Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. (Acts 16.9-10)

By the time you read this, the Alliance's executive committee will have completed a visit to Indonesia, travelling to trouble spots throughout the archipelago, consulting with Christian and other religious leaders in Jakarta, and holding its own annual business meeting in Minahasa.

The early church left us a good example of listening to God while reading the signs of the times. The vision the first Christians caught - or, perhaps we should say, the vision that caught them - led to effective mission on their part. Paul and his companions did not go on mission when it was convenient or fashionable to go. Prior to their journey to Macedonia, they had considered going to a number of places, but were prevented from going because they did not see God leading in those directions (Acts 16.6-8).

Today, unfortunately, Christian communities too often engage in mission without being careful to understand the vision God gives as we read the signs of our own times. Some go because what they are responding to attracts donor funds. Others refuse a particular mission because it presents too many personal dangers.

Our passage from the book of Acts gives us all an example to follow. The call to "come over to Macedonia and help" was heard clearly, and the response was quick. On arrival in Macedonia, Paul and his companions worked with women and men they had found there to bring the good news to people. Their concept of mission engagement was not only swift response to God's call, but also recognition that mission partners included local people - women and men. Despite the patriarchal structures of those days, which have still not vanished from the earth, they recognised in Lydia a true mission partner, and her home became a base for mission work (Acts 16.14-15). Their being in Macedonia was both helpful and fruitful.

At its meeting in 2001, the Alliance's executive committee responded to a similar call: "Come over to Indonesia and help us". The call had many challenges, but the committee responded positively. Committee members will be working with the witness of the local people to strengthen the voices and structures of peace-building in a country which has seen much violence because of the misuse of religious differences for political ends.

This is just one of the ways in which the Alliance continues to respond to the call to come over and help all those who are suffering as a result of conflict and injustice all around the world. The response, of course, is not just that of an executive committee, still less of an office. It involves our whole network of member churches - more than two hundred of them, in more than a hundred countries - because the call is addressed to all of us.

How effectively are we engaged in listening for God's call? How effectively are we engaged in mission in our many different contexts? The words of the vision still ring, and they ring for us. How do we respond?

Setri Nyomi