Engage spring 2015

SPRING

2015

BRIAN MCLAREN, REVIEWS, 24 HOURS IN KATHMANDU

SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE PRO-IMMIGRATION?

SHARING YOUR FAITH WITH MUSLIMS

FATHER’S DAY CAKE WHAT’S NEXT FOR BMS?

Can Can we we overcome overcome hatred? hatred?

THE FREE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FROM BMS WORLD MISSION MISSION STORIES / PRAYER / NEWS / OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

HIGHLIGHTS

Engage

Chris Hall

WELCOME How do you respond to people you don’t get on with? Do you avoid them or pray for them?

In this issue of Engage, we explore how we can learn to love our enemies, as Jesus commanded us. It may not be easy, but it is possible, and it can transform not only us but those around us too.

The controversial issue of immigration has regularly been in the news over the last few years and could feature prominently in the upcoming general election. In our Opinion section, we ask ‘Should Christians be pro-immigration?’ It is a far more complicated issue than it is often portrayed.

And we have a delicious cake too! Enjoy this tasty issue of Engage.

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LOVING OUR ENEMIES

EAT MY SHIRT!

How can we improve our relationships with those we hate or don’t get on with?

Can we help others love their ‘enemies’ too?

An amazing cake creation from the BMS-supported Freedom Bakery in Thailand that you could make for Father’s Day.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: ANDREW CAPLEN

BMS: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

This year’s Law Society President, Andrew Caplen, talks about meeting a Japanese empress and the issue Christians need to speak out about.

What are BMS’ priorities in the next five years? Peter Dunn, Director for Mission, explains more about the findings of a review of BMS work.

REGULARS BMS World Mission PO Box 49, 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 8XA Tel: 01235 517700 Email (general): mail@bmsworldmission.org Email (editorial): magazine@bmsworldmission.org Website: bmsworldmission.org General Director: David Kerrigan Managing Editor: Jonathan Langley Editor: Chris Hall Regular contributors: Vickey Casey, Fiona Castle OBE, Nabil K Costa, David Kerrigan, Jonathan Langley, Aidan Melville, Sarah Stone Guest columnists: Alex Anderson and Zach Dawes Design editors: pepperfish.co.uk, indigoninja.co.uk, Lloyd Kinsley and Ruth Povall Printed by: Halcyon Print Management, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9BD The views and opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of BMS World Mission.

Baptist Missionary Society Registered as a charity in England and Wales (number 233782) and in Scotland (number SC037767)

03 MISSION NEWS 06 LETTERS 07 KEEP ENGAGED 07 FIONA CASTLE 08 24 HOURS IN… KATHMANDU 09 THE BIG PICTURE 16 BMS WORKER PROFILE: LOVE ACROSS THE LATITUDES 18 TOP TEN: SHARING YOUR FAITH WITH MUSLIMS 22 OVERSEAS PARTNER: MBAMBU MOREEN 23 GO PRAY 26 IDEAS FOR YOUR CHURCH 28 OPINION: SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE PRO-IMMIGRATION?

30 FIVE MINUTES WITH BRIAN MCLAREN 31 REVIEWS

© Copyright 2015 BMS World Mission ISSN 1756-2481 Printed on material from sustainable forests

Sign up to receive Engage magazine for free four times a year at bmsworldmission.org/engage

MISSION NEWS

/news

UK BMS SAYS GOODBYE TO

ANDREW NORTH

After more than 30 years of service with BMS World Mission, Andrew North has retired.

CHAD

INCREDIBLE RESPONSE TO CHAD APPEAL Money raised through the BMS Chad appeal is going to save mothers’ and babies’ lives in Chad. Thank you for your generosity.

Through the BMS Chad appeal we raised over £138,000 for a new maternal health centre at Guinebor II Hospital (G2). UK churches contributed in excess of £80,000 of the total. Thank you.

The new centre, which we hope will be completed by the end of summer, will have four purpose-built delivery rooms. These are muchneeded in a hospital that currently delivers over 100 babies a month in one small, overcrowded room.

When it opens, G2’s maternal health centre will enable the hospital’s midwives to safely deliver even more babies every month – potentially as many as 300. In Chad, a country where death in childbirth is unacceptably common and where one in six children die before their fifth birthday, better maternal and infant healthcare is vital.

“In a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, this centre will make a profound difference to young mothers and their babies,” says BMS doctor in Chad, Andrea Hotchkin. “Thank you.”

Andrew’s journey in mission with BMS began in 1976, when he volunteered to spend one year in Zaire, now D R Congo. He ended up staying in Kinshasa for 11 years – becoming the Secretary for Missionary Affairs and meeting and marrying his wife Anne.

Returning to the UK in 1987 to train as a minister, Andrew rejoined BMS in 1994.

Now, after working at BMS HQ for 20 years, Andrew has retired from his role as Regional Team Leader for Africa.

“Andrew was an excellent colleague, a sensitive leader and a real friend,” says BMS General Director David Kerrigan. “He will be missed on staff, but his wide network of friendships won’t end just because of retirement!”

CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

VANDALISED Around 300 student protesters stormed and vandalised Panel High School for Boys, a Christian institution in a northern province of Pakistan, on 27 January, demanding that it close. Four were injured.

This is part of a wave of anger seen internationally after Charlie Hebdo magazine published caricatures satirising the Prophet Mohammed.

Nasir Saeed, the director of Pakistani human rights organisation Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and SettlementUK, says, “Such incidents make Christians, who are already living under constant fear for their lives, become more vulnerable.” [Christian Today]

PAKISTAN SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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MISSION NEWS

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EUROPE OR DEATH?

HELPING VUNERABLE

REFUGEES

In 2014, 100,000 people made the journey across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy, searching for a better life. A BMS mission worker in south Italy, Ann MacFarlane, is trying to help them.

UK YOUR STAMPS

SUPPORT MISSION In 2014, your stamps raised £13,750 for the work of BMS.

The amount raised last year through the stamps, cards and coins sent in by supporters is enough to cover a BMS mission worker’s salary in Thailand for an entire year.

Your donated stamps, once you cut them off your envelopes and send them to BMS, are taken to our International Mission Centre in Birmingham. They are then sorted, verified and priced by our team of volunteers at the BMS Stamp Bureau.

The Stamp Bureau runs like a well-oiled machine, and its cogs are three dedicated volunteers: Richard Camp, Executive Volunteer for the BMS Stamp Bureau, is a specialist in British stamps; Ken Flint is a specialist in foreign and Commonwealth stamps; and Richard Pearson is the sorter.

Used stamps sent to BMS make a massive difference. “BMS and the volunteers at the Stamp Bureau would like to thank everyone who sent in their stamps and collectables,” says Richard Camp.

Find out more at bmsworldmission.org/stamps and support our work by sending us your stamps.

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“We either stay [in Syria] and die,” a father of four told Ann, “or try to get away.”

This man paid $20,000 to travel to Italy with his children and his pregnant wife. The boat was sinking when they were rescued by an Italian coastguard. They could have drowned.

Ann is trying to help refugees like these by providing warm clothing, bottled water and hot drinks. But the need is great.

“These people are coming with the hope of something better,” Ann says.

“There is no work here, there is no social security… lots of people are showing sympathy for them, but there isn’t anything here to help.”

ITALY

PASTORS THREATENED IN COLOMBIA Death threats were sent to five church leaders in northern Colombia on 11 January after they provided pastoral care to victims of violence.

The churches believe that the threats, from a neo-paramilitary group called the Black Eagles, were given because they oppose the leaders’ reconciliation work. In response to this, Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, called on the Colombian government “to take serious steps to eradicate paramilitary groups and to address the threat they pose to human rights and to stability in Colombia.”

[Premier Christianity]

COLOMBIA

Credit: János Ruslczkl

ICE CHURCH AT 6,600 FEET A 20 foot ice church, reachable only by cable car, was built and blessed this January in the remote Făgăraş mountains of Transylvania.

ROMANIA

Those able to reach the building enjoyed a variety of worship services, and historic religious tensions were put aside for baptisms and weddings.

“For a few moments people forget what they have left down in the valley: the fights, misunderstandings [and] the contradictory arguments,” says Ioan Crisan, an Eastern Rite Catholic priest. [The Guardian]

Credit: Nicholas Long/IRIN

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

RESTORING DIGNITY

TO GBV SURVIVORS BMS is supporting a major new research project to help survivors of gender based violence in central Africa.

UK/AFRICA MARK GREENWOOD

NEW BMS AFRICA HEAD

After more than 20 years serving with BMS in Brazil, Mark Greenwood has returned to the UK to oversee BMS work in sub-Saharan Africa.

The BMS Regional Team Leader (RTL) for South America, Mark Greenwood, will now also be overseeing our work in sub-Saharan Africa. Returning to the UK in December, with his wife Suzana and their two children, Mark will now be based in Didcot, taking strategic responsibility for our work in Guinea, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe, whilst continuing to look after our work in Brazil, Peru and Paraguay.

Last year’s brutal and bloody conflict in Central African Republic (CAR) left over 200,000 people displaced, hundreds dead, and Christian and Muslim communities divided.

To rebuild trust after conflict, finding the truth is essential. Discerning the survivors of violence, finding those who perpetrated it and bringing some kind of reconciliation is also necessary. But this isn’t easy and requires painstaking research.

BMS has embarked on such a task, funding a research project to ascertain to what extent gender based violence (GBV) happened during the conflict in CAR. We hope this will lead to a process of reconciliation, where survivors will engage with perpetrators, and both sides will find healing.

Working in partnership with Tearfund, a team of local researchers are being trained to collect accurate information from survivors. They will be carrying out research across CAR, as well as consulting with women’s groups and referring people for counselling where appropriate.

“The survivor’s voice is the most important issue here,” says Steve Sanderson, BMS Manager for Mission Projects. “The team we will facilitate can become advocates through the research work on behalf of the survivors, until such time as a few of those survivors feel ready to stand up and speak representatively.”

This research project has been inspired by our Dignity initiative to end GBV. Take a stand against gender based violence – tell your church about Dignity.

Download resources at bmsworldmission.org/dignity SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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Info

LETTERS

Dear Editor, The super hero theory of leadership comes from a discredited management theory of the 1930s taken up by, among others, Adolf Hitler.

The most successful leaders are humble people drawn from within the organisation who work with a team for the benefit of the organisation and not for their own benefit.

Since leadership cannot be taught, in spite of what some management schools claim, and leaders only succeed if they have people who are prepared to be part of their team.

BMS needs to look at developing people who may never be leaders themselves but could play a key role in a successful leadership team (like Andrew, Philip, Matthew etc).

John R Hudson

Baptist Insurance_Advert.indd 1

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Have something to say about Engage magazine?

Email us at magazine@bmsworldmission.org or write to us using the address on page 2.

Dear Sir,

Dear Sir,

An excellent idea to ask four leading Christians from four areas of the world what they believe is the biggest issue currently facing the Church [Winter 2014/15]. It is interesting that word and deed feature in all of the articles.

Thanks for the review of Crazy Busy

by Kevin DeYoung [Winter 2014/15].

I agree that it was unhelpful and unwise for DeYoung to make his comment that women are more hardwired than men to step down from their careers and focus on their families. I am a male who has gone part time to support my wife’s career, and I have loved having more time with my family and more time with God.

Nabil K Costa, in his article, coupled together the Church in the UK, USA, Europe and the Middle East and asked how can we stem the decline?

I don’t believe the Church in the UK is in decline. Recent statistics state that the churches in London have increased in numbers by 17 per cent this year. I think the confusion lies in looking at the statistics of the traditional denominations where decline continues.

However, the new churches who hold to the word of God as the sole basis of all faith and practice are definitely showing growth. There is something new happening amongst the churches – the tide is turning.

Long may it continue.

The book overall, however, was not focused on gender specific roles, so if you ignore the above comment then there were lots of helpful biblical points. There are many people who are so “crazy busy” in families, at work, in churches and on missions that they forget about their relationship with God. They “forget” their quiet times with God where they read the Bible, pray and worship. They know these should be priorities, yet in reality they are not. So I thought, overall, it was a very helpful book that could help many Christians grow. It deserved at least four stars.

Yours in Christ

Yours sincerely,

Ron F Granger

Ben Dewhirst

We do not have space to include all readers’ correspondence that we receive and letters that are printed may be edited for publication.

More letters are online at bmsworldmission.org/engage

16/02/2015 15:41

KEEP

Fiona Castle

ENGAGED

Speaker and writer

Find us on facebook

SEIZE THE DAY!

BMS World Mission

OUR FINEST HOUR COULD BE YET TO COME.

Today is Andrew North’s last day at BMS HQ after serving with us for over 30 years! He has done so much for the work of BMS in Africa, and we’re really going to miss him. Read the story and show him some love by liking this post. http://bit.ly/1wKci0F Like · Comment · Share 94 people like this

Jane Robson Hardly changed at all since that photo was taken!!

Wishing you a long and happy ‘retirement’ Andrew. God bless.

Sarah Hall Happy ‘retirement’ Andrew. You will be missed.

God bless for all your endeavours in months and years to come.

David Doonan Enjoy retirement Andrew. What is it?

BMS World Mission What do you think the biggest issue facing the Church in 2015 is?

Like · Comment · Share Maureen Parkinson Porter Apathy, lack of vision.

Gareth Victo A stubborn refusal to acknowledge that the work of Jesus has little to do with maintaining church structures and institutions!

Craig Gardiner I was going to say apathy ... but then I couldn’t be bothered.

YOUR TWEETS Ian Hamlin @iansabbath

A privilege to share @BMSWorldMission #Dignity material tonight at the West Wickham #WeekOfPrayerForChristianUnity important issues

Ben Sheldon @BenjiiBoo

M

ost of us live such busy lives that we tend to spend our time catching up with chores, or planning for the future, so we rarely enjoy the present.

Have you noticed how small children enjoy now? They live in the present without worrying about what lies ahead.

If you knew that this week was your last week on earth, what would become important and what would you ‘dump’?

Shortly before my husband died, he was WHAT asked to write his autobiography. In the DO YOU last chapter he wrote: WANT OUT “This then raises the question. What do OF LIFE? you want out of life?

What is success? The answers are much clearer once you are told life is just about over. The simple, caring things then score heavily and the greed, selfishness and ego become millstones.”

He was also asked, by Alan Titchmarsh during a television interview, what was his finest hour.

His reply was, “I think my finest hour is still to come. If, in the final hour that I’m compos mentis, I can look back on my life and smile – that will be my finest hour.”

We do not know how much longer our lives will be. We won’t be remembered for our wealth or status or the size of our house, but for what we have done with our lives.

What can you do today to prevent you looking back with regrets?

What have you wanted to achieve, but perhaps lacked the courage or determination to accomplish?

There is a popular phrase today about people making bucket lists of things they want to do.

Perhaps today is the day to make that list! It might not include bungee-jumping or sky-diving, but perhaps resolving a conflict, or contacting a forgotten friend. Most important is to know the assurance of peace with God, through Jesus.

Quoting the most recent @BMSWorldMission #Engagemag in an essay - good stuff on leadership/management in there! Thanks guys!

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

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

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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24 hours in…

KATHMANDU

IF YOU VISITED THE NEPALI CAPITAL, WHERE SHOULD YOU GO? HERE ARE BMS WRITER SARAH STONE’S RECOMMENDATIONS. MOMOS Stop off at a local restaurant and re-energise yourself with some momos – a traditional Nepali delicacy. Momos are little dumplings filled with meat or vegetables. They’ll probably be accompanied by a spicy dipping sauce. You can find them in restaurants across the city, but these ones were enjoyed in the aptly titled Momo Hut.

KISC AND EQUIP

Wander around the beautiful Patan Durbar Square, which is full of ancient palaces, temples and shrines. Take in the exquisite carvings and enjoy a refreshing drink in one of the rooftop cafes. From the square, pop to Patan Hospital to see BMS doctor Katrina Butterworth at work training Nepali medical students.

NEPAL BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE Visit BMS pastor Andy Saunders at Nepal Baptist Bible College. Chat with him about his work giving theological training to Nepal’s future Baptist leaders and meet some of his students.

The Church in Nepal is very young – but it is one of the fastest growing Churches in the world.

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MONKEY TEMPLE Finish the day by climbing up to Swayambhunath, commonly known as the Monkey Temple.

From this ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site you will have spectacular views of Kathmandu Valley. As well as the ornate temples and shrines, and the colourful prayer flags, you’ll see plenty of temple monkeys running around.

Find out about our mission workers in Nepal and sign up to support them by visiting bit.ly/BMSinNepal

Photos by Forest Lane Photography

PATAN DURBAR SQUARE

Meet some of the BMS mission kids studying at the Kathmandu International Study Centre (KISC) and then travel to a local school with BMS teacher trainer Annie Brown.

Annie and the team at KISC EQUIP are training Nepali teachers, helping them to give Nepal’s children the best possible education.

THE BIG PICTURE

This photo was taken by BMS World Mission worker Jutta Cowie at the orphanage in Haiti where she and her husband, Andy, work.

“We have never seen so many kids go crazy over fruit,” says Jutta. “They even ask for carrots. Can you imagine?” The children at Source of Light orphanage in Port-au-Prince are always asking for treats of mangos, bananas and pineapples.

At the end of September 2014, the Cowies travelled to the central plateau region where Jutta asked to buy some mangos.

When the couple arrived at the home of a pastor living there, his wife presented them with at least 50 mangos and loads of pineapples. They enjoyed a few that night and brought the rest to Source of Light the next day. The children feasted.

Not only did they cover themselves in fruit juice, some ate the entire mango, skin, seed and all!

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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LOVING OUR ENEMIES

Jesus told us to love our enemies, but how can we?

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When hatred takes hold, the dehumanising begins. You no longer see your enemy as a human being but instead as a representative of a group, a creed, a difference you cannot tolerate and that you abhor. You seek revenge, you seek justice, you seek to avoid, to blame, to undermine and to diminish who they are and what they stand for.

You want them to feel small, to know and feel your pain and displeasure. In some cases, you wish they didn’t exist at all.

And yet Jesus, in words as challenging now as they have ever been, has called us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us so that we may be children of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5: 44-45). We are not only to love our enemies but to help others love their enemies too. In 2 Corinthians 5: 18 we are called to be peacemakers and to reconcile others with God and with each other. In a violent world, how can we truly love our enemies and reconcile others together through effective peacemaking?

Most of the time we learn to avoid or tolerate those we don’t like or get on with. It is only when something dramatic happens that we are forced to face up to the situation and realise that things need to change.

Odur and his brother John hated each other. They would regularly get drunk and fight, and had not set foot in each other’s houses for three years, despite living only 40 metres apart. The situation soon turned into a land issue and began dividing the family and wider clan in their village in Gulu District, Uganda.

The tension between the brothers got so bad that Odur recognised it had to end. Although he is not a Christian, he called BMS World Mission partner the Ugandan Christian Lawyers Fratenity (UCLF) where BMS lawyer Linda Darby works. “If no one will help me,” Odur told Amos, a paralegal at UCLF, “I will kill my brother or die.” Amos agreed to help and a mediation date was set.

There was no guarantee it was going

“I will kill my brother or die”

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“we have to do something, we cannot continue like this”

to work, but it was of huge importance that Odur had made the first step in resolving matters.

An escalation of violence in the Middle East is compelling some to play a part in trying to end it. Many Israelis and Palestinians have made their first step in resolving the animosity they feel towards the other side, inspired by the 2014 Gaza conflict. After the traumatic events of last summer, a group of Israeli women told Dr Salim Munayer, Director of BMS partner Musalaha in Israel, that they could not go on as they had been. They asked Salim, who has spent a lifetime trying to bridge the gap between Israelis and Palestinians, for help.

The approach of Musalaha in their reconciliation work is to take Israelis and Palestinians to neutral ground, so that they can start to see each other as human beings and not the enemy. The

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Israeli women who approached Salim will be given the opportunity to meet with Palestinian women. The neutral ground Musalaha has found to be most effective is the desert, a place with rich biblical significance and symbolic with gaining understanding and getting closer to God. “In the desert, people are, in a gentle way, forced to encounter the other person as a human being created in God’s image,” says Salim. “This is a place where the imbalance of power disappears and where the people of power can’t play games against the weak. People are forced to work together, rather than against each other.

The desert is a place where we can build strong relationships and trust.”

Coventry Cathedral uses a different approach to help people realise the impact of being enemies. The cathedral became a centre of reconciliation in 1940 as a peaceful response to its bombing in the Second World War. In their reconciliation work, they often encourage opposing sides (like conservative African Anglicans and their more liberal US Episcopal Church counterparts, for instance) to spend time in the ruins of that attack 75 years ago, an experience both parties often find sobering. “We walk them through our ruins to the new cathedral so they physically spend time in a place which has been destroyed because of our

inability to work out our differences,” says the Very Rev John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry Cathedral. “That does make a difference to how people relate to each other.”

Meeting together in an appropriate location can be key in reconciliation work, helping each side be more comfortable in the other’s presence.

The mediation between Odur and John was held at Odur’s homestead. This could explain John’s reluctance to go – he was not there when Amos, Linda and the team from UCLF arrived. Amos had to go to John’s home to convince him to attend.

It is not unusual for it to take months of work to encourage both sides to come to the reconciliation table. This is often the experience when BMS partner United Mission to Nepal (UMN) is trying to resolve local interfaith conflicts. Relationships are built individually with each leader and group involved, gaining their trust before finally bringing them together and encouraging them to work together for peace. This process can take a long time, but the impact of the leaders working together can have a huge influence on the local community.

“When the community sees all the religious leaders coming together at a table, dialoguing together, eating together, that is a great example,” says Bal Kumari Gurang, Team Leader for

“Loving our enemy reveals who God is”

Peacebuilding at UMN. “Seeing them together is a symbol.”

That symbol of unity, despite their differences, shows that religions can live and work together for peace, and that conflict and animosity, when it arises, can be overcome.

One thing that can stop us being reconciled with our enemies is feeling that ‘we’ are the victim and ‘they’ are entirely to blame. Loving our enemies often means facing up to the wrongs we have committed against them as well.

“It is easier to enter a cycle of ‘we are the good, they are the bad’ and to dehumanise our enemies and feel we are the victims,” says Salim Munayer.

“Because if we are the victim, we don’t have to address how to love our enemies and we don’t want to do that. We want to keep our status and privilege.”

For those trying to reconcile two enemies, it is easy to apportion blame, something that John Witcombe warns against.

“Every situation is incredibly complex,” says John. “There are layers and layers in every situation. There are always two sides. You may feel the balance of blame lies on one side instead of the other, but it is never all on one side.”

It became evident at the mediation between Odur and John that both brothers had wronged the other. Both

families were critical of the way Odur and John had handled the dispute and let things become so difficult between them. Linda recalls that “Their sons were saying, ‘What happens when we die? When does this anger and hatred end?’”

The mediation forced the brothers to face the consequences of their enmity, not only for themselves but also their wider clan. The question was, would it lead them to forgive each other or to continue the feud?

Just when it looked like the latter would be more likely, the unbelievable happened. John was asked if he wanted to resolve the situation and he said yes.

He apologised to Odur for insulting him, and promised to stop doing so and to love him. Moments later, John was sitting awkwardly next to Odur. Pastor Geoffrey from the UCLF team prayed for them and they held hands whilst he did so. The whole community was whispering: “This is a miracle.” Odur and John subsequently decided how to divide the land between the families and the feud was ended. The brothers were enemies no longer.

The message of letting go of hatred, which the UCLF team shared at the mediation, had hit home. “I think it was the fact that they were open to what we were saying,” says Linda. “They were open to resolving it and open to hearing about Christ as well.”

Salim Munayer believes that when we let go of our hatred and love our enemy, we understand God a little bit more. “Loving our enemy reveals who God is,” he says. “We will find God in our enemy as God created our enemy in his image. Jesus died for them and we understand the love of God when we love our enemies.”

Loving our enemies requires us to recognise that not only the situation has to change but we have to change.

We need to stop seeing ourselves exclusively as victims and recognise when we have been in the wrong, as well as forgiving the wrong committed against us. It requires us to be open to God’s leading and see our enemy as his son or daughter too. By doing so, we are not only closer to each other, we are also closer to God. Words: Hall Words: Chris Chris Hall

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Eat my shirt!

This amazing cake was made for Father’s Day by BMS World Mission worker Sarah Brown and the Freedom Bakery team in Thailand.

But how did they do it?

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This is a sponge cake, covered in buttercream. Sky blue sugarpaste icing was rolled out into a rectangle and then laid onto the cake with the help of a rolling pin.

1 The collar, pocket, cuff, tie and knot were all made with sugarpaste too.

Paper patterns were made first and then cut around.

A patterned rolling pin was used for the tie to give it more texture. Clean pieces of sponge helped to create the folds and were then removed when the tie was dry and secure on the cake.

A placket (the strip of fabric on a shirt containing the buttonholes), 3cm by 30cm, was cut out and secured with edible glue down the centre of the cake. Stitching lines were made using a stitching wheel, but a toothpick would also work.

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he breast pockets, tie, collar and cuff were T secured on the cake using edible glue.

Buttons were made using a silicone button mold. A small circle cutter was used to add detail and make them look more like buttons.

The cake was placed in a box with tissue paper, to make it look even more like a folded shirt.

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Think you can make the shirt cake yourself?

Get the full instructions from bmsworldmission.org/engage

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What is the Freedom Bakery?

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utreach in the red light area of Bangkok is so important. The conversations had and friendships built with women could transform their lives forever. We continue to pray and step out, in the hope that women will make the decision to leave the sex industry.

Providing an alternative solution for these women is crucial.

The Freedom Bakery, NightLight’s latest business venture, is an exciting new project that will provide further alternative employment opportunities to women freed from a life of degrading exploitation.

Baking is a completely new area for the women to learn, since ovens are still not standard in homes or widely used by many Thais. I am heading up the project and implementing the training programme. In the training, the women are learning about hygiene,

essential business skills, the professional art of baking and sugar artistry. This is enabling them to produce beautiful celebration cakes and wedding cakes, and to run a bakery, contributing to a life of dignity, empowerment and holistic transformation.

Their confidence is continually growing and their skills are improving. The women have become so proud of the work they are producing.

Words: Sarah Brown

Support the Freedom Bakery by giving to our appeal. To make a donation go to bmsworldmission.org/freedombakery

Take a stand against gender based violence – get your church to sign the Dignity Church Charter.

Download the charter at bmsworldmission.org/dignity

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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BMS WORKER PROFILE LOVE ACROSS THE

LATITUDES These six people went overseas to serve God, but while there they found love too!

Annet Ttendo and Damien Miller A journey from friendship to love

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hen they travelled to Mozambique, neither Annet nor Damien thought they would be where they are today, engaged and busily planning their April wedding. They first met in the Ugandan Christian Lawyers Fraternity (UCLF) in January 2009, Damien as a legal intern and Annet as UCLF’s Project Director, and were colleagues and friends.

But everything changed when they were reunited in Mozambique, developing BMS World Mission’s legal work in the country. Both knew they had made a ‘good friend’, but neither thought it would go further than that. “Highly embarrassing for me is the fact that I even had a ‘chat’ with Annet one day,” says Damien. “I explained that we would only ever be friends.” It didn’t take long though for their friendship to change to something deeper.

The marriage proposal, when it came, was out of the

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blue. It was in the middle of an argument after a long day at the Mozambican Association of Christian Lawyers’ Annual General Meeting. “I had been planning a romantic proposal on a beautiful beach in Beira a week later,” says Damien.

“Suddenly a small voice insisted I ask her right then.” So Damien sank to one knee, looked into the eyes of his still angry girlfriend and asked her to marry him.

“I was shocked,” says Annet. “It didn’t seem real to me.” But the question came at the perfect time. “I had been praying to God because I needed confirmation and direction. I was missing home, work that week had been a struggle and Andrew North had just left Mozambique for the last time before retiring. I saw an uncertain future ahead and Damien’s proposal shook me out of such thoughts.”

Now they are facing a different challenge, planning their wedding. The ceremony will be on 25 April at Kampala Baptist Church in Uganda. Later they will celebrate in Mozambique and the UK to allow friends who are unable to attend the wedding to share in the joy of their marriage.

“It will be like getting married three times!” says Damien.

Andrew and Anne North Prophecies, sunrises and pastries

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or this couple, the greatest challenge was not the wedding.

Instead, it was dating while serving with BMS in conflict-ridden D R Congo.

“We always reckoned that if we could go through two hot seasons and the stresses of the economy and the political instability of the country and still come out friends that was a good sign,” says Andrew. Both Andrew and Anne arrived in Congo, then called Zaire, in August 1976. There was a large group of mission workers in Kinshasa at that time and, although they lived separately, they ate together.

Andrew met his future wife at one of these dinners.

They found ways to deepen their relationship despite the political situation, the constant travelling in Andrew’s job and the strict social conventions that did not allow them to be alone or even hold hands. “You got to know people better because you couldn’t have any physical contact in public,” says Andrew, “you had to be kept apart.”

This separation aside, those around them had decided that Andrew and Anne would be together “till death do they part” long before they knew themselves. This was especially true for Andrew’s mentor at that time, Dr John Carrington, and his wife Nora. “They actually announced our engagement in the church before Anne and I knew we were

engaged,” says Andrew. The younger pair were shocked and informed John and Nora that this was not the case. Nora simply replied, “Yes, but you soon will be.”

It was at an Easter sunrise service that Andrew knew that he and Anne were meant to be. The sun was rising and they were standing amongst the congregation at 6 am, singing hymns and watching as the light rose over the standing pool. “And it just seemed so natural to be standing together,” says Andrew. After the service, Andrew and Anne went for a coffee and pastry, a wonderful treat they did not enjoy often.

“I guess that was when we both realised, but didn’t want to admit, that there might be something,” says Andrew.

The young couple were married in 1978 and now have two daughters, one of whom has followed in her parents’ footsteps as a BMS mission worker in Africa.

Lynne and Sitongua Laussu-Brown Kindred spirits and beautiful beaches

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ynne and Sitongua met when Lynne was serving with BMS in Angola. Both were involved in outreach to young people and were introduced through their work. They would invite each other to do training with their students.

“We got to know each other better and kept in contact through texts, emails and phone calls,” says Lynne. With a shared love for sightseeing, beautiful beaches, walks through historic areas and wildlife, a friendship quickly formed between the two.

Three years later, they declared their feelings for each other and spent their first date on a beach in Lobito, chaperoned by two friends. This relaxing day of conversation and sun left great impressions on both of them and by the end they knew there would be more dates to come. “I really admired his strong faith and his heart for the work and for reaching out to others,” says Lynne. “I saw that we had a lot in common that way.”

The proposal came eight years later. They were married in Zambia, with guests from Zambia, Angola, the UK and the US. “It was a really multicultural wedding,” says Lynne. The diverse attendees danced their cultural wedding dances, including the Gay Gordon, and shared in the newlyweds’ joy.

Now Lynne and Sitongua are looking forward to their next mission adventure with BMS in Guinea.

“Mission is not an invitation to an easy job,” says Sitongua.

“We are praying and hoping that God can use us to bring the light of the gospel to Guinea and we will carry forward the banner of BMS, transforming lives. It’s a challenge, but we like challenges.”

Words: Vickey Casey

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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TOP 10:

SHARING YOUR FAITH WITH MUSLIMS How can we sensitively tell our Muslim neighbours about our faith?

Here are some top tips from BMS World Mission workers Arthur Brown, who is a tutor at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, Lebanon; Louise Brown, who runs an afterschool club for Lebanese and Syrian children; and Arthur Magahy, who previously served with BMS in the predominantly Islamic country of Guinea and is now Mission Trainer at our International Mission Centre in Birmingham.

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Learn about Islam

1

Get to know Muslims

Globally, Muslims have less contact with Christians than Jews, according to a recent report.* By becoming friends, you can earn the right to talk to Muslims about your faith when opportunities arise.

2

Share your life with Muslims

Eat with them, drink with them, visit them (rather than waiting for them to visit you) and take an interest in what interests them.

Treat them as people, rather than as Muslims.

Read up on Islam and how Muslims live out their faith. This will help you understand their viewpoint and also help you make links between your faith and theirs.

4

Respect the faith of Muslims

Don’t buy into the popular narrative that all Muslims are extremists.

They’re not. Once you get to know them (see point 1), you will get a greater understanding of who they are and what their faith means to them.

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5

Don’t argue Muslims into the kingdom

6

Arguing people into a relationship with Christ rarely works and will cause more harm than good. Talk about your experience of God, rather than quoting Bible verses and pointing out differences with Islam.

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Be sensitive to the dangers

For a Muslim, to change his or her faith could have significant repercussions for them, as well as their family and community.

Be aware of the dangers they face and act sensitively.

Love your Muslim neighbour

We follow a God of love and therefore must share our faith in love. How we share our faith, acts, deeds and words needs to reflect Jesus’ self-giving love. Our attitude must be loving.

Don’t try to conform Muslims to your culture

Be very aware of your own cultural and theological biases, which are very different to those of Muslims – how you worship for instance.

Don’t try to turn Muslims into cultural Christians, but be open to explore how they might develop their own expression of faith in Christ, from within their own social and cultural context.

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Practice what you preach

It is not only what you say but what you do. Catalyst Live speaker Miroslav Volf says: “Practices disclose the God (or the gods!) individual Christians or Muslims actually worship better than anything they or their holy book says about God’s character or God’s commands.”

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Be patient

It may take many years to gain a Muslim’s trust and to get an opportunity to share your faith meaningfully. You may not ever get the chance. But by being their friend, you may be the only Christian they know and you could make a difference to how they see Christianity.

*

Christianity in its Global Context 1970-2020 produced by the Global Centre for Study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts.

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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Q&A

THE BIG INTERVIEW

ANDREW CAPLEN TALKS TO BMS ABOUT ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND HIS HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR AS LAW SOCIETY PRESIDENT 2014/15.

ANDREW

CAPLEN Q

From humble beginnings, Andrew Caplen has gone on to become this year’s Law Society President, representing over 166,000 solicitors. An accredited lay preacher, he is married to Rev Lindsay Caplen, a BMS trustee and Baptist pastor of South Woodham Evangelical Church in Essex.

How did you become a lawyer?

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I don’t come from a traditional legal background. My parents were market gardeners. They had a market stall, which belonged to my grandmother and my great grandmother before that, and I used to go and help them. It is the sort of background that would be very difficult to become a lawyer from these days. The reason I went on to do law was that it interested me and I had an inbuilt sense of injustice from having come from a poor background.

What does being Law Society President entail?

For a 12 month period I am leader of the solicitors’ branch of the legal profession and I am their spokesperson on issues. It involves a lot of

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interaction with politicians, trying to influence the political agenda, as far as justice issues are concerned. You sign a lot of press releases, and speak in a lot of public environments – like debating at the Cambridge Union or speaking at a parliament committee room, for instance.

And you also have the role to enhance the international perspective of English legal services, where you try to persuade foreign jurisdictions to open up their market to English law so international contracts are written under British law and international cases come to British AS courts as a matter of choice.

What have been the highlights of your presidency so far?

I went to the International Bar Association conference in Tokyo and 16 people, including me, were chosen to have a personal audience with the Emperor and Empress of Japan. I had been taught phonetically some words about how honoured I was to come to Japan, which I delivered in as near perfect phonetic Japanese as I could.

The Empress responded to me in Japanese, which was a bit embarrassing as I had to admit that I didn’t know any more Japanese!

The biggest highlight of all has to be the carol service. The Law Society, as far as anybody knows, had never held a carol service before. Lindsay led it, and David Kerrigan spoke. There were a lot of leaders from the legal community there. It was very clear that God was moving very powerfully in that place.

The feedback that we have had has been absolutely incredible.

route is the best way to deal with this. What do you think?

There are times and places when it is right to use the court process for that. I would, however, say that it is always good to take a step back and see if it is the best way, or whether a negotiated way could be the answer. I think it is important that there is a move in the Christian community away from being concerned about our rights as Christians and things that affect us, and for there to be an emphasis on the rights of others.

CHRISTIANS The fact that someone has been made homeless, the fact that a child is at risk, WE SHOULD BE the fact that someone is subject to CONCERNED ABOUT domestic violence – I think that is where our focus should be.

THE CONTINUING INROADS TO ACCESS TO JUSTICE

You are very supportive of BMS’ Dignity initiative to combat gender based violence.

Why do you think it is important?

I think it is a very brave initiative. Dignity is important because it plays into an area that has almost been a taboo subject to talk about, and that is the question of gender based issues. It is raising awareness of how big an issue it is, raising awareness of the miserable lives that people have in this country who are subject to this, and raising awareness that abroad, if you can’t sort out these basic justice issues, you can’t solve the problems of poverty.

It is also important, as it is part of what God wants us to do as well. I think that every time someone is bullied, or somebody is hit or controlled in a relationship, then the heart of God is very uncomfortable with that.

Some Christians feel persecution is on the rise (not being able to wear crosses at work for example) and that going down the legal

BMS is getting more involved in legal mission. Is law just as important as health and education?

Health work is very important indeed.

Education is very important indeed.

But underpinning health and education is that you have to have a properly functioning legal system. If you don’t have that properly functioning legal system, it can make it very difficult to access the health and education services that people actually need.

Are there legal issues that we should be championing more as Christians?

I think as Christians we should be concerned about the continuing inroads to access to justice in this country at this moment in time. There has been this Andrew and Lindsay. trend amongst the political arena for a number of years to restrict the rights of our citizens to justice. For example, changes in judicial review (the way authorities are kept in check), reductions in legal aid and the difficulty in providing evidence before you can get legal aid in domestic violence cases. There is a danger with these inroads being made continually, you get a two-tier system of justice. It really does us no credit if Roman Abramovich can fight his cases in the commercial court in London, and yet our own citizens can’t afford justice as it has been taken away from them because we don’t want to fund it anymore.

And you think Christians should be speaking out more about this?

I think Christians should have been speaking out more about justice for the last 20 years.

Andrew Caplen was talking to Chris Hall

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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OVERSEAS PARTNER

Mbambu Moreen

LIFE-CHANGING INSTRUMENTS A UGANDAN WOMAN HAS DISCOVERED A TALENT FOR MUSIC AND A PASSION FOR TEACHING.

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rom a shy woman unwilling to share her opinion to a confident teacher, Mbambu (known as Moreen), aged 28, has changed a lot since meeting BMS World Mission worker Bethan Shrubsole in 2010. Bethan, a music therapist, offered lessons to the community and not only did Moreen join the class, she excelled, learning both the piano and guitar. The speed that Moreen picked up these new skills is the reason she has taken Bethan’s place as a teacher at Rwenzori Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities (RAPCD).

The pair started working at RAPCD in 2013. Moreen helped Bethan during sessions where disabled students learned how to use different ways to communicate with those around them and in the process gain confidence and independence.

Moreen helps develop a deaf student’s vocabulary at Rwenzori Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities.

Gradually, Moreen took over larger portions of the work until Bethan’s only role was to shadow her student.

Bethan’s time in Uganda has now come to an end, and in February 2015 Moreen taught her first class by herself.

“She has a lot of gumption,” says Bethan proudly.

The students are not the only ones who have become more self-assured. Bethan has seen Moreen grow and shine as she furthers her passion for teaching and music.

“She’s like a flower blooming,” says Bethan. “She was a very closed and shy person. Now she’s become somebody who is confident and manages on her own.”

When my daddy broke his spine, a Christian lady helped us.

Let me tell you my story.

Ask your pastor to order the new video about my family. It’s perfect for harvest.

Restoring broken lives in Nepal

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My Father's House advert_update.indd 1 bmsworldmission.org

bmsworldmission.org/myfathershouse

My Father’s House is about BMS spinal rehab work in Nepal. Check out the trailer online.

17/02/2015 14:57

HE IS NEAR TO THOSE WHO CALL TO HIM, WHO CALL TO HIM WITH SINCERITY. (PSALM 145: 18 GNB) We would encourage you to photocopy this page for your church or cut out the sections to use in your regular prayer times.

PLACES: India India has sent a space probe to Mars, maintains a nuclear deterrent and has one of the world’s fastest growing economies. It has a multi-million dollar film industry and a world-class cricket team.

There are also over 350 million people living in poverty. Inner-city slums in Delhi and Kolkata are growing, as the population increases and rural villages struggle with access to basic health and education.

A strict caste system still exists, which limits the opportunities of the poorest in society. And even after two centuries of BMS work in the country, millions have yet to hear the gospel of Christ.

PROJECTS: Justice ministries

PRAY FOR: • Wisdom and discernment for politicians and government officials in dealing with social justice issues.

• The millions of people in India who are living on less than £1 a day.

• Church planting ministries led by BMS Associate Team Leader for India, Benjamin Francis.

bmsworldmission.org/justicepartners

“And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6: 8). Our broken world faces many challenges: people trafficked and sold into slavery, communities destroyed by conflict, the earth’s resources exploited for the benefit of the few. Yet there is hope.

The Bible makes it clear that God’s heart is for justice for all the world’s peoples. He has shown us what he requires of us, and he is equipping his Church for action. Take a stand and become a BMS 24:7 Justice Partner today.

PRAY FOR: • Christian lawyers delivering justice for families in Mozambique and Uganda.

• The work of the Freedom Bakery in Thailand, offering freedom to women caught in the sex industry.

• People in the UK to engage in this work by becoming 24:7 Justice Partners.

PEOPLE: Annie and Dan Dupree Annie and Dan previously served with BMS in North Africa. Last year they moved to Tirana, Albania, to work with the Baptist Union. In their latest prayer letter they wrote about meeting local Baptist pastors and hearing what God is doing in local neighbourhoods: “We have been struck by the depth of passion and commitment of church pastors and leaders, many of whom hold down more than one job to fund their church planting and pioneering work amongst poor communities. Pray especially for the development of the Baptist Union as it seeks to unite, support and equip churches rooted in tough places.”

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

PRAY FOR: • Language learning and adapting to a new culture.

• Their children, Charis, Isaac and Amaya.

• The national Church to grow in spirit and truth.

Aidan Melville is sub-editor for the BMS Prayer Guide

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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FUTURE WHAT ARE BMS’ PRIORITIES IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS? PETER DUNN, DIRECTOR FOR MISSION, EXPLAINS MORE ABOUT THE FINDINGS OF A REVIEW OF BMS WORK IN AN INTERVIEW WITH ENGAGE MAGAZINE. What factors, up to now, have influenced which countries BMS works in?

William Carey had this great desire to preach the gospel to those who had never heard it. When he went to India, Carey found huge pressing moral issues as well, like the burning of widows on their husbands’ funeral pyres for example. So he could not just preach the gospel without confronting some of the injustices and 24

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wrongs. These two factors continue to influence where we work: to make Christ known through proclamation, but also to say that the gospel has to impact issues around justice, poverty and inequality in the world.

periodically to step back and say, “What is God saying to us? Where are we now? Where is God calling us to be in the future? Let’s understand the wider picture.” I’d say every five or ten years we need to take that step back.

There has recently been a review of BMS work. Why have we done this now?

What has the review brought up?

As an organisation, we hadn’t done it for some time. There is always a need

One of the highlights has been seeing the good work that BMS is doing around the world: the lives that are being transformed holistically, the

© Rawpixel - Fotolia.com

BMS LOOKING TO THE

people who are coming to know Christ simply about preaching a gospel that How should BMS supporters as their Lord and Saviour and who are is only relevant on a Sunday in church, respond to these changes? experiencing the abundant life which but actually speaks to how people farm There is the old adage of pray, give, only Jesus provides. the land, how they access justice, how go. Ultimately, God’s work happens The critical factor for me in the they care for their families, how they because we pray for it, it is the work of review is bringing a fresh focus of live their lives in all the fullness that his Spirit that we long to see. integral mission [evangelism and Jesus promises.

There is the giving element – we social involvement] to the work we There will be much more of a focus are able to send people to support are engaged in. Take Bangladesh for on the transformation the gospel our partners overseas because people instance. Until recently we give sacrificially. I am aware just had two people there, that all of us have pressures on but I would envisage in a WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US? WHERE our finances, but I have the real year’s time we will have a privilege of travelling some of ARE WE NOW? WHERE IS GOD team of ten, working in a the world with BMS and seeing range of roles that express the difference that money CALLING US TO BE IN THE FUTURE? integral mission – people makes. It transforms lives, working in theological churches are planted, people’s education, leadership training and brings to that context and how best we lives are literally saved in hospitals in fighting for women’s justice. can work to bring that about, whether places like Chad because we are able it is sending people, supporting to support that work. national workers or facilitating funding Will the review affect how BMS And there is that going element. to projects that will enable that does things in the future? Or the We were built on the history of William transformation to happen. number of countries we work in?

Carey in Northampton, who heard Yes. It will affect where we work.

God’s call and responded and went.

There will be strategic decisions about Is there going to be a change of He faced people giving him excuses. ending work in some countries. This balance between the number of Today, we can be packed with excuses will be difficult – it’s never easy to people we send out from the UK to but open to the reality that God might finish something in a particular context serve and the number of national even call us to go. Is there something, because there is always more to be workers we support? some way I can go and contribute to done. There will be some countries One thing that most people don’t God’s mission around the world? where our work will increase, so we can realise is that BMS supports more The other way is how can I receive enable more women to access justice nationals in country than British people from engaging in God’s mission? How in Mozambique, support the Church going out as mission workers. We have does God’s mission around the world amongst tribal people in Peru and help around 200 supported partner workers inform and inspire me in my context as the growing Church in post-Communist and I think that is hugely significant and well? Mission is not just something we Albania for instance.

I wouldn’t want to lose that emphasis. send people to do in exotic locations, Having said that, I still think there is but it is something we are all called a role for BMS to be sending people What will BMS’ priorities be? to be part of. By engaging with BMS, for strategic roles in mission around Part of the review has involved us I will hope people will be inspired to the world. There are certain countries, saying, “Let’s be more intentional think, ‘what does it mean for me to particularly in the Middle East and in about looking at outcomes.” It is not be involved in mission where God has Asia, where the Church is non-existent saying we didn’t have outcomes before placed me’? or very small and we are able to send – we did. Nevertheless, we want to be people to build that Christian presence. more intentional about saying, “What There are other contexts where the change would we hope to see in the Peter Dunn was talking to Chris Hall Church may be present, but actually next five years in Mozambique because they need real help in terms of skills, in BMS is present there?” It’s about areas like medicine, social development wanting to see the Church equipped etc – again we can feed into that. to bring a wholeness of life that’s not

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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IDEAS FOR

YOUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES

KIDS CARE:

Maria and the secret bug Travel with us to Brazil in the third issue of KIDS CARE. We meet Maria and her family in this beautiful South American country and learn about some important issues both in the Bible and in nature.

And we learn about grace – the gift God gave to us when he sent his only son to die in our place and fix this broken world.

Maria and the secret bug has wonderful activities for all ages to enjoy, from a word puzzle to a

simple and fun cooking adventure. You can make your own secret bug or have an egg and spoon race! You will also have a chance to learn about our preschool education programme in Brazil.

So join us for the third instalment of this all-age resource by downloading the latest issue and the activity pages from bmsworldmission.org/kidscare

BMS INSIGHT TEAMS Why we send churches overseas Insight Teams are two-week overseas trips organised by BMS, designed to give churches in the UK an insight into the work God is doing around the world. Here are five reasons why we do them:

3. Increase support of world mission Through seeing first-hand some of the inspiring work God is doing around the world, we hope that individuals and churches in the UK will be encouraged to increase their support of and engagement with BMS.

1. Inspire churches in their mission practice locally

4. Recruit for longer-term service Many people use short-term trips such as these to test the water for a call to longer-term service. For others, a call to serve long-term can come unexpectedly as a result of such trips.

We recognise that we have a huge amount to learn from the World Church about good mission practice and we hope that churches will be inspired to apply what they encounter overseas in their local context.

2. Create missionary disciples By pushing individuals out of their comfort zone, through placing them in the company of some inspiring Christians around the world and allowing them to explore their faith whilst dropping some of their cultural baggage, we believe that some radical discipleship can take place.

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5. Bless our overseas workers and partners With humble attitudes and servant hearts, teams can be a blessing to those they visit through sharing in fellowship and practical support.

Visit bmsworldmission.org/insightteams for more information on how your church could be sent on an Insight Team.

RECIPE Dim Bhuna

Curried eggs are a popular meal for many Bangladesh families as eggs are versatile, cheap and easy to store.

Ingredients: 6 eggs 3 small onions 2 bay leaves 2 tbsp ginger powder 1 tbsp coriander powder 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp turmeric powder preferred) 1 tsp red chilli powder (as wder ½ tsp garam masala po salt to taste 2 tbsp oil

Instructions 1. Boil eggs until firm then place in cold water to cool 2. Shell the eggs and then prick them with a cocktail stick to prevent exploding during cooking

New collection boxes New BMS collection boxes are now available.

They are made of a durable and recyclable plastic, strong enough to hold your coins and to be reused repeatedly. The boxes are sent flat-packed with a printed BMS insert.

To order your boxes go to bmsworldmission.org/collectionbox or call Pam Fitzgerald on 01235 517617.

BMS cake challenge Do you have bakers in your church?

If so, the BMS cake challenge could be for you! We would love to encourage you to hold a cake baking competition as a church event.

You could charge an entrance fee and sell the entered cakes after judging. Encourage your members to all bake a specific cake, or how about a tea party theme?

3. Rub eggs with salt and ½ tsp of the turmeric powder 4. Heat oil in pan over medium heat 5. Add eggs and fry until golden in colour – stirring continuously to prevent burning 6. Remove eggs from heat and set aside

7. Blend onions to a paste with a little water then add to the pan and stir 8. Add all the dry ingredients, except the bay leaves, salt and garam masala powder, and mix 9. Add a little water to prevent the mixture from drying out and fry for three minutes adding a little boiled water as required to keep the mixture wet 10. Add bay leaves, salt and garam masala powder and a little more boiled water 11. Return eggs to the pan and cook until water evaporates, stirring continuously 12. Add a little more boiled water to keep the sauce loose, then cover and simmer for five mins, stirring occasionally 13. Serve with boiled rice Thanks to Gwen Millns, a BMS worker in Bangladesh, for sending this recipe.

Send the money you raise to BMS to support our Freedom Bakery project which is helping women out of the sex trade in Thailand. You and your church could make a huge difference by supporting it financially, helping launch a business with a focus not on exploitation but transformation. Your gifts could help to provide an industrial oven, baking tins, cake ingredients and even a salary for the women in training for the initial start-up year.

Visit bmsworldmission.org/freedombakery for more information.

SPRING 2015 | ENGAGE

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Opinion

SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE IMMIGRATION IS ONE OF THE HOT POLITICAL ISSUES OF OUR TIME. SHOULD WE AS CHRISTIANS WELCOME MIGRATION OR BE CONCERNED? HERE ARE VIEWS FROM FOUR PARTS OF THE GLOBE.

UK: UNDERSTAND MIGRANTS’ MOTIVATION

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eing a Christian does not dictate a pro or anti-immigration stance, as if our faith demands one or the other. In fact, maybe an important Christian contribution is to prevent the matter becoming unhelpfully polarised.

So here are five angles to consider: Firstly, recognise why many people are worried about immigration. Some may be racists, but many are understandably concerned, for instance, that a majority of the children in their child’s class have English as a second or third language.

Secondly, don’t be silent when immigrants are stigmatised. Almost all people come here to work, to study or to escape persecution. They don’t risk their lives to live on handouts. Given a chance,

Nabil K Costa Lebanon

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most will want to earn a living. Some may not have the skills to work immediately, but the next generation will.

Which brings me thirdly to compassion. At our best we are a very generous nation. When we consider the rampant instability of many countries, riven with despots and appalling violence and corruption, is compassion asking too much? Is it an uncomfortable truth that it’s easier to care for people by giving aid, whilst denying them sanctuary?

Fourthly, think about history. The EU, the UK and the US are wealthy places, even if our wealth is poorly distributed.

But a lot of that wealth was built on the backs of others – through slavery, the power of empire and now the power of

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United Kingdom

market forces. We owe a debt to many parts of the world.

Lastly, consider how much better our country is for immigration. Already we have large, vibrant, growing ethnic majority churches with visionary leaders.

It was the dream of such churches that motivated generations of missionaries.

Meanwhile many of our own historic denominations are weak. Maybe, just maybe, God has a mission purpose in all of this.

David Kerrigan is a first generation immigrant and General Director of BMS World Mission

THE MIDDLE EAST: THE WEST TAKES OUR BEST

he Middle East needs Christians Australia or the United States. now more than it has at any other Once the child gets to university time. It is vital for Christians in the West, those who are smart will to remain in their lands to promote often thrive, becoming mathematicians, and spread peace, hope, love and scientists or doctors. But do they reconciliation between followers of return to the Middle East? No. Most different faiths, and are absorbed into western to remain “salt and culture and want to stay. light,” as well as faithful A BRAIN Why should they return witnesses to Jesus home when the West is DRAIN IS Christ. offering them a better Our challenge is that HAPPENING salary and lifestyle? The Christians continue to parents have gained an leave the region – some for security excellent education for their children, related issues, but many others but have lost them to another country. in search of better opportunities In short, a brain drain is happening, elsewhere. Arabs want the very best creating an ever bigger gap between education for their children and that the haves of the West and the haveinvariably means sending them at great nots of the Middle East. This is cost to a top university in the UK, leading to jealousy and disillusionment

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David Kerrigan

amongst those who are left behind, causing some of the conflict and attraction to fundamental solutions we are suffering from.

History has clearly shown that Christians were and remain a most necessary component of peacemaking and peace building in the region.

Immigration in the long run will hurt both the Middle East and the West. Help us develop better governance, educational systems and stronger societies so our children don’t want to leave.

Nabil K Costa is the Executive Director of BMS partner the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, a vice president of the Baptist World Alliance and a trustee of BMS World Mission

PRO-IMMIGRATION? ITALY: CAN YOU BLAME THEM?

I

© Vito Manzari

mmigration is inevitable! Compassion is optional. The grossly unequal distribution of resources across the world and easier communications have contributed to making Italy home to one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in Europe. This has aroused much hostility, reflected in sporadic violent incidents which have occurred since the 1990s in northern Italy and

Zach Dawes USA

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mmigration is a complicated matter in the US. Many Americans know the nation’s immigration system is broken.

Yet little agreement exists about how to fix it. Some primary issues include: 1. Sovereign nations have an obligation to secure their borders. The need for border security is widely recognised; the just and proper approach is debated.

2. A path to citizenship for undocumented persons is needed.

Significant disagreement exists regarding qualifications and processes.

3. Providing relief and development in nations from which immigrants are escaping violence and poverty is critical.

A surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the US border in the summer of 2014 brought this to the forefront.

4. Addressing negative narratives,

more recently in the south (including in Rosarno, Calabria, where our colleagues the MacFarlanes are working).

As Christians, we have a dilemma.

We must live in the tension between compassion and abiding by the law. We must somehow support those seeking a better life or fleeing conflict, whilst opposing the traffickers. When living in Sicily, we had first-hand experience of this tension when taking care of a young Nigerian girl who had been unwillingly sold into prostitution by her traffickers.

She agreed to co-operate with police, who with her help were able to arrest two of her traffickers. In return, she finally received the new start she had been seeking when she left Nigeria years earlier.

Immigrants are not all opportunists. Some are

Alex Anderson Italy

genuinely fleeing violence or famine. But can we oppose even purely economic migrants? I think if we had been born in a corrupt, poverty-stricken part of the world we too might be tempted to risk all for the hope of a better life. Indeed, in other circumstances we would all applaud such initiative and courage. Statistics are cold. Perspectives change when you get alongside people and hear their stories. Clearly, when the status quo is broadly in our favour, it is easy to urge the marginalised to be patient and to just accept their lot. Perhaps we need to do our own personal journey down from on high (see Philippians 2: 5-8) before we pronounce judgment.

Alex Anderson is serving with BMS World Mission in southern Italy

USA: JUSTICE AND COMPASSION including “undocumented immigrants must pay taxes” and “go to the back of the line”, is essential. First, undocumented immigrants pay taxes, including social security contributions, for benefits they will never receive. Second, there are many lines. The process is confusing, costly and lengthy. For many, no line is actually available.

The Bible remains the Christian’s guide when addressing immigration, regardless of personal opinion on these issues.

Exodus 22: 21, Leviticus 19: 33, Deuteronomy 10: 17-19 and 24: 17-18 contain instructions to treat immigrants well because the Hebrews were immigrants in Egypt.

Deuteronomy urges the just treatment of immigrants in court (Deut 1: 16), wages (Deut 24: 14-15), and

charitable giving (Deut 24: 19-22).

Several prophets echo these exhortations: Jeremiah 22: 3-5, Ezekiel 47: 21-22, Zechariah 7: 8-10 and Malachi 3: 5.

Jesus identifies with immigrants in Matthew 25: 35, while Romans 12: 13 and Hebrews 13: 1-2 call for treating strangers hospitably.

In a context where people too often conflate Christian faith and partisan politics, it must be emphasised that these texts indicate neither a specific policy nor a political party to support. Instead, they demand that we filter our decisions through a lens of compassion, always seeking just ways of relating to immigrants.

Zach Dawes is the Managing Editor for EthicsDaily.com

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Arts

5

Five minutes with...

BRIAN

A DANGEROUS LIBERAL OR A KEY LEADER IN AN EMERGING MOVEMENT OF PROGRESSIVE CHURCHES – OPINIONS ON BRIAN MCLAREN VARY WILDLY. ENGAGE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AT GREENBELT FESTIVAL.

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A ‘Christian left’ is emerging in the US and UK. How important will that development prove to be?

I come from a country that is completely paralysed politically right now. So I think what we need is both a new left and a new right. Because neither left nor right are really grappling with the biggest problems that face us in the world. And both left and right are stuck in a political quagmire where they can only win elections based on short-term wedge issues. Nobody wins an election by being smart now. Nobody wins an election by having foresight. Nobody wins an election by having a vision for the common good. You only win an election by stirring up fear among your base.

I think people of a more conservative bent are concerned about really valid issues. And I think they have a vision, if they can articulate it positively, that can be a much needed vision. I think the same is true of people on the left. And I would love to see us have intelligent debate about the battle of our constructive visions. That’s where I hope we can be. I really think we’re at a place where this project of democracy now runs up against economic systems that are so weighted toward the super-rich that we’ve got some very, very serious problems to solve.

This is a place I think the Church can play a great role.

Simply because I don’t think our political systems are going to fix themselves.

Here’s the irony: people sweat and worry, “Oh, no, if we accept the things McLaren and others are writing about, look where it might lead!” And they tend to forget that under the current theological regime, the British built an empire that caused unspeakable horrors in Africa and the Middle East and Asia. And for Americans like myself, our current theological regime justified slavery, land theft, continues to fuel racism and a kind of imperial mindset. We tend to think, “Oh no, something bad might happen!” But we already have two millennia of putting women in a subordinate position, and so the idea that bad things might happen is phenomenally naïve.

People are right, bad things might happen. Bad things will happen. But they’ve already happened too.

Many of your critics worry about where your ideas might lead. Why do you think that is?

The reality is that there’s a religious industrial complex and it is happy to put up with anything, as long as it doesn’t threaten the economic and social viability of our little religious gig.

Brian McLaren was talking to Jonathan Langley

bmsworldmission.org

You are a hero to theologically liberal Christians. Do you think conservative Christians can get something out of your way of understanding Scripture?

Yes. Conservative folks are afraid if they step out of that box that I call an innocent and literal approach, that there will be nothing left. Sometimes, people on the other extreme are similarly married to literalism. And they’re not very skilled sometimes at interpreting literature and seeing meaning in story. So I think both sides have opportunities for getting more out of Scripture.

You can hear Brian McLaren’s talks from Greenbelt 2014 at greenbelt.org.uk

© Alex Baker Photography

MCLAREN

REVIEWS

We Make the Road

by Walking Brian McLaren

Arts

A Nearly Infallible History of Christianity

Set Apart Worship Central

Exodus: Gods and Kings

Album

Director: Ridley Scott

Nick Page

Integrity Music

Film

Hodder & Stoughton

Book

Rating:

20th Century Fox

Rating:

Hodder & Stoughton

Book

ISBN: 978-1444703702

Brian McLaren set the Christian world alight with fresh thinking a few years ago, even if for a while those of a nervous disposition began to worry about where his creativity might be going.

With this book, he returns with an enriching set of devotional readings and studies. Shaped as 52 chapters, from Genesis to Revelation, each ends with material for groups to use.

Whilst this book doesn’t have the ground breaking quality of A Generous Orthodoxy, this is arguably McLaren’s most practical application of his theological approach.

What I liked was his willingness to let people consider each story and wonder about its application for themselves. It isn’t pushing a particular agenda, orthodox or unorthodox. That will help people whose faith needs room to grow unforced. Amongst the questions at the end of each chapter is one for children – often these are the best.

But whilst the main text of each chapter is lively enough, the discussion questions become a little tired towards the end.

This is actually a small quibble – you’re either reading it alone anyway, or by then your group will be more than capable of sparking discussions without the hand-holding of the set questions.

Review by David Kerrigan, General Director of BMS World Mission

ISBN: 978-1444750133

Rating: Woo hoo! A history! Of the Church! Let my joy be unconfined.

But hold on, what’s this?

A “nearly infallible” history?

Featuring saints, sinners, idiots and troublemakers?

For everyone who’s ever tried to engage with church history and found it to be at best worthy but stupefyingly dull, Nick Page has played a blinder.

His book is funny (although on occasion not quite as funny as he perhaps thinks it is), warm, insightful and helpful.

To have the wit and style to turn the story of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, and his chum Anthony the uberhermit into a laugh-out-loud pantomime is a rare gift. And to then move on to explain, amongst other things, why the seat of the Anglican Church is in Canterbury rather than London (down to King Aethelbert of Kent, it seems) and how and why Charlemagne got his name is actually rather helpful.

With one of Page’s running analyses being whether you could have had a pint down the pub with key figures in church history, and ending up with why Darwin would approve of and be impressed with the Church, this is a great starter text for everyone.

Keep up the good work, sir.

Review by Mark Craig, Communications Director of BMS World Mission

Worship Central are back on the scene with the release of their third album Set Apart – 14 tracks of savvy songwriting, atmospheric guitars and layers of synthetic sound. Featuring the usual team of Tim Hughes, Ben Cantelon and Luke Hellebronth, it promises upbeat anthems and content-filled power ballads.

The high-energy album opener The way continues the current trend of EDM-dance beats in worship songs and, if nothing else, will certainly stick in your head. It is definitely an acquired taste, but keep listening, there’s something for the non-dancers amongst us. Can’t stop your love is a mid-tempo song, building into a weighty chorus based on Psalm 139. Worth it all strips away the noise with an authentic chorus of surrender, and Singing over us has a striking bridge led by Karen Gillespie, one of only two female artists on the album.

For a collective whose mission is “to see the worship life of the local church around the world explode,” I’m not sure how successful this album is, as the local church may find the synth-heavy arrangements slightly ambitious. However, the lyrics are strong, the beats are catchy, and if you like Hillsong, this is a solid UK equivalent.

Review by Lucy Vallance, PA to the General Director of BMS World Mission

Rating: Ridley Scott engages with faith on film once more in Exodus: Gods and Kings, which stars Christian Bale as Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Bale delivers his usual good work, and Joel Edgerton is fun to watch as Pharaoh Ramses.

But Ben Kingsley (as a Hebrew elder) and Sigourney Weaver (as Ramses’ mother) are disappointingly underused.

The film’s real stars are the visual effects and the action of Scott’s ancient warfare. Call me a sucker for chariots, but when they’re slipping off rocky crags in unchecked advance to the Red Sea, Sir Ridley’s cinematography is just splendid.

The film’s psychological and theological riches impress less, however. Exodus feels to me too much like familiar ground (see The Ten Commandments), despite some press suggesting otherwise.

True, it’s striking to see God appear to Moses in the form of a child. I initially liked this choice, but several of their later conversations – notably their ‘discussion’ about killing Egyptian firstborns – seem off tonally. That said, what is the right tone for a conversation about the death of children?

Exodus works best when it’s about Scott’s artistry, not Moses’ theology – imagined or otherwise.

Review by Cliff Vaughn, Media producer at EthicsDaily.com

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

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