Every two years, our high school student ministry embarks on a short-term international missions trip. Our goal on these trips is to give our students an opportunity to serve and worship in a different context and culture, to see a clearer picture of how God is growing His Church in other parts of the world, and also to give students opportunities to discern whether God is calling them to the mission field. In the past, these trips have given us great opportunities to partner with our Parkside missionaries and partners in the gospel from all over the world.  

This summer, we set our sights over the Atlantic ocean and traveled with 20 of our high school students to Musselburgh, Scotland. We partnered with Musselburgh Baptist Church, who’s lead pastor, Graham Shearer, has been a long-time friend of Parkside Church. For 10 days in June, we enjoyed the privilege of observing and participating in their gospel ministry efforts in the city of Musselburgh, as well as the work of Andy Prime in Gracemount, and David Robertson in Dundee, both of whom have been friends of Parkside as well.

In the time that we spent with Musselburgh Baptist Church, we were provided with a variety of opportunities to serve their community and partner with them in their day-to-day local missions. Our students spent time at a local nursing home, painting, landscaping, and singing hymns to the residents.  We also spent time passing out fliers to the local communities, spreading the word about summer children ministries, as well as raising money for their short-term missions trips by putting on a car-wash at the church.  

We also enjoyed the privilege of being welcomed in by their church family during our stay. We worshipped together on Sunday, were invited into all of their youth group activities, and their church families banded together to welcome us into their homes almost every single evening to enjoy a meal together. We were simply overwhelmed by the hospitality that was shown to us during our time with their church and I’m certain that the relationships that were built on this trip with our Scottish friends will last long into the future.  

Another highlight of our trip was the time that we spent with Andy and Sarah Prime. Andy is working with a network called, “20 Schemes,” and he is in the first stages of planting a church in Gracemount, a city and community largely affected by poverty, drugs, and violence. Andy’s wife, Sarah, has been working with the youth in Gracemount for the past 10 years, looking for opportunities to share the gospel with the children in their community. We met with Andy and Sarah for two days and we were able to hear all about what they are doing in Gracemount. We also spent time at the youth club that Sarah leads for the children.  

Lastly, we had the privilege of spending some time with David Robertson in Dundee. David, who had recently spoken at the Basics Conference, had invited us to come visit him at St. Peter’s Chapel where he pastors.  It was great to hear from David because he has a unique place of influence in Scotland. He has debated some of the world’s renowned atheists and is one of the few prominent voices for Christianity in Scotland where people have overwhelmingly become indifferent to God and Christianity entirely. Our group was able to hear about David’s perspective on Christianity in Scotland and asked him helpful questions on how he navigates the secular and atheist environment in which he spends so much time. This was incredibly helpful for our students, especially our seniors, who are soon headed off to college where they will have to deal with many of these similar issues.  

As I look back at our trip, I believe the greatest benefit that we received was the way that it broadened our perspective on world missions and the universal need for the gospel. We learned that Scotland, like much of Europe, has abandoned God in many ways. Less than three percent of the population of Scotland attends church, and even less than that would be Bible-believing Christians. We might not immediately think of Scotland when we think about where we need to send missionaries, but we do need to understand that it is a spiritually impoverished nation. The vast majority of people in Scotland do not view Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. For that reason, we need to be concerned with fulfilling the Great Commission in that part of the world.

Please join with me in praying for our gospel partners in Scotland. Pray for Graham, Andy, Sarah, David, and all of the faithful believers who are facing the difficulty of living for Christ in a difficult place. Pray that they would continue to persevere and stay faithful to the truth of God’s Word in a culture where that is unpopular.  Pray that gospel leaders would be trained up and sent out into that part of the world and that the light of the gospel would shine brightly in the darkness.

Dan Schillero
High School Youth Ministry Pastor