with the CMS community online www.cms-uk.org

Small businesses based in Kibera township are getting back on their feet with the help of CMS, after communities throughout Kenya were devastated by the country’s election crisis.The Anglican Church of Kenya has expressed deep appreciation to CMS for help given during the violent upheaval in January which left 1,200 dead and 300,000 displaced amid allegations of electoral fraud.Funds from CMS contributed to immediate relief work, providing enriched food and tarpaulins for emergency housing. Grants of seed money, £25 or less, helped.“The help came at the right time,” Bishop Lawrence Dena, the Church’s Provincial Secretary, told CMS. “We were looking for friends to help us, especially for work among internally displaced persons. It’s given us a lot of courage to help us go on.” With the emergency phase over, the Church is now addressing some of the root causes of the conflict so that people will feel they can return to their homes without threat of further violence.

The courage to go on

SHARINGJESUSCHANGING

LIVESSummer 2008

News and information for CMS members

Over the next few weeks CMS is conducting a nationwide consultation about what membership of the Society means and how this is to be expressed in the future. Invitations are being sent out as this issue of Connect goes to press. Full details are on the CMS website.

People think of CMS as a mission organisation but that’s only partially true. We are foremost a Society, a “community of people in mission” which supports a mission organisation.

There’s an important principle here. A CMS member is committed to mission and lives it out on a daily basis, “by what I am and what I do” as our long-standing membership declaration states. There are at least five dimensions to CMS as a community.

1. We are a missionary or missional community. God’s mission to all people has a first claim on us to engage in mission that’s evangelistic, holistic and worldwide.

2. We are an ecumenical community. CMS people are drawn from many denominations and traditions. This has been ingrained in the character of CMS from the earliest days when many of the first people we sent out were Lutherans.3. We are a spread-out community. CMS has always been based on a network of relationships with a shared

gospel at the core expressed in a rich variety of ways.

4. We are a lay community. We are part of the church but express our calling primarily through our day-to-day vocation in the world.

5. We are a diaconal community. We draw inspiration from Jesus, who “came among us as one who served”.

Becoming what we are

I knew many better Christians than I was – and God agreed!by Pam Wilding

While working as a medical secretary at a large UK hospital, I had a recurring dream – I met a man who told me he was looking for someone to help people in Africa. Eventually I realised I was that person. Praying to God that I knew many better Christians than I was, he said that he did too; nevertheless, I was the one he was calling!A year at the CMS London office led on to their training college and then posting to Kenya in 1967. With God’s help I had the great joy to train young Kenyan women in secretarial work and see them find employment. Subsequent ordination in Kenya also gave me the wonderful privilege of being a chaplain to a Kenyan girls’ high school, a primary boarding school and working with street children and AIDS orphans.Although I retired in 2003, I regularly speak to raise support for CMS rather than live a quiet life. Why? Because honestly I have belonged to the CMS family for too long not to be enthusiastic about all the practical and spiritual encouragement the Society provides throughout the world. I want this to continue beyond my lifetime too, and have therefore chosen to include a legacy to CMS in my will.If you would like to know more about how you can help ensure the continuity of the work of CMS, Sarah Thomas, Legacy Administrator, would be delighted to talk to you on 01865 787518 or you can email her on sarah.thomas@cms-uk.org

Could this be you? Guardians of our vision and values, the CMS trustees do a vital job. Five vacancies come up for election in the final quarter of 2008, for people who understand what governance entails. CMS is keen to recruit trustees from a range of ages and ethnic backgrounds, including people drawn from the black majority churches. Contact Yvonne Cavanagh on 01865 787475 or yvonne.cavanagh@cms-uk.org

Scaling the UK’s highest mountain and traversing a world heritage site is all in a month’s work for some CMS supporters. Two teams undertook epic journeys in May to raise funds for the Society. Yemi Adedeji, Simon Baynes, Anna Burmajster, Steve and Cathy Davie, Adam Deacon, Margaret Mandrell, Bob Mathews, Michael Patterson, Thelma Scott, Mary Smith, Richard Venning and Jean Wyatt climbed Ben Nevis on a remarkably clear day, raising £12,000 for VISTA, our leadership training initiative. Further afield, Helen Black, Lesley Cunningham, Ingrid Ridley-Smith, Becky Kiddle, Alan and Gwenda Moore, Richard Steel, Christine Strohmeier, Sarah Thomas and Trevor Williams spent an exhilarating nine days in China trekking along the Great Wall, raising £20,000 for CMS work in Asia. Please contact Sarah on 01865 787518 or email challenges@cms-uk.org for more challenge ideas.

Scaling new heights for mission

“City-based weekends of immersion

and reflection” is how the Crossing Cultures team describes its new Urban Encounters. Looking at how Christians are engaging in mission in a particular urban context, the first visit is to Hull in September. It will focus on youth on the margins, with CMS mission partners Chris and Anna Hembury. For more information, contact sarah.truby@cms-uk.org

Cash in the attic?What’s gathering dust in your loft? Turn unwanted items into cash for mission. Wallington Missionary Auction and Mart (founded 1966) and Northwood Missionary Auctions (founded 1969) have a great track record of channelling thousands of pounds to mission organisations like CMS. Earlier this year CMS set up an official partnership with Northwood. More details are on the CMS website. Professional valuers give their services free to ensure you don’t unknowingly sell a Stradivarius for a song. Experienced

licensed auctioneers plus minimal overheads ensure your favoured cause really benefits. So if you’re downsizing or simply want to de-clutter, think about releasing the value of unwanted stuff to support CMS work.Upcoming sales

Northwood 8 November: antiques and general effectswww.nmauctions.org.uk Email: enq@nmauctions.org.uk Phone: 01923 836634

Wallington 20 and 21 November: antiques and collectableswww.wallingtonmissionary.org.uk Email: enq@wmma.org.uk Phone: 020 8647 8437

Local answers for local people are what make up 21M, a new course from CMS based on the Five Marks of Mission (with an extra session on other faiths). It is designed to interpret CMS’s vision of “sharing Jesus, changing lives” for your own town’s needs. For use in small groups. 21M features DVD footage of local mission from India, Israel-Palestine, the USA, and the UK, plus detailed leaders’ notes with a flexible range of activities and discussion points to suit any age group. And, astonishingly, it’s FREE. Spread the word! Order DVD from Zoe Kuisis on 01865 787512. Leaders’ notes available to download from www.cms-uk.org/21m

Mission in the 21st Century Introducing the “new landscape of global mission” (Rowan Williams) is this important new book edited by professor Andrew Walls and CMS’s Cathy Ross. Contributors are mainly from the non-Western world and offer fresh insights into the theology of mis-sion, firmly grounded in real-life case studies and stories. £10

RESOURCESCheck the CMS website for a rich array of downloadable resources www.cms-uk.org

21M Y oh Y oh Y If you’re looking for a fresh, accessible, laugh-out-loud funny introduction to the Christian faith, then the Book of Y is for you. Written by Joseph Steinberg, CMS fundraising and marketing director, and Peter Meadows, it’s a ‘pre-Alpha’ guide to thinking about life’s big questions. £7Books are available from www.cms-shop.org.uk or call Zoe Kuisis on 01865 787512

HarvestHarvest resources will be available to download from the CMS website, written this year by Ian Adams, Abbot of mayBe, an emerging church community in Oxford. www.cms-uk.org

Share the LightDiscover how the simple act of giving someone a candle and promising to pray for them can be a meaningful way to reach out to your neighbours. More and more churches each year are joining in CMS’s Advent mission programme, Share the Light. Fresh materials for services as well as beautiful gift candles will be available via the CMS website. Email philip.evans@cms-uk.org or call him on 01865 787515 for more details about Harvest or Share the Light resources.

News Round-up: Prayer boostThousands more people are praying for world mission with CMS since we became an official sponsor of the Global Day of Prayer London this year. The event drew thousands to Millwall stadium and millions to other locations throughout the world on 11 May. More than 7,000 GDOP supporters are now receiving a special version of CMS Prayerlines every month.

Thinking missionRethinking church in Africa was on the agenda at the Crowther Centre for Mission Education, with Bishop Ande Titre as missiologist in residence. He has been reflecting on ways the church can free itself from the ‘rock-breaking’ style of leadership that is lauded in Congolese politics. The exciting news is out that the next missiologist in residence is the renowned Rene Padilla from Argentina. He’s also hosting a weekend for 20s–30s in November (see Events and the Crowther Centre web pages).

Vision conferenceWithout a vision, the people perish. Dennis Tongoi, executive director of CMS Africa, would say “with the wrong vision, the people perish”. He’s just held a five-day vision conference for 38 church and NGO leaders in Sudan – encouraging the local church that it can make a big impact in serving communities using its own resources. It’s all part of the Samaritan Strategy www.samaritan-strategy-africa.org

Stamp onDespite rumours to the contrary the CMS stamp bureau is still functioning, says Dr Kathleen Hall. We salute Geoffrey Sweet and David Wood-Robinson who have both now retired from the work but Dr Hall is still accepting stamps at Granville Court, Cheney Lane, Oxford OX3 0HS (01865 245509 for collectors wishing to buy) or send them to CMS Oxford.

to events: www.cms-uk.org/events

to CMS people

CMS at the summer festivals

21–26 July Lambeth Conference

CMS will be there at Stand A3

28–29 July Soul Survivor A

Stafford showground

11–15 Aug Soul Survivor B

Shepton Mallet showground

16–20 Aug Soul Survivor C

Shepton Mallet showground

21–25 Aug Momentum

Shepton Mallet showground

22–25 Aug Greenbelt. Join CMS and our

special guests at Cheltenham racecourse.

See www.cms-uk.org/neema for more

20 Sept Northern Region Mission

Partners’ Fellowship.

Contact Miss E Wroe (01904 780852) for

details before 6 Sept

1 Oct Central South Region Mission

Partners’ Fellowship, Milford-on-Sea,

Hants. Contact: Elizabeth Edmunds, 37

Orchard Grove, New Milton, Hants BH25

6NZ Tel: 01425 610797

4 Oct CMS Members’ Day, CMS Oxford.

Meet other members and supporters,

find out the latest news and join in the

conversation about future developments.

Email russell.price@cms-uk.org or call him

on 01865 787490

18 Oct Link Contacts’ Day For link

contacts and their ministers in the North,

Christchurch Pittsmoor, Sheffield. Email

julie.whitfield@cms-uk.org or call her on

01865 787524

21–23 Nov Tomorrow’s World

Weekend at Windmill Farm for 20s–30s

with Dr Rene Padilla. See www.cms-uk.

org/events for details

28–30 Nov Mid-Africa Conference,

The Hayes, Swanwick. With Dennis Tongoi,

executive director of the newly-formed

CMS Africa. Email Nick Fane on ma2008@

fanes.co.uk or call him on 01684 566601

6 Dec The SnowBall returns for more

festive frolics at CMS House in Oxford.

Put the date in your diary and watch

www.cms-uk.org for details. Email sarah.

thomas@cms-uk.org or call her on 01865

787518 to go on the waiting list for tickets

Crowther Centre for Mission Education

Thursdays from 16 Oct, 7pm, “Mission

and the Arts” lecture series with speakers

including Canon Lucy Winkett, Catherine

Fox, Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga, Julia

Golding and Bishop John Pritchard and

subjects including “No painting please,

we’re evangelicals”, “Can you love Jesus

and journalism?” and the need for

eccentric mission. The £7 charge includes

a meal before the lecture. More details

from Berdine van den Toren: berdine.

vandentoren@cms-uk.org or 01865

787554. Or see www.cms-uk.org

25 Oct Enough is Enough Revisited

In a global community, how do we define

enough?

With Rene Padilla and Sabine Alkire,

CMS Oxford, 10am–3.30pm, £8/£6.

Jointly run by CMS and Christian Concern

for One World.

To register, email cathy.ross@cms-uk.org

WelcomeAndrew Parfitt, a new mission partner

from Sandbach in Cheshire, is working in

community development in Central Asia.

He says: “I have a passion to see God’s

wonderful, all-encompassing kingdom

built, where the poor can live with dignity

and know the abundant new life that

exists in Christ.”

Ruth Radley, originally from Kendal,

has begun work as a mission partner in

Sudan, with Across, a Christian charity,

offering youth and children’s work training

and support to the church there. Like

Andrew, she is a former CMS Make A

Difference participant.

Anne Lapage has returned to the

Diocese of Ruaha as a mission partner to

help train evangelists (where more than

30 churches have been planted in the

last few years) and teach religious studies.

Previously, she spent 11 years

in Tanzania as a representative for

Emmanuel International.

At CMS in Oxford, Louisa Lapworth

joined the Faith2Share team in February as

international networks coordinator, while

her predecessor, Anton Ponomarev, took

on the role of research and development

officer for Faith2Share, working with

emerging mission movements.

We also welcome Lydia Boodell as

database supervisor and congratulate

staff members Sas Conradie and Chris Woo on their new appointments as

Global Mission Fund manager and trust

fundraiser/researcher respectively. Adina Dirnu has joined the finance team on a

temporary contract.

Finally, welcome to Nick Liddiard and

Rosemary Peel, who have joined the

church relations team as deputation

facilitators – so if you want a CMS

speaker, call them on 01865 787528!

FarewellWe said farewell to a number of long-serving

mission partners in the first half of 2008.

Elizabeth Hume has completed nearly

17 years as a mission partner. She

worked in Jordan, first as a schoolteacher

and, from 2001, at the Holy Land Institute

for the Deaf, where she helped set up a

deafblind unit, a place where profoundly

disabled children are valued, in a culture

where shame is still attached to disability.

Congratulations to her on her recent

marriage; she continues to work at HLID.

Gail and Ivor Lewis with Timothy,

Vanessa and Kirsty, were some of our first

mission partners in Britain and for over

12 years served in Aston, Birmingham.

Working with young people rooted in

British urban culture, Ivor had a

significant impact on young lives and

built bridges between the church and the

wider community.

Ruth Lorrenson (nee Hiett) led

outreach work in Bristol through

nightclubs, cafes and festivals and helped

CMS to understand mission among

emerging youth cultures. During her five

years of such work, Ruth was a source

of inspiration and challenge. Ruth and

her husband Chris are still involved

in ministry in Bristol and continue to

connect with the CMS community.

Andrayas and Kanwal Khan, with

Musheer and Nasir, have worked in

interfaith relations in Derby with the

Derby Asian Christian Ministry Partnership

for over six years. DACMP challenged

traditional and new churches to engage

in sensitive faith sharing with their

neighbours from other faith backgrounds.

In her seven years as a mission partner,

Sheena McBain worked as a nurse in

Uganda, at Rugarama Health Centre in

Kabale, and at Shombo Health Centre in

Burundi. In Uganda, she worked mainly

in maternity and children’s sections; in

Burundi, these responsibilities were added

to with pharmacy and finance work.

Adrian and Jane Shutt, with Ben,

Rebecca, Bethany and Robert, served at

Kisiizi hospital in Uganda for eight years.

Adrian is a general/vascular surgeon and

developed a service of repairing urinary

leaks on women injured as a result of

obstructed labour – often their only hope

of being accepted back into society. Jane

had a multitude of tasks around the

hospital, including managing supplies and

guest house and midwifery.

Clifton and Marcia Clarke, with their

children Joel and Jessica, have been

mission partners for 10½ years in Accra,

Ghana. Clifton was a theological college

lecturer, primarily training pastors for

African Instituted Churches. Marcia was

particularly influential in establishing

the “Sellers of Purple” network of

businesswomen. Their passion for

evangelism shone through, whether

doing impromptu local missions or

coaching basketball teams.

On the staff team, we said a fond goodbye

to Tim Sanders, who had been regional

manager for East Africa for the last eight

and a half years – a significant innings.

Tributes were also paid to Tim at his last

CMS Africa team meeting in Nairobi.

Tino Singodia, financial accountant for

nearly four years, moved on in February and

we also said farewell to Alice Lawhead,

co-worker developer, and Alison Lyndon,

recruitment and learning administrator.

Congratulations

Shemil Mathew, part-time administrator

at CMS in Oxford, has now moved on to

get married to mission partner Becky Hollis, who’s in Sri Lanka.

Joan Hall, former MAM mission partner

and CMS Salt member, received an MBE

in January in recognition of her long

service and contribution to health care

in Uganda through her leadership at

Rushere Hospital from 1999 to 2007.

DEATHSDec 2007: Jennie Trivett, Home

Committee 1967–70.

Jan 2008: Douglas Radcliff, Egypt 1938–

50; Margaret Dodson, former chair CMS

North West.

Feb: John Hargreaves, Nigeria, Palestine

1942–65; Helen Thompson, India

1955–91.

March: Peggie Ravensdale, Sudan

1949–56; John Haslem-Jones, numerous

CMS committees 1974–86; Robert Freak,

Uganda 1938–59; Helen Muriel Ikin,

Wusasa, Nigeria 1953–76.

April: Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, Bishop of

Iran 1961–90.

May: Patricia Kettle, Uganda 1954–62;

Evelyn Eckton-Davies, Sudan 1942–59;

Gladys Shields, Ruanda Mission/MAM

staff 1972–80; Mary Edmunds, India

1948–82.

June: Bryan Thompson, India 1955–91.

Overseas Encounter trips for 2009 include Tajikistan, Tanzania, Romania & more! Check out our Urban Encounter weekends in UK multicultural hubs like Hull or Birmingham. From 26 October to 2 November, the Crossing Cultures team will be visiting churches and groups, sharing the CMS vision for short term mission. For information about any of these opportunities, contact Sarah Truby on 01865 787494 or email sarah.truby@cms-uk.org

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Work at the House of Mission, CMS’s first residential community house project, on Iffley Road in Oxford, is nearly finished. And while the builders are busy arranging the bricks, mortar, plaster and paint, into pleasing shapes, CMS is assembling the families and individuals that will move in over the next few months. Last May potential residents met at CMS to discuss what community means to them both spiritually and practically. The group – diverse in age, family situation, nationality, and occupation – all shared a common belief that by living in community,

the Lord will do something wonderful and unexpected.They will be establishing themselves both as a community within the House of Mission, and a community within culturally diverse East Oxford. The building is just a short walk from a Buddhist temple, a new age bookstore, and a mosque.Volunteer organiser, Jim Barker, says, “Counter-cultural expressions are important to the growth of the church, and residential community has always been a vital part of that. The desert fathers, St Francis of Assisi, Mennonite communities – these have all been important counter-cultural signs of the kingdom.”

It is hoped that the project will link into a nationwide movement of residential mission communities, not all of them led by CMS, but all of them a part of a global network.If you want more information about the House of Mission, email houseofmission@cms-uk.org or call 01865 787482.

How to build a house of mission

“As the Anglican Communion seeks more and better ways to share resources for taking forward its mission in the name of the Risen Christ,” writes Archbishop Rowan Williams, “it is very good news that the Faith2Share network has been set up to meet the challenges of this global task.”Archbishop Rowan recently joined Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Dr K Rajendran, President of the India Missions Association, in

welcoming the contribution Faith2Share is making to strengthening global mission movements, like CMS, as they face challenging mission contexts. Meeting in Bangkok in October, the 14 current member agencies will be joined by emerging mission movements in Asia and leaders of other prospective network members. We are a growing family.Membership of Faith2Share enables CMS Britain to use its resources more effectively and to link British churches

into God’s mission on every continent. When violence hit Kenya in January CMS Africa were on the scene, but when the cyclone came to Myanmar it was Crosslinks who provided links to churches there, and a few weeks later Asian Outreach International was first to mobilise help for earthquake victims in China. You can find daily mission news and Faith2Share information at www.faith2share.net

Faith2Sharenetwork

CMS on tourLook out for two exciting tours sponsored by CMS in the late summer. Breakdancers from Tajikistan will be back with us throughout July and August sharing their life-changing testimonies and incredible moves, with a grand finale at the Greenbelt festival. Then from 20 August to 10 September, the young deaf Tanzanians who run Neema Crafts with mission partners Andy and Susie Hart join us at Greenbelt and for a number of church visits. More details from Julie Whitfield at julie.whitfield@cms-uk.org or 01865 787524.

Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ t: 01865 787400

My story, my CMSShona Passfield, CMS trustee

I was first introduced to CMS through my role as Chair of the Mission Giving Committee at my home church, Great St Mary’s, in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. The church supports a variety of CMS projects.My business, Total Affinity Ltd, also began supporting CMS through its charitable giving, after being asked for help to fund Dennis Tongoi’s work for social transformation in Africa. As a consultant engaged in strategic

marketing, it was easy to relate to the importance and value of what was being proposed.In 2004, a turning-point for me was an invitation from CMS mission partners Rachelle and Tom Sanderson to visit them in Uganda, and from Dennis Tongoi to visit him in Kenya. That trip set my heart on fire when I learnt about the opportunity to marry business with mission.Since inviting me to stand as a trustee,

CMS has become the catalyst for the most important outworking of my Christian life: my involvement in our Business as Mission strategy.As a Christian in the workplace, I’m aware of the separation that has taken place between church and work, which needs to be reversed if God’s plan for us is to be fulfilled and his kingdom to be made reality here on earth.Work is part of God’s purpose for us and it has the potential to help transform our broken and impoverished world.As part of my engagement with Business as Mission, I’ll return to East Africa in August – my fourth visit since 2004 – to deliver training in business planning.Moreover, earlier this year, I travelled to China with CMS regional director Phil Simpson to visit Chye Ann Soh, who’s developing the Magi network, which invited me to sit on its board.What excites me so much about CMS is what’s embraced within its heritage, its profile and global presence. For example, CMS possesses the elements of a platform for a new and dynamic movement in mission that, through business, can take the gospel into places that traditional channels cannot penetrate.I’m simply astonished where God has led me since I bumped into CMS. It is something for which I truly thank him every day.

BRIEF NOTE: Trustees of SAMS and CMS have agreed to enter formal negotiations about the two societies becoming one. Watch this space.

Tomorrow’s worldAn opportunity for people in their 20s and 30s to meet one of the most influential voices in the rediscovery of the radical nature of Christ’s call to transform society is being sponsored by CMS. The South American author and pastor Dr Rene Padilla will be sharing a weekend away with others who want to discover more about the relevance of Jesus to our present and future. See www.cms-uk.org/events

Love in action in ChinaIn the wake of the Sichuan earthquake a new coalition of house church leaders came together with the social action arm of CMS’s strategic partner in the region, Asian Outreach. Known as China Christians ActionLove, they’ve been in the thick of the relief and long term rehabilitation work, able to operate openly in cooperation with the authorities. Keep an eye on www.cms-uk.org for updates.