Celebrating eight decades of promoting and supporting world mission, having met each year since its foundation in 1937, the Convention aims to inform and instruct people who already have a genuine interest in world mission. It also seeks to challenge those with little or no involvement to become fully committed to mission at home and overseas in terms of praying, giving and going.
Dr. Sellar, who was ordained in Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church in Bangor, where the majority of the Convention’s meetings will take place this week said, “It was my privilege in this special anniversary year to have been invited to chair the opening event.
“As Christians, we are never permitted to be isolationists. We are called to be a community of global concern and there are few organisations more in tune with this than the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention, which for eight decades has promoted mission with passion and encouraged many to respond to God's call.
“Saturday evening was no ordinary night. As well as inspirational praise, we heard from three outstanding speakers. George Verwer, founder of Operational Mobilisation, who is in his late 70's, still has a fire in his belly to evangelise, discipleship train and church plant. Former Congo missionary from Belfast, Bob McAllister, was wounded in the 1964 Simba Rebellion, which saw 13 fellow missionaries killed also spoke along with Conrad Mbewe, the pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia, who has been described as the 'Spurgeon of Africa'.”
The Missionary Convention continues throughout this week meeting in various locations, but principally in Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church, Bangor.
“Many years ago, as someone who feared that God would send me to the place I least wanted to go, I discovered that instead God loves to change us, so that we are happy to do what he wants us to do, a lesson I have never forgotten. I warmly commend this year's Worldwide Missionary Convention in expectation of what God is going to do.”
For more information and details of all events at this year’s Convention visit www.worldwidemission.org. You can also follow proceedings on Twitter @bangorworldwide. The Convention closes on 27th August.