Engage autumn 2015 by BMS_World_Mission

AUTUMN

2015

THE FREE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FROM BMS WORLD MISSION

IS IT ALWAYS RIGHT TO FORGIVE? Views from India, Lebanon, Uganda and the UK

SHAKEN Experiencing the Nepal earthquakes

UNSUNG HEROES They’re changing the world, one spreadsheet at a time.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Our essential guide

KRISH KANDIAH, FIONA CASTLE, 24 HOURS IN DHAKA

HIGHLIGHTS

Engage

Chris Hall

WELCOME Nothing Spiritual about Chaos is a book published by the Baptist Union of Great Britain to help church secretaries and administrators. In it, the author Rachel Tole points out that administration is a spiritual gift (see 1 Corinthians 12: 28). In her research for the book, Rachel discovered that the Greek word for administration is kubernesis, which literally refers to a pilot steering a ship through the rocks in a harbour. Some of us hate admin, but those who enjoy it and are good at it are much needed in our churches and in mission. There are many ‘rocks’ administrators can help others avoid. In this issue of Engage, we celebrate those doing unglamorous, behind-the-scenes roles like administration, that are vital to the success of overseas mission. Whatever your talents, they can all be used by God for his kingdom.

BMS World Mission PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA Tel: 01235 517700 Email (general): mail@bmsworldmission.org Email (editorial): magazine@bmsworldmission.org Website: bmsworldmission.org General Director: David Kerrigan Managing Editor: Jonathan Langley Editor: Chris Hall Regular contributors: Vickey Casey, Fiona Castle OBE, David Kerrigan, Aidan Melville and Sarah Stone Guest columnists: Alia Abboud, Eunice Nabufu and Tapan Sarkar Design editors: pepperfish.co.uk, indigoninja.co.uk, Lloyd Kinsley and Ruth Povall Printed by: Halcyon Print Management, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9BD The views and opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of BMS World Mission. Baptist Missionary Society Registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 233782) and in Scotland (number SC037767)

UNSUNG HEROES

SHAKEN

A story about ordinary people you have probably never heard of and will likely never meet. People who are changing the world, one spreadsheet at a time.

A BMS World Mission counsellor, school director and doctor share their experiences of Nepal’s recent earthquakes.

FOUR FUN(ISH) FACTS ABOUT SDGS

THE BIG INTERVIEW: KRISH KANDIAH

Our cut-out and keep guide to the latest set of development goals which will change our world over the next 15 years.

Author, speaker and President of the London School of Theology, Krish Kandiah talks to BMS about fostering, evangelism and social media.

REGULARS 03 MISSION NEWS 06 24 HOURS IN… DHAKA 07 KEEP ENGAGED 07 FIONA CASTLE 08 CHURCHES STAND UP FOR DIGNITY 18 TOP TEN: LEAVING A LEGACY 22 OVERSEAS PARTNER: PEDRO PACAYA 23 GO PRAY 24 GO SERVE 26 IDEAS FOR YOUR CHURCH 28 OPINION: IS IT ALWAYS RIGHT TO FORGIVE? 30 FIVE MINUTES WITH DAVID GARRISON 31 REVIEWS

MISSIONNEWS Credit: Ascension Trust

BMS AND STREET PASTORS

JOIN FORCES SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN

CHAD AND AFGHANISTAN BMS workers are safe following terrorist attacks in N’Djamena and Kabul.

In June, motorcycle-based suicide bombings in Chad’s capital killed 23 people, and two were killed and 40 injured in a terrorist attack on the Afghan parliament in Kabul. BMS workers based near both cities were unharmed. Our medical workers at Guinebor II Hospital near N’Djamena, Chad, were able to help in the aftermath of the bombings. Living and working in hostile conditions like those in Chad and Afghanistan is tough – but our workers feel they are where God wants them to be, standing alongside some of the world’s most marginalised and vulnerable people. Please pray for them.

AFGHANISTAN AND CHAD

Averting suicides, loving the lonely, and being God’s hands and feet on the streets – BMS World Mission and Street Pastors are working together to transform lives.

You’ll see them walking the streets late at night, offering bottles of water and flip flops to intoxicated clubbers, or sitting and having a proper chat with the homeless person everyone else is walking past. Christians, in big blue jackets and baseball caps, quietly and consistently transforming towns and cities across the UK. They’re called Street Pastors. In an exciting new development, BMS and Street Pastors are going to be helping each other to transform even more communities – in the UK and around the world. “This is really exciting, because our hearts are the same,” says Nick Cornish, Development Manager for the Ascension Trust (the creators of Street Pastors) and a street pastor himself. “We’re obviously in different spheres, but what we want to do is encourage one another, signpost people to one another and support one another where we can.” The relationship is already having an impact. Ben Francis, BMS Associate Team Leader for India, has set up a project inspired by Street Pastors on the streets of Kolkata – it’s called Street Servants. One man Ben met while doing Street Servants had come out planning to kill himself. “He told us: ‘Today I came out of my house and I thought I’d never come back. I came here to end my life in front of a train,’” says Ben. “But that night he found a friend that sticketh closer than a brother: Jesus.” The man went back home that night with hope. We are really excited by the amazing stories we are already hearing of lives turned around through the partnership between BMS and Street Pastors, and we hope to do much more. “We both share a passion and a vision for mission,” says Peter Dunn, BMS Director for Mission. “It is exciting for BMS and Street Pastors to be entering into a strategic relationship.” AUTUMN ENGAGE AUTUMN 2015 2015 || ENGAGE

3 3

BMS NEWS IN BRIEF BIRTHS:

Jesse English, to Brian and Lydia

NEWS MISSIONNEWS

NEW AT BMS HQ: Sarah Goodwin, PA to the General Director

Dawn Weston, Mission Personnel Co-ordinator George Ripley, ICT Apprentice

NEW AT IMC:

Helen and Withaya Boondeekhun From: Thrapston Baptist Church, Kettering Ministry: church planting in Thailand Daniel and Regiane Clark, with Ana Sophia From: South Ashford Baptist Church Ministry: theological training in Peru Christine Kling From: Southside Christian Fellowship, Ayr Ministry: pastoral and project management in France David and Dorothy McMillan From: Windsor Baptist Church, Belfast Ministry: theological training based in Amsterdam Claire and Michael Skinner From: Hope Community Church, Birmingham Ministry: project management in Lebanon We also have a couple in training for business as mission and education in Bangladesh, and one person in training for teaching English in China.

GOODBYES:

(JULY TO OCTOBER 2015)

From Albania: Gary and Susan Anderson From Chad: Rebecca North From France: Phillip and Vivienne Hatton From Nepal: Katrina and Martin Butterworth, Elizabeth Lee From Peru: Gill Thurgood and Harland Rivas

4 4

bmsworldmission.org bmsworldmission.org

MIDDLE EAST

I’M NOT A CHRISTIAN...

BUT I FOLLOW ISA Some Muslims are following Jesus – but remaining Muslims.

Mark Ord, Co-Director of the BMS International Mission Centre in Birmingham, met some Muslim background believers when visiting the Middle East in June. “Some had embraced Christianity and would say ‘I’m a Christian’,” Mark says. “Others, quite intriguingly, would say ‘I have not become a Christian… I’m a Muslim who has put his trust in Isa al-Mesih (Christ the Messiah) for salvation’.” A few of the believers Mark spoke to felt being called a Christian had negative connotations. “For them Christian just meant a westerner, somebody who was a materialist, someone who drank alcohol, who had a casual attitude to sex and who ate pork – that was the kind of definition that kept coming over,” says Mark. Can you follow Jesus and yet remain in another faith tradition? Mark says we shouldn’t judge Muslim background believers, but support them on their faith journey. “It’s a question of being involved and seeing how the Spirit will nurture people.”

FEEDING THE HUNGRY THROUGH AGROFORESTRY IN THE AMAZON BMS World Mission workers are caring for the environment and tackling food insecurity through a new agroforestry project.

Slashing and burning trees has long been a part of South American agriculture. This is damaging to the environment and it prevents sustainable food production. But, thanks to a project set up by BMS workers in the Integral Mission Training Centre in Nauta, things could be changing in Peru’s Amazon rainforest. By selectively cutting down trees to leave a canopy, and planting a wide variety of crops which complement each other, a huge selection of food can be grown and used. In Nauta, the BMS team has grown cocoa, bananas, cashews, pineapples and many other useful plants. Seeing just how much food is produced when the land is cultivated in this way will help the pastors visiting the centre for theological training understand the importance of sustainable food production. And, as many rural areas struggle to produce enough food, agroforestry can make a huge difference to these pastors’ communities. “God told us to look after his garden in Genesis 2: 15, so agroforestry is really important,” says Mark Greenwood, BMS Regional Team Leader for South America and sub-Saharan Africa. Looking after the earth and God’s people can only be a good thing.

PERU

WORLD MUSLIMS COMING

TO CHRIST

Dr David Garrison says that more Muslims are finding Jesus than ever before.

NEPAL

TRANSFORMING NEPAL THROUGH TEACHER TRAINING

A BMS worker is helping to train Nepal’s teachers – and to change the country’s future.

Sixty years ago, most of Nepal’s population couldn’t read or write. Now, most primary aged children in Nepal are in school and 57.4 per cent of Nepalis aged 15 and above can read and write. But the vast majority of Nepal’s children are taught by rote, memorising what their teacher says and reciting it back. This means that they don’t always really understand what they are being taught. BMS worker Annie Brown and the team of teacher trainers at the Kathmandu International Study Centre’s Educational Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) are trying to help Nepal’s teachers to engage their pupils and be the best teachers they can be. They currently train teachers in six of Nepal’s districts. It is already making a difference. One recently trained teacher told Annie: “I was like a person riding a horse without any knowledge of it. After the training I realised that teachers are like a candle. Teachers light others.” And that’s exactly what the EQUIP trainers want the teachers to see − their potential to give children the light of knowledge, a light that can change the future of Nepal. Keep up-to-date with all the latest BMS news by subscribing to our weekly email update. Go to bmsworldmission.org/update

A Wind in the House of Islam documents the momentous movements of Muslims towards Christ over the last century. The book is the result of Dr Garrison’s 12 years searching for the stories of mass conversions in the Muslim world, and BMS helped to fund his book tour. “There is no doubt that tumultuous changes are happening in Islam at the moment,” says David Kerrigan, General Director of BMS World Mission. “We see some of this expressed through radicalised violence, but we must not lose sight of this turning to Christ that is now both tangible and visible.” Read our interview with Dr Garrison on page 30.

CHRISTIANS FLEEING ISIS

“NEED REFUGE IN EUROPE” The Bishop of Coventry says Christians fleeing Islamic State must be given priority for asylum in Europe.

The EU needs to act to save Christians facing persecution in the Middle East – so says the Church of England Foreign Affairs spokesman, the Bishop of Coventry Rev Christopher Cocksworth. He was responding to a warning by Lord Alton of Liverpool that as many as half of the 12 million Christians in the Middle East could be gone or killed by 2020. The Bishop believes that recent attacks by Islamic State, including the execution of 22 Coptic Christians in Libya, mean that Christians should take priority when it comes to asylum in the UK and Europe. “We can’t take everyone, but we can take those who are most vulnerable and we know Christians are very vulnerable,” he said. [Christian Today]

AUTUMN AUTUMN 2015 2015 || ENGAGE ENGAGE

5 5

DHAKA

IF YOU VISIT BANGLADESH’S CAPITAL, WHERE SHOULD YOU GO? BMS WORKER GEMMA LEADLEY SHARES HER RECOMMENDATIONS.

FOOD, GLORIOUS, FOOD You must try out shingara – a tasty local snack. Inside a pastry casing is a wonderful mix of potatoes, onions, chickpeas and chilli. And don’t pass by without trying another local delicacy called puchka – a thin casing made with wheat flour and semolina (which has been deep-fried) is filled with a wonderful concoction of cumin, chickpeas, coriander and – of course – chilli!

GRACE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

fotolia.com

OLD DHAKA Take in the sites of this interesting part of the capital city, which is home to a number of historical sites, such as the Star Mosque and Lalbagh Fort. The streets are narrow and lined with small shops and colourful cloth.

Come and join me on site at the school for mission children where I teach; meet the young people and my colleagues who come from many different countries. Come and see the joy of working in such a diverse community, with many Bangladeshi colleagues working with us to create a holistic place of learning.

THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE An hour from old Dhaka, BMS workers Andrew and Gwen Millns and their colleagues teach at a theological college just outside of the main capital centre. On the way back, enjoy a boat ride along the river; you’ll be able to see how important the river is to the communities that live on its banks, with children splashing and playing around in the water, alongside women washing clothes and men out catching fish.

bmsworldmission.org

RICKSHAW RIDE And lastly, you cannot visit Dhaka without having a go at balancing on a rickshaw. It is the best way to travel across the city. Be prepared for sudden stops (you must hold on!) and loud traffic noises as cars pass by, beeping their horns.

Can’t get to Bangladesh? Reading Gemma’s updates from Dhaka is the next best thing. Visit her blog at: gleadleybmsblog.wordpress.com

24 hours in…

KEEP

Fiona Castle

ENGAGED Find us on facebook BMS World Mission Happy Birthday Jessica! Remember the little girl who saved her sweet money and gave through the BMS Birthday Scheme (http://bit.ly/1rt1hP9)? Well on Sunday she turned 10. So please join us in wishing her a happy (belated) birthday! Thank you Jessica for giving the gift of life on your special day. Like · Comment · Share 72 people like this

Michelle Baxter Happy belated birthday! Helene Mills Happy birthday Jessica! Alastair Clunie Happy Birthday Jessica - you’re a star!

BMS World Mission Biblical violence and what it teaches us: an examination of violence in Scripture may help us to refine our attitudes to (and understanding of) biblical texts, argues David Kerrigan in the latest issue of Mission Catalyst http://bit.ly/1Bqc6bX Like · Comment · Share Ashley Hardingham Another outstanding edition of Mission Catalyst. Thank you to the team who put together such a thoughtful, ‘real’ and at times edgy publication. You certainly give Third Way a run for their money.

YOUR TWEETS Yardley Wood BC @YWBaptists

Partnering with @BMSWorldMission means so much to us, we can’t wait to hear from Brian & Lydia English this Sunday, news of hope in Thailand.

Speaker and writer

DECLUTTERING WHY DO WE CLING TO OUR POSSESSIONS?

fter living in a family home for many years, I have recently succumbed to a small, two bedroomed flat, as befits my age and condition! I am not a hoarder and with my various belongings, I said, “Do I need it? Have I space for it? No! So out it goes!” However, many of us cling to our possessions like security blankets. Why? Is it for a sense of security, or the fear that the memories will disappear when we let go of those possessions? Our memories are etched in OUR our minds and hearts, and MEMORIES DON’T don’t disappear DISAPPEAR WHEN when we clear out unnecessary WE CLEAR OUT clutter. UNNECESSARY I imagine that CLUTTER. many readers of this magazine have experienced poverty and deprivation when working and living in developing countries. My experience, when I visited my daughter, who lived and worked in a shanty town in Peru, was lifechanging. The people there owned so little and lived in appalling conditions, yet the love and generosity they showed us was humbling. It was this trip which consciously caused me to return home and clear out the ‘clutter’ of my life, in order to focus on and give time to the important things of life. What does God want me to do? Where does he need me to be? The less clutter I have in my life/ mind/heart, the more time I can spend fulfilling God’s purpose for my life, wherever that might be. He set me free when I became a Christian and I didn’t want to waste my time worrying more about my possessions than enjoying my opportunities. When I go shopping, I often remind myself of a quotation by Socrates, who, when he went through a souk (market) said, “I didn’t realise there were so many things in the world that I don’t need!”

Refract @RefractYouth

Getting excited about our Albania mission trip in October this year at our training day! Thanks @BMSWorldMission!

Keep engaged at facebook.com/bmsworldmission twitter.com/bmsworldmission and @bmsworldmission

Fiona Castle OBE is an international Christian speaker and writer. Her late husband Roy was an entertainer and TV presenter.

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

CHURC

STAND U

As part of the Dignity initiative, we invite you to join us at our International Mission Centre in Birmingham on Saturday 5 December to think pastorally about how we can respond well and preventively to gender based violence as it is encountered in our UK churches. During the day you will get:

Discussing and confronting the issue of gender based violence (GBV) in their locality can be a big step for a congregation, but through the Dignity initiative churches are doing so and seeing the benefits. “During the time I have been a pastor, I have come across people who have experienced abuse from men in relationships from a whole plethora of situations, both as children and then as married adults,” says a minister at a Baptist church in the West Country. One of his congregation was abused as a teenager and another has a son in prison for committing abuse. “When the Dignity initiative came out, I thought it would be a good idea to tackle it on a Sunday.”

• Help with making your church a safer space • Support on how to handle disclosures well • Access to expertise and experience from Restored, a BMS We Will Speak Out coalition partner

For more information and to book your place (£10 per person) email Tom Riches at triches@bmsworldmission.org 8 8

bmsworldmission.org bmsworldmission.org

“

This subject does really need to be aired in the life of the church

“

DIGNITY TRAINING DAY

The Dignity initiative is not only making a difference overseas in opposing gender based violence: it is helping UK churches confront what can be a taboo topic.

After he preached on GBV last autumn, during the prayers there was a two minute silence to remember those who had been victims of abuse. Three people who had experienced abuse in their relationships came forward for prayer.

CHES

UP FOR

HAVE YOU TAKEN A STAND? Here are a few ways you can address the issue of GBV personally and at your church through the Dignity initiative:

The response from the congregation was very positive. “It was particularly helpful for those who had experienced some kind of abuse and a number of people came up to me afterwards and said, ‘Thank you. This is a subject that does really need to be aired in the life of the church and hasn’t been before,’” he says. Another church in the Home Counties is in negotiations with their local council to start a domestic violence support group in their community.

“

One of the most talked about services for years

The Dignity DVD, which includes not only videos but also biblical reflections and other practical resources, encouraged the church to engage with the theme of GBV on a Sunday morning. The service explored GBV nationally and internationally and included the story of a domestic violence victim who attends the church. One church member said it was one of the most talked about services at the church for years. “It certainly made people think,” says the minister. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with people saying it felt very spiritual, sensitively handled and courageous. “It has enabled the church and the mission [domestic violence support group] we are doing to walk together, so the mission is not disjointed from what is happening on a Sunday,” she says. “The Dignity initiative has enabled us to start the conversation around gender based violence.”

✓

Take a message to your church. Download theological and pastoral resources and order your free DVD now at bmsworldmission.org/dignity

✓

Sign the Dignity Church Charter and display your certificate at your church

✓

Book a member of your pastoral team onto the UK training day on 5 December

✓

Become a 24:7 Justice Partner at bmsworldmission.org/justicepartners

✓

Engage with justice ministries as a church or expand your existing partnership at bmsworldmission.org/churchpartners It’s easy to do!

✓

Use the small group material

✓

Words: Chris Hall AUTUMN AUTUMN 2015 2015 || ENGAGE ENGAGE

9 9

10 bmsworldmission.org bmsworldmission.org 10

UNSUNG HEROES THEY’RE CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE SPREADSHEET AT A TIME. Picture this: you turn to this page and, somewhat like a musical birthday card, you suddenly hear the melodious sounds of Bette Midler singing Wind beneath my wings. You know the one: “Did you ever know that you’re my hero – and everything I would like to be...?”* Yup, that one. It’s a lovely song; you’re drawn in and you want to read on, even though you suspect that this is in fact going to be a story about accountants, managers and administrators and not about a dramatic lifesaving operation or, indeed, 80s power ballads. And now you’re in, you might as well carry on.

his is a story about ordinary people. People you have probably never heard of and will likely never meet. As you read this, they are sitting behind desks or standing at the front of classrooms; they’re keeping spreadsheets up-todate and helping colleagues with their admin. And, because of them, some extraordinary things are happening. Girls in Afghanistan are getting to go to school alongside their brothers, people whose lives were crushed by the earthquakes in Nepal are being provided with tangible hope, and the dying in Tunisia are being given the dignity and comfort they deserve. This is the story of ordinary, extraordinary BMS World Mission workers. Alan Barker is one of them. In our interview he asked me not to patronise him by telling him how important his work is. So I won’t – I’ll tell you instead. You may well have heard of Alan’s wife, Megan. She stars in My Father’s House, a BMS DVD, and is doing some incredible work rehabilitating spinal injury and stroke patients in Surkhet, Nepal. When I had the privilege of visiting them, I discovered something I didn’t know. Alan is integral to Megan’s work. It got me thinking: how many other mission workers are making wonderful things happen who we never

hear about? The answer: more than you’d think. Let’s change that, shall we? But first, let’s talk about Alan. He’s currently doing three jobs for BMS partner the International Nepal Fellowship (INF): training managers in Surkhet, organising disaster funding following the earthquakes, and acting as funding manager for the whole organisation. His work keeps everything else going. A man sat in front of a computer drafting funding proposals may not be the first image you conjure when you think of a mission worker, but Alan’s managerial and administrative prowess is treating leprosy, rehabilitating spinal injury patients, rebuilding lives after disasters and empowering poor Nepali communities to improve their sanitation and reduce illness. “People maybe don’t see it as ‘proper mission’, because we’re not there building churches and sharing the gospel directly,” says Alan. “But we’re all part of God’s kingdom, trying to work towards it in whatever particular area we have a gifting.” And although I know that Alan knows his work is ridiculously important, I’m curious to hear if he ever has wistful daydreams of doing a more glamorous job and receiving heaps of admiration. Turns out, he doesn’t. “I prefer not

AUTUMN AUTUMN2015 2015 ||ENGAGE ENGAGE

PEOPLE DON’T SEE IT AS ‘PROPER MISSION’, BECAUSE WE’RE NOT THERE BUILDING CHURCHES being in the limelight,” he says. “I know what I can do, I know what I am reasonably good at, and that’s how God can use me. Nobody really notices and that’s fine as far as I am concerned.” Someone who admits he wouldn’t mind being in the limelight every now and again is Barnie+. But, like Alan, he certainly hasn’t pursued glory. Instead, he works in an office in Kabul as the finance head of our partner in Afghanistan. “I am an accountant by trade,” Barnie says, “handling the operational, day-to-day running of the organisation. You know, making sure bills are being paid.” Knee-deep in spreadsheets in Afghanistan is not what Barnie envisioned when he felt called into mission. But God has changed his heart.

12 bmsworldmission.org bmsworldmission.org 12

“Having been on the field, I realise that there are as many needs for accountants and back office staff as there are for doctors and nurses and teachers,” he says. “God has slowly matured me and shown me how important and beneficial my work is. I am really glad to be part of the jigsaw that he is trying to rebuild for Afghanistan.” While Barnie’s aptitude with numbers keeps the whole organisation afloat, enabling development and medical work that transform lives across Afghanistan, his true passion is training up local people to keep it all going when he’s gone. “I can get the job done by myself,” he says, “but that’s not long-term, sustainable or biblical. “Numbers are good. But seeing the staff grow so quickly is the best part.” In Tunisia, Mary+ is also passionate about training up locals for maximum impact. She sacrificed working on the front line as a nurse in her beloved Yorkshire for training Tunisians in how to care for the dying. Yes, we’ve gone from spreadsheets to death. I’m sorry. While Mary worked as a palliative care nurse in the UK, in Tunisia she is not allowed to work ‘hands on’ with patients. Instead, she is capitalising on her other passion: teaching. “I would love it if everybody in the world got the best care possible,” she says. “And I’m one person. So the best way to start

doing that is to spread the enthusiasm, the knowledge and the skills that I have through teaching other people.” Watching your relatives die, without any idea of how to ease their suffering or any medicines to give them, is really traumatic. It’s this gap in medical practice that Mary is trying to fill. But surely a more cheerful job would be saving lives and getting glory for it? “The worst bit about my job is having to have my photo taken and people saying, ‘and here we have a special visitor’,” says Mary. “I hate that. I’m a visitor, but I’m not special. I don’t want to be in the limelight, thank you.” That’s more than okay, Mary. Then there’s Roger Pearce and Dan Parnell. Intelligent, dedicated and driven, Roger and Dan direct international schools in Albania and Nepal respectively. They are mission workers whose mission is to teach the children of mission workers. It doesn’t sound heroic the way some mission work does – and Roger himself was quite against the role to begin with. “When we approached BMS, I probably very arrogantly said to them: ‘we will go anywhere you want to send us – but do not send us to a mission kids’ school,’” Roger recalls. But spending the last 12 years directing GDQ International School in Albania, as well as seeing his two children thrive there, has changed Roger’s views. “We

are working to develop Christ-followers. Just because these kids are from mission families does not mean they’re automatically going to be walking with the Lord,” he says. Dan, School Director of the Kathmandu International Study Centre (KISC) in Nepal, says that without schools like KISC and GDQ, mission work in these countries would look very different. “Many parents have told me that if KISC didn’t exist they wouldn’t be here at all,” he says, “so we are enabling mission work to go on all over Nepal.” And, in something of a turnaround from his earlier position, Roger agrees: “GDQ and KISC are very important, strategic ministries.” “It may seem like it’s not real mission work, it’s just educating kids in an expat bubble,” says Dan, “but really, that’s so far removed from what KISC is. It’s the students who make this school what it is – I’ve never loved a job as much as I love coming here.” “No, we’re not seeing major healings,” says Roger, “because that’s not what we’re about. But seeing lives transformed? That’s very much what we’re about!” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Amber+, a BMS worker who recently returned from Afghanistan, was involved in a different kind of ex-pat education. She has spent the last few years running the language and orientation

programme for our partner in Kabul – work that was vital, because if you can’t communicate, making a lasting difference is near impossible. But Amber never saw herself just in terms of her job role. “Wilson+ and I feel that we are evangelists – we are trying to shine the light,” she says. “When we were in our office jobs in the UK and when we were in Afghanistan. You are putting salt in the places it is needed.” The fact that administrators like her never get public acclaim doesn’t bother Amber. “But it does concern me that a lot of people don’t think their skills can be used on the field,” she says. “They think: ‘I’m not a doctor, I’m not a preacher, I’m not an engineer, and therefore I’m not needed.’ But lots of roles are important.” Mary, too, knows that mission comes in many different forms. It was a simple coffee with a friend that somehow plunged her into her mission journey, and she humbly admits that in her own strength she’d probably still be in Yorkshire. “I’m a very ordinary person,” she says. “I could never be in Tunisia if it wasn’t for God and for the support of people who are praying and giving. It’s a team effort – that sounds really trite, but it is.” It really is. You may never have heard of these guys, but all this time they’ve been diligently making the work you have heard of possible. Behind the

GOD HAS SHOWN ME HOW IMPORTANT AND BENEFICIAL MY WORK IS scenes – like you. So, I’ll end where I started, with Alan. He was laughing when he said this, but I am pretty sure all of these ordinary, extraordinary people would agree: “No, I don’t want to change the world singlehandedly, or claim the glory for it. We’re just doing what we think God wants us to do, as anybody who’s following him tries to.” *Sadly, I did not have the budget, nor indeed the technical skills, to get the magazine to actually play Wind beneath my wings, but I am assured that Googling it, or singing it to yourself, has a similar impact. names changed for security reasons

Words: Sarah Stone

AUTUMN AUTUMN2015 2015 ||ENGAGE ENGAGE

BMS WORKER PROFILE Nepal earthquakes

What would you do in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake? A BMS World Mission counsellor, school director and doctor share their experiences in Nepal.

APRIL

Earthquake number 1

he earthquake happened about midday. Three months ago we’d experienced a tremor, which is exactly what the first half a second felt like. But I don’t remember feeling the next bit. My brain switched off. My body knew this was absolutely dangerous and I had to get out. I remember standing up and starting to run, but there was a whole period of time where I must have gone from the roof, down the first flight of stairs, that’s completely obliterated from my memory. My husband Andy said afterwards that he’d never seen me move that fast. We’d had some earthquake response training and we’d been taught that the worst thing to do is go down the stairs, and that’s where I was. It’s much safer to go under a bed or a big table, which is what our niece Leah was going to do, but I shouted out to her and she came running. So she was now also on the staircase, in the most dangerous place in the house. The house was rocking and I suppose the momentum paralyses you. She was pulled against the wall. That’s the first thing I remember, seeing her flattened against the wall. I was on the staircase, holding onto the banister, also unable to move. That brings in a nightmare quality. If you’ve had

bmsworldmission.org

those dreams where you want to run away and you can’t. It was that kind of stuck, paralysed feeling. Then it lurched in a different direction and we were able to run down the stairs. There was definitely this sinister sound. It’s difficult to describe what it was, but it’s this kind of dark, under the ground sound that you’ve never heard before or since. As I got to the bottom floor, there were dogs barking and people screaming. After leaving the house, we stayed at Kathmandu International Study Centre (KISC) on the basketball court with a few hundred others. I process by journaling and I was sitting there writing messages to God. I told God that at some point, I need to try and be useful in this and help people. But quite honestly I’m not a hero, it’s the very last thing I felt like doing. I wasn’t particularly pleased with God for involving me so quickly. On Sunday morning, the headmaster of KISC asked me to do some debriefing with the staff. It was a lot about reassuring people. I’ve done that before but this was about our symptoms. It was a weird experience to be with everybody who was suffering together. Jenny Saunders BMS counsellor

My body knew this was absolutely dangerous and I had to get out

APRIL

In-between earthquakes

e decided to sleep on KISC’s basketball court. About 150 to 200 people had come to stay that night. It fell to myself and Angus Douglas, the two school directors, to manage the camp. So we started putting things into place – things like management of water and facilities, trying to make sure that people were clearing up their rubbish. We ran the camp at full strength for four days and after lunchtime on the third day, we checked on our water supplies. That’s when we realised that a big box that was supposed to have 16 ten litre water bottles was empty. That was a panicky moment, but that same afternoon there was torrential rain. We let the rain pour for about 20 minutes first, to clear all the gunk from the drains, and then collected the falling water. We filled about 20 ten litre bottles and

12 MAY

added iodine to them. Having had the low at lunchtime, to hear the news that they’d collected 200 litres of water was a good moment. One of the most relieving points on Sunday was when we saw some people who’d been in Pokhara walking up the KISC lane. My biggest fear from the earthquake was that the airport or runway would be destroyed and the roads to India and the supply roads into Kathmandu would be gone. But just knowing that the roads were clear was the moment that we knew it would be ok. Dan Parnell Director of KISC school for mission children

Earthquake number 2

hen the second earthquake happened, I was helping eight senior nurses write the curriculum for the new nursing school. We ignored the shaking because we’d had three or four shocks a day for the last two weeks. But this one got bigger and didn’t stop. We sheltered underneath the table in the room. The nurses were crying. They weren’t panicking but there was definitely a lot of praying going on, and asking for help and protection. There were some big crashes above us and I did wonder if the whole thing was going to fall on our heads. First I was anxious about what was happening to my family, and I did think I was going to die. But I felt ready. There was nothing that I really wanted to do that I hadn’t, no unfinished business. It was really reassuring. You know in your head that as a Christian you have a place with God and you don’t have to worry about things like that, but it’s good to know that when it comes to the crunch that’s still how you feel. That the peace in your heart was actually a real peace. It was a gift. When it ended, I’d gotten a call from our daughter Ruth, so I knew she was ok, a text from our other daughter Esther

and then I called my husband Martin. By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs I knew they were all ok which was why it was so easy for me to get into work. There was a huge gathering of people outside of the hospital, including the patients who had evacuated themselves. There were quite a few very distressed and anxious people. There were a lot of tearful staff. Everyone was on their mobile phones trying to get in contact with their family. I don’t know what it was like for everybody in the first earthquake, but certainly there was a lot of anxiety and distress with this one.

I was going to die. But I felt ready

Katrina Butterworth Former BMS doctor at Patan Hospital

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

Four fun(ish) facts about SDGs 1p 10p 20p

50p

HERE IS OUR CUT-OUT AND KEEP GUIDE TO THE LATEST SET OF DEVELOPMENT GOALS, WHICH WILL CHANGE OUR WORLD OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS. 1p 10p

20p

50p

1p 10p

School20p

50p

1990 1p 10p

20p

1p 10p

20p

50p

School

1990

1p 10p

20p

50p

2015

Goal 510p : improve maternal health 1p Similar to child mortality, maternal mortality has cut by nearly 20p 50 p half, but not by two thirds as hoped. 3 School : combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases Goal 6million The number of new HIV infections has gone down by 40 per ustainable Development Goals (or SDGs for short). cent, but the target to reverse the spread of the disease has They may not sound very exciting, but they are set not been achieved. to make a huge impact on how governments, NGOs, Goal 7 : ensure environmental sustainability School Since 2000, 2.6 million more people worldwide have access businesses and BMS World Mission approach the world’s problems. Here are four (mostly) fun facts you need to to safe drinking water, halving the amount that didn’t have access before. know to get up to speed with them. : develop a global partnership for development Goal 8million 1. They’re a sequel This MDG had a broad range of targets covering trade, If Sustainable Development Goals was a movie, it would be a debt and access to communications. The most impressive sequel. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) premiered achievement is a 75 per cent drop in the debt burden of in September 2000 and were international goals agreed by developing countries since 2000. the United Nations to make the world a better place. Each of the eight MDGs had targets and a deadline of 2015 to achieve The United Nations has described the Millennium them by. They haven’t been blockbusters, but they’ve been Development Goals as “the most successful anti-poverty pretty successful: movement in history” but what does Steve Sanderson, BMS Manager for Mission, think? Goal 1 : eradicate extreme poverty and hunger* “We are incredibly supportive of the MDGs and recognise The number of people living on less than $1.25 (81p) a day has their immense importance in addressing poverty. They have been reduced from 1.9 billion in 1990 to 836 million in 2015. million encouraged a joined-up approach to development which has Goal 2 : achieve universal primary education led to an effective partnership of people from civil society, the The number of children of primary school age not in school private sector and governments. Working together in a coherent has been reduced from 100 million to 57 million. and knowledge-based way, we have made significant reductions million Goal 3 : promote gender equality in many areas of poverty. I am pleased that we at BMS have Around two thirds of developing countries are enrolling the responded to the MDGs and played our part in their success.” same number of girls as boys into school. The Sustainable Development Goals are set to replace the Goal 4 : reduce child mortality Millennium Development Goals and run for the next 15 years The child mortality rate did not fall by the set target (two until 2030. They are due to be adopted by countries at a United thirds) but has fallen by over half (from 90 to 43 deaths per Nations Summit in New York in September 2015 and should 1,000 live births). come into force in January 2016.

2.6

1p 10p

20p

2.6

bmsworldmission.org

50p

loohcS 1p 10p

20p

50p

1990

1p 10p

School

2015

20p

6 . 2 noillim 1990

1p 10p

20p

50p

2015

2 m

4. BMS is already working towards some of the SDGs Within the SDGs, there are some obvious links to the work that BMS is doing. 1p 10p

20p

School 2. They’re bigger The common perception is that there are many things that the MDGs did not include that need to be tackled. Therefore, after a global consultation involving more than 70 countries, there are a proposed 17 SDGs and 169 targets. The goals can be split into six areas:

50p

Goal 2: end hunger, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture BMS has led the development of a malnutrition programme to improve the nutritious diet of children under five at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad. Wen are leading sustainable oialso llim agriculture projects in Uganda. Goal 4: provide quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all Through projects like the PEPE preschool education programme in Mozambique, as well as other education ministries, BMS is helping to improve access to education worldwide. Goal 5: attain gender equality, empower women and girls everywhere This goal has been the aim of our Dignity initiative to counter gender based violence over the last 18 months. We are spearheading work with our partners in Mozambique, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Thailand and India. Goal 6: ensure availability and sustainable use of water and sanitation for all We are helping Ugandans get better access to safe drinking water and build more hygienic toilets.

6.2

School

2.6 million

Dignity – an end to poverty and gender inequality. People – ensuring all people have healthy lives, free of hunger, with access to quality education. Planet – protecting ecosystems, tackling climate change and increasing access to clean drinking water and good sanitation. Partnership – strengthening the global partnership for effective implementation of sustainable development. Justice – promote safe and peaceful societies, and strong and capable institutions. Prosperity – develop innovative economies worldwide that are sustainable, reduce inequality and provide decent work for all. Make cities andmillion human settlements inclusive, safe and sustainable places to live.

2.6

3. It’s business time Governments and charities involved in development work were seen as the essential drivers of the Millennium Development Goals. This time, as some of the goals are linked to economic growth (especially the prosperity related goals), the business community is being looked to to play their part in achieving them. The main argument is that a prosperous economy can do more to help people out of poverty than aid. However, challenges still remain in fragile states and very low development countries: the market can only do so much, not everything.

Steve Sanderson believes the SDGs will have a considerable impact on the work that BMS does to help the most marginalised in the future. “The SDGs are a fresh, comprehensive and dynamic framework for the future,” says Steve. “Some aspects of the SDGs play to existing BMS strengths and some will require us to respond in new ways to the challenges faced in the coming 20 to 25 years – of course we take our lead from Scripture, but we believe that the SDGs capture something of God’s evident kingdom.”

2.6 million

But how should churches and Christians respond? “The SDGs encourage the development of global responsibility for the poor,” says Steve. “How we as individuals and churches invest our money, what we advocate for and the choices we make as consumers will be every bit as important to their success as charitable giving. Ensuring support for BMS remains constant in the normal way; giving, going and praying, will remain absolutely vital.” So those are the SDGs in a nutshell. When they make the news this autumn, impress your friends with your knowledge! Pray for them too, that they will be a success and help improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

*Stats taken from the Guardian AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

TOP TEN:

LEAVING A LEGACY

FAR FROM HOME, BMS WORLD MISSION WORKERS HAVE A PASSION TO MAKE A LASTING DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY SERVE. HERE ARE JUST TEN OF THE MANY, MANY EXAMPLES OF THE IMMENSE IMPACT MISSION WORKERS HAVE MADE, AND CONTINUE TO MAKE LONG AFTER THEY HAVE LEFT.

CHAD Thriving children

BRAZIL Saving babies and engaging the Church in social action When 1 DAVEEN AND MIKE WILSON first arrived in Trapiá in a poverty-stricken and unevangelised region of north east Brazil, they were struck by how many babies died in the area. The death of a child they were taking to hospital whose mother had already lost 14 out of her 15 children prompted them to act. Daveen noticed not many women were breastfeeding so started to teach mothers how to do so in an area where there were no health services at the time. Once one baby survived other mothers took it up, dramatically reducing infant mortality in the area. 2 MARK AND SUZANA GREENWOOD spent 20 years serving with BMS in Brazil. Their passion was to build up the Church and its response to the social problems facing the country. This included planting a successful church, leading social action projects at state and national level, creating a training course for local missionaries and establishing an after school project for disadvantaged seven to eleven year olds that now runs across Brazil.

bmsworldmission.org

3 REBECCA NORTH was at Guinebor II Hospital in Chad for four years and did much to set up the hospital’s malnutrition programme which goes from strength to strength. Through this work she has saved many young lives in a country with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

CHINA Multi-skilled missionary 4 TIMOTHY RICHARDS went to China in 1870 and made a huge impact in a number of ways: organising the first major humanitarian relief programme in modern history, planting a church, editing a newspaper and leading the Christian Literature Society in China. KS Latourette described him as “one of the greatest missionaries whom any branch of the Church… has ever sent to China.”

UGANDA Alternative energy, creative crop planting and cupcakes

PERU Training the next generation of leaders, planting a vibrant church The pastors and villagers along the Amazon have a lot to thank 5 GILL THURGOOD AND HARLAND RIVAS for. Gill and Harland have been instrumental in establishing a training course for pastors and church leaders at the Integral Mission Training Centre in Nauta. They have offered practical and pastoral support to communities that can often feel isolated.

8 BETHAN AND GARETH SHRUBSOLE were very busy in their four years in Kasese, Uganda (2011 to 2015). Bethan started a women’s co-operative that led to the opening of an internet café, and helped many young people through her music therapy work. Gareth helped villagers following a devastating flood and researched and implemented a solution so they could grow crops on their land again. His passion for alternative energy led to him installing solar power in churches and the cheap and effective gravity lights system in villages. Together the couple helped establish skills training which has enabled dozens of young people have a better chance of a decent job.

6 ANJANETTE AND SCOTT WILLIAMSON planted a church in Cusco in 2009 and it has continued to grow since then. Over 190 attended the opening of their new church building in August 2014. Three months later Anjanette and Scott returned to the UK, leaving Amilkitar Pantigozo and Carla Cruz to lead a vibrant community of believers.

INDIA NEPAL Trained doctors and effective mission work 7 KATRINA AND MARTIN BUTTERWORTH have served in Nepal for the last 18 years. Katrina has been integral to the setting-up of a new medical school and has trained up many doctors and nurses to serve the country’s poorest. Martin has done much to enable BMS partner United Mission to Nepal to help the most needy in the country through his monitoring and evaluation of their projects. Through their work, hundreds of lives have been touched.

Outstanding medical work and the birth of a Christian state 9 ELLEN FARRER went to do medical missionary work with BMS in India in 1891. She ended up being there for most of the next 40 years and twice earned the Award of Honours from the Indian imperial government for distinguished public service. 10 JAMES HERBERT LORRAIN and FREDERICK WILLIAM SAVAGE brought the gospel to Mizoram in India in 1894 and helped it become a Christian state. They and BMS have been held in high regard in the state ever since.

Leave your own legacy by serving with BMS. Find out more at bmsworldmission.org/opportunities

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

Q&A

THE BIG INTERVIEW AUTHOR, SPEAKER AND LONDON SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY PRESIDENT KRISH KANDIAH TALKS TO BMS ABOUT EVANGELISM, SOCIAL MEDIA AND FOSTERING.

KRISH

KANDIAH Krish Kandiah is a popular Christian writer, speaker and founder of a foster and adoption charity. He is President of the London School of Theology (LST), the largest interdenominational, evangelical theological college in Europe.

bmsworldmission.org

Q A

You founded a charity, Home for Good, to encourage Christians to become foster carers or adopt children. Why do you want Christians to do this?

There is a massive need at the moment in the UK – 4,000 kids are awaiting adoption and 9,000 more foster families are needed. One way we can really transform the lives of people is not by waiting until sadly they enter the prison system, end up caught in sex trafficking or homeless, but by actually getting involved in their lives when they are three or four years old and are in need of a loving permanent family. Fostering and adopting is the way the Church can really begin to reach another level of social justice. Inviting children who have had a really tough start in life into your family home and loving them whatever they’re facing – that is a fantastic way that we demonstrate the justice and love of God.

For a short time, you fostered some Muslim boys. How did that go?

Do you think Christians in the UK find it hard to marry social justice and evangelism?

It was a fantastic experience. We had a call at midnight and then at two o’clock in the morning a police car arrived outside of our house and four Muslim children came to live with us. Our job was to be the most loving family we could possibly be for them. We believe that Christian love is indiscriminate, that you are supposed to show love and mercy to people whatever religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or age. It was lovely to show these kids, made in the image of God, as much love as we could in the KEY time we had them for.

THE

Recently a number of theological colleges have closed down or changed the way that they are doing things. Are you concerned by that?

I think we do struggle with it. For some Christians, because they’ve got a stereotypical model of evangelism in their heads, it is much easier for them to do social justice. Our friends and neighbours and local authorities will cheer us on when we say we are going to do social justice, that we are going to help the poor, but they are not so excited when we talk about evangelism. People are really nervous Christians are nervous as a result. ONE OF THE and We do need to recover a closer walk with THINGS THAT Christ, who manages to integrate them He was good news by healing CHURCH NEEDS perfectly. the sick and feeding the hungry and IS A GREATER he spoke good news by preaching the gospel.

CONFIDENCE IN THE GOSPEL

Change is always difficult. Everyone in theological education is facing job insecurity as cuts are made in various institutions around the UK. But it is time for a new model, a new way in which we can serve the needs of the Church in this current age. People are finding new ways of bringing theology into their lives. The days of residential, three-year training courses are probably numbered and I don’t know of an institution that isn’t having to rethink its model.

You used to work for the Evangelical Alliance and have been involved in evangelism for some time. Are churches too reliant on courses for evangelism? Courses like Alpha, Christianity Explored and Emmaus have been hugely helpful to the Church and have moved us on in a helpful way, but I don’t think there is a magic bullet when it comes to evangelism. I think one of the key things that the Church needs is a greater confidence in the gospel. Not as a formula, not as four bullet points, but the story of Jesus and who he was. The closer we are to him, the more likely we are to tell stories about him and the changes he is making in our lives and talk about the part of the scriptures that are really coming alive for us. If you have ever met someone who is passionate about an Apple product, they are amazing evangelists for those products and yet they have never had any training. They are not inviting you on a course to learn how to love the iPhone – they are just being incredibly enthusiastic and want you to have a go and experience it with them. I’m a big fan of courses, but I think we need courses plus a whole variety of different approaches.

You’re a keen user of social media. A lot of Christians are sharing inspirational Bible verses online. Do you think that is a powerful witness or becoming a bit of a cliché?

Yes, it’s difficult. We have to be aware of the cheese factor when we are on social media networks and of who’s watching and listening. I’ve got lots of friends who don’t share a Christian faith with me, I need to be more mindful of them when I am posting. I am sure that I have got it wrong on many occasions. We need to recognise we have got a biblically illiterate culture out there. For some, our verses aren’t going to make sense to them. Sometimes they can be really helpful and it is just finding the right message for the right medium.

What is your hope for the Church in the UK and worldwide? I put incredible confidence in the fact that God is a mighty God and his gospel is true and powerful. The closer we get to putting our confidence in him, the greater use we can be for the kingdom of God. These changes, these seismic shifts in our culture, they are unsettling but they should help us grow more in our confidence and hope in God and his gospels. These will be exciting but challenging times for the Church and I’m excited to see what God is going to do with them.

Krish Kandiah was talking to Chris Hall

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

OVERSEAS PARTNER

Pedro Pacaya

THE GARDENING PASTOR GROUNDSMAN, PASTOR AND ALL-ROUND GOOD GUY, PEDRO IS WORKING WONDERS AT A BMS WORLD MISSION SUPPORTED TRAINING CENTRE IN PERU.

edro Pacaya is a busy man. On Sunday, he preaches at the Baptist church he leads in the village of Amazonas in Peru. The next morning he reports to the Integral Mission Training Centre in Nauta to work as a groundsman for the rest of the week. In August 2014, Pedro’s house was destroyed in a storm. To get extra funds to rebuild it, he approached the staff at the Integral Mission Training Centre for a job. Taking him on has proved to be a wise decision. He has almost single-handedly cleared the overgrown part of the site and planted cacao, pineapple and different species of banana. Pedro brought many of these plants from his own land near his home village and in some cases has taken the initiative to find people selling or giving them away. “Pedro’s done much of this without asking for any money to buy or transport the plants – he’s very unusual in this respect!” says BMS worker Laura-Lee Lovering. “He just seems to love working with the plants and outside areas and he considers

this just as much a part of his service in the kingdom as his role as pastor of the church in his village.” Laura is full of praise for Pedro. “He’s an all-round good guy. He’s been happy to teach the young people in the Saturday morning club about making potting compost from simple ingredients and why the agroforestry approach is good. He’s an answer to prayer,” she says.

Change a Child’s Life this Christmas

All funds raised through the sale of Child’s Life gift tags will support BMS children’s work. Thank you! Visit bmsworldmission.org/tags

bmsworldmission.org

YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. (MATTHEW 6: 10) We encourage you to photocopy this page for your church or cut out the sections to use in your regular prayer times.

PLACES: Peru Peru is a vibrant country with a rich heritage, home to some of the world’s oldest civilisations and cultures. It also has some of the most remote communities in South America. BMS is training and supporting leaders of church planting projects in villages so isolated that the only way to get there is by days’ long boat trips along the Amazon. We are also involved in environmental and creation care projects led by BMS workers Sarah McArthur and Laura-Lee Lovering in Nauta. About 90 per cent of the Peruvian population identify as Christian, however indigenous traditions have tended to become assimilated into Christian practice.

PROJECTS: My Father’s House

PRAY FOR: • The work of Nauta Integral Mission Training Centre • Church leaders and communities in remote areas • Creation care projects in the Amazon rainforest

bmsworldmission.org/myfathershouse

Diya is a young girl who lives in Nepal. Her family’s life was shattered when her father Ramu was paralysed in a truck accident. He was told that nothing could be done and that he should wait to die. But instead, his life was transformed by BMS occupational therapist Megan Barker and her team at the Surkhet clinic. He now has a wheelchair, a specially adapted home and can provide for his daughter once again. You can hear their story in this year’s harvest resource, My Father’s House. Ramu was fortunate to receive care, but following the earthquake in April this year, even more people will need treatment for spinal injuries. Please pray for this work and for the people whose lives have been affected.

PRAY FOR: • Ramu as he continues to recover • The clinic in Surkhet providing occupational therapy • The thousands of people living with spinal injuries

PEOPLE: Joe and Lois Ovenden Joe oversees BMS’ development work in northern Uganda and Lois works as a speech therapist. In their latest prayer letter they described how they have started to settle in: “Our work roles are starting to take shape, we’re finding our place in the local community and we’re beginning to feel at home. There is now more of a rhythm to our week and we feel as though we’re finding our feet.” Joe has been putting together a plan for how BMS’ work will grow over the coming years. At present, the work centres on small-scale agriculture and water and sanitation projects. Lois has recently set up a ‘sing and sign’ group for children with speech difficulties. They have a one-year-old daughter, Connie.

Get regular prayer points and resources from BMS at bmsworldmission.org/prayer

PRAY FOR: • Continued good relationships within the community • New opportunities for development work and speech therapy • Blessing on them as a family

Aidan Melville is sub-editor for the BMS Prayer Guide

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

Pointing finger: © Christos Georghiou – fotolia.com

FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT! DON’T THINK YOUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS CAN BE USED IN MISSION? THINK AGAIN. When was the last time you completed a project? Not sure? Have you ever taught friends or colleagues a specific set of skills so that they can complete a task? What about balancing books and ensuring that expenses stay within a budget? Or have you ordered the right materials and worked with suppliers? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you have done project management. What does project management have to do with mission? How can it make a difference overseas? As well as improving lives in the short term, BMS project managers also train and empower local people and, with their colleagues, brainstorm ways to make projects sustainable long after they leave. Here are three of our mission workers who have done and are doing just that.

bmsworldmission.org

ADMIN TO AFGHAN MICROFINANCE Elizabeth worked as an administrator for a family garage in the UK – where she handled expenses and accounts, ensured that everything complied with the law and worked with supplies – for 14 years before she followed the call to mission. After joining BMS, Elizabeth moved to Afghanistan in 2003 to help set up one of the first microfinance programmes in the country. Her role included finding an office space, ordering supplies, training the workers, setting up the finance and booking systems and assisting with management. Many of these skills she gained while working for the garage. Through this project, Afghans who were living in poverty were able to take out small loans that helped

their fields and plant seeds in a way that doesn’t destroy the land and yields more crops. This way they will gain more than just a bigger harvest, they will learn how to best care for God’s creation. If he hadn’t learned project management, if there weren’t project managers in the area to teach these skills, Inacio would never have been able to start this business or help the farmers in his community.

NO AVERAGE JOE them set up businesses, and as their businesses grew, they repaid the loans. “Seeing the whole thing start from scratch, move forward and end up as a fully functional and operational project was very rewarding,” says Elizabeth. “The Afghan people using the programme were accessing the money they needed to start working independently.” A higher quality of life became achievable thanks to this programme and Elizabeth’s project management skills.

THE WOMAN FROM THE PRU Today, Fiona Welsh helps train Mozambican entrepreneurs to start, run and complete projects. They learn how to write grant proposals and then are helped to fine tune the document before it is approved and the money is given. Before she left the UK to be a BMS mission worker, Fiona was an IT project manager with Prudential. There she trained staff in project management too. Both in the UK and in Mozambique, she has shared her knowledge with the trainees to help them understand that the process doesn’t have to be intimidating. “A project is like a journey,” says Fiona. “It has a start and an end. You need to know how you’re going to get from A to B and what could go wrong.” Fiona and Carlos Jone, her Mozambican colleague and a BMS international mission worker, have taken a different approach to the one many of their students are accustomed to. In the past, other organisations would run projects without teaching the local people how they were done. “No one had ever come and taught them project management and how to actually be the managers,” says Fiona. “People have the ideas, even though they don’t have the resources. We’re trying to give them that. And if you teach people how to do it properly, then they can do lots of different things.” Inacio, a farmer and pastor, is an example of the training programme’s success and how it is an effective tool for empowering the local Church. He started the Manica cattle project with the help of a grant and now has a farm rental business that will help his church and community to thrive. He is also teaching his neighbours how to effectively plough

Joe Ovenden is the newest member of BMS’ Uganda team and is co-ordinating and overseeing the development work in Gulu. Before joining BMS, Joe was a youth and school service co-ordinator at the British Red Cross youth education programme. Though he does not work directly on any one project in Gulu, he supports his colleagues on the ground. Joe helps to write proposals for additional funding to support projects like the current agricultural livelihoods and water sanitation work, as well as writing monitoring, evaluation and progress reports. “Sometimes there is a supporting or enabling role,” says Joe, “and that’s valuable to me in terms of helping to get the best out of the people on the ground. If a project is well organised and well managed, it’ll be more effective.” Joe learned many of his project management skills at university, and says you shouldn’t be scared away if you don’t have a development degree. “In the development world the jargon can be a barrier for some people, but a lot of the basic tools, whether it’s the project planning or monitoring, are actually quite straightforward,” says Joe. So if you feel called to mission and have an interest in project management take Joe’s advice. Studying development will help, but your learned transferrable skills are also important. “Just because someone might not think they have the right abilities needed to serve overseas doesn’t mean there isn’t a role where their skills could be used,” says BMS Team Leader for Mission Programmes Graeme Riddell. The list of places or ways BMS can use your expertise is long. You could run operations in Chad for Guinebor II Hospital or do project management in Afghanistan or Tunisia. You could be a BMS project manager. With God’s help, you could change lives.

Feeling called to overseas mission? Then check out the opportunities available at bmsworldmission.org/vacancies

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

IDEAS FOR

YOUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES

KIDS CARE: Treasure hunt in Uganda

Welcome to the KIDS CARE treasure hunt! In this new issue, we will not only bring you a new theme but tell you some exciting stories from around the world. Our first stop is Uganda, where we’ll discover the treasure of God’s unconditional love for all his children. You’ll meet Moreen and Jeremiah in The treasures of learning and hope in Uganda and find out what life is like there for children with disabilities.

To go with this important issue, your young people will learn about the strength of God’s love and how it’s woven into every part of our lives. They’ll also have the chance to try their hand at some fruit craft, navigate a maze and hold a fundraising event to raise money for BMS work helping children with disabilities. So join us for the first KIDS CARE treasure hunt and download this exciting issue and the activity pages from bmsworldmission.org/kidscare Also, remember that every FACE magazine can be found in our online library. To download FACE, go to bmsworldmission.org/face

MEET A STAFF MEMBER

Amy Hippsley Church Partnerships Administrator Tell us about yourself I’m an extroverted, positive person who loves to laugh! I’m often told that I make a lot of noise (which is a fair point!) and I very much enjoy working for BMS.

What does your role as Church Partnerships Administrator involve? My role primarily involves building relationships with both churches and mission workers in order to form strong partnerships between them. This is then expressed through the BMS Church Partners programme, which I administer and maintain.

What do you enjoy most about your role? I would say my favourite part is building and maintaining the relationships. I also love enabling churches to express their heart for mission and guiding them through the process of partnerships.

bmsworldmission.org

What are your hopes for the role? My hope and vision for this role is to be that point of connection between our mission workers and partner churches, to help them connect with each other and through that encourage our mission workers in their roles and our partner churches in their support.

What advice would you give to a church that is considering becoming a BMS Church Partner? Think, pray and get a feel for the areas of mission your leadership and congregation may be interested in, eg education or health ministries. Then get in touch, as I would love to hear from you! Contact Amy at ahippsley@bmsworldmission.org or call 01235 517616

Festive Fundraising

New videos available! We have two great new videos for you that we hope will help you to promote BMS in your church.

Introducing BMS The first is a snappy animation video that introduces what we do and why we do it. It is perfect for the start of a BMS Sunday service or as an introduction for people who are unfamiliar with BMS. This video can be found at bmsworldmission.org/video

The Christmas season is a great time of year to promote the work of BMS and fundraise in your church. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Christmas stall Have you considered organising a stall at your church to sell BMS Christmas cards and gift tags? We have some beautiful cards at reasonable prices, and special gift tags to raise money for BMS children’s work. You can order these on a sale or return basis by contacting Pam Fitzgerald on 01235 517617 or pfitzgerald@bmsworldmission.org

Host a Christmas bazaar

BMS Annual Report 2015 The second video says ‘Thank you!’ It gives an overview of our Annual Report, so is ideal to use in a church meeting. It shows where your generous gifts have gone and together what we have achieved. We never want to miss an opportunity to say thank you. You can find this video by going to bmsworldmission.org/annualreport2015

There are often many gifted, creative people in our fellowships. You could encourage your church members to create craft items for a bazaar – for example, greeting cards, cakes, and homemade jam. It’s a great way to prepare for Christmas and raise funds.

Carol singing Who doesn’t love singing carols? Why not organise a community carol service? You can sell coffee and mince pies. It’s a great way to get to know other people in your town or village.

Shop online

We hope these new resources will be a blessing to you and your congregation. If you like these videos, you might want to check out other videos we have available. They can all be found at vimeo.com/bmsworldmission

We have raised an amazing £2,769 so far through the Give as you Live website. Please encourage your church members to sign up and select BMS as the charity they want to support, and whenever they make a purchase from a participating store, a percentage is sent on to BMS at no extra cost! Thousands of stores are taking part, including John Lewis, Amazon and M&S. For more details and to sign up, go to giveasyoulive.com/join/bmsworldmission

For more fundraising ideas please visit bmsworldmission.org/fundraise

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

Opinion

IS IT ALWAYS RIGHT TO CHRIST TOLD US TO FORGIVE OTHERS, BUT ARE THERE EXCEPTIONS? CAN FORGIVENESS PREVENT JUSTICE BEING DONE?

UK: FORGIVENESS NOT DEMANDED

orgiveness, if offered by an injured party, can never be wrong. But that is not the same as saying that forgiveness must be offered. It doesn’t work like that. For me, forgiveness is an act of the heart and mind that can be triggered by compassion towards the perpetrator or by a decision that says I will not allow the hurt and anger to hang over me. Anger always demands a catharsis – it can be a scream, a punch or the satisfaction of seeing the other person hurt in equal measure. Without this catharsis, anger can be corrosive. By forgiving, we release the stranglehold the perpetrator has imposed on us.

Eunice Nabafu Uganda

Forgiveness is a good thing if we can get there, but it cannot be demanded. For Christians, there is another dimension for we acknowledge God’s forgiveness of us and so it is at least a challenge to consider forgiving others. The Lord’s Prayer prompts this, though I am not convinced it demands it of us. In the West, justice is a key cultural concept. Forgiveness of a crime will not stop the wheels of justice turning, for when justice prevails, there is less reason to take revenge, or take the law into our own hands, and the deterrent effect of punishment is upheld. But forgiveness can be unsettling too. When the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission heard

bmsworldmission.org

United Kingdom

the litany of crimes perpetrated by those of the Apartheid regime, and then declared forgiveness towards the truth-tellers, not everyone was happy. Understandably, many victims wanted the abusers and killers punished. Is it possible that in the act of forgiveness we glimpse a hint of divinity, dispensing with justice, and simply offering the grace of restoration? Is this not at the heart of the gospel?

David Kerrigan is General Director of BMS World Mission

UGANDA: FORGIVENESS REFORMS OFFENDERS

oes forgiveness work against In Uganda, the administration of justice? The question reminds me justice is mainly centered on principles of Hosea 12: 6 (RSV) which says, of equality, fairness, equity and good ‘‘hold fast to love and justice’’ – we conscience. The idea of forgiveness in cannot forgive unless our justice system can be love has commended seen in alternative dispute WE CANNOT us to. Many resolutions, for example, experiences here at negotiation, FORGIVE UNLESS mediation, the Ugandan Christian arbitration and plea LOVE HAS Lawyers Fraternity bargains in criminal cases. (UCLF) have taught If one pleads guilty to the COMMENDED us that forgiveness offence charged, through US TO and justice when mitigation you can receive a combined together lesser sentence if you have imply an adversarial relationship. been forgiven. This does not condone One of our clients exclaimed when abuse or atrocities but it reaches out to we first presented to her the idea of rehabilitate and reform the offender. forgiveness, “If I forgive the man who We have an opportunity as Christian murdered my father, how then will lawyers to encourage reconciliation of justice be rendered?”. offenders and victims by encouraging

David Kerrigan

mediation instead of litigation for civil matters. In criminal cases, we advise those that have committed a crime to plead guilty, reconcile with the victim’s family and we mitigate their punishment in court. As Christians, we are persuaded that our justice and forgiveness were overruled by Jesus’ death on the cross and we were reconciled to God (Romans 5: 10 KJV). Even so, we ought to extend the same forgiveness to those that are offenders of the law. For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then were all dead. (2 Corinthians 5: 14 KJV).

Eunice Nabafu is Executive Director of BMS partner UCLF.

FORGIVE? Tapan Sarkar

INDIA: FORGIVE EVERYTHING, EVEN MURDER

orgiving others may seem to condemned. Forgive, and you will be be a choice, and in one sense it forgiven.” is a choice, but God has been I wanted justice when my wife very clear about forgiveness. He has Sunanda was murdered by family given us specific members, but as I direction in continued to pray Scripture, all of and read God’s which can be word, I was able summed up in to forgive her just one word: killers according forgive! God’s to what the word says, “And scriptures taught when you stand me. Through the praying, if you verse Luke 23: 34 hold anything (“Father they do Tapan forgave family members for murdering his wife Sunanda against anyone not know what forgive him, they are doing”), so that your Father in heaven may God spoke to my heart. His word forgive you your sins” (Mark 11: 25). says not to judge others because if And in Luke 6: 37 it says: “Do not we do, then we are also in judgement. judge, and you will not be judged. Obviously it was hard for me, but God Do not condemn, and you will not be really changed my heart and I forgave

Alia Abboud Lebanon

young man took a beating while he was demonstrating in downtown Beirut with fellow members of his political party, calling for the rights of Christians. Rather than fly at his attacker in retaliation, he turned to him, with blood pouring down from his head, and boldly said: “I love you. I forgive you. But nothing you can do can make me forego my rights.” His reaction took me by surprise! Had he chosen to react differently, the situation would have taken a different turn altogether and most possibly with graver consequences. I realise that this is a very simple illustration, but no matter how small or huge the offence, Christians are called to forgive those who trespass against them. Miroslav Volf reminds us that forgiveness

India

them. As Christians, we have to forgive those who persecute us. Persecution is a part of the Christian life. The call to forgive is a call to hard work. Jesus wants our lives to reflect his love – and to dazzle! We, as Christians, are called to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5: 1-2). In teaching us the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to let our lives glorify God – to make him look good in the world around us. That means striving to forgive others as freely and graciously as God in Christ has forgiven us – that takes discipline and determination.

Tapan Sarkar is a BMS supported partner worker in India, doing church planting with BMS Associate Team Leader for India, Benjamin Francis.

LEBANON: THE WAY TO RECONCILIATION is unconditional and “involves self-denial and risk”. It implies that justice has not taken place. Therefore, the more heinous the trespass or aggression, the greater the need for God’s grace to be able to forgive it and the more powerful the message of love and peace that is communicated in the process, bringing healing to the wronged and hopefully to the wrong-doer too. In parallel with acts of forgiveness, Christians can practise “deeds of deliverance” as David Gushee says. Jesus was concerned about the poor, the disadvantaged, the downtrodden, and the marginalised. Christians do not condone injustices! Yet we can pursue means and ways of addressing the consequences of unjust situations, like the Church in Lebanon and Syria is doing

today in their response to the needs of Syrian families negatively affected by the raging war in their country. Jesus on the cross in Luke 23: 34 asks the Father to forgive those who crucified him. Forgiveness is a decision to love one’s enemy, not to hold their wrong doings against them. Forgiveness paves the way to reconciliation. It is goodness standing up against evil.

Alia Abboud is Development and Partner Relations Director at BMS partner the Lebanese Society for Social and Educational Development.

The views expressed are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect those endorsed by BMS World Mission.

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

Arts

Five minutes with...

DAVID

GARRISON

DR DAVID GARRISON TRAVELLED ACROSS THE MUSLIM WORLD AND ASKED OVER 1,000 FORMER MUSLIMS “WHAT DID GOD USE TO BRING YOU TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST?”

What inspired your research? I’ve been working in the Muslim world for about 30 years. When I was living in India, I came across many Muslims who had come to Christ. Then I began hearing other reports of significant numbers of Muslims coming to Christ across the Muslim world. I wasn’t in a position back then to do much about it, but I was approached in 2010 by a foundation who said, “We are hearing the same thing. We don’t know what is real and what is just wishful thinking: would you be willing to take some time out and survey these movements?” I thought it was one of the most significant things going on in the world today and I wanted to find out if there were 10, 20, maybe 30 different movements out there. By the time I finished my study, I had travelled a quarter of a million miles through the Muslim world and discovered that at the moment there are 69 movements taking place, each one with over a thousand baptised believers, some of them tens of thousands. Has this happened before in history or is it happening for the first time now? I was very intent in looking into that. I’ve got a PhD in Church history from the University of Chicago. The last thing I wanted to do was to ring a big bell and say “Look what’s happening,” and to have other historians say, “Well that’s happened many times in history.” So I dug into the subject and traced it back to the time of Mohammed. I was able to establish that we are living through the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ. What we are seeing is unprecedented.

bmsworldmission.org

And do you think that it is because people are rejecting the more extremist versions of Islam or are they turning away from moderate Islam as well? It’s both. There is a role that radical Islam is playing but there’s more to it than that. The factor in many of the stories of those that turned from Islam is that they were disenchanted with both the violence they were seeing, their scriptures and what they saw in the life of their Prophet. We are often fearful of Muslims. How can we overcome that fear, especially if many are coming to Christ? Pray for them. As we pray for Muslims, we can begin to get God’s heart for them. That’s a good beginning point. What can we learn from Muslim background believers? If we can prayerfully listen to these voices, then we have an opportunity to realign ourselves with the ways that God is reaching Muslims today. The Muslim world is coming to us. And the question is, will we continue to use ineffective ways of reaching out to them or will we begin to say “Lord, shape us, mould us, make us into effective instruments for you and use us to bring in this great harvest of Muslims in our own communities?”

David Garrison was talking to Chris Hall

Find out more about David’s research and order his book, Wind in the House of Islam, at windinthehouse.org

Arts

REVIEWS

Step Back Norman Drummond

Online Mission and Ministry

In Jesus’ Name

God’s Not Dead

Darlene Zschech

Director: Harold Cronk

Pam Smith

Album

DVD

Hodder & Stoughton

Book

Integrity Music

Signature Entertainment

Rating:

SPCK

Rating:

It is refreshing to see the online world being treated seriously as a mission opportunity. Pam Smith is a pioneer and an experienced minister, one with a decidedly unique parish. Being Priest in Charge of i-church.org means guidance on mission and ministry are rooted in the lived experience of a minister. This book is not a how-to guide, nor a biography of her ministry, but somehow manages to straddle both, whilst inviting the reader to consider their own part in online mission. Smith begins with a simple ‘how to get started’ section that will be helpful to those embarking on a new ministry, or seeking to get a handle on the ways social media is transforming communication and community. Guidance on creating genuine online Christian community (that holy grail of the internet pioneer) is balanced by harsher realities, like dealing with trolls and troublemakers. Whether you’re just getting into social media, thinking of increasing your church’s presence online, or developing a whole new ministry in cyberspace, you’ll find this inspirational little book a helpful companion and a wise guide.

In Jesus’ Name is the new release from Australia’s Hillsong sweetheart Darlene Zschech. The album’s subtitle, A Legacy of Worship and Faith, pretty much sums up this compilation of Zschech’s finest worship songs released over the last 22 years. Including classics like Shout to the Lord and Jesus lover of my soul, the album serves to remind us of some of the Church’s most loved songs. Although some tracks now sound dated, the quality of writing still shines through. Songs such as God is here bring you up-to-date with the current anthemic Hillsong sound. I haven’t been a particular Darlene Zschech fan, but found myself singing along and hearing anew a lady with quite a gift of worship leading and also with a superb voice. At one point Darlene prays over the crowd in Jesus’ name, breaking the power of sickness, putting this album firmly on the charismatic side of the CD pile, but then that’s what you’d expect from an album called In Jesus’ Name. If, like me, you haven’t been a dedicated ‘Hillsonger’, then maybe you’ll be able to acknowledge the legacy of faith and worship that Darlene Zschech has most definitely given to us.

I was a little sceptical about what this would be like – it does seem hard for filmmakers to portray Christians in any way other than being slightly socially awkward and weird. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that God’s Not Dead proved to be the exception to the rule. The premise of the film is good and quite inspiring – a university student defends his faith against an atheist professor and refuses to sign a statement saying “God is dead” when the rest of his class does. In spite of a lot of pressure from some unexpected sources, the student sticks to his beliefs and puts forward strong arguments for why he believes God is alive. It was challenging to see these arguments and wonder whether I would be able to defend my faith as well. I didn’t like the fact that all the main characters who were presented the gospel became a Christian by the end of the film. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, but that’s not my experience! This is not a fantastic film, but it does provide a starting point for discussion about how to stand up for God in the various situations life throws at you.

Review by Jonathan Somerville, Senior Minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church Wolverhampton

Review by Nicki Rogers, Singer songwriter and worship leader

Book

ISBN: 978-0340979938

From the first page, I was drawn into an engaging, attractive exploration of things I already knew, things that are not rocket science or profound theology, but which I, in my busy life, needed to hear afresh. Norman Drummond brings his wealth of life experience to this easy to read, practical and kindly book, inviting the reader to ‘step back’ and reflect in order to ‘step forward’ in life. The core of the book is twelve chapters on the rewards of stepping back. Prefaced with inspirational quotes (the kind that abound in social media), each chapter gently and non-judgementally invites the reader to undertake a little self-examination; I found myself nodding and smiling in recognition. A further five chapters offer ideas of how the reader might begin to ‘step back’, starting small, alone or with others. This book is not overtly ‘Christian’, drawing on stories and insights from diverse faiths and worldviews, but Drummond is completely open about his own faith. As a result, it is a great gift to all busy, tired people, Christian or not. Buy it, borrow it, read it – allow it to speak tenderly to your soul and then, refreshed and renewed, step forward once more. Review by Catriona Gorton, Minister of Hillhead Baptist Church in Glasgow

ISBN: 978-0281071517

Rating:

Review by Ruth Radford, a youth leader at Newbury Baptist Church

AUTUMN 2015 | ENGAGE

HOW IS GOD CALLING YOU

TO SUPPORT MISSION TO ALL THE WORLD?

INDIA JUSTICE

Go to bmsworldmission.org/justicepartners

Go to bmsworldmission.org/indiapartners

AROUND THE WORLD

PERSONNEL

Go to your mission worker’s profile page or bmsworldmission.org/partners

Go to bmsworldmission.org/partners

ANSWER YOUR CALLING THROUGH BMS 24:7 PARTNERS SIGN UP ONLINE OR CALL 01235 517609 FOR MORE INFORMATION

bmsworldmission.org/partners

BMS

24:7 partners

Turning compassion into action

AS A CHRISTIAN MISSION ORGANISATION WE AIM TO SHARE LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS WITH THE WORLD’S PEOPLES BY: ENABLING THEM TO KNOW CHRIST, ALLEVIATING SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE WITH PEOPLE AS OUR PRIMARY AGENTS OF CHANGE – MOTIVATING, TRAINING, SENDING AND RESOURCING THEM.