Issue 42Winter 2012

the word made flesh

our peoplepartners and staff

Global Partners (by country)Burundi Dioceses of Gitega & Matana

DR Congo Dioceses of Bukavu, Kindu & N. Kivu

Egypt Diocese of Egypt

Ethiopia Gambella Project, Diocese of Egypt

Kenya Diocese of Kajiado; Urban DevelopmentProgramme, Nairobi

Nepal Human Development Community Services;SD Church

Rwanda Dioceses of Kibungo & Shyogwe

South Sudan Dioceses of Ibba, Kajokeji, Maridi& Yei; Bishop Allison Theological College

Uganda Dioceses of Luwero, Ruwenzori & MadiWest Nile; Chilli Children

Zambia Diocese of Northern Zambia

Mission PartnersAart & Geesje den Breejen, with Anne-Fleur, Ruben,Jan Lucas & Lisa [Madi West Nile Diocese, Uganda]

Alison Gill [Province of Burundi]

Rory & Denise Wilson, with Gideon[Luwero Diocese, Uganda]

Paul & Tania Baker [Luwero Diocese, Uganda]

STEP VolunteersHelen Byers [Luwero Diocese, Uganda]

Mission AssociatesIsabelle Prondzynski [UDP, Kenya]

Deirdre & Mark Zimmerman, withZachary & Benjamin [Nepal]

Mark & Ali Gill [Nepal]

StaffRonnie Briggs Mission Director

Rachel Brittain Mission Resource Coordinator

Anne Buckley Finance Assistant

Jenny Christie Administration Coordinator

Roger Cooke Mission Resource Manager

David Gough Partnership Coordinator

Brian Lavery Finance Manager

Gillian Maganda Personnel Coordinator

Andy McCormick Parish Development Worker

Kelly Yates Partnership Coordinator

02

incarnation: the way of christ

Two thousand years after the Bethlehem Revolution, The Incarnation is still an ongoing reality. Heaven still breaks into the stuff of this world through the Body of Christ – the Church. And as Paul reminds us, we are a diverse body, made up of many members, each tasked with playing its part.

One of the things that characterises CMS Ireland’s work is its diversity. We do many different things, in many different places. Sometimes, it may seem like these things are somehow separate, operating in isolation. But mission is at its best and most effective when it infuses everything, when the Word Made Flesh really does ‘live among us’.

The pages of inMission are normally marked to identify the main focus of each story: ‘Supporting the Global Church’; ‘Mobilising Individuals’; ‘Resourcing the Church in Ireland’. But this time, you’ll see no such distinctions. Instead, you’ll read stories that show how these things overlap with one another and blur the boundaries.

Incarnational Mission cannot be neatly packaged – it demands a holistic response to the brokenness of our world. It can be confusing and messy. But, as the manger reminds us, this is the Way of Christ. And it is the Way to Transformation.

Happy Reading and Happy Advent!

Roger CookeEditor

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

With these words, John described how Jesus came to our world as an incarnate message of love from the Father. He also described the glory of Christ, the ‘one and only’ Son of God, as a glory of ‘grace and truth.’

As I reflect on this verse, I recall how in the past, the Glory of God was a source of fear and awe. No one could see the Glory of God face-to-face and live. Moses longed to see the Glory of God directly, but God allowed him to see only a glimpse of this Glory and reminded Moses that the person who sees God cannot live.

In Jesus however, we see a different kind of God’s Glory, a Glory that is full of grace and truth; a Glory that was manifested clearly in an undeserved grace, given to us in spite of our rebellious nature that distanced us from God. God loved us and gave us a great gift—and this great gift was his ‘one and only’ Son! Christ sacrificed himself on the cross to save us from our sins! What a glorious grace and gracious glory!

The Glory of Jesus Christ was also full of pure truth, the truth that everyone seeks, the truth that sets us free from the bondage of sin and hatred.

a different kind of gloryan advent reflection from egypt

Today, we see God’s Glory in Christ and we are not afraid like the people in the Old Testament. We do not fear death. Instead, we receive life. The Glory of Jesus Christ is good news for us, and accepting this good news puts on us the responsibility to reflect His glory into the societies where we live. It is important that we reflect God’s Glory in spite of the pressures, persecution, hardships and suspicion that we face. As Paul said:

‘And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit’ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I pray that the fullness of Glory that we have in Christ will be sufficient for us during our life journey until He comes again.

+ Mouneer Egypt

Bishop Mouneer Anis is a frequent visitor to Ireland and has been instrumental in CMS Ireland’s ongoing partnership with the Diocese of Egypt.

grace, truth, transformation stories of change in nepal

God is at work in Nepal. Lives are being transformed. And, as the following stories testify, those who are being impacted are passing on the message of grace and truth. The first story is an extract from a book being written by Pastor Bijay, who leads SD Church. The second story provides a snapshot of the work of the church. (Please note, names have been changed in both stories.)

There was one time, I think it was around 1992, when Sunita was working in the small vegetable patch at the front of our house. As I watched her digging and planting the seeds it just made me depressed. I was so sad for her because it was hard work and even though I was her husband I couldn’t give her any help. I felt so weak and helpless.

The next morning I was lying in bed and started reading Mark 2:3-12 [The Healing of the

Paralysed Man]. I knew the story well and it brought a hope to me, a hope that maybe I could be healed and walk again. If the church could pray for me, maybe a month of prayer, then Jesus would heal me.

Well it didn’t happen and I felt let down.

A few months later I heard about an event where a Christian healer from abroad was coming to speak. So…Sunita and I went. There were lots of people shouting out that they’d been healed, it was exciting. But I started meeting people I knew, people in wheelchairs like me, and none of them had been healed.

Some Nepali volunteers came to us and said “In Jesus’ name get up and walk.” I tried to get out of my wheelchair but I just fell down on the ground, so then we left and set off for home. I was so angry as Goma pushed my wheelchair down the road.

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life in a wheelchair

SD Church food distribution

winter 2012

The next week our Pastor came to visit me. I was still angry about the healing event and as soon as he came in I challenged him: “Why did you come here? Why aren’t I healed?” But he didn’t get angry, instead he reminded me: “Body and spirit are different, God wants your spirit to be healed.” This wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I wanted to walk!

[Some time later], I remembered what the Pastor had said about body and spirit, and I read again that story in Mark 2:3-12. My body was just here for a while, then it would be dust. But my spirit would be around forever. In the bible story the man went directly to Jesus, who said “your faith has given you forgiveness of your sins.” The man wanted his body healed, just like I did. But Jesus forgave

Bibek is a young man from Khorang, a remote and poor village in Makwanpur District, which is nearly three hours drive from Kathmandu. In Khorang, there is poor access to health, education and other income generation facilities. So Bibek along with his wife and three-month-old son, moved to a place called Nakkhu, near Kathmandu, where they’d heard that jobs were available at a carpet factory.

Life in Nakkhu was not easy for the family. They’d never worked in a carpet factory before and it took them a while to learn the skills. They couldn’t afford bedding so they slept on the floor using old clothes. The room used to leak, there were no facilities for cooking or washing and the money they earned hardly covered the cost of food at Kathmandu’s expensive prices. Then, their son, Prem became sick. Bibek had to take out a loan to pay for treatment, but struggled to repay the loan. Then, his wife became ill.

One of Bibek’s co-workers at the factory saw him crying and suggested that he visit Bijay, who came regularly to the factory for fellowship meetings. Bibek picks up the story: “I met with Pastor Bijay and after hearing my story, he decided to help me and prayed for my wife and son. The church helped me pay for treatment for my wife and son and paid my loan too. It was a big support for me. Soon after, they started sharing the

Bibek’s story

his sin. I prayed that my sins could be forgiven. If my spirit was healed I could be an example to my friends and neighbours.

I hadn’t understood before why I was sad and depressed, but now I could see that Jesus didn’t want me to plant seeds in the garden for Sunita, he wanted me to sow spiritual seeds. I had prayed for a healed body but all the time Jesus wanted to forgive my sins and heal my spirit. So now Jesus has healed my depression from being in this wheelchair, I’ve been forgiven and I have the purpose he’s given me.

(Translated with the help of an English friend)

Gospel with us, but we were too proud to accept their religion.”

But later, Bibek realised how much the SD Church people cared for him and his family. Gradually, he started reading the Bible and listening to what the Christians said in their meetings.

Bibek was baptized as a new Christian. He left his factory job and now works full-time for SD Church. He helps to look after six of the house fellowships, including the one in Khorang – his home village and the one at Nakkhu.

This is what SD Church does – helping people in need, whatever their circumstances and sharing God’s Grace and Truth with them.

Bibek carrying Bijay on Makuwanpar visit

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in the midstmission at kiwokoBy setting-up home in a new place and working alongside our Global Partners over a number of years, CMS Ireland’s Mission Partners are able to develop meaningful relationships and share something of themselves with others. Such ‘life sharing’ lies at the heart of incarnational mission.

We invited our two Mission Partner families at Kiwoko Hospital, Uganda to provide an insight into one another.

Before we arrived in Kiwoko, we had met Rory and Denise twice but had yet to discover that these were not their true names. In Kiwoko they are ‘Dr Loly’ (due to Ugandan pronunciation) and ‘Mamma Gideon’ (that

one is self-explanatory). This was just one of many things we would come to learn about our fellow Mission Partners.

Rory has served at Kiwoko as Medical Director for over six years now. It amazes us that in all that time he has remained sane, positive, calm and incredibly happy - considering the challenges and painful situations he meets every day. We don’t pretend to know all the decisions and jobs he has to deal with - enough to say that as the head of 360 staff, 250 hospital beds and a busy community health programme, he has a pretty full plate. Thankfully his cup is at least half full too!

Of course meeting a wonderful woman while here, having her agree to marry you, and then producing an adorable son are all going to help. We have heard many staff here comment

the wilsons (by the bakers)

on the difference that Denise has made both to Rory and to the hospital. The nursing students sing her praises, complaining when they hear she will not be teaching a certain subject. Sister Grace, the in-charge on Female Ward, announced in morning prayers once that Denise Wilson was the hardest working person she knew.

Together and as a family they bring much joy to the hospital and the town. Gideon is the most famous person in Kiwoko. He could run for council and would surely win on name recognition alone. But also the extra curricular work they are involved in ensures they have a growing relationship with the local people - from taking part in ministry to local prisons to working the land. And they frequently open their home to guests and staff with a hospitality that is clearly a gift from God.

It’s with much relief for both the hospital and for us that the Wilsons plan to stay at Kiwoko for the foreseeable future. Not because we want Kiwoko to be so dependent on them that it could not survive without them. Rather because they bring a joy and a practicality to serving in Uganda that the rest of us can only learn from.

winter 2012

When the Bakers first arrived in Kiwoko in January 2011, Paul thought that he would be using his experience of fixing medical machines for Phillips to help repair and maintain the Kiwoko Hospital equipment. He has certainly done that and done it well. However as many of the machines break due to poor electrical supply he has had to address that, and as the vehicles breaking down mean that we can’t easily get spares from Kampala he has had to address car maintenance, and as we need better communication with donors he has improved our internet provision, and after some minor thefts he has been looking at security...

All of this is obviously crucial to the delivery of care at Kiwoko. Without functioning infrastructure, we would not be able to treat 50,000 patients every year. Many people discount themselves from overseas work because they do not see their skills as useful, but it’s not just medical professionals who help to make a hospital run!

Much of Tania’s time is spent with the student electives programme and looking after various visitors to the hospital. With many donors and visitors in addition to students she is certainly busy, yet she is involved with many other activities, including the ladies craft

the bakers (by the wilsons)

group (bringing crucial income for themselves and hospital,) student fellowship and prison ministry. Coming to live in rural Uganda to spend a significant proportion of your time looking after mostly white visitors may not be everyone’s picture of ‘mission’, but Tania’s humility in taking on this crucial part of Kiwoko’s ministry means that visitors continue to support our work, and students have a very positive experience.

Living and working in another culture has many blessings, but many challenges too. For example, in Uganda, spending time with people is often seen as more valuable than ‘achieving’ goals – but what happens when the generator breaks down and with the dusk approaching, the surgeon will soon be operating by torchlight? Both Paul and Tania have really engaged with Uganda and Ugandan culture, while also not being afraid to gently challenge some bits of that culture when appropriate with friends and colleagues with whom they have built trust and respect.

Paul and Tania are fantastic examples of humble Christian leadership and of a Christian marriage. Examples of both are much needed in Uganda and it is a huge blessing to have them as part of the Kiwoko family.

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anglican communion developing diocesan links

What do tractor driving and potties have in common?

While there may not be an obvious connection, they both relate to recent initiatives within the Church of Ireland, aimed at raising support for our Global Partners in Rwanda and Kenya.

Bishop Michael Burrows (Cashel and Ossory) recently completed a tour of his diocese on a tractor! He stopped in on every parish to meet with people and to raise funds in support of ‘Education for Life’, a joint initiative between the diocese, Bishops’ Appeal, CMS Ireland and USPG Ireland. The programme, launched last year, seeks to raise support and awareness for an agricultural training project in Shyogwe Diocese, Rwanda (through CMS Ireland) and a schools’ project in Swaziland (through USPG Ireland).

More recently, the Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry (TKA), again in conjunction with Bishops’ Appeal and CMS Ireland, has

1. funding: bishops’ appeal programmes (ronnie briggs)

launched a similar three-year commitment to support an education project in the Diocese of Kajiado, Kenya.

As reported in a previous edition of inMission, Kajiado Diocese, with support from Ireland, recently opened Oloosuyian Girls’ Secondary School. Educating girls in the Maasai context is not easy and very few actually go on to secondary school. This new boarding school is intended to be a safe and secure learning environment for these girls. Already there are over 70 girls attending – and yet there is no dormitory! This is where TKA has stepped in.

The initiative was launched on 22nd November in St Mary’s Cathedral, Tuam and was followed by a ‘Potty Walk’ around the cathedral to highlight the real need for toilet facilities in a boarding school of this kind. A series of fundraising

activities, including a ‘Jam Jar Collection’ has been organised across the whole diocese and at some stage, they hope to send a team to visit Kajiado.

Partnerships of this kind are very strong and make a significant impact on people here – by being personally involved through prayer and fundraising – and on those people served by our Global Partners.

As CMS helps resource and equip the Church in Ireland, much of our focus tends to be at individual parish level. During the past year however, we’ve had opportunities to engage meaningfully with five different dioceses within the Church of Ireland. This is a trend that is set to continue, and grow, throughout 2013. Here are two of the ways in which CMS Ireland is currently working with Church of Ireland dioceses.

Photo credits: Left: Tipperary Star Right: Dean Alastair Grimason

winter 2012

2. visiting: diocesan metas (mission experience teams abroad)

Fundraising is often the first step in a Diocesan Mission Link, but the thing that tends to make these partnerships become more personal and ‘real’, is personal contact. When teams from Ireland visit our Global Partners, when individuals or teams from our Global Partners come to Ireland, connections are made, experiences are shared and relationships begin to flourish.

In January, a team from Connor Diocese will visit Yei Diocese in South Sudan and later in 2013, a Mothers’ Union team from Derry and Raphoe will visit the Diocese of Egypt. CMS Ireland are facilitating both visits and we hope that they will be every bit as fruitful as the Maridi visit.

October saw a combined team from Down and Dromore Diocese and Albany Diocese (USA) visit their partners in Maridi Diocese, South Sudan. This was the latest venture in a long-established partnership and by all accounts, the visit was a huge success. The following comments appeared on the team’s blog, which you can read on the CMS Ireland website.

“It has been wonderful to be back with my Maridi family! Having the three Bishops together has been the answer to many prayers.” Jane Corbett

“[In South Sudan] there is the real possibility of building a new future, and the Church is at the centre of that vision. Together we can make a real and Christlike difference!”Bishop Harold

“Relationship is at the heart of this trip and this partnership so pray for a deepening of our mutual trust and love and a strengthening of the threefold cord.”Annette McGrath

“While I pray that our presence has been an encouragement to Bishop Justin and the people of Maridi, I don’t know that it can compare to the blessing that they have been to me and our whole team.”Bishop Bill

Bishops Justin, Harold and Bill

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all things newcms ireland’s annual project

The project used to be produced by the CMS team in London and many readers will fondly remember the special collection boxes that were produced for particular projects – from hospital beds to ‘mud huts’.

CMS Ireland has been producing its own Annual Project for the past 25 years, with memorable titles such as Listening in Silence (Egypt, 1990), The Spear and the Pen (Kenya, 1989) and Hoe, Sow and Grow (Rwanda, 1996). This year, over 70 parishes took part in The Beautiful Gate, which focused on the ministry of SD Church in Nepal. That’s well over 2000 children and young people – along with Sunday School teachers and adults – exploring the biblical message of mission and learning about life, faith and church in another country.

the objectives

The Annual Project seeks:

• To help children and young people understand more about God’s work of mission

• To educate children and young people about a particular country and the mission of the church in that country

• To help inform and educate churches about one of our Global Partners and encourage support through prayer, friendship and finance.

• To raise funds for a particular project of the Global Partner

Over the years, CMS Ireland has seen many changes. As the Society has continually sought the best way to serve the Church in mission, various initiatives and activities have come and gone. But for as long as our most ‘senior’ members can remember, the Annual Project – or ‘The Lenten Project’ as it used to be known – has been a major part of the Society’s work.

the focus

The focus of the Annual Project changes each year – a different country, a different Global Partner, a different type of project.

year title of project country global partner(s) theme/focus

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Sands of Time

Footsteps

Start Small, Grow Tall

Hands On

Living Stones

The Beautiful Gate

All Things New

Egypt

Kenya

Rwanda

Uganda

Burundi

Nepal

South Sudan

Diocese of Egypt

Kajiado Diocese

Kibungo Diocese

Kiwoko Hospital (Luwero Diocese)

Matana and Gitega Dioceses

SD Church

Ibba Diocese

Community Development

School Education

Agriculture

Healthcare for Children

Building up the Church

Serving the poor and the sick

Education

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Email belfastof ce@cmsireland.orgDublin

3 Belgrave Road

Rathmines, Dublin 6

Tel (+353) 01 497 0931

Fax (+353) 01 497 0939

Email dublinof ce@cmsireland.org

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the church in Ireland inmission

We provide the following material with each Annual Resource Pack:

• Leaders’ Guide – with background information and guidelines

• DVD – with short videos to help the children learn about the project

• Children’s Workbooks – Age-appropriate material for four Sunday School sessions

It takes two months for Rachel and Roger (with help from others) to produce the Annual Project each year, putting together the different sessions and activities, editing the videos and designing the different elements of the pack. The project is then launched at the end of January.

In 2013, the focus of the Annual Project will once again be on Education, this time in South Sudan – one of the newest countries in the world. All Things New will explore the importance of education in the Diocese of Ibba. See the back cover for more details.

There is a very simple reason for CMS Ireland continuing to produce an Annual Project after so many years. It works! It has a significant impact, both for those people in Africa and Asia who are the focus of the information, prayer and fundraising and also for those in Ireland who take part in the project.

We recently received an update about one of the Kenyan primary school students who featured in the 2008 Annual Project, Footsteps. He was one of those who benefitted from the funds raised

through the project, having his school fees paid for his first year of High School.

Earlier this year, Shaankua successfully completed his final examinations of Form 4 and having done well at school, he hopes to go to University to study Medicine.

Even though the Annual Project changes its focus each year, the project keeps having an impact for many years. Thanks to the support of children, young people and churches in Ireland in recent years, clergy have been trained in Burundi, children have been vaccinated in Uganda, schools have been resourced in Kenya and maize has been grown in Rwanda.

But for CMS Ireland, the Annual Project is about much more than raising funds for our Global Partners. It’s an opportunity for us to help children explore the basics of mission and to encourage Sunday School teachers to incorporate mission education into their programmes.

We hear many stories from people who are actively involved in mission and in church leadership throughout Ireland, who identify their childhood experience of the Annual Projects as a significant part of their journey. It’s a story that keeps going. It has an impact that keeps growing. This is why we invest so much time and energy in our Annual Project resource.

the impact

the resource

Shaankua teaching at his old primary school

Annual Project Kenya

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Tel (+44) 028 9077 5020Fax (+44) 028 9077 9772

Email belfastof ce@cmsireland.org

Dublin3 Belgrave RoadRathmines, Dublin 6Tel (+353) 01 497 0931Fax (+353) 01 497 0939Email dublinof ce@cmsireland.org

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Footsteps: Kenya 2008

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In Spring 2011, Partnership Cordinator David Gough met with Rev Amanda Adams, rector of Ballyrashane and Kildollagh Parishes in County Antrim. The parish had a previous partnership with South Sudan but the link had lost much of its focus. As the new rector, Amanda was keen to try and make a new start. David and Amanda discussed the possibility of a new Partnership Link with Ibba Diocese in South Sudan and as he always does in these meetings, David shared some of the ways in which CMS Ireland helps churches engage in mission.

Shortly after this meeting, Amanda ordered a Discover Pack, which she used to run a course with about 15 parishioners last Autumn. It seems to have had a significant impact. Reflecting on the course, Amanda told David:

“Discover gave us a very sound and firm foundation from which to work. It very much became ‘our own’ which is a tremendous tribute to you and the team who worked so hard preparing it. I genuinely feel we have a better and biblically grounded approach to mission partnership.”

After the Discover course was finished, the group continued to meet together – with Amanda producing her own follow-up material on mission issues. One of those in the group was Noel Lennox, who was encouraged to attend one of our Parish Rep Brunches earlier this year.

Noel was particularly enthusiastic about his role and about how the new Partnership Link with Ibba could develop. He organised a special fundraising concert in the church to buy bicycles for the Mothers’ Union in Ibba – something that

they had requested to help them visit families throughout the diocese. The bicycles were purchased in August of this year, when David and a team from St John’s Parish, Moira were visiting Ibba. For the team, it was inspiring to see how a simple fundraising initiative back in Ireland could have a real impact on the ground in Ibba. And, as a way of returning the favour, some of the team from Moira recently spoke at the harvest service in Kildollagh, sharing stories and photos from their time in Ibba.

Eighteen months after those initial meetings, David is now working with Amanda and her two parishes to develop a new three-year Partnership Plan for their link with Ibba.

An enthusiastic mission-minded rector. A group of people engaging with the biblical story of mission. New connections with the Church in South Sudan and a parish in County Armagh. Lots of different input from CMS Ireland. Through all these things, God is at work, transforming lives…in Ibba, in North Antrim, and in Moira.

bringing it all together

winter 2012

ronnie’s advent message

As I write this, we’re preparing for our Annual Celebration event, Impact. This is the

third year we’ve held the event, which celebrates the transformation God brings through

the breadth of CMS Ireland’s work and through the ministry of our Global Partners. In

all that we do, we want to keep having such an impact on people’s lives.

15th November 2012

Of course, the biggest impact ever made on our world was through the coming of Jesus. As we celebrate Advent, we are constantly reminded of the significance of this event. It is by keeping Jesus at the centre of our lives that we can experience the abundant life he offers - in all its fullness. This is the truth of the Gospel. And it is just as applicable for us as a Mission Society and for the staff. There is great diversity in what we do, but when Christ is at the centre and we work together as one, there is huge potential. This is certainly shown in the story of Ballyrashane and Kildollagh.

For the staff team, December is an important month to look back and to look forward. We look back over the past year and give thanks to God for His goodness and His many blessings. But we also try to learn lessons from the many different things we have done. If something worked well – we seek to strengthen it. If something did not go well, we try to understand why and apply the lessons we have learned as we plan for the future.

Whatever plans we make for 2013 and beyond, we long to see more and more people impacted by the truth of God’s offer of grace and salvation. And we want to help God’s people live out that truth in their daily lives – whether here in Ireland or serving with one of our Global Partners across the world.

We have many opportunities for service both here and overseas – we pray that Jesus will touch the hearts and minds of his people and bring them to God’s mission in the world. Over this Advent time please pray with us that people will respond to God’s call.

We, as a staff, would like to thank all of you who have been so faithful in helping and supporting us over the past year and we look forward with anticipation to what God has in store for us in 2013. Be assured of our prayers over this Christmas season and for a fruitful New Year.

Ronnie

snippets from supporters and staff

Christmas Stamps Appeal

Regular readers of inMission will be aware that we often include an appeal for your used stamps. This has become a useful source of additional income for the Society in recent years and we’re extremely grateful to the many volunteers, particularly Barbara Wilson, who help trim and package the stamps.

During one of her recent ‘office days’, Barbara declared, with some drama: “We’ve run out of stamps!” So, to keep Barbara happy and to prevent this potential ‘catastrophe’, we announce our Christmas Stamps’ Appeal.

In short – we would like your stamps! We’d love it if you would gather up the stamps that come with your Christmas post then return them to us in the envelope that came with this magazine. Just trim or carefully tear round the stamps to leave a bit of a margin and pop them in the envelope. Then Barbara will have plenty to keep her busy over the coming months – and you can help her to help CMS Ireland raise extra funds.

Welcome to Kelly

November saw a new arrival to the CMS Ireland staff team. Kelly Yates was recently appointed as the new ‘Partnership Coordinator’ for

Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda and is now fully emersed in the task of ‘learning the ropes’. It’s a steep learning curve – within her first two weeks, Kelly was involved in META interviews in Bangor and contributing to presentations in Enniskillen and Belfast.

Kelly hails from Drumbeg, County Down and is a member of Belfast City Vineyard church. She’s excited about her new role and is really looking forward to getting to know the many invdividuals and parishes who support our partners in Mid-Africa. Please pray for her as she continues to settle into the team and to the wider CMS Ireland family.

Canon Jim Writes Again

Last October, inMission invited Rev Canon Jim Carson, Rector of St Paul’s Lisburn, to write a reflection for the Winter 2011 edition of the magazine. Since then, Jim has published not one,

but two books. This surely confirms the literary influence of inMission and is just one of the reasons why we’re keen to endorse Jim’s latest book, ‘Baraka: Journeys to Africa’. It tells the story of St Paul’s (the Parish) Partnership Link with the Diocese of Kajiado in Kenya, facilitated by CMS Ireland.

Jim will be launching the book at two events, both of which will include contributions from Ronnie Briggs.

• 13th December – Good Book Shop, Belfast, 12.30pm. With Bishop Alan Abernethy (includes a light lunch)• 12th January - Cathedral Hall, Enniskillen, 11am. With Bishop John McDowell

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snapshots from impact

winter 2012

Friday 16th November saw CMS Ireland hosting Impact, its annual celebration event. It was an evening to reflect on the way in which God has transformed lives throughout 2012 and to respond in worship and action.

The evening featured a number of stories of transformation, including some that feature in this edition of inMission. John Hamilton, who was on the Diocesan Link META to Maridi (see P9), talked about how the visit came at an important crossroads in his life and that the experience was likely to shape his future, commenting:

“The trip has changed my perspectives, my priorities and left me determined to not work to my own plans – but His.”

CMS Ireland’s Staff Chaplain, Rev Adrian Dorrian shared something of his own journey in mission, which started when he was a child, taking part in the CMS Ireland Annual Project. He encouraged all those present to “grasp the opportunities that CMS Ireland provide to get involved and see God at work”.

Ronnie Briggs shared some thoughts from the book of Acts and from the Church in Nepal, as he challenged us to “pass on what God is doing in our lives.”

Dominoes featured prominently in the evening, providing inspiration for those present to be active, to stay connected to others, to continue being transformed and to keep having an impact on others. Some dominoes were used as a prompt for prayer for each other and for our Partners.

Date for your new diaries: Impact 2013 – Friday 29th November.

Church Mission Society Ireland is registered in Dublin, Ireland - Reg No. 269005 - as a Company Limited by Guarantee, with permission to omit the word ‘Limited’. Charity Ref No: CHY 910 Recognised in the UK as a Charity by the Inland Revenue - Ref No. XN 48809. CMS Ireland is a registered business name - Registered Office: Dublin Office, as above.

Belfast33 Dargan Road, Belfast, BT3 9JUTel +44 (0) 28 9077 5020 Email belfastoffice@cmsireland.org

DublinChurch of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, Dublin 6Tel +353 (0) 1497 0931 Email dublinoffice@cmsireland.org

www.cmsireland.org

launching 30th januaryProject packs can be ordered via the CMS Ireland website or by contacting either of our offices. Or, why not come along to one of our special Annual Project Pitstops to pick-up your pack and enjoy a cuppa? Details can be found on our website.

CMS Ireland’s Annual Project: Helping children explore Global Mission