In 1851, a group of British missionaries starved to death at the southernmost tip of South America without having shared the gospel. So why would a group of CMS people in mission working across Latin America choose this location for a gathering? CMS personnel lead for Latin America Jo Anthony reflects on mission past and present.

It wasn’t a promising start to mission work – Captain Allen Gardiner and his six colleagues had felt called to take the gospel to the Fuegian indigenous peoples at the very “end of the earth”. However, fierce weather, isolation and a series of errors led to disease and death, and the whole party perished within a few months. Despite these beginnings, it was from this endeavour near the modern-day town of Ushuaia in Argentina that the Patagonian Missionary Society (later the South American Mission Society (SAMS), now part of Church Mission Society) was formed.

Indigenous focus

These first missionaries were followed by others from the Patagonian Missionary Society, who connected with the Yaghan people by bringing small groups of them to the Falkland Islands, where the missionaries were initially based. However, the missionaries’ first attempts to settle in Tierra del Fuego (islands at the southern tip of South America) resulted in eight of them being killed by Yaghan people in 1859. But in spite of this harrowing setback, the mission continued and relationships improved. Bishop Waite Stirling established a mission station in 1869 that effectively founded the city of Ushuaia. And one of the first missionaries to live among the Yaghan people, Thomas Bridges, learned their language and put together a grammar and dictionary. He and his family settled in Ushuaia at the mission station, where he lived for more than 20 years.

Yet as the area attracted more settlers from further north because of a gold rush and a boom in sheep farming, the indigenous groups came into conflict with the European way of life and were exposed to new diseases. The population was devastated and eventually mission endeavours among them came to an end. But that wasn’t quite the end of the story….

For nearly two centuries, indigenous groups have been a focus for SAMS and later CMS. While these peoples were often marginalised by many of those of European descent and experienced an almost unimaginable loss of lands and traditions, SAMS people in mission have walked alongside them through providing access to education, preaching the gospel, translating the Bible and teaching resources, equipping leaders and campaigning alongside indigenous groups for land rights.

The CMS group who visited Ushuaia included indigenous bishops Mateo Alto and Crisanto Rojas from the Diocese of Northern Argentina, where there are now more than 150 churches with around 15,000 members in total.

Coming full circle

As we discussed holding our first ever in-region conference of all CMS’s people in mission currently based in Latin America last year, someone suggested we meet near to where SAMS began. So, we arrived in the beautiful town of Ushuaia on 2 January 2023, to talk, listen, pray together and seek God’s will for our work, ministries and lives in Latin America and beyond.

We all knew that there was historic significance to the stunning surroundings, but we hadn’t necessarily anticipated the warm welcome we would receive from a local church community. While there are no Anglican churches or CMS work currently in Ushuaia, the pastor of the local evangelical church of El Gran Rey in the town centre was invited to our conference. He delivered a very moving account of the history of SAMS.

It was humbling and inspiring to see that he knew more about SAMS’s beginnings than most, if not all, of us who work and volunteer for CMS. He told us that he and his congregation felt much gratitude towards those first pioneers who went to the edge of the world to share the gospel, in what was then considered a difficult and inhospitable place.

Later, we visited a midweek church service at El Gran Rey and spent time sharing testimonies with each other of God’s work across Ushuaia and across Latin America. During the church service, congregation members and some of our own group had tears in their eyes as the pastor again spoke about those first missionaries who came to try to share Jesus with the Yaghan people. The church presented our group with a painting of Allen Gardiner and Ushuaia by congregation member Mónica Kizur, which is now in CMS House in Oxford.

Take part

Take part Keen to hear more about CMS’s work in Latin America? Save the date on 23 September 2023 for Adelante, the CMS conference exploring mission in Latin America.

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The post Hope deferred, not lost appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

An incurable cancer diagnosis. Living with chronic pain. Plus pursuing an immense, often-misunderstood, calling. If anyone could be excused for giving up, it might be CMS mission partner and anti-FGM activist Ann-Marie Wilson. We asked her a basic question: how do you keep going? Following is distilled practical wisdom from a woman who refuses to give up.

Look to Jesus

I think Jesus doesn’t give up, because he was sent by the Father for a purpose, a job to do. And I too was sent with a purpose and I haven’t given up – because the job’s not done. Which doesn’t mean it’s not difficult. But I wouldn’t dream of giving up. I’m not done until I’m done.

Remember your purpose

I’m helped by the fact that my calling began with hearing the audible voice of God. I know it’s not that way for everybody.

I was volunteering in West Darfur when I met a girl, Fatima, age 11. She’d undergone FGM (female genital mutilation) at age five and at age 10 she was raped and became pregnant. We helped her give birth safely.

Realising Fatima was one of thousands of FGM victims impacted me greatly. I was due to return to the UK and I cried out to God: “Who’s going to look after these girls when I’ve gone?”

And he said: “You are.”

I figured God hadn’t talked to his HR officer. I wasn’t nearly qualified for this. But I’d heard his voice and I didn’t want to be like Jonah – if you run away from God you never really escape. I spoke with people from my church and others, recognising that I was a white woman wanting to work in the majority world and I needed to discern what part I was called to play in eradicating FGM. I had to be humble and re-train completely.

I wasn’t called to do everything; I was called to do my part. I’ve kept this in mind as I’ve merged the charity I founded 10+ years ago with another charity, and step back from being chief executive for a more advisory role. By grace, I do so with love.

Be truthful about struggles

Of course, I get tired. Or overwhelmed. I can get frustrated at the systems that keep women oppressed. It can be tempting to give up, but never on God. Because he’s called me and he’s with me in all my difficulties. And he helps me learn from them.

Not giving up doesn’t mean not resting

I make space for rest days weekly. Sometimes people say there’s too much work and no time to rest. But the work you do when you’re exhausted is slow. I say this as a recovering workaholic – rest should be part of our discipleship. God rested and if we trust God we will take rest and Sabbath seriously.

Remember blessings

When I started, this was really pioneering work. Back then, churches didn’t know what the initials FGM meant, never mind being prepared to hear me speak about such a graphic subject. So I’m grateful for the early successes and blessings – which weren’t always the same things.

You can’t go it alone

To resist giving up, we need people to encourage and challenge us. We know different people have different skills to bring to the table. And not just people in the present, but I also draw inspiration and sustenance from missionary pioneers who have gone before me. During the pandemic, due to my health I shielded for 18 months and was pretty much on my own. So I know the weariness isolation brings.

Glimpse grace

When I think of things I find difficult to accept, like my health or my singleness, I have to really press in to God. I’ve had to give up the hope of having children, which I would have liked. I do have seven godchildren, which gives me joy. And God has given me the opportunity to train and serve as a midwife in Pakistan and Nigeria. I’ve helped 10 women give birth. God brings fulfillment in amazing ways.

Recently, I had a hip replacement that went horribly wrong and I now have paralysis in my leg and constant pain. It’s something I have to put up with, but it doesn’t make me want to stop. I have to make sure people understand that I’m not Superwoman; I need more help than I used to. It’s tough to be vulnerable but probably a good thing.

Stay curious

When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, I saw an oncology psychologist. I told her I’d made a bucket list of 96 things I still wanted to do in my lifetime. She said most people with cancer wait until it’s too late to make this kind of list. After my first chemotherapy session, I did my first bucket list activity: I went to a ballroom dancing lesson and got spun around by the instructor across the wooden floor.

I’ve now done all 96 things. To commemorate my 60th birthday I’ve come up with 60 more things, including some exotic travel I couldn’t do during the pandemic. I don’t want any part of me to feel like it’s time to check out – I feel proud of the things I’ve been able to do and that I have followed my calling and, come what may, that feels like a special place to be.

Pray together

Pray for Ann-Marie as she works for an FGM-free world and advocates for disability awareness. Pray also that she will have continuing wisdom in how best to use her time and energy.

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The post “I’m not done until I’m done” appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

My name’s Dayle and I’m from Canklow in Rotherham.

In the past, I prayed to Jesus and thanked him for everything, but that was as far as it went. I never went to church and never really read the Bible. I would never have expected to get involved in church.

Spiritual but not religious

I’ve been a spiritual person all my life. A few years back I kind of got into the New Age, with a sense of “God isn’t real, you look for things yourself. Your mindset does things, if you want to see it positively, you see it positively.” I went that way a little bit, and then I was a pagan and a witch and I was veering towards Satanism. And that was when God called to me.

My story starts with my cat, who I love to pieces. One night she was having a fit and I automatically just cried out to God, “Please help her.” And then I made a promise: “Jesus, I’ll buy a Bible if you get her through the night.”

Pulled to church

My cat made it, so I bought a Bible and started reading. I said to God, “I don’t know what you want me to do.” I started to see the Bible as a guide to live a happy and fulfilled life. And then I felt this constant pull to go to church, like a feeling in my stomach. I did ignore it for a while. And then I thought, “That’s Jesus.” I felt he wanted me to go to church because I kept coming across things about church.

I went along to Rotherham Minster. I was scared – it’s a scary thing to do. And then the minute I stepped in, that feeling in my stomach just completely disappeared.

When I’d been going to church for a couple of months, I thought Jesus was telling me to take the next step. I asked the vicar, “How can I get more involved?” He suggested I come to a Thursday group that was starting to read the Bible together.

Thursday group was started by Ali Middleton, a CMS-trained pioneer and associate vicar at Rotherham Minster and St Paul’s Masbrough. Ali invited people who had been asking questions about God and were interested in reading the Bible and learning more about Jesus. (You can read group members Steve and Claire’s stories on our Jesus Never Gives Up pages.) We started reading the Bible. We were reading Mark and that was fantastic because there were a lot of things for me to take away from it, thinking, “What’s it trying to teach us to help other people?”, instead of it just being a story.

Thursday group has impacted every single part of my life. The people at Thursday group know that if they need help, I’ll answer the phone, same as if I need help with anything. It’s like a proper family. And the best thing is when one of us has done something to upset someone, we know we’re in a safe place so we can say we’re sorry. It’s not a place where we come for an hour and then we go again.

Jesus is always there

Jesus means the world to me. He’s the first person I say hello to in the morning. And he’s my best friend. He’s the person that whenever I feel stuck, I’ll go to. And sometimes for fun, I’ll just say a quick prayer, “Jesus, you want to come down and watch this film? Or do you want to come out on a walk with me?” And sometimes I feel him. Sometimes I don’t. I always know he’s there.

Life before was full of stress and anxiety. I worried about everything. Since I found Jesus it’s very peaceful. It’s completely changed because I know that Jesus is now here with me, so I’m not stressing about everything.

Bringing heaven on earth

Canklow faces isolation, deprivation, antisocial behaviour. We have a few people who are struggling, so they take it out on people’s property or other people. But it’s a good place as well because we have community spirit and no matter what anyone goes through, guaranteed someone’s going to be there to help you. Which is what I’m trying to grab hold of and spread out more.

Before I really wasn’t involved in anything because I didn’t have anyone to talk to and I didn’t really know anyone because I was shy. Now I have a sense of calling, to bring positivity and help to Canklow. One of my goals is to bring God’s Kingdom of heaven down to earth.

Jesus has definitely changed how I interact with people on the estate. I live in the newer part of the estate, and I rarely talked to anyone who’s always lived there. And then the more I prayed and the more I walked around praying, the more people stopped to talk to me.

From litter to Lego

The first thing was that I did a litter pick because we needed to clean the place up a bit. We’ve got rid of so much rubbish, and now we’ve noticed there’s a decline in people dropping litter, which is making everyone feel better.

At the minute in Canklow, we do a monthly litter pick, a weekly get-together of crafters (knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, drawing, all sorts), game nights and hopefully we’re going to get funding for a Lego morning. It’s all helpful for mental health.

I do “God Rocks”, where you read a part of the Bible and then paint whatever verse that you feel called to on a rock and leave it somewhere for someone to find as a way of saying, God’s here with you. And I’m exploring the idea of garden church.

Some of the ideas come from the Thursday group. Someone will mention something and I’ll say, “Oh, that’s a really good idea. Can I borrow that idea and see where it goes in Canklow?” Ali is really supportive. When I’m stressed I go to her because she knows how I’m feeling. And every time I’ve got an idea, I’ll send a message or ring her up or whatever. And she’s always there to help.

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The post “Jesus, I’ll buy a Bible if my cat lives!” appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Clean for Good has today announced it has been certified with B Corp status, an endorsement of its unique position as an ethical office cleaning company committed to the wellbeing of its employees as well as providing a world class service to its clients.

Clean for Good is one of the first cleaning companies in the UK to become B Corp certified, and the only company to be both B Corp certified and an accredited Living Wage Employer.

Church Mission Society has backed Clean for Good since its inception and the vision to be a different kind of cleaning company has always been at its heart.

Every staff member gets paid at least the London Living Wage for every hour worked, and gets access to employment benefits well above the industry threshold.

Melany Garzon, a cleaner at Clean for Good remarks: “The truth is I just really enjoy working at Clean for Good and feel very satisfied doing my work. I have met wonderful people here who give their best, but above all who have a human quality and kindness which is very important to me.”

It has pioneered a new model in the commercial cleaning world and has grown rapidly since it started six years ago.

The idea for the company was developed on CMS’s Make Good week, a module of CMS Pioneer Mission Training and CMS became a founder investor and one of the three major shareholders along with the Parish of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe and the Centre for Theology & Community.

To achieve B Corp status Clean For Good has met rigorous social and environmental standards to reflect its commitment to goals outside of shareholder profit: building a fairer, dignified and more attractive workplace for its cleaners, while also ensuring the highest environmental and sustainable standards across its supply chain.

From the cleaning products used on site which are EU eco-labelled to the uniforms which staff wear and are produced free from any human rights abuse, Clean for Good strives to have the highest sustainable standards of any UK cleaning company.

Charlie Walker, managing director at Clean for Good, comments: “We are thrilled to be B Corp certified. It is a great reward for the huge amounts of work done by many people across all parts of our business.

“What delights me most, however, is this recognises and celebrates our core values and motivations. We strive each day to be good news to our cleaners through fair pay and dignified work, to our clients through an excellent service, and to the planet by ensuring we use sustainable products and materials.”

Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK says, “We are delighted to welcome Clean for Good to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Clean for Good are going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.”

The vision for Clean for Good is informed by the Christian faith of Clean for Good’s founders and investors who lead the business and have established a set of values to guide the company’s work. The company will always recruit, work for and work with anyone, regardless of their beliefs.

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The post CMS-backed ethical cleaners gain B Corp status appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

UK’s first NIV audio Bible voiced fully by women proclaims the message that women’s voices matter to God

The UK’s first NIV audio Bible voiced by solely by women will be launched on 8 March to coincide with International Women’s Day. ‘Her Audio Bible UK’ is the brainchild of Rev Katy Partridge, an Anglican curate based at Holy Trinity, Combe Down, in Bath, and features the voices of women drawn from across the country. Each contributor brings her own style, accent and interpretation, resulting in a unique blend of cultures, ethnicity, and church backgrounds, representative of the worldwide Church of God.

At a time when many women are struggling to see God as relevant, Rev Partridge hopes that that Her Audio Bible UK can bring healing to women who have felt the pain of exclusion and can bring alive the truth that God welcomes all. Rev Partridge explained: “The way women are treated in religious spaces impacts the way they see God. If they are excluded from leading, or speaking, or worshipping, the message they receive is that their voice does not matter to God.” 

Rev Partridge is studying for an MA on Church Mission Society’s pioneer mission training programme. She first had the idea when she noticed a general lack of women’s voices in many of the Christian resources available. In response Rev Partridge and her team of volunteers auditioned over 60 women, and based on their tone, diction and ability to narrate, chose 17 women to record the New Testament. Voices include the Rev Prebendary Dr Isabelle Hamley, former chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev Sonia Hicks, a previous president of the Methodist Church, and writer and teacher, Rev Canon Liz Shercliff.

The team behind Her Audio Bible UK recognised that the UK is rich in its diversity, and so wanted to involve a wide range of backgrounds and voices. As well as sharing their individual testimony, each reader speaks from a place of faith and adopts a personal approach as if they were reading to a friend, in order to engage listeners. Rev Partridge said: “Listening to the Bible not only has the potential to bring a new vibrancy to the words of Scripture, but also makes it more accessible to those who find reading a struggle, or those with visual impairments. A woman’s voice is particularly helpful to those for whom male voices can be triggering, such as women who have experienced domestic abuse, or human trafficking.”

Dr Cathy Ross, Head of Pioneer Mission Training at CMS, said: “It has been amazing to see Katy develop this project while she has been studying with us. She has a real passion for women being able to hear God’s word in a way that speaks to us, so I am thrilled that she has pioneered this wonderful audio Bible.”

Her Audio Bible UK is free to listen to. Rather than being accessed through an app, it will be available through digital audio services such as Spotify, as well as its own dedicated website. The initial launch will include the Gospels and the Book of Revelation, and more books will be released each month, with the complete New Testament available by end of the year. Recording of the Old Testament will start later in 2023.

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The post CMS Pioneer leads new women’s audio Bible project appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).