Engage winter 2014/15

WINTER

2014/15

BETH CROFT, REVIEWS, 24 HOURS IN BANGKOK

THE CHURCH’S BIGGEST ISSUE A lack of conviction or morals?

THE TSUNAMI REMEMBERED The difference your donations made

SUPER PASTOR Should leaders be super heroes?

JONI EARECKSON TADA Living with disability

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

HIGHLIGHTS

Engage

Chris Hall

WELCOME

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It is hard to believe that this Christmas it will be ten years since the terrible tsunami in the Indian Ocean that led to over 200,000 deaths in 14 countries.

In this Engage, we hear one mission worker’s traumatic tale of living through the disaster, and look back at the huge response from BMS supporters to this tragic event and the difference it continues to make.

There is a fascination with leadership in Christian ministries these days. Do we put too much pressure on our leaders? Is there a biblical model of leadership we should follow? In this issue, we explore worldwide perceptions of church leadership and where it might be going.

Thanks for your continued support of BMS. Have a great 2015,

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: Helle Liht and Ray Motsi Design editors: Pepperfish.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)

TEN YEARS AFTER THE TSUNAMI

NIGHTMARE IN PARADISE

Over 200,000 people were killed on a single day in 2004. We haven’t forgotten the victims of the worst tsunami in living memory.

Jerry Clewett was on a Sri Lankan beach when the 2004 tsunami struck. It is a day he will never forget.

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SUPER PASTOR

reflected in the Church, according to BMS mission worker Andrew Millns, who is a mentor at the Bengali Baptist Sangha. Promising young church leaders are being trained at the College of Christian Theology Bangladesh, where BMS worker and Andrew’s wife Gwen Millns teaches.

They face a struggle if they want to move into prominent leadership roles, the Millns have noticed, as it is up to older leaders to allow this and they can be resistant to it.

“You see areas of growth where leaders are open to new ideas. They are prepared to go down roads they haven’t been down before,” says Andrew.

“But there are still voices who would find it difficult to accept change.”

Not wanting to give up control can limit how much a ministry can grow.

Benjamin Francis, BMS Associate Team Leader for India, and his team have planted over 13,000 churches with almost 500,000 people attending them.

He says that if he had kept control and not empowered other leaders, the Big Life ministry that BMS partners with would not have grown in the way it has.

“The size of your ministry will grow by the size of your heart,” he says. “If you want to control, you can only grow your ministry to the point you can control.”

The pressure of a being a lone hero leader can lead to a breakdown in relationships with fellow staff and followers, and a tendency to paranoia

and to hide failings. BMS lawyer, Annet Ttendo, has noticed the latter in Mozambique and other African countries where she has worked.

“As a leader, the expectations are high,” she says. “A leader will try as much as possible to not fail or to cover up any failure. You can’t fail. Failure is a weakness.”

Rob Hay says that the best way forward is for church leaders to recognise their weaknesses and to work with them, putting mechanisms in place to prevent them becoming an issue. “Leaders need to get a good degree of self-awareness,” he says.

He also believes followers should be more gracious and forgiving when their leaders make mistakes. “The lack of grace I see for leaders is one of the things we have to address and we have to be quite humble about as Christians.”

If heroic leadership has a number of pitfalls, what about servant leadership?

This is the model closely associated with Jesus, of putting the needs of others before yourself and sharing power. For Ben Francis, servant leadership has heavily affected his approach.

“The higher you go in leadership, the lower your rights become and the higher your responsibilities will be,” Ben says. “The more humble you become, the more insignificant in your ministry, the more significant the Holy Spirit and the Lord can be. When he

The higher you go in Do we the expect our leaders leadership, lower your to be superheroes? rights become

Is there a more effective style of Christian leadership?

not to judge the situation as he was “a man of God” and “to speak against the man of God is to bring a curse on yourself and your children”. This is “a glaring example of immoral behaviour, practice and thinking and shows how an African worldview on leadership has infiltrated the Church,” according to Ray Motsi, President of BMS partner, the Theological College of Zimbabwe.

“In Africa we have not differentiated a Christian worldview from a general African worldview,” Dr Motsi says.

“Christian leadership is by calling and grace. This is very different from the traditional African leadership which is based on entitlement.”

A sense of entitlement among church leaders is an issue in the UK and across the world. So is a reluctance to change. In Bangladesh there is a resistance to change and that can be

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THE BIG INTERVIEW: JONI EARECKSON TADA Quadriplegic Christian author and speaker Joni Eareckson Tada talks about living with disability and the blessing of relying on others.

REGULARS

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03 MISSION NEWS 06 LETTERS 07 KEEP ENGAGED 07 FIONA CASTLE 08 24 HOURS IN… BANGKOK 18 TOP TEN: MISSION-MOBILES 22 OVERSEAS PARTNER: SUBASH PRADHAN 23 GO PRAY 24 GO SERVE 26 IDEAS FOR YOUR CHURCH 28 OPINION: THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE CHURCH IN 2015

30 5 MINUTES WITH BETH CROFT 31 REVIEWS

© Copyright 2014 BMS World Mission ISSN 1756-2481 Printed on material from sustainable forests

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MISSION NEWS

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UGANDA

NEW MISSION FOR OVENDENS After leaving Zimbabwe, the death of a family member and the birth of their first child, Joe and Lois Ovenden are starting a new BMS adventure in Uganda.

Given ten days to leave Zimbabwe by the government, BMS World Mission workers Joe and Lois Ovenden flew back to the UK, ending their three years of mission in the country. Their quick departure gave Lois time to see her brother before he suddenly died of an infection after cancer treatment. It also placed the couple in the UK for the birth of their first child, Connie.

In August, the family of three moved to Kampala and they are excited to start their new adventure. Lois is hoping to continue in the work she did in Zimbabwe as a speech therapist. Joe will be overseeing project co-ordination of new and current BMS work in Uganda. In January, they will move north to Gulu where most of Joe’s work is located and where they will do their language study. “Pray that our first year will be foundational,” says Joe, “and we’ll have a clear understanding of what it is God wants us to get involved with here.”

25 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG!

SHARING THE

GOOD NEWS Annie and Dan Dupree and their three children set out in August to serve again with BMS World Mission, this time in Albania.

The family first served with BMS in North Africa and returned to the UK in 2011, so that Dan could complete his ministerial training. In Albania, Dan will be working alongside Baptist churches doing outreach among those with substance abuse problems, and Annie will be finding ways to use her physiotherapy skills to support those living in poverty.

“We want to share the good news of Jesus with people who don’t yet know him,” says Annie.

IRAN 20 YEAR BIBLE

TRANSLATION

COMPLETED

Pam Fitzgerald and Mike Quantick celebrated 25 years of working at BMS World Mission in September.

Both started with BMS back in 1989.

Pam is Resources Administrator in our Communications Department and Mike is Corporate Services Manager in Finance and Corporate Services.

They were both presented with a long service award at a special gathering at Baptist House.

ALBANIA

A new Persian translation of the Bible was launched in London in September.

UK

The first copy was presented to Juliet Michaelian, whose husband Tateos was due to work on the translation when it started in 1994, but was murdered for his faith before doing so. [Christianity Today] WINTER 2014/15 | ENGAGE WINTER 2014/2015 ENGAGE

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MISSION NEWS

/news

Iraqi Christians have fled to Lebanon

GAZA

LEBANON

FEEDING STARVING

FAMILIES DON’T NEED VISAS IN GAZA MIDDLE EAST CHRISTIANS The West should not put their efforts towards getting Christians out of the Middle East, but should instead help them to foster peace in the region.

Christians want the West’s help to remain in the Middle East and live in peace, not visas to leave it, according to Nabil Costa, Executive Director of BMS partner the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development.

“The Middle East is our land,” says Nabil. “We want Christians in the West to lobby for us to live here in peace.” Nabil believes that humanitarian relief for those fleeing the militant group Islamic State (IS) is to be commended but should only be a short-term solution. He anticipates that unless Christians and other religious minorities are returned to their homes, it could turn into another Palestinian situation where they become long-term refugees.

The conflict is slowly creeping into Lebanon. In early August, five days of fighting between the Lebanese army and IS fighters over north east border town Arsal left at least 60 dead and over 450 civilians injured. The majority of causalities were Syrian refugees who had taken shelter there.

Over 200 needy Christian and Muslim families in Gaza have received food vouchers thanks to a BMS grant given to the European Baptist Federation (EBF).

The grant is enabling Pastor Hanna Massad and Gaza Baptist Church to help starving families whose homes were destroyed during the 50 days of shelling from Israel. “This aid is allowing our brothers and sisters at Gaza Baptist Church to share God’s love with those people who are living in their neighbourhood,” says Helle Liht, EBF Assistant General Secretary.

IRAQI CHRISTIANS HOPEFUL AMID CONFLICT Despite the threat of Islamic State (IS), many Christians feel called to stay in Iraq and to serve God and their communities.

IRAQ 4

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“All the Christians fear the unstable situation in Iraq,” says Pastor Ara Badalian (left), pastor of Baghdad Baptist Church. “After 11 years they have lost their peace. They ask ‘what about the future, what about our children’s future?’” In spite of the uncertainty and fear, Christians are helping refugees and are continuing to build relationships with Muslims. Pastor Ara studied at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon, thanks to a BMS grant, and started home groups in Baghdad after graduating in 2012. “We are afraid,” he says, “but we have hope.”

© European Commission DG ECHO

USA

PRAYER

DRIVE-THRU

IN TEXAS Prayer on the go is now available for busy commuters in Houston, Texas.

This convenient pastoral service began in September at El Alfarero Church, where drivers and passengers simply wind down their windows, tell the volunteers their requests and are prayed for on the spot. “No matter what background you are from, we all need prayer, we all need somebody to pray with us and that’s what it’s for,” says Co-Pastor Danny Quintanilla. [Christian Today]

GUINEA

FACE TO FACE WITH EBOLA Dr Eric Bafende came face to face with Ebola in Guinea.

When the BMS mission worker and Director of the Macenta Mission Hospital was examining a patient who quickly died, Eric feared that he had contracted the deadly virus that had killed almost 3,500 people in Western Africa by October. “I was afraid that I had been contaminated,” says Eric, “but l had no choice: I am the Director of the hospital and it is my duty to try to give care.” Thankfully, Eric was virus free and, as soon as he was cleared, BMS flew Eric home to be with his then expecting wife Sarah who also serves with BMS, and his son Gabriel.

BMS CHURCH PLANT OPENS NEW BUILDING El Puente, a church planted by BMS’ Anjanette and Scott Williamson five years ago, opened its new building in August, thanks to the generous donations of BMS supporters.

PERU

“To open the building on Saturday night and then on Sunday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the church, for me as a church planter was quite amazing,” says Scott. “There are exciting days ahead for El Puente.”

The Williamsons are returning to the UK in December and leaving two supported partner workers, Carla Cruz and Amilkitar Pantigozo, to lead the church.

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Info

LETTERS

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 Editor, I have just read the Autumn Engage magazine and on page 3 ‘Building Solomon’s Temple’. The only information I have about this and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is in this story (I don’t use computers so haven’t looked it up on the web).

Considering the street children in São Paulo and other cities in Brazil I have to question where God’s spirit was when this church decided to, in my opinion, waste £178 million.

We have just received the Autumn 2014 Engage magazine and were very surprised to find an article on page 3 entitled ‘Building Solomon’s Temple’ which has been built by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) at a cost of £178m, with a helipad to allow the founder of the Church to fly in to preach sermons.

Such an article is on your Mission News page and it would appear, as it is included in the magazine, that the BMS supports such activities.

There is plenty of evidence on the web that this Church [UCKG] does not act in a way that would be supported by the Baptist denomination. I don’t know what research was carried out before inclusion of this article, but BMS should not be putting such articles in its magazine. The Universal Church has frequently been accused of illegal activities and corruption including money laundering, charlatanism, witchcraft and intolerance towards other religions.

It has been subject to bans in several African countries, and was implicated

I appreciate that the above is only part of one article and I am sure that there are arguments on both sides.

However, I strongly believe that BMS should not be seen to offering any level of support in its editorial to such projects.

Despite my above comments, there are a lot of good articles in Engage, eg alongside the Temple articles is the ‘BMS appeal rebuilds lives’ about communities in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Our mission as Christians is to support projects to help the poor and in so doing is to spread the good news of Christ.

Yours in Christ Richard Kyte

As Christians we should be investing in people not glorified monuments to our own greatness.

Editor: We often put stories of general Christian interest in Mission news but

Your servant in Christ

their inclusion is not an endorsement by BMS of the organisations mentioned, unlike BMS-related stories which we absolutely endorse!

Stephen Gray

We do not have the 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

NOW ANYONE AGED 18-23 WHO WANTS TO DO A GAP YEAR? We’re recruiting now for 2015/16!

Deadline 25th Feb 2015

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in the murder in Britain of Victoria Climbié, who was prayed for, rather than protected and treated. There have been accusations that the Church extracts money from poor members for the benefit of its leaders.

bmsworldmission.org

re “A year of learning mo , my rld wo the d, Go t ou ab f. team mates and mysel ut ho wit s, wa ms Tea Action r of a doubt, the best yea my life!” Tabi, Delhi Action Team

KEEP

Fiona Castle

ENGAGED Find us on facebook BMS World Mission What this little girl spends her pocket money on is humbling and inspiring. http://bit.ly/1rt1hP9 Like · Comment · Share 13 people like this

Andrew Dubock Fantastic! Proud to have been part of the team that produced the video a few years ago that inspired Jessica to give her pocket money. Inspiring smiles in the UK and Thailand!

Lucy Gabbiano Not only has Jessica given her sweet money but has inspired others to do more, that’s the power of love right there shown in a little child.

Latha Battu God bless u Jessica. You are inspiring others to be kind.

BMS World Mission The autumn issue of Engage is now out and includes weird and wonderful BMS artefacts, tips for what to do in your garden over the next six months from BMS plant expert, Sarah McArthur, and interviews with bestselling authors Francine Rivers and Jim Wallis. http://bit.ly/1qXKLGl Like · Comment · Share Valerie Furmage We have just read it from cover to cover!!!!

Alison Hill And I mine. There is always so much to read x Katy Ruddle Had a look through mine. Very good mag. Just a thought, all the locks of Carey’s hair knocking around, it’s no wonder he was bald.

YOUR TWEETS David Hughes @BaptistPilgrim

Wonderful harvest service today at Paignton Baptist Church: great to see so many families there & brilliant material from @bmsworldmission

James Faddes @JamesFaddes

@bmsworldmission launches the #dignity initiative at @scottishbaptist Assembly 2014. Raising awareness of #GenderBasedViolence #takeastand

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

Speaker and writer

ASIAN TSUNAMI: A NEW BEGINNING THE DISASTER IN 2004 LED TO AN OUTPOURING OF COMPASSION AND GENEROSITY.

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t is nearly ten years since the tsunami that was possibly the worst disaster of the decade.

Prior to that event, I was privileged to visit a project in Sri Lanka, supported by a Christian charity that works with children at risk in many countries, providing education, vocational training, food and care for the poorest children living in poverty-stricken shacks on Dehiwala beach in the capital Colombo.

The tsunami completely erased this slum, although the families survived. The charity sprang into action, providing, among other things, a disused school as a refuge within hours of the disaster.

I visited again a year later to witness apartments and small homes being built for fishermen and their families, a safe distance from the beach – progress indeed!

I have now heard such a positive story which sprang TRAGEDY from this disaster, proving CAN BE THE that even tragedy can be SEED OF the seed of something positive.

SOMETHING A group of 33 Sri Lankan Gypsy families were POSITIVE prevented from occupying any of these new homes, due to violent protests from other inhabitants, stemming from a history of prejudice against this ethnic group.

However, a site was found that no one else wanted and homes were built for all the families. But they continued to struggle to find work to survive, until the same Christian charity began a microfinance programme, enabling mothers to save fractional amounts until they could take out loans to support their small, creative business projects, such as jewellery making. This programme has really improved the lives of these industrious families. They are settled in their community and love their stable homes.

Oh yes, and two of those children have grown up and recently married, starting their lives together in one of the homes provided!

A happy ending, or a new beginning?

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

Read all about BMS’ response to the Boxing Day tsunami on page 9

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24 hours in…

BANGKOK

IF YOU VISITED THE THAI CAPITAL, THIS IS WHERE BMS WORLD MISSION WORKERS PAUL AND SARAH BROWN WOULD TAKE YOU. GRAND PALACE

© jgph

oto76 –

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© witthaya – Fot

TASTE THAI FOOD

CHAO PHRAYA RIVER

Food is a huge part of Thai culture. The streets are lined with food vendors and restaurants.

The food plays on your taste buds – dishes are lovingly made with spicy, sweet, salty and sour seasonings. Delicious!

NIGHTLIGHT

The best way to explore some of Bangkok’s most beautiful attractions is to take a cruise. Bangkok was once known as the ‘Venice of the East’ thanks to the Chao Phraya river and the city’s canals. They were used to transport Thai commodities, such as teak and rice. Now there is a network of ferries and river taxis, taking people to and from work.

After visiting the wonderful sights of Bangkok, take a ride on the SkyTrain to visit NightLight, BMS’ partner organisation, where we both work. We provide jobs with dignity to women exiting the sex industry.

CITYLIGHT COFFEE SHOP

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© jakg ree – F

The Thai word for temple is ‘wat’.

There are over 31,000 temples spread around Thailand. One of the most majestic is the Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn. It is arguably the most striking riverside landmark along the Chao Phraya river. When visiting the temples, men and women are required to dress appropriately.

otolia.c om

WAT ARUN

A venture of NightLight, CityLight is a beacon of light shining out in Bangkok’s red light district.

The coffee shop serves only Thai organic Fairtrade coffee and a great variety of food. It is a safe, peaceful environment away from the bustling street, which enables us to build friendships, reaching out to the men, women and children who are situated in this area.

Support the work of Paul and Sarah as a church or 24:7 Partner by visiting

bmsworldmission.org/psbrown

© Houang Stephane – flickr.com/hetstyle

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The Grand Palace was the royal residence until 1925. Now it is only used for ceremonial purposes.

Adorned with intricate detail, it adjoins Wat Phra Kaew, home to the famous Emerald Buddha.

Ten years after the tsunami I

t’s been ten years since Boxing Day celebrations ceased and the world watched in horror as coastlines around the Indian Ocean were devastated. A decade since an 8.9 magnitude earthquake shook the lives of millions.

Alistair Brown was General Director of BMS World Mission at the time of the tsunami. “We were closed for Christmas,” he says, “and suddenly this world-shattering event happens which obviously from the beginning was affecting millions.

“We needed to get an appeal out.

UK staff came in from their breaks and worked really long hours to handle the massive number of responses from churches and individuals just wanting to do something immediately to make a difference.”

Your response to our 2004 tsunami appeal was unprecedented.

BMS supporters raised over £1.6 million for emergency relief and long-term recovery for some of those worst affected in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Your gifts restored hope to some of the world’s poorest people. On the tenth anniversary of this catastrophe, we wanted to let you know just what a difference your donations made

TSUNAMI

and continue to make in more ways than you probably imagine.

India’s south east coast was ravaged by the tsunami. Thousands of people died there and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

“A lot of people who lost their lives lived in huts close to the seashore,” says Ravin, Development Manager for BMS partner Operation Mobilisation UK, based in India until 2008. “Their houses just washed away, like a pack of cards.”

BMS gave over £230,000 through our partner Good ShepherdOM India (GS-OMI) to provide emergency relief to some of the thousands whose lives had been shattered by the waves.

“

Their houses just washed away, like a pack of cards

“

Over 200,000 people were killed on a single day in 2004. We haven’t forgotten the victims of the worst tsunami in living memory.

EVACUATION ROUTE

With that money we were able to rehabilitate a village of 600 families: providing counselling, restoring livelihoods, building brighter futures.

The village was called Velankanni — you may have seen it in our Rising video.“In my opinion, the partnership with BMS was absolutely critical,” says Kumar Swamy,

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the tsunami hit. His son and motherin-law had to run from the first wave. According to Roshan, one of the major challenges LEADS faced when trying to help some of the injured, homeless and grieving in Sri Lanka was the huge number of organisations trying to respond and the lack of co-ordination.

“The mentality was to do oneoff activities,” says Roshan. “People fluttered in and then left equally fast, leaving agencies on the ground to pick up the pieces.

“BMS was already in partnership with us and that is what was helpful I think. The best part of it was that BMS understood that we wanted to work with the community longterm.”

Your gifts to BMS not only helped the team at LEADS serve those affected, they also helped break years of animosity towards and persecution of Christians in some areas of Sri Lanka. Roshan recalls a phone call he had with the chairman of a local denomination a couple of weeks after the tsunami shook their nation.

“

The people who once stoned us and beat our workers were now embracing us

“

who was South India Director at GS-OMI at the time of the tsunami.

“BMS stood with us, expressed their solidarity, support and partnership.”

BMS was quickly able to make contact with trusted partners in some of the worst-affected countries. We sent our first relief grant just three days after the disaster, thanks to regular donations from churches to our disaster recovery work. In Sri Lanka, where over 31,000 people lost their lives, BMS partnered with a number of organisations, including the Lanka Evangelical Alliance Development Service (LEADS).

Roshan Mendis, Chief Executive Officer of LEADS and BMS Regional Team Leader for Central and South Asia, left the beach the night before

“What he said was so encouraging, it made all our efforts seem worthwhile,” Roshan says.

Eyewitnesses: walking through devastation Sarah Lewney

BMS Action Teamer in Sri Lanka 2004/2005 “The drive from Colombo was quite overwhelming. The road is along the coast and on the right hand side you’d see the sea and the beach and everything looking incredibly beautiful and on the left you’d see destruction. The two were completely irreconcilable.

“That was the first time I’d had really big questions about my faith. You can intellectually ask the question ‘why does God allow suffering?’ But then to have known people whose lives and families were so massively affected – there probably wasn’t anyone we knew there who didn’t know someone who had been affected. To be faced with that, I think that made that intellectual question much more of a reality.”

Kumar Swamy

Development Director for GS-OMI “I spent more than two weeks in the affected area immediately after the tsunami. For me it was a devastating experience. Even now, I sometimes really tremble when I think of those days among the tsunami devastation. Walking through the dead bodies and the houses which were demolished by the anger of the waves was horrific.”

Roshan Mendis

BMS Regional Team Leader for Central and South Asia and CEO of LEADS “The devastation was horrifying. There was so much death around us and the smell of death wherever we went. People were constantly breaking down and weeping in front of our eyes.

“I was just not able to cry. I was wooden. In fact, when an overseas friend called me and asked how I was doing, I told him that I feared something was wrong with me as I was emotionless. The challenge was in giving emotionally, going on emotionally, as well as in having to minister to yourself emotionally. There was no exposure to, or resources known to be available to us – aid workers, undergoing trauma. We somehow survived.”

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Do you remember Arthi?

We met Arthi in Velankanni, south east India, in 2005. She featured in Rising, our DVD about BMS’ tsunami recovery work in India.

On the morning of the tsunami, Arthi was playing outside.

She would have died had her neighbour not lifted her onto a wall to escape the waves. Arthi is from a very poor family and is the youngest of seven children.

When we met her, neither she nor her brothers and sisters went to school. In partnership with Good Shepherd-OM India (GS-OMI), BMS funded the Good Shepherd School in Velankanni, and Arthi got a scholarship to go there.

A decade later, Arthi has a job working for an IT company in Chennai. “She got a good education and now has a good job,” says Kumar Swamy, former South India Director at GS-OMI. “This is a great encouragement for us to hear!” Without your gifts, Arthi would probably never have got to go to school. She would never have broken out of poverty.

regarded as untouchable. Many of those BMS helped were Dalits. For others to show such sacrificial love for them, both through giving and through serving, had a profound effect.

“I know people who shed tears when doctors treated them,” says Ravin. “Our Christian doctors showed a lot of humility, and for many of the Dalits the gesture was huge.”

We will never know the stories or even the names of all the thousands of people who UK Christians helped through BMS after the tsunami. But we do know that for people like Arthi (see box) – who now has an education and a good job – your gifts changed lives.

“I would like to salute the unsung people who stood with us, whose names may never come up in the media, but who have sacrificially and silently given,” says Kumar Swamy.

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Because of you, we are still living as human beings

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“He explained that he was seeing a total turnaround in an area where the Church had experienced much opposition and persecution.” The Church, assisted by BMS giving, was one of the first organisations to respond to the needs of suffering people – with actions more than words.

“The most beautiful thing was that the people who once stoned us and beat our workers were now embracing us – literally,” Roshan recalls.

In India, the efforts of Christian relief workers also had a deep impact. Discrimination based on the caste system still exists in some parts of the country. Within it, people from the Dalit caste were traditionally

“The last time I met one of the elders of a Dalit village near Velankanni, he said to me, ‘Sir, because of you, we are still living as human beings’.

“Because of what we did, people can very proudly declare ‘we are alive, and we live with dignity’.” Thank you.

Words: Sarah Stone

Breaking free from oppression in south India Some of your gifts funded the building of three Good Shepherd Schools in the tsunami-hit south of India, as part of BMS and GSOMI’s long-term recovery work there. This year over 1,000 children, predominantly Dalits from very poor families, were enrolled in these schools.

Having the opportunity to get a good education is opening job prospects these children never would have had. It’s a real way for them to lift themselves out of poverty.

“Traditionally, Dalits would do the most degrading work. You had no choice, and you could not escape it,” says Ravin. “These children will have access to other jobs because they know English.

They’ll be escaping.”

Your gifts funded... fishing boats and nets

emergency food

trauma counselling

household provisions

emergency medical care

housing

schools

livelihood restoration

Your gifts restored hope.

Disaster recovery: help us respond quickly to disasters when they happen.

Visit bmsworldmission.org/disaster WINTER 2014/15 2014/15 || ENGAGE ENGAGE WINTER

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BMS WORKER PROFILE Jerry Clewett

NIGHTMARE IN

BMS worker Jerry Clewett remembers those lost in the 2004 Tsunami on the anniversary in 2005.

PARADISE Jerry Clewett was on a Sri Lankan beach with his wife Ruth and their four children when the 2004 tsunami struck. It is a day he will never forget.

The beach in Mirissa a year after the Tsunami hit.

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It was meant to be a dream holiday. We arrived in Mirissa, southern Sri Lanka, on Christmas Eve and we ate Christmas dinner on the beach.

On Boxing Day morning, as is my habit, I got up quite early and went for a walk by the sea. When I got back, I was reading at my chalet when our youngest daughter, Rosie, came rushing up to the door and said, “Come quickly, the sea is on the grass,” but we didn’t take too much notice.

A couple of minutes later I went out to have a proper look, and a big wave came over. It wasn’t like some of the pictures we saw later on TV. Not a massive wave just mowing down everything in its path. It was more of this gradual swell of water that was rising and rising against the walls of the chalets. We had no idea what was going on.

Initially, the sea was only about knee-high. But then it rose to waist-high and then chest-high. Ruth, my wife, was in the shower. She got out pretty quickly. The two girls, Naomi (18) and Rosie (6), and our eldest son Simon (21), were out of the chalet too. But Paul (14) was still in bed, and the door to the boys’ chalet was locked. As the water rose, we were trying to wake Paul up. Bashing on the door. The water got

Paul woke up when the sea crashed through his window and shattered glass over his bed higher and higher and we began to panic because we could see it was going to come over the door.

Paul woke up when the sea crashed through his window and shattered glass over his bed. By that time the water was probably up to our chests.

I remember that I was pressed up against one of the dividing walls between the chalets by the force of the sea.

I was holding Rosie and I was trapped. I couldn’t move because I was pressed so hard against the wall. I didn’t have a clue what was going on. There was a long moment when I thought: “maybe we’re not going to make it.” I couldn’t see a way out.

I passed Rosie to Naomi who was standing on the other side of the wall, and that was the last I saw of them for a few minutes because they started to wade out of the chalet complex through the sea. I could see Paul, who was ahead of me by a few metres, half walking half swimming, trying to get out. I’d lost sight completely of Ruth and Simon.

Somehow, I managed to get out to the road, but it was acting like a kind of funnel. There were huge columns of water coming down the road carrying all sorts of debris along with them. Naomi had climbed a telegraph pole to get out of the water, so she was up about 20 feet off the ground.

Paul tried to climb up the same pole, but a man pushed him back down again into this torrent of water.

One year on, Ruth and Rosie Clewett remember the 2004 Tsunami victims (left) and Rosie and her sister Naomi look out to a much calmer sea.

locate the others, we went up a hill. We thought the best idea was to get up as high as we could. It was a massive relief to be back together.

Later in the day, I volunteered to go back down. All three of the chalets we’d been staying in had been totally demolished.

Nothing left at all.

Two young babies had died in Mirissa, and in the next village several hundred people died. We drove through there the next day and the fishermen were bringing back the bodies they found in the sea. There were about 200 corpses on one street – that was very traumatic.

We went back a year later in December 2005, particularly for Ruth to cope with the post-event trauma. On a beach nearby, they lit candles for everybody who had died there.

There were hundreds of them. In the evening, if you looked along the beach, there was just one long line of candles. It was really moving.

Some people have said to us “you were saved by the grace of God”. But that means the hundreds of thousands of people who died were somehow deserted by God. And that doesn’t make any sense to me.

I was trapped. I couldn’t move because I was pressed so hard against the wall Then I saw Rosie on the other side of the road, being held by a local guide. I managed to cross the road to her. I could see Naomi on the pole and Paul looking for somewhere else, but I couldn’t see Ruth or Simon at all. I was panicking.

I remember shouting across the road to Naomi and Paul to see if they could see Simon and Ruth. They couldn’t.

I discovered later that Ruth and Simon had been swept inside one of the chalets by the force of the water. The sea rose so high, there were only about 12 inches between it and the ceiling. They just had enough room to breathe. They got out eventually because Simon managed to prise the door open against the force of the water, and they climbed onto the roof.

They were more traumatised than the rest of us. Even now, Ruth is hesitant to be close to the sea.

At the time, we had no idea it was a tsunami and we didn’t know if the water would come again. When we managed to

The Clewett family in December 2005. Left to right: Naomi, Simon, Ruth, Rosie, Jerry and Paul.

Jerry and Ruth were BMS mission workers in Nepal from 1987 to 1994. They returned to Nepal in 2011, despite its high incidence of natural disasters like earthquakes, landslides and floods.

“In our life we don’t want to be wrapped up in cotton wool,” Jerry says. “Ruth and I feel we’ve been called back to Nepal, to serve and to show solidarity with people living in poverty. That’s why we’re here.

“Hopefully the experience we had in Sri Lanka has made us stronger. It’s showed that we can come through.”

Jerry Clewett was talking to Sarah Stone

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SUPER PASTOR Do you have to be a superhero to be an effective Christian leader?

Iron Man, Captain America and Spiderman.

In recent years, there has been a glut of Hollywood blockbusters involving superheroes.

Over 80 superhero films have been released since 2000, with more on the way in 2015.

You could argue that the current appeal of these films is the uncertain times in which we live. We are not only looking for escapist entertainment but we are attracted to the lone hero who is there to guide us and overcome great challenges and foes with supernatural force. He or she is the answer we long for in our hour of need.

The lone hero is attractive in our churches too. When things go wrong, if there is division or decline or we end up in a time of pastoral vacancy, we long for a new pastor of superhero proportions to come in and show us the way and make the church full and lively again.

Is the lone hero style of leadership good for the Church? Is there another leadership style that could be more effective? Being a servant leader is widely perceived as the Christ-like approach to leadership, but is it a helpful model in the 21st century?

The western Church, as it grapples with declining attendance, is looking

to leadership for answers. That’s according to Rob Hay, Principal of Redcliffe College, a mission training and theological college in Gloucester.

“We are at a point where the Church has, in many areas, a loss of confidence over how it speaks, what its role is and how it relates to other faiths,” says Rob. “Therefore people say, ‘we need somebody who will solve this for us, who will make sense of the situation and tell us what to do.’”

The danger of expecting one person to solve our problems, Rob argues, is that we isolate the leader. “We leave them vulnerable,” he says.

This vulnerability can lead to a variety of temptations for leaders.

Pastors in some societies can misuse their power and influence. One of Nigeria’s most prominent megachurch pastors, Chris Oyakhilome, has this year been going through a divorce with his wife, Anita, who has accused him of adultery. When the story broke, Pastor Oyakhilome told his church members

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The higher you go in leadership, the lower your rights become not to judge the situation as he was “a man of God” and “to speak against the man of God is to bring a curse on yourself and your children”. This is “a glaring example of immoral behaviour, practice and thinking and shows how an African worldview on leadership has infiltrated the Church,” according to Ray Motsi, President of BMS partner, the Theological College of Zimbabwe.

“In Africa we have not differentiated a Christian worldview from a general African worldview,” Dr Motsi says.

“Christian leadership is by calling and grace. This is very different from the traditional African leadership which is based on entitlement.”

A sense of entitlement among church leaders is an issue in the UK and across the world. So is a reluctance to change. In Bangladesh there is a resistance to change and that can be

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reflected in the Church, according to BMS mission worker Andrew Millns, who is a mentor at the Bengali Baptist Sangha. Promising young church leaders are being trained at the College of Christian Theology Bangladesh, where BMS worker and Andrew’s wife Gwen Millns teaches.

They face a struggle if they want to move into prominent leadership roles, the Millns have noticed, as it is up to older leaders to allow this and they can be resistant to it.

“You see areas of growth where leaders are open to new ideas. They are prepared to go down roads they haven’t been down before,” says Andrew.

“But there are still voices who would find it difficult to accept change.”

Not wanting to give up control can limit how much a ministry can grow.

Benjamin Francis, BMS Associate Team Leader for India, and his team have planted over 13,000 churches with almost 500,000 people attending them.

He says that if he had kept control and not empowered other leaders, the Big Life ministry that BMS partners with would not have grown in the way it has.

“The size of your ministry will grow by the size of your heart,” he says. “If you want to control, you can only grow your ministry to the point you can control.”

The pressure of a being a lone hero leader can lead to a breakdown in relationships with fellow staff and followers, and a tendency to paranoia

and to hide failings. BMS lawyer, Annet Ttendo, has noticed the latter in Mozambique and other African countries where she has worked.

“As a leader, the expectations are high,” she says. “A leader will try as much as possible to not fail or to cover up any failure. You can’t fail. Failure is a weakness.”

Rob Hay says that the best way forward is for church leaders to recognise their weaknesses and to work with them, putting mechanisms in place to prevent them becoming an issue. “Leaders need to get a good degree of self-awareness,” he says.

He also believes followers should be more gracious and forgiving when their leaders make mistakes. “The lack of grace I see for leaders is one of the things we have to address and we have to be quite humble about as Christians.”

If heroic leadership has a number of pitfalls, what about servant leadership?

This is the model closely associated with Jesus, of putting the needs of others before yourself and sharing power. For Ben Francis, servant leadership has heavily affected his approach.

“The higher you go in leadership, the lower your rights become and the higher your responsibilities will be,” Ben says. “The more humble you become, the more insignificant in your ministry, the more significant the Holy Spirit and the Lord can be. When he

Leaders need to get a good degree of selfawareness

starts becoming significant in your ministry, you don’t have to grow your ministry – he will grow it for you.”

Rob Hay, however, thinks that our knowledge of Jesus’ leadership style is not sufficient for church leaders to emulate today, and that what the Bible teaches us about being a leader is much more than just servant leadership.

“You could be forgiven for thinking that the only leadership style in the Bible is servant leadership,” he says. “There are dozens of other metaphors for leadership in Scripture that we really fail to tap into and explore the implications of.

What does priestly leadership look like, actually standing in the place between God and the people? What does warrior leadership look like?

What does kingly leadership look like? One of the reasons we pick on servant leadership is that it is just an easy one to exegete from Scripture.

Trying to do warrior leadership and unpack the implications of that – that is a lot harder for us, with images and consequences that are difficult. But by not doing that, we do not adequately prepare people in Christian circles to be leaders and deal with the realities of the leadership challenges that they face.”

BMS General Director David Kerrigan says that “servant leadership has to be our starting point”, but that it is“ often misunderstood as either

being weak leadership or a style that won’t take any decisions without masses of consultation.

“Servant leadership is more about the attitude that the leader has towards the people he is leading,” David says.

“If you see them as part of your team then your style will be to empower the team, and to release the team. You will encourage them to become leaders because you want them to be alongside you. You travel as a group.”

Empowering others in church leadership and leading as a team is a model that many of our BMS workers around the world are advocating as a way forward. It is proving helpful in Peru, where Gill Thurgood helps to trains pastors at Nauta Training Centre.

“We’ve concluded that a participative leadership approach almost always leads to more solid and sustainable outcomes,” says Gill. “Though this can mean a more lengthy and complicated process, we believe this approach affirms our Peruvian colleagues as equal partners in the work.

“We’ve also found that inviting people to take on responsibility before they believe themselves to be ‘ready’ is actually one of the best ways to grow and develop leaders.”

Group leadership, Rob Hay says, suits those from Generation X and Millennials (generations born in the West from the early 1960s to the early 2000s) who “hold leadership lightly,

pass it around when people come along, and engage with it in a more group orientated way.”

For Ben Francis, the Church is at its best when pastor and followers are working together in mission. “Churches run when the pews are on fire,” he says.

“Everybody gets to do the work and everybody chooses to do God’s work.”

You can support leadership ministries as part of BMS Church Partners. Go to bmsworldmission.org/ churchpartners or call 01235 517600.

Ben Francis, BMS Associate Team Leader for India, trains leaders using MAWL:

MODEL: shows leaders by example ASSIST: helps them to do it themselves WATCH: sees that they are doing it well LEAVE: once they are proficient, leave them to lead

Words: Chris Hall

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TOP TEN:

MISSION-MOBILES Everyone needs to get to work and sometimes this takes a little extra creativity. Here are some of the unique and interesting ways BMS workers have got around over the years.

1 The Peace Built in London, the Peace was dismantled into around 800 parts and then carried for four months by 400 porters for 250 miles before being reassembled and launched in Congo in 1884.

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The Endeavour In 1905, the Baptist Missionary Society was gifted with a steamer called the Endeavour by Oxford steamer builders, the Salter Brothers. Like the Peace, the Endeavour was dismantled and sent to Congo via Liverpool.

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Bajaj Boxer

Mobile youth centre

Genesis Acaye, a BMS international mission worker in Uganda, travels all over Gulu for his ministry on his bike, covering distances of up to 50 miles, on muddy, often dangerous roads.

A booming sound system, comfortable seats, a 32 inch TV screen and an on-board games console – this VW bus in Lebanon has been converted for youth outreach by BMS’ Arthur Brown and Hadath Baptist Church.

1968 UNIC ex-French Army Personnel Carrier

Scorpio and Force

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Volkswagen Parati Former BMS mission worker Margaret Swires’ car in Brazil has served as a taxi, outreach ferry, ambulance, rescue and emergency relief vehicle, hearse and wedding car.

God’s blessings on four wheels!

Every weekday in Kolkata, India, BMS partner the Good News Children’s Education Mission picks up dozens of street children on this bus and takes them to school. Without this service, these young ones would neither be fed, washed nor educated.

John and Rena Mellor served with BMS in Congo from 1969 to 2006 doing agricultural and evangelistic outreach in remote parts of the country. This is how they got around.

Scorpio, left, and Force, right, serve many purposes at the BMS Guesthouse in India. Their roles include a taxi service to pick up visitors and a free ambulance in emergencies.

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GNCEM bus

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The Messenger Until 2014, Gill Thurgood and Harland Rivas, BMS workers in Peru, used to travel along the Amazon on the Messenger with teams of six to eight people, delivering food, clean water and freshly caught fish to villagers.

They also visited pastors and church leaders and took people from the river communities to the Nauta Training Centre in Peru.

Communications bus Shortly after the Second World War, the BMS Visual Education Department acquired this handy van for showing BMS films and sharing BMS resources.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

QUADRIPLEGIC CHRISTIAN AUTHOR AND SPEAKER JONI EARECKSON TADA TALKS TO BMS ABOUT LIVING WITH DISABILITY AND THE BLESSING OF RELYING ON OTHERS.

JONI

EARECKSON TADA Paralysed from the neck down in a diving accident when she was 17, Joni Eareckson Tada has been an inspiration to millions of people through her books, radio show, paintings, singing and worldwide work with disabled people through her charity Joni and Friends.

Q A

What has been the toughest time for you since you became paralysed?

The most difficult years for me were immediately following the injury. I had had a bright, hopeful future. I was planning to go to college and become a physical therapist. I had dreams of all of the things I wanted to do and none of it involved a wheelchair. When I broke my neck, in an instant everything changed.

There was a long grieving process, letting go of what had been lost, all the hopes and all the dreams. There was a lot of depression connected with that, a lot of anger, a lot of stubborn resentment but eventually, through prayer and the support of wonderful Christian friends, my life began to change.

How do you find living with your disability now?

I have been in the wheelchair for about 47 years. That’s a long time and sometimes I do get tired, sometimes I suffer with chronic pain. I must say I haven’t battled with depression. I have got a hopeful future. I am heading 20

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Photos © Joni and Friends

Q&A

to heaven. The finish line is within reach and I have got a wonderful ministry that I am involved with, sharing this good news with people with disabilities around the world.

You said just then you are heading to heaven. Do you think, when you get there, you will be able-bodied? How do you imagine it?

I keep thinking of that portion of Scripture from Revelation that says: “No more pain” and that will be wonderful. I am not looking so much at the new body but the new heart. A heart that will be free of anxiety, of fear, of peevishness, doubts, resignations, what-ifs, tiredness, sorrows and sighing.

All those things will be gone and that is going to be a wonderful thing.

We’ve been married for a little over 32 years and we are in this together. He and I enjoy this work together.

I HAVE GOT A HOPEFUL FUTURE. I AM HEADING TO HEAVEN

You are involved in so many different things. Do you think you would have been involved in so much if this hadn’t happened to you?

I must say that my disability has shaped most of my goals. The ministry I am involved in delivers wheelchairs and Bibles around the world. We hold retreats for special needs families across the US and in developing nations. Much of what I do has been shaped by my own experience in this wheelchair. I am just grateful to be working alongside a group of very talented, committed and passionate individuals.

You need support all the time. Do you sometimes crave privacy and independence or have you got used to it?

I am a very independent person. I love doing as many things as I possibly can for myself. However, having said that, I realise that the Bible makes a big thing about interdependence. People assist me with everything like getting dressed in the morning, bathing me, sitting me up in my wheelchair and brushing my teeth. I’m embarrassed to have to lean on people so much, but it teaches me how to lean on God. 2 Corinthians 1: 9 says that these things happen that “we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead”. I do rely on a great many people, but in a way I think that is a blessing for them too.

They get a chance to serve, they get a chance to practise Christianity with their sleeves rolled up. So really it is a win-win situation when you have to ask for help.

How important has your marriage to Ken been?

My husband is an incredible man. He is my strongest advocate and my best friend. When I battled stage 3 cancer four years ago, he stood valiantly and courageously by my side through every treatment, every X-Ray, every appointment, every doctor’s visit and every hospital visit.

Have you seen a change over the years in how people perceive people with disabilities and the issues that they face?

There are so many more disability conditions occurring in families now.

We used to think that disability ministry was something that was designed to help those down the street in the residential care facility, but that is no longer the case. There is hardly a street in a community in Great Britain, I am sure, that is not touched with disability. It used to be an ‘us and them’ perception, but now I think people are seeing that disability touches almost every family.

You’re organising a conference on disability in February. What are you hoping to achieve through that conference?

The Global Access Conference in California is going to be rather an historic event, bringing disability ministry leaders Joni and husband Ken, and passionate leaders and pastors from her “strongest advocate”. around the world who have an interest in disability. We will be talking about cutting edge disability ministry models, as well as best practice, and bioethical issues such as euthanasia.

What would you say to our readers who are disabled or caring for someone who is? How would you encourage them?

When you go through a severe disabling condition, whether through an accident or an injury or perhaps through a sudden diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis, it’s shocking, it’s unnerving. And it is only reasonable that people should go through a significant period of grief to deal with that loss. But then there comes a time when you have to push aside the tissues and where the Bible says in Isaiah, “’Come now let us reason together’, says the Lord”. You have to think about your condition. So look at what the Bible has to say, see what you can glean from it and learn from the lessons of perseverance and endurance. If you need more encouragement, we would love to connect with you.

Joni Eareckson Tada was talking to Chris Hall

For more information on Joni’s disability ministry go to joniandfriends.org For more information on disability, justice and inclusion, visit bmsworldmission.org/undefeated

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OVERSEAS PARTNER

Subash Pradhan

HIDING FROM GOD NO MORE SUBASH SAW VISIONS OF JESUS AND NEARLY DIED BEFORE ANSWERING GOD’S CALL TO BECOME A MINISTER.

“I

was looking for a God who could help me,” says Subash Pradhan, Principal of the Nepal Baptist Bible College and a BMS supported partner worker.

“A God who was alive.” His search began when he was 15 years old, saddled with the responsibility of his family after his father’s death.

Subash became a Christian after meeting Jesus in a dream and then seeing a painting of him at his friend’s church.

However, his newfound faith did not immediately drive him to ministry. But laryngitis did. While working as a teacher, Subash became sick from inhaling chalk dust and nearly died.

He prayed for healing and offered God his life in ministry.

He was healed, but Subash did not leave his job.

TRANSFORMING LIVES JUST BY SHOPPING ONLINE Give as you Live® Shop with your favourite stores and they’ll donate to BMS World Mission.

At no extra cost to you.

Go to: giveasyoulive.com/join/bmsworldmission

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The laryngitis returned and a doctor told Subash that he would have to quit. Depressed, he asked God for one more sign that he was meant to be a pastor, hoping that the answer would be no. “What good could come from me ministering full time?” he asked.

God answered, “Come and see.”

Subash left teaching the next day and started ministerial studies. He graduated in 2006 and began teaching at the Nepal Baptist Bible College the next year. In 2008, he was appointed as principal and under his leadership the college’s staff and resources have grown to better equip Nepali pastors of the future.

THE EARNEST PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON HAS GREAT POWER AND PRODUCES WONDERFUL RESULTS. (JAMES 5: 16B NLT) We would encourage you to photocopy this page for your church, or cut out the sections to use in your regular prayer times.

PLACES: The Middle East “Come, Lord Jesus.” The refrain of a popular Christian song which talks about the darkness that never seems to end in this broken world. It is our certain hope that this prayer will be answered and we should be encouraged that God is at work in the hearts and minds of people across the Middle East. Though there is violence, we pray for peace. Though there is turmoil and pain, we pray for his healing touch.

And where there is hope of a better future, we pray for him to be made known.

PRAY FOR: •V ictims of the recent conflict in Israel-Palestine, who have lost loved ones and who live in uncertain times • The governments in Iraq and Syria who are battling against the Islamic State group, for wisdom in how they respond and for the people who they are trying to protect • For Christian communities in Lebanon as they minister to refugees from Syria, that they may show the love of Christ to those in need

PROJECTS: Guinebor II Hospital, Chad Life-saving surgery in extreme temperatures, basic conditions and close quarters might sound like a scene from the TV series MASH, but this is just a typical day at the Guinebor II Hospital in N’Djamena. Since 2011, the hospital has been serving the health needs of a predominantly Muslim rural community.

It is staffed by BMS workers Andrea and Mark Hotchkin, Rebecca North and Malc and Sue White. They will be joined later this year

by Claire Bedford. Though the team is small, the impact on the community has been massive.

PRAY FOR: • The construction of a new maternal health unit • Good team work and encouragement among the team • The patients that come through the doors of the hospital, that they would be blessed physically and spiritually

PEOPLE: Sarah McArthur “Hot, humid and lots of rain. That pretty much sums up my first few weeks in Iquitos,” says Sarah, who worked as a plant propagator at Glendiock Gardens near Perth before moving to Peru last year. Now that she has settled in, she is working with local pastors, teaching them the importance of creation care and how it relates to God’s mission. She has also been helping out with the maintenance of the training centre in Nauta. She is thankful to God for bringing her safely to Peru and for all who are supporting her through their prayers and giving.

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

PRAY FOR: • Good relationships with local churches • The work of the Nauta Training Centre in the local community • The children in the area that she sees on a daily basis

Aidan Melville is sub-editor for the BMS Prayer Guide

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IS THERE A

DOCTOR

IN THE HOUSE? CAN YOU HELP US FIND DESPERATELYNEEDED DOCTORS FOR OUR WORK IN CHAD AND TUNISIA? OR IS IT YOU WE ARE LOOKING FOR?

A sense of calling is vital to being a worker with BMS World Mission. But it is only one factor. Your expertise can make a huge difference to people with a vast array of needs around the world.

One of these needs is health. For several years we have been transforming lives through our personnel working at Guinebor II (G2) Hospital in Chad and running palliative care training in Tunisia. For these successful health projects to continue, we need new people to serve. We’re looking for surgeons in Chad and a palliative care doctor in Tunisia. Do you know the right person for one of these teams?

LIFE-SAVING SURGERY IN CHAD “Surgical training and a willingness to adapt and learn to use simple techniques to save lives.” That’s what BMS doctor Mark Hotchkin says is necessary for a surgeon to work at G2 Hospital in Chad.

G2 is a Christian hospital providing essential healthcare to a poor, rural Muslim community on the outskirts of the Chadian capital, N’Djamena. In a country with an average life expectancy of only 50 years and a high level of infant and maternal mortality, the opportunities for a health professional to make a difference at G2 are huge.

“Malaria is common, typhoid frequent, an epidemic of cholera occurred, and it is an interesting mix of cases that keeps us alert,” says Mark. As well as normal surgical

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conditions, the team also see tropical conditions you will rarely, if ever, come across in the UK. Every month there is something new at G2, like typhoid symptoms affecting a patient’s intestine, or gallbladder and liver abscesses. In September, the team performed a couple of laparotomies, an exploratory surgical procedure to ascertain the cause of any unknown disease that is affecting a patient’s abdomen.

Working at G2 can have its challenges. The temperature can go well over 40C, but there is air conditioning now – the days of the surgeon needing a drip as well as the patient are over! Some of the resources are limited. G2 has a small theatre with basic equipment,

PALLIATIVE CARE IN TUNISIA

By Louise and David, BMS workers in Tunisia

but thankfully it also includes some ‘modern luxuries’ like pulse oximeter, oxygen concentrator and diathermy.

There are opportunities for staff to broaden their skills through learning from visiting surgeons or to bring their own speciality to the team and share it with others.

There is great need for open prostatic surgery for adenomas, a benign tumour with glandular origins. It is hoped that in the future there will be more emphasis on training young Chadian doctors to do surgery as well.

Being a surgeon in Chad will broaden your knowledge and serving in a Christian hospital could give you the opportunity to connect your faith more to your job. Working at G2 might not only be a blessing for its grateful patients but also a blessing for a surgeon, both professionally and spiritually.

To apply to be a surgeon on a short or long-term basis at G2, go to bmsworldmission.org/opportunities and click on Current Opportunities.

The work of G2 is being sponsored during 2014/15 by Baptist Insurance. If you buy home insurance from Baptist Insurance they will give an additional £10 per new policy to the G2 project. For a quote call 0845 0702223 (reference BMS14) or go to baptistinsurance.com

Palliative care reaches out to those who suffer! It offers a positive message not about cure, but about walking alongside, valuing and improving quality of life. Paying attention and listening to the details of difficulty and finding a way through. It does not abandon people. It lies close to God’s heart!

God is passionate about the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised. Time and time again the Old Testament speaks of his commitment, his rage and his love for those who are disempowered. In palliative care, this disempowerment is through sickness, poorly controlled symptoms, reluctance or fear about using morphine, poor access to care locally and an inability to pay for it by many. Poverty compounds and escalates the difficulties. There is often a silent loss of hope, fear about the future and fear about death. What will happen as their condition deteriorates? Will there be anyone there to help?

Families exhausted by care and uncertainty, children wondering what is happening and why a parent or sibling is no longer with them.

Disempowered professionals are also overwhelmed and lose hope. In the face of such complexity of need, they too distance and protect themselves from involvement. They would like to help but don’t know what to do or what to say when confronted with so much suffering.

We have seen God’s plan for palliative care in Tunisia for some time now and feel so privileged to be called here. But the reality is that the workers are few. God needs willing people to take risks, work outside of their comfort zone, leave the familiar and come and be his hands and feet! To walk alongside professionals here, men and women of peace who also want to make a difference to their country.

There is a wonderful African proverb which encapsulates it: If you want to go quickly, go alone.

If you want to go far, go together.

We want to go far on this journey of palliative care in Tunisia. We need an inspired, committed doctor with palliative care experience to join us, to replace a couple (doctor and nurse) leaving in early 2016. Will you come and help?

For more information on this post, go to

bmsworldmission.org/opportunities and click on Current Opportunities

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IDEAS FOR

YOUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES

KIDS CARE: Mama Hope and her orphans

In this exciting issue of KIDS CARE, we are traveling to Africa to visit Mama Hope and her orphans.

We begin our journey reading about the Garden of Eden and end with God’s promise of peace and comfort in times of trouble. Along the way we will not only meet a small family of three, two sisters and a brother who lost their mother to Aids, but also learn more about this troubling virus that affects millions of men, women and children around the world.

Along with these and other important lessons, this issue of KIDS CARE comes with some fun activities.

Your young people will have a chance to make peace silhouettes, where groups can explore their talents, fears, dreams and hobbies with each other. They can also make some delicious bean dips for fun or turn their cooking extravaganza into a fundraiser!

Join us for the second instalment of this all-age resource and download this insightful issue and the activity pages from bmsworldmission.org/kidscare

BIRTHDAY SCHEME Meet a...

Birthday Scheme supporter In September, BMS received a donation from one of our younger supporters.

When Jessica Wright from Laird Street Baptist Church in Birkenhead was seven years old, she was moved after watching a Birthday Scheme film about Hope Home in Thailand. Since then, Jessica has saved £1 from the £3 she receives for sweets each week and has sent a donation to the project dedicated to looking after children with severe disabilities, hoping that her gift will help the children living there.

When asked if she will continue supporting the project in Thailand, Jessica, now aged nine, responded with an emphatic, “Yes.”

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The BMS Birthday Scheme is a simple way to donate and support BMS medical work in many corners of the world.

Like Jessica, anyone of any age can put away £1 or more each week and, on their birthday, send the money to BMS for any of the Birthday Scheme projects.

To find out more about how your church can become part of the Birthday Scheme, where the money goes and where to download additional resources, go to bmsworldmission.org/birthday

FUNDRAISING

Running the race for mission Thank you to everyone who has participated in sponsored events in 2014 to support the work BMS World Mission is doing across the globe.

Alan, Chris, Graham, Jeff, John, Paul and Rob from Croxley walked and cycled 40 miles along the Grand Union Canal to raise funds for food aid for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

John, from Westcliff Baptist Church in Bournemouth, ran 70 miles over two days in the Isle of Wight Round the Island race to support our work in Afghanistan. He was placed seventh overall and first in the over 50 category.

If that wasn’t incredible enough, he did it all in 13 hours and 16 minutes.

Jackie competed in the Ely Triathlon to raise support for the life-saving ministries of Guinebor II Hospital in Chad and the work of Malc and Sue White.

Louisa and Grant from Moriah Baptist Church in Wales are running 2,772 miles (106 marathons), the distance from Risca to Chad, also in support of Guinebor II Hospital.

Keziah, a former Action Teamer, ran 10km as part of the Worcester City 10k race to raise support for BMS. She completed the race in 58 minutes.

Would you accept the challenge for 2015? Check out marathonrunnersdiary.com/races/uk-marathon-list.php for a list of races and starter information.

Want to join the 50,000 who have already signed up for the RideLondon-Surrey 100 cycle race?

Contact Suzanne at slinnell@bmsworldmission.org and find out how you can get involved!

Are you looking for something to challenge your congregation?

BMS has launched a new initiative to take a stand against gender based violence (GBV).

We have produced a DVD to help you engage with scriptural wisdom on GBV in all its forms.

The thought-provoking content will equip individuals and congregations to understand the level of abuse encountered in communities worldwide, and to think through their responses.

This resource includes material for small groups and would be great to use during Lent. The Deeper scriptural insights with accompanying video clips unpack how GBV is affecting women and girls in countries where BMS operates.

For more information and to order a copy of the free DVD visit bmsworldmission.org/dignity

On the first Monday in February every year, BMS staff and mission personnel around the world set aside the day to pray together for our work. It’s a huge encouragement to know that many churches will also pray with us around that time, whether on the Day of Prayer itself, in Sunday services, prayer groups or individually.

The date this year is Monday 2 February 2015. We hope that you will join us.

Our programme of prayer and a responsive PowerPoint resource will be available to download from mid-December at bmsworldmission.org/dayofprayer

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Opinion

THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING

THE CHURCH IN 2015…

AS WE ENTER A NEW YEAR, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING THE CHURCH? HERE ARE FOUR VIEWS FROM FOUR PARTS OF THE GLOBE.

UK: LOSING OUR CONVICTION

S

ome years ago Bishop Lesslie Newbigin pleaded that we needed a genuine missionary encounter between the gospel and our culture.

It spawned a ‘Gospel and Culture’ movement which has profoundly influenced the church in the UK. In the years since, there is much to encourage me that this call to action has been given due attention. A cursory glance around church life reveals the presence of thriving Alpha courses, committed Street Pastors, overly-busy food banks and debt counselling services.

Within our Baptist movement there is a commitment to pioneering which is exemplary. And as well as many thriving traditional churches there are many new expressions – bold experiments such

Helle Liht Estonia/the Netherlands

R

as Messy Church, Café church, Surfer’s church and Pub church.

Will all of these last and bear fruit?

Probably not. But that has always been the case and such a thing should never prevent us from courageous experimentation.

In the midst of all these encouragements I would suggest that the greatest challenge facing the UK Church today is a lack of confidence in the gospel message that sits at the heart of all of the activity outlined above.

One of Lesslie Newbigin’s other quotes goes like this: “The relativism which is not willing to speak about truth but only about what is true for me is an invasion of the serious business of living. It is the mark of a tragic loss of

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United Kingdom

nerve in our contemporary culture. It is a preliminary symptom of death.”

The biggest issue facing the Church in the UK? The danger that action replaces conviction.

Action without conviction is just social work – good in itself, but not the whole gospel. And conviction without action is mere pontificating.

Blend the two together and what we have is truly gospel. Truly ‘good news’.

Our nations need that.

David Kerrigan is General Director of BMS World Mission

EUROPE: BUILDING BRIDGES

ecently I had a conversation with relationships that embody both the an Estonian pastor about the role gospel message and social care. It is of a local church in its community. either one or the other. But the bridge He told me that their church is well is missing. The bridge of personal known in their neighbourhood. relationships that holds together word Together with local and deed, where we community activists, live out the whole story the church is running THE CHURCH of Jesus Christ with the social projects, to change lives, is IS NOT GROWING. power which regularly assist not there. needy families and How many churches WHY? are very popular. in Europe experience the Several thousand same dichotomy? people a year participate in events The challenge of holding word the church is part of organising and and deed together exists locally as hundreds have come to see what the well as globally. In the European Sunday service looks like.

Baptist Federation region there But the church is not growing. are many countries that experience Why? Because church members deep struggles: Syria with millions find it challenging to build personal of refugees, Iraq and extreme

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David Kerrigan

persecution of Christians, Serbia’s severe flood destruction, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, Ukraine and war.

Baptist churches in these countries do their best to assist the victims of these tragedies. In other countries, those blessed with peace and abundance, there are many Baptist communities that express their concern for these troubled situations. But how can this concern be made tangible for those in desperation? How can we build and strengthen bridges of support between those struggling for life and hope, and those living in peace and security?

These are the challenges we all face.

Helle Liht is Assistant General Secretary of the European Baptist Federation.

THE MIDDLE EAST: REVERSING DECLINE

T

© Wissam al-Saliby

he biggest issue facing the Church in the Middle East in 2015 is the same as in the UK, Europe and to a lesser extent, the United States. How do we stem the decline in our numbers?

We have seen the Church in the West grow and thrive for hundreds of years. Many of our evangelical churches have emulated your success. But now

Ray Motsi Zimbabwe

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fewer people are coming to church in the West and we are finding our Christian communities in the Middle East are getting smaller, too.

How we develop the next generation of Christian leaders is vital in our response to this decline. The Church needs leaders who will unite Christians, inspiring them to serve their wider community. We need more pastors who faithfully and passionately preach God’s word. This will require seminaries to be more selective in choosing and equipping the very best godly, visionary men and women as ministerial students.

The Church needs to regain its confidence in the public sphere.

In the West, a growing division between

Nabil K Costa Lebanon

Church and state is ushering in a more secular society. In the Middle East we are seeing the rise of the fanatical, as extremists attempt to take over.

We should not lose heart and hide away in fear. Rather, we should find positive ways to be salt and light, to be distinctive and to turn the tide. With God, all things are possible.

I pray that in 2015, the Church in the Middle East and the West will not only look increasingly to Jesus and the Bible for solutions to the challenges we face, but that we will pray for and practically support each other.

Together, with Christ’s help, we can grow his kingdom.

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.

AFRICA: IMMORAL CHURCH AND STATE

here are many issues affecting modern Christian witchcraft which is the Church in Africa. A lot of the a way of empire building. Dr Pheneas problems that have bedevilled Dube (a Zimbabwe statesman and a the continent are intricate and Christian leader) once said that the intertwined like poverty, development Church in Africa is 100km wide but is and politics. The proliferation and still an inch deep. He was alluding to mushrooming of this very issue of ‘easy believism’ the thousands of Mega Churches is Africans flocking THE CHURCH a sign and not the to churches and actual problem. yet the Church IN AFRICA IS 100KM These so called new has little positive WIDE BUT IS STILL churches are a means influence on AN INCH DEEP of dealing with the society and problems, similar to community. The traditional healers, same people who except that they now use the Bible fill up the churches on a Sunday are and Christian jargon. Pastors wear involved in tribal conflicts, religious the latest suits, drive expensive cars wars and immoral issues of corruption and have armed body guards. This is and illicit sex.

The main issue is immorality. As Africans we have not developed a culture of accountability, integrity, justice, transparency and good governance. Lack of a value system that encompasses these ethical standards or benchmarks is the root cause of most or all of the African problems.

This is the real African big problem.

It cannot be solved by foreigners but by locals. And yet locals have no power, means or know-how. Hence, it is a vicious cycle. Have you ever wondered why these leaders always say we do not want the West to interfere?

Ray Motsi is President of BMS partner the Theological College of Zimbabwe

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Arts

5

Five minutes with...

BETH

CROFT

© Scott Sanchez

SOUL SURVIVOR WORSHIP LEADER BETH CROFT TALKS ABOUT BEING A ROLE MODEL AND THE INTIMACY OF MODERN WORSHIP.

Did you always want to be a worship leader?

I have always loved music and been passionate about worship. I kind of fell into it really. Our only worship leader at cell group was away on sabbatical for a few months, so I just felt I should put my hand up and volunteer to do it the next week. I was absolutely terrified, practised like crazy, and that is how it started.

Do you see yourself as a role model?

For a while that was something I was embarrassed about, but I know how important some role models like Beth Redman, Lex Buckley and Rachel Hughes, who I am really close to, have been to me and they would have taken it seriously. So I made a conscious decision a couple of years ago, rather than pretending it wasn’t happening, to take it really seriously and not to be blasé about it.

As a role model, what positive messages are you trying to get out to young people?

I guess just being a woman worship leader. There’s not many of us and I think that really encourages a whole load of young girls that they could be involved in leading worship, preaching or serving their church in a public way.

It doesn’t have to be male dominated.

at, I want to draw them in. There are times of worship when you make tons of mistakes and people end up breathing out a sigh of relief, saying “I don’t have to be perfect.”

Some people accuse modern worship of being too intimate, what they label as ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ type songs. Do you think that is unfair?

I think that intimacy is a really important part of our worship. That doesn’t always have to sound like ‘Jesus is my boyfriend’ songs. Equally, I think there is a place for having just simple songs of love to Jesus. We see the Psalms are full of that. What we get invited into is a love relationship with God and there should be room for expression.

Your debut album is now out. Is there a song that is particularly significant to you?

Arms of grace I wrote a while ago and that for me is a really personal song. It is kind of my testimony in the song. It is based around the prodigal son. When I came to know Jesus, it wasn’t a 180 degree experience for me. It was much more of a gradual thing, but it is almost like my life has been a series of those prodigal son moments.

Beth Croft was talking to Chris Hall

Are there times when leading worship is really hard?

How do you overcome that?

Sometimes, for whatever reason, it just feels difficult or there is a blockage. Part of leading worship is having that gutsy, ‘I am going to take you into the presence of God whether you like it or not’ boldness. Regardless of where people are 30

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Rule in my Heart is out now on Integrity Music and is reviewed on page 31.

REVIEWS

Crazy Busy

Arts

Rule in my Heart

Kevin DeYoung

Beth Croft

Book

Album

ISBN: 978-1783590230

IVP Rating:

Integrity Music Rating:

The Perfect Wave Director: Bruce MacDonald DVD

Review by Claire Ord, Co-Director of BMS’ International Mission Centre

By far the best thing about Soul Survivor worship leader Beth Croft’s debut album is Beth’s voice – easy on the ear, clear, pure, rich in tone, perfectly pitched and versatile – equally authentic in dance tracks and power ballads. Not dissimilar to Avril Lavigne.

This is unmistakably a worship album from the Soul Survivor stable, but it does break away from the typical power ballad/ rock anthem model with a couple of dance tracks and the quirky Lectio Divina.

Beth writes a memorable, melodic tune, often with a good hook – Love takes over, Rule in my heart and Kingdom come being highpoints. The covers of Purify and Boldly I approach highlight the weakest part of this album, namely Beth’s self-penned lyrics, which do not always make sense and are limited in their scope.

If you like your worship songs to be outward looking, corporate, content-filled works which praise the Triune God and acknowledge that he holds and sustains all creation and calls his people to join him in bringing to reality his kingdom of truth, justice and mercy – then this isn’t for you.

This is a musically eclectic, beautifully sung collection of songs of personal response and commitment.

Review by Ruth Neve, graduate of Theology, Music and Worship (LST) and Senior Minister of Thornhill Baptist Church, Southampton

Internet radio ucb.co.uk/extra Rating:

Authentic Media Rating:

The author begins by saying ‘my life is crazy busy’ and listing all the exhausting demands on him, of having five children, a ministry, speaking engagements and writing a book on busyness – I felt exhausted after reading the first chapter.

On persevering and wading through the considerable amount of jargon, there were some useful chapters, like A cruel kindergarchy about the tyranny for yourself and your children of ‘overparenting’, having permission not to expect to be the best parent or feel like the worst, but being good enough.

Kevin DeYoung gets onto dangerous ground, however, when he talks about working mothers, commenting on Anne Marie Slaughter, who worked for Hilary Clinton, and her decision to step down “when she realised she could not be both the professional and the parent she wanted to be,” a choice “that women are hardwired to make more than men”. Perhaps, as a married male minister with a large family, he could have reflected on how some people are supported in their busyness while others are made to feel guilty for their choices?

I would hope that a book to help you deal with busyness would leave you feeling calm and hopeful. This wasn’t that book.

I’m off to read a novel and have a cup of tea.

UCB Extra

You may not know who Ian McCormack is, but you possibly have heard his nickname: the jellyfish man. Back in 1980, Ian was stung by five box jellyfish and was pronounced dead by doctors. He had an amazing out of body experience of heaven, hell and Jesus and came back to life. Ian became an evangelist and has told his story all over the world. It has now been made into a movie starring an eclectic cast including Scott Eastwood (Clint’s son), Cheryl Ladd of Charlie’s Angels and Diana Vickers (a former X-Factor contestant).

To appeal to an American audience, Ian is from California not New Zealand and the story has been updated for today.

The first hour, when Ian leaves home to find himself, surf and party around the world, is full of beautiful scenery, pretty young people and a pleasant soundtrack. When the jellyfish finally appear, the film descends into hammy acting and poor special effects.

What should be the most dramatic and exciting part is the most disappointing. Ian McCormack’s appearance in the closing credits reminds you how good he is at telling his story, something that the film ultimately fails to do.

Review by Chris Hall, Editor at BMS World Mission

Christian music fans, rejoice!

The long drought’s over and you need thirst for interesting Christian music no more.

Established force in UK Christian radio UCB has launched UCB Extra: a station focusing on the slightly edgier forms of Christian music out there. A kind of Radio 6 Music for the Church.

This is particularly welcome because Christian rock, rap and dance have long been woefully underrepresented on the UK’s Christian radio stations and in our Christian bookshops. It’s not that the music doesn’t exist: the US alone is producing a steady stream of artists who are unabashedly Christian, but who make pop, rock, electronica, metal and hip-hop that glorifies God without fitting into the increasingly samey category of ‘Worship’. But, with a few sales-guaranteed exceptions, what we used to call Christian Contemporary Music has been largely ignored by UK distributors of Jesus-centred music in recent years.

That’s what makes UCB Extra so pleasing. Not only are they broadcasting ‘positively alternative’ Christian music, but the site offers helpful links to the songs they’ve played so you can buy them online. No more sad mornings browsing the CD aisles or asking confused (and often terrified-looking) staff if they stock anything ‘a bit more interesting’. Well done UCB! Review by Jonathan Langley, Editorial Team Leader at BMS World Mission

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We are gathering! baptist assembly Saturday May 16, 2015 Kingsgate Conference Centre Peterborough

WO ER RSHI P & PRAY

IN L TER GENERATIONA

THE BIG PICNIC

An exciting opportunity for all ages to explore and be inspired by mission and discipleship find out more at baptistassembly.org.uk 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.