Heart of Mission

S7E05 - Meet David and Jenny, serving with CMS in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the region’s ongoing conflict, instability, and poverty, they paint a picture of vibrant faith, rich community, and deep thankfulness among the Congolese people.

Jenny shares her ministry with women—widows and church groups—where relationships, prayer, and practical service flourish even amidst hardship. Learning Swahili, she now teache...

S7E04 - For the past 15 years, Ben and his wife Sally have been living and serving among Muslim communities in South-West Sydney—sharing the hope of Jesus and walking alongside believers from Muslim backgrounds. In this episode, Ben shares some incredible stories from his ministry, showing how God is at work in unexpected ways - through refugee movements, the internet, and everyday friendships - drawing Muslims to Himself, often ov...

S7E03 - Kellie Nicholas, has served for over 13 years with KGK, Japan’s IFES-affiliated student movement. Kellie shares about the joys and challenges of student ministry in Japan, where many students have never seen a bible or heard of Jesus beyond vague Western Christmas references, even confusing him with Santa.

There is a long, relational nature of evangelism in Japan, where spiritual journeys often take years or even decades. Ke...

S7E02 - Tim and Olivia Mulherin share their life and ministry at Mercy Medical Center (MMC), Christian hospital in Cambodia. MMC has the dual purpose of training Cambodian Christian doctors and providing holistic, gospel-hearted healthcare. Through mentorship, spiritual care, and medical training, they are empowering local doctors, and their families, to have strong faith and leadership skills.  

Hear how an unexpected hea...

S7E01 - In this episode, we sit down with long-term gospel workers Josh and Susannah Apieczonek serving in Lyon, France, to explore the complexities and joy of ministry in a post-Christian European context. After 10 years in France, they reflect on the spiritual concerns of those around them, adapting to French culture, and the unique challenges of sharing Jesus in a secular society. 

France presents a context where religious f...

S6E06 - In this episode of The Heart of Mission, we shift our focus from distant mission fields to the vibrant multicultural communities right here in Australia. With nearly a third of Australians born overseas, our neighbourhoods are filled with rich cultural and linguistic diversity—but are our churches reflecting this reality?

Mark chats with Tamara, a former CMS missionary who spent 10 years on the field with her husband and chi...

S6E05 - Meet Daniel, Tamie and Michelle – three Mission Mobilisers from three different CMS branches - all deeply invested in journeying with people as they consider their role in God’s global mission. Considering mission service can seem daunting, but in this episode Daniel, Tamie and Michelle seek to share their life, clarify the inquiry process, and show us what sort of people CMS is looking for.

Our panel also tackles concerns ...

S6E04 - Malcolm and Leanne open up about the "second window of availability"—that phase when God throws up new opportunities, even when they may seem impractical. They share their early stirrings towards mission work, the preparation required to go overseas, and the challenges of adjusting to a vastly different culture and learning a new language in their fifties.

They also discuss the joys they've encountered, including helping to ...

S6E03 - Many parents grapple with the question of whether they should they take their children overseas as missionary kids (MKs)? Is it responsible to uproot them from their home culture, away from family, to a place that may have limited medical care, educational opportunities, or stability? What does it really mean to raise a "Third Culture Kid" (TCK), and how does this impact their identity and future?

Our guests today, Maaike Pr...

S6E02 - How much focus on global missions is too much? As followers of Christ, we're called to engage in local communities while also embracing God's global purpose. But how do we strike the right balance between local and global mission in our everyday lives and ministries?

Rowan Kemp is a long-serving staff team leader of the Evangelical Union (EU) at Sydney University. Rowan, who has spent decades shaping the hearts and minds of...

S6E1 - In this powerful episode of Heart of Mission, we sit down with Mila who has been serving in the Middle East for the past six years. Mila shares the challenges, blessings, and lessons learned from her time working among refugees in a region deeply affected by conflict. Through her work as both a medical professional and a disciple-maker, she has gained a unique perspective on the intersection of faith, suffering, and compassi...

"Once upon a time..." Stories are a staple part of childhood; whether true or made up, they capture and grow our imaginations and bring joy and - at times - challenges to our worldview. The Bible itself is full of stories that contribute to the overarching story of God in action in our world. How can missionaries tell this better story effectively? Is it a necessary skill for evangelism?

David Williams is Director of Training and D...

S5E6-Frances Cook first arrived in Chile in 1988 with little theological education, and no Spanish whatsoever. Now, 35 years later, she is on her final Home Assignment as a CMS missionary. For many of those years she was teaching the at the Anglican Diocese Centre of Pastoral Studies (CEP) where she has seen whole generations of clergy pass through to be trained. From humble beginnings, the CEP has brought unity in the Chilean Angl...

S5E5-Ten years is a long time. So, how do our missionaries stay supported for the long-term? How do we know what opportunities there are across the world so we can place missionaries? Well, it’s because every year our missionaries have an in-person pastoral visit from their Regional Mission Director who spends time on the ground supporting missionaries but also having eyes and ears for what is going on locally. Today we draw back t...

S5E4 - God is at work in the Middle East and L has been part of that story for decades. Nearly 40 years ago, he and his wife packed up their lives and the kids and stepped out in faith and obedience to head to the Middle East. L has seen how God opens doors and hearts to bring people to himself in some of the most gospel poor and restricted places in the world.

When they returned to Australia, L and his wife then became a teachers a...

S5E3 - Kylie Zietsch is the Women’s Dean and member of the teaching staff at Johannesburg Bible College (JBC) in South Africa. She opens our eyes to the ministry and lives of women training at JBC. Women who have a profound impact to bring healing and hope to their communities and who are serving God in extraordinary ways.

Kylie never saw herself as an academic, but with a background in teaching and a love for people and ministry d...

S5E2 - The Jacobsons love Cambodia – they have been many times over the past 10 years. What started as visiting missionary friends for five weeks turned into many regular visits with their kids. Now Maurice and Amanda are long-term CMS missionaries at a rural bible college in the north of Cambodia. This Tasmanian farming couple have traded in cold grassy pastures for humid rice paddies. But their heart to see the gospel grow and ab...

S5E1 - Welcome back to season 5! We are kicking off with someone who is a ‘not yet’ missionary. M is currently studying at St Andrews Hall, CMS’s mission training facility in Melbourne, to go and serve in a secure location among Muslim peoples. M has a heart for the gospel-poor and speaks candidly about his journey into mission, singleness, risk and potential danger and how God has encouraged him along the way.

Amongst the uncertai...

S4E6 - T works with some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Children, orphaned, and with disabilities in an Asian country that has not historically had any provision or place for them. It’s been a 20 year journey for T - being a voice and advocate for the most vulnerable at a systemic level, a trainer and teacher as a team has developed, and quite literally the hands of Jesus as T has nurtured and cared for so many childre...