The Call - summer 2017

Living well, dying well Pioneering palliative care in Asia and Africa

Wrestling in church Literally, not figuratively

Spectral vision Building community for people with autism

LESSONS

FROM LEBANON When your former enemies become your neighbours in need, what's the best response?

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THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

ISSUE 5 | SUMMER 2017

The Call

The call in action

Welcome to The Call, produced quarterly

by Church Mission Society.

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

In this edition

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MISSION NEWS

22

SPECTRAL VISION

11

LESSONS FROM LEBANON

26

HOUSE OF PAIN

15

LIVING WELL, DYING WELL

31

PRACTICALLY FREE

35

20

What God is doing through your prayerful support

How Christians in Lebanon are welcoming Syrian refugees

People in mission pioneering palliative care in Nepal and DR Congo

Interview with Mark Scandrette, author and activist

Building community for people living with autism or anxiety

A church in Nottingham becomes the “spiritual home of wrestling”

E-WORD OR M-WORD?

Reclaiming two words that have lots of baggage

HOW TO...

...notice what God is up to in your community

... and much more churchmissionsociety.org 2

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WELCOME

LEARNING FROM LEBANON

PHILIP MOUNSTEPHEN EXECUTIVE LEADER

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

/churchmissionsociety @cmsmission Church Mission Society is a mission community acknowledged by the Church of England Registered Company No.6985330 and Registered Charity No.1131655 (England & Wales) and SC047163 (Scotland). Also part of CMS: The South American Mission Society, Registered Company No 65048 and Registered Charity No. 221328 (England & Wales); The Church Mission Society Trust, Registered Charity number 1131655-1 (previously 220297).

Registered and principal offices of all above entities: Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ.

recently spent four fascinating days in Lebanon. I was scheduled to preach in All Saints Church, Beirut, on the Sunday. But little did I realise when I was preparing the sermon how the Bible passage I had chosen would spring to life before my eyes in a most unexpected way.

I'd chosen to speak on the Old Testament story of Ruth. As I’m sure many readers of The Call are well aware, it’s the tale of a woman from the land of Moab who makes the difficult journey from that land to Israel, to accompany her poor mother-in-law Naomi, who has lost not only her husband but her two sons, Ruth’s husband included.

Ruth shows remarkable dedication to Naomi. This is how she expresses it: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” This is a costly thing for her to do. Ruth leaves her own country to travel to Naomi’s home, to a place where she would face inevitable hostility, because Israel and Moab were old enemies. In fact, out of love for Naomi, Ruth makes herself a refugee.

Lebanon, of course, lies just to the north of modern-day Israel, and ancient Moab is in Jordan, so I was in the right territory, but the parallels don’t stop there. Lebanon today is no stranger to refugees; indeed a country of around four million people currently plays host to over one million refugees.

What’s more, these refugees too are from an old enemy: Syria.

For many years Syrian forces occupied Lebanon, but now with the war in Syria the tables have turned and a huge number of refugees have flooded into this tiny country.

And in this situation some amazing things are happening.

We met many people, a good number of whom are part of Church Mission Society, showing extraordinary love and compassion for refugees, caring for their needs and sharing the love of Christ in word and deed.

“I would never have believed you if you had told me that one day I would be jumping on a trampoline with Syrian refugee children.”

You can read more about such people in our cover story starting on page 11.

We met one couple, who were themselves forced to flee to Lebanon from another country.

They have turned their home into a school for refugee children, caring for up to 80 children a day. Many of the children were so traumatised when they arrived, they wouldn’t even look people in the eye. But now they are singing, laughing, playing and learning and it is truly wonderful to see. Indeed I would never have believed you if you’d told me that one day I would be jumping on a trampoline on a Lebanese hillside with Syrian refugee children. For me it was in a profound sense a vision of the kingdom of God. But to come back to Ruth, I felt that I met her face to face – indeed I felt I did so twice.

In one town we met a woman

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

who we’ll call Layla, who was originally a Christian refugee from Iraq to Syria, and has now fled further to Lebanon. There she is working with others to distribute essential supplies and provide education to around 2,500 refugee families.

Layla took us to see another woman who we’ll call Salwa and her family, who had also fled from Syria. Salwa came to church asking for prayer for her unborn child who was suffering from a serious condition. Miraculously the child was born healthy and Salwa committed her life to Christ. And she is now ministering in her own right, sharing the love of Jesus with her family, friends and neighbours.

And both women, following so clearly in Ruth’s footsteps, are radiant with the love of Christ.

Their stories, just like Ruth’s story, are not simply of good being done to refugees. It’s also a story of refugees doing good to others and furthering the kingdom of God with love, joy and great commitment.

Let me give the last word to a pastor in Beirut who has an impressive ministry among refugees, with many coming to his church simply wanting to know more about Jesus: “All the relief work in this church is being done by the Syrian people,” he said, adding, “I thought I was here to bless them. I’m seeing now that they are blessing us. They are no longer ‘Syrian refugees’ but brothers and sisters in Christ.”

This too speaks profoundly of the kingdom of God. We in the West have so much to learn from such wonderful saints of God. Their stories, their commitment and what God is evidently doing through them, give me much to reflect on when in this season we follow the Archbishop of Canterbury’s call to pray “Thy Kingdom Come”.

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MISSION NEWS The Agreda family, serving in church leadership

Rio church hosts refugee food fair Eat, drink and be welcoming. That was the idea behind two “refugee food fairs” that were hosted at Christ Church in Rio de Janeiro in December 2016 and February 2017. According to Mark Simpson of Church Mission Society, who serves as chaplain at Christ Church, the events were held in collaboration with a local organisation called Junta Local and the Catholic charity Caritas.

At the food fairs, members of refugee and immigrant communities were given the opportunity to sell their national food items. Mark explained: “Junta Local is doing an amazing job encouraging food producers who have sought asylum in Rio de Janeiro from all sorts of different backgrounds (Syrian, Haitian, Colombian, Venezuelan,

Bearing gifts in Buenos Aires A Christmas outreach at a public hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is continuing to have an impact.

Mario Agreda, rector of Santa Trinidad Anglican Church, explained: “At Christmas we asked ourselves where Jesus’ birth would take place if his parents lived in our region today. The obvious answer was the local public hospital, where the most marginalised and needy parents’ babies would be born.

Indian and Peruvian to name a few), enabling them to get established and earn a living.

For us, it’s an honour to offer our space for the fair and encourage members of Christ Church to attend.”

The message of cultural inclusiveness and the Junta Local’s idea that “food crosses walls, borders and prejudices” resonates deeply with the 200-year-old international church, which is located in the heart of Rio. The church leadership’s willingness to provide a home for the food fair attracted the attention of the Brazilian media.

“Welcoming is [at] the heart of our Christian faith,” Simpson told the Rio Times, adding: “We’re very aware that there are many people having to move all over the world, because of violence and persecution, or due to extreme economic hardship. It feels like an automatic response to want to welcome others.”

Taste and see: refugees and asylum seekers selling food from their homelands

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“So our community donated funds and we prepared sets of personal items, clothes and gifts for all the children born at Christmas there – just as if the Saviour was being born now! We thought this would be a good way of showing the staff and mothers in the hospital what the gospel means today in a practical way.”

The church team received an excellent welcome: “We are making great links with the hospital and hoping to go back again with other mission initiatives.”

Fair (right) walked over to sit with volunteer Verena

No wheelchair for Fair An 11-year-old girl with epilepsy in Tanzania has gone from partial paralysis and frequent seizures to walking and talking, thanks to the efforts of the medical team at St Philip’s health centre in Tabora.

Dr Ruth Hulser, who works at St Philip’s, said: “Fair was brought to us in a pitiful state – paralysed on the right side, unable to talk and experiencing around 20 epileptic seizures a day.”

Fair developed signs of epilepsy in 2009 but her parents refused to take her to a healthcare facility, as they were scared of the stigma attached to an epilepsy diagnosis. Fair became paralysed in 2015 and damage to her brain resulted in an inability to speak.

Ruth said, “Fair’s father’s response was to send her to a local healer but a few months later, her mother – despite being pregnant – went to the village and recovered her daughter, who was malnourished and neglected. Fair’s mother finally decided to bring her to us.

“After prescribing medication, treating her for malnutrition and discharging her, we visited Fair repeatedly and gave her a wheelchair for her comfort. At that point, Fair still didn’t have any head control; her mother had to carry her on her back, feed her and take her to the toilet, despite being seven months pregnant.”

Then the family was out of contact with Ruth’s team for six weeks while Fair’s mother gave birth, though Fair’s father continued to collect her epilepsy medication.

“Recently they returned to us: mother, father, new baby and amazingly, a walking talking Fair! While walking is a struggle and her right arm is severely disabled, she can now speak a few words, smile and grab for sweets with her left hand. More amazingly still, she doesn’t need a wheelchair!

“Pray for Fair’s full recovery and for many children like her, who are denied rapid, good treatment because of old beliefs and fears.”

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MISSION NEWS Auspicious debut for audible version of Enxet New Testament A hush fell over a crowd in the Paraguayan Chaco earlier this year, as leaders from all the main churches from El Estribo gathered for the launch and dedication of the dramatised audio version of the Enxet language New Testament.

Tim Curtis of Church Mission Society, who spent years working with local colleagues to translate the Bible into Enxet before helping with the audio version, said, “There was rapt attention followed by applause when Phil Kenney, director of Faith Comes by Hearing for the Church leaders get a close-up view of the innovative ‘Proclaimer’ machine

A church in Kurdistan and a cake decorated to commemorate the launch of the long-awaited Bible translation

New Kurdish Bible completed Working against the backdrop of civil unrest and religious persecution, a team of Bible translators in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, have completed the first ever translation of the whole Bible into the Central Kurdish Sorani language.

For the last eight years, Church Mission Society mission partners Joel and Ruth* have been an integral part of the team, working alongside indigenous Kurds and other foreign nationals drafting text, checking names, terminology and style, and finally checking both the Old and New Testaments so they could be published together for the first time as the complete Bible.

The whole translation of Old and New Testaments took 28 years to complete, and will enable six million native speakers of the Sorani language to hear and read the Bible in their own language for the first time. As well as physical copies, the new translation is available digitally, both through the YouVersion app and a newly designed Kurdish app called Pertukekem (‘My Book’).

The new translation, which has been a joint initiative between Church Mission Society, Biblica and several other partners, was launched

Americas, symbolically handed over a ‘Proclaimer’ device with the audio version of the New Testament to Pastor Mario Caballero.”

Tim explained: “The proclaimers, on which the Enxet New Testament is pre-recorded, are amazing devices. They are practically indestructible. The installed microchip will not erase or wear out from frequent playing. The battery can be charged through both the built-in solar panel and hand crank, or via an adaptor. It will play for up to 15 hours and contains a specially engineered speaker system that allows groups as large as 300 to hear Godʼs word. Please pray as they are distributed among the different Enxet-speaking church leaders in the Chaco.”

at a special ceremony on 3 April. Dr Nawzad, general director of public libraries in the Kurdistan region, received the translated Bible and welcomed its contribution to Kurdish culture and mutual understanding between the faiths of Kurdistan.

Joel said: “It has been a privilege to be a part of this project. Kurds have known healings, dreams and visions from Christ but having the whole word of God available in written form will crystallise their faith and allow them to pass it on more effectively.” Already, the team have received feedback from Sorani speakers. One said he felt “empowered” by being able to use the new version on his mobile phone while another related how he had been able to give the text to a local Mullah.

Paul Thaxter, international mission director at CMS, recently travelled to the region and was delighted to see the completion of the translation project.

He said: “Trying to live as a Christian while being denied the chance to read the Bible in your own language is unimaginable. However, now through the application and commitment of people like Joel and Ruth, and the team around them, millions of people will now have the ‘Gift of Life’ in their own hands.” *Names changed for security reasons

CMS joins global wave of prayer Church Mission Society is joining in the Thy Kingdom Come initiative with our patron, Archbishop Justin Welby and Christians around the world.

From 25 May (Ascension) to 4 June (Pentecost), CMS staff, members and supporters are encouraged to pray for more people to know Jesus. Prayer events of all shapes and sizes will take place across the 10 days, including 24-7 prayer rooms, prayer days, prayer walks and half nights of prayer. Cathedrals, churches and other venues will host Beacon Events, gathering people across towns and cities to worship and to pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit for effective witness. CMS will be sharing prayers on social media; resources are available at thykingdomcome.global

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

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MISSION NEWS Mission recruitment numbers rise In 2016, Church Mission Society saw an increase in the number of people recruited for long-term mission; this is the first spike in recent years.

Five couples and four single adults will be putting their call into action in Brazil, Rwanda, Guatemala, Honduras, Lebanon, Tanzania and South East Asia.

“Since 2008, we’ve averaged about seven recruits per year,” said Susann Haehnel (pictured), vocational recruitment manager for CMS. When asked what she attributed the higher numbers to, Susann replied: “It’s difficult to say, probably a number of factors. Four of these people selected for service had previous experience with CMS, from short-term placements to being part of the Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course.”

Celebrations amid uncertainty: dancers at the anniversary ceremonies, Bishop Hilary Adeba of Yei and a stone marking CMS missionary Canon Paul Gibsonʼs lasting contribution

100 years of gospel in Yei A presidential visit, helicopter fly-by, choirs and dancing all played a part in the celebrations to mark 100 years since the establishment of the Episcopal Church in Yei in South Sudan, the world’s newest country, by Church Mission Society missionary Paul Gibson.

In 1917, the Rev Canon Paul Gibson travelled to Yei to begin a church planting ministry. From these humble beginnings grew the present day Yei, Kajo-Keji, Lainya, Morobo and Panyana dioceses of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. Four years in the planning, the celebrations took place in marquees especially erected outside Yei’s cathedral.

The Rev Gibson originated from Shrewsbury and attended Cambridge University before being ordained in 1913. In 1916 Gibson travelled to Yei with Church Mission Society to begin his ministry, establishing the first ever Christian witness in the area and laying the foundations for the future Episcopal Church.

Gibson’s direct involvement in Sudan continued for over 35 years.

In 1954 he was awarded an OBE. He died in 1967.

The centenary celebrations, which took place in February 2017, were hosted by the bishop of Yei, the Rt Rev Hilary Adeba Luate, and attended by a number of other dignitaries including the archbishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Canon Dr Daniel Deng Bull, the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and several government ministers and bishops representing local dioceses.

The first day of celebrations began with a helicopter fly-by followed by the arrival of the president.

In his address, Bishop Hilary reflected on John 10:10 – “I came so that everyone would have life and have it in its fullest.”

Until mid-2016 Yei had been spared much of the ethnic tensions in the country, but by August 2016 the situation reversed and Yei has been a focus of conflict, with the town largely cut off by road and with a substantial portion of the population – up to 50,000 people – migrating to refugee camps in Uganda.

The celebration closed by looking to the future and expressing hope for further growth and development in the diocese expressed adroitly by the archdeacon of Yei, the Ven Margret Jamba Luka, who asked, “Is the centenary still alive? Yes. Thereʼs much to be done!”

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Querying mission: CMS launches ‘Mission Is’ campaign Church Mission Society has launched a nationwide listening exercise to find out what Christians think ‘mission is’. The aim is to uncover some of the myths that have grown up around mission and identify the barriers that prevent people from getting involved.

Starting with this summer’s Christian festivals, we will be asking as many people as possible ‘the big question’ about what ‘mission is’ for them.

Festivalgoers will be able to take part in a short, fun survey using interactive, tactile technology: this will help provide a big picture of the image people have of mission.

People will also be able to record their own thoughts around mission in our video booth: this will help us reflect more deeply.

Based on what we learn, we will be working on new resources to bust some myths about mission and empower people to join in.

Those not attending festivals can

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She added: “Give thanks to God for bringing us such wonderful people and pray that he will continue to guide people towards mission with CMS.”

answer the survey questions via an online app at churchmissionsociety.org Philip Mounstephen, executive leader of Church Mission Society, explained: “Our central belief is that all of God’s people are called to join in God’s mission but we suspect that many people’s confusion over what ‘mission’ means is a key factor in their hesitation about getting involved.

“We’re not talking about dropping the word and becoming Church ‘Blank’ Society, but we are seeking to make mission easier to understand and ultimately, be part of.”

On 13 May, Liverpool diocese hosted the first major event of the ‘Mission Is’ campaign, with the Rt Rev Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool, and Philip Mounstephen introducing the initiative.

Philip says: “Getting more people into mission starts by asking a question to find out what they really think about mission. Our intention is to compile a true picture of how mission is viewed by Christians in this country rather than rely on a hunch or our own assumptions.”

Rt Rev Paul Bayes, Bishop of Liverpool, launching the ‘Mission Is’ campaign

MISSION NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF

More dioceses set to dive into Partnership for Missional Church Church Mission Society is delighted to announce that two new dioceses will be starting the Partnership for Missional Church journey next year.

Clusters of churches in the diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich together with the diocese of Ely will be embarking on the three-year PMC process in order to Nigel Rooms, leader of PMC in the UK. He shares some of its insights on p35. discover what God is doing in their communities and to join in.

Over 60 churches in Southwell and Nottingham, Leicester, Durham and Oxford dioceses are already well into the PMC journey. More churches in Oxford and Durham are planning to start PMC in the near future. In PMC, groups of 10–12 churches journey together. To see how the PMC process has helped bring about extraordinary change in a Nottingham community, see page 26 of this edition of The Call and go to churchmissionsociety.org to watch a short video.

One screen, many voices: internet provides a platform for global south perspectives Theologians from the Middle East, Nigeria, Myanmar, South Sudan, Egypt, Brazil and Japan were among those who joined a threeday conference via the internet in March.

All had prepared papers on reconciliation and mission. Each had 10 minutes to talk about their paper, followed by a time of discussion.

The intercontinental webinar was led by Bishop Graham Kings, mission theologian in the Anglican Communion and Dr Muthuraj

Swamy, associate professor in theology and religion in Pune, India.

Dr Swamy commented: “I wasn’t sure what to expect but it felt like it was the Anglican Communion connected on one screen!”

The conference was organised by the Mission Theology Project, a partnership founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Durham University and Church Mission Society two years ago. Its purpose is to amplify theological voices in the global south, encouraging them to write, publish and engage with theologians in the global north.

The webinar was hosted from St George’s College in Jerusalem and funded by St Augustineʼs Foundation.

With original reporting from Anglican Communion News Service

A new church plant in Florianopolis, Brazil has a freshly kitted-out space, thanks to supporters’ generosity. Jimmy and Katia Rocks, who are leading the new church community, write: “We now have a room for children’s work, a canteen area and much needed sound equipment, a projector and screen.” A public launch event was held earlier this year and Jimmy and Katia were pleased with the attendance, despite a major storm on the day: “We connected with many people in the community. We finished the event with an evangelistic service and several people said they wanted to follow Jesus.”

A historic graduation ceremony took place in Pakistan in December 2016.

Sixteen students from the Open Theological Seminary (OTS) received bachelor of theology degrees. “We previously only had a few students achieve this level each year,” said F, who has been working in theological education in Pakistan for many years.

She adds, “Because almost all of our students are in full-time employment, studying in their free time, it can take many years to complete all the requirements for the accredited BTh degree. Among this group of graduates, the longest period of study was 25 years, and the shortest six years. I was privileged to have been involved in helping several of them achieve their goal.”

From church and community worker Ruth Sayers in Devonport, Plymouth: “The work club here has just celebrated its fourth anniversary.

In that time, 407 job seekers have registered with us, looking for support, encouragement and new opportunities. We are the largest club of its kind in Plymouth.”

Congratulations to William, age 17, who won both a gold and a bronze medal in the Ecuador National Special Olympics swimming event towards the end of last year. William is one of Sharon Wilcox’s students; she teaches life skills to people with learning disabilities in Santo Domingo, helping them to become more independent. “We all went to support William, which was fun and a privilege,” Sharon recalled.

“The following week several other students expressed a desire to learn to swim so that is on our agenda if we can find an affordable pool to use.”

An award for “Alhaurin’s Group of the Year” was recently given to Asociación Benéfica Cristiana (ABC), a food and clothing bank and used clothing shop in Malaga, Spain, which is managed by Sarah Yanez of Church Mission Society. The prize was in recognition of ABC’s work in the community.

“Having a public tribute to a Protestant Christian association is significant,” said Sarah, who accepted the award from Grupo Folklorico-Cultural Solera.

Our friends at Asia-CMS have announced that executive director Kang San Tan and training director Loun Ling Lee will be leaving the organisation and moving to the UK in autumn 2017, when Kang San will take up a new role as general director of BMS World Mission. Kang San and Loun Ling have been with Asia-CMS since its inception in 2012. We wish them all the best and our prayers are with them and with Asia-CMS for a good time of transition.

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WORLD VIEWS

GLIMPSES OF RESURRECTION The reopening of a church after 80 years shows there can be hope in the Holy Land

W Jerusalem

By David and Sara Longe

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e give thanks for catching glimpses of the beauty of God. We often see this through laughter, whether we are having fun with our children or with the Cathedral Close community. It reminds us – when we think of the pain many face here – that we must look for hope and the presence of Christ.

One place where God’s presence can be visibly seen is Acre, Israel, where Archbishop Suheil rededicated St Saviour’s church on 21 February, in the presence of almost 700 people.

Among those attending were the

Greek patriarch, the bishop of the Marionite church in the Holy Land, the imam of El-Jazzar mosque and representatives from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities, as well as individuals who had longed for the reopening and reviving of this church since the majority of its congregation left Acre in a state of fear in 1948.

Acre is extraordinary. It has one of the best natural harbours in the region and was once a central place for the disembarking of pilgrims; it dates from the 15th century BC when Pharaoh Thutmose III listed it. Before the crusaders (Richard the Lionheart) captured the city in AD 1104, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks and Muslims (Saladin) had all held Acre. St Paul visited it in AD 58 (see Acts 21:7 where he refers to it as Ptolemais) and it had a bishop by 190.

The Anglican presence in Acre is more recent. Church Mission Society opened schools in 1874 and 1887, and developed a small hospital there. In 1946 Archdeacon (later Bishop and then Archbishop) Campbell

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McInnes with the Rev Najib Cubain (later the first Anglican Palestinian bishop) were present when the foundation stone of the church was laid. Bishop Stewart dedicated the church in 1947. The church thrived; although it’s a small building, the congregation was said to number 500. However, in 1948, many of the Christians in Acre feared for their safety and left. Without a regular priest or congregation, St Saviour’s fell into disrepair.

Its rededication marks an extraordinary moment for the diocese as well as showing its dedication and tenacity amidst difficulties within the region. It is the second church to be rededicated by Archbishop Suheil – in 2011, St Paul’s in Jerusalem – which was closed in 1948 – was rededicated. It is hoped that St Peter’s in Jaffa, also closed in 1948, will be rededicated later this year.

St Saviour’s points to one of the central missions of the Anglican church in the Holy Land: to foster ecumenical and interfaith relationships which are at the heart of the diocese’s ministry of reconciliation and peace.

In his rededication sermon, the archbishop noted that for Christian communities in the Holy Land: “there [must be] resurrection after death, light after darkness, and hope after sadness.” He went on to state: “If the church of today does not carry this message of the resurrection and hope then our ministry is in vain.

Above left: a photo of St Saviour’s before the recent renovation and reopening Above right: exterior of St Saviour’s Right: two photos from the rededication service.

Archbishop Suheil stands with the Marionite bishop (left) and the Greek patriarch

WHEN CULTURES WORLD CONVERGE VIEWS

“FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU?” Later this year I will be moving to Guatemala. I am hoping to partner with a charity called Street Kids Direct which in turn partners with local organisations working with at-risk children and young people. Last year, I spent a week with a project called Mi Arca in Guatemala City and was extremely moved by their work.

A

Our land needs the spirit of the resurrection…and any thinking that does not present hope for our people in the Holy Land will not be a theology either for the present time or for the future.”

He observed that St Saviour’s can create a worshipping community that “leads us to goodness, security, justice, peace and prosperity for all.”

Sixty-nine years on, this diocese has a new confidence that Anglicans in Acre can once again thrive. Here in the Holy Land where stories of pain and suffering are a daily reality, St Saviour’s is a genuine story of “Good News”.

Glimpses of God are critical to the ministry in the Holy Land, giving hope and light when things are difficult. Acre is one example.

This article was excerpted from the Longes’ most recent link letter, with additional contribution from the Rev Canon Hosam Naoum, dean of St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem.

s part of my training with Church Mission Society I have been doing a project looking at the challenges for children who are not registered at birth. The more I looked into what life can be like for an unregistered child in countries like Guatemala the more my heart ached for these children. I felt emotionally drained as I found it hard to find any hope in what I was exploring. I became overwhelmed with the thought of so many children left alone, living in situations many of us cannot imagine.

In desperation, I asked God: “Why? Why is life so cruel? Where is the hope?

Father, where are you?”

God took me back to my time in Guatemala City, to a day I will never forget.

I was on a trip to a museum with a group of teenage boys who were being mentored through Mi Arca, and with us was a girl, about 11 years old. She was slowly being introduced into the project. On this day, instead of spending the whole day alone, locked in her one-room house (for her own safety), she was out with us. She was safe and surrounded by new friends. I saw her stop and read every sign, look at every statue. She was taking it all in, absorbing information like a sponge in water. Her eyes were wide with wonder and joy. I saw her potential; maybe she will be a historian one day, or a teacher, perhaps a doctor or a lawyer. Doesn’t every child deserve a chance to grow up in a safe environment where they can learn and dream?

I found hope again. I found hope as projects like Mi Arca reach out and change lives, one child at a time. I was reminded of why I do what I do, why I will soon leave England and my family and friends and move thousands of miles away. I will move to follow God’s call on my life and to help reveal hope to children who deserve to dream.

Guatemala

By Azaria Spencer

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WORLD VIEWS

Ain GIFT Groningen A young family with two children. A single mother who is recovering from addiction and rebuilding her life. A widow who works at a primary school. A couple with a history of crime and what they call “black witchcraft”...

T Netherlands

By Berdine van den Toren Lekkerkerker

Right: cooking, conversation and community

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hese are just a few of the people who are part of our community here in Groningen. In a neighbourhood that has a reputation for problematic behaviour, violence and drug and alcohol abuse, this community is growing and becoming known as a safe place where the love of God is central. Benno and I have the privilege of being part of a leadership team of 10 people who are committed to this community.

Every Sunday we get together. First, we light a “Christ candle”, reminding ourselves of the presence of Christ in our midst. We then eat together – a simple lunch of soup and sandwiches – and end with celebration: listening to God’s word, sometimes a short talk or activity, a video clip, music or a game and always prayer.

We also make time to listen to each other’s stories, sharing our joys and worries.

It seems that usually someone has a repair job that cannot be fixed alone and we discuss how we can help. Once a month, a group of women get together independently and cook a meal. This was originally organised by the leadership team but now it is organised by members of the community and we just join in. The same is true with a group that goes for a regular walk. More and more, people who are linked to the community are creating new ways to spend time together and support each other.

When this community was started three years ago, the team was asked to write a vision statement for what the community could look like in five years.

One of the things written was: “In five years’ time, a single mother is able to ask about the possibility of baptism for her child.” Now, after only three years, we are in conversation with a single mother who would like to have her two daughters baptised and with a couple seeking baptism for their children. The single mother is also reflecting on whether she wants to be baptised, too.

One woman, with a painful past and a terrible history with people from a particular church, told us: “This is church for me: a place where I am welcome and where I am never forced to do or be anything.” I remember the first time she came, how she was sneering and saying angry things, and how she had built a protective wall around her. This change brings tears to my eyes.

Being part of this community is a

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privilege. To see God at work in the lives of people, to experience love and care in the midst of a broken world, is a gift.

From the outside it may seem that we are very different from some people in this community – we are working at the university, travelling the world and living in a house that we bought. And yet we are welcomed by this community; we belong.

They care about us and we care about them. This is a community where the gospel is encountered and lived.

Benno and I always say that mission, both local and global, is our passion.

Sometimes that is hard work. And yet being part of this community makes us realise that participating in this mission is not just a job or a task; it is what sustains us. Being part of this community builds our faith, our love for God and our hope in life.

COVER STORY The iconic statue of Our Lady of Lebanon stands on a hilltop at Harissa, about 30km north of Beirut.

Photo: Tanas Alqassis/CMS

A LOT TO LEARN FROM LEBANON

ABOUT

LOVE When people once considered enemies move in next door, how do you resist revenge and show grace instead?

We go to Lebanon to see how Christians there are overcoming enmity and showing love to countless Syrian refugees.

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

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A LOT TO LEARN FROM LEBANON

BY NAOMI ROSE STEINBERG CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: PUBLICATIONS I have been working at Church Mission Society for almost 12 years and during that time, there have only been a handful of circumstances that have made me cry at the office. I won’t go into all of them, but the most recent was about a month ago, when Tanas Alqassis (regional manager for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa) and Philip Mounstephen (executive leader) gave a report on their recent trip to Lebanon. As they shared how God is at work there, I couldn’t help it – the tears appeared.

It’s so easy these days to succumb to fear, cynicism and disillusionment, so to be honest, it was rather wonderful to be confronted with a scenario where I could do little but say, “Wow, that’s God.” As you might know, in recent years close to two million people from Syria have sought refuge in neighbouring Lebanon, a number equivalent to about a third of its population. As two of our partners in Beirut, Amy and David, have explained: “Imagine the impact if the UK had a sudden influx of the same percentage of refugees (around 20 million people). Especially when these people have had to run from war.”

The volatile history between these two countries further complicates the situation. I first became intrigued by this dynamic back in June 2016, when I read the following account from Audrey and Colin, two other CMS people in mission in Beirut.

“The [Syrians] killed my pregnant wife and my mother” were the opening words of a testimony we heard a little while ago from a pastor here. We have heard similar testimonies from others, referring to events that took place during the civil war (1975–1990) and the occupation by Syria

that continued to 2005 – not that long ago. It is all the more remarkable therefore how the church here has responded to the influx of refugees from Syria. The church where we heard the quote is now very active in bringing aid to many refugees. And this is not an isolated instance. God has done an extraordinary work in the hearts of so many Lebanese Christians who are willing to do so much to help those who not long ago were considered to be enemies.

This was the focus of Tanas and Philip’s presentation: how God is working through Christians in Lebanon – who have every reason to hate Syrians – to bring hope and healing to thousands of refugees.

If this is true, I thought, then it seems we in the West have much to learn from our Lebanese brothers and sisters.

LESSON NUMBER ONE: ACCEPT OBSTACLES, BUT LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY The words above may paint a glossy picture but of course the reality is far rockier. Lebanon, a country about the size of Wales with an already-strained infrastructure, has taken in more Syrian refugees than almost any country in the world. It’s not like they had much choice, thanks to the country’s porous borders.

Alia, who works at the LSESD Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD, where Audrey and Colin also work) explained: “The reality is that here it’s not like Turkey or Jordan, there are no official refugee camps where Syrians can stay, so some stay in tents, some in unfinished buildings; some apartments have three or four families

Above: Refugees in Lebanon Right: Syrian refugee children playing at the school started from scratch by CMS partners Emil and Reem (top right) and one of their chalk drawings depicting love, a cross and joy

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living in them.” There are limited opportunities for work and many of those who get jobs do so because the employer knows they can pay a refugee less than a Lebanese worker.

Predictably, over time this has led to increasing tension between Lebanese and Syrian people, with the former feeling the latter are stealing their jobs.

There are religious tensions too, as many of the refugees are Sunni Muslims, which makes the Lebanese Shiite population nervous. And many Christians, too – the temptation to leave the country is great.

For Emil and Reem, a couple who are supported by CMS as local partners, it’s the opposite story. They returned to Lebanon in 2014, after living in North Africa for several years. When they got home, they saw their house was surrounded by at least 20 Syrian families living in tents. “I remember it was the coldest winter in Lebanon for years,” said Reem. “These people had no furniture and very little food. Some of the children didn’t even have shoes.”

“They had nobody to care for them,” said Emil, an ordained Anglican priest. “I started asking local people what they were doing to help these poor people. Most of them weren’t interested. So I asked God what he wanted me to do. I felt him say to me, ‘Emil, one day you will stand before me and I will say to you, I was marginalised, what did you do? I was a stranger, what did you do? The next day I said to my neighbours that I respect how you feel but I’m going to go to them. And that’s how this ministry started.”

Reem started spending a bit of time with some of the children, telling them stories under a tree.

One day she asked one girl, who was about 10 years old, “Farrah, if you could ask somebody to give you something what would you want.” Farrah answered that she would want a pencil and paper.

“I was so affected by this,” said Reem. “I went and bought some notebooks for the children and started teaching them to write a bit.”

Alia at LSESD pointed out that a vast number of Syrian refugee children are not in school. “Many are working. Because it’s hard for adults to find work, it’s

offered his garage.

Using it as a base they dug out a slightly larger space and arranged it into a classroom.

“We started with five, then 20, then 40, now sometimes up to 80 children,” said Emil.

Most of the teachers are Iraqi refugees who came to Lebanon to escape ISIS. Emil had been doing Bible study with them and when they heard about the school they wanted to help.

“It’s normal school, but we also teach them the love of God,” Emil said.

“The children come from Muslim backgrounds but their families are so happy they are learning, they have no problem with our faith – though it’s probably something they would never do back home: send their children to a priest for education.

“This is a special time. You can look at the refugee issue and see it as either a problem or an opportunity. They are coming to us now, so we can ask, do we have something to give? And of course we have a lot to give.”

LESSON NUMBER TWO: LOVE WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED When Emil says opportunity, some might think “opportunistic” but the Christians we have spoken to insist that compassion isn’t contingent on conversion. Alia said, “Our support is a practical reflection of the non-conditional love of Christ.

Hence it has to be non-conditional, and should preserve the dignity of the recipient.” LSESD is involved in equipping the Arab Church through leadership development and publishing, as well as education, community development and relief.

This doesn’t mean that refugees aren’t coming

“It’s still a challenge to some Christians here to serve and show love for Syrians but it’s God’s love through us that does this,” said one Lebanese Christian

more feasible to send the children to beg or steal or do manual labour.”

“I’ve seen children as young as four years old working on farms; the farmer will make them work all day in exchange for a place to stay,” said Reem.

Reem and Emil began looking for a place to start a small school for refugee children. “But as soon as people heard it was to help Syrians, everyone said no; they felt enmity with the Syrians because of the past, the war is alive in memories,” said Emil. After a couple of weeks of fruitless searching, Emil’s brother

to faith in Jesus; they are. “It used to be that if there was one Muslim-background believer in a church, everyone knew who that person was,” said one local Christian. “Today, there are countless numbers of Syrian Muslim-background believers seekers in Lebanon” Two of the pastors Tanas and Philip spoke with in Lebanon stated that a majority of their congregations consisted of Syrian refugees; many of them have come to faith in Jesus since moving to Lebanon.

“Many became disillusioned with Islam, some had

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

dreams or visions of Jesus,” said one pastor.

For R, it was a number of factors. She and her husband and children left Aleppo five years ago after an invasion by opposition forces. Their house was destroyed. A couple of years ago when she was pregnant, it was discovered that her baby had hydrocephalus (a build-up of fluid on the brain). “I went to many doctors, who said there was no hope,” R told Tanas and Philip. Desperate, she went to a local church and asked for prayer. “The whole church prayed for me. Now, our little girl is 10 months old and very healthy. Thanks be to God.” R put her trust in Jesus; the other children in the family now attend the church school, which is constructed out of shipping containers, after having a hard time at a government school. “They didn’t like the first school; at the church school, they are happy, treated better and they are learning.”

It seems quite a few Christian schools in Lebanon have a student population with increasing numbers of Syrian refugee children. As one local teacher put it, “The stories from the children are heart-breaking, especially when you see where they are living. I think of how we as parents often forbid our children from watching films that are too scary; these children have experienced many times more in their short lives than we would ever allow our children to watch.”

While at some government schools, Syrian children can face indifference or discrimination, at Christian schools, they find people who care about them unconditionally.

LESSON NUMBER THREE: TO FORGIVE IS DIVINE There can be little doubt that the unexpected charity many Syrians are finding from Lebanese Christians is contributing to their curiosity about Jesus. Yet, it would be disingenuous to suggest that overcoming fear, resentment and enmity towards their former occupiers has been easy for Lebanese Christians. And not all Christians have reacted magnanimously.

One pastor of a Baptist church said, “My family doesn’t like what I’m doing because the Syrians did bad things to Lebanon; our village was destroyed, they destroyed churches. I was with the militia back in those days fighting them; I spent 90 days under shelling day and night. And now I’m pastoring a church with lots of Syrian people. Some people get mad when you say you love Syrian people. But I believe God has sent them here.” His wife agreed: “It’s still a challenge to some Christians here to serve and show love for Syrians but it’s God’s love through us that does this.”

Her words reminded me of a passage in The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, when she is speaking at a church about forgiveness and then recognises a man who was a guard at the concentration camp where she was imprisoned for helping Jewish people during the Holocaust. The man wants to shake Corrie’s hand but she recoils: Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. … I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness.

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from

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A LOT TO LEARN FROM LEBANON me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on his.

When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself.

“I thought I was coming to help refugees. But I see now they are helping me, praying for me. It’s like living in the book of Acts. I’ve learned not to put God in a box; I knew he was big; now I’m seeing this with my own eyes.”

Pastor Elie

“An ideal life” drawn by one of the children at the school Emil and Reem lead

And in Lebanon, while many Christians might not have chosen forgiveness, it seems forgiveness has come to them. A pastor named Elie said: “Before I was a believer I had bad feelings for Syrians because of the war.

I’ve had many incidents where Syrians held me at gunpoint. It is difficult. But God moved me from one side to the other. I know he has prepared me and is calling me to work with them. I need to work with them.”

Another pastor who used to fight in the militia said, “God changed my heart, he took away my hatred. God started to use me. “ Alia from LSESD told another story about a woman who was lined up with her family on a wall at gunpoint during the war. “She was praying, ‘God I don’t want to see my husband killed in front me.’ Just then a man from the Lebanese army came and shot the Syrian captors. When her church started working with Syrians she didn’t want anything to do with it. Now she and her son help head up a relief ministry. God is helping people to forgive. That is what is touching Syrians. They know the history. This speaks volumes.”

“I don’t really understand what’s happening with all these Syrians coming here,” one pastor admitted. “Had God consulted with me I would have advised something else. But God has a plan. People have been praying for a long time for God to touch the hearts of Muslims. So if God answers, who are we to not be happy about how it happens. We have to obey, to love.”

LESSON NUMBER FOUR: GOD IS BIG Said, leader of the Life Centre in Beirut, where CMS is getting ready to send a new mission partner couple, said, “I used to fight Syrians, I was a refugee twice because of them.

I ended up taking shelter at a military base with my father, then they took the base and we were displaced. Many in the Christian community here still feel threatened. I see it differently.

The Syrians are coming to us. Instead of hating them, we should preach the gospel. Where others see horror, I see children of God; I see future pastors and apostles among them.”

As it turns out, Said is right. As

astonishing as it might be for Lebanese Christians to find themselves caring for Syrians, it has been a further surprise to see Syrian refugees turn around and minister to others. R, mentioned above, has a thriving evangelistic ministry, going door to door, telling everyone she can about Jesus.

Pastor Elie shared a story of another woman, N, who started attending church, assuming that the people wouldn’t accept her. “She came here, was accepted, she saw the love of Jesus and got baptised and then her husband did the same after a month. They are now in another country, sharing about the Lord with Muslim people there.”

“I thought I was coming to help refugees,” he continued. “But I see now they are helping me, praying for me. All the relief work this church does is now done by Syrian people. It’s like living in the book of Acts. I’ve learned not to put God in a box; I knew he was big; now I’m seeing this with my own eyes.”

Alia is still amazed at the change she’s seen in the Lebanese church. “For years in Lebanon, churches were inward focused, more isolated. Today, we can say to the Syrian refugees, we can support you, we know what it’s like, we have been there. We are standing by people in need and we are seeing a totally new church emerge which we never dreamed of. God is working in the churches. Those who have tasted what it means to stand by the vulnerable – I don’t see them stopping.”

“I feel blessed to be born in this place, in this time,” said Elie.

And hopefully now you can see why I wept.

PRAY

1 Pray for Christians in

Lebanon, including CMS people in mission, as they show love to refugees

2 Pray for true and lasting

peace in the Middle East

3 Pray for internally

displaced people within Syria, including a number of Christians who are ministering to others

Please note: some names have been changed for security reasons.

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WHEN CULTURES FEATURE CONVERGE STORY

LIVING WELL

DYING WELL

Below: Phillipa and Dan Munday in Kathmandu, Francesca Elloway in DR Congo and Francesca’s Congolese colleague Rev Madhira

Church Mission Society people in mission are pioneering palliative care in Nepal and DR Congo

BY JO MITCHELL, FREELANCE WRITER

A

flask of hot water, a mattress to lie on and a neighbour’s company: these small provisions brought comfort to K in the last days of her life and showed her that she was not alone or unloved.

An elderly widow in DR Congo, K’s cancer was in its final stage and she spent day

after day by herself, while her daughter worked at the local market to support her struggling family. Lying for long hours on a thin mat on the ground, she developed crippling bed sores and was unable even to make herself a drink.

Members of the diocese of Aru medical services palliative care team found simple, inexpensive but effective ways of reducing K’s pain and loneliness by giving her a flask and a mattress, treating her sores, explaining how to minimise them and finding a kind neighbour willing to visit a few times a day.

Where resources are scarce, healthcare provision often – understandably – focuses on meeting immediate and urgent needs. Medical staff are trained to diagnose, treat and effect a cure wherever possible. But the unavoidable truth is that everyone will come to the end of life, to a point where we can’t be made better.

How people live in those final years, months or days matters deeply to Dr Francesca Elloway and Dr Dan Munday of Church Mission Society. These two doctors are pioneering new approaches to palliative care in DRC and Nepal respectively, where there is currently little provision. They are focusing their efforts, in Dan’s words, not simply on “enabling people to die free from pain… but enabling people to live well, even though their life expectancy may be short.”

PALLIATIVE CARE: RELATIVELY NEW IN NEPAL While the concept of palliative care was first introduced in Nepal in 2000, few people in the country are specially trained to provide it, and

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

only one centre provides palliative care in the whole of rural Nepal. The needs in remote rural areas are huge, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating 2015 earthquake. On a recent assessment trip, a six-hour bus ride and a further six-hour trek brought Dan’s team to an isolated community where they learned that the younger generation had left for work in cities or overseas and those who remained were old, frail, and vulnerable with very little access to any health care, and certainly no palliative care.

In order to establish and embed palliative care across Nepal, Dan and his team (in conjunction with International Nepal Fellowship) worked to provide training, challenge current levels of provision and demonstrate good, culturallyrelevant practice. “It is important not to impose a Western model of palliative care in a country like Nepal – it won’t work,” Dan says. “In the UK it is the patient’s right to make decisions about who else knows about their illness and is involved in their care; the technical term is ‘autonomy’.”

Because Nepalese families tend to be much more involved in patients’ lives than in the UK, an intentionally three-way model has been developed, with communication that includes clinician, patient and family.

The team’s approach is both grassroots and strategic. Their vision is that not only medical staff should receive training, but also local people who live in the community alongside those in need of care; over 60 women who are members of local churches recently gathered in Pokhara for a two-day workshop in caring and listening skills. At the same time, Dan, who worked in palliative care for 15 years in the UK prior to moving to Nepal four years ago, is also working with Nepali colleagues to write a national strategy for palliative care in Nepal. The Nepal Association of Palliative Care (NAPCare) recently handed the strategy over to the ministry of health for final approval and an implementation plan is now being developed.

NAPCare will now be engaging with the ministry of health and other groups to get the strategy 15

LIVING WELL DYING WELL

“It’s not merely a way of being able to speak to people about the gospel. It is the gospel.”

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WHEN CULTURES CONVERGE adopted into health service policy.

Palliative care not only helps alleviate suffering, it also serves to introduce new approaches to care – to ways of listening and giving patients and their families a voice – which can be life changing. A baby born without an oesophagus was recently referred to Manju BK, who is receiving training to become a specialist palliative care nurse, based at Tansen mission hospital. The parents had been told their baby needed surgery in Kathmandu and, as they felt unable to take her, she was referred for palliative care. Manju took time to speak with the parents and listen to their concerns. As a result, they felt empowered to take her to Kathmandu, where she received surgery and now has a very good chance of survival. Manju recently spoke at the Nepal Christian Medical and Dental Association and Hospital Christian Fellowship joint conference, and is at the forefront of work to pioneer palliative care in her country.

Dan comments: “We believe that palliative care is not only important in its own right, but is a vehicle for demonstrating and teaching a really patient-centred approach to healthcare.”

DEVELOPMENTS IN DR CONGO As for DR Congo, palliative care is almost unknown outside the capital, Kinshasa. Given the level of poverty and hardship so many already live with, patients with a terminal condition often feel a burden, ending their lives simply waiting for death at home in great discomfort.

This is further compounded by cultural beliefs which make prioritising the needs of a palliative care patient a challenge. Francesca says, “There is the big challenge of people’s expectations and the need to ‘do something’….

Medical personnel feel they need to be seen to be doing all they can to cure the patient…and close family members and friends need to do something to help them feel that they are helping their loved one and also so that they are not criticised after the death and accused of not doing all they could.”

Furthermore, the power and influence of traditional healers and medicine remains strong. T, a young man with advanced rectal cancer, was being cared for by Dr Francesca Elloway’s team. Believing that the illness was caused by his uncle’s rape of his mother years before, his relatives decided to bring T and both sides of his family together to resolve the issue. They then removed him from the palliative team’s care and took him to a traditional healer.

Fortunately, they brought him back for a blood transfusion, and the team was able to provide some comfort to him in his last days. But when a seriously ill patient can be removed from care and told that his pain is the result of a crime committed by someone else decades before, the issues to be resolved to ensure good palliative care are clearly deep-rooted and complex.

Manju, a palliative care nurse in Nepal, sits with a patient. Photo

by Gary Brough, EMMS International

CHOOSING TO STAY After close to two decades of working as community health coordinator in DR Congo, Francesca had been planning her return to the UK, gradually handing over the running of the programme to Congolese colleagues and doing some distance learning training in palliative care.

It became clear, however, that God had different ideas, as she explains: “Particularly amazing guidance came from my colleague, Rev Madhira, who used to be a nurse but subsequently trained as a pastor. He had never heard of palliative care but when I explained it to him his reaction was, ‘I’m sure this is what the Lord has been preparing me to do, it uses my medical and pastoral skills!’ He has become my right hand man in this work.”

She is now bringing all her experience, energy and expertise to bear on establishing palliative care in DR Congo and beyond. Her focus is both close to home:

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

running a home-based palliative care service in the diocese of Aru, and far-reaching: working with Hospice Africa Uganda which provides training to medical personnel from Francophone African countries. There is a real thirst for training on the subject; a hospital chaplain based 600km away, for example, was passing through Aru when he heard one of Francesca’s radio broadcasts. He came to visit the team and stayed to take part in a seminar, keen to take literature and resources back to his hospital.

In the future, Francesca hopes to see the Congolese church playing a key role in providing pain-relieving, lifeaffirming palliative care, with a dedicated group in each church giving patients practical, emotional and spiritual support, and reinforcing the value of each person’s life, however long it may be. “Palliative care fits in extremely well with the holistic mission of the church: caring for the whole person. It is also a wonderful way in which the church can show God’s love to...people [who] have often been marginalised by society.”

PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CARE Palliative care embraces every aspect of a person’s life, and it can be a privilege to give spiritual support to someone as they transition from their life on earth. F has terminal liver failure, and has been receiving palliative care from the team in Aru for the last few months. He had begun a conversation with a pastor about being baptised, but when his condition deteriorated sharply, the first request he made to the carers who came to visit him was to be baptised. This was quickly arranged, and F’s first words afterwards were, “Now I am healed.” While physically far from well, his highest priority was to feel spiritually ready to die, secure in the knowledge that he would be with God. Showing someone in pain, who feels unseen and excluded by their illness, that they are valued and caredfor is a concept that is gaining traction in these contexts.

Palliative care is a gift to a person walking a hard journey, and a powerful way of expressing the limitless love and presence of God. Dan has not forgotten the thoughts an Indian pastor once shared with him on the role of palliative care: “It’s not merely a way of being able to speak to people about the gospel. It is the gospel.”

PRAY

1

Pray for for the inclusion of palliative care in all nursing and medical training in DR Congo.

2

Pray for God to prepare those doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists he is calling to – and within – Nepal to help people to live well at the end of their lives (see classifieds on page 32).

*Jo Mitchell is a freelance writer at www.nightingale.ink 17

. . .

S I N O I S MIS G I B E H T ?

N O I T S E QU It’s time to listen to what people think about mission.

Mission. It’s a little word with a lot of baggage.

Church Mission Society believes that all God’s people are called to join in God’s mission.

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

But it seems like there are a number of things keeping people from putting this call into action.

One of those barriers might be confusion about what ‘mission is’.

We don’t want to drop the word ‘mission’. But we do want to make mission easier to understand – and to be part of.

So how can you help? First, please go to churchmissionsociety.org and use our simple, fun online app to answer a few short questions about mission. Then tell your friends and Listening to people’s thoughts on mission will help us better understand family to do the same. All of them.

Make sure they do it. Bribe them with where they are coming from, and figure out creative ways to bust some cake if you need to. mission myths and inspire more Getting more people involved in involvement. And the more people mission starts by asking a few involved in mission, the better, right? questions.

So over the next few months, all across the country, we’ll be looking for as many people as possible to give us their perspective on mission.

What is mission? You tell us.

We’re ready to listen.

Check out the Mission is APP at

churchmissionsociety.org/mi THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

INTERVIEW MARK SCANDRETTE

Practically FREE

San Francisco-based author and activist Mark Scandrette visited Church Mission Society earlier this year and challenged us to “live free”

INTERVIEW BY DEBBIE JAMES AND JONATHAN SELF YOU’VE JUST DONE A WORKSHOP HERE ON “LIVING FREE”; WHAT DO YOU THINK KEEPS US FROM DOING SO? There are some dominant scripts in western culture that define our ideas of success. Those scripts tend to be about materialism, consumption, more, bigger, better. They push us towards a life that’s hurried, anxious, cluttered and unsustainable.

We have believed a narrative of scarcity; this creates a hunger in us to want to control things, to have a fetishised relationship with feeling secure. And this holds us back from freedom.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT OF YOUR STORY? I live in San Francisco, in the Mission district.

It’s historically a Latin American barrio, but it’s become newly attractive to people who work for Facebook, Apple and Google. So there’s a kind of convulsing between old and new residents. We have been creating community around mission practices in this neighbourhood for 20 years.

I came to faith as a teenager and I wanted to tell everyone about it. Over time I realised that instead of talking so much about Jesus I needed to learn to live his way. I’m grateful to have come from a family where my father would read the Bible to us and then ask, for example, about the good Samaritan story: “So who are our neighbours and how can we love them?” And we’d brainstorm: bake

20

cookies, invite everyone to a holiday party, etc. So at a young age I picked up the idea that when we engage with scripture we are invited to do something in response.

And I knew that’s how I wanted to live as a follower of Jesus.

Before Lisa and I moved to San Francisco, we worked with people in low income estates, who were struggling with trauma and addiction. Trying to love them and share Jesus with them gave us the chance to reflect on, and in some ways interrogate, what it means to be Christian. I grew up thoroughly middle class. Most of my pat answers didn’t connect with their deep needs and that put me on a journey of finding a way of understanding the gospel that connects more truly with human ache, something that’s more practical.

When we got to SF, we bought a drug house and rehabilitated it.

Our neighbourhood at the time was plagued by drugs, gunfire and gang killings.

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

WHEN CULTURES CONVERGE We got some resistance from the neighbourhood; ethnically we are different from the majority of the population. When they found out we were Christian, they were initially suspicious.

What often happens to people when we cross a cultural boundary is that our Christianity changes, our understanding of Christianity expands. When we tried to share about our journey with people, many wondered, “have they lost their minds?”

Because it didn’t look like the Christianity they practised. It’s been a big learning curve.

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE MISSION? I would say it’s waking up to God’s reality and participating in what God is up to in the world. It’s joining in God’s heart to see renewal of all things.

CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY TALKS A LOT ABOUT CALLING. HOW CAN THE IDEA OF CALLING HELP PEOPLE LIVE FREE? My book Free talks about limiting consumption for justice, equality and environmental reasons, but interestingly, we start with the question, “What matters most?” Calling relates to being free in that we are all in the process of discerning, “Who am I? What was I made to do and how can I, as the specific person I am, join in with what God is doing in my context?” This forms the basis of asking other questions, for example, “Am I spending my time on my calling? Are my resources helping or hindering my calling?”

IF YOU HAD THE WHOLE UK CHURCH’S ATTENTION FOR A FEW MINUTES WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? I would say that the church here is in one sense like an art museum; there are many beautiful buildings and historic institutions. And institutions preserve the history of people who’ve been on a journey. They are important. But if the church is an art museum then it needs art inside.

Now, the impulse to be a curator is different than being an artist; we need the church to not just see itself as curator of history and tradition, but as creator of something so beautiful and alive that it’s worth preserving the story. The contrast is interesting: institutions are well ordered, but where art is made is usually in the low rent district and it’s messy, experimental.

We need to celebrate innovation and experimentation. I like the word “experiment” because it says that for a period of time we will try something new. We hope it will connect and meet needs. And after trying for a while we will consider what we’ve learned and what to do next in light of this learning.

Sometimes, when trying new things, people think they have to have everything charted out, and they can’t.

Like in technology, you develop

something just enough and then you go through various iterations. And you evaluate again. I also think that trying something new can help create community and help people become more selfaware and depend more on God. We need to give people permission to try new things and to fail, because that’s where you learn.

CAN YOU SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF A MISSION EXPERIMENT? Where I live the Muslim community is separated from American culture. They don’t feel safe. Last year I arranged to take some friends to celebrate Eid at a mosque I had previously visited. We were blown away at the hospitality we received.

I brought some teenagers and they met Muslim teenagers and became Facebook friends and

“God is inviting us into the kind of life we were created for, but we have to participate. We can’t just sit and wait for it.” much good came from that. We’ve now done this a few times and seen more understanding and empathy.

Our faith invites us to consider what it means to love God and neighbour in a small world. There are urgent issues to grapple with, incredible inequities – the 12 per cent who live in Western Europe and America are responsible for 60 per cent of global consumption.

SO HOW CAN WE LIVE AND LOVE IN LIGHT OF THIS? Among people I journey with we are really wrestling with this. We know that the climate is changing and human activity has shaped this, so part of loving God and people is figuring out how to change our behaviours: install solar panels, eat less meat protein. We already know that if we were to live more fully in the wholeness that God desires for this world, we would take lots of small steps like these. I’ve found that these steps are easier to take with others. Together we can create the culture of wholeness God desires.

WHEN IT COMES TO LIVING FREE, YOU SEEM TO PLACE MORE EMPHASIS ON PRACTICE THAN KNOWLEDGE? There was a time when information was scarce.

Now I have more access to information from my phone than most intellectuals had in their whole lives 100 or even 50 years ago. If information was the key to transformation, we would see a different species of human beings: loving, tolerant, gracious, compassionate. We aren’t

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

seeing that.

What happens as we gather more and more information, is that we start to feel like there are piles of things we know we should do better, but we don’t have the space to. I’ve said this before: people probably already know as much as they need to know to get active. Many of us could shut our Bible and, based on memory, have enough to do for the rest of our lives. People we admire from ages past had much less information. Early Christians had maybe a letter from Paul or a few vignettes about Jesus that got passed around and that was enough for them to start actively living the Jesus way.

We learn things not just by data, but by experience. When Jesus taught he wasn’t teaching theory; he was talking about life as it actually is.

The Christian spiritual path is essentially inviting us into reality; what we need to do is to test it out. In John’s Gospel, people ask Jesus to prove whether his teaching comes from human sources or God. Jesus could have argued from reason but instead he says you will know if the teaching is from God if you choose to do the will of God. So we have to act in order to know and I think we’ve got that flipped. It seems Jesus started inviting disciples to do things before they understood fully what was going on. Choosing to follow him allowed them to confirm who he was or at least to keep asking. So it would be helpful for us to invite each other into action and practice. Because we are shaped by our practices.

Whatever kind of life we have, our repeated activities have brought us here. If I live a life of worry, resentment, anger, stress, lust, jealousy, I’ve been practising for that. Practice helps shape us to become a particular kind of person. The gospel invitation is to become a person in the likeness of Christ.

We Christians like to say, “It’s not about what we do; it’s about what God did for us,” but Paul said to work out our salvation in fear and trembling because it’s God who works in us. God is inviting us into the kind of life we were created for, but we have to participate. We can’t just sit and wait for it.

LEARN

Mark and his wife Lisa have written a new book called Belonging and Becoming: Creating a Thriving Family Culture. We also recommend their book Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most

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INTERVIEW LIBBY HAWKNESS-SMITH

An interview with Libby HawknessSmith, who heads up Journey On, a community-in-mission for people with learning differences such as autism and anxiety WHAT IS JOURNEY ON AND HOW DID IT START? I think the embryo was created when I was a teenager and then at university. I had a bunch of friends who I later realised were probably on the autistic spectrum but at the time I just thought were different and fun. I formed a group called the Random Fun Club. We made jam, played music and did quiz nights.

Journey On started in 2011, when I first got involved in a local nursing home for young disabled adults. My church in Reading has been going there regularly for 20 years, which is fantastic. However, I noticed that they weren’t really challenging residents to think theologically or to engage with more meaty stuff in the Bible.

So I started a discipleship group which evolved over the years.

A little while later, I realised there were people in church who weren’t connecting; they went to church but didn’t really have friendships there. So I started a social group that meets once a month in a pub; people come for food and drink and to share stories and be themselves.

Most who come are on the autistic spectrum. Then I formed another group where we go for a monthly walk in the woods

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WHEN CULTURES CONVERGE and have food and time together. Then a friend in Sweden helped me found an internet-based group for people who want to connect more with others but due to physical or emotional reasons find it hard to be out much.

So basically Journey On is a network of friends.

People usually come to a group via word of mouth or personal invitation. There are currently about 45 of us altogether, many of whom would just say they’re part of “Libby’s groups”. People can take what they want or need from Journey On. It’s not a structured church but a series of supported meetings.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES PEOPLE WITH AUTISM HAVE FACED IN A TRADITIONAL CHURCH SETTING? People with learning differences like autism or social anxiety find certain things difficult; it’s hard to be in a big group of people, to meet strangers, to handle coursework, to sit and write. They may have sensory struggles.

It can take a while to realise you have autism. I know a number of people who were diagnosed in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, who spent their whole life thinking, “I’m different, I’m unusual and that’s not allowed,” even in church. Among the people I work with, some found church patronising, some found church antagonistic, exclusive or judgmental.

Many well-meaning people assume that those with learning differences have life hard enough as it is and therefore don’t want to give them challenges, like what was happening in the nursing home. But a lot of people with autism or Asperger’s want to be challenged; they just need incremental support, someone to help them build up to a challenge. One man with autism once told me: “I love how you challenge me to be the best I can be. Too many people say, ‘It’s too hard for you, don’t bother.’”

So like much of society, church can be unintentionally patronising or it can demand adherence to one common model, which the majority are comfortable with. So if for example, someone with sensory struggles finds church music too loud, often the person in charge doesn’t say, “Oh, how can we soften it? Or is there a place we can reserve for you that’s more comfortable?”

So that discourages people with learning differences.

DO YOU THINK IT’S BETTER TO ENCOURAGE THE FORMATION OF SPECIAL GROUPS LIKE JOURNEY ON OR TO ENCOURAGE TRADITIONAL CHURCH TO CHANGE? There’s a somewhat well-known saying: “If you’ve met one autistic person you’ve met one autistic person.” Everyone is different. So I would encourage all churches to move forward by seeing if they can identify who in their church might be on the autistic spectrum and being more inclusive: talking to them in appropriate ways, asking what they need and responding.

I have a friend who works in youth ministry and there’s an autistic boy in her group. She said to me one day how sad it was that he didn’t want to talk or get involved. “If he doesn’t enjoy it, why does he come?” she asked. I said he might be enjoying it but not showing his enjoyment in ways you

would expect. I suggested she sit and talk with him, asking him direct questions, which she did.

It turns out he thinks youth group is brilliant. He doesn’t like to put himself forward for things, but when she asks him if he’d like to make the tea or lead in prayer, he loves helping.

Churches might need to pay more attention.

Some support groups might be helpful. And bear in mind things like if your church is going through lots of changes, this can unsettle an autistic person.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR ADVICE FOR PEOPLE LEADING CHILDREN’S CHURCH? Many children on the autistic spectrum feel more comfortable with rules. Various people have pointed out that people with autism respond well to rules, but much of society is based on unwritten or un-communicated expectations. People won’t share what the rules are but they will react when the rules are broken. So for children’s church, I’d say be explicit: say, “We will start with 10 minutes of singing, the words on the screen, then we’ll pray. If you want some quiet, there is an art space in the corner. We will finish at 11.”

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU’VE DEVELOPED SUCH AN AFFINITY AND ABILITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES? I think it’s partly because I grew up in lots of different cultures. My parents were mission pioneers. I was born in Singapore. Then we went to Laos, Ukraine and China. I joke that I had five worldviews before age 10. I think this has given me an ability to not pre-judge people and to be okay outside my comfort zone.

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH GROW AS DISCIPLES? There is a woman in the home I visit. She didn’t know much about the Bible or her Christian identity. Then she joined our two-year confirmation group, where we adapted some materials, simplifying them and taking more time over some topics that might be hard to grasp.

She was later confirmed and continues to grow in faith.

There’s another group, made up of people who are not necessarily Christian. We go for walks together and have a short time of reflection using poetry and prayers written by pioneers. We also contemplate nature. When I take people into the wilderness, you can almost see them breathing sighs of relief. It’s beautiful to watch people start out stressed and hunched over with clenched fists, and in a few hours they are relaxed, walking and talking together.

Anyway, a number of people in this group initially told me, “I hate God, I don’t like Christianity.” Now when we get together they often say, “I was reading such and such in the Bible and I don’t understand, can you explain?”

Or, “So what is grace?” There’s much to be gained from giving people space to reflect and respond together.

DO YOU THINK THERE ARE ANY BIBLICAL EXAMPLES THAT PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES CAN ESPECIALLY RELATE TO?

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

I’ve been told Nicodemus had autism, because he came to Jesus at night when nobody else was around and had a specific question about something abstract Jesus had said. He needed Jesus to explain in detail what he was talking about. I’ve also been told that Zacchaeus might have had social anxiety.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN TRYING TO CONNECT WITH THOSE ON THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM? To borrow a well-used image, people with learning differences are like Apple users and Microsoft users. People are just on different operating systems. We need to find ways to work together and celebrate each other’s operating systems. People with autism have many unique gifts to contribute to church.

If you’re among people with social anxiety or autism, you need to be aware of two things: inertia and meltdowns. Inertia means that however hard they try, people struggle to do things; it’s easier to not do things. So no matter how much they want to, picking up a phone or going out can be difficult. As for meltdowns, people on the autistic spectrum tend to be very angry, upset, stressed, happy, excited; they struggle with mild emotion.

I’m personally challenged by this: isn’t it more authentic to have stronger feelings and show them? Anyway, they might snap your head off because they can’t cope with their intense feelings at the moment. And I’m now very familiar with last-minute cancellations because the person I was meeting just couldn’t bear it. You can’t let behaviour you aren’t used to stop you from being there for people. People might say hurtful things, but they are often reacting out of stress and will do so with the people they trust most.

Probably the biggest mistake people make is approaching autistic people with their own agenda, assuming people will behave a certain way and judging them when they don’t. A lot of people with autism have left church because they felt they couldn’t measure up. They already feel judged by society; it’s a shame to have a church reinforce that. Especially since church is one place where people should feel loved and free to be themselves.

LEARN

Libby has just completed a three-year diploma on the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course. To join this dynamic learning community: pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org

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COMMUNITY NEWS Results are in: Mark Berry gets to grips with your feedback

SURVEY SAYS…

BY MARK BERRY, COMMUNITY MISSION MOBILISER FOR CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY The CMS community is “family”, “fellowship”, “encouraging”, “challenging”, “missional” and “prayerful” according to our members.

RESPONSE RATE The community mission team has been overwhelmed by the response to our recent members’ survey which was sent out with the last edition of The Call. More than 550 people filled in the questionnaire online or by hand. As there are currently close to 3,000 members of the CMS community in total, this is a highly impressive response rate.

This survey along with the community vision day and the time we spend visiting groups and gatherings all over the country, is part of our ongoing commitment to listen to feedback and ideas from the CMS community.

Ninety per cent of those who responded said that CMS helps them learn what God is doing in other parts of the world, and 87 per cent said that they feel resourced for prayer.

This is great news for us; it demonstrates that members feel supported in their call to pray for, learn from and participate in mission. The high value people place on Prayerlines, The Call, Prayerspace emails and link letters (according to members these are, in order, the most helpful communications that CMS produces) supports this.

When we asked which gatherings and events were the most helpful to members, local group meetings and regional gatherings (Southern and Northern members’ days) came out strongly, followed by prayer and spirituality days and the community vision day. We recognise that this does present us with a challenge – we need to put serious thought into how we encourage and support local groups. The good news is that this is something we are aware of and a very fruitful discussion was held at this year’s community vision day about this subject. We are hugely grateful to members and groups that organise events – this year ranging from Southampton to Stirling! These gatherings are clearly very important in helping people to feel connected and involved in the life of CMS and the indication is that there is a need to grow these gatherings.

In reference to the community vision day, several people asked whether this highly valued event could be made more accessible to those in different regions; this is something we will explore.

“Ninety per cent of those who responded said that CMS helps them learn what God is doing in other parts of the world, and 87 per cent said that they feel resourced for prayer.”

WHAT WE LEARNED This survey demonstrated that CMS members are very active people; around a third have undertaken some global mission service and two thirds have been involved in leadership in their local church. This will not be a surprise I’m sure, but it’s encouraging to be reminded that CMS members are people who are committed to mission both globally and supporting the mission of the local church – though service, through leadership and just as significantly through prayer.

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TOUGH QUESTIONS Some of the questions were hard to answer, particularly when we asked people to list their areas of mission concern in order of preference. We knew this would be a challenge.

The answers, however, were interesting and helpful. In terms of mission concerns the two top selections were “making disciples” followed by “peace and reconciliation”. The question pertaining to members’ regional concerns showed an even picture, with Africa just heading the pack as a key region of interest, closely followed by the UK and then Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

THANK YOU A final note of thanks: 96 per cent of respondents said they give regularly to CMS with the majority (70 per cent) giving mainly to the mission of CMS as a whole and a third having included CMS in their will. We cannot express how grateful we are for this; the mission of CMS is dependent on the generous giving of members and on this fabulous community of prayer.

We are still in the process of looking at the implications of this survey and will report on our responses as plans are made. In the meantime, thank you again for your feedback.

JOIN

If you are reading this and you haven’t yet joined the Church Mission Society community, go to churchmissionsociety.org/ community to become a member.

COMMUNITY EVENTS 12 JUNE. 7pm. York and District CMS Association summer meeting and AGM. The Tithe Barn, Church Lane, Nether Poppleton, YO26 6LF. Speaker: Shelagh Wynne.

13 JUNE. Open Day for the Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course at Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ. Contact: pioneer@churchmissionsociety.org 16-17 JUNE. Wales and the Borders conference, Llangasty Retreat House, Brecon. Main speaker: Henry Scriven, CMS mission director for Latin America. Contact Barbara Oakley: 01694 724225 or barbara@taitaoakleys.co.uk 21 JUNE. 2.30pm. Cream tea in Northamptonshire. St Katharine’s Church, Irchester. Subject: Local partners and you, with Jane Jerrard, former mission partner in Pakistan.

Cost £4. Contact Joan Botterill: 01933 350126 17 JULY. 10.45am. Norwich Gathering. House of Prayer at St Edmund’s Fishergate, Norwich NR3 1SE. Talk: Mission in Norwich: how CMS shaped me as a pioneer missioner – Rev Heather Cracknell. Followed by fellowship and prayer; drinks provided, bring your own lunch. Contact Louise Wright: 01508 536940 or louisewri@ yahoo.co.uk 18 JULY. 10am–4pm. Pioneering on Estates and New Housing Developments - day conference at CMS in Oxford. Book online at churchmissionsociety.org/estates 24 JULY. 7-9pm. “Flavours of Winson Green” – food and stories from global Birmingham.

COULD YOU BE A TRUSTEE? Church Mission Society is seeking people to serve on its board of trustees.

In our life as a community, trustees are responsible for encouraging and enabling the community to grow in its mission and ministry and for its governance and finances. It is crucial that the board has people with a breadth and depth of experience. We are particularly looking for people with business, financial and pensions expertise. Former mission partners or people involved in mission as members of the community would be very welcome. We hope this process will result in a board that continues to be diverse in

THE CALL IN ACTION Bishop Latimer Hall, Winson Green. Hear stories of cross-cultural local mission and meet new CMS people in mission. Contact Linda Sammons: 01865 787482 or linda.sammons@ churchmissionsociety.org

People in mission changes New mission partners

4 SEPTEMBER. 11am-noon, plus lunch (optional). York and District CMS association prayer lunch. Spurriergate Centre, York. Contact Eileen Wishart: 01904 633705

B and M have begun service in South East Asia, where the church is seeking to do mission among the shanty towns which have sprung up on the outskirts of the main city of the country they are working in.

15 SEPTEMBER. 9am–4pm. York and District CMS association CMS fundraiser. St Crux, York.

Come and help us serve visitors and residents of York. Contact Miranda Smith: 01904 424322 or Jean Mackay: 01904 412971

Steve Poulson has headed off to Tegucigalpa, Honduras – our first mission partner in that country – to work with local projects in their mission to rescue children from life on the streets.

7 OCTOBER. 12.30pm. York and District CMS association autumn event. Christ Church, Stockton Lane, York YO31 1JG. An afternoon for CMS supporters beginning with a soup lunch.

19 OCTOBER. 6.45 for 7pm. Hot-pot supper with a speaker from CMS in Northamptonshire.

St Mark’s Church Rushden. Details tbc. Booking essential. Contact Edna Wadsworth: 01933 357253 or edna.wadsworth@ntlworld.com 3-5 NOVEMBER. The 2017 Africa residential conference. The Hayes, Swanwick, Derbyshire.

Main speaker: Jonathan Lamb, Keswick Ministries with Dennis Tongoi, CMS-Africa international director. Contact Nick Fane: africa@fanes.uk

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

gender, age and ethnicity.

Will you prayerfully consider whether this role is for you or if you know anyone who has the skills and experience to be part of the CMS board?

Please note that trustees can only be nominated and elected by company members of CMS. Candidates must be members of CMS or indicate willingness to become members prior to election.

Is God calling you to be a CMS trustee? If so please ask for an application pack. If you are a CMS member and know someone who has the appropriate skills and experience, tell them you would like to nominate them, let us know and we will send you nomination papers.

For more information and application packs, please contact Janet Quarry on 01865 787402 or email janet.quarry@ churchmissionsociety.org The closing date for completed applications is Friday 30 June 2017.

If an election is required, ballot papers should reach company members in early September.

Thank you for your prayers during this important process.

Charles Clayton Chair of CMS Board of Trustees

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

Malcolm Pritchard is heading to Uganda to help train new and existing clergy in the diocese of Northern Uganda, based at Archbishop Janani Luwum Theological College in Gulu.

Azaria Spencer will be going to Guatemala to work with Mi Arca, which serves street children and young people at risk.

A and L will be returning to South East Asia, A to help improve the lives of disabled people and L to teach children with special educational needs.

Church Mission Society staff changes since December 2016 WELCOME: Liz Gan, conferencing and reception assistant (March); Jonathan Smith, head of human resources (maternity cover) FAREWELL: Georgie Morgan, executive PA to mission theologian in the Anglican Communion (April); Harvey Kwiyani, House244 warden and Pioneer Mission Leadership Course faculty (April) CHANGES: Zoe Shaw began working as finance assistant after serving in the CMS church relations team (April) A record of recent deaths of former CMS people in mission will be included in a future edition of The Call.

CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY BELIEVES THAT ALL OF PEOPLE ARE CALLED GOD’S IN GOD’S MISSION: TO JOIN TO BRING CHALLENGE, CHA NGE, HOPE AND FREEDOM TO OUR WORLD. AS A COMMUNITY OF IN MISSION, WE WA PEOPLE NT TO HELP AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE BE SET FREE TO PUT INTO ACTION – WH THIS CALL ETHER THAT MEANS GOING OV ERSEAS OR OVER THE ROAD.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR COMMUNITY HANDBOOK? Church Mission Society,

T: +44 (0)1865 787400

churchmissionsociet

y.org

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/churchmissionsoc

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Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ E: info@churchmission society.org

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Church Mission Society @cmsmission is a mission communit Wales, charity number y acknowledged by the Church of 1131655, company England. Registered number 6985330. in England and

CHURCH MISSION

Community Handbook

SOCIETY.ORG

The call in action

We are pleased to let you know that we have produced a new handbook for community members, which contains a list of local CMS groups, a guide to our rhythm of life and some community prayers and theological reflections.

As we anticipate that there will be regular updates to the handbook, it has been developed as an online resource. You can find the new handbook at churchmissionsociety.org/handbook Let us know what you think!

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FEATURE STORY

WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF PAIN Jeremy Woodham gets ringside at a church in Nottingham, where the idea of “wrestling with faith” is taken to a whole new level

BY JEREMY WOODHAM, CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER: WEB AND MEDIA

T

he House of Pain Wrestling Academy. It would be a great name for a church. A truthful name.

A house where pain is held, shouldered, wrestled with – ultimately leading to victory.

There is one church in Nottingham where you can see this story being vividly played out on Saturday nights – and in a rather more ‘in your face’ way than it is on a Sunday morning.

The ‘congregation’ on Saturday nights is a little different too, though you will find members of St Ann with Emmanuel church there, cheering along with other wrestling fans – because this is where the House of Pain Wrestling Academy now stages monthly shows. They regularly attract around 120 people, many of whom had nothing to do with the church in the past.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there were some initial objections to hosting wrestling shows in the church, says church warden Kevin Redmond (who has turned up in his House of Pain T-shirt). “At first some of the older generation were a bit against having violence in the church,” he says. But opinions changed.

“I think it was three shows in and the vicar came down to watch the show,” says Paul ‘Stixx’ Grint, the man at the heart of House of Pain wrestling. “She came down early and saw everyone working as a team to set up, and then she saw the same people squaring off as good guys and villains and she just got it straight away. That it was almost meant to be a morality tale: that good overcomes – or bad overcomes by questionable means, but that bad guy will eventually lose and get their comeuppance. It’s fun, it’s action, it’s like a comic book come to life.”

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The initial House of Pain link came through Kevin, whose daughters were training at the wrestling school, which was looking for a new venue.

“Now it’s just second nature but at first it was nerve wracking,” says Kevin. “Even with our mission statement of breaking down barriers, it was quite a big barrier.”

That mission statement of “Believing in St Ann’s and breaking down barriers” came from the church’s participation in the Partnership for Missional Church journey,

“Comic books brought to life:” House of Pain at St Ann with Emmanuel in Nottingham. Main: wrestlers warm up with some pre-show throws. Clockwise from below: Tommy Taylor and LJ Heron in a championship bout; a young audience member meets a hero; Syntax is masked up and ready for action.

“This church brings people from all round the community and gives them a purpose.

Whether you believe in God or not you can’t deny that’s a power for good.”

Syntax, wrestler

which is now being offered by Church Mission Society in the UK. St Ann with Emmanuel was one of the first UK churches to adopt the PMC process.

“Partnership for Missional Church caused us to wrestle with being a church for the community around us and it’s ironic that out of that we have got wrestling in the church,” comments Kevin.

St Ann’s is a community that bears a lot of stigma from drug and gang related violence in the past.

“Mud sticks sometimes I’m afraid and people forget what a hard working community this place is and how everyone looks out for each other,” says Kevin.

“A lot of different places have been shut down and everyone says the church is the centre of the community. Partnership for Missional Church has helped us realise how to utilise that.”

One of the outcomes was being willing to open the doors to House of Pain.

As well as turning out to be a surprisingly affordable and family-friendly entertainment (£15 for a family of four), Kevin reckons the wrestling has had an all-round positive impact. The shows have brought in some who would not have set foot in St Ann’s before and on show nights the police have noted a marked drop in anti-social behaviour.

Arriving early for the show meant getting to meet the wrestlers and watch them work together to set up the ring and practise some of their moves. The biggest surprise was how sweet and gentle they all were – and it was immediately obvious what strong friendships existed in the House of Pain community.

It seemed like a community many churches would be jealous of. Wrestling really seems to be life-changing for some.

Andrew Parker, or ‘Syntax’ as he is known, is not afraid to say “wrestling probably saved my life.”

“When I started wrestling I was about 20 stone. I don’t mind saying that I was depressed and pretty much suicidal. I knew I needed to make a change. I chose to do wrestling at that point because I thought it would be ‘Oh, there’s no wrestling schools, I can’t do it; I can give it up and go back to my life of being a 20-stone hermit.’ But as luck would have it, on the doorstep there was House of Pain wrestling and, as luck would have it, it was run by Stixx who is one of the most encouraging tutors you will ever meet in your life.

“I remember my first lesson: even though I had no athletic ability, I was accepted.

I found a huge group of friends there, everyone just wanted you to succeed.”

Now Syntax is not only a popular wrestler; he has qualified as a personal trainer. “I can put on a mask and suddenly I’m not me. I can entertain the kids, I can high-five them.

I’m someone completely different and I can bring those experiences into Andrew Parker the person and make him better for life.”

The wrestlers have played their part in blending church and community, Kevin explains, and even pitched in with the church spring clean. “In June they did a charity show for the church as a thank you for letting them use the place. So we are working quite hand-in-hand.

“Most of the British wrestlers call this church the spiritual home of wrestling; that’s how they refer to it. A few of the people from the wrestling are slowly discovering the church. Sometimes they wanted to pray in the church.”

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

A prayer station, with wrestling related prayers, was well received: “That kind of thing, it goes above and beyond,” Stixx says.

“That’s a really awesome gesture as a far as I’m concerned.”

Both Stixx and Syntax say they are agnostic but open when it comes to faith.

But as Syntax says, “You can’t deny how this community is brought together, just by the existence of this place.

“This church brings people from all round the community and gives them a purpose.

Whether you believe in God or not you can’t deny that’s a power for good.”

LEARN

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT WRESTLING

1

Good guys and bad guys are known as Faces and Heels

2

It’s more about storytelling than violence. In fact it’s practically panto. Or “comic books brought to life” as Stixx put it. Fans follow and know the stories of individual characters.

3

The House of Pain Wrestling Academy reaches out to people who don’t quite fit in and generates a feeling of community many churches would be jealous of.

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT PARTNERSHIP FOR MISSIONAL CHURCH

1

It helps churches be comfortable with who they are – which paradoxically leads to deep change

2

It sets church leaders free to live out their call

3

It breaks down barriers between church and community

TO EXPLORE HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN EMBARK ON THE PARTNERSHIP FOR MISSIONAL CHURCH JOURNEY: churchmissionsociety.org/pmc

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PIONEER MISSION LEADERSHIP TRAINING A course designed by pioneers for pioneers

“CMS is a safe place to explore pioneering, a place where people will listen and not judge even the most off the wall ideas.”

Sarah Hewitt, course participant

Fitting in is overrated.

Be set free to put your call into action... no matter how radical or risky it seems.

Diploma

Individual modules

Certificate

Ordained pioneer training

Degree

New pathways for pioneer youth ministry and children’s and family ministry

MA

Enrol now for autumn 2017: pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org

AFRICA CONFERENCE 2017 3-5 November 2017 The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire Main speakers: Jonathan Lamb of Keswick Ministries and Dennis Tongoi, international director of CMS-Africa and hear from people in mission including Francesca Elloway (DR Congo) and Helen Burningham (Uganda) ANY QUESTIONS: Email ac2017@fanes.uk TO BOOK: churchmissionsociety.org/africa2017

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WHEN CULTURES MISSION REFLECTION CONVERGE

Name: Paul and Sarah Tester Location: Lima, Peru Our call: We want the children, young people and church in Peru to know Jesus and to grow in him.

Our roles: We serve in national youth and discipleship ministries with the Anglican Church of Peru and also serve the local church in youth and children’s work.

Mission means... finding serenity in change

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

These words, commonly known as the serenity prayer, are attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. We find great truth in this short prayer.

BY PAUL AND SARAH TESTER IN PERU “GOD…” “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) are biblical promises on which we can depend. As we answer God’s call to live and share the good news of Jesus Christ in Peru and beyond, we can be confident that the God who called us to Peru has not changed. However, the outworking of that call may look different depending on the “season” in which we find ourselves.

“GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE” Ironically, one of the key things that we cannot change is change itself. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We have been reflecting on this idea of “seasons” as we look at the changes that have happened in our lives and ministry over the last 10 years in Peru.

Every time we return to Peru we experience great change. A change from English to Spanish. A change in temperature. A change in culture, in the way things are done, in the way church is expressed and ministry is thought of. As we answer God’s call to serve in Peru we must adapt to these changes.

Sarah’s ministry with many children in the poorest areas of Lima has changed over the past few years

to a much more focused children’s ministry with our three wonderful daughters and limited time to be involved in Sunday school at church. While we wouldn’t change this season of investing time and energy in Sophia, Emily and Annabelle, it is challenging to be so far from family, living in a culture that doesn’t have mums and toddlers groups and to be bringing our children up in ways that are often different to those around us.

Meanwhile, the girls are entering new seasons of life too. Sophia started school in March, Emily began nursery and Annabelle now gets individual time with Mum each morning. Each change holds different challenges but they are important steps along life’s way.

“THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN” Life is not, of course, just about a fatalistic acceptance of the way things are. At the centre of our faith in Christ is death to our old selves and our new life in him. “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:4).

Helping others to grow in their new life in Christ is central to the discipleship ministry in which Paul is now heavily involved. Recognising a diocesan-wide weakness in our discipleship as a church (which was made clear to us through the loss of young people from the church in Peru), this ministry seeks to follow God’s leading. Bringing about change is hard at the

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

best of times but if this is of God, as we believe it is, he will make the way and bring about the change.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).

“AND WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.” As God’s new things come to the fore, we seek to follow his call and play the part that he asks us to play. This means that other things that we have committed to must either be handed on to others whom God has called or it may be that it is the right time for them to stop. This is particularly challenging when people are involved and we are currently committing time and prayer to seeking God’s wisdom as to where the right places to invest our time and energies are.

Lizbeth, the diocesan youth coordinator and member of the discipleship team, will be serving the church in Ireland for a year, so Paul will have additional responsibilities in these areas. As a diocesan youth ministry, we have had a sense of God’s leading to work in the area of young people’s mental health. We also need to consider local youth ministries at San Juan Evangelista (our church) and San Pablo mission.

Do please pray for discernment and wisdom as we seek to hear God’s call among all of the opportunities and responsibilities and to know which changes need to be made. Do also pray for us to have the will to make the right changes and to follow his call.

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MISSION SPIRITUALITY

A SERIES EXPLORING THE STORY OF JONAH AS A RESOURCE FOR NURTURING A SPIRITUALITY FOR MISSION

IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH WITH JONAH Part 4: Blessed are the merciful

BY IAN ADAMS, MISSION SPIRITUALITY ADVISER FOR CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

A second chance.

God comes calling again.

The call to action for Jonah is clear: “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.”

So it seems to be in God’s nature to be persistent.

But there is also a quality of persistence in Jonah.

And this time he goes.

It is no simple mission.

The city – and the task – are huge.

In the words of the storyteller it is a three-day walk across.

And the message Jonah must give, he knows, is not likely to be well received: “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

The people of this famously evil city will surely live up (or down) to their reputation.

It will be, in every sense, a long walk.

Then the surprise.

The people receive the message and accept it!

They believe in Jonah’s God and embark on a ritual response.

And the king of the city responds in the same way.

Sackcloth. Ashes. Fasting. Full-on penitence.

From this point on, they are saying, we shall be changed people.

Their response is, in part at least, about self-preservation, seeking to avert the wrath of Jonah’s God. But penitence is penitence.

And God responds with mercy.

An astonishing outcome. Mission accomplished. But there is a problem: But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry.

Jonah cannot stand the mercy being shown by God to the people of Nineveh.

It’s easy to be critical of Jonah at this point.

Surely few of God’s prophets had known days such as this.

How could he not welcome this amazing response by the people?

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Why is he not rejoicing with delight?

But perhaps Jonah’s reluctance is understandable.

Think for a moment how we may feel about the individuals and organisations who have committed terrible acts of violence and abuse around the world in recent years.

How could we trust anything they might say in terms of penitence?

How would we feel about them being shown such mercy when they have been merciless to innocents?

Surely this is how Jonah feels.

These people do not deserve mercy and they cannot be trusted.

But God’s mercy in the midst of God’s judgement is a key theme in the Jonah story.

A mercy that reaches way beyond any limitation that we might conceive.

And this relationship will later be echoed in the Beatitudes of Jesus: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”

Righteousness is necessary.

And its companion – mercy – will prevail.

So what is Jonah’s problem with mercy?

Maybe Jonah has not yet learned to show mercy towards himself.

In which case he has no means to be merciful to others.

There’s a vein of sadness running through the Jonah story.

Jonah seems reluctant (or unable) to allow his own experience of darkness to nurture within him a deeper compassion towards others.

He seems unable to connect his own story to the story of the people of Nineveh.

Compassion born out of an acceptance of our own frailties is a key element in the nurturing of a spirituality for mission.

If we are, in Jesus’ name, to be with and alongside others, we need to do so from a position of humility and authenticity.

In the light of God’s love and mercy, an acceptance of our own struggles and losses will open up the healing story for others.

Blessed are the merciful.

God of grace, thank you for the compassion and mercy that you have always shown to me.

Help me, I pray, to live this day with compassion and mercy for those to whom I am called.

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MISSION ISSUES

THE E-WORD

OR THE M-WORD? A conversation

BY ANDY FREEMAN PIONEER MISSION STUDENT SUPPORT OFFICER AT CHURCH MISSION SOCIETY

3 To respond to human

need by loving service

4 To seek to transform unjust

F

or those who come across church conversations for the first time the complexities of language must be striking.

At the beginning of his leadership of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Rev Justin Welby set out three priorities for the church. One of them used the word “evangelism” and it struck me as remarkable that evangelism and not “mission” was selected.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE CALL When Archbishop Welby addressed the General Synod, he declared evangelism to be as significant in the life of Christians as gathered worship1 – a powerful statement. But whereas the Christian church seems at ease with worship, the archbishop spoke about people’s discomfort with evangelism and wondered if the church had “lost confidence” in evangelism in 21st century Britain.

This is not a new observation. In 1990, Michael Green saw that “evangelism does not have a good press” and had “overtones of manipulation”.2 Do we need to reclaim the e-word?

Those who prefer the word “mission” argue that the church’s outreach is far more than proclamation. Frameworks such as the widelyused Five Marks of Mission show this wider sense of mission activity:3

1 To proclaim the Good

News of the Kingdom

2 To teach, baptise and

nurture new believers

structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation

5 To strive to safeguard the integrity

of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

But many theologians suggest that some aspects of the word “mission” likewise prove difficult – evoking ideas of imperialism and overarching western culture.

In his beautiful book, Paul Jeong speaks of “mission from a position of weakness” reminding us of the sinful imposition of culture and power through mission over centuries and its effect in Asia and Africa.4 In contrast, Jeong notes Israel’s beginnings in slavery and their calling not to oppress others in turn. He notes Mary’s exultation of the God of the downtrodden (Luke 1:46-55) and that Jesus lived as friend of the outcast (Luke 7:34.

Through these passages, he identifies that “God is the God of reversal” and that this reversal is at the centre of mission today.5 GOD AND NOT US With both mission and evangelism, we find words in need of reclamation but ones with incredible potential and centrality to the life of the church – because they are both central to the life of God. Pope Francis reminds his readers in Evangelii Gaudium of the centrality of Christ in evangelism.6 Bryan Stone identifies Christ as “the very content of evangelism”.7 We are sharing the love of Christ and the story of Jesus as God’s son.

1 Carey Lodge, ‘Archbishop Justin Welby: Evangelism is vital to the Church’, Christian Today, 10 Feb 2015, http://bit.ly/2rqoqFT 2 Michael Green, Evangelism Through the Local Church (Hodder & Stoughton, 1990) p3 3 Anglican Communion website http://bit.ly/2qrzxAs 4 Paul Yanggap Jeong, Mission from a Position of Weakness (New York: Peter Lang, 2007) p3 5 Jeong 2007 p38

Mission is likewise rooted in God. The concept of ‘missio dei’ identifies that God is a God of mission who calls us to join in. David Bosch helpfully and famously notes the “fountain of God’s sending love” at the root of all our missional endeavours.8 As the Father sent the Son, Father and Son sent the Spirit – and Father, Son and Spirit send us, the church.

This is a beautiful remedy to the sense of guilt, power or unease we feel about mission or evangelism. We do not create mission. We do not achieve its outcomes or initiate its practice. God is a God of mission. We join in with this work.

A WAY FORWARD So what should we make of these two words?

Christianity sets out a distinctive message at odds with predominant culture. “The gospel can never be beauty or truth for the world apart from a beautiful and truthful witness that is inescapably public.”9 Mission shares with evangelism the desire to be good news but this goes beyond words into action – in justice, environment, advocacy and other actions that express the kingdom of God (Luke 4:18-19).

Our practice is located and our knowledge situated. When mission seeks to bring good news to a community or place, it can bring about conversion and discipleship of communities as well as individuals. As in Acts 2, people can become warm to the church and be received into its motherly arms.

Pope Francis calls the missional church to be a “people for everyone”.10 He uses the exquisite image of church as a mother with an open heart.

We practise mission by welcoming those who are hurting, excluded or dying. As we live mission we are evangelistic – we make our case by doing.

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (Vatican Press, 2013) p13 Bryan Stone, Evangelism after Christendom (Brazos Press, 2007) p76 8 David Bosch, Transforming Mission (Orbis Books, 1991) p240 9 Stone 2007 p314 10 Pope Francis 2013 p90 6 7

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

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/// CLASSIFIEDS

/// FILM REVIEW

/// BOOK REVIEW

REVIEWS AND CLASSIFIEDS

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DANGEROUS TERRITORY

by Amy Peterson

Reviewed by Helen Brook Brought up in a Christian family and armed with stories of great missionary heroes, Amy, in her early 20s, moves to South East Asia with a desire to live fully for God and to change the world. Her role is to teach English in a country closed to Christianity.

What unfolds is a true, candid account of how Amy’s experiences lead her to question some long-held beliefs about what mission is and to recognise some of the mission myths propagated by western churches and theology.

Amy tackles issues such as the narrative of missionaries as heroes, the power and money imbalance between western mission workers and local people and the ‘saviour complex’ some mission workers display in doing mission for people rather than with them.

As well as a memoir of a cross-cultural experience, this book is also a love story as Amy

SILENCE Reviewed by Paul Thaxter, director of international mission for Church Mission Society The film Silence is based on Shusaku Endo’s 1966 historical novel about the almost terminal persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan. He based his novel on the oral histories of Japanese Catholic communities.

Endo was fascinated by this encounter between European Christianity and Japanese religiosity. Martin Scorsese directs a memorable film, but one which might be inexplicable to those who do not know the historical context.

The number of Christians in Japan was estimated at 300,000 in the 1630s; then the Tokugawa shogunate prohibited Christianity, and expelled all foreigners in 1638. Many Japanese Christians renounced their faith, some went underground

PUT YOUR CALL INTO ACTION The call: We want to show people made vulnerable by unjust systems or circumstances that they are valued by God.

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ASIA

Palliative care specialist International Nepal Fellowship (INF) has an exciting opportunity

recalls her feelings around potential romantic relationships. Through this, Amy explores the conservative teaching that she had been given, not only on the roles of men and women, but also regarding the characteristics needed to attract a partner. As a teacher and leader, she battles some of the strong, traditional narratives surrounding a woman’s position within Christianity and cross-cultural mission.

Interlaced throughout Dangerous Territory are accounts of the history of mission, making the book discursive and directly challenging.

We are given facts and reflections on topics such as short-term mission, the use of the term ‘missionary’ and the origin stories of many American mission agencies. Amy posits that in order to understand where we are now we need not only to look back but also to reflect on our collective Christian story. These interludes allow us to see important connections between the present and the past.

What ultimately endears you to Amy is her sheer honesty; from the start she does not shy away from revealing her doubts about her faith and the work she is going to do. She lays her emotions bare as she adjusts to being in a different culture and questions her own

motivations and actions. The story has many highs and lows, answered prayers and times of silence from God. For Amy, the messy, painful and hurting world she encounters means she cannot be content with the neat, straight-edged faith she once believed. With bravery she faces new and life-forming questions head on. She allows us to walk alongside her as her experience of suffering forces her to deconstruct her faith and then find it again, but in a new and different landscape.

At times the story is a bit slow and some of her descriptions of relationships seem a bit naive. Some characters are presented as rather one-dimensional. Yet the great strength of this book, and why I would recommend it, is the vulnerability Amy readily shows in inviting us into this intensely personal journey; it is this which compels the reader to keep on reading her story and the stories of the people she lives alongside. The reader is challenged to consider not only the recent western Christian story of cross-cultural mission, but also about the need to be vulnerable in mission, to be unafraid of showing who we truly are, who God made us to be and to give this as a gift to the global church in expectation of receiving as well.

and over 3,000 were martyred.

In Silence, two young, ardent Portuguese priests, Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garupe (Adam Driver) want to find their esteemed mentor, Ferreira (Liam Neeson), a Jesuit missionary who has gone missing in Japan.

Rumour has it that he has abandoned his faith and is living with a Japanese wife. They travel to Japan to find him despite the fact that Christianity is outlawed and the presence of Jesuit priests is forbidden.

Watching Silence was unforgettable, not just because of the sheer intensity of the torture scenes, but because of the haunting questions that linger long after the closing credits. Are Jesuit missionaries toxic to Japanese culture or are they merely misunderstood? Do the Japanese Christian rural poor follow Jesuit priests but not the Christ who died for them? Can the gospel actually take root in Japan? Why does God seem so silent?

The Japanese cast add real verve to the film.

The wily grand inquisitor, Inoue, is gleefully malevolent as he condemns Christians to harrowing fates, explaining that this is simply

the inevitable conclusion of engagement with a flawed superstition that has no place in Japan.

At a length of more than two and a half hours, Silence takes its time as it builds up to the crucial dilemma: in order to save the lives of fellow Christians in peril, will Rodrigues commit apostasy like his mentor supposedly did before him? And what will be the ultimate significance of his choice, both for his soul and for the soul of Japan?

Those who like to wrestle with profound questions of philosophy, anthropology and mission will appreciate this film. Others will find it unremittingly bleak. It’s not a film I’d recommend as entertainment, though the writing, cinematography and musical score are accomplished, with the latter serving to underline one of the constant dilemmas throughout the story – will Japanese culture and Christianity ever be compatible or does one worldview have to wither for the other to thrive?

I would call this film essential mission viewing.

Perhaps that’s because Church Mission Society has never been deterred by hard questions.

to contribute to the development of palliative care services in Nepal.

They are now carrying out a national level needs assessment for palliative care and looking for specialists to inspire and train Nepali nationals to develop these services in the country.

2

AFRICA

Various roles Goma diocese, DR Congo, is looking for nurses, doctors, administrators, teachers, managers, accountants and pastors.

3

MIDDLE EAST

Peacebuilding projects and development officer The Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, Lebanon, is looking for someone who can write proposals and reports for various projects falling under their peacebuilding initiative; this person will also facilitate peacebuilding activities.

4

LATIN AMERICA

Gap year Through the Shalom centre in

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

Lima, alongside a long-term CMS mission partner, there are opportunities to work with children living with disabilities. Also in Lima, there are opportunities for youth and children’s work in areas of deprivation, alongside other CMS mission partners.

To enquire about any of these roles, contact Isaac Frisby: 01865 787416 or isaac.frisby@ churchmissionsociety.org

APPEAL FOLLOW-UP

STORIES FROM THE STREET In September 2016, Church Mission Society supporters gave generously to an appeal to help support all of our people in mission who are working with children who have been forced to live on the streets.

Following are a couple of examples of how this vital support is making a difference in Brazil and DR Congo.

FROM ANDY AND ROSE ROBERTS AT REVIVE INTERNATIONAL IN OLINDA, WHERE THEY RUN A SAFE HOUSE FOR GIRLS AT RISK OF ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION ON THE STREETS: ReVive is now three years old. We’ve taken some time recently to lead our team back to our original purposes. It’s a struggle to retain a Christian ethos when Brazilian secular society will try to stifle this. We need to remember that true restoration will only come through Jesus and that everything ReVive does is built on this foundation.

W’S STORY Two and a half years ago, W arrived in ReVive at age 12. She had been sexually abused for two years by her stepgrandfather. She couldn’t read or write and had a difficult temperament, to put it nicely. The Message Bible translates Jesus’ words in Luke 4 “to release the oppressed” as “to set the burdened and battered free”.

W was certainly burdened and battered.

What does the freedom Jesus promises look like for someone like her? A safe place free from abuse would be a good start – which she found at the ReVive house. But her burdens went much deeper.

ReVive’s mission of “restoring lives and renewing hope” summarises what true freedom might look like. W, now 15, reads, writes and is full of potential. She completed a professional animal grooming course to provide potential income in the future and has faced the trauma of her past with psychological support. ReVive creates “space for grace” for God to do

his restoration work – and we see W’s relationship with God growing.

There was, however, a burden from which she hadn’t been freed – the knowledge that her abuser had never been brought to justice. The police never bothered to follow up her case, as she’s a poor girl from a shanty town. Evaldo, ReVive’s volunteer lawyer and a CMS mission partner in training, picked up her case and after a lot of work, W’s abuser was arrested and imprisoned.

Dom Helder Camara, a former Catholic archbishop in the Recife and Olinda diocese, said: “When I give food to the hungry they call me a saint… when I ask why they are hungry they call me a communist.” He was an early spokesman for integral mission, believing that proclamation of the gospel and demonstration of the gospel cannot be separated.

His quote is important for us as we think about how the church should respond to poverty in all its forms. The church is good at treating the fruits of poverty: providing food, shelter etc. However, if we truly want to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, then we need to address the roots of why the poor are poor – and confront unjust social and economic policies that favour the wealthy and exploit and maintain the poor in poverty. Jesus wasn’t just talking spiritually, he was talking of freedom from oppression here and now.

Please pray for all the ReVive girls and give thanks for all the Lord is doing in their lives. We give thanks for the financial support that we receive and we pray for relief from the effects of the recent weak

exchange rate. Pray for wisdom and courage for us as we lead ReVive.

FROM JEAN-BOSCO TSHISWAKA, LEADER OF THE KIMBILIO PROJECT IN LUBUMBASHI, DR CONGO: In the last half of 2016, the Kimbilio project cared for more than 500 street children in our five centres: 373 children were welcomed at our day centre, 86 boys and girls received medical treatment, 65 children stayed at our transit houses; 29 of them were eventually reunited with their families. In our permanent houses, we had 11 boys living at the boys’ home and four girls and a baby living in the girls’ home. In addition to shelter, medical care and reintegration with their families where possible, we provided activities like football, literacy, drawing and sewing classes.

I will share just a few stories.

Deborah is now 15 years old; she lives with her son Ian in the girls’ home. A couple of years ago, Deborah became pregnant after she was raped while living on the streets. We took her in and helped her until she gave birth. A year later she said to me: “I thank God and good people for their prayers and help through Kimbilio. “Today she and her son are healthy and she enjoys classes here.

Francois and Carmel are brother and sister, aged 15 and 13. They both live at Kimbilio. They started living on the streets

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

Above: Andy and Rose Roberts with their two daughters in Olinda, Brazil and Jean-Bosco Tshiswaka, leader of the Kimbilio Project in Lubumbashi, DR Congo

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APPEAL FOLLOW-UP

Rose Roberts meets up with girls who used to live at the ReVive safe house who have since been reunited with their families

in 2013 after their parents divorced. At first they lived with their father, but their stepmother accused them of witchcraft (not uncommon here) and chased them from the house. In 2014 we took them in and eventually found their mum. Francois and Carmel went to live with her. Sadly, their mum passed away and they were left homeless again. So we welcomed them back. We thank God for how well they are doing in their classes and we hope to reintegrate them with their family – but this will be hard.

One of our biggest challenges is reuniting children with their families. It’s difficult to see parents refuse to welcome their own children, like the father of one

boy we have recently met. The father has threatened to kill his son because he believes his son is responsible for all the family’s troubles. Children here are often scapegoated like this. Since the boy has come to Kimbilio, he is smiling and healthy. Please pray for him.

Also, please pray for all of us at Kimbilio as we would like to build a school for these children who come to us from the streets. Give thanks for all those who give of their time, money and strength to care for these children and for children facing life on the streets in so many places in the world.

GIVE

You can help support people in mission like Andy, Rose and Jean-Bosco by going to churchmissionsociety.org/give and donating today.

MORE THAN A SPEAKER Why should you invite a Church Mission Society speaker to your event?

We’ll add zest to your church’s conversation about mission, through: 1 inspiring stories of global and local mission 2 fresh biblical perspectives on mission

“Thank you so much for being with us…and for your enthusiastic, challenging and moving input.”

St Margaret’s Church, Ifield Crawley

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3 creative workshops to explore 21st century mission To find out more and book a speaker for your event or service, visit:

churchmissionsociety.org/speakers Or call: 01865 787523

CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY

LAST WORD

How to... notice what God is up to

BY NIGEL ROOMS, LEADER OF PARTNERSHIP FOR MISSIONAL CHURCH IN THE UK

T

he Partnership for Missional Church journey is about setting churches free to join in God’s mission. Nigel Rooms, leader of PMC in the UK, shares a bit about one of the key spiritual practices in this process: A minister who was new in his post began regularly attending the church’s men’s breakfast on Saturday mornings. Each week, he asked the same question: “What’s God been up to this past week?”

Generally the men told stories of their comings and goings or how they had participated in a church activity. One man kept quiet every week until one Saturday morning he burst out: “I knew that you’d ask this question for the umpteenth time! It’s made me really mad until this week when I began to really think about it...” And he proceeded to tell a story that began with God, not himself or the church.

discernment” – one of the six “holy habits” of the PMC journey.

We are inviting churches to develop a way of life that is attentive to the movement of the Spirit among them and in the world around them (as we see in the case of the Nottingham church featured on p26). God is present and active, working for good at all times and in all circumstances – even on a cross. Our task is to “discover what God is up to and join in”.

SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT: PAYING ATTENTION To discover what God is up to, we must pay attention to three things.

1

The first is the Scriptures and our theological traditions. What do we know of God from the testimony of the Bible and the saints who have preceded us? We need to understand God as revealed in Jesus Christ and learn from those who have recognised the movement of the Spirit through the ages. This in turn can fuel our imaginations.

2

Second, we need to pay attention to our own experience. What are the emerging passions and concerns among the church? What gives us joy and makes us feel most alive? Who is coming to be part of our congregation and flourishing through our ministry? These questions go beyond evaluating our perceived effectiveness. They focus our attention on what is stirring in the hearts of our fellowship.

“PRACTICAL ATHEISM” VS “SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT” Research in churches in many places around the globe has found that when people are asked about their beliefs, they will affirm the creeds and their faith in God’s care. However, when asked to describe God’s activity – what God’s up to, how God’s working – the responses tend to be about human or churchy activity. People, not God, become the subject of the sentence: “We’ve been running a children’s club”; “There’s a new cafe ministry happening.”

This is what we call “practical atheism”.

On the other hand, when churches journey through the PMC process, they stop talking about the church so much and start talking about God. This is the result of asking repeatedly and intentionally: “What is God up to here?” This question is the essence of what we call “spiritual

3

Third, we need to pay attention to what is happening among the people around us in our wider community and society. Who are our neighbours? What are the passions, interests and concerns that clamour for attention among them? What shapes their lives and how are these things changing? We can gain insights in this area from the media

THE CALL - SUMMER 2017

and social commentary and from observation and conversation.

DETECTIVES OF DIVINITY Having these three perspectives in mind, we ask the question, “What is God up to?” How does the God revealed in Scripture respond to the cries of people around us? Are we in tune with this and responding likewise? Or have we become so preoccupied with ourselves that we are oblivious to the needs around us? Perhaps we can find God at work among those who would never darken the doors of our church?

Again, the question is not, what is the church doing? Our aim is to discern what God is up to.

Our response is to name this and to try to align ourselves with the Spirit.

Churches that have taken this practice seriously have created congregations full of detectives of divinity. We have noticed an enormous increase in encouragement, energy and enthusiasm when people create and articulate sentences with God as the subject of an active verb, for example: “God is bringing...”, “God is helping...”, “God is moving...”.

They now sense that God is alive and active among them.

If you would like to find out more about spiritual discernment, one of the six “holy habits” in the Partnership for Missional Church process, contact Nigel Rooms, leader of PMC in the UK: nigel. rooms@churchmissionsociety.org If you would like to read more about the six holy habits, purchase Forming the Missional Church: creating deep cultural change in congregations (P139) at grovebooks.co.uk

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AL PE AP

“I absolutely want to be part of what God is doing among Syrian refugees…and I hope you do, too.”

Tanas Alqassis, Church Mission Society regional manager for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa

If there is anyone who has an excuse to refuse to help Syrian in le p o e p e b ld u o w it s, e e g fu re mies.

Lebanon – their one-time ene Yet the last time I was in Lebanon, I saw how Christians are overcoming their fear and opening their hearts to Syrian people, providing food, shelter, education and hope in Jesus’ name.

And Syrians are encountering Jesus through his followers’ forgiveness and kindness. To me, this is the gospel at its most beautiful.

GIVE

As Emil, one of our people in mission in Lebanon, said: “As I considered the Syrian refugee crisis around me, I heard God say: ‘Emil, one day I will ask you – I was marginalised, what did you do?

I had nothing, what did you do? I was a stranger…what did you do?’”

Emil and his wife have opened a school for up to 80 Syrian refugee children who would otherwise have no chance to learn.

They are one example of how many Church Mission Society partners are helping bring good out of a devastating situation.

Emil says: “This crisis with refugees is a special time. You can look at it as a problem, but you can also ask, do I have anything to give? And of course, we have a lot to give.”

What will we do? Will we join God in his work to bring hope and healing to broken lives? To help support people in mission who are putting their call into action among those who urgently need help and hope, donate at:

churchmissionsociety.org/ refugees