“When we are called, we serve.” This phrase has come to define the 2026 Mission Team. It is how they have come to describe themselves: the Agency of Change.
Throughout the year, the team has stepped into different places, different communities and different ministry spaces, responding to each opportunity with a willingness to serve. Their motto, “Where Transformation Meets Adventure,” reflects what they have experienced throughout the year as God has worked in their lives and through their ministry.
From June to August, the Mission Team’s journey took them from Krugersdorp to Soshanguve, Randfontein, Kwa-Thema, Peart Memorial, Mabopane, Katlehong and Germiston, as well as to Central Division Y-Connexion. In each place, the ministry looked different, but the purpose remained the same: to serve, to connect and to create opportunities for people to encounter Christ.
Seeing What God Is Doing
One of the highlights of the quarter came at Central Division Y-Connexion 2026, where more than 450 young people gathered around the theme “SEE”, based on 2 Kings 6:16-17.
The Mission Team became part of a weekend filled with worship, sport, talent, practical challenges, workshops and fellowship. Beneath the activities, however, was an invitation to look beyond what is immediately visible and recognise God’s presence, power and purpose. On Sunday, young people were invited to consider God’s call upon their lives. Some responded to the invitation, while others expressed interest in exploring Mission Team as an avenue of ministry and service in 2027.
For a team whose own experience is centred on discovering God’s calling, this was an opportunity to witness others beginning to ask the same question: “What is God calling me to?”
Where Children Become the Mission Field
Children have been an important part of the Mission Team’s ministry throughout the quarter. At Randfontein Corps, approximately 73 children gathered for Kids Club. Games, interaction, biblical teaching and relationship-building created an environment where children could learn, participate and experience the love of Christ.
At Kwa-Thema Corps, the team encountered another 80 children through Kids Club. Through songs, Bible stories, games and interactive activities, the Gospel was shared in ways that were accessible, engaging and relevant. The team also ministered at Germiston Citadel Corps, where approximately 50 children were reached. Once again, the team stepped into a space where ministry could happen through connection, participation and sharing the message of Christ.
Across these different communities, the team was reminded that children are not simply an audience for ministry; they are part of the mission field. It is easy to measure ministry by numbers, but children’s ministry often works differently. A Bible story remembered years later, a prayer whispered at home, or a child discovering that they are loved by God may never appear on a statistics sheet. Yet these are often the first signs of faith taking root.
Mission Beyond the Church Walls
At Krugersdorp, the Mission Team’s ministry extended into the important work of child protection. Through creative presentations, visual displays and interaction, children and young people were reminded of their value and their right to safety, dignity and care. The team also spent time with the local youth and visited the Goodwill Centre, seeing another way in which a Corps can serve its community. Here, mission was not simply about standing in front of people and speaking. It was about being present. The quarter continued to challenge the team to see ministry as something that happens both on and beyond the platform through advocacy, compassion, conversation, practical service and relationships.
A Week Where Mission Came Together
Kwa-Thema brought many aspects of mission together in a single week. The campaign included evangelism training, children’s ministry, Home League and Young Women’s Ministries, community outreach and Sunday worship. The week culminated in Sunday ministry that included door-to-door evangelism, one-on-one ministry, soup kitchen service, Home League fellowship and worship. It was mission expressed in many different ways. The Mission Team was not simply participating in a programme. They were learning what it means to make themselves available wherever God opens a door.
Learning from Those Who Came Before
Mission also brought the team into spaces of intergenerational fellowship. At Peart Memorial Corps, the team spent time with the Home League, sharing fellowship, hospitality and encouragement. At Mabopane Home League, they were welcomed into a gathering marked by prayer, connection and encouragement.
These encounters remind us that mission sometimes means sitting down and listening to those whose lives have been shaped by years of faithful service. Their example, wisdom and experience help form those who are just beginning their own journey of service.
Becoming Equipped to Serve
Every ministry opportunity has also been shaping the Mission Team themselves. The varied contexts have strengthened their communication, children’s ministry, youth engagement, evangelism, teamwork, leadership, event planning and community engagement skills. They have had to learn to adapt, sometimes leading from the front and sometimes serving quietly behind the scenes. One lesson has surfaced repeatedly: Christian ministry is not restricted to a platform. It is found in relationships, compassion, practical action, discipleship, witness, showing up and serving.
Carrying the Mission Forward
As the Mission Team entered its Re-entry Phase in September, the focus began shifting towards life beyond the programme. Input on entrepreneurship and financial literacy helped equip members for responsible financial management, future planning and life beyond their Mission Team experience. The hope is that what has been formed in them will not remain within the boundaries of the Mission Team.
The skills developed, relationships built, lessons learned and faith strengthened are all part of something that continues beyond this season. An agency of change is not defined only by what happens while its members are together. It is also defined by what happens when they are sent out.
When They Are Called, They Serve
From children gathered at Kids Clubs to young people wrestling with questions of calling; from Home League fellowship to door-to-door evangelism; from child protection advocacy to practical community service, the Mission Team has served in many different ministry settings. Through it all, one truth continues to shape their experience: “When they are called, they serve.”
They serve where there is a need. They serve where there is an opportunity. They serve where God opens a door. And they are learning that transformation is not always dramatic. Sometimes it begins with one conversation, one act of kindness, one child hearing that Jesus loves them, or one young person daring to ask what God might be calling them to.
The Mission Team may call themselves the Agency of Change, but ultimately they point beyond themselves to the God who calls, equips and sends. And so they continue to go.
Where Transformation Meets Adventure.