Kingfisher International Family news - May 2021

KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

MAY 2021

ISSUE 16

The post-Covid Church What will the Church look like when finally this COVID-19 pandemic is over?It is tempting to long for things to ‘get back to normal’, but is there ever really a ‘getting back to the way things were’? More realistically, we are going to move into a ‘new normal’. So what might that ‘new normal’ look like?

reengage with ‘physical’ church will have come through the Refiner’s Fire and will be more focussed and passionate about the Kingdom of God. They will have learned the value of COMMUNITY. I have had the privilege during this Pandemic of teaching in various countries, from India, to the Middle East, to the Philippines, to Panama in Central America, gathering people together via Zoom, Messenger, WhatsApp and so on. The reach given to us by these electronic means of communication is amazing - but really not a substitute for actually meeting together. Likewise, online Sunday services have proved to be a lifeline, but are not feeding the God-given need for actual human interaction. It really is not good for people to be alone (Genesis 2:18). We need community, and the post-COVID church needs to prioritise real, authentic community. What will encourage people who have not had to get up early on a Sunday morning in order to travel to church to now begin to go back to that? The attraction of real, authentic, life-affirming community.

There will be churches with a ‘pre-COVID’ mindset, seeking to reinstate all of the business and activities that were the feature of church life pre-pandemic.

These churches have seen lockdown as hitting the pause button on church life. They will attempt to relate to each other, to have the same priorities and the same view on mission and ministry as before.

There will be churches with a ‘post-COVID’ mindset.

These churches have understood that the Pandemic has been a watershed time - a defining moment - for the Church worldwide and they come together determined to learn the lessons of lockdown and relate to a post-COVID world in a different way.

The churches that will flourish and grow will be the ‘post-COVID mindset’ churches. These are the churches that have learned the central lessons that God has been wanting to teach us during the Pandemic. They will come out of this time leaner, more focussed and more able to provide the hope and security that has been ripped away from society over the past 18 months. In a word, ‘post-COVID mindset’ churches will be FOCUSSED.

Post-COVID mindset churches will also be more focussed on MISSION. The Evangelical Alliance in the UK surveyed nearly 900 churches during pandemic. Out of nearly 700 church responses to the survey, 59% said they have seen an increase in people interested in finding out more about Jesus and the Christian faith. More than 1 in 10 church leaders saw an increase in people making first-time commitments to follow Christ. Kingfisher Family around the world has seen hundreds of people make commitments to follow Christ. This fresh focus on evangelism will continue in a post-COVID world and the confidence gained through preaching the Gospel and seeing people come to faith will ensure that the Church moving forward will be committed to maintain that focus. The post-COVID Church has a great opportunity to grow through evangelism, so long as it does not allow itself to slip back in to inward-focussed maintenance mode.

A lot will be stripped away as the result of this defining time. One of those things is people.

“Is this going to be a pivot point where people who were not heavily engaged choose to disengage? The answer to that is probably yes for a significant number of people,” said Ed Stetzer, an evangelism expert who serves as executive director of Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center.

The church that emerges from the Pandemic may well be leaner in terms of numbers, but those who do

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News from India, Malawi and Mozambique

Dumagat Education Program update

News from Zimbabwe and the Philippines

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Latest news from Pastor Joseph in Zimbabwe Greetings Pastor James, and all Kingfisher international family Church. We feel secured to be part of the family Church.

hatches 2268 eggs. These machines will help us to make this program an ongoing help and support to communities in their journey to self-reliance and resilience and be in a position to reach many for glory of God.

Would like to let you know that at the moment our nation is under total lockdown. All activities, even church services are closed.

Prayer requests as a church in Zimbabwe

The program you enrolled through gift aid is taking new dimension, despite church closures and other institutions. We are reaching out to the communities with chicken project and sharing the love of God in these troubling times, ministering hope and daring faith. Covid has given us an opportunity to encourage brethrens and non-Christians.

• That the nation cater for the vulnerable communities, as the whole nation is under total lockdown for some time. This people and young people are in distress, thereby becoming prey to the devil. Especially youth are idle and are forced in promiscuous behaviour.

• Prayer that we manage to acquire few things so that the Hatchery project will be in full swing. Which would help in empowering youth and young adults, so as to deal with vulnerability.

Due to the the chicken project, we managed to source funds to buy a hatchery and incubator combo (see photo), and part solar system.

The hatchery

• That church services resume as to encourage brethrens without limitations.

• On a lighter note help us to thank God our last born child did well on her grade seven examination, and is about to start her high level, as we also wait for ordinary results of his brother.

In his service, Joseph

A new church building in the Philippines The new church that has been in the process of construction has just about been finished!

Located in Pantay, Rio Chico, this church is going to be called ‘Lord’s Light, Kingfisher Family of churches’ and will be launched very soon with a church planting team from Lord’s Light church in Rio Chico.

This is going to be such a great resource in Pantay and a wonderful opportunity to see the Kingdom of God expand. Do be praying for this initiative!

with mental health challenges has galvanised the Church during the Pandemic. Post-Covid churches will continue to seek ways of reaching out to the vulnerable and the isolated in an environment that now is much more aware of the value of this and more willing to acknowledge the role the Churn is playing in this.

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Post-COVID churches will also be more focussed on HELPING THE VULNERABLE. Going back to that EA survey mentioned earlier, a further finding was that: '88% of church leaders said their churches are working to meet the needs of vulnerable people.

Of these churches, 72% are working in partnership with either local authorities, other churches or charities.’ The desperate need for Food Banks, knocking on doors to check on elderly and vulnerable people, providing support and safe spaces for those

Moving into a Post-COVID world holds some exciting possibilities for the Church that is willing toe embrace the lessons of the Pandemic is willing to move ahead in a leaner, more focused, more caring way!

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

Update from the Dumagat Education Program These photos are from the February and March DEP supplies distribution days. Schooling remains the same, with printed modules being given to the children to complete at home. The system is still new to everyone, including the teachers and the Department of Education, and the impact and effects of the modules system won’t be seen for a long time yet. The students are all saying how much they miss going to school, which is a sentiment that is/was probably true of most children worldwide!

Obviously there are some students who stopped schooling altogether and then come back, and others who moved to different areas of the mountain to follow their parents looking for land to farm. But 80-90% of the students remain committed to studying and to the DEP program, which we believe is a great percentage. Especially considering this is the first generation of Dumagat children to have a formal education, and the first ever system to deal with supporting the education of the indigenous children.

The situation is hard in the Rio Chico area right now, as cases of Covid-19 in the village are rising again, with one member of the community dying recently.

News like this always causes panic to the people in this small community, as obviously they don’t have

the same vaccine programme and sanitation as we do to help fight the spread of Covid. Please pray that the outbreak of Covid can be contained and for continued protection and God’s peace for the DEP families.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Sibug school

Bulak school

Bubot Bubot Pined Pined Head II want Teacherto be want to be aa bus bus Thelma Caballero

driver driver so so II can can go go places places

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Head Teacher Thelma Caballero

John John Tondo Tondo II want want to to have have my my own business own business

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KINGFISHER INTERNATIONAL FAMILY NEWS

News from the Punjab, India Pastor Sukhbir Singh, who pastors a growing number of churches in the Punjab, has just purchased a large tent for his growing church in Amritsar. They bought it at Easter and were able to celebrate their Easter services out of the intense heat of the sun as a result.

In other news from India, our National Director, Simon Haq reports that in Haridwar, 30 people were baptised on Good Friday. What a great experience of Easter for those people!

Pastor Sukhbir has also just planted a church in Splampura, Amritsar, where we have been able to equip a growing Sunday school ministry.

News from Malawi and Mozambique The Leadership Training Centre that has been under construction for the past two years is now receiving pastors, who are arriving to train for ministry. A group of pastors from a remote area called the Lower Shire River have just finished training there and they stayed in the accommodation block that has now been built, complete with a new library.

Charles Mithowa, our National Director in Malawi reports:

week and have been accommodated at the new center. We had a wonderful time of training and encouragement. So they are returning back to their homes today. But I am still dreaming of building more hostels and rooms so that I can accommodate a large number of leaders under training. But pray for God to provide me with more money to cover the costs of the constructions. The water tank is supplying clean water to the leaders under training and the community.”

“Today I have released the four pastors who came from the Lower Shire River. They came last

Charles also reported about the situation in Mozambique: “In Mozambique people are greatly suffering with hunger as the Covid 19 has brought more problems.

Last week I tried to call Floesi and leaders to come and meet with me at the border so that I should give them food to distribute in their country. But the Immigration was not allowed to cross food from Malawi into Mozambique. So they requested if there is a possibility to support them with money so that they can buy food in their country. So the food I brought there was distributed to our Church at the boundary of Malawi and Mozambique. So I am pleading with you if there is any possibility to support the people of Mozambique with food due to the Covid 19 pandemic situation in Mozambique” We are pleased to be able to report that we have responded to this plea and money for much- needed crisis aid has been sent via Charles to the churches in Mozambique.

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