October - November 2016 Issue: 74btckstorage.blob.core.windows.net/site10411/World Mission... ·...

3: Let us Build a House ANightUnderCardboardin

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5: Prayer Focus StoriesofFaith

8: Lessons from Nepal SouthAsianChristianYouth

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9: Bringing Memories Home 50YearsOn

11: The Big, Bustling, Noisy City

LifeinCairo

13: You can see for Miles… or can you?

PlantingtreesinSumba

GLOBAL COMMUNITY

LIVING IN A

October - November 2016www.churchofscotland.org.uk

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Welcome to the October - November edition of WM

World Mission Council

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk

http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about_us/councils_committees_and_departments/world_mission_council

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As a child, I associated the word ‘neighbour’ with Uncle Lez who lived next door and gave me raspberries. Back when Uncle Lez was my neighbour, things were simple. I ate his raspberries and kicked footballs into his garden, and in return my Mam would bake apologetic chocolate squares. As I moved away from my childhood home, the word ‘neighbour’ began to change. I learnt of a ‘global community’ I was supposedly a part of, and suddenly the word ‘neighbour’ meant something more.

The words ‘global community’ are hard to grasp. How can I be in a global community? Are people living on the busy streets of Cairo or the towering

Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean, we are able to enjoy building relationships with our global neighbours.

This issue explores the lessons and experiences gained as a result of our partnership with people in Malawi, Nepal and Egypt. There are neighbourly acts of solidarity with Nepal, as the World Mission Committee of Annandale and Eskdale Presbytery camp out in a make shift cardboard construction, and lessons learnt from partners addressing mental health and disability in the church. There are trips down memory lane to Malawi, and exciting news of partnership in Cairo.

We truly are a living and active global community.

Eleri Birkhead - Develpment Officer

mountains of Nepal really my neighbours? We live in an ever connected world. We interact

with people from countries all over the globe. As the saying goes, “before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on half the world”. Our coffee, our fruit, and possibly even our cereal come from afar. So yes, we are living in a global community.

But what does this mean? How are we to act as global neighbours? This is a question I have grappled with for a while and I can’t just make chocolate squares for the Nepalese!

The World Mission Council opens a door for us as global citizens. Through our work in Africa, Asia,

Editorial


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A NIGHT UNDER CARDBOARD IN DOWNTOWN ANNAN


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Let us Build a House

The World Mission Council is challenging Presbyteries and congregations to raise £500 to build a house in Nepal as part of a three year project in partnership with the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). Churches all over Scotland have amazed us! Over £220,000 has been raised. Have a look on our website to find out how you can help build a house in Nepal.

For more information visit: www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve

Earlier this year the World Mission Committee of Annandale and Eskdale Presbytery decided to take up the challenge from the Church to raise money for the Earthquake victims in Nepal. As the people were known to be living in makeshift shelters we thought that building a cardboard house and spending a night in it would raise awareness of the problem and be a good way of raising money for the appeal.

On Friday 9th September the house was built in the car park of St Andrews Church in Annan and 5 plucky volunteers spent a night sleeping in the house. The five were Alan Dodds, the instigator of the idea and writer of this article, Bill Maloney and Rev. Petr Penaz all from Annan Old Parish Church, Ian Robertson from the Border Kirk and Rev. John Pickles from Annan St Andrews Parish Church.

The weather could hardly have been worse with a strong wind blowing and torrential rain but the house was dry, after some running repairs where the top layer of cardboard washed off.

The experience brought home two main thoughts

to the five of us: Firstly; we were spending only one night in the

uncomfortable surroundings of our 12 foot by 8 foot space. The house we built might have been watertight, but the wind whistled through the overlaps in the cardboard making the conditions inside cooler and not a little unpleasant. Despite this, there was room for the five of us to manoeuvre during the night. The reality of life in shelters in Nepal would be different, and no doubt harsher. There could be whole families in such constructions, not just sleeping but cooking, cleaning and doing all the things necessary to live. Space would be tight.

The second thing that struck us was how vulnerable we were, and not just because we were outside of our comfort zone. It would be fair to say we felt exposed. The house walls were only the thickness of a flattened cardboard box. The house gave us no privacy as conversations could be clearly heard from passers-by. There was very little protection from the elements. This fragility also meant that there was not much protection afforded should someone have wished to enter the house during the night. The door was a sheet of cardboard fastened closed by a piece of tape which gave no protection whatsoever.

We did however all agree that it had been a worthwhile experience, whilst accepting that Annan in September is not the Himalayas in winter. Our thin shelter would make for uncomfortable nights in minus 20 degrees or less.

We emerged from the house sometime after 7am and enjoyed a bacon roll before going to freshen up ready for the rest of the day’s activities which had been arranged by Rev. Kate Vivers. These

covered things like frugal food, using leftovers, reconditioning furniture, and included a talk by Sandy Sneddon from World Mission on the state of the work in Nepal.

So far the total sum raised across the Presbytery has passed £4000, which far exceeds our expectations and we are still accepting donations. It seems to us that this project has caught the imagination of people and we are grateful to everyone who has helped in any way to make this event possible. ■


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August - September 2016www.churchofscotland.org.uk

Issue: 73

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Welcome to the April/May edition of WM





STORIES OF FAITH


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PRAYER FOCUS:





Prayer

Dear God,

We thank you for the wonderful gift of memory, individual and collective. Of opportunity to learn from people and from information about lives lived and lives transformed. Help us to leave behind a footprint of faith as we journey through life so others might be inspired to change our world.

Amen

Psalm 23 V. 7

Surely guidness an’ mercy, despite a’ my roamin’ Wull gang wi’ me doon tae the brink o’ the river. Ayont it nae mair o’ the eerie an’ gloamin’ I wull bide in the Hame o’ my Faither for ever.

(Scots translation)


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Who and what has shaped your life of faith? How has the world church and world church issues been part of your journey? In the last few months we have attended the funerals of several of the older generation of missionaries of the Church of Scotland. All of them had a story to tell of the time spent overseas in Malawi, Kenya, Israel, Yemen and other places too. However it was great to hear at their funeral, when their life was recalled formally and informally, of how all who had served (some over 50 years ago) still had a great interest in World Church and the issues that are pertinent today.

We have records of the churches work stored in the National Library of Scotland and it is fascinating to read of the early missionaries like Mary Slessor and Jane Haining. However, we also have a record of some of the folks who funerals we have just attended. In another 50 or 100 years’ time will this digital age have captured these memories? We struggle with the question “will there be an archive which can be browsed over to show how today’s people of faith have shaped the future of tomorrow? Will our children and children’s children wish they had asked the questions that today we wish we had asked of our older generation before it was too late?” ■





LESSONS FROM NEPAL


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Catherine Forsyth tells us about her trip to Nepal where she discussed and learnt about mental health and accessibility.





In early July I found myself on top of a mountain in Nepal, in a small village named Nagarkot, gathered together with youth leaders from all over South Asia. We were there as delegates of a conference held by the South Asia Christian Youth Network (SACYN) which was based on the theme of ‘Accessible South Asia: Creative Responses for Mental Health and the Differently Abled’.

I was struck by the similarities between the problem in both Nepal and Scotland.

SACYN, who are partners of the World Mission Council, are a network of youth leaders from South Asia who exist to connect young people with local, regional and global mission through integration and commitment to the community within which they live.

Mental health is a global issue; it does not discriminate. It takes a huge toll on people, both within our churches and wider society. Those who suffer mental health problems face issues with their psychological and spiritual wellbeing, their relationships with others, and will inevitably face problems at work. These are all challenges which will no doubt have an impact on the Church.

Attending the SACYN conference in Nepal gave me an insight into how churches can address this issue through learning in partnership. Youth leaders from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh worked together to find

an adequate response to mental health issues in their communities and churches across the world. We were able to learn from the Nepalese church as they responded to this issue, and encouraged one another in our endeavours to provide an accessible point of contact for those with mental health issues within the church. I was struck by the similarities between the problem in both Nepal and Scotland.

In keeping with the theme of ‘Accessible South Asia’, we also delved in to the issue of inclusivity for those with disabilities or learning difficulties. I was struck that only one church in Nepal is currently accessible to wheelchair users. Stigma towards those with physical and learning disabilities is a very present problem in Nepal. However, the SACYN conference allowed for a good and honest conversation about the adaption of services to provide inclusivity to all, both in Scotland and Nepal. Again, we were able to find solutions as a global community.

The theme of partnership had been present throughout the conference. The Church of Scotland is able to both learn from the church in Nepal, and provide a hand of assistance and friendship where it is needed. There is much to learn and to do with regards to mental health and accessibility, however, progress can be made as we work with and learn from our neighbours across the world. ■


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BRINGING MEMORIES HOME

Catherine Hay visits Malawi after 50 years and still finds it to be the warm heart of Africa.





Nearly 50 years after I left Scotland to serve as a Mission Partner with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Livingstonia at The David Gordon Memorial Hospital in Northern Malawi, I found myself back there once more. Never did I think that I would be able to revisit where my great love and interest has always been, but God was instrumental in allowing that to happen.

One of the highlights for me was to visit Livingstonia where I served so long ago, and yes, a few tears were shed.

My vision 50 years ago was that I would serve in Malawi for many years, but that was not to be as after only two years I had major surgery and had to return home to Scotland. One of my visitors, while in hospital, was a young Minister by the name of John Hay, and yes the rest is history! God had indeed other plans for me. We married in1970, and I continued to serve God here in Scotland, although my thoughts always were with the people of Malawi whom I loved so much. I had left part of my heart there.

My minister Rev George Lind, encouraged me to join him on a trip to Malawi in August 2016, I was so excited as we prepared to land at Lilongwe Airport, peering out the window I could not help but notice very shiny roofs below, which I mentioned to George, both of us thought that perhaps this may well be the result of solar panels. But no, the shine was of the corrugated

roofs where thatch had been before - progress indeed.

We were met and given an unforgettable welcome with much singing and dancing, and then we started our road journey of seven hours until we reached Ekwendeni, our base during our stay.

One of the highlights for me was to visit Livingstonia where I served so long ago, and yes, a few tears were shed. I was able to visit the Church, saw the house I lived in and of course the hospital, which in my day had sixty beds, but now has over a hundred. The poverty I saw fifty years ago in some ways is still the same, but with the added dimension of HIV and AIDS, the effects of climate change and a much bigger population in this wee country. I cannot speak highly enough of what Esther Lupafya, Co-ordinator of the Ekwendeni Hospital AIDS Programme and her whole team do. They are indeed ministering to the poor, showing God’s love and giving meaning to so many young lives.

Here in my home church of St Columba’s Stewarton we have supported Ekwendeni Hospital AIDS Programme, particularly the older orphans through education. To visit and bring back up to date information and stories about real people and situations has both widened and deepened the existing committed support by the congregation for the Programme and with our help we know that children can be guaranteed funding throughout the whole of their secondary school education

I am greatly indebted to World Mission Council and the Faithshare Programme for enabling me to accomplish a visit that would not otherwise have happened. ■


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THE BIG BUSTLING, NOISY CITY - LIFE IN CAIRO

Colin Johnston, Mission Partner in Cairo talks about his new home.






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Egypt! Its name may conjure up romantic images of cruising down the Nile, but nowadays it is more likely to speak of demonstrations and planes falling from the sky. Yet to me, as a mission partner arriving in Cairo in May this year, it is a crazy, exciting land, a mixture of the ancient and modern, of sophistication and extreme poverty, of the Middle East and Africa all coming together. The call to prayer from the minaret and the need to dodge people praying on their mats on the pavements testify that this is an Islamic country, yet Egypt has a long Christian tradition, stretching back to the beginnings of Christianity. This is where monasticism began, and where, in Alexandria, the Early Church had one of its major centres. Today over 10% of the population are Christian.

I am here working with the Synod of the Nile (also called the Evangelical Presbyterian Church), which is the biggest Protestant church, and which has a big impact spiritually and in social development. I am amazed at the scope of the work done by the Church, such as combatting female circumcision (FGM), which is still practiced by many Christians as well as Muslims in rural areas, and raising awareness of Gender Based Violence. Workshops are held, and excellent and very professional videos are produced.

The ETSC (Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo), where I am based, has over 300 students, 36 of whom are studying for the ordained ministry. Recent graduates have gone to places like Gaza

and Basra in Iraq to minister, though most remain in Egypt. It is wonderful to be involved with the students, but my main role is to communicate what is going on at the Seminary to our friends internationally, and to welcome the many visitors to the Seminary.

I also have a lot of involvement with St Andrew’s, the old Church of Scotland congregation in Down Town Cairo. Home to ten different congregations, including two Sudanese Presbyterian churches, it serves the large refugee population here. Their services are more African in style (and in length!). In South Sudan there is sadly tension among the different tribal groups, but fortunately here the groups are always interacting, so any tension is contained.

St Andrew’s is also home to the StARS (St Andrew’s Refugee Service), which works with refugees from many countries. They offer legal advice, as well as psycho-social help and educational classes for young people and adults. It is a hive of activity, which is wonderful to see. I volunteered to teach English, and have found myself teaching a group of Oromo women at their community centre (in reality a basement room!) in a densely populated area in the south of the city. To my shame, I knew nothing about the Oromo, though I now know that they are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, who are sadly discriminated against. My interpreter, Salehediin, was telling me how he had to flee the country, because if he had remained, he would surely be killed. Sadly he is not alone, and all the refugees have their own

harrowing stories to tell. However, it is good to draw alongside them and listen.

Cairo is a big, bustling, noisy city, but it gets under your skin. I am looking forward to building up more relationships in the years ahead. Oh, and after almost four months in Cairo, I eventually got round to visiting the pyramids. They looked exactly the same as when I first saw them 35 years ago – only fewer tourists this time!






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Sandy Sneddon Asia Secretary shares a Care for Creation story from Sumba.

YOU CAN SEE FOR MILES…

OR CAN YOU?






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February - March 2016www.churchofscotland.org.uk

Issue: 7014

Welcome to the February/March edition of WM

Gereja Kristen Sumba (GKS, Christian Church of Sumba) in Indonesia is Church of Scotland’s newest partner church and one of the most distant, the island being over 8,000 miles from Scotland. GKS is the largest church in a predominantly Christian island within the world’s most populous Muslim country.A large proportion of the population, perhaps 90%, are subsistence farmers. People are dependent on natural resources and have few opportunities to sell their product surpluses at a market. It is no surprise that Sumba is one of the 5 poorest of the 30 provinces of Indonesia.

The soil in Sumba mainly consists of porous limestone and as there is only one river the eco-system is fragile. While there is enough water near the river to grow rice, the north of island is very dry and has suffered drought for the past few years.

In the past deforestation was a problem so when the government initiated a tree planting campaign in 2003 GKS was a willing partner. The government provided seedlings and training while GKS mobilised its members.

Rev Marlin Lomi (the first woman General Secretary of GKS and a delegate at the 2016 General Assembly) has mobilised three-quarters of her congregations to grow timber sustainably for building, repairs and firewood. One of Rev Marlin’s branch congregations is in Wundut village at the foot of a hill called Ngadu Mbolu in Sumbanese, which means ‘You Can See For Miles’. The local church was built on the rocks at the summit of this barren limestone hill.

Under the leadership of Rev Marlin and the church council the congregation and others in the community planted hundreds of different trees on the formerly barren hilltop. The church is now surrounded by a verdant mixed forest. This has brought higher rainfall, cooler temperatures and strengthened community links. The forest means you can’t see for miles anymore but the barren hill and the community have been transformed.

The forest means you can’t see for miles anymore but the barren hill and the community have been transformed.






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Scottish Charity Number: SC0 11353 Scottish Charity Number: SC0 11353

The Church of Scotland HIV Programme: Changing the world one spoonful at a time

Look out for our new

Souper Sunday resources

for 2O17! Available in

November.For more information visit:

www.churchofscotland.org.uk/serve





Please pray for the protection and good health of all the staff and family members serving overseas with World Mission.

AFRICA and THE CARIBBEANMalawi: David and Rebecca Morton, Ruth Shakespeare.Zambia: Jenny Featherstone [EA], Ida and Keith Waddell [EA].

ASIANepal: Joel and Fiona Hafvenstein, Joel Githinji.

MIDDLE EASTIsrael and occupied Palestinian territory: Kate and Justin Reynolds, Páraic and Viviene Réamonn.Egypt: Colin Johnston.

Ever wondered what it

might be like to visit the

Holy Land?

We are in the process of planning a World

Mission trip to Palestine and Israel in April

2017. The group will meet our partners, get

to know people who live in the area, and

visit important historical sites. Look out for

more information in our weekly World

Mission e-news update, on our website,

and of course in WM 75.

Newsflash:


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PrayerJoin us for a time of stories and prayer for peace in Israel and Palestine on the 24th of every month.Boghall Parish Church Bathgate, 24 October, 7pmAllan Park South Church, Stirling, 24 November, 7pm

Contributors

Editor: Carol FinlayEleri Birkhead Development Officer, World Mission CouncilColin Johnston Mission Partner - Cairo, EgyptSandy Sneddon Asia Secretary, World Mission Council

Got a question?Write: 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH2 4YNTel: +44 (0)131 225 5722Email: [email protected]


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The World Mission Council is the channel through which the Church of Scotland responds to the command of Jesus “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15).The Council works in many countries worldwide, usually on the basis of partnership with national churches and institutions and always with a view to involving church members in Scotland in the development of the work.Our mission is to empower everyone to discover, experience and share the challenges and opportunities gained by connecting with the World Church.

Get the latest news concerning our partners and the World Church by subscribing to our weekly e-mail newsletter, Update. Large print copies of this magazine are also available on request.Contact us at: 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH2 4YN.Email: [email protected]: +44 (0) 131 225 5722Fax: +44 (0) 131 226 6121

Visit our website:

Copyright © 2013 World Mission Council, Church of Scotland. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for the reproduction of texts from this publication for Church of Scotland use only. For all other uses, please contact [email protected]


COS2139 8/16Scottish Charity Number: SC011353

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