Telford clubbers find SanktuaryThe music is pumping, the dance floor is packed, and the alcohol is flowing. It’s midnight at Pussycats Night Club in Telford and people are ready to party. Some will have a fun night out; others may find themselves in need of some assistance, which is why Sanktuary was set up down the street by Wellington Methodist Church and Safespace, a Christian community pioneered by CMS mission partner Mark Berry. Open Saturday nights from 11:30 pm to 3 am, Sanktuary offers a haven where people can sober up, order a taxi and find a listening ear.Since last December, Sanktuary has welcomed a steady stream of late night clubbers, who say Sanktuary “feels so safe.” “As soon as you walk in you feel at home,” one person said, adding, “The people are so nice; it’s amazing they just want to help.”By being available in the wee hours, Sanktuary volunteers have connected with people they may not have met otherwise.

Visiting Sanktuary, a Radio 4 producer overheard people discussing the nature of evil and the existence of God. (CMS UK-based mission partners are involved in things like interfaith evangelism, creation care and fresh expressions of church.)

Sudanese children draw on Jesus for healingThe war in Sudan may be over, but according to mission partner Ruth Radley, “there’s a long way to go before peace reigns in people’s hearts, especially children.” Ruth has been helping run trauma counselling sessions with children in an orphanage. “One of the sessions was about taking our pain to Jesus, and asking him to come heal us. The children were asked to draw or write either some wrongdoing they wanted to confess, or horrors they had seen. One girl, Grace, drew a picture of herself with her hands on her head because when rebels came to her home, she was scared and didn’t know what to do. She also drew her father, who was abducted, with his hands on his head. Another girl drew a picture of her house being burnt down.”One of the leaders picked up a wooden cross, and the children followed her outside. “We took the papers, laid them at the foot of the cross and burned them. While words and images of pain dissolved in flames, we held hands and sang ‘cast your burdens onto Jesus’ slowly and quietly. It was an overwhelming sight.”

Isaiah 29:18: “And in that day shall the deaf hear the

words of the book…” In March 2009,

CMS scholarship recipient Faraj Hanna

became priest of Egypt’s first and only deaf-mute congregation. Though there

are millions of deaf/mute people in Egypt, they are often kept from educational,

social and job opportunities.

Mission is happening. Right now,

God’s love is criss-crossing the globe,

transcending cultural barriers, reaching

into people’s lives and transforming

communities. Mission is moving in all

directions, connecting people from

East, South, North and West.

For over 200 years, CMS has been playing a part in God’s

mission. Because we’re involved in so many different mission

contexts, it can be difficult to sum up what we do. We think

“sharing Jesus, changing lives” just about covers it.

As a globally networked community, committed to

evangelistic mission, we dream of the day when the whole of

creation is restored to a living, loving relationship with God.

We see glimpses of this everywhere. There are many

stories of “sharing Jesus, changing lives” we could tell.

Here are just a few…

So any mission activity to which we are called must be seen as humble participation in this vast sweep of the historical mission of God.” Christopher JH Wright

Most people don’t know that worldwide there are currently more sufferers of arsenic poisoning than people infected with HIV/AIDS. Millions of people in Bangladesh alone are at risk of arsenic poisoning due to contaminated water supplies. Mission partner James Pender is working with the Church of Bangladesh to dig safe wells and combat the effects of arsenic poisoning.

Resourcing leaders, Cairo, Egypt

Mark Berry

www.cms-uk.org

365x265.indd 1 2/11/09 15:42:56

Tanzanian TransformaTionEarly this year the new neema Crafts Centre for People with Disabilities opened

in iringa, Tanzania. says mission partner susie Hart, “it’s been a long journey

from the small room where i taught three deaf lads how to make paper from

elephant dung six years ago, to the spacious new centre which has enough room to accommodate the

100 or so people with disabilities who are now trained and/or employed at neema Crafts.”

In a powerful example of indigenous mission, Bishnu, a young Asian minister, recently held a baptism service for 11 new Christians in a prison in Nepal.

“After 15 minutes of praise and worship, the deputy chief district officer gave a short talk, saying he felt religions are not bad because they build up

people and society to live in a godly way and in harmony. The men stood quietly,

receiving prayer and then a bucket of water was poured over each one. As they were

baptised they each praised the Lord and expressed a great feeling of freedom in their

hearts, though they’ve been behind bars for several years.” Then they all took part in a

simple service of Holy Communion.

About 40 people at this prison have put their trust in Jesus. Together, they have

formed a prison church that is likely to grow bigger.

Dr Congo: nEw CEnTrE TakEs CHilDrEn from sTrEET To safETyOn 16 June, the International Day of the African Child, Centre Kimbilio in

Lubumbashi opened its doors to Congolese street children for the first time. CMS

mission partner Ian Harvey, who has been working for over two years setting up

the Centre, explained, “In Swahili, kimbilio means a place to run to for safety. At our

day centre, children find a safe place off the streets where they can eat, wash, find

a friendly person to talk to and be shown the love of God. For many of them, their

experiences during and after years of conflict have left them feeling very far from

God’s love.”

Kimbilio welcomes around 40 children, ages 9 to 15, each day. One of the aims is

to reunite children with their families when possible. A few months ago, Alaine, a

volunteer, discovered her uncle happened to live next door to one of the children’s

families in Kolwezi, about 400km away. Ian said, “We also found another child’s

family in Kolwezi. So we all travelled up together. We are so pleased that both

children were accepted back into their families! What a great reunion.”

mizoram: Exporting the gospelThe state of Mizoram is culturally and economically isolated from the rest of India but their marginalised status hasn’t

kept them from excelling in mission. It has been estimated that one in every 500 Mizos is a missionary. Yet they want

to do more. CMS is helping the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram add to these numbers. In January, five new Mizo

co-mission partners were posted. One is working in Bangalore with an innovative youth ministry; two are working as

nurses in Himachal Pradesh – a state with one of the smallest Christian populations in India. The other two are teaching

in India, one in a church school and one in a mostly Muslim school. The partnership with the church in Mizoram is a

prime example of CMS’s commitment to supporting indigenous international missionaries,

particularly in places that are resource rich but cash poor.

nepal: Behind bars, prisoners receive baptism by bucket

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

UrBan lEgEnDs: kiBEra’s CHrisTian lEaDErsOne of the boldest moves CMS mission partner Colin Smith has made since

becoming Director of the Centre for Urban Mission at Carlile College was moving

the Centre into Kibera in 2003. “We realised if we want to train people for ministry in

the slums we needed to place the college right in the heart of an environment from

which we can learn and to which we can contribute,” he says.

Students are asked to live in the massive Nairobi settlement (where almost a million people live in shanties) for training. This presence

in the community has sometimes come at a cost. After the post-election violence in December 2008 “almost one third of our staff had to

move house, either forcibly or voluntarily, for security reasons.” However, since the crisis, the Centre has been instrumental in helping people

restart businesses that were destroyed.

On 26 October the Archbishop ordained three Centre for Urban Mission graduates from Kibera. “Seeing them ordained was a wonderful affirmation

of the gifts, calling and experiences that people from Kibera and other ‘slums’ can bring to the rest of the church.”

Mizo missions conference

Pioneering new initiatives

Building for the future

Making disciples

Empowering grassroots mission

Caring for the marginalised

365x550.indd 1 2/11/09 15:45:10

Tanzanian TransformaTionEarly this year the new neema Crafts Centre for People with Disabilities opened

in iringa, Tanzania. says mission partner susie Hart, “it’s been a long journey

from the small room where i taught three deaf lads how to make paper from

elephant dung six years ago, to the spacious new centre which has enough room to accommodate the

100 or so people with disabilities who are now trained and/or employed at neema Crafts.”

In a powerful example of indigenous mission, Bishnu, a young Asian minister, recently held a baptism service for 11 new Christians in a prison in Nepal.

“After 15 minutes of praise and worship, the deputy chief district officer gave a short talk, saying he felt religions are not bad because they build up

people and society to live in a godly way and in harmony. The men stood quietly,

receiving prayer and then a bucket of water was poured over each one. As they were

baptised they each praised the Lord and expressed a great feeling of freedom in their

hearts, though they’ve been behind bars for several years.” Then they all took part in a

simple service of Holy Communion.

About 40 people at this prison have put their trust in Jesus. Together, they have

formed a prison church that is likely to grow bigger.

Dr Congo: nEw CEnTrE TakEs CHilDrEn from sTrEET To safETyOn 16 June, the International Day of the African Child, Centre Kimbilio in

Lubumbashi opened its doors to Congolese street children for the first time. CMS

mission partner Ian Harvey, who has been working for over two years setting up

the Centre, explained, “In Swahili, kimbilio means a place to run to for safety. At our

day centre, children find a safe place off the streets where they can eat, wash, find

a friendly person to talk to and be shown the love of God. For many of them, their

experiences during and after years of conflict have left them feeling very far from

God’s love.”

Kimbilio welcomes around 40 children, ages 9 to 15, each day. One of the aims is

to reunite children with their families when possible. A few months ago, Alaine, a

volunteer, discovered her uncle happened to live next door to one of the children’s

families in Kolwezi, about 400km away. Ian said, “We also found another child’s

family in Kolwezi. So we all travelled up together. We are so pleased that both

children were accepted back into their families! What a great reunion.”

mizoram: Exporting the gospelThe state of Mizoram is culturally and economically isolated from the rest of India but their marginalised status hasn’t

kept them from excelling in mission. It has been estimated that one in every 500 Mizos is a missionary. Yet they want

to do more. CMS is helping the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram add to these numbers. In January, five new Mizo

co-mission partners were posted. One is working in Bangalore with an innovative youth ministry; two are working as

nurses in Himachal Pradesh – a state with one of the smallest Christian populations in India. The other two are teaching

in India, one in a church school and one in a mostly Muslim school. The partnership with the church in Mizoram is a

prime example of CMS’s commitment to supporting indigenous international missionaries,

particularly in places that are resource rich but cash poor.

nepal: Behind bars, prisoners receive baptism by bucket

Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

UrBan lEgEnDs: kiBEra’s CHrisTian lEaDErsOne of the boldest moves CMS mission partner Colin Smith has made since

becoming Director of the Centre for Urban Mission at Carlile College was moving

the Centre into Kibera in 2003. “We realised if we want to train people for ministry in

the slums we needed to place the college right in the heart of an environment from

which we can learn and to which we can contribute,” he says.

Students are asked to live in the massive Nairobi settlement (where almost a million people live in shanties) for training. This presence

in the community has sometimes come at a cost. After the post-election violence in December 2008 “almost one third of our staff had to

move house, either forcibly or voluntarily, for security reasons.” However, since the crisis, the Centre has been instrumental in helping people

restart businesses that were destroyed.

On 26 October the Archbishop ordained three Centre for Urban Mission graduates from Kibera. “Seeing them ordained was a wonderful affirmation

of the gifts, calling and experiences that people from Kibera and other ‘slums’ can bring to the rest of the church.”

Mizo missions conference

Pioneering new initiatives

Building for the future

Making disciples

Empowering grassroots mission

Caring for the marginalised

365x550.indd 1 2/11/09 15:45:10

Two great resources from www.cms-shop.org.uk to help make mission your missionApathy has a new enemy: 21MWhat does mission look like in the 21st century?

Filmed on location worldwide, this 8-part DVD

resource (+ leaders guide) explores the Five Marks

of Mission for today and includes a challenge to

get involved in God’s mission wherever you are.

Change your church or cell group for a fiver (£4.95)

The Book of Y: doing evangelism with those not ready for Alpha

The Y Course is a cringe-free, jargon-free, cynic-friendly course that

your church or group can use to engage with people who come

to the table with no Christian cultural experience whatsoever.

Central to the course is the bestselling Book of Y, which contains

humorous and powerful stories and asks tough questions like,

“Why is there so much suffering?”

Book £7.99. DVD and leaders notes see

www.cms-shop.org.uk

Sharing Jesus, changing lives… it’s for all of us.

These stories would not be possible without people who care. Please take a few minutes to see how you can be part of sharing Jesus and seeing lives transformed worldwide.

I want to hear more stories like this. Please send me your bimonthly Mission Update and prayer resource. SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Mission Update and receive 21M or The Book of Y for free! (offer expires 31/12/09)

Tick which you’d like: 21M The Book of Y

I want to be part of “sharing Jesus, changing lives” stories like these Please send me a direct debit form so I can help sustain mission by giving regularly I’m interested in mission service (for four months or longer) I’m interested in discovering a bigger Jesus through a short-term, cross-cultural Encounter trip I’d like to have a CMS speaker at my church or group I’d like to do a sponsored challenge to help raise money for mission

I’d like to give £ to CMS to see Jesus shared and lives changed.

Name:

Address:

Tel: Email:

Increase the value of your gift at no extra cost to yourself Sign the declaration below and the government will top up your donations _ providing the Church Mission Society with an extra 28p for every £1 you give. And it won’t cost you a penny more! Please treat all my donations from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as eligible for Gift Aid. My annual income tax and/or Capital Gains Tax is more than the tax that CMS will reclaim.

Signature: Date:

Please complete and send this section to Attn: Zoe, CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ or complete online at: www.cms-uk.org/pressoffer Tel: 01865 787400 info@cms-uk.org

The CMS Community prayer:Lord Jesus Christ,

as you have entered

into our life and death

and in all the world you call us

into your death and risen life,

forgive us our sins;

and draw us we pray,

by the power and encouragement

of your Spirit,

into an exchange of gifts and

needs, joys and sorrows,

strength and weakness

with your people everywhere;

that with them we may have grace

to break through every barrier,

to make disciples of all peoples,

and to share your love with

everyone, for your glory’s sake.

Amen.

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the November Mission Update. Your prayers and gifts are helping accomplish some amazing things, as you’ll see below…

The recent completion of a primary

school and of a communications

centre in Southern Sudan are just

two examples of how Sudanese

people are rebuilding their country,

and how mission partner Garry Ion is

helping.

As a construction engineer, Garry works

alongside the church in Sudan. “It’s

all about building relationships. We sit

together, draw up plans and I help them

understand how much they can do for

themselves, using local resources.”

Garry, who has worked in Uganda and

Sudan for 15 years, says there’s much

pressure on the church in Sudan to take

a lead role in reconstruction: “Displaced

people are moving back to Sudan and

discovering that their schools, churches,

hospitals are gone. Communities are

looking to the church to rebuild schools

and hospitals, as Christians, particularly

CMS, have done in the past.

“There are many organisations coming

in to try to rebuild the infrastructure,” he

continues, “but it’s crucial for Sudanese

people to get involved, do the work

themselves and take ownership of what

they’ve built; it raises their self-esteem.”

Garry often helps a church or a diocese get

started and then makes periodic visits to

check progress. In the case of the school

mentioned above, which was completed

in July, he helped draw up plans, estimate

costs and figure out how many bricks

were needed. The community — students

included — made the bricks.

“I don’t have a bunch of money in my

back pocket,” Garry explains, “but I’m

able to take time to get to know the

people, listen to their needs, pray with

them and encourage them, whether they

are renovating a building or starting

from scratch. As one church or diocese

completes a project, it encourages others

to do the same. The church of Sudan is

key to the future of Sudan.”

Give thanks for Garry’s long-term commitment to Sudan and for the dozens of buildings he’s helped create. Please pray for Sudanese Christians as they work to transform their communities and their country.

NO

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MB

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20

09

... speak truthfully to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body.

MiSSion ParTner engineerS HoPe in Sudan

Thousands turn to her for healingSometimes called the “Mother Teresa of South America”, nurse Beryl

Baker, a South American Mission Society associate mission partner in

Paraguay, shares the love of Jesus by offering the only prospect of

medical treatment to around 18,000 Indians in the Chaco area. She has

dedicated over 30 years of her life to this area and describes herself as an

“orderly, gynaecologist, midwife and

dentist”, treating anything from

TB to gunshot wounds and

snakebites. The government

provides some medicines

but offers little else in the

way of support. Beryl has

also trained Indian health

promoters to meet basic

community health needs.

IN ExCITING WORlD MISSION NEWS, CMS AND SAMS WIll BE INTEGRATING IN EARlY 2010

Regi

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COEN

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Being a faithful presence

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