John V Taylor, a former leader of CMS, once said, “Look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.”

Jesus intentionally sought out people on the margins and made them part of his story.

And today, the risen Jesus is still going to the edges: in the Middle East, in DR Congo, in Ukraine, across Britain and in so many other places and spaces.

It’s our great privilege to follow him and see him working, bringing new life. That’s why we love to say “There is life at the edges!”

Even when the world feels overwhelmed by shadow, new, living hope is rising where we least expect it.

Transcript

Hello friends and Happy Easter! He is risen!

I’ll say it again: He is risen!

Throughout Lent this year, CMS has been focusing on Jesus’ encounters with people at the edges, the edges of religious acceptability, the edges of society at the time, and the edges of many of the disciples’ comfort zones.

We’ve seen how Jesus intentionally welcomed people such as a severely disabled woman who could not even stand up straight, or people with leprosy, or outsiders like tax collectors, or others considered to be “sinners”.

Jesus paid special attention to these people, he brought healing to them and he made them part of his story.

So much so, that today, two thousand years later, we get to read about them and be challenged to keep the kind of company Jesus keeps.

A huge thank you to those of you who have been journeying with us in this, through our Lent email series, Fringe Dweller. We hope you have found it meaningful to look at these stories and consider how you might keep following Jesus to the edges in your life.

One thing that’s crucial to understand is that we are not called to the edges out of a sense of pity – we go to the edges out of a sense of possibility.

Jesus looked at someone like the Gerasene demoniac – and he saw a disciple, someone who, once healed, could take the good news of Jesus far and wide.

And it’s the same for us in CMS today.

We love to say there is life at the edges because it’s true.

We are seeing victims of horrendous violence become voices for peace in South Sudan and DR Congo.

We are seeing indigenous Christians in Latin America – once considered second-class citizens, rising up to become passionate leaders who are imparting the gospel to the next generation.

We are seeing marginalised women in the Middle East playing a key role helping others discover the love of Jesus.

And the list goes on and on. You see? There is life at the edges!

You might be looking at the state of the world right now, and be tempted to despair. Violence, poverty and oppression continue to push people to the edges. But new hope is rising, often where you might least expect to find it.

For example, just over a year ago we watched in horror as Goma, DR Congo was seized by the M23 rebel group, leading to chaos, bloodshed and fear. Yet, in the past year we have seen local Christians in DR Congo stepping up and bearing witness to Christ, offering help and hope to thousands. Our Easter appeal highlights this.

Yes, things are still incredibly difficult in Goma, but hope is breaking through. Because Jesus loves people at the edges.

I think of how after Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples were devastated. Bewildered. Lost. And then – there he was!

It’s wonderful to remember that, just as he drew near to people at the edges before he died and rose again, Jesus continues to dwell with people on the fringes after his resurrection, too.

The first witnesses to the resurrection were women. He came to those who were broken in spirit and fearful, those who were full of doubt and traumatised, to Peter, who had denied him.

The risen Jesus still does this today.

He’s still choosing to appear to people at the edges and he’s still working through people at the edges to redeem the whole world back to wholeness.

A pastor and hip-hop artist called Trip Lee once wrote:

“I don’t know the future.
I don’t know the answers to every big question.
I don’t know why everything happens the way it does. But I know Jesus got up.
And that changes EVERYTHING.”

I pray that today, if you are struggling, you’ll allow the reality of Jesus’ resurrection to bring you profound joy.

Our struggles are not the end of the story. New hope is rising. We just have to know where to look.

As my predecessor John V Taylor advised: “Look to the fringes. Watch the things that are pushing out on the edge.”

I’ll close now with these words from Scripture; let’s read them together:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Once again, happy Easter to you.

Truly, God is with us.

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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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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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Christmas is a reminder that migration has always been woven into the story of salvation.

by Joseph Ola

22 December 2025

We know that Jesus enters the world into the margins: he was born away from home, visited by travellers from distant lands, and forced into exile as a refugee child. Through his birth and life, we see how God does not shy away from the precarity of human movement – in fact, God inhabits it.

The Yoruba have a proverb that offers a caution in this regard:

“Sún mọ́hùn-ún, a ó ṣorò ilé wa, tí kò jẹ́ kí àlejò di onílé.”

“Make room, we are about to perform our family ritual,”

which keeps the immigrant from ever becoming part of the household.

This proverb exposes a painful truth which has echoed loudly amid various migration policy conversations across the globe: communities can welcome migrants for a while, yet draw invisible lines when true belonging is at stake. A seat may be offered – but not a voice. Proximity – but not participation. Hospitality – but not home. Christmas confronts such boundaries!

In the incarnation, God does not stand at the doorway politely uninvited – he steps inside the human household. Jesus is not kept outside the rituals of belonging; he becomes the centre of the family story. He is not tolerated at the edge – he is welcomed by heaven and earth as Emmanuel: God with us.

So, as migration continues to shape our societies, Christmas asks us uncomfortable but necessary questions: Are we truly making room, or only appearing to? Do we allow the stranger to become kin, or merely a guest who must not get too close?

May we practise the kind of welcome where newcomers share not just the table but the story – where those on the move discover that, in Christ, they already belong. May we tear down the lines that keep others out. For in Jesus – the eternal outsider – we meet the One who makes us all at home.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may we remember that God comes to us not in stability but in vulnerability; not from the centre but from the edges. May we find Christ anew in the migrant, the seeker, the stranger, the neighbour – and also in ourselves, as people continually invited to journey with God.

May the peace, joy, and hope of Christ be with you and those you love.

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Andy Roberts, CEO of Church Mission Society, ponders the possibility of “disruption” as we follow Jesus to the edges together.

We might not naturally enjoy being disrupted…yet sometimes it ends up being good for us. 

After all, God taking on human form with all our vulnerabilities and choosing to dwell directly among us – that is the ultimate holy disruption.

And it is for our sake and the sake of the world God is actively working to redeem and renew.

Stories from the Middle East…

Transcript

Christmas is a time to reflect and to thank God. As Christians, it’s also a time to embrace the celebrations for what they really are.

At the centre of it all, we’re celebrating a life-changing, world-saving disruption.

Now, disruption isn’t your traditional Christmas message, but I believe it’s a great description of Jesus. Jesus unsettled what was comfortable in order to call people into a deeper life with God.

And I believe CMS is being called into that same spirit-led disruption to be stirred, stretched and sent again.

We believe God is on the move, especially at the edges. At the edges of society, the edges at church.

Our Christmas Appeal tells a remarkable story of God on the move at the edges. Of the gospel breaking through in unlikely places. Thank you for giving to our appeal. Your generous donations are delivering discipleship and mission training in Middle East.

In the midst of upheaval across the Middle East, thousands of people are asking questions about Jesus. Many of the questions have been answered by faithful local women like Mariam.*

Mariam was raised as a devout Muslim in Syria. When civil war broke out, she fled to Lebanon where her family lived as refugees in shocking poverty. Feeling desperate, she went to a church for help. They offered her food, hygiene supplies, and prayer.

Maryam’s husband was furious when he saw the Bible she had been given. But Mariam kept reading in secret and she chose to follow Jesus herself, which cost her. Her husband tore up her Bible, beat her, and took her children away.

Mariam could have given up on her new faith, but she turned to Jesus, who gave her strength. She started teaching children in a local church, and a CMS partner invited her to take part in mission training. This training equipped Mariam to share her faith and to nurture new believers.

Today, Mariam leads a group for more than 80 women who have turned to the Jesus. I’m a missionary now, Mariam says.

There are many women, like Mariam, who are showing hundreds of others in the Middle East the way of Jesus. Your gifts this Christmas will help transform lives and communities. Please go to the CMS website to donate.

Just a few weeks ago, I was in Tanzania visiting CMS colleagues and projects. I met a woman whose story has really impacted me.

Imani is a small business owner who is part of a CMS women’s empowerment group. This group grew out of training which CMS-Africa recently ran in Imani’s community, a majority Muslim area.

Imani told me how previously she had turned to witchcraft to try and bring success to her business. But it wasn’t working. She started going to the Women’s Empowerment Group at the church and she ended up meeting Jesus.

Joining the group has given Imani new skills and tools to grow her business, but the real success is that she now knows Jesus.

CMS may have provided the people and the programme to minister to this woman, but it was Jesus who broke through the darkness surrounding her life to meet with her.

Jesus was already at the edges of our churches, our plans, our ideas, waiting for us to join him.

I was reminded this summer of how great it is to connect with you, our CMS family. It was our first summer gathering in August and marked my stepping into this new role.

More than 200 CMS people in mission, strategic partners, supporters and staff met together to share, learn, reflect, and celebrate God moving together. I look forward to more opportunities in 2026 to connect with more of you and hear your stories of how God is on the move in your lives, communities, churches, and countries.

CMS believes that God is the move. We see him moving in the Middle East with inspiring women like Mariam stepping out with God.

We see it in Tanzania where God is replacing darkness with light and hope.

And we see it with you, moving in your hearts, inspiring you to give time and prayer and financial support.

We’re stepping into 2026 with a confidence in God that as we follow him to the edges, daring to disrupt our ideals, our traditions and our norms, it’s then that we will see his kingdom come.

Happy Christmas. And thank you for sharing in God’s mission.

*Name changed

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Video transcript

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

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

First, we’ll go to Nepal, to meet a Christian who is not giving up despite being rejected and threatened for his faith.

From there we’ll go to DR Congo to see the incredible difference our supporters have made for victims of violence.

And then finally we’ll go to Somerset for tea, toast and a beautiful story of a cafe that became a church.

First, let’s meet Oman in Nepal whose name has been changed for security reasons.

Oman grew up following the majority religion, like his father and grandfathers before him. But from an early age, Oman had questions. When his father got sick, why couldn’t their gods help?

As a young adult Oman decided to follow Jesus. Because of this, his family threw him out of their home. People in this village called him a lunatic.

But Oman kept following Jesus and became an apprentice to a local pastor.

Seeing Oman’s gifts, his pastor recommended he get some leadership training at a long time CMS partner college.

Oman embarked on a three month intensive course to help him become a church leader.

Since completing this course, Oman has planted three house churches in his area and now looks after 150 believers.

But being a Christian in Nepal is not easy.

One day when Oman came out of a church meeting, a crowd of about 300 people was waiting to confront him. They wanted to beat him and smear him with ink.

In Nepal, throwing or smearing black ink on a person is a huge sign of disrespect.

It’s an act of public humiliation which declares, “You don’t belong here!”

God protected Oman that day. But like many Christians in Nepal, he understands things are getting tougher for people like him in a religious minority.

Still, he keeps going. Oman says,

“I recognise that God is there in the midst of these things. Jesus is alive. He will never give up. I also will not give up.”

CMS has launched an appeal to help Christians like Oman stay strong in their faith.

Go to churchmissionsociety.org/nepal to find out more.

Now, let’s go to Goma, DR Congo.

I’m grateful to report that CMS supporters’ generous respons to our emergency appeal for DR Congo has helped more than 10,000 victims of violence.

Residents of Goma have long known instability and bursts of violent conflict. Their city was consumed by violence in late January 2025 as M23 rebels took over.

People were traumatised for what they’d witnessed, with many left grieving for loved ones who had been killed.

Meanwhile electricity and water shortages, a lack of medical care and an increase in gender based attacks made life unbearable.

Thanks to generous gifts from CMS supporters, our partners on the ground were able to help more than 10,000 people through financial assistance, food and hygiene supplies and trauma counselling.

CMS Africa, the Anglican Diocese of Goma (led by mission partner Bishop Martin Gordon) and other partners, will continue to focus on helping people and communities to rebuild their livelihoods and strengthen their resilience for the long term.

Please pray for peace to prevail in this region.

Finally, let’s go to Somerset, UK for some tea and toast.

Tea and Toast is a cafe-style church gathering in a new town with a new housing estate called Haywood Village.

Tea and Toast was started by CMS pioneer Fiona Mayne. Fiona herself was once an atheist and today she enjoys connecting with people who might not immediately feel comfortable in a traditional church.

Tea and Toast is an informal time where people get together and where they can ask open and honest questions about faith.

Attendance has grown for this and other gatherings Fiona has initiated in the area with older people, younger people, families and people with special needs becoming part of the community.

Recently, someone who works as a carer for a churchgoer with special needs found herself drawn to Jesus and she has now been baptised.

Now this growing church is working to create a community hub while preparing to build a more permanent meeting space on a plot of land that has been acquired nearby.

Fiona is now an ordained pioneer minister in the Church of England, having trained on the job while studying at CMS.

She said recently in an interview: “CMS is an outstanding place to learn and meet other like-minded people. As a pioneer I don’t think there is anywhere else I personally could even consider wanting to go.”

The CMS Pioneer Mission Training programme is now on the lookout for who will be our 1,000th pioneer!

Since beginning in 2010 we have journeyed with more than 980 Pioneer Mission students.

Could you or someone you know be number 1,000?

To find out more and join this thriving learning community, visit churchmissionsociety.org/pioneer.

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them all 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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As we launch our new Intercultural MA this autumn, our Conversations Day on 21 October will provide an opportunity to reflect on current missiological discourse at the intersection of world Christianity and postcolonial studies.

This is part of a study day for CMS MA students, but is also open to interested members of the public.

The day will centre on two important books published in the summer of 2025: Decolonising Mission by Harvey Kwiyani and God or Mammon: The Critical Choice Facing World Christianity by David Smith.

Both authors will join us for a thoughtful and timely dialogue on the evolving relationships between mission, imperialism, and global Christianity.

This conversation is particularly relevant in light of the shifting dynamics of global witness – shaped by the growth of world Christianity and the corresponding decline of Western imperial influence and traditional missionary frameworks. In this context, mission itself is being reimagined, and mission education must also evolve.

This Conversations Day offers a space to begin discerning what that change might look like as we seek to engage faithfully with a rapidly transforming global church.

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Join us for an inspiring and insightful webinar as we delve into The Quiet Revival, the groundbreaking new report from Bible Society, co-authored by Dr Rob Barward-Symmons.

This research uncovers a quiet yet powerful movement across the UK, where spiritual curiosity is growing, and unconventional expressions of faith are flourishing – often outside traditional church structures.

• Keynote speaker: Dr Rob Barward-Symmons
• Panel discussion: featuring Christian Osborne, Laura Evans, Joseph Ola and host Sarah Clarke

We believe that movements like the Quiet Revival are an invitation – not just to observe, but to participate. At CMS, we offer a range of ministry and theological training opportunities designed to equip people like you to engage in God’s mission with creativity, theological depth, and intercultural awareness.

Whether you are discerning a call to pioneer ministry, looking to grow in understanding African or Asian Christianity, or simply seeking to explore what faithful mission looks like in today’s world, there is a course pathway for you.

• Explore our courses – undergraduate and postgraduate options, most of them online
• Discover our African and Asian Christianity pathways – bringing global voices into the heart of theological education
• Sign up for our newsletter – stay connected with upcoming events, new courses, and stories from the field

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Lots of us are involved in mission in our own locality – but how to make it meaningful for the long term?

James Butler, MA lecturer with CMS Pioneer Mission Training in Oxford, garnered some more insights on doing mission where we are from:

• Dr Anna Ruddick on ‘Missional Self-awareness’ – looking at mission as an encounter across difference and what God’s invitation is to us within that.
• Pioneer youth worker John Wheatley on ‘Journey and presence with young people’ – being present, living in the community, and working in partnerships/other people’s spaces.

We’ll also share a bit about our training opportunities.

This will be an informal webinar with short presentations and plenty of time for questions and answers.

Dr Anna Ruddick is a community theologian and researcher who facilitates theological reflection and learning for leaders, congregations and Christian organisations seeking to deepen and strengthen their relationships with their local community.

She holds a Doctorate in Practical Theology and draws on learning from different disciplines including Community Development, Practical Theology and Qualitative research practices.

In both formal and informal learning environments she aims to encourage people to act in their communities with courage and humility, to be attentive to dynamics of power and inequality, and to participate in the flourishing of our communities alongside people who are different from themselves.

John Wheatley is a pioneer youth worker on an estate in Weston-super-Mare. He co-leads the CMS Pioneer MIssion Training children’s and youth ministry programme. John previously worked with Frontier Youth Trust and is a former MA student with CMS.

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, mission director for 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 Brazil where men in prison are finding new hope and freedom in Jesus behind bars. Our next stop will be a slum community in Thailand where we’ll meet a woman who received help when she needed it most. Finally we’ll go to Argentina where CMS partners have been able to make a difference to indigenous communities devastated by flooding.

We begin in Florianopolis, Brazil, where we believe God is powerfully at work in prisoners’ lives through the efforts of mission partners Andy and Kati Walsh. Prisons in Brazil have a reputation for overcrowding and harsh conditions…

Andy and others have been running a 12-week discipleship course for inmates over the past couple of years.Several men have come to faith and some have already taken the step of being baptised.

One man said: “This course showed and taught me about the true Christ…. I learned about sin but more importantly about how to be redeemed by God. After this course I can confidently affirm that I am a Christian.”

Another said: “It’s essential that this course spreads in the prison environment. The Word of God is our tool for teaching and freedom.”

The atmosphere in some prisons has changed. Now groups of inmates can be seen praising God, studying the Bible and pursuing Jesus together.

Let’s keep praying for this powerful ministry in the men’s prisons and for doors to open for this work in women’s prisons too.

Now let’s go to Khlong Toei, a slum in Bangkok, Thailand.

Two years ago a woman called Aunty Song took in her niece Manao, providing refuge from an abusive situation. But not long after Aunty Song began caring for Manao alongside her own children, she’d lost her cleaning job. She had no savings and quickly fell behind on rent. She simply couldn’t afford to feed, clothe and pay school fees for Manao as well.

A big foundation offered to take Manao. They wanted to send her to a residential school outside of Bangkok where she would receive three meals a day and a solid education. It sounded good but Aunty Song was reluctant to send Manao away from her family.

Aunty Song connected with Elise and Jon Fletcher, CMS mission partners who also live in the Khlong Toei slum. Elise and Jon come alongside vulnerable families just like Aunty Song’s through a project called Keeping Families Together. The project is run by charity Step Ahead Thailand and supports families to stay together despite poverty.

Eighteen months later, life is very different for Aunty Song and her family. Through a small income generation grant she was able to set up a laundry business which is now thriving.

Manao is settled in a local school and they are both exploring faith in a small house church. Aunty Song says: “The money gave us a boost, but mostly the team helped me to find strength in myself and my community that I didn’t know was there.”

Let’s keep praying for families in the Khlong Toei slum to receive the support they need to stay together and thrive.

Our last stop today is the Chaco region of northern Argentina, where indigenous communities hit by flooding received help through a key CMS partner, thanks to a generous legacy gift. Back in March the Pilcomayo and Bermejo rivers burst their banks.

Nineteen communities were affected and eight of these were cut off by the floodwaters, leaving 800 people stranded. More than 500 people were evacuated. The government was struggling a bit to reach people with aid as great distances are involved. Many of the roads are poor and so many people needed help.

But the Anglican Church of Northern Argentina, a key CMS partner, was already on the ground and sprang into action. Local churches were able to set up soup kitchens and start feeding people.

Quickly this was followed by two weeks of food aid thanks to a legacy gift from a generous CMS supporter. Churches were able to buy mattresses, blankets, towels, toiletries, food parcels, clothing and plastic sheeting for people who had lost homes or possessions and offer spades and wheelbarrows to help clear mud as flood waters receded.

We are so grateful for the generous legacy gift that made it possible for CMS to support the church in their response. This truly is going to the edges together. 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 June 2025 appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Explore what African diaspora faith transmission can teach UK churches

This online conversation draws from a research project by the University of Roehampton and Missio Africanus, examining how first- and second-generation African diaspora Christians live out and pass on their faith.

The session highlights the challenges faced by both generations, the differing understandings of faith and faithfulness, and what intergenerational conversations might look like.

The discussion also connects with the Edgy Learning Project, which investigates how faith is formed, changes, and is transmitted in ‘edgy’ or liminal spaces.

Together, we explore how the African diaspora experience contributes to wider conversations about faith’s evolving nature and its transmission across generations.

Contributors include:

• James Butler – Church Mission Society & University of Roehampton
• Paul Ayokunle – Missio Africanus
• Clare Watkins – Durham University
• Ian Jones – St Peter’s Saltley Trust

Whether you’re a church leader, student, or simply passionate about mission and theology, this is a session not to miss!

Visit acts11.org for more information and updates.

Take part

For upcoming events and webinars, please see our Events page:

Events

The post Webinar: Faith and faithfulness between the generations appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).