Could you join a team?
Reach Beyond is a mission organisation aiming to reach those people who have not had a chance to hear the gospel, using media and practical works in the name of Jesus.
One of our ministries is with migrant people who have arrived in Europe from normally unreached places. This ministry involves working alongside partners who are established in areas of need, supplying help that they need to maintain and grow their ministry.
The help can be both financial and practical, can involve sending people long term to work alongside the partner, and, where it is beneficial, can involve sending short term teams.
What are the objectives?
Our heart is to serve God amongst mobile unreached people who have travelled to Europe in search of a better life. These people include migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.
By taking teams out to work with these mobile people in Greece we aim to achieve 5 clear goals.
• To benefit those we serve
• To benefit those we work alongside, our partners and their staff, being a blessing and not a burden.
• To benefit those who are in the team by experiencing mission first-hand and helping them to discern God's will for their lives
• To benefit the churches who send the teams, to enhance their understanding and/or focus on mission
• To benefit and develop the work of Reach Beyond
Check out the trips available in 2024/2025
Who do we take?
We aim to raise teams through churches and Christian organisations from across the UK (and sometimes from mainland Europe).
Our preference is that all the members of a team are from a similar locality, but not necessarily from the same church. This way we can spend time training and preparing teams in person, can debrief after the trip all together, and, where required, the team can more easily remain in contact after the trip.
Team members need to be over 18 and in good health. Sadly, due to accessibility issues in the ministry locations, we cannot take people with limited mobility.
How do we raise teams?
We look for a person in the area or organisation who is willing to be our main contact point for the process of raising and preparing the team. We call this person our 'advocate'.
The first step is to arrange an information event, where a representative of Reach Beyond explains in detail what the trip will involve and the processes that will occur in order to raise, prepare and take a team.
We will work alongside the advocate to publicise this event, and encourage that person to promote it as much as possible.
The event is for all those interested in knowing about our work with refugees, not just for those interested in joining a trip. Each person on a trip will be asked to find at least 5 people to provide them with prayer support, so there are many more people involved who do not actually travel.
What are the costs and timescales?
Trips are between 7 and 14 days, depending on the availability of the team members and the work involved on the trip. A typical budget for a trip is £700-£1000 per person.
We also ask each person to raise some funds to support Reach Beyond’s ministry.
We will provide details of trips that have been requested by our partners, the size of team required, the skills needed by the team members and the suggested dates. Together will we prayerfully decide which trip to work towards.
What preparation and support is given?
Reach Beyond will work with the sending church or churches from inception of the project right through to the post-trip debrief and beyond.
We will provide pre-trip training to explain the roles and expectations of team members, and to cover some cross-cultural understanding.
There will be a Reach Beyond missionary on the trip as the leader of the team. The team leader will follow procedures and protocols set out by the organisation to cover risk mitigation and the wellbeing of team members. We will have an in-person debrief with the team a couple of weeks after we return.
