June
Kids These Days ...
With all the technology available to youngsters these days, they often only experience the world 'virtually' through a screen. How can we compete when it comes to presenting mission and educating them about the issues of the 'real' world they live in? Experiential learning and interactive activities have to be the way to go. This month's guest writer is Georgina Varney and she tells us about an interactive children's event that she has been pioneering called 'One World'.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/varney.htm
Mission Vacancies at New Wine
Once again, OSCAR is running the central mission advice and resources area in the marketplace at the New Wine summer conferences. One of the main features of this area is a Job Opportunities board that we host. As a special concession to organisations already advertising their opportunities with OSCAR, we are able to promote them at all 3 weeks of New Wine for the amazing price of just £10 per vacancy! Don't miss this opportunity to get your vacancy in front of the 20,000 Christians who will be attending New Wine this year.
For details, go to www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/vacancies/jobopportunities/index.htm#newwine
Virtual Orientation
There are a variety of ways to prepare for cross-cultural work, from the traditional course at a college or training establishment through to a variety of online offerings that help you get 'up to speed' on cross-cultural issues. Many of the mission colleges are also starting to offer their training online, the latest development being an online version of the en route course from All Nations Christian College. This 14-week foundational cross-cultural mission training course comprises online lessons & resources, community learning (through weekly discussions) and personal reflection in workbooks.
For more info about orientation, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/training/preparation.htm
For details of en route online, see www.allnations.ac.uk/eLearning
Bible Commentaries Online
If you're preparing a sermon or bible talk and don't have access to commentaries and study aids, why not make use of some of the bible study resources now online. Our Pastoral & Spiritual Resources section includes links to Bible study aids, devotionals and a whole host of materials to help you in your ministry. Recently added to this section is the extensive FREE Bible Commentary provided by Dr. Bob Utley, a retired Professor of Hermeneutics.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/pastoral/resources.htm
For the FREE Bible commentary, go to www.freebiblecommentary.org
Photo Competition
For the summer we are running a photo competition. Whether you're a mission worker (long or short term), supporter, resourcer or enthusiast ... we would like to receive one photo from you which sums up the work that you do, with a one line caption of between 10 and 20 words. The winner will have their photo published on OSCAR's front page for a month along with your caption and a link to your personal, organisation, church or project website. Don't miss this unique opportunity to show up to 10,000 users what you do!
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/photocompetition
May
Called to be Single?
Are you called to be single or are you called to be married but just haven't found the right person yet? How do you seek God's plan for your life in the relationship department and how do you cope with the plan when it unfolds? Our guest article this month is written by Fiona Cooper, a missionary in South America. Fiona focuses on the topic of singleness on the mission field and explores whether, for her, it's a calling or just a situation she finds herself in. There is also a new feature; you can now leave a comment after reading the article.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/cooper.htm
Low Airfares for Mission Workers
How do you find the cheapest airfare? If you're Web savvy you probably search online through every flight portal website you can find, looking for the best deal with the least stopovers and travel time. If you're not so Web savvy, you might like someone else to do that for you. Why not let OSCAR help and try both? Firstly, use our Flights page as the starting point for your online flight search. We have many of the popular (and some of the little known) flight search facilities linked from that page. One that comes highly recommended by one OSCAR user is skyscanner. Secondly, use our Travel Agents page to link to Mission, Christian & Charity travel agents in the UK and around the world. Many of these provide special airfares for mission and humanitarian workers. A little shortcut hint ... rather than trawl through all their websites filling in form after form, why not put together an email with your requested journey and times and email it to each of the agents on the Travel Agents page. That way they do all the hard work for you and you can think about more important things like 'What to take'.
For our Flight page, go to www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/travel/flights.htm
For our Travel Agents page, go to www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/travel/travelagents.htm
For our 'What to Take' page, go to www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/shipping/take.htm
Thirsty?
Where do you get your spiritual nourishment? Many mission workers often find life on the field a spiritually dry experience. Often the lack of good devotional material is one major factor of this. OSCAR's Pastoral and Spiritual section is designed to help encourage and nurture you through your mission experience. The Resources page has a host of online devotionals that you can access from anywhere in the world. Two new services recently launched are: 1/ Deovox, a FREE audio devotional and bible study resource produced by Damaris in the UK; and 2/ Easybibles, easy to read parts of the Bible at different reading levels in many languages ... a useful resource when leading bible studies in different languages.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/pastoral/resources.htm
Prayer Requests by SMS
Technology provides many ways by which prayer requests can be sent quickly and directly to those who can pray. One of the quickest, suggested by OSCAR user Sarah Harris, is to use one of the Internet SMS (text message) services to send urgent prayer requests to the mobile phones of praying friends immediately, without having to wait for them to check their email.
For more info about SMS, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/communications/telephone.htm#SMS
For other services and advice on praying for mission workers, see www.oscar.org.uk/supporter/roles/pray.htm
Froggybank
Statistics show that online shopping is growing at 9% each year and in 2007, 15 pence in every shopping pound was spent online. If this included you, why not use your spending power to raise funds for mission? It doesn't have to cost you a penny more. OSCAR has set up various affiliate schemes where you can shop as you normally do, but OSCAR receives a contribution from the retailers. One of the most recently launched services to offer this facility is froggybank! Why not hop onto their website and see how it works?
For more info, see www.froggybank.co.uk/oscar
For our other affiliate schemes, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/affiliate.htm
April
Making Money with Morals
Did you know that you could use your financial potential to support mission without giving a penny? Ethical investments have become big business for many banks, but what if we're about our Father's business? Chris Sheldon, Director and Deputy Chief Executive of Kingdom Bank and our guest writer this month, explores this topic and makes some suggestions to help us invest in the kingdom.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/sheldon.htm
Gift Aid Reprieve
Many charities and full-time Christian workers have been concerned about this month's cut in income tax rate, which normally would result in a cut in Gift Aid payments. Well, the good news is that last month's budget announced that the government has plans to make up the difference in gift aid payments for the next three years. This gives donors a little longer to adjust their giving amounts accordingly and beneficiaries a little longer to make plans for the shortfall.
For more info, see www.stewardship.org.uk/budget08.htm
Mission Guest Houses
If you're planning some time away over the next 6 months and want a place to stay, don't forget to ask OSCAR. We have a section dedicated to mission guest houses and other accomodation around the world. Over the last year or so, one of the most popular email requests we've had has resulted from an entry in this section highlighting a Mission Guest House list put together by Ken MacHarg. We also have a section for those returning to the UK and looking for holiday accomodation.
For guest houses worldwide, see www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/locations/logistics.htm
For UK holiday accomodation, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/comingtouk/holidays.htm
Adopt a Missionary
As well as being a good principle, 'Adopt a Missionary' is also the name of a US based website encouraging support for mission workers. OSCAR has always been 'the mission workers advocate' and we would want to encourage everyone to adopt a missionary and treat them like you would one of your extended family (the ones you get on with, I mean!) and support them on a regular basis in as many ways as you can think of. You can even do this if you're a missionary yourself! OSCAR's supporter section is designed to help you better support mission workers.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/supporter
To visit the 'Adopt a Missionary' website, see www.adoptamissionary.info
Serving as Senders
This international best selling book by Neal Pirolo is now in its second print edition in the UK and is available online and from all good bookshops. The main differences from the first edition, apart from the stunning new cover, are the updated resources and information. There is also a day course based on the book which can be run in your church or area. It's a great way to inspire and enthuse your congregation to fulfil this important biblical role. As one previous attendee said "the best missionary day I had been to".
To order the book, see www.bookbrain.co.uk/pricesearch.aspx?isbn=1850786771
For more info on the course, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/trainandconsult.htm#sas
March
Online Social Networking and Christian Unity
Why would Christians get involved in online social networking? This is a question many people ask and as this area of the Internet grows, so do the answers and reasons for involvement. In our guest article this month, Keno Ogbo, founder of Spiraluniverse.org, explores how social networking can promote Christian unity and highlights some of the benefits to those of us engaged in mission. She also points to an excellent guide to social networking that Spiraluniverse.org are putting together and lists four easy steps to get you started.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/ogbo.htm
Earthquakes, Floods and Tales of the Unexpected
If you're outside the UK, you may have heard about the UK's largest earthquake in 20 years shaking the country in the early hours of Feb 27th. If you're in the UK, you probably felt it. No one knew it was coming and they say the insurance bill for the damage could top 10 million pounds. This earthquake, and certainly the floods from last year, show that whatever environment you're in, you should be a wise steward and make sure you have contingency plans for things like finance, safety, health and travel. OSCAR's crisis management section can help you think through the 'what ifs' and put together your own personal contingency plan.
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/crisis
Insurance - Financial Luxury or Peace of Mind?
Adequate insurance is one big issue to consider when contingency planning. When we lived in Uganda we had a lightning strike on the house. It fried all electrical equipment that was connected to, or even near, the house electric system. The bill was high, but it was all covered by a personal effects insurance policy taken out before our overseas service. I reckon in that one claim we got back more than we paid in premiums, so it really was worth it for 'peace of mind'.
Why not let OSCAR help you select the right insurance products and gain that 'peace of mind'?
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/finance/insurance.htm
International Cuisine & Customs
If you are planning a mission event at your church or housegroup, no doubt you'll already have that important ingredient in some form ... food! Why not serve something with an international flavour that will enhance your event and reinforce the focus of the evening? OSCAR has collected together a few resources that include international recipes & customs. There's even one site, MyHATT (Hands Across The Table), that provides everything you need to plan and run your cross-cultural meal.
For international recipes, see www.oscar.org.uk/supporter/roles/holdanevent.htm
For cross-cultural customs, see www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/locations/profile.htm
OSCAR Users Top 1000 a Day!
Last month our daily visitors on the OSCAR website went over 1000 on several days. With the busy times on the site (mid afternoon GMT) being 10 times more busy than the quiet times (early morning GMT), you can expect up to 75 people per hour logging on and staying on the site an average of 4 minutes. So in the busy times you might be on the OSCAR site at the same time as several other people from other parts of the world! We would really like to introduce some of you to each other, so please make use of our OSCARactive section and read about and interact with other users through the blogs and social networking sites.
For more info, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive
February
A Tale of Two Teachers
This month we have a double bill feature article for you! Two guest writers give us two different ways in which teaching skills can be used in a mission context. Firstly, Janet Lucas responds to last month's article about 'Christian Gap Years' and suggests that learning to teach English is a great skill for gappers. Secondly, John Crump tells us how those who retire with teaching skills and experience can be a real asset in all sorts of mission situations.
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/lucascrump.htm
Pocket Sized Health
Berlitz have a new Travel Health Pocket Guide due out this Spring, but we've managed to get hold of a copy early. We even know how you can pick up a copy of your own before the official launch! Grace Robinson provides us with a review of this small guide which no travelling pocket should be without.
To read the review, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/messageboard/thpg.htm
Book a Holiday
This is the time of year when people all over the UK are booking their summer holiday. Mission workers need holidays too (or especially!) but it's often the first thing to get squeezed when the coffers are short. No worries ... OSCAR maintains a list of special holiday deals or places available to mission workers. Why not get your 2008 holiday sorted now, then you'll have time to look forward to it.
For holidays in the UK, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/comingtouk/holidays.htm
For holidays outside the UK, see www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/locations/logistics.htm
God Mobile
Something else that gets squeezed when we're busy is our time resting in God's presence, both in prayer and Bible reading. OSCAR has a pastoral & spiritual resources section that highlights some of the various creative resources that help with this. Resources like Scripture Union's new WordLive website that feeds God's word to you via mobile, iPod or email ... or their PrayLive Facebook application which reminds you to pray whenever you view your Facebook profile. SOON Ministries has a new Ephesians study book and St. Andrews bookshop has recently launched its own E-devotional service. Why not try something new to breathe life into your time with God.
For pastoral & spiritual resources, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/pastoral/resources.htm
What's in a Name?
One of the questions we get asked quite frequently is 'What does OSCAR stand for?' It's an acronym of 'One Stop Centre for Advice and Resources'. However, we tend to play down the acronym and use our full registered title, 'OSCAR - the UK Information Service for World Mission'. That's because there are a few other 'oscars' out there. Aside from the academy awards, who hold most of the oscar internet domain names, there is the 'Organisation for Sickle Cell Anaemia Research' and the 'Open Source Cluster Application Resources'. Confusingly, the charity regulator in Scotland have chosen the web address www.oscr.org.uk which is so similar to ours that we now get quite a few enquiries from Scottish charities. In addition, the boys name 'Oscar' is on the rise, so don't be alarmed if you call us asking 'Is this Oscar?' and get a slightly hesitant response ... it just means that we're thinking through the possible responses. Personally, I think 'One Sees Clearer After Repentance' was a much better explanation!
To find out more about OSCAR, go to www.oscar.org.uk/about/intro.htm
January
Christian Gap Year - what's the difference?
To kick off our articles for the New Year, we're looking at Gap Years and in particular what makes a Christian Gap Year different to all the other Gap Year opportunities that are out there. KJ Duursma, who runs Year4God, a UK based Christian Gap Year website, helps us answer some key questions ... what are Christian Gap Years? When's the best time to take one? And what sort of things are on offer from Christian organisations?
To read the article, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/articles/duursma.htm
Mission Opportunities on OSCAR
Last year OSCAR advertised over 170 individual mission opportunities through our website (nearly double the previous year) and around 60 at New Wine summer conferences. We're currently looking at ways of improving our job vacancy system, but in the meantime we've added a few extra features. There is now a 'medium term' category for opportunities between 3 and 12 months (to cover gap years). We're also entering into partnerships with some other mission vacancy websites to jointly publicise opportunities. Whether you're looking for your first short term mission opportunity or something for the next phase of your Christian service, OSCAR is the place to start.
For more info, go to www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/vacancies/jobopportunities
OSCAR's Extra Services
To keep OSCAR comprehensive and inclusive, basic listings are offered FREE to mission and support organisations. We do, however, offer various extra services for those who want them. The annual 'package' is the most popular and includes a dedicated link page and several vacancy listings ... it's a great way to raise your organisation's online profile. Individual mission vacancies can still be posted for a one-off fee (no increase from last year!). Sponsoring a section of the OSCAR website is another way to get your organisation's name highlighted on the site and help OSCAR at the same time.
For details of this year's 'package', see www.oscar.org.uk/about/package.htm
To post individual job vacancies, go to www.oscar.org.uk/opportunity/vacancies/jobopportunities/index.htm#submission
For sponsorship details, see www.oscar.org.uk/about/sitesponsor.htm
Frequent Flyer?
If you're planning a flight in the next few months, there are a few shortcuts to help you prepare and make the right choices re. airline/seats etc. OSCAR has put together a page of Frequent Flyer hints and tips, many of them gleaned from other OSCAR users over the last few years. One website of note is the brilliant SeatGuru which really is the ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information. A must view if you have special travel needs or younger family members who need space and/or entertainment!
For more info, see www.oscar.org.uk/service/logistics/travel/ff.htm
Social Networking Update
OSCAR's Facebook group now has over 80 members, and we've also launched similar groups in other social networking platforms ... namely Bebo, MySpace and YouTube. If you are a user of any of these networks, why not join us in the OSCAR group?
We have also added a feature at the bottom of every OSCAR webpage that allows you to social bookmark that page with any of the social bookmarking services (like del.icio.us, digg or reddit).
To access OSCAR's social networking groups, go to www.oscar.org.uk/oscaractive/socialnetworks