“Peace is the wish of everyone in Kadugli,” says Hassan James, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Kadugli and CMS local partner.

Yet from where Bishop Hassan stands, in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan state, Sudan, peace has often been painfully elusive. The area was in the crosshairs of a violent civil war for decades and has also suffered from recurrent tribal violence: cattle theft, intimidation, displacement and murder.

Against this volatile backdrop, and despite the restraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, a symbol of hope for both the present and the future has risen and flourished – the Peace Episcopal Primary School, which is supported by the diocese.

“We started the school as the society needed more options for [affordable] children’s education… especially orphans, poor families and Christian children,” said Bishop Hassan. “We therefore came up with the idea and shared it with our friends in the country as well as across the world.”

He noted that it’s called The Peace School because, “We live in a war zone and so we need peace, and we must teach the children about peace….”

After almost a year of construction work, the doors to the Peace School opened in October 2019. Though conceived as a Christian school, the strong reputation for quality has garnered pupils from different tribes and religions and some of the teachers are Muslim. More than 480 children currently attend the school, ranging from ages 6 to 15. A separate kindergarten space has also been built to accommodate 80 children.

“We live in a war zone and so we need peace, and we must teach the children about peace…”

“The students live in peace and love even if they may differ in faith,” said Bishop Hassan, who was born into a Muslim family and turned to Jesus at age 11 while living in Khartoum.

In his time as suffragan bishop, he has worked hard to promote peaceful relationships between the Christian and Muslim communities. More than 90 per cent of the population of Sudan is Muslim. Bishop Hassan has been presented with multiple opportunities to leave the region and minister elsewhere in the world, yet he feels called to remain and be a voice for peace. He regularly speaks on the need for peace via local radio and often runs into people who have heard him and say things to him like: “Thank you, this is the need of the community.” He has also advocated for peace and reconciliation efforts with local authorities.

He remembers that during a visit to the Nuba Mountains in 2017, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby offered a prayer “that no child will live in war, but learn things such as peace, humility and love”. The Peace School is a brave step towards that vision.

Pray together

Unless violence is ended, communities in conflict zones have little hope of reaching their potential. CMS-Africa and CMS are focusing on such contexts: pray for people in mission working as peacemakers where people are crying out for an end to war.

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The post A school for peace appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Thank you!

Our Lent appeal this year focused on the urgent need to encourage a new generation of leaders, particularly in the Chaco regions of Argentina and Paraguay. Thanks to your generous giving, we can support growing leaders, people like Mirna Paulo.

Mirna is a young woman from the Wichí people in northern Argentina and her grandfather was one of the earlier indigenous evangelists of the local Anglican Church. Growing up in a Christian family, Mirna learned to read in her own language by reading the hymns as the older people sang. She explains, “As I listened to the preaching and biblical teachings, I realised the greatness of God and his love for all his creation.”

Throughout her life, Mirna met people in mission connected to SAMS and CMS who supported leaders in the indigenous churches. She comments, “I always liked those teams of people who work daily to spread and defend the gospel. I never thought it was possible to be part of these organisations, though I thought of forming a team to support people who felt the call of the Lord to dedicate their lives to the gospel of Christ.”

Overcoming challenges

As Mirna grew older there were challenges to navigate – family health difficulties, and an increasing awareness of disagreements in the church or people’s lives not matching their words. Yet Mirna notes, “There were also brothers who, despite everything, sought consensus and above all worshipped the Lord in their daily lives and in evangelistic ministries.”

As a result of pressure in family life, Mirna became ill herself, and was bedbound for over a year. She describes spiritual struggles, but also “in those times there was a lot of learning, my faith was strengthened in meditation and prayer. I had many visions that helped me keep my hope in God.” Eventually Mirna experienced a process of healing after reading and responding to the Bible story of Jesus healing a young girl.

After being confirmed, Mirna was part of a group brought together by a youth leader to learn about God’s teaching, to pray and to have space to share their thoughts. They also had music groups for teenagers, and young adults began to organise youth meetings and evangelistic campaigns.

At school, Mirna had classmates of European descent as well as those from indigenous groups. While there were culture clashes and misunderstandings, this gave Mirna the opportunity to encounter different cultural contexts and activities. And she sought to show God’s love to her classmates regardless of their cultural background.

Leadership and learning

Mirna stepped into leadership from a young age, helping to prepare Bible studies from the age of 12. She was elected as youth president of the local church, helped organise events and discovered a passion for supporting women and young people. She also took on greater responsibilities within her family when her mother died.

After finishing high school, Mirna got a job as an indigenous teacher in the secondary school, allowing her to contribute to the family income. Then, despite pressure to stay within the Wichí community, she travelled to share about its realities and to learn. She worked with the ministry of culture and education in the capital of the province to support teachers in areas where there are indigenous communities.

Mirna always liked to listen to the older women in her community, “I consider them experienced in the path of faith. I learned a lot listening to women sharing.” Having represented women on the pastoral commission in her area, and been involved in other diocesan groups, Mirna joined an Anglican women’s committee. This group, supported by missionaries (including CMS mission partners Catherine Le Tissier and Shelley Stokes), began to think about a new way of working among women in the diocese. The result was AMARE (Anglican Women’s Group Renewed in the Spirit), affiliated with Mothers’ Union. Mirna is now one of the leaders of AMARE in the Diocese of Northern Argentina, and is working to connect with other groups in dioceses across South America.

Building bridges for the future

As a younger leader, an important element of Mirna’s ministry is to be a bridge between young people and older members of the community. These two groups can often misunderstand each other, and have very different perspectives on a range of questions.

Mirna is also working with other CMS local partners, mission partners and Latin America regional manager Paul Tester to develop longstanding ministry with indigenous groups for new generations. This is especially urgent through a period of transition in leadership, as mission partners prepare to hand on their roles and some older leaders in the indigenous communities have died. On being part of the CMS team, Mirna comments, “They are part of my family in Christ. I have great hope that this ministry will continue to grow with the indigenous peoples for Christ.”

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The post Mirna’s on a mission appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).

Local partners with Asia-CMS continue to introduce people to Jesus and help them grow in confidence as his disciples despite the difficult conditions created by the pandemic…

Our co-mission partner M and his team work in Northern India to develop leaders within unreached people groups, establish more house churches, disciple new believers with Bible studies and strengthen local believers through house visits and community support. He shares this testimony of a young man named R, whom he encountered during the course of his ministry this past quarter. At a time when there is so much hopelessness, this is a hopeful beacon for all of us.

A passionate dreamer

R is a passionate 23-year-old man who studies hard to achieve his dream of becoming an Indian Administrative Service officer, which is considered to be one of the top government jobs. He has three sisters and one brother. It was his older sister who shared the gospel with R; she became a believer through the church ministries that M belongs to. Nevertheless, R didn’t quite have a full understanding of Jesus and God.

One day, M was out trekking with his team and along the way, they had the memorable opportunity to share the gospel in every village they walked through. As they stopped at each village, they also had fellowship with families who already heard the gospel. The young leaders in that region usually do their best to follow up with those they reach out to during visits such as these.

A faithful servant

It was on that fortuitous day that M encountered the enthusiastic R in one of the last villages they trekked to. M and his team visited R and his family, listening to his experiences and why he wanted to become a government officer. The qualification needed to become an IAS officer is a stringent one that requires high intellect and even higher test scores; it certainly isn’t an easy path.

Nevertheless, it was a path that R was ready to walk on and has been painstakingly pursuing. R shared that he needs the internet and books to study, and he has to walk miles to get a strong connection on his phone. He also shared that he is a seeker and would like to know more about Jesus and the Bible.

M found him to be a nice young man with a gentle spirit and a helpful heart. M felt a nudge in his heart that he should help R in whatever way he could. So, M decided to go beyond just regular visitation and opened his home to R so he could stay and have a proper place to study with a stable internet connection.

Future potential

M believes in his heart that there need to be more Christian young officers in high government ranks who will support other believers and can be of great influence and help in church growth and standing up against persecution.

At that time, M didn’t have the chance to talk with his wife about the situation and his offer to R. But he prayed, and when he asked her later what she thought of the offer he had made, his wife did not hesitate; she gracefully accepted to have R stay with them.

R is currently settled in with M and his wife. They are using this time and opportunity to disciple him and train him to be a godly leader. R is studying hard for his exams next year. He is a promising and bright student, with a deep eagerness to learn.

Will you remember R in your prayers so that God continues to work in his life and prepares him to be baptized at the given time. Pray also for R’s faith to increase and be strengthened, as well as for the knowledge and wisdom to prepare for his top exams.

Please pray:

• for M and his family as they continue to disciple R
• for his ministry and team as a whole – as they continue to serve the needs of the people and communities around them
• for the leaders and believers out in the field – many are experiencing and going through depression during this time

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The post Discipling with open hearts and homes appeared first on Church Mission Society (CMS).