Share summer 2013

www.cms-uk.org

PRAYING FOR BIG DREAMS IN LATIN AMERICA AND SPAIN

Inside: Stories of dynamic discipleship from Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Spain, Argentina and Paraguay

SHARE SUMMER 2013 02

I was reading a short report of a visit

to a mud hut church in western Ethiopia by my friend, Grant Le Marquand (SAMS–USA mission partner and Bishop of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa).

He spoke to the church about the woman who anointed Jesus with costly ointment and washed his feet. During the offering time, handfuls of grain and one birr notes (worth six cents) were placed on the mat along with costly offerings from the women: a scarf, a necklace of plastic beads, etc. “One by one,” Grant writes, “women, who from a western perspective had nothing, came and brought gifts – costly, because that was all they had. In the West, because of the much that we have, we can substitute pleasure for joy. These women have joy.”

Substituting pleasure for joy. It’s so easy for us to do, and it is easy, too, for those we serve in South America – even those in desperate situations. The pressure is on them to think that what they see on the TV or in the shop front is what they need for a fulfilling and complete life. The witness of those who work with the poor is to show that pleasure is not joy and that joy is possible only from a relationship with God: “my exceeding joy” (Psalm 43:4).

SHARE is produced by the Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ. Tel: 01865 787400. Registered Charity Number 1131655. If you have any questions regarding the content,

please call us or email:[email protected] Cover Photo: Jess and Mark Simpson, CMS mission partners in Brazil.

Bishop Henry Scriven, Mission Director for Latin America

Praying for ‘big dreams’ in South America

I went to a deanery chapter (clergy) meeting in South London with Faith Gordon, a mission partner in training who’s waiting to go to Recife, Brazil. She said she always tries to find out what people’s dreams are. She visited Recife for a few days and met with some women connected to House of Hope. Asking one woman what her dreams were, she expected to hear “a good education for my children” or “a decent house”. The woman said, “I want to be a cleaner”. Poverty can so easily stunt dreams. The gospel offers far more – not mere pleasure, but joy.

As we read in this issue of Share what God is doing in South America, let’s pray for big dreams, God’s dreams. Let’s pray for stamina for those who seek to hold out the dream of the Kingdom of God, those who

offer joy in the Lord.


My first morning in Quito, Ecuador,

I met new mission partner Sharon Wilcox

and we went by taxi down the steep

mountain to Santo Domingo de los

Tsachilas. Sharon is doing language study in

Quito before moving to Santo Domingo to

carry on some of the work started by CMS

mission partner Jill Ball.

Jill welcomed us when we arrived in

Santo Domingo. The first priority was to

meet the teachers and children and attend

the classes at the special needs school,

called Vida en Abundancia (Life in

Abundance) that Jill founded. The

overwhelming impression is that here are

special children who are happy and fulfilled

because they are loved and cared for.

Jill has done an amazing job. She is retiring

(again!) but will go back after six months in

England.

I preached twice in a Baptist church in

the centre of town on Sunday morning and

then in the evening at a small church plant

in a very poor community by a rubbish

dump called Laura Flores. It has been Jill’s

Abundant life in Santo DomingoBy Henry Scriven, CMS mission director for Latin America, who visited Ecuador in the spring

vision, shared by

several in the church,

that they should be

starting

congregations in

some of these

shanty towns. Laura

Flores was one of

the poorest communities I have ever seen,

but the little church was lively and the gospel

is changing lives. Pray please for Ramon and

his three children. They are homeless and

his wife recently died of cancer, but he was

willing to receive prayer.

As we work through CMS’ strategic

priorities for the next few years, one at the

time of writing reads: In the recruitment,

placement and resourcing

of people in mission,

place emphasis on

pioneering contexts

amongst the least

evangelised and

the most

marginalised.

I certainly met

some of the most

marginalised in

Laura Flores.

I left giving great

thanks to God for Jill

and her work and

for Sharon as she

begins in Santo

Domingo.

Life in Abundance School, Ecuador

When mission partners David and Gina Hucker went to Arica, northern

Chile, in 1998 to plant San Andres church

their goal was to “make themselves

redundant” by creating a stable congregation

and paving the way for a Chilean pastor to

take up the reins.

For the first 11 years, things were by

David and Gina’s own admission “tough”.

San Andres was the first ever Anglican

church in Arica and because of that the

Huckers sometimes felt isolated. In the early

days, the congregation often comprised

David, Gina and their two young sons Caleb

and Wesley.

“For the first 11 years we experienced

little growth. People would come and go,”

said David.

In the past two to three years, the

church plant began to grow. Often through

word of mouth, once one person would see

the difference becoming a Christian made,

they encouraged their friends and family to

also attend church.

Fast forward to 2013

and the church has a

growing congregation

Changed lives at Chile Churchof more than 80 and reaches out in the

community both in evangelism and social

concern. After years of meeting in different

venues, San Andres has its own purpose-

built premises.

David said: “We are hugely encouraged

by how the church has grown – not just in

numbers but people have been growing in

their Christian lives.

“We are so excited about what God is

doing. He really has been touching, restoring

and healing lives. People want friends and

family to share in what God has done in

their lives.

“We have adopted a motto for the

church: love, acceptance and forgiveness.

It’s a lot to live up to but I really believe God

has been creating that kind of environment.”

Examples of people whose lives have

been transformed include the aptly named

Christian. A recovering alcoholic, when

Christian first walked through the doors, he

was prone to flaring up at the slightest things

and had anger management issues.

But within a week at San Andres,

he came to faith. David said: “Christian

attended a men’s prayer breakfast and

when the other chaps prayed for him, he felt

the power of God. Since that day he has

never missed a meeting.”

Not long after Christian found

faith, his parents who live in

Southern Chile came to visit.

His mother was so moved when

she saw how much Christian had

changed, that she and her

husband also gave their lives to

Christ immediately.

SHARE SUMMER 2013 04David and Gina Hucker: “hugely encouraged”


Nelly is another person whose life was

transformed. Born in Bolivia, she was

abandoned by her mother at two years old.

At age 8, she moved to Chile and started

cleaning houses.

“One day (as an adult) she appeared

at the church doors,” explains Gina.

“We welcomed her.”

It emerged that Nelly had been abused

and her father was a witchdoctor. “She came

to us broken and hurting,” said Gina. But

through the Huckers’ nurturing, “Nelly has

given her life to Jesus and changed into a

beautiful Christian woman. God has released

her from all of her hurt and bitterness.”

Nelly is very involved in church life and

has completed SEAN (Study by Extension

for All Nations) Abundant Life discipleship

course. And most recently Nelly married

Christian.

Jimmy and Nancy are Colombians.

They have two teenage children.

In Colombia, Jimmy owned various

businesses. He was being forced by the

paramilitaries to pay huge sums of

protection money. When he refused to pay,

his and his wife’s lives were in jeopardy; at

one time a gun was placed at his wife s

head. The Lutheran Church stepped in and

moved them from city to city, with Jimmy

living apart from his family for a year.

They were sent to Chile as political

exiles, where they struggled to make ends

meet. Jimmy didn’t receive a permanent

visa from Chile, which prevented him from

working much in Arica. He contemplated

suicide.

“When we first met Jimmy he was very

depressed,” said David. But since going

regularly to the church, David has seen a

real difference in

Jimmy. In recent

months,

business

opportunities

have enabled

him to provide

for his family.

“Today you

only have to look

at his face to see what a difference God

has made in his life.”

And at a recent farewell party before

the Huckers returned to the UK, Jimmy told

David: “I want you to know that it is only

because of you that I am here today.”

After nearly 15 years of building the

church and getting things ready for a

Chilean pastor to take over (in the shape of

CMS Latin partner Federico Bascunan),

David and Gina are ready to move on.

They are hoping to work as CMS

mission partners in Salta, northern

Argentina with CMS mission partner Bishop

Nick Drayson, helping to develop city

churches and take teams out into areas

around Salta where there are churches

without pastors.

The ministry will entail replanting

churches where buildings and remnant

congregations exist.

Pastor Hugo Vergara, CMS Latin partner,

who is in charge a church in Salta, wants to

strengthen congregations where the

resources are thinly spread. His vision is to

build up existing churches to then reach out

with ministry teams to the other churches.

For more about the Huckers including

how you can support them in their ministry

visit www.cms-uk.org/hucker

Jimmy and Nancy with their sons


The theme for this year’s Adelante conference was “looking ahead at emerging patterns in Latin America.” Delegates heard from Latin Timothy partner Cristobal Ceron, who has planted a church for young professionals and students in downtown Santiago, Chile (see page 8), and from mission partner Marcus Throup, who is involved in theological training for a new generation of leaders. Here are some

quotable quotes from attendees:

Bishop Pat Harris, former president

of SAMS and mission partnerThis was a superb conference that I would not have missed for anything. Yes, there were old friends to catch up with, but the main memory for me was the dynamic, challenging thrust and the telling testimonies of the new and younger generation of mission partners. Marcus Throup left us hungering for more as he expounded the word of God and what a moving experience it was to listen to Cristobal Ceron telling us of the ways in which the Holy Spirit continues to give new vision and empowerment to the church in Chile. Another highlight was the keynote address given by Philip Mounstephen. (Allen Gardiner and Harry

Sutton would have been jumping for joy!) I came away as enthused for the work in

South America as I was when I first went out

there 50 years ago! Next time there is a

conference, make sure you are there!

Mary Rollin, CMS Latin partner officer:

There was much in the sessions we could

take away to our churches and contexts,

making this a conference which could have a

real impact on the gospel in our own country.

Mary Lanham, member of Christ

Church Selly Park’s Bolivia group:

My decision to attend the Adelante

conference was extremely last minute – I had

very little idea what I was signing up to, but

knew that in a few weeks’ time I would be

part of a Birmingham diocese trip to Bolivia

and so any South American input would be a

bonus! However, from the outset, despite

having no CMS or Latin American

background, I felt welcomed into part of a

warm, dynamic, outward-looking family…

I felt I gained a flavour of what God is

doing in different parts of Latin America.

The contributions were honest and inspiring,

not glossing over the difficulties, yet leaving

us with an uplifting sense of how God is

Adelante conference: celebrating friendships old and new

”We are family”


Sharpening the focusBy CMS Executive Leader

Philip Mounstephen

It was a great pleasure to attend the recent

Adelante conference. I was impressed by

the spirit and energy I encountered, which

made me even more excited about my first

visit to South America this autumn!

I gave conference delegates a brief

summary of work we’ve been doing to bring

further clarity to CMS life and mission and

I’m happy to share those thoughts here.

Essentially we’re clarifying the answers

to three questions. The first is Who are we? This relates to our identity and our

reply is: we are a community of people in mission who want the world to know Jesus.

“Community” taps into some deep-

seated values that both CMS and SAMS

have shared – we are not just an agency

that sends mission partners overseas,

but a family of people who together are

committed to living lives of mission.

continuing to transform lives and bring

healing into bleak or unlikely situations.

A personal highlight was meeting two

Bolivians, Marcello and Orlando. Both

whetted my appetite for the forthcoming

trip and were able to… give helpful insights

into the situations we will be encountering.

Add into this mix a beautiful setting

with time just to ‘be’, opportunities for

devotions, fascinating mealtime

conversations… it all made for an excellent

weekend!

Miriam Banting, member of Christ

Church Selly Park’s Bolivia group:

[I’m] part of a group of 12 people from

Birmingham who are going to Bolivia for

three weeks this summer to link up with

Walter Barrientos (CMS Latin partner) and

Anglican churches in Bolivia. (see page 15)

For us this was [an] opportunity to meet

people who knew South America well and

they made us very welcome.

Their commitment to God and work in

South America was obvious, no better

illustration than the before breakfast prayer

meeting attended by more than 50 per

cent of delegates….

I have never been to South America

nor met any native South Americans;

however the main speaker was a Chilean

who began by thanking the missionary

heritage in Chile for the conversion and

witness not only of his generation but his

parents’ generation. The sense of history

and commitment to Latin America was also

emphasised by seeing pictures taken in the

1950s, 60s and 70s of missionaries when

they first went abroad, and of course many

were sitting in the room with us.

continued overPhilip Mounstephen: “We want the world to know Jesus”


CMS Latin partner Cristobal Ceron is a pastor in the Anglican church of Chile where he has planted a church in Santiago city centre, St James’ Church, to reach students, young professionals and others with the gospel. He has been there three years.

A protégé of CMS mission partner Alfredo Cooper, Cristobal spent a year as Alf’s apprentice at La Trindad church, Santiago (where Alf has been pastor since 1984). A young and passionate evangelist, Cristobal spoke at the recent Adelante conference and his enthusiasm was infectious. We caught up with him at CMS in Oxford just after the conference and before Cristobal’s tour of visiting UK churches and supporters.

At Adelante, you asked delegates to pray for a revival in the Church in Latin America. Can you expand on this?

My main message was to show what Latin America is today, the challenges for the Church, and to suggest a way forward – which is what the Bible is saying about revival. We need revival in South America that means a refreshing movement from God to encourage our local congregation to do evangelism out of a deep conviction that they have in God and salvation by the Holy Spirit.

We have to go back to basics and trust in the old story told in the gospels. Trust in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to raise new leaders to plant churches that may be able to send missionaries all over the world. History shows that God has always being doing that through revivals. Revival means you go back to find the hidden treasure, the pearl of great value, which is Christ and the gospel.

Question two: What do we do? This question relates to our activity or our

mission, and we say: we raise people up to share Jesus and change lives. People – not money – are our prime

resource, and we’re committed to raising

people up in mission worldwide, so that

mission is no longer “from here to there”

but from everywhere to everywhere.

In that regard it’s wonderful to hear about

Marcus Throup training Portuguese-

speaking African pastors in northeastern

Brazil – who will then return to Guinea

Bissau on Africa’s west coast. But lest

there be any doubt – CMS is still

recruiting people for mission overseas.

The third question is: Why do we do it? This relates to our vision and we

answer by saying we want the world to know Jesus. That – and that alone – is

the business we are in: Jesus is the very

essence of the good news we share,

and if it’s not about Jesus it’s not good

news.

Those questions and answers might

seem simple, but I think that’s a good

thing! The work we are involved in is

complex, but our focus needn’t be –

indeed it shouldn’t be. We need to be

sharply focussed. So we focus on

people, and we focus on one person

above all, the person of Jesus Christ.

He is the alpha and the omega of our

mission. It is he who sends, he who

blesses us and he who will bring our

work to completion. To him alone be

the glory!

Sharpening the focuscontinued

Telling the old, old story to a new generation


More about Cristobal:Cristobal is married to Alejandra, and they have three children: Belen, Jacinta and Amanda. Alongside leading Iglesia Santiago Centre, Cristobal leads MOU Chile, a national evangelistic mission seeking to share the gospel with young people throughout Chile and provide structures to evangelise and train new leaders. He previously led Gimnasio – a ministry training programme organised within the Anglican church for training a new generation of pastors, which is now run by an interdenominational organisation.

So we are praying for a new realisation of that reality in our local church, and ask local churches here to do the same.

Tell us about your church plant in downtown Santiago.

It started with seven people about three years ago. Now there are 65 people every Sunday and a growing community – mainly young professionals who are coming to learn how to be Christians. We have been trying hard to do discipleship, evangelism and pastoral ministry and a lot of thinking about how we can be a church for the new generation of Chileans with new issues. There are a lot of challenges but we have received great encouragement.

My big conviction is that people come to know Jesus through the proclamation of a message – and telling the story of Jesus through messengers. We want to tell the story of Jesus to people so they may come to know Christ and that salvation is by grace not by works – very needed in our context. The Christian message brings tremendous hope that you don’t have to earn it but it’s a gift by grace from God. You are adopted by God as a child not because you earn it but because you receive it – that is a hope. I feel it is a privilege for me to be part of what God is doing in downtown Santiago.

Tell us about the influence Alfredo Cooper, pastor at La Trinidad, has had on your life.

I heard the gospel preached from him. He is an evangelist. I saw him as a preacher and as a role model on how to live the

Christian life. I spent a year with him – he opened his life and his office to me and that year was crucial for the rest of my pastoral ministry. The passion he has for Christ, I wish I could have. I envy his prayer life. It has always been encouragement. Every Monday morning we pray together for revival in our congregation. His church is supporting our downtown Santiago plant – with prayer and financially.

One of your other hats is head of communications in the Anglican Church of Chile. What is your message?

As head of communications, I am trying to challenge and encourage people to communicate what God wants to communicate. God is the best communicator ever. He sent his good news and his message has gone across all over history, languages and cultures. So we need to proclaim the message and disciple people in Jesus Christ, serve our communities as Jesus did, with mercy and love.

Telling the old, old story to a new generationCristobal Ceron: wowing people at Adelante


Marcus and Tamara Throup with their

children Rebekah (3) and Mateus (16

months) are mission partners based in João

Pessoa, Recife diocese, in northeast Brazil.

Ordained in the Church of Brazil, Marcus is

on the leadership team at the city’s

Pro-Cathedral of the Resurrection where he

enjoys a preaching and teaching ministry

and heads up the Anglican diocesan

seminary. His ministry is growing and taking

him all over Brazil – and beyond. We caught

up with Marcus at Adelante.

What was the main message of the Bible reading that you led at Adelante?

We looked at the beginning of Psalm 119.

My message was of the importance of us

going back to basics – to God’s word and

understanding that this is God’s holy word

and it’s life and God speaks to us through

the Bible. It’s very easy to

lose sight of the

basics. This is true in

Brazil and in Britain.

This year I felt God

drawing my attention

to the importance of

meditating and

reflecting on

scripture and

going back to

the basic evangelical habits that some of us

may have lost along the way.

Apart from attending Adelante, what brings you to the UK?

We are on a three-month visit for me to

continue my studies for my PhD on the

New Testament (Mark’s gospel) through

St John’s College, Nottingham University.

The studies are to better equip me for my

job: training trainers, leading leaders in

northeast Brazil and other regions, too.

You are really embracing the concept of mission from everywhere to everywhere and have been training some African students from Portuguese-speaking African nations in Brazil. Can you tell us a bit more?

The African students are from Guinea

Bassau, a small nation on the African west

coast, with limited resources in terms of

training, so their key leaders come over to

be trained in Brazilian theological colleges

and then go back to Guinea Bassau and

pastor churches and train people and grow

the church.

What is your day to day life like in João Pessoa?

My mornings typically are spent

concentrating on my PhD. My afternoons

are spent preparing for lectures, conference

work or book projects and then it’s

teaching in the evenings.

What does your wife Tamara do?

Tamara is a full-time mum and a

psychologist by training. She used to

Back to basics in Brazil

Marcus Throup: “God speaks to us through the Bible”


have a local government job and is praying

and thinking about what to do career-wise

when Mateus is a couple of years older.

Tamara is Brazilian, from Recife.

A tragic event happened last year when your diocesan Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife Miriam were murdered by their adopted son. How is everyone in the diocese coping?

Initially we were all shell-shocked to lose

such a strong leader. But praise God we

have a new diocesan bishop, Miguel

Uchoa, and two suffragan bishops. Praise

God for the way in which positive things

are coming out of such a dark situation.

The event has also brought us all closer

together as a body of ministers. Hundreds

of people came to the funeral and it was

quite an inspirational event.

What is life like at the Pro-Cathedral of the Resurrection?

We’ve been involved with this church for

about five years now – me, as assistant

minister for most of that time. I’m involved

with preaching, teaching and looking after

the young people. It’s a church that has

grown from about 60 people to over 100.

It’s a middle-class church and doing pretty

well under the leadership of a new dean.

What is your message to your CMS supporters?

Thank you for supporting our ministry over

the past 13 years. We would not be able to

do the things we do without our solid

platform of prayer support. Please continue

praying for wisdom and energy.

How did you feel about Cristobal Ceron’s message at Adelante?

Inspired. Much of what Cristobal said about

Chile also goes for Brazil. I had a real sense

of identifying with what Cristobal said

about how the Lord is working to bring

many people to faith in Chile and Brazil.

Latin Americans are great at

evangelism. But the important thing is

discipleship. We need to properly disciple

and prepare future leaders. We want the

church to grow, and become deep and be

transformative on the world stage. Good

discipleship of leaders is essential.

Cristobal wanted us to pray for a revival in Chile. Is that something you would like prayer for in Brazil?

There has been to an extent a revival but

Bishop Robinson used to say that there is

only a revival if social structures are being

changed. What we see in Brazil is many

people calling themselves Christian but

the social change has not come fully yet.

That tells us what we have experienced

isn’t always conversion. When people do

convert truly to Christ, then the country will

be transformed. Pray for revival and true

conversion so the country’s social

structures might be changed. Yes, it is

happening slowly but surely but I would

like it to happen more fully so the great

imbalance between the have and have

nots, that we see in Chile and Brazil, might

be changed by the gospel.


By short-termer Marten van den Toren

Hogar el Alba is a home for children just

south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. There is

also a church full of people from the local

community. Hogar el Alba is a place full of

hope and joy and a place for a new

beginning. El Alba means dawn.

I arrived in Hogar el Alba on 2 November

2012. The first time I met some of the kids

was at the airport at around midnight after

they waited for around two hours as I had

problems with my luggage. After a 10-hour

flight and hardly speaking any Spanish I tried

chatting to them with little success. But the

next morning I woke up after around four

hours’ sleep to go to church. It was a sunny

beautiful day. Church was full of children,

most of them living in el Alba; there were

also other people from the surrounding

community. I could not have been in a

more joyful place!

As time went along, I really got to know

the kids on a more personal level. All of

them had stories of how they lived on the

street, how they were abandoned or

Finding family at Hogar el Alba

molested by parents and therefore were

taken away. The story of the surrounding

community is not a lot better. Nearly

everybody here comes from a broken

family; they work extreme long hours to

provide for the people who depend on

them.

But I don’t want you to think of this part

of the world negatively. Despite all this the

Argentine spirit prevails – making the best

of what you have. Hogar el Alba is a place

where children get an opportunity to have

the God-given life they deserve. Hogar el

Alba is also a light shining God’s love in the

surrounding community. In a place where

there is no family that is not broken in some

way, el Alba has become a godly family

where people can find rest, support and

laughter.

I could not be happier about living here

for four months, sharing in the joys and

difficulties. There could be no better place

to learn the importance of our God-given

family, where we are all brothers and sisters

in Christ.

The children of Hogar el Alba: a godly family

SHORT-TERM SHORT STORY


What is your family background?

I grew up in a Christian home, third of four

children, in Surrey. Both my parents were

doctors but I had two cousins who were

missionaries, one with CMS in Nigeria and

one with SAMS in Paraguay and Argentina.

How did you become a Christian?

The Christian faith became more real for

me at a Christian boys’ camp where I faced

the fact that I was a sinner and then heard

that Christ took the punishment for my sin.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in Latin America?

Me! Preaching in Mision Chaquena

(Argentina) covered from head to toe in

mud; we had been stuck in the mud for

several hours and I had no time to get

cleaned up. Bishop Mario Marino (this was

in 2002) said to us: “Why did you come?

We never travel in the rain!”

Most inspirational thing you’ve encountered in your job at CMS?

So many! The Chilean miner’s tour, Shalom

Centre in Lima, Life in Abundance Trust in

Ecuador, Catherine and Nick Drayson

and David and Shelley Stokes in Juarez,

Tim Curtis in Rio Verde…so many more!

How did you become a bishop?

I was Chaplain in Madrid for five years,

having worked for six years with the

Spanish Episcopal Church, and the Bishop

in Europe asked me to be his Suffragan.

I said no, but he twisted my arm!

What made you interested in Latin America?

I started praying for South America while

at university then at theological college.

I met lots of mission partners and heard

their stories

Where did you learn Spanish?

I taught myself from books, talked to

people in the streets and had a couple of

hours a week to check in with a very wise

bilingual lady.

How did you get out of Argentina when the Falklands war started?

We were asked to leave by the bishop and

diocesan committee and we left overnight

in a pick-up truck with

the McKemeys and

the Hawksbees; we

went to Asuncion

and then flew back

to the USA for my

wife Catherine’s

grandmother’s

funeral.

What’s your favourite South American food?

Empanadas and

humitas.

MEET THE TEAM

Introducing Henry Scriven, mission director for Latin America

Bishop Henry: memories of preaching in mud in Argentina

When CMS mission partners Felipe

and Sarah Yanez started their

ministry in Spain six years ago, their

focus was on working with Moroccan and

South American immigrants. But as Spain’s

economic crisis deepened, they have

found themselves working increasingly with

Spaniards.

Felipe explains: “Spain is struggling

through one of its hardest economic crises,

with a record six million people

unemployed and thousands of people

being evicted from their homes (on

average 2,000 people lose their houses

everyday). More people are looking for

food in the rubbish containers and in

recent months we have had people

coming door to

door for help.”

Sharing grace in SpainFelipe and Sarah work with two

Christian NGOs: ABC in their home town

of Alhaurin de la Torre, a town about 17

kilometres from Malaga, and Asociacion

Manantial de Agua Viva in Torremolinos.

With their local church, Centro Cristiano

de Alhaurin, they help provide practical

and emotional support to people.

The ABC centre is based in premises

provided by the local council and

gives food, clothing and practical help.

This includes food handouts to more

than 200 people a fortnight and, with so

many people unable to make ends meet,

the centre now contributes second-hand

clothing and other items, particularly for

children and babies.

“Sometimes people need help with

food and clothing and sometimes they

need emotional help,” explains Felipe.

“People are very frustrated or down.

If they have lost their job, their self esteem

drops. It has a huge impact on families.

The only thing we can do is walk

alongside them, hear their stories,

be merciful, forgiving and share

grace. As followers of Christ,

we can be his ambassadors

– his hands and feet. It’s a

tremendous opportunity but

only the tip of the iceberg.

We do what we can do.”


Felipe and Sarah Yanez, with Aaron (left) and Sam (right)


South American adventures with CMSA team from Christ Church Selly Park in Birmingham, which is going on a short-term mission trip to Bolivia this summer, has tapped into CMS’s 200-plus years of cross-cultural experience.

The team joined a training day led by CMS discipleship advisor Helen Brook and CMS regional personnel officer (South America) Jo Hazelton, to help them prepare for their trip.

The 12-strong group going to Bolivia is led by Christ Church vicar Geoff Lanham. The all-age team will visit La Paz, Tarija, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, where they will join in church activities and specific projects. In La Paz, for example, they will assist a health education project for deprived children with Iglesia Anglicana Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), where CMS Latin partner Walter Barrientos is rector.

The group includes Gill and Maurice Sinclair, who spent some years in Northern Argentina, where Maurice served as Bishop, supported by SAMS.

During the CMS training and briefing day, Helen Brook says: “We looked at their personal expectations for the trip, cross-cultural issues and mission in a Latin American context. Other issues we examined included partnership and paternalism.” CMS offers a range of tailor- made training programmes for short-term visits overseas. To create your own adventure, email [email protected] or call her on 01865 787493.

Andrew and Maria Leake are back in the UK from July until August.

Gina and David Hucker are in the UK from Chile from March until the beginning of September with their son Caleb, who is volunteering in Ashburnham Place, after which they are hoping to relocate to northern Argentina.

Caroline Gilmour White finished with CMS in June after serving with SAMS and CMS for more than a decade in Paraguay.

Marcus and Tamara Throup are back in the UK with their children Rebekah and Mateus until the end of July.

New mission partners and their studies:

Anna Sims has completed her Professionals in Mission course at Redcliffe College.

Sharon Wilcox is studying Spanish in Quito, Ecuador before working with Life in Abundance Trust in Santo Domingo.

Efraim and Ruth Vilella with their son Max continue their studies at All Nations Christian College.

Short-termers: Marten Van Den Toren has been working with St Paul’s School as well as with Daniel and Ellelein Kirk in Viña del Mar, Chile and returns to the UK in July.

You can find out more about where and when these Globe+crossers might be in your area at www.cms-uk.org

Tribute: Aphra Busk (nee Ward), who died in March, was born in Argentina and served on the SAMS home staff and with SAMS in Chile, northern Argentina and Paraguay in the 1950s and 60s. She was a faithful, lifelong supporter of SAMS and CMS and we give thanks to God for her life and witness.

Globe+crossers

“Bolivia, here we come!”


Olinda, BrazilCMS mission partners Andy and Rose Roberts write: “A huge thank you to

all who helped ReVive raise

over £50,000 in three weeks!

A tremendous answer to

prayer – what a faith builder!

The house contract is now

signed.” Praise God for this

property in Olinda, and pray

for them as they look to

prepare it as a safe house for

vulnerable girls.

Santo Domingo, EcuadorCMS mission partner Jill Ball, who set

up a special needs school in 2004,

developed workshops for disabled adults

and latterly a safe house for women and

children who have been abused, writes:

“Although I am officially retiring from CMS

in September, I am planning to return to

Ecuador in January 2014. Many, many

thanks to all those who have faithfully

supported this work in Ecuador. I hope you

will feel able to support and pray for

mission partner Sharon Wilcox as she

begins her term here.” Life in Abundance

Trust (Ecuador) Trust (LiAT), is the umbrella

charity for all Jill’s projects.

Earlier this year Jill and her team held a

conference for pastors on the need to work

towards eradicating family abuse, with 27

attendees. A pastor has invited the charity

to participate in an event with church

leaders from all over Ecuador.

Asuncion, ParaguayA church in Asuncion, Paraguay has

re-opened its doors after being closed four

years ago, and

dozens of people

are crossing the threshold and finding Jesus and community. Mission partner Bishop Peter Bartlett says most of these people weren’t attending church before and some are new Christians. “Christ the Saviour church was built more than 25 years ago, but faced several struggles and closed,” he said. “Last year CMS Latin partner Ronnie Irene, who serves as chaplain at St Andrew’s school and works in Marriage Encounter ministry, was able to re-open and start leading the church and a good number of his ministry

contacts started attending, about 40 people.

Temuco, Southern ChileCMS Latin partner Joel Millanguir, has begun his new pastoral ministry at the Nativity church in Temuco, and says he’s been encouraged to find such an enthusiastic congregation. “We are based in a working class town, and we are grateful to God that he has begun to bring many who previously attended church back into the congregation,” he says.

Salta, Northern ArgentinaCharles Barr Johnston in Salta, Argentina, writes: “I was very pleased to see many of you at (wife) Lynn’s memorial service. Thank you very much for coming. Here in Salta I received a great welcome from many believers and from not yet believers. I also received text messages from all the ministers we trained in Juarez, Chiriguanos and Yema saying how happy they were that I had come back and that they would tell their congregations.”

Andy, baby Sofia and Rose Roberts: “£50,000 in three weeks. Thank you!”

NEWS SHARE

Share summer 2013

Documents

big dreams

mission director

gods dreams

peoples dreams

church mission society

cms mission partner

cms mission partners

exceeding joy psalm