Church was simply irrelevant to many people in Jane Robins’s Nottinghamshire village – yet last year 11 people were baptised and are now involved in God’s mission.

Here, Jane shares how, equipped by CMS training, she sees God at work and faith growing.

In my journey as a pioneer, I’ve learned that our skill is often our ability to adapt and make the most of what we have. I think of Moses in Exodus 4 – given a fearsome commission by God, he is anxious. God, who could have given him any miraculous help, simply asked Moses what he had in his hand: a staff. This provided the means to rescue a nation and perform signs and wonders in God’s name. The simplest thing, with God’s blessing, becomes a powerful force.

Unexpected direction

No one expected me to lead a church. Raised a Jehovah’s Witness, I spent 25 years away before personal trauma drew me to the Anglican church. Driven to active ministry, I became a licensed reader in 2014, breaking traditional moulds. In 2016, my diocese recommended I train with CMS as an ordained pioneer. Despite ordination no longer being possible under a new bishop, I found my home among fellow pioneers at CMS and persevered.

Frustrating beginnings

Full of enthusiasm after training, I began my ministry as a lay pioneer. I established a successful church plant in a social club in a nearby parish, but it was closed by a new incumbent and I was back to square one. I came back to working with what I had and began to think more about where people were, what was important to them and who were the “influencers” in my village of Ruddington.

I realised there wasn’t any animosity towards the church, simply a view that it was totally irrelevant. An affluent, leafy village full of amenities, little deprivation, with many valuable community groups; why would God need to be part of it?

From disinterest to dear friends

I became a parish councillor because that seemed an obvious way for me to pioneer God’s message by joining the influencers. Through this, church, council and the village partnership group have increasingly worked together for the good of the village. The church is now seen as “one of us”.

I believe success is more than numbers, but at the Christmas services last year, over 1,100 people came through the church doors, up from 300 two years ago. People see it as “us and ours”.

Andrew, the vicar of St Peter’s, Ruddington, is now referred to as “our Andrew” by people he meets, whether they have a faith or not. He regularly walks around the monthly village market, talking to people, listening to their stories. At a recent village event, thanks were given to “our dear friends at St Peter’s” – a massive shift from the disinterest a few years ago.

Planting again

With a hardworking team, I started and now lead a second church plant, Framework Church, which runs from a coffee shop. It is a relaxed and informal community, accessible to people moving on from the Alpha course, or who find church intimidating. It has seen as many as 40 people attending and continues to develop its own unique style: distinct from, yet part of, St Peter’s.

Although primarily a missional enterprise, we have found that discipleship among the leaders has grown too. We’re currently using [CMS Britain hub director] Jonny Baker’s book Fringe Dweller, and the whole team love exploring the pioneer thinking that formed so much of my equipping at CMS. Our incumbent has commented that this plant has been one of the greatest motivators of change and growth within the church.

Pioneering Alpha

You might think there is not much pioneering in running Alpha, but there can be! I follow my inclination to relax things: a welcome time, glass of wine and chat to start.

We allow room for where the discussion takes us. WhatsApp groups for each course have been transformational to form relationships on this road people travel together. Last year saw 11 adult baptisms following the course, with everyone now involved regularly in mission.

Two of those baptised are prison wardens, working in one of the toughest prisons in the region. One has established a weekly prayer group at the prison, which currently has about 20 members including both staff and inmates.

The other warden looks after pregnant women prisoners and regularly speaks of her faith while offering comfort. God is alive and well in this prison!

Another baptism candidate came to faith after a 20-year gap. She had given up a baby for adoption in her youth and had carried guilt ever since, believing that Jesus could never forgive her. She is now truly free, experiencing a wonderful deliverance from her guilt during the Alpha Holy Spirit day, realising how truly loved she is. She certainly is a new creation.

This year sees us planning something totally new for our church – Family Alpha. Last year, three people were unable to finish the course because of childcare issues, so I thought, why don’t we make a course for them? We are now well into planning a multi-generational approach that caters for every age, with pizza, kids’ activities and teaching for the whole family, with over 30 people signed up.

Family pioneering

One of the most unexpected results from Alpha involved my youngest daughter, Liz. She was scathing that her mum had become a “Jesus nut”, had trained to become a pioneer (whatever that means!) and was now running Alpha. Liz decided to see who was brainwashing her mum, so signed up to show these people just how false it all was.

On week one, Liz was bowled over by the food. Then after the discussion, a voice I could not believe belonged to my daughter suddenly poured forth her worries about my granddaughter. A team member suggested we pray for her. Instead of “not likely” there was a heartfelt “yes please”. She was completely overcome by the Holy Spirit, in floods of tears and joined in the discussion later about God as if he was the best friend she had known for years. The story doesn’t end there: Liz is now a vicar running a benefice of six churches and, I suspect, a fledgling pioneer herself!

A long road

It’s taken me over 10 years to get the pioneer message into mainstream thinking in my church context – this is a journey for the long haul, and I have learned not to give up, to believe in the impossible, listen to God and wait for his timing. Key to building bridges with the rest of my church and community has been finding the language they speak and learning to talk in ways they understand. Now, both my vicar and an 83-year-old ministry colleague enthuse about the pioneer thinking in Jonny Baker’s book Fringe Dweller – and we’re all finding life at the edges.

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In this episode, we’re sharing three remarkable stories of lives transformed at the edges, showing how God is bringing belonging, restoring dignity, and planting vibrant communities of faith in unexpected places.

First, we’ll head to Brazil, where a remarkable prison ministry has been given the go-ahead to plant a church behind bars.

Then we’ll go to Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where families living in conflict zones are finding sanctuary and hope as new local churches are planted there too.

And finally, we’ll visit a UK pioneer community where art and creativity are opening doors for people to experience church in a whole new shape.

We begin in Brazil, where hundreds of men in a local prison are experiencing life-changing transformation.

For years, CMS mission partners and local leaders have walked alongside these men, offering Bible studies, discipleship courses, and a chance to encounter the love of Jesus. The outcome has been profound. Men who felt completely written off are finding forgiveness in Jesus and choosing a brand new path. Andy Walsh, who works with CMS in the prison, reports that hundreds of men have come to faith. Yet for a long time they were not allowed to gather together for any kind of worship service.

Now, after persistent advocacy by Andy and local Christian leaders, prison authorities have officially granted approval for a church plant inside the prison. Every week a chapel time forms behind bars, giving inmates a supportive community and real hope for their future outside. Our hope is that this will become a model for other churches to be born in prisons across Brazil.

Next, let’s go to Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to see more churches growing on the edges.

For decades, the district of Kibumba has been deeply affected by armed conflict, forced displacement, and resulting trauma. Rev Innocent Kwitonda, vicar of St John’s Church in Buvira, was born in this area. And his life story reflects both the deep suffering and incredible resilience of the local people.

Where violent conflict has uprooted lives and shattered stability, Rev Innocent and St John’s Church have refused to let fear have the final word. During the most recent brutal conflict in Goma, St John’s welcomed war-displaced families, providing clean water, basic household items, and temporary shelter for over 2,000 households.

Now, at the direct request of this local community, they have also planted three new churches in the area. These churches continue to grow in size and impact. Women who suffered sexual violence and harassment are gradually rediscovering hope and dignity through biblical teaching, pastoral care and supportive fellowship. Children participate in trauma healing sessions, educational activities, and structured play times that help make their restoration possible.

Rev Innocent says, “We firmly believe that the Lord alone is the healer of broken souls, and that the Church remains his chosen instrument to bring healing, reconciliation, and lasting transformation to wounded communities.”

Finally, let’s return to the UK, to the London area, for a wonderful story from CMS pioneer training graduate, Hayley Humphreys. A story of creativity, community, and connection.

What has become known as Art for Wellbeing, or Art Church, began a few years ago with 10 people, a table, and some paint and brushes. Hayley says, “There was no grand strategy, no detailed blueprint, just a sense that creativity mattered, that people needed connection, and that God might be present in the simple act of making something together.”

People who are unlikely to feel comfortable in a traditional church setting arrive, often carrying loneliness, grief, anxiety or doubt. And they are finding a non-threatening space where everyone belongs, no matter their artistic ability or background. Each session opens with a simple spiritual reflection, followed by open time for conversations about life and faith.

The fruit has been beautiful. Participants have discovered hidden gifts. Seven new leaders have stepped up from within the group, and people have taken significant steps in faith, including baptism. This year the group was formally recognised as a fresh expression of church. It is a powerful reminder that church doesn’t always look traditional.

As Hayley puts it, “The Kingdom of God is appearing right there in brushstrokes, conversations, and cups of tea.”

What strikes me about all three of these stories is the power of belonging, whether in a prison cell, a conflict zone, or around an art table. God’s love meets people right where they are.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support that empower local leaders to bring this hope to the edges.

Please share this video with your church or small group to encourage others today.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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The Acts 11 Project is convening in September to address essential questions for the church in mission today.

by Harvey Kwiyani

10 August 2026

Shifting Centres, Moving Peoples: Rethinking Partnership in an Age of Migration

For more than three decades, partnership has been one of the defining aspirations of Christian mission. It appears in our strategic plans, conference themes, and mission statements. Yet despite our shared commitment to partnership, many churches and mission organisations recognise that genuine mutuality remains difficult to achieve.

Across the UK and beyond, conversations with church leaders, academics, mission practitioners, and diaspora Christians reveal a common question: How do we move beyond good intentions towards genuine mutuality?

The challenge is not a lack of goodwill. Rather, many of our patterns of mission and church life were shaped in a world where authority, resources, and theological leadership flowed from a handful of centres to the rest of the world. Christianity today, however, is unmistakably polycentric. The demographic centre of the Church now lies in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and among migrant communities around the world. Migration has transformed the landscape of mission, bringing Christians from every continent into our towns, cities, and congregations.

This changing reality invites us to ask important questions. What does partnership look like when mission is no longer a movement from the West to the rest? How can churches move beyond host–guest relationships towards genuine reciprocity? How do we share leadership, resources, and decision-making in ways that reflect the diversity of the global body of Christ?

These are not merely theoretical questions. They shape how denominations relate to diaspora churches, how theological colleges prepare future leaders, how mission agencies collaborate across cultures, and how local congregations witness in increasingly multicultural communities.

These are precisely the questions that will be explored at the Acts 11 Project Mission and Migration Conference, taking place on 4–5 September 2026 at Liverpool Hope University.

Under the theme Shifting Centres, Moving Peoples: Rethinking Partnership and Mutuality in an Age of Migration, the conference will bring together church leaders, theologians, mission practitioners, students, policymakers, and diaspora church leaders for two days of theological reflection, practical learning, and honest conversation.

We are delighted to welcome keynote speakers including Dr Alexander Chow, Dr Sheila Akomiah-Conteh, Adam Martin, and Dr Nuam Hatzaw, alongside workshops led by practitioners from organisations such as Welcome Churches, Agapé UK, WEAVE, and the Acts 11 Project.

Rather than simply discussing migration, the conference seeks to create space for genuine encounter. Together we will explore practical questions including:

• How can established churches and diaspora churches move beyond host–guest relationships towards genuine partnership?
• What can churches learn from successful intercultural ministry partnerships?
• Why is cultural intelligence becoming an essential leadership skill?
• How are refugees and migrant communities reshaping the Church’s understanding of mission?
• What can the multicultural church in Antioch teach us about partnership today?

Our hope is that participants will leave not only with fresh ideas, but also with new relationships, deeper theological insight, and renewed confidence that God is using migration to reshape the Church for faithful witness in the twenty-first century.

Whether you serve in church leadership, theological education, mission, research, or a multicultural congregation, we warmly invite you to join us.

Take part

The conference is available in person or online, with registration options for one day or both days.

We look forward to welcoming you to Liverpool as we continue this important conversation together.

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Dr Harvey Kwiyani, founder of the Acts 11 project, a CMS initiative, shares how migration is essential to mission.

Mission and migration have always been deeply connected within the history of Christianity. From the beginning, the Christian faith spread not primarily through institutional strategies or mission agencies, but through the movement of people across borders, cultures and empires.

In many ways, the Bible itself is a migration story. Abraham leaves his homeland in response to God’s call. Israel experiences displacement, exile and wandering. Jacob is remembered as a “wandering Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5). Jesus himself becomes a refugee in Egypt before returning to Nazareth. The early church emerges within the mobility of the Roman Empire, and the spread of Christianity in Acts takes place largely through trade routes, diaspora communities, persecution and migration.

The history of mission

Historically, the gospel travelled through merchants, enslaved peoples, refugees, students, labour migrants and missionaries. At times, mission became entangled with empire and colonial expansion – this history remains complex, containing both stories of sacrificial service and painful memories of cultural domination. As a result, conversations about mission today increasingly require humility, historical honesty and mutual listening.

Britain became one of the great migrant-sending societies of the modern era. Around 22 million people left the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries, while more than 60 million emigrated from Europe. Many of these migrants were Christians and their movements helped spread European culture, political influence and Christianity across North America, Australasia, Africa and other parts of the colonial world.

Mission is changing direction

Today, migration patterns are evolving in new ways. Europe has increasingly become a destination for migrants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Among these communities are vibrant Christian movements reshaping the religious landscape of the West.

The demographic centre of the faith now lies increasingly in the Global South and among migrant and diasporic communities worldwide. African Pentecostal churches in London, Brazilian churches in Lisbon, Korean churches in Los Angeles and Filipino congregations in the Gulf all demonstrate how migration is becoming one of the primary ways Christianity renews itself.

Sometimes this mission movement unfolds in surprisingly ordinary places. Recently, a friend shared with me stories about migrant carers working in British homes. One woman described how Ghanaian carers looking after her husband during his dementia would sing hymns and worship songs over him when he became distressed, calming him through prayer and presence. Another spoke of Zimbabwean carers fasting and praying for elderly patients in their care. A Tanzanian Christian working as a home carer described opportunities to share hope with families facing loneliness, grief and despair.

These stories reveal something profound: mission is now taking place quietly inside British homes through migrant Christians whose compassion and spirituality is becoming part of the moral and emotional fabric of British society itself.

Migration shapes mission

Western discourse still primarily discusses migration through the language of crisis, borders, economics and national identity rather than theology. Yet the New Testament is deeply shaped by migration.

Paul was a Jewish migrant from Tarsus, moving across the Mediterranean world. Aquila and Priscilla, migrant Jews from Pontus, became missionary leaders because they were displaced from Rome by imperial decree. Lydia, a migrant businesswoman from Thyatira living in Philippi, became one of the earliest supporters of the church in Europe.

Migration was not incidental to mission; it was one of the primary vehicles through which the gospel travelled.

Mission happens “on the move”

Some theologians have argued that migration is a “theologising experience”. Migration changes how people understand God, identity, hospitality, community and belonging. Migrants often read Scripture differently because they encounter displacement and vulnerability in deeply personal ways.

The people of God are always “on the move”. Pentecost offers a powerful image for mission in a migrating world. The Holy Spirit did not erase linguistic or cultural differences but spoke through many languages simultaneously. Mission, therefore, is not about making everyone culturally the same. It is about creating communion across difference.

Mission can no longer be imagined as Western Christians going elsewhere to evangelise others. Increasingly, mission happens through mutual exchange, diaspora witness, hospitality and intercultural encounter.

Mission in partnership

Is there still a place for Western Christians and mission agencies within this landscape? Absolutely. But the role must shift from “senders” to partners. The future of mission depends on Christians everywhere learning to listen, share leadership and participate together in the mission of God within an interconnected and migrating world.

Migration is not merely a social phenomenon or political issue, it is one of the defining theological realities reshaping the future of global Christianity.

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Explore study routes in African Christianity and Asian Christianity to dive deeper into these shifting
mission dynamics with CMS Pioneer Mission Training.

Explore what the current trends of migration mean for contemporary mission around the world through the work of the Acts 11 project.

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In Palhoça semi-open prison in Florianópolis, prisoners who follow Jesus or who are exploring faith can now meet together on Saturday mornings.

“It’s clear the Lord is opening doors, and it’s yet another affirmation that we are on the right path,” shares Andy Walsh, a CMS mission partner doing prison ministry in the city.

Following requests by Andy and his team, the governor of Palhoça prison gave the green light for regular church services in March 2026.

Palhoça’s church plant heralds a new phase of prison ministry in Brazil.

Over the past couple of years, Andy and a small team connected with the local Baptist church have been working among people in prison in and around Florianópolis, running a 12-week discipleship course in several prisons and supporting prisoners to explore faith in Jesus. Hundreds of men have chosen to follow Jesus, but more follow-up and pastoral care are needed, and in most cases, prisoners aren’t allowed to meet together for church services, despite this right being outlined in Brazilian law.

Andy and his team hope the church in Palhoça will become a model that can be replicated in other prisons.

Next, they are hoping for progress with decision-makers at San Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary, a maximum-security prison housing over 1,500 men.

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Meet South West Hub student Rachel Harrison-French, who shares her learning about participating in the life of God already at work in the world.

HH: Rachel, where are you based and what you do in your life?

RH-F: I’m based in South Devon and am part of Sherford Community Church, a church serving the growing new town of Sherford on the outskirts of Plymouth. My life sits at the intersection of community work, creativity and church ministry.

Over the past few years, I’ve been involved in several community initiatives focused on food insecurity and community resilience. During the pandemic I worked as a project manager with Feeding Devon, helping coordinate local responses to food poverty and supporting communities to develop sustainable food support projects.

Alongside that, I’ve worked as a teacher and forest school leader. That experience has shaped a lot of how I think about learning, creativity, and how people connect with place and community.

More recently, I’ve been developing my emerging ministry as a worship leader at Sherford Community Church, creating reflective and creative resources that help people engage with Scripture, prayer and worship in ways that are accessible for all ages.

You’ve been on the South West Hub pioneer course. Can you tell me how you got onto the course and what motivated you?

Several strands of my life came together in leading me to the pioneer course.

Through my work as a forest school leader and teacher, I became increasingly interested in how faith connects with everyday life and community spaces. At the same time, my involvement in community food projects opened my eyes to the realities many people were facing locally.

The Pioneer course raised questions that really resonated with me, particularly around rural mission. What does the Missio Dei look like in rural areas? How do we recognise where God is already at work in local traditions, spiritualities, and communities? And how can the church learn from rural communities about issues such as food production, ecology, sustainability, and social justice?

Those questions felt deeply relevant to Devon, and the course provided a space to explore them alongside others who were asking similar questions about mission and church in changing contexts.

Can you cast your mind back to lockdown and your work as a project manager of Feeding Devon? What were some of the highs and lows?

Lockdown was an extraordinary and challenging time for many communities. Through Feeding Devon, we were helping coordinate responses to food insecurity across the region, supporting local groups and connecting organisations working to meet urgent needs.

One of the real highs was seeing how quickly communities mobilised. Volunteers stepped forward, partnerships formed, and churches and community groups found creative ways to support their neighbours.  For example, I was involved in engaging local churches with developing food support strategies, including working alongside the lay pioneer Methodist minister in Horrabridge to help develop an affordable Food Hub, which is now also supported by the local Anglican church. We also supported the development of Food Hubs in several other towns and villages, all of which are now operating as independent organisations relying on local volunteers.

At the same time, the scale of need could sometimes feel overwhelming as many households were facing uncertainty and financial hardship. That experience strengthened my sense that the church has an important role to play in listening to communities and responding practically to the needs that emerge.

How did the pioneer course impact your emerging ministry as a worship leader?

The pioneer course has had a significant impact on how I approach worship and ministry.

One of the most memorable pieces of learning came during a module exploring different expressions of church. As part of the assignment, I created a hand-drawn board game called ‘From Pew to Pavement’. The game explored different “zones” of church life – from the traditional parish setting through to community initiatives and more experimental spaces where faith begins to emerge in places that don’t yet resemble church.

Creating the game helped me see mission less as a programme we run and more as participation in the life of God already at work in the world.

This insight has shaped how I now approach worship at Sherford Community Church. I’ve become more confident in developing creative and participatory forms of worship that engage people of all ages and all the senses. Through the Altogether services at Sherford I’ve had the opportunity to develop ideas collaboratively with our pioneer ministry team, Revs Jon and Tammy Oliver, creating spaces where people can encounter God through storytelling, imagery, reflection, and shared experience.

What does the future hold for you?

Right now, I feel very much in a season of listening and discerning where God might be leading next.

In Sherford, we are continuing to explore how church can respond creatively to the realities of a new and growing community. For example, delays in local facilities meant that access to affordable food became challenging for some families, particularly those working during the day. In response we developed an early evening food club so that households could collect food after work – a small but practical example of adapting to the needs of the local context.

I’m also exploring creative ways that churches can connect with communities through wellbeing, creativity, and outdoor learning. For example, at Sherford Day this year I’ll be offering face painting as a free gift to the community – a simple way of creating relational spaces within a local celebration. Alongside this, I’m currently studying for a Certificate in Therapeutic Skills for Outdoor Leaders. Through this I’m exploring how outdoor learning, emotional wellbeing, and creative practices can support children and young people. My hope is that over time these ideas might develop into accessible resources that churches can use to connect with schools and communities.

At the heart of this work is a simple conviction: creativity, community and the natural environment can become spaces where people encounter God in everyday life.

Finally, how can we pray for you?

Please pray for wisdom and discernment as I continue to explore the next steps in my calling and ministry.

I would also value prayer for churches and communities across Devon as they seek to respond creatively to the needs around them, and for more pioneers to be encouraged and equipped for mission in their local contexts.

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Video transcript

Hello everyone and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO for CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring updates from three different edges of our world, stories of resilience, transformation and hope that your gifts and prayers are making directly possible.

First, we go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where local church leaders are stepping onto the front lines of a critical health crisis. Then we cross the ocean to Brazil. For a mission story that happens to be very close to my heart. And finally, we’ll return to the UK to celebrate a remarkable story of community resilience and a grand reopening in Carlisle.

We begin today with a sobering situation unfolding in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The country is currently facing its 17th Ebola outbreak in 50 years, with over 1,000 suspected cases. And more than 200 tragic deaths already officially reported. The epicentre is in Ituri province, but confirmed cases have reached the major city of Goma and crossed borders into Uganda.

If you’ve kept up with CMS mission efforts in DRC, you’ll know this crisis is compounding severe humanitarian and political instability. Over 10 million people are currently living under the control of M23 rebel authorities. An ongoing conflict has forced the closure of local airports, severely restricting the flow of vital medical supplies and response teams. In these incredibly vulnerable, volatile spaces, the Church is proving to be a primary safety net and lifeline.

CMS mission partner Martin Gordon, the Bishop of Goma, reports that local churches are uniquely positioned to respond because they remain among the very few institutions truly trusted by the community. This local trust is a matter of life and death. Widespread public mistrust of health authorities has unfortunately fueled scepticism about the virus’s existence, even leading to two treatment centres being set on fire.

Drawing on their hard-worn experience, the Diocese of Goma is mobilising rapidly. They’ve already circulated vital pastoral guidance on tracking symptoms, introducing strict hygiene and sanitation standards. And managing medical referrals safely. Plans are also underway to equip local schools and churches with temperature screening equipment, launch awareness conferences for clergy and teachers, and partner with local journalists to actively combat misinformation. Because this involves a rare strain of Ebola, for which there’s currently no approved vaccine or cure, containment through community education is our most critical line of defence.

Bishop Martin is calling for urgent prayer for protection over health workers and wisdom for church leaders. To learn more and to stand with them, please visit our website.

Now let’s travel to Brazil for a story close to my heart about how the posture of mission is changing and the beautiful fruit of local leadership.

Many years ago my wife Rose, who is from Brazil, and I felt a call on our hearts to help protect vulnerable girls from exploitation. We founded Revive International. Now, when I had first arrived in Brazil as an 18-year-old gap year volunteer, a young local woman named Elise became my translator. She also joined our dining room table prayer meetings and eventually became Revive’s very first paid employee.

When the time came for Rose and I to move to the UK after 15 years, we faced a choice. Rather than bringing in another foreign leader. We chose to step back and entrust Revive entirely into the hands of Elise and the local Brazilian team. We wanted to intentionally dismantle the mindset that subtly implies that leadership must come from the outside. And when we told them, they burst into tears. Under Elise’s leadership, Revive has thrived. The team have listened to where the Holy Spirit has been moving, bravely transitioning the work away from large residential institutions or safe houses, toward pioneering a growing fostering service. It is a living testament to Psalm 68, which reminds us that God sets the lonely in families.

The same shift towards collaborative, locally rooted mission is beautifully reflected in story of CMS mission partners Stu and Rosie Bayford. During the seven years serving alongside Revive, they partnered with a local church to pioneer a community market in an underserved neighbourhood. Rejecting a dependency-heavy handout model, they built a system where local families could buy food at deeply reduced rates, preserving agency and dignity. The market grew into a thriving community hub, a space for shared prayer, parenting workshops and other seminars. Through these relationships, three local sisters came to faith and were recently baptised.

And just like Rose and I did years ago, as Stu and Rosie now return to the UK, they have handed full ownership of this market over to a dedicated team from the local church.

This is mission at its best, where all parties are listened to, working in genuine partnership, building up each other’s gifts, and stepping away so local leaders can flourish.

Finally, let’s return to the UK to see this exact same pattern of local empowerment and resilience at work. In Cumbria, the Carlisle Community Shed, a project involving CMS mission partner Gary Ion, has been a vital lifeline, connecting with people on the margins who are navigating loneliness or mental health challenges. Through practical, hands-on workshops, the shed provided a safe space for people to find community and purpose. And to explore faith in Jesus too.

However, in October 2025, the project hit a major financial roadblock and was forced to close its doors. The tools were packed away, the contents were moved into a storage unit, and the doors were locked. But the story didn’t end there. What followed was an incredible outpouring from the local community, refusing to let the space of hope disappear.

A powerful local outcry sparked a special fundraising campaign. Thanks to that local determination and prayer, the Shed recently celebrated a grand reopening. Gary shares that the new location is even better than before, featuring a spacious workshop, a dedicated social area with sofas and an indoor game space.

Thank you so much for joining me for these updates from the Edges. And for the prayerful and financial support that makes these breakthroughs possible.

Please consider sharing this video with your church, small group, or anyone who needs a reminder of how God is moving in our world today. Until next time, we are so deeply grateful for your partnership as together we follow Jesus.

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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Andy Roberts reflects on the changing shape of mission from his personal experience of founding ReVive International in Brazil – and why true success meant stepping aside and letting local leadership flourish.

In May we had the joy of welcoming Elise to CMS House in Oxford.

Elise is the current leader of ReVive International in Brazil, the organisation Rose and I helped to start many years ago in response to the abuse and exploitation of girls in the city where we were living. Many of those girls were being harmed by the very people who should have protected them. It was heart-breaking, disturbing and impossible to ignore.

Seeing Elise here in Oxford reminded me how long the journey of mission can be. It also reminded me how much mission changes over time – if we are willing to let God disturb us, challenge our assumptions and release things into the hands of others.

Moving from “Gringo” to local leadership

I first met Elise when I went to Brazil as an 18-year-old gap year student with SAMS. I was helping with a street children’s project connected to a local church.

Elise was also part of the church where I met Rose. A few years later, when Rose and I were sensing a call from God to begin some kind of ministry among vulnerable girls in the city, Elise and her husband Felipe joined the prayer meetings around our dining room table as we asked God what he wanted us to do.

When ReVive became a reality, Elise became our first ever employee. Again, it began around the dining room table. I have often thought that some of the best things in life begin there: with prayer, friendship, food, uncertainty and a shared sense that God is inviting us into something we cannot yet fully see.

Over the years, Elise grew with ReVive. She became part of the leadership team Rose and I invested in for more than 15 years. And when the time came for Rose and I to move to the UK and follow God’s call into the next phase of life, CMS asked us a very reasonable question: would we like CMS to find another mission partner to take over from us and lead ReVive?

I remember thinking at the time: if another foreign mission partner needed to come and replace us, then perhaps we had failed in one of the most important tasks of mission leadership.

Far too often, mission work has been built around the foreigner, the founder, the person with access to money, networks or power. And then, when that person leaves, the work collapses – because knowledge, resources and leadership were never truly shared. We can dress that up in spiritual language, but sometimes what we have built is closer to our own little kingdom than the kingdom of God.

Overcoming the internalised colonial mindset

Right from the beginning of ReVive, we wanted to invest in local leadership. We had seen this modelled badly elsewhere. We had seen founder’s syndrome rear its head. We had seen people protect power rather than release it. We did not want to do that.

So, when the time came, we told Elise and the other Brazilian leaders that we believed they were the right people to take ReVive forward.

I still remember their reaction. They burst into tears. They told us they had assumed another “gringo” (foreigner) would ome and lead. They were taken aback that we were willing to entrust the future of ReVive to them.

That moment has stayed with me. Because the colonial mindset works both ways. It is not only something held by those who come from outside. It can also become internalised by local leaders who have been taught, subtly or explicitly, that leadership must come from somewhere else.

But the gospel tells a different story. The Holy Spirit is not the possession of one culture, one passport, one institution or one sending nation. God raises up leaders from the edges, through the local church, within communities, among those who know the language, the wounds, the hopes and the possibilities far better than we ever could.

And under Elise’s leadership, ReVive has thrived.

That does not mean it has stayed the same. In fact, one of the signs of healthy mission is that it keeps changing.

Challenging assumptions about children’s care

A few years ago, Jesus the Great Disturber disrupted our thinking at ReVive. For a long time, we had assumed that the answer to the needs of vulnerable girls was to open more and more residential homes. That was the model we knew. It was what we had built. It was what people supported.

But over time, God challenged that assumption. We began to see more clearly that his preferred place for children is not an institution, however loving, but a family. Psalm 68 says that God “sets the lonely in families”. That simple truth began to reshape the work and led to the closure of one of ReVive’s homes.

In recent years, ReVive’s fostering service has grown significantly, and that has been largely due to Elise’s leadership. The work has adapted because the mission required it. Faithfulness did not mean preserving the original model at all costs. Faithfulness meant listening again, learning again and allowing God to lead the work into a better future.

I was later awarded an MBE for the work we had led in Brazil – an irony not lost on me, given its attachment to empire. But it was a real privilege, and I remember receiving it on behalf of the whole team. ReVive was never just our story. It was, and is, the story of a Brazilian team, local churches, supporters, CMS, children, families, volunteers and many others responding to the disturbing, healing love of Jesus.

And that, I think, says something important about how mission is changing.

Mission today cannot be about exporting our models, controlling the agenda or assuming that leadership must come from the outside. It has to be about joining in with what God is already doing, building with others, investing in local capacity and having the humility to hand over power when the time is right.

That same lesson has continued through the story of Rosie and Stu Bayford.

Around seven years ago, Rosie and Stu were sent by CMS to ReVive as mission partners. At that time, ReVive was receiving a number of people from CMS who felt called to similar ministries. I helped do some training in mission theology and practice. 

Redefining poverty: from deficit to relationship

One of the key questions we explored was: how does our definition of poverty shape our response to it?

If we see poverty simply as a deficit – a lack of money, food, education or opportunity – then our instinct is to provide whatever we think is missing. Sometimes that is necessary. But if we are not careful, that approach can reinforce unhealthy power dynamics. We have what you need. We give it. You receive it. We remain powerful. You remain dependent.

But if we understand poverty more deeply as broken relationship – with God, with others, with self and with creation – then our response begins to change. We begin to think about dignity, participation, community, justice and shalom. We ask not only, “What do people need?” but, “What gifts are already here? What relationships need restoring? What can we build together?”

Rosie and Stu took that seriously.

As they listened, learned and looked at the wider social issues around them in Brazil, they began to dream of pioneering a community market. But because of the training and the relationships they were part of, they did not want to create a hand-out model that stripped people of agency or dignity. They developed a model where families could buy food themselves at a much-reduced rate.

They partnered with a local church in a very poor community. They worked with local people to identify families and with supermarkets and businesses to provide the food. And, over time, the market became much more than a market. It became a community.

People came not only to buy food, but to stay, talk, pray, learn and belong. Volunteers from the church helped run devotionals, worship and practical sessions. Every few weeks someone would come and speak on a relevant issue: preventing abuse, parenting, nutrition, preparing for work and much more.

And people came to faith. I remember three sisters being baptised in the church after first coming along to the market.

Now, as  Rosie and Stu return to the UK, they too have handed over leadership of this ministry to a team from the local church – a team they have invested in over the years.

That is mission at its best.

Not mission that creates dependency. Not mission that keeps the foreigner at the centre. Not mission that measures success by how indispensable we become.

But mission that joins in, builds up, shares power, releases leadership and leaves something stronger in the hands of those who are best placed to carry it forward.

This is deeply connected to where CMS is going.

Decolonising mission in practice

Our vision is to see our world made new through the love of God as we follow Jesus to the edges. Our purpose is to make disciples of Jesus at the edges. And increasingly, we are recognising that this means mission must be more collaborative, more locally rooted and more willing to be led by those who have too often been treated as recipients rather than agents of mission.

Through our mission strategy, and through work such as Acts 11, we are continuing to ask what it means to decolonise mission in practice. Not as a fashionable slogan, but as a deeply biblical commitment to humility, partnership and the releasing of gifts across the whole body of Christ.

Acts 11 is a fascinating chapter because the church in Jerusalem has to catch up with what God is already doing elsewhere. The Spirit moves ahead of the centre. The edges become places of revelation, surprise and new understanding. The question is whether the established church has the humility to listen, recognise and bless what God is doing beyond its own control.

That is still the challenge before us.

Of course, we are all still called into mission. This is not about stepping back into passivity. It is not about saying that cross-cultural mission no longer matters. Far from it.

But it is about a different posture.

The posture of modern mission

• Listen before speaking.
• Co-create rather than control.
• Build movements rather than monuments.
• Recognise that those closest to the pain are closest to the wisdom needed for transformation.

When I look at Elise, I see the fruit of that kind of mission.

I see someone who was there at the beginning. I see someone who prayed around a dining room table before there was a strategy, a structure or a name. I see someone who helped bring ReVive to life, then grew into the leader who could take it further than Rose and I ever could.

Mission is changing. It needs to change. But at its heart, it is still the same invitation: to follow Jesus to the edges, to join in with what the Spirit is doing, and to participate in making all things new.

And perhaps the real test of our mission is not whether people remember our names when we have gone.

Perhaps the real test is whether, by God’s grace, the work continues, local leaders flourish, communities are transformed and Jesus is made known long after we have left the room – or the dining room table.

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In a significant answer to prayer, a project in Cumbria that connects with people on the margins through practical hands-on workshops re-opened at the end of February 2026.

In October 2025, Carlisle’s Community Shed was forced to close for financial reasons. The team, including mission partner Garry Ion, moved the contents of the Shed into a storage unit.

Following an outcry in the local community and a special fundraising effort, the Shed has reopened its doors. Once again, people living with loneliness and mental health challenges, including people recently released from prisons, can find invaluable support.

Garry shares that the new shed is even better than the old one: “We have a spacious workshop and social area with sofas and an indoor games area.

“The original shed started in a garage during the COVID lockdown by myself and Pioneer Chaplain, Rev Chris Harwood. This time, the local community’s involvement, commitment and determination have driven its reopening.

“The new Community Shed is in a very underprivileged area of Carlisle, and it’s truly heartwarming to see the generosity and time given by the community to support its future. We have so much to be grateful for as we begin this new chapter together.”

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world – stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Honduras and hear about a young woman who went from street life to full life. From there we’ll go to South Sudan where a former cattle rustler was steered towards a better path. Finally, we’ll turn the spotlight on a mission partner who has spent two decades in challenging work that has taken her across the globe.

But before we begin, I want to take some time to acknowledge an anniversary none of us would have wanted to commemorate.

By the time you receive this video, we will have crossed the four-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers for our mission partner Alison Giblett, who has remained in Ukraine this whole time, faithfully sharing the light of Jesus – despite missile attacks, freezing winters and growing despair.

This is most definitely mission at the edges. Let’s go to God together and keep praying for peace to prevail.

And now, let’s hop over to Honduras for a story of hope nine years in the making.

The country of Honduras faces huge challenges including rampant gang warfare, poverty and corruption.

Many children in Honduras suffer from abuse or neglect and are drawn to life on the streets, which can be both cruel and dangerous.

In 2017, a young girl named Johanni was one of these at-risk children.

She recalls, “When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

Johanni spent much of her time hanging out with other kids at a local park. She could see no real future for herself.

One day, she met some adults who were different – kind and interested. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her.

Over time, these people, CMS mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. This was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would become a life-changing project for many children.

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child is assigned a mentor.

Johanni says, “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions.”

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. She says, “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.”

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni these nine years and to have seen her and others reach their God-given potential.

We now journey to South Sudan.

In South Sudan livestock is highly prized. So, cattle raiding is big business.

In recent years, raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale. It’s a crime with a huge cost.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew if he was caught, he could be executed.

One day Makol was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed.

What Makol didn’t know was this: that night a peace rally was scheduled to take place, led by Archbishop Moses Deng. Drawing on training he’d received from our colleagues in CMS-Africa, the Archbishop spoke to the community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, attended this rally. Having heard about Makol’s crimes, he had planned for him to be publicly executed at the end of the peace rally.

Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him:

“Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…but because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation command I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death.

But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.”

Makol was overwhelmed at this mercy and grace. It wasn’t long before he received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church and Makol provides for his family by working as a prison warden.

Join us in giving thanks for this life that was changed and continue to pray for all CMS people in mission involved in making disciples in areas facing violent conflict.

Last but absolutely not least we want to congratulate a CMS mission partner who is marking 20 years since she first began responding to a huge call God placed on her life.

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of girls and women impacted by the practice of female genital mutilation (or FGM),

Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” 

To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, which merged with Orchid Project in 2022, she has gathered the stories of thousands of FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide.

Ann-Marie and the Orchid Project team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

You can discover the remarkable story of Ann-Marie’s 20 years in this vital work by going to the Stories section of the CMS website.

Ann-Marie’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change.

And it all began with a simple, radical act of daring to ask, Who will help?

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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The post Hope from the edges March 2026 appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Cathy Ross explores the theology and stories of those who have found lament to be the catalyst for healing and something new.

Lament is often associated with Lent but it can also be off-putting with many unsure of how to “get it right”.

Canon Dr Cathy Ross, lecturer and tutor with CMS Pioneer Mission Training, will help us understand the theology and how it informs our practice.

She will share case studies of those who have found lament to be the catalyst for healing and something new.

By the end of this webinar, you will you know how to reflect on areas of your own life or in the world which cause you pain, how to present those to God and how to allow him to renew your hope.

Canon Dr Cathy Ross

Canon Dr Cathy Ross is a lecturer and tutor with CMS Pioneer Mission Training and is a lecturer in mission at Regent’s Park College, Oxford.

She led CMS Pioneer Mission Training Oxford from 2019 to 2025, before handing over the reins to Dr James Butler.

Until 2016 she was the General Secretary of the International Association for Mission Studies.

She has previously worked in Rwanda, Congo and Uganda with NZCMS. Cathy is also canon theologian at Leicester Cathedral.

Her research interests are in the areas of contextual theologies, World Christianity, feminist theologies and hospitality.

She is married to Steve, a GP in Oxford and they have three children and five grandchildren. She enjoys tennis, swimming, coffee, travel and watching the All Blacks.

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In 2017, Johanni was one of the first at-risk children in Honduras to receive vital care and mentoring from mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson. Several years later, thanks to steadfast support, she’s on a path to a bright future.

“When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

These are the words of Johanni, a 16-year-old girl in Honduras. But it’s not just her story – many thousands of children in Honduras are living this today. Many children’s parents don’t have the capacity to care for them properly. Many children don’t go to school for one reason or another. Many children try to find a sense of belonging on the street and are drawn into gangs.

Back in 2017, aged eight, Johanni used to spend a lot of time in a local park. One day, she met some young adults who were different. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her. They invited her to play some fun games. Over time, these people, mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. It was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would grow to become a life-changing project for children.

Mentoring makes the difference

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child was assigned a mentor, a safe adult to meet with for an hour a week to talk about anything and everything.

Mentors also visit them at home and pray with children’s families when possible. “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions,” Johanni says.

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school, so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.” She is sure she wouldn’t have made it this far without her mentor at her side, supporting her all the way. Johanni still spends time with the kids she used to play with in the park – but now, they do their homework together at Proyecto Alas.

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni since the beginning of the programme in 2017 and to have seen her and others grow and flourish over the years. More recently, the Alas team have also set up a transition to adulthood programme for those who have graduated from secondary school, and Empresas Alas, a business arm that aims to make the project more sustainable. Now, 65 children and young people are connected to the mentoring programme, 10 young adults are in the transition programme and Alas’s businesses – a barbershop and a coffee shop – aim to provide employment for young adults.

Faith is an integral part of everything they do. The mentors, who are all Christians, are committed to demonstrating and proclaiming who Jesus is. “If we do that well, it’s kind of inevitable that people will want to know him,” Steve says.

One step at a time

Rather than expecting lives to change overnight, Lindsey and Steve and other mentors with Proyecto Alas invest in incremental development – walking alongside at-risk children and young adults over several years as they take one step at a time. The Alas team begin by help meeting children’s most basic practical needs, supporting them to build secure relationships and to continue their education. Without this foundation, ideas of living a stable, independent life and going to university will remain distant dreams.

It’s slow, steady work for both the mentors and the children themselves. Lindsey, Steve and others involved with the project have always known that the long-term, slow-burn work of mentoring is worth it, but seeing someone like Johanni come this far is the ultimate reward.

As Johanni’s words at the beginning of this article stand for many children’s stories, we hope the following words of hers also reflect the stories of many other children: “At Proyecto Alas, I have finally found a place where I belong, where I can be myself, and where I can begin to dream about my future.”

Pray together

Give thanks for the life-changing work of Proyecto Alas.

Pray for God to strengthen and encourage Lindsey and Steve and to bring many more children to the programme.

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