The Call - spring/summer 2019 by Church Mission Society

First things first Meet Alastair Bateman, new chief executive officer of CMS

A crazy big plan A doctor shares the adventure of her calling into mission in Africa

Sharing Jesus Tips on confident cross -cultural evangelism from a London vicar

BEYOND THE FOUR WALLS What’s a church to do when they find sex workers on their doorstep? (See page 11) T HE CALL IN ACTIO N

CHURCHMISSIO NSO CI E TY.ORG

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

ISSUE 12 | SUMMER 2019

The Call

The call in action

Welcome to The Call, produced three times a year by Church Mission Society. The Call is a platform for global voices in mission. In these pages you will get to know people from around the world who are joining in God’s mission in a variety of ways. By sharing their stories, insights and reflections, our goal is to give you hope that God is still at work in our world and to inspire you to put your own mission call into action, if not with Church Mission Society then with someone – but preferably with Church Mission Society.

In this edition

MISSION NEWS

MISSION MEANS

WORLD VIEWS

FIRST THINGS FIRST

COVER STORY

OFFICE CALLING

NEW PEOPLE IN MISSION

RENEWED VISION

11 14

What God is doing through your prayerful support

Eyewitness reports of God at work in Lebanon, DR Congo and Asia

Meet a church sharing the love of Jesus with sex workers

Introducing some of those heading out for short term service

Anne Plested explores mission as accompaniment in Bethlehem

New CEO Alastair Bateman shares his priorities

Jonathan Self shares how he has learned from link letters

Paul Bradbury encourages us to focus on God

... and much more churchmissionsociety.org 2

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WELCOME

GOING FAR NOT GOING ALONE

“If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.”

DEBBIE JAMES, DIRECTOR OF MISSION TRANSFORMATION

I Church Mission Society Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ T: +44 (0)1865 787400 E: info@churchmissionsociety.org churchmissionsociety.org

/churchmissionsociety @cmsmission

If you have any comments about The Call, please contact the editor: the.call@churchmissionsociety.org Opinions expressed in The Call are those of the authors, not necessarily of Church Mission Society. Cover image: Ruth Hicks, PMC team leader at St Peter's Stockton-on-Tees – see page 11 (credit: Ed Hicks). Church Mission Society is a mission community acknowledged by the Church of England Registered Company No. 6985330 and Registered Charity No.1131655 (England & Wales) and SC047163 (Scotland). Also part of CMS: The South American Mission Society, Registered Company No. 65048 and Registered Charity No. 221328 (England & Wales); The Church Mission Society Trust, Registered Charity No. 1131655-1 (previously 220297). Registered and principal offices of all above entities: Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ.

recently happened across this African proverb and have been wondering about the wisdom for mission that it offers. It is reflected in this issue’s cover story about a church that participated in Partnership for Missional Church (PMC), Church Mission Society’s three-year lay-led process which encourages churches to explore what God is doing in the local community and how they can be a part of it. This is the story of a church that has shown that “to go far” is to “go with others” as several of its female members built relationships in the community; in particular, with a local charity and with female sex workers working in the neighbourhood. Such journeys do not “go quickly”! They can be messy and risky, and often require some aspect of negotiation, surrender and a good dose of patience. Yet they can be richly rewarding as gifts are shared, as relationships are deepened and as new things are birthed that wouldn’t have been possible alone. More churches have shared their stories of partnering with local communities after participating in PMC – in the centre pages you can read of their experiences with others in their contexts. I love hearing these stories of local churches seeing God at work in their community and following the call to join in with that. In a culture where we are often expected and encouraged to “go quickly” I was challenged about what is required “to go far” when I read CMS’s interview with Canon Moses Bushendich, the leader of

CMS-Africa, in the last issue of The Call. When asked what he would like to say to Western Christians, he replied: “To us in Africa mission is relational. Relating with people, spending time with them, working with them, beginning from where they are, makes a big difference. I’m sure even in the West there are those who still need people to share with – but it’s rare to find people who have the time to share with them because everyone is running around. In Africa we have time to build relationships.” To “go with others” requires giving of our time and of ourselves and is perhaps synonymous with the concept of partnership, the first word in the title of PMC and a word that has often been associated with CMS. Indeed, relational is one of CMS’s core values and we are known for our strong emphasis on global partnerships. We even call missionaries mission partners and local partners. Partnership reminds us that mission is God’s mission. God sends us and partners with us in mission; and God has partners for us to collaborate with in his mission. Partnership has also been central to our relationship with churches supporting CMS – be that financial or prayer support, we know that we rely on them and it is a privilege to partner in God’s mission together. On page 15 you can read about how some churches and mission partners have experienced that partnership. As the article says, “We all need people to partner with us, whatever our mission call, which is why the pattern of linking churches with mission partners has endured for so long.” This is a theme that Anne Plested also picks up as she explains her call to accompaniment, to simply be

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

present in mission (see page 18). As CMS collaborates with CMSAfrica, Asia-CMS and other partners around the world, including here in Britain, we’ve been learning that partnering together in God’s mission requires humility and vulnerability. Only then are we able to learn, to gain insights from another’s perspective and even be changed. To “go with others” is not about seeing the other as a project. Neither is it a means of serving our own agenda – the using of a relationship such that its primary value lies in what can be gained from it. Partnership is about recognising that we are all part of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12). God has given to various parts of Christ’s worldwide church gifts which are for the whole body and each part has much to learn and receive as well as give. I am also delighted that in this issue you can read the first article from our new chief executive officer, Alastair Bateman. Please do continue to pray for him in this new season. I end with a quote from Rev Dr Nam Chen, the leader of Asia-CMS, which resonates with the African proverb. For those taking their first steps into mission he advises, “Mission is most powerful when you are walking with others – they can be walking ahead of or behind you – it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re not walking alone.” As you read the news and stories that follow, my prayer is that you will be encouraged by the many ways in which people have chosen to “go far” and journey the slower, risky, vulnerable and messier route “with others” in God’s mission.

MISSION NEWS Celebrating a decade in mission with CMS In April Kailean and Kim Khongsai, from Manipur, north east India, celebrated 10 years of being CMS mission partners in the UK, seconded to A Rocha UK. To celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Kailean and Kim organised an informal thanksgiving evening at the A Rocha centre with a few local vicars and some close friends. They sang, prayed together and celebrated with food, and Kailean shared his personal testimony about their 10-year journey. The event was hailed a great success; a very encouraging and fulfilling celebration worthy of the milestone. Kailean said, “We feel extremely blessed and grateful to God. There have been times over the past decade when we have faced real difficulties and

challenges, but we have learned a lot and feel that we are growing spiritually.” Kailean and Kim build bridges among different faith communities through creation care. A project at the heart of their ministry is Wolf Fields, three acres of land in Southall. Formerly a brickworks, the site had fallen into disrepair and become a local hotspot for flytipping and substance abuse. However, since Kailean and Kim and others started work there in 2013, the community has come together and put time and effort into transforming the site. Over time, as volunteers from all walks of life have banded together, Wolf Fields has changed from a wasteland to a site for the whole community, featuring an allotment, a sensory garden, a community orchard and apiary.

A Holy Rumpus begins Early May saw the first teaching weekend for the latest of our training hubs for lay pioneers. Holy Rumpus is a partnership between CMS and the Diocese of Bath and Wells. It joins the St Cedd Centre in the Diocese of Chelmsford and the School of Pioneers developed with London Diocese in delivering the CMS certificate in pioneering mission. The Holy Rumpus pioneers are studying six modules, each taught over a weekend residential in different contexts around the diocese. It kicked off in Wells, learning about mission, pioneering and reading culture. Highlights of the weekend included

Baptism and coming home in the Netherlands Samantha, a young mother of two, was baptised in January at Het Pand (The House) in Groningen, the Netherlands. Mission partner Berdine van den Toren Lekkerkerker helps to lead this church community in a troubled part of Groningen and shared her joy in celebrating with Samantha. Berdine and others had been talking with some parents in the community about whether to baptise their children. Samantha picked up on this and, to their surprise, asked if she herself could be baptised. As a child she had heard about God but only through stories of the Old Testament. During her teenage years, she encountered some Christians and decided that she also wanted to be a Christian, without really knowing what it meant. Then, three years ago, a friend of hers told her about Jesus. She wanted to know more but sadly she did not discover what she was looking for. However, one day when visiting the play area where The House community have their weekly lunch and celebration, Samantha was invited to come in. She said that it felt like coming home, a safe place, a place of love and care. It was here she met Jesus and saw people sharing life because of the love of Christ. This was why she wanted to be baptised. On that Sunday she told Berdine, with tears in her eyes, that she was so happy that she had made the choice: “From now on, life can never be taken away from me any more!” Samantha being baptised, Berdine right

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Kailean and Kim Khongsai

different expressions of worship: reflecting on seeds and pioneering, a simple communion service in the Bishop’s Palace chapel and worship outside in the gardens right by St Andrew’s Well. Andrea Campanale, pioneer network developer at CMS, said, “It was great to get to know the 20 people who have signed up and we heard wonderfully inspiring stories of hope and God’s faithfulness in the midst of addiction and brokenness.” The next weekend will take place in July on a social housing estate in Bath.

MISSION NEWS Time out to wonder

Mission partner Steve Poulson ( far right) with supporters from his link churches in Goring, Streatley and South Stoke

Black-tie dinner is a winner for mission In summer 2018, a small group from three churches supporting mission partner Steve Poulson were moved and inspired to share more of Steve’s story with their congregations. Unsure at first how to bring Steve’s work among street kids in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to the forefront of busy people’s minds, they came up with the idea of a black-tie dinner for all three churches. Steve would be their afterdinner speaker, telling everyone about his work among vulnerable children – the work these churches were partnering in. Together, the churches set a date when Steve would be in the UK, advertised the event in local newspapers and set about planning the details. They spoke about it in each church for weeks ahead. On the night, Steve shared the realities of life for children living on the streets of Tegucigalpa and God’s calling to him to bring hope to these children and see their lives transformed by the love of Jesus. Steve said, “I felt so encouraged and humbled that someone would do this to help me fulfil my calling. To have people in link churches so committed to partnering with me meant that it became much less of a fundraising event and totally about mission. If you are in a link church and feel like you could organise something, just do it!”

Church Mission Society has just launched a new gap year programme to help the next generation explore the call to mission. Wonder offers those aged 18 to 25 the opportunity to see more of the world and God at work in it, to serve others, to know God better and to consider his calling. Alongside placements with CMS mission partners or partner organisations in South Asia and the UK, the CMS vocations team will provide resources for participants to reflect on their own calling and be prepared for whatever is next in life. The programme has an Asian flavour, as the world’s largest and most populous continent offers the potential for Western Christians to learn a lot from the way Christianity is developing there. As Asian diaspora communities in the UK are growing, understanding what mission looks like in these contexts is also vital as people regularly find themselves in dialogue with people of other faiths.

New information office sees and serves refugees Refugees and asylum seekers in Malta have a new place where they can get much needed advice, help with immigration paperwork, internet access and – most importantly – thoughtful hospitality. The Peace Lab information centre, which CMS mission partners Doug and Jacqui Marshall have recently established in cooperation with a local Franciscan friar, is situated near the Hal Far open centre. This is where refugees and asylum seekers are sent once released from detention. “This information office is a long-held dream that has come to fruition,” said Doug. “In our first few weeks we met a number of people with diverse stories and needs: a proactive young man who is looking to volunteer, a young woman who was trafficked into the sex trade but

NDER

Wonder sits alongside CMS’s existing short- and long-term mission opportunities for all ages, but has a specific focus on setting the next generation free into their calling. On this programme, the journey is as important as the destination. Find out more at churchmissionsociety.org/opportunities.

subsequently found freedom, and many who just want to have their dignity recognised and be given an opportunity to work.” At the centre, the Marshalls are seeking to “provide some hospitality in an otherwise inhospitable place”. They offer tea and coffee and time, which Doug says is key: “It’s about seeing people, not just serving people, actually spending time with them, whether that’s going over their documents or their CV, or just listening, so that people know they are valued. This is the most important thing we do.”

Right: The new office in Malta

Men, women and youth encountering Jesus in Egypt

Habeeb Kamal

“More than 30 guys were crying, asking for God’s forgiveness,” says local partner Habeeb Kamal about a youth outreach event in a very poor area of Cairo, attended by about 70 young people. God has recently been using Habeeb powerfully through his ministry of preaching, teaching and discipleship at various events in Egypt. Another time, Habeeb and others he works with arranged a meeting elsewhere in Egypt for about 200 men, many of whom struggle with drug addiction. Habeeb says, “God’s presence was very strong to the point that the workers were tearfully

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

praying and asking for God’s forgiveness.” One of the men who attended this event, having found forgiveness and freedom in Christ, has joined Habeeb’s ministry and is now helping others to find that same freedom. Habeeb also travels to spend time with and encourage church congregations. He spent two weeks with a local church in another poor area of Cairo, offering much needed encouragement, helping to bring reconciliation and standing with the church as they sent out three missionaries in Jesus’ name. Habeeb also preached at three different evangelism events for women from Upper Egypt. At each event, women were touched by God, asking his forgiveness and inviting Jesus into their lives. 5

MISSION NEWS

Brick making

Team effort for new building in Tanzania The primary school at St John’s Kilimatinde has been expanding and building five new classrooms and two school offices. The school, where mission partners Festo and Grace Kanungha and Stephen Hatch work, has added

nursery and primary classes in recent years, so was running out of space. Building at St John’s is a community affair with secondary students given the task of watering the bricks every morning and evening, so that they set well. The building site has been a hive of activity and the students have been really excited by what is happening around them. And as if that weren’t enough, the school is one of just two in the district chosen to provide A-levels – and so is embarking upon a project to build two new dormitories. Fundraising started unexpectedly as the district education officer encouraged parents to begin contributing. Grace and Festo commented, “We still have some way to go but what we have learned is that God will provide in his perfect timing, and so we continue to praise his name and seek to share the gospel!”

NEWS IN BRIEF RICH RESOURCES FOR MISSION

The CMS online resource hub, launched in February 2018, was used by more than 15,000 people in its first year – and is fast becoming one of the most visited sections of the website. Most popular resources included the What is Mission? Bible study series, the Beautiful Witness group resource exploring what it means for people to come to faith, CMS’s Carol Service, a Summer Reading List and some editions of the Anvil journal of theology and mission.

SISTERS ADOPTED IN RECIFE

Andy and Rose Roberts report that three sisters adopted from the ReVive safe house in Recife last year have reached the final stage in the adoption – they now have new birth certificates reflecting their new mum and dad. Andy and Rose comment: “It’s been a real privilege to accompany them over this past year, to support them and see how they’ve all grown into a new family together.”

LIVING WAGE

We are pleased to share that CMS is now officially a Living Wage employer, meaning that all staff and thirdparty contractors are paid the living wage as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation.

A night to shine in Lebanon “They walked in on the red carpet surrounded by a crowd of photographers. Amidst the cheers and the camera flashes, a sparkle started to show in their eyes, and a smile began to form on their faces.” So began the first Night to Shine event in the Middle East, where 80 children and young adults with special needs were given a special evening to remember as they became the stars for the night. Organised by SKILD, the ministry for children with special educational needs where mission partner Audrey Gibson has been working, in conjunction with the Tim Tebow Foundation in the USA, Night to Shine is a worldwide prom event for individuals with special needs where they enjoy an evening of royal treatment. “For our night on 8 February, 150 volunteers, 40 celebrities, and tens of high-profile people joined efforts,” said Audrey. “With coverage by one of the main TV

BAPTISMS AT TEA AND TOAST

Tea and toast church – a monthly cafe-style church with tea, coffee, toast, crafts, a short talk and music in Haywood Village, Weston-super-Mare – recently celebrated their first adult baptisms. CMS pioneer student Fiona Mayne leads the church, and explained that for one of the candidates, “the baptism represents the start of a whole new chapter in her life where she will be walking with God in his presence and not trying to do things in her own strength.”

CHICKS BRINGING CHEER IN THE CHAPEL Young people at the Night to Shine event

channels in Lebanon, this was also an event to raise awareness across Lebanon that everyone is special. Night to Shine is a night where all the guests are celebrated as unique and precious individuals irrespective of their physical and mental abilities, for they are all children of God.”

Mission partner Ruth Radley, working in chaplaincy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, shared news of chicks hatching in the hospital chapel at Easter for the second year in a row. The chicks help to lift the spirits of patients, families and staff, bringing a sign of new life and hope into difficult circumstances. Ruth comments, “just offering something that brings hope – I think that’s got to be what our faith is about. Just offering that source of life, or source of light, and in a very difficult place.”

For more mission news, stories and resources visit: CHURCHMISSIONSOCIETY.ORG 6

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WORLD VIEWS

PRESENCE IN POVERTY Jesus came to set the captives free and the poverty trap is one sort of captivity, write Phil and Sylvie Good in Lebanon.

Lebanon By Phil and Sylvie Good, working with refugees in Beirut, Lebanon

Below: Marta’s home

onsider just one Syrian refugee family. We know them quite well. We shall call the mother Marta though that is not her real name. It is hard to imagine what it feels like to be Marta, yet there are parts of her story we can all recognise. Consider how Jesus comes to her and brings hope and a glimpse of freedom. Marta lives under the stairs with her family. We have visited her many times and she comes to a Bible study in the church; she is somewhere close on her journey to see Jesus. Where she lives is a disgrace: it houses a water tank and was designed as a service cupboard for the building. There is a cramped toilet by the door which has water running across the floor. The room is about 8ft by 8ft and there are some shelves in the corridor which have been made into a kitchen. There is a built-in cupboard in the room, a window with no glass and a rickety shutter. There is some electricity with bare wires to operate the light.

The place is dark with brown and black streaks on the walls and at night the rats visit. It is truly awful and yet they stay there and try to pay $250 a month in rent. They have lived there for three years. We have not understood why they stay there – it gets very complicated, the rent is in arrears and the landlord should throw them out, yet he doesn’t as probably no one else would take it. We offer to help them find a new place, but they find excuses. I think they are afraid that if they find a better place and then fail to pay the rent – which they will – the new landlord will not let them stay and then they will be homeless. The husband sometimes finds work, but it never lasts more than a couple of days. It is illegal for Syrian refugees to work. Finding work is hard and often the employers don’t pay, as they know that they cannot be held accountable, and the work itself is bad.

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

Marta is on the journey to faith in Christ but her husband keeps away. He has not warmed to the message we bring. How can Marta grow her faith? She cannot read and has nowhere to be alone. Growing in faith is therefore very slow and the church is a vital lifeline for her. We don’t know how they come to be here except they left Syria because of the war, but we sit with them and see a family trapped in poverty. And, particularly in the father, a deep anger which eats him up and destroys his hope. I long to help them find hope. I recognise their feelings of despair and pray that they find some way of escape from this seeming prison, yet I cannot imagine how. It may be that with the end of the war they could be repatriated, and I think this would be better than where they are now. Yet the risks for those who return are quite high; men of Marta’s husband’s age are arrested for deserting as they were of an age to join the army. They have no appetite for taking more risks: they gambled everything by coming here and have lost. I am aware that for many people, including Marta and her family, we cannot change the situation directly. But we can testify that when we have been tempted to give up and have found despair an unwelcome guest in our own hearts, we have discovered that Jesus has also been there for us. And Jesus can bring hope and a future just by his presence. Even when nothing else changes, his presence is all we need. I pray that his presence will come into that small dark and damp room, 8ft by 8ft under the stairs. Will you pray with me? 7

WORLD VIEWS

HE WOULD NOT LEAVE HIS FLOCK We have learned something very important from our Congolese friends: anywhere there is life, death is never very far away. That is true across the world, but here it is more stark.

DR CONGO By Patricia and Peter Wyard in DR Congo. Patricia is working in palliative care and Peter is a lecturer at a theological college.

Right: Aru market

et us tell you about “Suzanne”, a 34-year-old woman who had three babies delivered by caesarean section and was pregnant again. Suddenly her uterus ruptured and through another emergency caesarean, a living baby was born. She went home, but returned about ten days later with severe pain. When I (Patricia) saw her, Suzanne was in agony and emergency surgery was planned. There was no wheelchair available so I walked her to the ward. Suzanne was given a few milligrams of precious morphine and she rested her head on my shoulder for a time. She did not survive the surgery. I was most impressed with how my colleagues openly reported this sad death after morning prayers. I liked their openness about what had happened, how they did not shy away from the subject of death. Four little children will now not have their mother, yet in this society, despite pain and poverty, one of the great things is that these children are likely to be brought up in the lap of extended family. Recently a confirmation service was held in our cathedral. The people being confirmed came from a local parish called Aru Ville and from a second parish about 250km away called Faradje. Sadly, Faradje is known for a massacre that took place there about 10 years ago; the remembrance service had recently been attended by the bishop. The group of 29 from Faradje were brought here on the back of the archdeaconry pick-up truck. They were very squashed, and had to rotate between standing up and sitting down for 250km on dirt roads. The chapel in Faradje is relatively new, but has been steadily growing. The confirmation service was very moving and the pastor of the chapel, who is a very unassuming, gentle man, spoke and expressed

his thanks to the bishop and all the people. We asked him for a transcript of his speech and offered to copy it at home, so we walked back together. He spoke of his dreams for his chapel to become a parish in the future. I (Peter) said a short prayer for blessing for the parish and after our “amen” the pastor said something which at first we did not quite understand. He explained, much to our consternation, that his 20-year-old son had died the previous day during an operation. Yet despite this he said that he felt he could not leave his flock on such an important day in their faith journey and that he was also planning to travel back with them to make sure they got home safely. Putting this into local context, on the day of death you have a communal deuil (mourning) in the home village (in this case about 60km in the opposite direction from his parish) and the funeral takes place the day after. So he is going to miss his own son’s funeral. We were left speechless and humbled by his acceptance of this and his sense of duty for his congregation. Having a 20-year-

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old son ourselves, we could not imagine giving priority in this way to our communal responsibilities. We should not underestimate his sadness though, it was very real and was expressed in the way he insisted on making sure we spelled his son’s name correctly as we wrote it in our prayer diary. All the above is heavy to read, but it is real.

WORLD VIEWS

INTO THE UNKNOWN In 2017, B and M moved to South East Asia to serve as the first CMS mission partners in a particular Buddhist-majority country. We recently caught up with them to hear about the experience of pioneering, sharing the love of Jesus far from home.

W SOUTH EAST ASIA By B and M, who must remain anonymous

hen we were deciding where to go, we knew that CMS want to send people to the least evangelised and most marginalised. So we looked at the map and chose to go somewhere people usually don’t think of going. Our first year was very challenging. Practically, we moved at the hottest time of year and had no air conditioning. We didn’t know anyone and didn’t know where to get clean water or buy food. Our children struggled a lot with the heat. We also had to figure out what our roles would look like, defining what we would actually be doing. Another significant challenge was how little we know in the West about Buddhism. People think about meditation, being gentle and eating vegetables – yet that isn’t the full picture. We realised how little we knew and how much more we wanted to know. We did go to a conference where we learned a lot more about Buddhism. We’re still figuring it out but at least we feel that we know a bit more. In terms of getting to know people, we have seen that there is a difference between hospitality and acceptance – people may well be hospitable from day one, but it takes much longer to be accepted. Having children really helps, because people are really keen to chat, or at least say hi to the children, so our children have been our ambassadors in the neighbourhood. Where we live, it is difficult to travel by public transport and we had to use taxis a lot when we first arrived. This is tricky, as some of the taxi drivers might have consumed drugs or alcohol. We met a neighbour who is a taxi driver, whom we knew was safe, so we got to know him more as he took us from A to B. He introduced us

to his daughter, who speaks some English – we got to know her and she has looked after our children when we are working. Then, on one trip in the taxi, a pedestrian stepped out in front of us and was hit – and the windscreen was smashed. The taxi driver and pedestrian dealt with her (thankfully minor) injuries, as foreigners being involved would not have helped. Later, however, we contemplated how to help our neighbours as this would seriously impact their income. We decided to go and see how he was, and to offer to help with the cost of the repairs. But when we went to the house, our neighbours were most touched by the fact that we had gone to see them – rather than wanting help with the costs. This deepened our relationship with them, and was another step to being part of the community rather than outsiders. Even though communication is limited, they’ve really been there for us in times of need. And likewise we do try to be there for them. Obviously they will not come to us easily because we are foreign. But, for example, the younger brother was in hospital because he had dengue fever very badly. He nearly died, and when he came back from hospital we got them a chicken, a whole chicken to eat, and they really enjoyed that. We love that this is a relationship in which there is balance. This family are people who might be stereotyped as the “other” – they don’t share our faith and are from a very different context – but we are

seeing that God works through people and events in ways we don’t expect. A further challenge (and opportunity) is that people don’t expect foreigners to stay here long term. They are used to people coming for a couple of weeks – to do training or teach something, and then take a photo at the end. We are often asked how long we’re staying. We reply, “Maybe 10 years.” People are surprised, because they’ve never seen anyone like that. And this changes the dynamic – it’s like we are part of their community. The fact that there have been few foreigners staying long term also means that, for the most part, there is no expectation of a foreigner to come and fill a gap. They don’t expect people to come and do things on their behalf. There is no dependence. Rather than having an established role or placement, we are trying to say, “Maybe we can contribute something.” It’s similar to what we said about hospitality and acceptance. Knowing that we are here for the long term, now we can be more settled and we are feeling more accepted. We are part of the community, so people have opened up more than before. They want us to do more things. And it’s not exploitation but really working in partnership.

“We are seeing that God works through people and events in ways we don’t expect.”

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

Pray for this couple as they continue to build relationships and minister in a challenging context.

INTRODUCING:

A new gap year opportunity from Church Mission Society.

NDER

SEE. KNOW. SERVE.

WHO?

WHAT?

WHERE?

Christians aged 18–25 interested in mission.

A four, eight or 12 month immersive mission experience.

South Asia or Southall, UK, or both!

For more info on this new gap year opportunity email: vro@churchmissionsociety.org or visit churchmissionsociety.org/opportunities

PIONEER MISSION LEADERSHIP TRAINING Come and explore a course designed speciﬁcally by pioneers, for pioneers. This unique course provides a dynamic learning community for anyone with a passion for pioneer mission – both lay and ordained.

O P E MONDAY N DAY 10 JUNE 201 9

For more info go to: pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org Please RSVP to: Helen Harwood 01865 787439 or email pioneer@churchmissionsociety.org

NEW

WHAT DOES MISSION LOOK LIKE IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

CHURCH WORKSHOPS

At Church Mission Society we believe that all of God’s people are called to God’s mission… which is why we’re oﬀering mission training for everyone in the congregation to help them explore local mission in the community. An interactive whole day or half day session facilitated by someone from CMS. Follow up materials and activities to use in the church after the workshop. Material that is accessible to everyone: lay and clergy, young and old, new and more experienced Christians. Using content taken from across our programmes including pioneer mission leadership training, mission partner training and the Partnership for Missional Church process.

FOR MORE INFO GO TO

churchmissionsociety.org/workshops or phone 01865 787523

COVER STORY

“When we go out in the van, we might be the only people that day who have looked them in the eye and smiled.”

PA R T N E R S H I P F O R M I S S I O N A L C H U R C H

BEYOND THE FOUR WALLS What’s a church to do when they find sex workers on their doorstep? BY CAMILLA LLOYD, COPYWRITER AT CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY

mack bang in the middle of an area of Stockton-on-Tees known for prostitution and drug dealing is a church. A traditional AngloCatholic church, they used to be content to keep themselves and God within their four walls. Now, they are actively involved in the community. This is their story. A couple of years ago, their diocesan development officer nominated them for Partnership for Missional

Church (PMC), Church Mission Society’s three-year layled programme which encourages churches to explore what God is doing in the local community and how they can be a part of it. At the time, the small church of 70–80 members had a thriving choir and ran Messy Church and Toddler Praise in order to attract young families. But at the same time, the church was fairly static, almost lethargic, with an ageing congregation. Ruth Hicks, leader of the PMC steering group, says, “We were very satisfied with ourselves. We used to come on a Sunday for ourselves, for the congregation.”

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

BEYOND THE FOUR WALLS INITIAL SURPRISES One of the first things the PMC process led them to do was a community assessment, which yielded some surprising results. For one thing, their neighbourhood wasn’t full of elderly people as they had assumed: most residents were aged 20–35, which came as a great surprise. The team also came across research by the University of Durham stating that the average life expectancy for a town centre resident is a whopping 18 years lower than that of a resident on the outskirts. A discrepancy likely due to the high incidence of generational cycles of poverty, addictions, poor diet, etc. in the town centre. While some churches need to spend time looking for where they can be of use, for St Peter’s, local needs were staring them in the face. Street workers were dropping in to the church, asking for money or help. The church was approached by police – they’d had complaints of goings-on in the church grounds, and perhaps the church could install more lighting as a deterrent? The vicar, who lived a five to ten-minute walk away, was propositioned almost every time he walked to church.

A Way Out, started in 2002, seeks to reach out to vulnerable sex workers, meeting them where they’re at and supporting them to firstly be safe, and over time to exit sex work. A Way Out’s approach is not to judge or condemn anyone, but to show love in a way these women have never experienced before, and ultimately provide a way out of the work.

A LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN When a particularly demanding girl came to the church one day and wouldn’t leave, Ruth rang local charity A Way Out. Anita Burke, general manager of the charity, says, “That was a phone call that I often recount. And I probably will never forget.” On the phone, Ruth explained that the church was right in the centre of the patch where the girls work, and that the girls kept propositioning the vicar. Anita listened, and waited for Ruth to berate her or ask her to move the girls on. To Anita’s surprise, Ruth asked how the church could support these women, welcome them and help them. The rest, as they say, is history. A Way Out embraced the offer from St Peter’s and took time to equip these new volunteers by putting together

and delivering a comprehensive, rigorous training package. It was during this phase of waiting and preparing to work with street workers that the current vicar of St Peter’s, Bill Braviner, took up his post. Passionate about going to people on the margins, like Jesus did, Bill was excited and surprised by their plans. “I haven’t really come across a church before who said, ‘We’ve realised there’s a need here and we want to do something.’ They felt challenged by God to leap out of their comfort zone.” GETTING STARTED By now, St Peter’s was almost ready to put a plan into action. Having chosen a ministry they were excited about, found volunteers easily and organised training, the PMC group took a proposal to the parish council. Their proposal outlined a six-month pilot in partnership with A Way Out, inviting girls into the church once a fortnight, offering hot drinks and food. The council passed their proposal unanimously. “I was shocked rigid,” Ruth says. “That was a huge change. For the congregation, and especially for that council, and they’ve been supportive ever since.” They went ahead with their pilot, but it wasn’t a great success. Once a fortnight wasn’t often enough to build relationships and the early evening timeslot wasn’t convenient. Additionally, the chaotic schedule that often accompanies street work made it too easy for girls to turn up on the wrong day. Another barrier was that some of the girls couldn’t get past the fact that it was happening in a church. Whether they had faith or not, the street workers felt condemned and judged and gradually stopped coming. After a few months, St Peter’s exciting new offer needed to be reviewed. After so many green lights, including from the church council, what had gone wrong? “SEND US OUT, LORD” At the end of every Sunday service, the congregation were praying to be sent out, but in practice, they were asking people to come to them. If their pilot was anything to go by, this method wasn’t working. A Way Out’s other staff and volunteers, however, had the opposite approach, and were actually doing what members of St Peter’s were praying for every Sunday. The charity’s tried, tested and trusted method of engaging with the girls involves going out and meeting the girls on their own turf. “We know it works,” Anita says. At this point, the only thing that made sense was for St Peter’s to abandon their idea of inviting girls into the church, and join in with what A Way Out were already doing. Now, a team of volunteers, which includes nine

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people from St Peter’s, takes turns going out in the van from 8–10 at night, three times a week. They don’t have to go far – driving in circles around the church, they always meet girls who are out working. How many girls they talk to in a given evening varies; sometimes it’s two or three, another time they spoke to 11. “When we go out in the van, we might be the only people that day who have looked them in the eye and smiled. And asked them if they’re all right. They’re either invisible or they’re scorned,” says Sandra Hawkswell, volunteer with A Way Out. Understandably, A Way Out require all volunteers be female. For Bill, it’s the first time in 24 years of being a vicar that he can’t participate in a significant project going on in his church. Happily, though, the team is so capable he has no qualms about supporting from a distance. BABY STEPS Local street workers are generally comfortable talking to the ladies in the van – those who haven’t met them before hear from others that they are safe. But getting beyond a chat can be more difficult. For many of these girls, their life experiences have completely disintegrated their ability to trust, meaning the volunteers may spend a long time building trust through hot drinks and sandwiches before the girls feel they can accept anything more. As the volunteers get to know girls better and they disclose that they are sex workers, the volunteers’ attitude is acceptance and a desire to help them to do what they do safely. “We offer a needle exchange, condoms, toiletries, and once they trust us, we invite them into our centre to a drop-in where they can access hot food, a wellness session and a one-toone assessment where we start digging down into why they’re on the street,” Anita says. Whether they are working to fund their

COVER STORY church building to good use, hosting Toddler Praise, Messy Church, Cafe Church, as well as a weekly English class for asylum seekers and refugees, with 130+ registered, and 40 people attending regularly from 24 countries. They will soon be running a children’s lunch club during the school holidays as well.

Top left: The A Way Out van in the streets near St Peter’s Right: The PMC team at St Peter’s with vicar Bill Braviner

own or a partner’s substance habit, or to pay the rent and put food on the table, none of the women are there by choice. Each one of them is trapped, unable to find a way out on her own. Anita tells of one girl who said, “I was stood on this corner and I was crying out to God, and saying, just give me a sign that you’re there, because I am desperate, and I’m having to sell myself.” As she was thinking that, the A Way Out van came down the road. When the ladies saw her, they did a U-turn and stopped alongside her. Testimonies like this inspire volunteers and the charity to keep going, even though tangible results take time. “Just making themselves vulnerable to open up to receive love in a different way for me is a step towards Christ, towards the arms of Jesus, because they’re actually realising what real love is,” says Anita.

FROM FIRST ENCOUNTER TO FRESH START The journey from meeting a girl for the first time to seeing her start over in a new location is a long one. For most of the girls the team meet, their behaviour and emotional trauma is highly entrenched, and sex work is generally part of a much bigger and more complicated picture of interconnected issues. It can take five, seven or 10 years from meeting a girl on the street to the point where she’s living independently. Rather than steady progress, it’s a long process of continual ups and downs. Girls who have gone on to start a new life with the help of the charity have generally done so in a new location, meaning the charity often doesn’t see girls come all the way through to a living faith. But they have sown the seed; girls know that the organisation is based on Christian principles, and they meet Jesus through people like Anita and the many volunteers who are Christians. In addition to their partnership with A Way Out, members of St Peter’s Stockton help at local primary schools, provide emergency accommodation for homeless people and support families in crisis. They also put their

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

FROM ORDINARY TO BUZZING People in Stockton-on-Tees say St Peter’s is very different now compared with three or five years ago, but how did this church go from static and inward-facing to active and engaged in the community? According to them, it’s very clear what’s made the difference: prayer and PMC. It all kicked off when they started praying together every week, and prayer is still very much at the heart of everything they do. PMC helped the congregation to know the community better and be more intentional about mission. Now, they’re looking, listening and engaging with the real issues, making church more real to people on the outside, and their congregation has almost doubled in size, to nearer 150 communicants. According to Bill, “PMC has transformed St Peter’s both in terms of what it does and in terms of its self-understanding as a church. It’s turned the focus outwards, which is a great thing.”

ACT

Find out more about PMC and how your church can take part at: churchmissionsociety.org/pmc

NEW PEOPLE IN MISSION

NEW PEOPLE IN MISSION This issue, we’re introducing some of our new people in mission on short term placements – some with a view to staying longer. Read on to meet Rebecca, Evaldo and Esther serving vulnerable girls in Brazil, Jenny using her physiotherapy training in Rwanda, Andy and Jessica working with CraftAid in Ecuador and Grace helping out at an orphanage in Argentina.

Evaldo and Rebecca Reid Rodrigues

Andy and Jessica Lynch

Enhanced short-termers Evaldo and Rebecca are in Recife, Brazil, where they work with girls at risk with ReVive, a ministry founded by CMS mission partners Andy and Rose Roberts.

Andy, Jessica and their daughter Francesca are off to Ecuador to join a team training people with disabilities through CMS partner CraftAid International.

Rebecca has wanted to make a difference to girls in Brazil since she was 13 and read a book about the reality of drugs, prostitution and life on the streets for many Brazilian girls her age. She wasn’t sure exactly how, but she knew she wanted to work for justice for these girls. While following this call, serving at the ReVive safe house in Brazil, Rebecca met her husband Evaldo, whom God has also called to fight for justice through his work as a lawyer. They married last year and are now returning to Brazil.

Andy and Jessica had been praying for a job for Jessica, whose professional background is in childcare and teaching art. Jessica saw an advert on Facebook for an art session leader with CraftAid (an organisation started by former mission partner Susie Hart) in Ecuador, and got in touch. Their joint skill set – Andy was working at a care home as a driver and maintenance man – was of great interest to CraftAid, and Andy and Jessica were invited to join the team.

Jenny Pain Jenny grew up in a church which had strong links to Rwanda, which gave her a passion to explore overseas work. After finishing her A levels, she volunteered with Tearfund in Rwanda for three months. While she was there, she visited Gahini Hospital in the east of the country, and met their children’s disability rehab team. Here, she felt God call her to serve his people through physiotherapy, and followed this call to train within the profession. God confirmed her calling while she was studying and, now a qualified physio, Jenny is going back to Gahini to make a difference to children with disabilities.

PRAY

Grace Murray Grace is off to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to work at children’s home Hogar El Alba. At Soul Survivor two years ago, Grace felt God calling her to pray for a girl working in mission, though she didn’t understand why at the time. Grace was obedient to God and kept praying for this girl. Through praying for her, Grace became interested in gap year missions, and heard about CMS. Before long, she had signed on for a fivemonth stint at Hogar El Alba.

Esther Walton God has called Esther by planting in her heart a passion to fight injustice on behalf of the oppressed. She is at ReVive in Recife, Brazil, to walk alongside girls who have been exploited and abused, accompanying them as they work through their experiences and build a new life. Having grown up in Tanzania, where her family were CMS mission partners, mission has always been a big part of Esther’s life.

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Praise God that he has called each one of these short-termers and that they have responded to his call. Please pray for each one of them as they encounter different cultures, people and situations. Ask God to give them what they need when they need it and accomplish his will through them, using every aspect of their service for his glory.

FEATURE STORY

From the earliest days of missionaries setting sail across the globe, their success was determined by the faithful prayer and support of churches back home. BY JOHN ORCHARD, CHURCH RELATIONS ADVISER

lthough the world has changed dramatically since then, one thing remains the same – the importance of churches prayerfully partnering in mission. One church that has been finding out more about its history with Church Mission Society is Holy Trinity Huddersfield, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. They currently support mission partner Catherine Lee, based in Taiwan, but they have been partnering with CMS since the church was founded in 1819. Churchwarden, Andy Barber, writes: “Benjamin Haigh Allen, the founder of Holy Trinity, was also a founder member of the Huddersfield CMS branch in 1813, aged just 20. William Wilberforce (CMS founding member) visited Allen several times. “In 1899, through CMS, Holy Trinity joined the ‘Our-Own Missionary’ scheme and £184 was given to support the work of Annie Graham in Hangzhou, China, where she worked until 1918.” Over the years the church has linked with many CMS mission partners serving across the world, and through these links they have glimpsed the breadth of God’s global mission. Andy continues, “Our mission partners remind us all that we are all called to serve God in our lives – indeed our church strapline is ‘Loving God, Loving Huddersfield’ which reflects this.” In terms of their link with Catherine Lee, Andy says that Holy Trinity’s own local mission work mirrors what Catherine is doing in Taiwan through outreach to schools and

Mark and Rosalie Balfour working wi th children on the str eets in Guatemala .

students. “It reminds us that we are all part of one global church. When Catherine visits us she feels like part of our family.” y

of Hol Catherine Lee with the vicar MUTUAL SUPPORT e Wilkins. Mik Rev ld, sfie der Hud ity Trin Of course, relationships between churches and mission partners are a two-way thing, benefiting us all as we grow in our understanding of and participation in God’s mission. sent baby blankets to Anna for distribution at the Mark and Rosalie Balfour, mission partners in women’s prison where she works. In return, Anna Guatemala, reflect: sent the group some alpaca wool from Peru. They “We very much see our relationship with wove it into a garland for the church Christmas churches as a partnership which includes mutual tree as a visual reminder of their connection with learning. We see our visits to churches to be Peru, reflecting how a relationship of mutual as much about serving that church as them support has developed through a shared love of supporting and encouraging us. It is good when creativity and crafts. the church is able to articulate how we can Those who step out in mission never do so serve them in both our visit and our ongoing alone. Even the Apostle Paul refers to churches relationship. It is also good to receive prayer that partnered with him in prayer (Philippians requests from our partner churches so that we can 1:19) and finances (2 Corinthians 11:9). We all be praying for one another. The idea of visiting need people to partner with us, whatever our a church simply to ‘raise support’ seems to us to mission call, which is why the pattern of linking miss out on the biblical understanding of mission churches with mission partners has endured for partnership.” so long. St Mary’s Speldhurst has been linked with The world has changed and will continue to Mark and Rosalie since 2016. Janet Crisp, the do so, but some things stay the same. And we’re CMS advocate for St Mary’s, reflects on how the pretty sure that God’s call to his church to partner congregation was challenged by the realities of in his mission is one of those things. mission in Guatemala during their recent visit: “I am amazed and maybe somewhat in awe of those with such a powerful calling that they will quite literally sell up everything and follow him. The idea of being in an environment where it is not safe for a woman to walk alone outside of the apartment I personally would struggle with. One young mother I was talking to after the service was particularly struck by the extraordinarily young age that the girls are drawn into prostitution and pregnancy. From our cosy middle-class Kentish village, it is hard not to be struck by the If your church would like difference.” This mutual support doesn’t just happen to find about more about linking when mission partners visit – it can also take with a CMS mission partner you place over thousands of miles. St Helen’s can contact: churchrelations@ Burton Joyce partner with Anna Sims in her calling to Lima, Peru. St Helen’s MADE Group churchmissionsociety.org (Make a Difference Everyone) have organised a or 01865 787400. number of fundraising events and have also

CONNECT

Christmas tree decorated with alpaca wool from Peru.

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

ST BARNABAS’ THATCHAM PARK

“T Easter gifts being given away at Caversham Park

CAVERSHAM PARK CHURCH, READING

n Holy Saturday, the small congregation of Caversham Park Church, based on a large housing development on the edge of Reading, were taking part in a prayer walk around their community and distributing Easter gifts. Just one example of the increased confidence they have found through participating in PMC. Church member Christine Viney says their church is now more a like a river – flowing out into the community. “I enjoyed doing the questionnaire [an early part of the PMC process] – talking to people and getting a bit under the skin of what was happening in the village. People said there was no centre – they were feeling lonely.” In response, the members of Caversham Park started a coffee morning based at a local social club and a monthly bring-a-friend lunch at a local cafe. Not rocket science but crucially out in the community, not in a church building (in fact, they don’t have one!). Along with the Easter (and Christmas) prayer walks, these are another sign of confidence, wanting to be visible Christians in the community, says the vicar, Derek Chandler. PMC has also, says Derek, had for the congregation “a profound effect in terms of discipleship and God being a real presence that’s around every day of the week, not just someone you visit on Sunday.” That said, the Sunday service has seen some PMC innovation with the spiritual practices of Dwelling in the Word (which now begins every service) and Announcing the Kingdom becoming firmly embedded. “We have some tealights in the form of a cross at the front of the church,” explains Christine, “and people come and say how they’ve seen God working during the week and just light a candle in thanks and praise to God. “That’s what’s helped me personally, the way of seeing God in everything.”

he school I went into seven years ago might have had an occasional visit from the vicar – now there are real relationships,” says the Rev Pat Jones, former team vicar at St Barnabas’ Thatcham Park, which, along with sister church St Mary’s Thatcham, took part in the PMC journey between 2015 and 2018. St Barnabas’ congregation actually meets in Thatcham Park C of E Primary School but had struggled to make connections with the school community. On a PMC awayday, Pat explains, the team – led by lay members of the church – was exploring the idea of looking for “partners of peace” in the community. “We realised we already had people who were parents – they had an inside role at the school, so we empowered them to be the main people.” “PMC gave us language and permission to change imagining we might do something into actually doing it,” says the Rev Mark Bennet, Thatcham’s team rector. The key spiritual practices involved, such as Dwelling in the World (discovering God at work through people of peace in our community) and Announcing the Kingdom (telling stories of Jesus at work in the world) offer ways of noticing what God is already doing in the community and joining in. With a highly supportive new head teacher, Alison Webster, having arrived in 2014 and growing confidence in the congregation at St Barnabas’, the church–school relationship started to flourish. The church has partnered with the PTA and the school pastoral team, which looks out for vulnerable families. The supportive community around the school is praised in its latest Ofsted report. “Read the section about ‘personal development, behaviour and welfare’ because that is the biggest area that we work on together for the good of the children,” says Alison Webster. The rating of “outstanding” speaks for itself. While Pat has moved on to a new role, a strong network of relationships remains, as part of the PMC journey is about allowing lay people to take a lead. “It feels now that the church is not shy,” says Leanne Baker, one of several parents at the school who found their own faith journeys revived thanks to the new connectedness of church and school community. “It was like coming home,” she says of her first visit to St Barnabas’ two years ago. Let’s give the final word to head teacher Alison Webster: “What I want to say is: there is not a school community, there’s not a home community, not a parish community. We are one community. And when things arise we support each other.”

ssy rnabas’ Thatcham’s Me One community: St Ba school the in nt eve on Saturday” Church-style “Sunday

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PA R T N E R S H I P F O R M

BEYO

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Snapshots o for Missiona local com

Wool With A Mission group at Woosehill Community Church

MISSIONAL CHURCH

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of Partnership al Church in mmunities

CRAFTED WITH LOVE BY EILEEN FLETCHER, WOOSEHILL COMMUNITY CHURCH

hree years ago, Woosehill Church began its participation in PMC, a fairly new initiative which encourages churches to ask God to show us what he is doing in our communities and where he wants us to join with him. After much discussion and prayer the PMC team had felt that we should try to address the problem of loneliness and isolation. It was clear, however, that Woosehill Church didn’t have the people or finances to undertake grandiose schemes to reach out to build community here on Woosehill. So we thought about traditional communal activities and set up a “knit and natter” group, which we called Wool With A Mission. We began with a core group of older church ladies, which drew in people who were a little on the periphery of the church. This immediately brought a sense of involvement and purpose among the congregation. Our mission was to create a truly welcoming group while crafting garments for good causes and the group has been growing as people respond to the leaflets we circulated. One of our ladies hadn’t knitted for 45 years! Prior to joining the group she had been through a brutal time, with two bereavements within months. “Knitting has been my saviour,” she told me. “Life has been tough, the hardest year of my life, but once I pick up the knitting an inner

peace comes over me. It’s difficult to explain and I wouldn’t have believed it, but it’s true.” We had also been encouraged, through PMC, to think in terms of working with other people and organisations. And so we prayed: “Bring the people you want us to work with into our lives and enable us to be channels of your love in our community.” Shortly afterwards, as we were meeting to knit and crochet, one of the ladies mentioned First Days, a local charity working with childcare professionals who refer families to them when they are at a time of crisis; when they need something for their children and simply cannot afford it. Such a good cause and right on our doorstep! It seemed like a marriage made in heaven; lonely and isolated people, knitting for local children in need. We attach a label to each garment that we produce. It says “crafted with love” and we hear from the First Days volunteers that mums, with tears in their eyes, express their amazement that someone would go to all the trouble of knitting or crocheting for their children.

Read more about what it means to Eileen to be part of the PMC journey: churchmissionsociety.org/pmc-stories

Craft for all ag es

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

MISSION MEANS

MISSION MEANS... ACCOMPANIMENT

Photo by Anne Plested/E APPI

I have gradually come to realise that my calling, and encounter with God, is worked out in the accompaniment of God’s people.

BY ANNE PLESTED, MISSION PARTNER IN BETHLEHEM

hroughout my working life I can see a thread of accompaniment in what I have chosen to do – or rather, been drawn into. Years ago, I went to The Gambia to share skills, but recognised that a lot of the time it was me who was learning and receiving. My faith was the reason for being there; and, although there was much activity, on reflection I believe the primary requirement was to be present – to share in the life of the people in that place. To me, my faith is incarnational – in theology, in form and in witness. I see accompaniment as a way of living out my faith. Later, I returned to the UK to be with my parents in their final years. I then spent time at Pilsdon, a Christian community which offers a safe place for people living with a crisis and space to work through these issues. Author and journalist Toby Jones, who spent time at Pilsdon while writing his book Utopian Dreams, noted that, “one of the strange things about living here is that it’s not just that the weak need the strong – but the strong need the weak. It’s not to do with feeling smug because one is being charitable, but something very different. Almost exactly the reverse: one feels exponentially less conceited. Those who have been emotionally skinned, who are in exposed agony, have a gift. They break down the prison of prestige.” The word “accompaniment”, derived from the Latin words “com” (with) and “panis” (bread), literally means “sharing bread”. This, of course, extends to the sacramental presence in our accompaniment of those living on the margins. Jesus is present at such times: “whatever you do for these, you do for me.” We are the Body of Christ on earth today. Accompaniment is often mentioned in Scripture. In the Old Testament God accompanied the Hebrews as they left Egypt – in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13). Through the incarnation God came to be with us in Christ Jesus. In the Gospels, Jesus accompanies the disciples on the post-resurrection walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–35). The disciples were in the depths of despair following the crucifixion. They

lived under Roman occupation, and had hoped to see the redemption of Israel through Jesus. However, this seemed not to be. Jesus accompanies them on the way and encourages them. He is able to reveal to them the mysteries and realities of the Scriptures about himself. To accompany brings a move away from isolation. Jesus strongly associated with the excluded, entered into their situation and often became one of the excluded himself. It would be wrong to assume that those we accompany are dependent and in need of rescue. As noted by Toby Jones, we need each other. For example, in The Gambia I worked with very able and wise people, who knew what was best for their communities. However, various economic and political forces would make solutions less easy to come by. I am reminded of Paul’s image of the body: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

WHAT ACCOMPANIMENT MEANS TO AHMED Ahmed, a Palestinian shepherd in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank, grazes his flock on his family’s land, which exists in the shadow of an Israeli settlement. In 2000, Israeli settlers started to grow vines on the land and a dispute arose over who had a right to the land. After a lengthy court case it was ruled that the land belongs to Ahmed’s family, but this didn’t stop Israeli settlers from trying to drive Ahmed away. He told the group of ecumenical accompaniers I was with how he had suffered serious harassment, culminating in being held at gunpoint by armed and masked settlers. After this, we regularly accompanied Ahmed when he grazed his flock on this land, purely to be there: to observe and record and report incidents, not to confront or argue. The settlers still came, but not with the same violence, and Ahmed was not driven from the land. For Ahmed, accompaniment meant he was able to graze his flock on his land. So, this thread of accompaniment continues up to now, as I am in the Holy Land with the people of Bethlehem and staying at the Bible College. I help students with English and support the ministry of the college. However, I see my ministry mainly as being there – in accompaniment. It is my joy and privilege to be there.

LEARN

To find more resources exploring what mission means, including video, audio, articles and Bible studies, go to: churchmissionsociety.org/resources

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

MEET THE NEW CEO

FIRST THINGS FIRST BY ALASTAIR BATEMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF CMS

t’s a delight to make my first contribution to The Call. As I write, I’m sitting in one of my favourite places, the Tubestation cafe in Polzeath, Cornwall, watching the waves crash on the beach. The Tubestation is a flourishing fresh expression of church, originally birthed in a Methodist chapel to serve the local surfer community but now serving over 30,000 people a year. I’m in Cornwall on this particular weekend for a concert in memory of my wife Justine’s late grandfather who passed away last year at the age of 96. He’d sung in the Treverva Male Voice Choir for 73 years. Seventy years of faithful service is some legacy! I’m conscious as I start this new chief executive officer role that I’m benefiting from the legacy of many faithful servants, including CMS’s previous executive leader, Bishop Philip Mounstephen. I recently met up with Bishop Philip and it would be good to pray for him as he leads an urgent review of the global persecuted church for the Foreign Office. The persecution of Christians globally is one example of the brokenness of this world. I believe Jesus is the answer to the world’s brokenness, even if, as Paul writes in 1 Cor 13:12, we each only see in part. This is at the heart of my desire to work in mission with CMS.

When I was first appointed to this role, much of the publicity that went out focused on my experience as a “strategist”. I realise that the word “strategy” may fill some readers with dread: “Here comes another one of those people who thinks they can work out what’s going to happen in 10 years’ time!” What does strategy even mean? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.” The central challenge of strategy is to balance the need to organise for scale in order to be good stewards of our resources, while at the same time being receptive to the Spirit on the margins where the “action” so often is. This is not a new challenge. John V Taylor, CMS general secretary from 1963–74, wrote in the CMS Newsletter in September 1965, “If you are concerned with movement and growth in a Church or in a society, look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.” Over the Easter break I was reminded of the rightful place of strategy on my agenda by Paul Bradbury, CMS pioneer hub coordinator, in his excellent book Home by Another Route (see page 27 for an article by Paul). In Ezekiel 37:3 we are reminded, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Paul goes on to say on p.106 that “...the main task of the leader will not primarily (my italics) be one of strategy or organisation, but firstly being attentive to the Spirit, and secondly nurturing the kind of environments where others can be attentive to the same Spirit.” So, paying attention to creating the right

“If you are concerned with movement and growth in a Church or in a society, look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.”

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

environment so we can be attentive to God’s Spirit will be my first priority. In my initial months at CMS I want to prioritise three things:

PRAYER As one of the founders of CMS, John Venn, wisely said many years ago, “Put prayer first.” I’m encouraged that this has stood the test of time at CMS and is as relevant today as ever. We must continue to prioritise prayer along with worshipping God for who he is and what he has done through his Son Jesus Christ; to continue to dwell on his Word and be refreshed and filled by his Holy Spirit.

CONNECTING The depth and breadth of CMS’s work over two centuries is extraordinary. I’m really looking forward to meeting staff, supporters and partners. I’ve made a start on this already, but I’m aware that I’ve barely scratched the surface and can’t wait to fully immerse myself in CMS’s community and practice.

DISCERNING We will need to discern together what God is calling CMS to focus on within the wider Body of Christ in this coming season, in order to best serve the church in pioneering mission globally and in the UK. It seems timely that CMS staff have been reflecting on a passage from Isaiah 43: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” For many people perpetual change can feel exhausting. I’m encouraged that often change is about returning to the ancient roots of the faith rather than seeking out something new just for the sake of it. I’m grateful for your ongoing prayers for us as a staff team as we begin this new season together. And I’m very much looking forward to meeting many of you and participating in the “new thing” that God is doing in and through CMS.

COMMUNITY NEWS Africa Conference 2018

COMMUNITY EVENTS 8 JUNE. Vision event and commissioning of Alastair Bateman as CMS’s new chief executive officer at St Andrew’s Church, Oxford. Please pray for Alastair and all those involved in the service. 10 JUNE. Pioneer mission open day, 10.30am–2.30pm at CMS Oxford. A day to explore the courses we offer, hear something of our story and ask questions about Pioneer Mission Leadership Training in Oxford. For more information or to register, please contact Helen Harwood: 01865 787439 or pioneer@churchmissionsociety.org. 10 JUNE. InFormation – a regional day conference for pioneers in the south of England. 10am–3.30pm at Salisbury Arts Centre, Bedwin Street, Salisbury, SP1 3UT. Cost £22.15 (including lunch). For more info see pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/ events. 10 JUNE. Meeting for prayer and fellowship for mission and world events, 12 noon in Undercroft Chapel at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, George Street, Edinburgh. A time to share news and pray for mission, including CMS and world events, followed by shared lunch in the church cafe. Contact Liz Traill: 01620 894843 or liztraill2000@yahoo.co.uk. 21–22 JUNE. CMS Wales conference, starting with lunch on Friday, ending at 4pm on Saturday. Broneirion Conference Centre, Llandinam, Powys, SY17 5DE. Conference for CMS friends, members and supporters in Wales and the borders, on the theme of God at work in Asia with input from Dan and Phillipa Munday, former mission partners in Nepal, and Bible readings by Rev Paul Bell. Contact Gill Knight: 01792 736159 or gillknight@phonecoop.coop.

23 JUNE. Asia Prayer and Aware, 2–5pm at Redhill Methodist Church, Gloucester Road, Redhill, RH1 1BP. Prayer for Asia followed by a meal.

Pioneer Open Day

27 JUNE. From Maintenance to Mission, Birmingham CMS Association buffet supper, 7pm at St Swithin’s Church, Solihull. Come and hear Daniel Kirk, CMS mission partner in Valparaiso, Chile, speak on the theme of “Proclaiming God’s love in Chile”. £8 in advance (or £10 on the door) payable to CMS Birmingham Association. Booking essential. Contact Ian Knowles: 01564 782493, lesleyknwls@yahoo.co.uk. 8 JULY. Meeting for friends and supporters of CMS and USPG in North Mundham, Chichester at 14.30. An opportunity to share news and pray for God’s work. For more information contact Mary Gostling: 01243 863932. 15 JULY. Meeting for prayer and fellowship for mission and world events, 12 noon in Undercroft Chapel at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, George Street, Edinburgh. A time to share news and pray for mission, including CMS and world events, followed by a shared lunch in the church cafe. Contact Liz Traill: 01620 894843 or liztraill2000@yahoo.co.uk.

20–21 SEPTEMBER. ¡ADELANTE! Latin America Conference, CMS House, Oxford. Note date has changed since previous issue of The Call. 12 OCTOBER. CMS Yorkshire mission day, St Peter’s Greenhill, Sheffield, 10am for 10.30– 3.30pm. The event is free, but an offering will be taken to cover costs and as a donation to CMS. Speakers TBC. Contact Peter Hemming: 01132 782735 or peterhemming@hotmail. com. 8–10 NOVEMBER. Africa conference 2019, Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire. Speakers include Canon Moses Bushendich, CMS-Africa international director. For more information, see churchmissionsociety.org/ac2019 or contact Nick Fane on ac2019@fanes.co.uk.

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH CMS EVENTS AT churchmissionsociety.org/events

AFRICA CONFERENCE 8–10 NOVEMBER 2019

The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire

New Vision for Mission in Africa

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”Isaiah 43:19

Main speaker: Canon Moses Bushendich, CMS-Africa international director

More info and booking online at: churchmissionsociety.org/ac2019 For enquiries please email: ac2019@fanes.uk

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WHEN CULTURES COMMUNITY CONVERGE NEWS

DEATHS OF PEOPLE IN MISSION 2017 (MONTH UNKNOWN) Leo Hunter (SAMS Chile 1961–75) Rhoda Whitcomb (Uganda 1954–58) OCTOBER 2017 Lois Skidmore (staff member 1961–84) DECEMBER 2017 Rev Fred Kenny (staff member 1966–70) 2018 (MONTH UNKNOWN) Beth Mills (Peru and Paraguay) Captain H Mills (Peru and Paraguay) Marion Page (Kenya 1957–71) Marguerite Rook (Pakistan 1984–88) MARCH 2018 Canon John C Riddelsdell (Kenya 1952–77) APRIL 2018 Jean Gronset (China 1994–96) MAY 2018 Elizabeth Gutch (Uganda 1980–82) Dr Barbara Hitch (Nigeria and Sudan 1955/71) Betty Moore (Iran 1957–60) JUNE 2018 Bessie Lee (Kenya and Uganda 1983–92) Margaret Robson (West Nigeria 1957–60, Foxbury College 1960–68) JULY 2018 Pauline Barclay (Jordan, Pakistan and Afghanistan 1954–68) Alastair (Buck) Baillie (Uganda 1968–76, staff member 1976–93, on Council of MAM 1976–85 and 1991–94) Rev Michael Lapage (Kenya 1952–72) Alick William Hepworth (Kenya 1965–74) AUGUST 2018 Joan Burton (staff member 1967–86) Paul Banbury (SAMS Paraguay) Roz Milmine (SAMS Paraguay 1954–86) Rev William Norton (Malaysia 1952–63)

THE CALL IN ACTION CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY STAFF CHANGES SINCE FEBRUARY 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018 Maureen Olphin (Nigeria 1955–73) Joyce Peel (India 1947–75) Marjorie Cockburn (Nigeria 1973–87) OCTOBER 2018 Patricia Hunter (SAMS Chile 1961–75) Margaret Swanson (Uganda 1956–66) Mabel Jones (Rwanda 1950–85) Marie Kathleen Viscardini (staff member 1971–82) Winifred Hubbard (Nigeria 1957–68)

FAREWELL TO:

Emily Travell, legacy officer maternity cover (May)

WELCOME TO:

Ruth Young, PMC facilitator (January); Susan Sugden, regional personnel officer for Africa – maternity cover (February); Nicole Stephens, key relationships officer (March); Catriona Brickel, individual fundraising lead (April); Alastair Bateman, chief executive officer (May)

NOVEMBER 2018 Thelma Bartle (SAMS Chile) Dr Marjorie Prior (India 1975–82) Rev Richard Drown (Uganda/Kenya 1945–52) Rosemary Keen (staff member 1959–93, volunteer 1993–2002)

CHANGES:

Victoria Summers, regional personnel officer for Africa, started maternity leave (March); Danni Parker, individual fundraising officer, started maternity leave (April)

DECEMBER 2018 Rev Canon Christopher Vaughan (Nigeria 1963–69) Olive Hitchcock (Sri Lanka 1948–68, staff member 1968–80) Joyce Bell (nee Aylen) (India 1952–83) Rev Canon John Goodchild (Nigeria 1973–83)

NEW PEOPLE IN MISSION NEW MISSION PARTNERS:

Joe and Sarah Harvey, with Zane and Elora, have moved to Egypt where, following initial language learning in Cairo, they will serve in a town outside Cairo.

JANUARY 2019 Rev John Battman (SAMS Argentina 1964– 69, Paraguay 1969–76) Eileen Murphy (SAMS Paraguay) Joan Plumptre (Nigeria)

NEW SHORT-TERMERS:

Andy and Jessica Lynch, with Francesca (Ecuador), Grace Murray (Argentina), Jenny Pain (Rwanda), Evaldo and Rebecca Reid Rodrigues (Brazil), Esther Walton (Brazil).

FEBRUARY 2019 Rev Canon Chris Neal (director 2003–12)

NEW MISSION ASSOCIATE:

MARCH 2019 Elizabeth Batson Richards (SAMS Paraguay) Rev Simon Thomas (SAMS Peru and Bolivia) Rev Canon David Williams (Uganda and Fiji 1966–77)

ENDING SERVICE:

APRIL 2019 Jean (Margaret) Waddell (Iran 1977–81, UK 1981–86)

Faith Gordon, with Vanessa, has ended service after four years serving in Brazil, first in Recife and latterly in Sao Paulo.

Janie Robson (Uganda)

Rosemary Burke has ended service after 11 years serving in Ethiopia in a variety of roles, firstly with Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, then seconded to Tearfund and most recently with the Anglican Church in Gambella.

¡ADELANTE!

20–21 SEPTEMBER 2019 CMS House, Watlington Road, Oxford Gather to celebrate and learn more about all that God is doing in Latin America Conference starts Friday evening and continues through Saturday More information and booking at: churchmissionsociety.org/adelante

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

MISSION SPIRITUALITY

By Ian Adams, mission spirituality adviser for Church Mission Society

CANTICLES: SONGS OF THE CHURCH Part 2: Phos Hilaron (O Joyful Light)

thers have gone this way before us. The mission of the church has been shaped over two millennia. The Christ story has been practised, nurtured, pondered and shared by a huge variety of people in different contexts. One wonderful depository of this experience lies in the collection of songs we know as canticles that emerged from some of the earliest songs of the church. These songs have been sung in times of plenty and in times of need, in times of joy and in times of persecution. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by experience, they offer gifts to us now as we seek to live and share the Jesus Way. While necessarily reshaped for time and context, their song of faith, hope and love remains the same. What might happen if we begin to speak or sing these canticles again? How might we be changed if we allow them to seep into us? This series in The Call continues by exploring the canticle Phos Hilaron. It is thought to be one of the earliest Christian hymns, and remains in use today in churches of East and West.

O joyful light, from the pure glory of the eternal heavenly Father, O holy, blessed Jesus Christ. As we come to the setting of the sun and see the evening light, we give thanks and praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit of God. Worthy are you at all times to be sung with holy voices, O Son of God, O giver of life, and to be glorified through all creation.*

REFLECTION As with the first canticle in this series, Saviour of the world, the focus is on Jesus the Christ. Phos Hilaron is addressed to him, the joyful light, and the holy, blessed Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the giver of life. So we are reminded through the canticle that he is the one who will sustain us in life and mission. It is in his joy, in his light, in his holiness and in his blessedness that we can face the challenges of our times and our contexts. It is his life that we are called to live. If the canticle is focused on Jesus, it is also deeply Trinitarian, emphasising that the source of our hope lies deep within the life of this God. The joyful light that is Jesus emerges from the pure glory of the eternal heavenly Father. With Christ we too are held in time and beyond time, on earth and in heaven. And so we are encouraged by this ancient song of the church to give thanks and praise to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit of God. And to do so at all times. This song seems to be a perpetual song, a song that will keep on sounding around us, beyond us and from within us. This continuing song calls us to adopt a stance of

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praise and thanksgiving that shapes our day and night.

A QUESTION How might you nurture such a stance? The canticle makes clear that in the light of the Christ we need to change. This song of praise and thanksgiving is to be sung with holy voices. Our orientation needs to be always towards Jesus, our lives characterised by growing holiness.

A QUESTION What might be the next step for you in your growing into holiness?

If this canticle is focused on the person of Christ and the wonder of the Holy Trinity, it is at the same time gloriously connected to the natural world. The setting of the sun and the evening light are not just illustrations of the Light of the World. They are also means by which that Light is shared with us. Full of divine life, through them the God of their creation warms and enlightens us. And in response we are called with them to glorify their creator.

A QUESTION How might the physical light today open up God’s presence to you?

PRACTICE

Give loving attention today to the light. See how it changes. Notice its effect. And you might like to take some photos exploring how the light gives life to whatever it falls upon. You might also like to commit to learning the canticle, making it part of your daily prayer, returning to it whenever prompted. O joyful light…

*Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England © The Archbishops’ Council 2000 and published by Church House Publishing.

FEATURE STORY

THE OFFICE CALLING: LETTERS AND LEARNING Link materials editor Jonathan Self shares how his job has widened his perspective of mission.

here would civilisation be without letters? We wouldn’t have most of the New Testament. We wouldn’t have the intimate stories available to biographers. And we wouldn’t have the archives showing the rich history of Church Mission Society since its beginnings in 1799. From the barren mountains of the Himalayas to the deserts of North Africa, from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the estates of Bradford and Hull, letters give us a window into mission life. There are nearly 200,000 missionary letters in the CMS archive in Birmingham. In my time at CMS over the past 12 years, I have edited over 2,700 letters. I have read a lot of letters penned by a lot of mission partners. Each letter is a beautiful example of what God is doing, and they form part of a heritage of missionary letters. Prior to joining CMS in 2007, my journey had been far from straightforward. Although I grew up in a Christian home, I had no desire to be a Christian. However, I look back now and see that the Lord was fighting for me. As a four-year-old, I was seriously ill and nearly died, but was miraculously healed. Yet by my early 20s, I was lost at sea, drifting about without the anchor that only God can provide. Following periods living in New York and then India, I ended up giving my life to the Lord at 28. I started working in book publishing, though I really wanted to work for a Christian organisation. But I had never seen a job that was right; then this position came up and I had a real peace about it.

Although I had travelled a lot, I knew very little about what God was up to in the world. Reading link letters has helped me see a bigger God than the one I had previously known and certain areas are now firmly placed on my heart. Before I came to CMS I wasn’t really interested in North Africa or the Middle East. I have seen how God is really moving in those regions, especially among Muslim people. It’s so exciting to see and read about. CMS mission partners are at the frontline, sharing news through the letters they write. Their link letters highlight that no one is out of reach of God’s mission and everyone can be an agent of change. On a practical level, reading letters from mission partners working with refugees in and from the Middle East and North Africa has inspired me to start volunteering with a local charity supporting refugees in my area. It’s such an honour to do this job and help share mission news. Every link letter shows something of God’s kingdom. We publish over 200 letters each year and read of births, deaths, tears, laughter, hardships, wonderful examples of God moving, prayers answered and stories of the local church throughout the world. These letters bring to life the breadth of contexts where our mission partners are part of the dynamic picture of God’s mission. One mission partner, Judy Acheson, worked in DR Congo for more than three decades through a time of intense conflict and was awarded an MBE for her work. Her letters conveyed both the serious and the hilarious, and she wrote one of the most memorable letters I have read: “On one occasion, our Bible study on Isaiah 41:10 (‘You will not be afraid, they will not terrify you’) came alive as a few minutes later the house

“Reading link letters has helped me see a bigger God than the one I had previously known.”

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

was surrounded by three different militia groups fighting each other. We sheltered in the corridor. The verse from Philippians 4:7 ‘The peace that passes all understanding…’ came into my mind as I realised that I was totally calm and could help the others to stay quiet and wait. After the fighting, the Lendus arrived at our house with machetes and iron bars. God had forewarned me and so I did not cower and the 23 people were protected.” Reading this made me immensely grateful for people like Judy, responding to God’s call despite the risks. I follow in the footsteps of many predecessors who transcribed missionary letters by hand, which were then sent by boat and arrived in London many months later. Today, it’s dealt with almost exclusively via email, word processing and photo software. I am aware how easy I have it compared to those 100 years ago (or even 40!). I have learned that letters are a part of all our personal biographies and histories and they shape our theology and our thinking.

EXPLORE

To read the latest letters and see what God is up to through his people in mission, go to churchmissionsociety.org/linkletters To see any upcoming opportunities to work in the CMS office, go to churchmissionsociety.org/jobs

FEATURE STORY

A CRAZY BIG PLAN

How does someone go from “normal” working life to uprooting and serving overseas? Nicci Maxwell, a mission partner at Potter’s Village children’s medical centre in Kisoro, Uganda, shares her journey.

suppose I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t want to head off and do something useful! While I was at school in South Africa I remember watching the news and seeing the famine in Ethiopia and desperately wanting to go there and do something, not just send them my pocket money. At medical school I harboured a secret desire to join Medecins Sans Frontieres and repeatedly thought about a “gap year” for some sort of medical mission. But the gap year idea wasn’t feasible for sensible reasons: I was undertaking my paediatric training, working towards enough years of residence in the UK to get that prized British passport, then studying for a PhD. Yet every time a missionary came to speak at church, I would be shouting in my head, “What about me, God? What about my dream? Pick me! Pick me!” Not quite as nicely said as Isaiah 6:8, but you get the idea! And then I became increasingly unsettled and unhappy in a job I previously adored. I decided to look again at medical mission. It seemed very

Name: Nicci Maxwell Location: Kisoro, Uganda My call: To use my medical skills to show the love of God to the people of Kisoro, Uganda. My role: Providing paediatric and neonatal medical care to the community, and providing training, mentorship and support to local healthcare workers.

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impractical – I had a life in Plymouth, friends, a secure job, a great church, mortgage and bills to pay. And did anyone want a consultant neonatologist anyway? But I started researching, and discovered that neonatal mortality is the one area of maternal and child health that has barely changed under the UN Millennium Development Goals. So maybe I could be useful somewhere. I reasoned that if I really wanted to do this, I should find out a bit more. I expected to be dissuaded. I attended a course run by Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) and was anything but dissuaded! I immediately started planning a sabbatical. In March 2016 I was accepted by Church Mission Society for a short-term placement. Despite significant opposition to my plans for sabbatical leave, I took encouragement after hearing a sermon about Abraham, Sarah and God’s apparently crazy big plan that they would have a son. This really spoke to me about my crazy big plan to go on mission. Eventually, after much prayer and God’s intervention, the obstacles to my sabbatical were overcome and the next step of the plan came together – to spend a year at Potter’s Village, an orphanage/child crisis centre and children’s medical centre in Kisoro, south west Uganda, founded by CMS mission partner Jenny Green and the Church of Uganda. I approached my departure with a mixture of excitement and some moments of being quite overwhelmed by questions. To rent the house out or not, possibly selling my car, sorting out the bank, mortgage, insurance, tax and so on – lots of practicalities to arrange. One of the last details I had been waiting for was a letter from the bishop inviting me to work at Potter’s Village. When the letter arrived, there was one tiny problem: a typo which said I would be in Uganda from September 2017, not 2016. The correct information would be essential for getting a visa/work permit

Bottom left: At Potter’s Village with a little girl who had been very sick. Here she is nine months old. She and her mum came to say goodbye when I left after my first year. Bottom right: Training with other mission partners at CMS.

and medical registration. I quickly emailed CMS to ask whether a corrected letter could be printed, only to be told that the bishop was away for two months. I asked my home group to pray about the problem, fully expecting it would be fine, but that I would need patience and possibly have to delay the start of my trip. Sometimes when we pray, we can forget just who we are talking to! God reminded me that he can do anything. The very next morning there was a corrected version of the bishop’s letter in my inbox! I attended forMission, CMS’s training for short-term people in mission. It consisted of a week based at a church in Bradford thinking about various aspects of mission, including the cross-cultural aspects. Week two was based at All Nations College and involved more practicalities with quite a bit of prayer and Bible study time. I had been apprehensive about using two weeks of leave, but I learned a huge amount, was really challenged in some of my perceptions and met some inspirational people, including Jenny Green, who helped start Potter’s Village and is now working in Bradford. As I finished work and said my goodbyes, I was pretty convinced that this was going to be the beginning of something completely new and different in my life. I’d been thinking about the finances for my trip quite a lot while packing, and one evening on the way to church I was telling God about some of my worries and my ideas about how I might save money if things started looking tight. After church, one of the mission committee handed me a cheque – enough money to cover the cost of my work permit, all my outbound flights and possibly even some change!

I left feeling totally overwhelmed at the goodness of God. En route to Uganda, I started to feel pure excitement for what was ahead. I arrived to a warm welcome from staff and settled into the centre and the town, then got stuck into medical work, seeing some really interesting patients early on – but also adjusting to the reality of working with fewer resources than I was used to. It wasn’t all easy and fun and positive but my overwhelming feelings were of joy in what I was doing. Exciting and sometimes unbelievable experiences came my way by the dozen. I met and worked with some of the most dedicated and talented people I could ever have wished to work with. I looked after some of the sickest children I’d ever seen. I celebrated with their families when, against the odds, a child got better and went home and I cried with families when even our best efforts were not enough to save the life of their child. I despaired at some of the poverty I witnessed and was torn between anger and grief at some of the awful things that happen to people as a result of poverty, ignorance or greed. My faith became bigger, deeper, and clearer. I don’t think I’d ever been happier or felt more fulfilled both personally and professionally than in those months. Most days work was a joy, and I felt very happy and settled socially too. The year was a bit of an experiment to see if this sort of life was really

for me. I think it showed clearly that this was one of the reasons I was put on the planet. When my initial time in Kisoro came to an end, I applied to CMS to be considered for long-term service. This meant going through a selection process and then, if accepted, a period of raising support as well as a period of training. I attended a selection conference in Oxford straight after flying back to the UK. The candidates and selectors spent two days in interviews looking at our lives and callings, in conjunction with written information. It was tiring but felt really thorough and worthwhile. It was a chance to share with people who “get it” and for them to test my call alongside me. On the last morning of the conference it was a real thrill to hear I had been selected as a mission partner in training and would be returning to Potter’s Village, depending on training and fundraising. I returned to my UK job and started to consider how some of the things we do well and effectively in England could be translated to the Ugandan context. I started a notebook with questions and ideas. Alongside this, I was visiting potential supporting churches to talk about the exciting days ahead. Throughout this time of preparation, I communicated with someone from Kisoro a couple of times a week, which was lovely and kept me in touch with what was happening there.

“The year was a bit of an experiment… I think it showed clearly that this was one of the reasons I was put on the planet.”

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

A CRAZY BIG PLAN Top: Beautiful views at Potter’s Village – I missed these when I was back in the UK! Bottom: Some of the staff at Potter’s Village

In late 2017 I resigned from my job, leaving the security of employment. This was a step of faith because, at that stage, the finances for the next step of the crazy big plan were not yet in place, but I was sure that God had that under control. After finishing work at Easter 2018, I moved to Oxford to undertake three months of training with CMS. During training, I lived in “House 244” – two big, old, three-storey semi-detached houses which have been knocked into one that belongs to CMS. There were about 15 of us living there. Within less than two weeks, it became home! There was a great “extended family” feel to life: we all ate together around the dining room table in the evening, with the meal prepared by each one of us on a rota. Sundays involved travelling to link churches who have generously agreed to partner with me and CMS and support me both financially and in prayer. I really enjoyed my link church visits. It was a chance to sample worship in other churches and meet some wonderfully interesting people.

Not anymore! Now almost everything was new to me. I had a lot to learn, and the “learning curve” looked a bit more like a “learning vertical cliff-face”. Through this, I was surrounded by lovely people who were sympathetic towards my feelings of disorientation. As time passed, I began to enjoy trying to find answers to some of my questions and exploring new ideas. I loved the more relaxed pace of life and learning. It felt like such a treat to have time to read and write and think. I also met the mentor suggested to me by CMS. I’m paired up with someone who has some idea about who I am and where I’m going, who will be a regular point of contact throughout my first three-year term overseas. It was great to connect with her and chat about our stories, spotting similarities as we went along.

“What I clung to was the knowledge that God had a plan and I knew it was a good one.” The beginning of training was both excellent and difficult. My overwhelming feeling was that of a fish out of water, or perhaps a fish in outer space! In my job I had generally felt like I knew what I was doing. When discussion topics were raised, I usually had a grasp of what was going on. In learning situations, I was almost always the teacher, facilitator or assessor.

The letters I needed from the diocese in Uganda to apply for my work permit arrived while I was training. I soon discovered that the finances were okay for me to go – and was hugely thankful to everyone who had been so generous! My plan was to finish training, attend a course, help at my church holiday club and then head off a few days later. However, it seemed THE plan was a bit different, as I waited for a work permit. Although I had sent everything needed, there had been delays in getting it all to the right people. In the end, I travelled to South Africa to stay with my family while I waited. As in the rest of this process, what I clung to was the knowledge that God had a plan and I knew it was a good one. The long-awaited work permit approval came through the day after I arrived in South Africa. And the crazy big adventure could begin!

ACT

If you want to find out what happened next, check out churchmissionsociety.org/Maxwell And if you’ve been inspired to explore your call in mission, get in touch with our recruitment team at vro@churchmissionsociety.org 26

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MISSION ISSUES

RENEWING OUR VISION The problem with so much of our thinking about church renewal is that it starts with the Church rather than renewal. It focuses on the institution, not on the God of renewal who has continually renewed and sustained his Church for centuries. BY PAUL BRADBURY, PIONEER HUB COORDINATOR AT CMS

ot far from where I live in Dorset there is a landmark, a 19th century tower, built on the cliff edge next to the sea. It is a beautiful and arresting piece of architecture. So much so that some years ago, with the building threatened by the rapidly eroding cliff, a group organised to prevent what would have been the inevitable destruction of the tower. Money was raised and with incredible dedication the whole structure was eventually moved brick by brick – 15,000 of them – some 20 metres or so inland. The tower now continues to stand overlooking the sea, and right next to the encroaching cliff there is now a ring of stones that marks the tower’s previous location. Yet, I have stood by this tower and wondered, “How many years does 20 metres of cliff actually buy you?” How much longer before these forces, of increasing power in this age of climate change, do what they were threatening to do? There is no more cliff to play with. Eventually the tower will fall into the sea. I have come to see this tower as something of a metaphor for one way that we can think of church renewal. All our focus is on the tower and on saving it. So much so that, while the effort to restore its place and function is admirable, it does not necessarily solve the issue. And nor does it really pay sufficient attention to the changing context, global and local, which suggests that something more than restoration is required. To think and act more creatively and imaginatively about renewal, and in a way that takes account of the changing context we are in, invites a different approach, one where the church is not our focus and God is. I have found the biblical witness of the exile a fascinating and illuminating guide for this. There are insightful parallels between the exile and our situation as the Church in the post-Christian West. In exile Israel was acutely aware of what had been lost and sought restoration. Within this longing, different voices emerged. There were those arguing

that God would come to their rescue and in time all would be restored. But the biblical witness of the exile brings to the fore the voices of those such as Jeremiah and Ezekiel who invite Israel into a new, more imaginative place. Jeremiah argues that Israel can seek the shalom of God in exile (Jer 29:4–7). Ezekiel urges Israel to face up to the total destruction of any hope of restoration by military means. His prophecy invites Israel to focus on God for his own sake, not God for the sake of the restoration of the institution. God will not be used. Ezekiel invites a participation in the wild, unpredictable presence of the Spirit, through which renewal will come, though perhaps not in the way Israel may have hoped (Ezekiel 37). From my exploration of the literature of the exile I suggest a number of steps towards a more creative and imaginative vision of renewal for God’s church:

1. REALISM There is much to be hopeful about in today’s church: huge creativity, commitment, compassion – but that needs to be balanced with a realistic assessment of our place in the context of society. Statistics continue to show decline. But it is not just about numbers, it is also a reality that the church, and the story and moral values it represents, are no longer an authority in our culture. Often the church must first subvert a negative or cynical view of itself before it can make its voice heard or make a contribution. In short, the Church must recognise that the old world of Christendom with its reliable forms and privileged status has gone. A new world is emerging in which the church struggles to know where it fits. Facing up to this, rather than hearkening back to some nostalgic vision of what we have lost, is an important first step in renewal.

The point here seems to be that Israel was looking in the wrong place. The answer lay in a relinquished attention to God. A submitted place of utter dependence on him, with all our own visions laid to one side. That is the beginning of renewal.

3. RESURRECTION IN THE SPIRIT Renewal then becomes a process of resurrection – the inbreaking of a new reality that cannot be predetermined, but in which we can participate. The vision of both Jeremiah and Ezekiel is to practise faithful presence and trust the power of God to bring about a new kind of faithful life in the midst of Babylon. No one could possibly have predicted this, or imagined what it could look like. They were therefore invited to trust completely in the guiding and empowering presence of the Spirit of God. Facing reality, relinquishing our own visions and seeking with all that we are to participate in the work of the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead – these steps take us away from a narcissistic tendency to seek the restoration of a beloved Church. They take us towards a renewing movement in which a new kind of church for a new cultural context can be faithfully imagined. Paul Bradbury explores these issues further in his recent book, Home By Another Route, published by BRF.

LEARN

2. RELINQUISHMENT In Ezekiel’s vision in the valley of dry bones, God asks him a question: “Can these bones live?” To which Ezekiel replies, “Lord, you alone know” (Ezekiel 37:3). A debate raged among the exiles about whether restoration could, or would, happen.

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

To find out more about Pioneer Mission Leadership Training at CMS go to: pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org 27

MISSION ISSUES MISSION IS... ALL OF THESE

MISSION IS… ALL OF THESE THINGS AND MORE. God is at work in our world. We just have to know where to look. People in mission are ordinary people who are taking part in an extraordinary story. Our aim is to show people across the globe the huge variety of ways God is active today – through people they can relate to. Be part of the story. Follow @mission_is on Instagram and tell your friends and family to do so, too.

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THIS IS SION MIS A 30-DAY L

DEVOTIONA

We have also produced This is Mission, a 30-day devotional book with Mission is… photos, stories, short reflections and prayers to help you see how God is at work and join in.

God is

SOCIETY MISSION GOD’S CHURCH L AL AT TH JOIN BELIEVES TO ED LL E CA PEOPLE AR SION: TO BRING MIS HOPE IN GOD’S CHANGE, CHALLENGE, TO OUR WORLD. OM AND FREED PEOPLE MUNITY OF T TO AS A COM WAN E W , N IN MISSIO ANY PEOPLE AS M PUT HELP AS SET FREE TO POSSIBLE BE INTO ACTION – THIS CALL AT MEANS GOING WHETHER TH OVER THE ROAD. OR OVERSEAS

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Mission is… a free book!

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ion The call in act

The first 25 people to email the.call@churchmissionsociety.org with the subject line “This is Mission” can have a free copy sent to them. (Please be sure to supply your name and address to receive the book. UK residents only.)

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FOLLOW THE THIS IS MISSION CAMPAIGN ON THE INSTAGRAM APP OR VISIT: INSTAGRAM.COM/MISSION_IS 28

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

APPEAL FOLLOW-UP

SET FREE TO SERVE

During the Christmas season, Church Mission Society supporters responded generously to an appeal to help new people in mission be set free into their calling.

BY A AND O, MISSION PARTNERS RECENTLY ARRIVED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

s a follow-up, we share a recent report from A and O, who are working in the Middle East. O is the chaplain of a church and A will be taking up a leadership role there. O travelled to the UK as a Muslim asylum seeker and came to Christ at a detention centre before studying at Bible college. A was born into a Christian family that faced persecution and left her country of birth as a result. Thank you for all your prayers and support. We arrived safely here after a six-week delay due to a situation with our visas. Our children have now started school here. We are in a modern, beautiful city and O started his job as chaplain at an Anglican church here as soon as we arrived. On his first Sunday, he preached at the church, held a service afterwards for refugees and then hosted a church council meeting at our house. The church has a mixed congregation of expats of different nationalities as well as a large number of Christian asylum seekers and refugees from a Muslim

background. More than 130 people attended O’s licensing; it was such a blessing to see people from different backgrounds and nationalities come together – it felt like another confirmation of our calling from our Lord. Church ministry is always a mix of joys and challenges and initially we needed to deal with some issues and challenges within the congregation. With much prayer and support we have come through this. O has started a Bible study after the Sunday service for those who speak a specific language; this allows him to get to know this segment of the congregation better and gives them a chance to ask questions. Much discipleship work is needed. We would really like to make our church service more family friendly because we have a good number of families with young children and so A has started her ministry here. She has begun a second Sunday school class with plans to build a team of additional helpers from the congregation, helping them to become more involved in the activities of the church. As our children are the future, we need to invest in them as much as we can. A has begun to visit some of

the ladies in our church to see how she can help them both in their faith and with their day-to-day needs. We have also started a youth club for refugee teenagers who are not able to attend school. We have about 12 teenagers and four adult supervisors who take part in teaching English, maths and Christian life sessions twice a week. It is incredible to see how spending some quality time with the teenagers can change their well-being, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Overall, we feel moving to this country and ministry was the right choice. Although sometimes it is tough, we believe God has a plan for us here. If you would like to pray for us, please pray for the new youth club, for our security situation and for us as we face the challenges of working among refugees and expats at the same time. Thank you again for your prayerful support, as we couldn’t be here without it.

FINANCE UPDATE BY CHARLIE WALKER, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES AT CMS

hank you for your prayers for the use of our building: for the past few months we have been at full capacity! It has been wonderful to (unexpectedly) welcome staff from Oxfam into the building. They have temporarily moved from their building and will be with us until the end of June. Even in that short time, the income has proved very useful. Following that we are prayerfully hopeful that a few more tenants (already in the pipeline) will use the space, although this is not completely confirmed yet so please do pray that will get over the line. As always, we marvel at the unexpected provision of our God! Since I last wrote I can also confirm that CMS has officially become a living wage employer. It means in

simple terms our staff and third-party contractors based in the UK are all paid the living wage as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. For more information about how it is calculated, see livingwage. org.uk. We have been inspired on this journey by one of our UK partners Clean for Good – a Christian cleaning company seeking to radically transform the cleaning sector in London and whose unique selling point is that they pay all their cleaners the London living wage. I am thrilled we have got this accreditation as it speaks so much about the values we hold dear in CMS: that people are precious and important. In my final news, you will of course be happy to hear that our year end is over, the audit has finished and I can report our total income has increased on the previous year by around £1m, almost entirely due to some very significant legacy income. We are so thankful to God for all of our generous legacy givers and the mission work they enable.

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

CLASSIFIEDS

PUT YOUR CALL INTO ACTION SOME CURRENT MISSION OPPORTUNITIES CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST Lebanon

Our partners, the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, are looking for a clinical psychologist to work in their SKILD (Smart Kids with Individual Learning Differences) centre.

The Beirut skyline

The psychologist’s role will include carrying out and supervising assessments of children and young adults and the delivery of therapeutic services. SKILD works mostly with children between three and 18 years of age who have specific learning differences, speech problems and language impairment, ADD/ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, emotional disturbance and mental delay. If you wish to see the full job description or know more about how CMS organises its placements with partner organisations then please get in touch.

GAP YEAR VOLUNTEER India

Chai 3:16 is a non-commercial outreach cafe in Bangalore run by volunteers, focusing mostly on students and those under 35 who would never go to church. Founder Benny Prasad’s heart is to engage with people on an intellectual level, inviting them to ask questions and genuinely engage with faith. The cafe is not about quick wins and shallow or short-lived salvation, but spending time with those who come to the cafe, inviting questions, discipling and journeying alongside people as they come to a real, lasting faith in Christ. Benny has high expectations of his staff, and is specifically looking for friendly volunteers with good people skills who have a real heart for people and a passion to show unconditional love and respect. Volunteers need to be comfortable with investing in people over time without seeing immediate progress. Volunteers also need to be wise with social media. An aptitude for art is a plus.

HOW DOES CMS ARRANGE PLACEMENTS? Exploring a placement with CMS is a bit different to requesting a job description and, if you like the look of it, applying. Most CMS placements are actually arranged with partners, as leadership was handed over to local churches, organisations and people decades ago. CMS partners with churches and organisations all over the world to provide volunteers who support the ongoing work of those projects. We offer volunteers with gifts, skills and experience and, in return, we in the UK church gain the stories and renewed perspectives on mission back here, with eyes fresh from seeing the world through very different contexts. This means that not all of our roles are the neat and bullet-pointed job descriptions you might be used to seeing. A lot of it gets worked out as we go on this mission journey together. This is what CMS does best – and we’ve being doing it for over 200 years. Exploring a placement with CMS is the beginning of the journey. We in the selection and recruitment team would love to speak with you more about our programmes. From there, we can set up conversations with our regional managers who will be able to answer your questions about putting together a role and which of our partners need your gifts, skills and experience.

TO ENQUIRE FURTHER ABOUT ANY OF THESE ROLES, please contact vocational recruitment officer Isaac Frisby: 01865 787416 or isaac.frisby@churchmissionsociety.org

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

LAST WORD

HOW TO… CROSS CULTURES WITH BEAUTIFUL FEET REV SAMEH METRY, A CHURCH LEADER IN WEST LONDON, SHARES WHAT HE HAS LEARNED ABOUT SHARING JESUS IN INTERFAITH CONTEXTS.

ow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news. (Isaiah 52:7) We are called to bring good news. Yet often people find this nerve-wracking, especially with those from a different culture. So here are some tips I have learned in my context: 1. SPEAK TO GOD BEFORE SPEAKING ABOUT GOD This is the starting point – asking God for a divine appointment. We see this in Scripture when Jesus meets the woman at the well (John 4). I experienced this on a train in Egypt. The Holy Spirit prompted me to talk to a man sitting near me. I was tired and reluctant, but I eventually spoke with him. It turned out that this man had stopped going to church and was in a difficult situation. Out of our conversation he recommitted to faith. In the end he became like my right hand in ministry. 2. BE LED BY THE SPIRIT You don’t need a plan or a formula. You don’t know someone’s situation – but God does. It is by the Spirit that we know what people need to hear. Every person is unique and every conversation is a different story. I once met a guy from Sudan. The Holy Spirit encouraged me to speak about being born again. To me, this didn’t seem the right place to start, but I obeyed. The man was amazed, as the previous night he had dreamed that he had been reborn. Our conversation therefore confirmed the dream and he accepted Christ. 3. FIND COMMON GROUND Try to find common ground – where you are from, a shared interest, current events. This breaks the ice, and you can use common ground to introduce faith into the conversation. We see this as Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman in John 4. They are both seeking water to drink, so Jesus spoke about water. This led to talking about living water, and from there to who Jesus is. Paul too takes this approach in Athens in Acts 17. He found idols and reference to an unknown god, so he takes this as a starting point to talk about the God who can be known. Think how often conversations turn to subjects like Brexit; what if they naturally turned to God instead, as

the only one who knows what is best in the midst of confusion? 4. BUILD A BRIDGE Introducing people to Jesus may be a long process, so we need to make sure that at the end of each conversation there is a bridge for the person to follow up, ask questions or respond. Leave your contact details or another way to get in touch. I was surprised once when a man came into my church. As we talked, he told me that two years earlier I had given him a Bible. Over that time, he had been reading and thinking about it. Because he had my address and phone number, he came back to say “I’m ready.” 5. BE RELATIONAL Evangelism is much more successful when it is based on a relationship. Sometimes we have a choice to win the person or win an argument. For me, the person is more important and to win them, we need to build a relationship. We don’t want to hurt someone by attacking their faith or worldview. There are ways to disagree without being hurtful, perhaps saying “I see that another way…” We can talk, offer to pray, follow up – people can be moved more by relationship and love than all the theology you know. Someone coming to know Jesus is a process. It takes patience, but God is so patient with us, so we can be patient too. 6. BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE We need to know about someone’s culture to avoid causing offence. We need to know what is appropriate in terms of conversations between men and women, and what the implications might be of eye contact, for example. What we wear can also have an impact on how our message is heard. Many cultures are represented on our doorstep, making it both easy and important to ask questions if you don’t know what is and isn’t okay. Let people explain their culture to you as you build relationship.

the street in the rain, you need to be quick. Practise this with others in your church or small group so you can be confident when an opportunity comes – it doesn’t come naturally. 8. SHARE GOOD NEWS There is depressing news all of the time. People are in a hard world, where it can seem nothing is certain. We need to be good news deliverers in our smile, our body language and our words. We are not about scaring people, but about giving them hope. Try to make them feel there is hope in what they are going through – that God’s arms are always open and they are welcome, even if all feels dark. 9. FEAR NOT We experience fear when we don’t know someone, or because we have experienced aggression or arguments and difficult questions. But we need to trust the Lord and resist fear, because fear and love don’t go together. If God is speaking through me, I don’t know what will happen, or how someone will respond, but I do know that God is with me. You don't have to know the answer to everything – be honest and don’t be afraid. Don’t fear but be ready to give reasons for your hope. 10. USE THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS We need to use the wisdom of God and the spiritual gifts we have been given (1 Cor. 12) to facilitate sharing the good news. Praying for healing can be an example of this. I met someone who was sick and sensed it was the right time to pray for healing. This man then came back to the church and explained that he was feeling better. Romans 10:14 asks: “How are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” The world needs us to be those who proclaim Jesus with confidence – and have beautiful feet in our communities.

7. SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY People like stories! Jesus used stories all the time. Telling your own story is great because it is authentic. Try to learn how to tell your story in different ways with different emphases and lengths. Think about what you can cut: sometimes you can spend an hour with someone and take your time – but if you are in

THE CALL – SUMMER 2019

Rev Sameh Metry is founder and pastor of Living Waters Arabic Church and minister in charge of St Hugh’s Northolt. He is Egyptian and came to the UK because of the persecution he experienced because of his faith. He contributed to CMS forMission training for short-term people in mission. 31

THANK YOU! THESE STORIES OF CHANGED LIVES ARE ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF YOUR PRAYERS AND GIFTS.

PREPARING FOR BIG PLANS AT POTTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S VILLAGE

NEW LIFE IN THE NETHERLANDS

SHARING JESUS WITH SEX WORKERS IN STOCKTON

Please continue to partner with our people in mission. Your gift to Church Mission Society will help to make sure they are resourced to put their call into action. Simply use the enclosed form or visit:

The call in action

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