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Member Church News
EAST ASIA Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (PCM)’s mask distribution campaign
When the third wave of the COVID-19 hit Tahan, Kalay Town in Myanmar in June 2021, The Presbyterian Church of Myanmar (PCM) organised a public mask campaign, as many people were exhausted from buying masks and some could not afford it.
Volunteers were deployed to several locations to distribute 30,000 adult masks and 8,000 children’s masks. While giving out masks, each group used a microphone and amplified soundbox to announce and emphasize the importance of and how to wear masks.
Office staff visited the severely stricken Pinkhung Village (three kilometres from Tahan), while Theological Board staff reached out to Christian villagers in Tahan Bazar, Kalay. Mission Board staff covered Letpanchaung village in Kalay, the second most populated Christian village after Tahan.
“This is the first public outreach ministry of PCM General Assembly Covid Response Committee apart from free distribution of test kits, medicines, and medical equipment such as PPE to the local Covid task forces around Kalay and Tamu Townships in August. Truly,
SOUTH ASIA Practise biblical stewardship, says Church of North India (CNI) General Secretary
Earlier this year, the Church of North India (CNI) General Secretary Rev Dennis Lall reminded church members that biblical stewardship encompasses not only monetary donations, but also responsible usage of time and other resources we have been entrusted with.
In Rev Lall’s message, he noted that with good stewardship of our time, we can also discern how best to serve Christ and help other people. Christians need to “seek first God’s reign, to orient our thinking, hopes, dreams and aspirations on the things that are from above”, which assists us in prioritising areas competing for our attention, he said.
Lastly, Christ speaks to the world through his church. As stewards entrusted with the gospel message, “no congregation and no person are so small that it cannot be reached and led by the Holy Spirit,” concluded the CNI General Secretary.
The Church of South India (CSI) marked its Platinum Jubilee (75 years) with a worship ceremony earlier this year. Distinguished guests such as politicians attended the event, with the theme “Envisioning Together an Open Church in an Open World.”
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. M.K. Stalin brought greetings, where he commended CSI’s establishment of several educational institutions and hospitals as “a treasure house for the country and Tamil Nadu”. Mr Stalin also recognised CSI’s social
service activities and lauded its contribution towards the communal harmony and secularism in India, and expressed his wish that such work would continue for a long time.
PACIFIC Congregational Union of New Zealand (CUNZ)’s outreach efforts during the pandemic
During the national-wide COVID-19 lockdown, Congregational Union of New Zealand (CUNZ) supplied food parcels and cash grants to those who were hardest hit, mainly due to loss of income. They were able to tap on the CWM Gift of Grace grant, which also went towards off-setting operational costs, and health and safety expenses related to COVID-19 protocols.
Beyond the monetary impact, it played a part bringing individual churches closer together in the process of solidarity as they shared experiences of the ongoing pandemic.
Kiribati Uniting Church (KUC) recently held a church service at Tangintebu Theological College to commemorate 164 years of the arrival of the gospel, through missionary Rev. Dr Hiram Bingham and members of the American Board Commission Foreign Mission (ABCFM) in 1857. Later in 1870, Samoan missionaries came with a missionary from the London Missionary Society (LMS) to Southern Kiribati. A boarding school, a training institution for pastors and a printing press were established in 1900. When the ABCFM left in 1917, it entrusted all the schools and churches in Northern and Central Kiribati to the LMS.
During this anniversary celebration, The Pacific Conferences of Churches (PCC) General Secretary Rev. James Bhagwan acknowledged the role of the Kiribati churches in speaking strongly to the world on issues of climate change, as he sent greetings, well wishes and prayers for the occasion.
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) Moderator’s Advent Message 2021
Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) Moderator Right Rev Hamish Galloway has released this year’s Advent Message under the dark cloud of COVID19 and the threat of climate change. Quoting Pope Francis, Rev Galloway drew attention to wars, the refugee crisis, the production and trade in weapons - other tragedies less visible than COVID19, yet affect all of humanity.
As such, he urged church members to reflect on several questions while lighting each Advent candle imbued with meaning and relevance:
How do we die to ourselves and care for our neighbours with agape love?
How do we maintain unity, peace and welcome to all with the schism between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated in our society and churches?
Where can we find a deeper resilient joy in the Lord in such challenging times?
In conclusion, he exhorted them to light the hope candle with the conviction of God’s presence and the powerful memory that Jesus’ birth points to a God who has not abandoned us.
CARIBBEAN The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) calls for support for Haiti relief efforts
The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) has appealed to its church members to contribute to relief efforts for Haiti. Following an earthquake, Tropical Storm Grace, and the assassination of their President earlier this year, Haiti has experienced severe physical, economic and social impact.
The death toll was 2,207 with 344 missing people at the time of writing, and many are still homeless. UCJCI is planning to offer financial support to the relief efforts in Haiti through their established contacts there as part of the church’s initial response.
AFRICA Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA)
held a virtual service on 8 November to remember those who passed away since the COVID-19 outbreak last year. During the event, they joined in prayer to remember the departed, and to heal the memories of the survivors and those who were affected and infected.
EUROPE Congregational Federation (CF) launches its first Spring School
Is Christian non-conformity a thing of the past? Congregational Federation (CF)’s launch of its first Spring School next March will address this question, especially with many people in society surprised that there still is an active Congregational Federation presence in the UK. Aiming to encourage and challenge Christian non-conformists to play a larger part in the public life of the UK today, participants will explore distinctive values, perspectives and principles, reminding themselves of the call to radical discipleship under Jesus. They will explore elements of a Christian non-conformist voice in public life, and cover topics such as “challenging ‘empire’ is a non-conformist church’s responsibility” and “reading the Bible as non-conformists”.
Join the Spring School from 11-13 March 2022, in Nottingham for a weekend of inspirational fellowship, interactive workshop sessions and more, led by experienced scholar-practitioners. For more information, please visit https://www.congregational. org.uk/spring-school/springschool
Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) organises national door to door collection for refugee children in Greece
Tens of thousands of children live in tents, without clean water, sanitation and medicine – or hope - across refugee camps in Greece. Committed to combatting poverty and injustice worldwide, Kerk in Actie, the diaconal programme of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) focuses on victims of disasters and conflicts, especially children trapped by war, poverty or exploitation.
From 22 to 27 November, it organised a national door-to-door collection for refugee children in Greece, with collectors and coordinators covering over 600 locations.
PKN Christmas ministry to seafarers
Due to the pandemic, Dutch sailors working at merchant navy ships, many of whom are Christians, were not allowed to disembark their ships after March 2020, and this isolation stretched to 15 months.
To help with the homesickness during Christmas season, packages containing a USB stick with a pre-recorded, interdenominational Christmas service, woolen hats, and a Christmas card were prepared for them. The Council for World Mission (CWM) contributed financially through PKN’s Kerk in Actie programme, and The Dutch Seafarers Mission, active in more than 10 ports in the Netherlands brought these gifts on board for the seafarers, providing them with encouragement and moral support.
United Reformed Church (URC) launches new resource on church buildings
In a diverse society, opportunities to engage with religious communities present themselves in various ways. One such instance is local churches are often approached by other faith communities seeking premises where they can hold worship or events. Working with colleagues from the Baptist Interfaith Working Group, the URC has produced a new booklet for local churches “The use of church buildings by people of other faith communities”. This resource gives helpful pointers to assist churches as they discern whether such hospitality would work in their particular context. Download at:
https://www.cwmission.org/ wp-content/uploads/2021/1 1/The-use-of-church-buildin gs-by-people-of-other-faith-c ommunities.pdf
