
So much effort goes into preparing adults for cross-cultural work ... are we as good at preparing our children to cope with this upheaval in their situation? This month we see the return of the guest feature article with a piece by Marion Knell on 'Growing up overseas'. Marion is author of 'Families on the move', a book aimed at helping families who travel and work cross-culturally. This article highlights some key issues that should start you thinking about how to prepare and transition your children when moving overseas. If you're in the UK, there's an event happening on 6th May at Redcliffe College in Gloucester entitled 'Preparing Families for Living Overseas'. Of course, there's also Marion's book - a valuable resource that no cross-cultural family should be without.
To read this month's guest article, go to Growing Up Overseas
Virtual Party a Success
Many thanks to all of you who joined in with the Virtual Party during March. Users on the website reached over 1000 a day early in the month and page views topped 15,000 a day as surfers browsed around the new website, perhaps whilst looking for OSCAR the questionmark in our unique 'Virtual Hide & Seek' game!? We had over 30 people submit photos for the online party gallery (many wearing individually designed party hats!). The Virtual Party chat room saw a steady stream of comments and also received over 1000 views during the month. The party is now over (shame!), but you can still chat to us and other OSCAR users in the Global café, part of the OSCARactive forum. Winners of the party games will be notified in the next few days (with their prizes!). Hmm ...I wonder what we'll do for OSCAR's 7th birthday?
What's New with OSCAR this month?
Since the relaunch of the website last month we've added some further pages and made a number of adjustments:
- The OSCARactive section now includes all our guest articles from the last two years. New articles will be added to this section and you are invited to discuss anything related to these topics in the Open discussion group of the OSCARactive forum.
- Our new Website Survey is now online, so now you've had the chance to look around OSCAR's new website, please tell us what you think and how we can continue to serve you better. It takes just a couple of minutes to complete and is anonymous. The more people that do it - the better idea we will have of how we can develop our services to match your needs.
- To inform your friends/personnel/congregation about OSCAR, there's a new OSCAR A5 leaflet and a new OSCAR A4 poster (both in pdf format) that you can print off and distribute. We've also created a 1 minute PowerPoint presentation that you can download and show in your church, at your conference or event, or just pass around your colleagues. If OSCAR has helped you, please help us to help others :-)
You can't take it with you ... can you?
With OSCAR's new website and new 'superfast' download times, many are discovering for the first time some of the unique and immensely useful pages deep within the site. One of OSCAR's hidden gems is the 'What to take?' page. This is an extensive list of items, along with other advice about packing & customs, intended to help those travelling and moving across countries. The content of this section has been added to by many people over the last few years, so if you know something that would benefit others in this area - why not submit it and we'll add it to this page? A couple of other useful sites listed on this page include Onebag.com, which is all about the art and science of travelling light, and the Universal Packing List, which provides a customised checklist for you when you input your trip details ... fantastic!
For more info, go to What to take?
OSCAR needs your support!
About once a year we appeal to individual OSCAR users (that's you!) to help us with our running costs. It's that time again! Now that we have a new website, I hope you feel inspired to contribute something towards OSCAR's upkeep. OSCAR survives mainly on voluntary contributions, most of which come from a small fraction of its users. We've resisted going to a subscription service, knowing that it would exclude many folk from accessing our services and we want to benefit and encourage as many mission workers and supporters as possible. However, if each user donated just £5 each year it would make a dramatic effect on what we are able to do. We have the next phase of our website development just waiting for your support ... so please consider us in your giving.
To make a donation, go to Donate to OSCAR
March
Happy Birthday OSCAR
March 1st is OSCAR's birthday and to celebrate this 6th birthday and the re-launch of the OSCAR website we are holding a Virtual Party! There are five main elements to the party:
- There is an activity based around making your own party hat and photographing yourself wearing it! The photos then get posted in our party gallery on the website for all to see!!
- There are two unique online games for party goers: Virtual 'hide & seek' and Virtual 'pass the parcel' ... there are even prizes for the winners!
- There is the chance to mingle and chat with other party goers in our new 'Global Café'
- You can also talk or text with OSCAR directly through Skype.
Being a virtual party, you can join in wherever you are ... as long as you have access to the Internet. The party remains online throughout March so feel free to come back at any time during the month and have a go at something different.
Join the party now at the Virtual Party page
New OSCAR Website Official Launch
The new OSCAR website official launch is also March 1st! Along with the new website, there's a new brand and a new colour scheme. It replaces the old website that has served us for 6 years. All the familiar information is still here, but it may have moved within the site. You can either use the menu system to find what you need or you can now search the whole site from any page using our updated search engine. If you have links or bookmarks to other pages within the OSCAR site, you may need to update these as well. Those who subscribe to the OSCAR Update will have received notification when the new site was uploaded, so if you don't want to miss the next development, sign up for the OSCAR Update now!
To subscribe, send an email to with 'Subscribe' in the title, or go to contact OSCAR and fill in the form.
OSCARactive
We're also launching a new interactive section for OSCAR called OSCARactive. The old OSCAR forum has been incorporated into this but it's so much more. We have a new 'Global café' where you can meet and chat with other OSCAR users, and we're developing our message board and discussion groups so you can post your announcements, ask questions, discuss issues and generally interact with others who use the service. To particpate, you'll need to register first, but then you'll have the freedom to post and reply to messages, and manage your own profile.
To register, go to OSCARactive forum and click 'Register' on the top right of your screen.
News & Events
Another new area is the 'News & events' section. For events, we're building a list of mission events that are coming up in the next few months, both in the UK and around the world. Events happening in the next few days also appear in a new column on OSCAR's home page. If you are organising or know of an upcoming event that is open to others in the world mission community, why not submit it to OSCAR and we'll add it to our list. We don't tend to list events that are only open to the supporters or staff of one organisation, purely because this would have limited appeal to most OSCAR users and would make our list unmanageable.
To see our current list of events, go to News & events
Job Opportunities
We've created a new section for posting job opportunities. These are currently divided into short & long term mission vacancies, either around the world or in the UK. There are around 60 opportunities listed at the moment across the whole range of mission work. If you are looking for an opportunity in mission, this is a good place to start. If you want to advertise a vacancy, details are found at the bottom of the job opportunities page.
For more info, see Individual mission opportunities
February
Virtual Party Invitation
You are invited to a Virtual Party to celebrate the re-launch of the OSCAR website and OSCAR's 6th birthday. The party takes place on 1st March 2006. There will be activities & games online, and a chance for you to 'mingle' with others in the OSCAR network. Being a virtual party, you can join in wherever you are ... as long as you have access to the Internet. Make a note in your diary to log on to the OSCAR website at some point on 1st March and join in the fun!
For more info, go to the Virtual Party page
New OSCAR Website Launch
The new OSCAR website is here! Along with the new website, there's a new brand and a new colour scheme. It replaces the old website that has served us for 6 years. All the familiar information is still here, but it may have moved within the site so you may need to update your bookmarks. Those who subscribe to the OSCAR Update will have received notification when the new site was uploaded, so if you don't want to miss the next development, sign up for the OSCAR Update now!
To subscribe, send an email to with 'Subscribe' in the title, or go to contact OSCAR and fill in the form.
OSCAR is No. 1
For a website to be 'visible' to the general public, it's crucial that the search engines can find it. This requires careful planning and optimization so that the website appears at or near the top of search return lists when any related phrase is entered. OSCAR works hard to get to the top of these search return lists. In fact, at time of writing, if you search Google using any of the following phrases, OSCAR is No. 1: 'world mission info' (No. 1 out of 364,000,000 websites!), 'world mission information', 'world mission advice', 'mission organisations', 'Christian mission organisations', 'world mission resources UK', 'world mission training UK', 'missionary help UK', 'missionary information UK', 'mission advice UK', 'world mission support UK', 'short term mission UK'.
Try for yourself at www.google.co.uk
Help OSCAR Keep Up-to-date
In 2005, the OSCAR website had nearly 100,000 visits. 30% of OSCAR's traffic comes from search engines, and 80% of this is from Google. That's why it's crucial that OSCAR's info is kept up-to-date, as it will be the first place that many people find out about a certain mission resource, organisation or service. You can help us do this by keeping us informed of any changes you know about or errors that you discover. Let's keep mission on the top of everyone's agenda!
To suggest or change a listing, go to suggest a listing
Website Copyright
Are websites subject to copyright laws? This is a crucial question that effects any of us who maintain or reproduce information online (or offline), but it also applies to those who would like to pass that information on to others. A few recent incidents have made me aware that there is still some confusion on this issue. Basically, websites come under the same copyright law as any published material. In the UK, it doesn't even need to have a copyright footnote or symbol to still come under the protection of this law. Anyone wishing to copy, print or reproduce original material (i.e. articles or descriptions) for anything other than personal use needs to have the permission of the copyright holder. This does not apply to public information like names, addresses, phone numbers etc. In OSCAR's case, we are happy if you want to copy anything from the OSCAR website to distribute to others, but you do need to seek our permission first and then we require that you acknowledge OSCAR as the source for anything that you use.
For more info about website copyright, see www.patent.gov.uk/copy
January
Those who can, Teach
Our first guest writer for 2006 is Janet Lucas, Training Director of International Training Network. Janet's article follows last month's announcement that ITN are re-starting their training programme this month for Christians who want to teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL/TEFL). Janet shares some stories about the impact that being able to teach English can have on a person's ministry. She also demonstrates that this sort of skill is useful for everyday missionary situations, not just in a classroom.
To read Janet's article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/articles/lucas.htm
Holiday 2006
January is traditionally a time when many people start thinking about where they will take their holidays during the next year. Why should mission workers be any different? You would be wise to plan your time off now, so that it doesn't get squeezed out later. Your ministry will benefit if you stay healthy and refreshed. OSCAR can help you with anything from retreats to activity holidays; for individuals, couples, families or just the children!
For UK holiday info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/comingtouk/holidays.htm
For other holiday or retreat facilities for mission workers outside the UK, see www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/locations/logistics.htm or www.oscar.org.uk/service/pastoral/courses.htm
'Where there is no Doctor' online
Where there is no doctor is one book that no mission worker should be without. It's not only useful for teaching basic healthcare and first aid in remote places, it's also a great reference tool for personal healthcare where facilities are limited or basic. The good news is that this book is now available online, so anyone can access it wherever they have a connection.
For more info, see www.healthwrights.org/books/WTINDonline.htm
Will Power
A new website has launched promoting legacy giving to Christian charities. Willpower is a partnership between several Christian organisations and the website provides help and advice not only about writing a will but also about why it's important to leave a legacy for Christian causes.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/finance/advisors.htm#wills
Shop for the Kingdom
Online shopping is taking off, and just like regular shopping we're still faced with the usual consumer ethical choices but in a far bigger 'super-market'. Many online stores run affiliate schemes and some are beginning to make contributions to a customer selected charity with each purchase. This is one way that you can help your favourite mission charity or project without it costing you a penny extra. At the forefront of this rapidly growing 'virtual marketplace' is Ebay. Ebay recently launched 'Ebay for Charities', a scheme whereby anyone can auction something and give a percentage of the proceeds to charity. Why not start your New Year by getting familiar with these schemes so that your spending power through 2006 makes a difference to the kingdom with every online purchase or sale?
For examples of shopping affiliate schemes, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/affiliate.htm
To view the Ebay for Charity scheme, see http://pages.ebay.co.uk/community/charity/index.html