Darren Richards - Mercy Ships Global Association
Having been with Mercy Ships UK for almost 6 years, I felt God’s call/pull/prompt to consider what may be next.
I wondered if it was perhaps time for a change, and so had an honest chat with my manager, and began praying into the future. I felt God ask me to focus on finishing my book on leadership, and that he would open a door and ‘lift me’ into a new position. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but I’ve learned to trust Him over the years when it comes to jobs especially. Immediately after submitting my manuscript, I got a call from the CEO saying she’d heard about a job that she felt I’d be perfect for. This began a rollercoaster few weeks. Within a couple of days, I found myself boarding a plane to Geneva, having dashed to Heathrow one Sunday after church, back in February. I was a little tired and didn’t have much time to prepare, but I did my best at the interview, then travelled home. After which, well, nothing happened. For almost 2 months, I got the odd update here and there, but I just had to wait and to trust. Thankfully, on the Tuesday after Easter (11 April), I finally got confirmation that I’d been appointed by the external recruitment team. I have to say, I’m over the moon!
I am delighted to share that I will be joining Mercy Ships Global Association on 5 June. I do give God all the praise, thanks and glory! Once again, He has opened a door, kept his word, and allowed me to step into a role where I can serve Him, by serving the poor. I’ll be taking up the newly created position of Global Fundraising and Marketing Communications Director. The office is in Switzerland, but the team work remotely around the world, so we have no plans to leave St Johns!
I will be working closely with Mercy Ships National Directors in 16 nations around the world, and their marketing teams, to help resource, train and support their national strategies, whilst coordinating cross-border collaboration on shared initiatives, especially fundraising ideas and volunteer crew recruitment drives. I’ll also be directing an in-house production team of design, web, and video creatives to create and share fundraising and recruiting campaigns with various national offices. As a small part of the role, the CEO has allowed me to keep working on another passion, writing about leadership, with my book being published globally next month (May).
This is a pivotal time for Mercy Ships. We will have two large ships operating in Africa for the first time, potentially on the West and East coast simultaneously. We would of course value your prayers. Please do pray! For wisdom, as I transition, handover, and take on the leadership of a new team in a new culture. For our family, as we learn to balance Caroline’s role as a pastor and her University leadership role, with my new role, especially since both our jobs require some international travel. Pray for good relationships, as I seek to build collaborative projects and unite teams from different parts of the world, to better serve God’s kingdom. And for Mercy Ships leaders, staff and volunteers, especially the crew onboard our ships. At the end of the day, they are the real heroes. These volunteers give their time freely to change lives. The patients too are inspirational. They bravely come onboard and undergo operations, having lived in pain in the shadows, often as outcasts.
Here is one story, the recent advert my team worked on for Christian TV channels telling the story of a wonderful little girl called Sira: