The following is a story from one of our local partners in Asia. As you read, you’ll understand why we’ve refrained from sharing her name and location.

I come from a Buddhist family, as do most people from my village. Growing up, there was maybe one Christian in my school.

When I moved to a big city for university, it turned out that my roommate was a Christian. She read her Bible every morning. I started asking her questions about her faith and she introduced me to a woman who worked for a Christian ministry. Through her, I heard the gospel for the first time. Her own story moved me, it made me want to know God more. I decided to follow Jesus in 2014.

I met many other Christians during my time at university, and took part in some mission trips, which I loved. I also got to share the gospel with people I knew, some of whom took the same step as me and followed Jesus. I felt honoured that God would use me like this.

Family turmoil

I wanted to tell my parents that I had turned to Jesus, yet I was afraid. One day I found the courage to tell my mum. It could not have gone worse. She became violently angry. I was scared. I cried and asked God to please help me.

The next day I tried talking to my mum again. Her response was even worse than before.

I said to God, “If you are real, show my mum.” I ended up having to promise my mother that I would not go to church anymore. But when I went back to university, I broke this promise and kept my church attendance a secret from her.

The next time I tried to talk to my mother about the difference Jesus had made in my life, she was more hurt than angry. She said she felt she had lost me. It broke my heart. I didn’t want to hurt her but I believed my decision to follow Jesus was the right one. I still don’t want to hurt her, which is why I am keeping my story anonymous now. I left the family house feeling sad. A month later she called me and said it was okay for me to go to church but not to get baptised.

With this compromise agreed, I finished university.

A call to serve

One summer my church sent me to a mission conference. I met many like-minded people, searching for their life’s direction. Some wanted to be pastors or children’s workers or to share Jesus in the business world.

I didn’t know how God wanted me to serve. On the third day of the conference, we prayed for refugees and migrant workers around the world. As I prayed that God would meet their needs, I began to cry. I suddenly had a strong feeling, which I believe was a touch from the Holy Spirit, that I wanted to share God’s love and the gospel with this group of people. When I got home, I said to God that if he wants me to work among refugees, to let me know how.

After two weeks, a man came to my church to share how he is working with refugees in our country. God had answered my prayers. I knew this was the kind of work I wanted to do. But how could I tell my parents I wanted to leave my current job and do this kind of work?

“God is good”

God is good; my parents actually supported my decision. I now work in a faith-based centre for refugees. I teach refugee children from many kinds of cultural and faith backgrounds; some are orphans.

The centre has a girls’ shelter and I am part of this work too – listening to the girls, helping them with basic needs. I hope they can see Jesus in me. I share the gospel where I can, through stories or group activities.

Recently one of the girls came up to me. Like me she comes from another faith background. When she first came to the shelter she was frequently upset and didn’t want to listen to anyone. She started going to a local Sunday school with me and I could see her changing bit by bit. And then one day, she came to me and whispered, “Teacher, I have given my life to Jesus.” She has not been shy or secret about her faith – she has even posted about it on social media.

I see my work as God’s ministry and I thank you for being my partners in this.

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The post “I had to keep my faith a secret” appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

A declaration issued by leaders on behalf of indigenous people in Latin America “shows clear intent” and charts a path forward for the indigenous peoples to work together with a new generation of leaders, says Paul Tester, Church Mission Society’s manager in Latin America.

The Declaration emanated from the ‘Indigenous Mission Congress’, the first such conference for 20 years. The Congress took place between 6 and 10 October in La Caldera near the city of Salta in northern Argentina and was structured around five key themes: Academic Education, Biblical Formation and Indigenous Leadership; Gospel and Indigenous Culture; a Theology of Creation; the Relationship between Governments and Indigenous Peoples; and Unity.

The Declaration made a number of key recommendations including putting in place a systematic and comprehensive process for training to prepare leaders for work in the local church, the promotion and use of indigenous languages to maintain cultural identity, and the creation of Biblical formation centres oriented to the next generation of leadership for the indigenous church.

The Declaration also acknowledged the role and responsibility of indigenous peoples as stewards of creation, and called for improved links between local communities and regional authorities to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are protected.

Timed to coincide with the ‘Day of the Meeting of Two Worlds’, a day which is celebrated in Spanish speaking countries on 12 October, the Indigenous Mission Congress was attended by over 80 delegates. The summit included representatives from the Aymara, Chorote, Enxet, Mapuche, Quechua, Toba and Wichí peoples, as well as leaders in mission from CMS and the Anglican Church in Latin America, and other observers. Organisers hoped the Congress will be important in shaping mission work in Latin America as leaders try to navigate between their own traditional indigenous cultures and the dominating wider influences of contemporary culture.

CMS’s work in the region dates back to the 19th century, when mission leaders such as Barbrooke Grubb and pioneers from the South American Mission Society [SAMS], transformed both Christian mission and wider society through the introduction of new methods in mission, Bible translation, education and healthcare.

Ahead of the Congress Paul Tester said mission had arrived at a ‘crossroads’ moment. “We have been inspired by a verse from Jeremiah [6:16] which says: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”’ As we come to our current crossroads we are charged with discerning a good way to walk in, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and by the ancient paths and those who walked in them.”

Paul continued, “The relationship between indigenous peoples and the invading cultures remains one that both we, and the indigenous peoples need to learn to navigate well. We hope to discern how to join in with what God is doing today and believe that the key to that is walking alongside the new generation of indigenous mission leaders that God is raising up.”

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The post Indigenous People’s Declaration shows clear intent appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Renowned blogger, author and youth mentor Joseph Ola is to join the teaching team for the African Christian Diaspora route of Church Mission Society’s MA in pioneer leadership training.

Ola recognises that we live in a diverse multi-cultural society and will lean on experiences from his childhood in Nigeria, his time as a theology student and the highs and lows of being Liverpool FC fan, in his new role.

Dr Harvey Kwiyani, programme lead for the African MA course, says: “As a young African theologian, Joseph Ola bridges the gap between generations in many ways. His research, focusing on Africa’s youthful Christianity, brings an energetic and hopeful perspective to the classroom and speaks both to African and European Christians alike. Working with Joseph in this new role at Church Mission Society fills me with hope for the future of African Christianity and its missiology. Our students are lucky to have him.”

Since beginning in church leadership in 2012, Ola has served in churches and ministries in Nigeria, the United States and the UK. In 2015 he founded Alive Mentorship Group, an online mentoring platform for teenagers and young adults that now reaches young people in over 60 countries. He is also a Pastor of The Apostolic Church in Liverpool.

As an integral part of the MA in theology, ministry and mission that CMS offers Christian pioneer leaders, this course has proved popular and is now entering its second year. Led by African scholars, the students study African church history and African Pentecostalism alongside modules on mission, pioneer leadership, anthropology and ecclesiology, to help them understand how the continent’s religious traditions and culture have shaped people’s identity.

The course is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to help Christian colleges and teaching institutions incorporate an African world view into current mission education and theological thinking, as well as helping African churches to effectively engage in mission. The programme is taught over three years and is fully online.

More information on the newly designed MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission is available at pioneer.churchmissionsociety.org/ma

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The post Blogger and youth mentor Joseph Ola joins CMS Pioneer team appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Our people in Ukraine see themselves as Ruin Restorers. Here are some firsthand photos of their recent work in villages near Kyiv.

“Can we do this again?” These were the hopeful words of a young girl who attended one of a series of children’s camps held near Kyiv this summer.

The camps were organised by CMS people in mission and others from the Tabernacle of the Living God (TLG) church team in Ukraine. TLG church members have been faithfully ministering in villages near Kyiv since they were able to return after initially evacuating to the west of the country following Russia’s invasion.

The idea behind the kids’ camps was to show children, who have been through heart-breaking tragedy, that Jesus loves and values them.

So far more than 200 children ages 5 to 16 have taken part in games, singing, meals, skits and praying together, with many being surprised how quickly they have bonded with each other and the church team.

“The children were able to feel the presence of God. It is important that they were distracted from the war, felt that they still have a childhood and [had good seeds planted in their hearts],” said one local pastor. Village parents thanked the team profusely for doing something so fun for the children.

Restoring more than buildings

Alison, Valery and Anya, CMS people in mission in Ukraine, agreed that the camps helped local children, many of whom have lost loved ones to violence, cope with their loss and trauma:

“So many children invited God into their lives and many are looking forward to another gathering next summer.”

The Kyiv team see themselves as “ruin restorers” and in addition to helping young people, they are also assisting elderly villagers with basic needs such as planting potatoes, repairing war-damaged houses and paying attention to their struggles in a time of ongoing anxiety. The team also recently helped clear a space for a bomb shelter at a school and delivered food to hungry villagers.

“What does God’s love do here?”

“Hatred and evil have left behind sadness, pain and loss,” said Valery.

“But now what does God’s love do here? Restores life, restores joy and lifts despair, inspires to keep believing and hoping for the best.”

Our ruin restorers in Ukraine thank everyone who has prayed and given so that the gospel can be shared and lives rebuilt from rubble. 

All photos courtesy of Tabernacle of the Living God Church, Ukraine

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The post Frontline photos: Ruin restorers in Ukraine appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

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