CBM mosaic spring 2014

Reconciliation: Healing Broken Relationships

Also in this issueA publication of Canadian Baptist Ministries

4 Peace Talks

8 Photo Essay: From Genocide to Grace

18 Listening: A Good Start Toward Reconciliation

Spring 2014

Spring 2014

mosaic is a community forum of local and global voices united by a shared mission. mosaic will serve as a catalyst to stimulate and encourage passionate discipleship among Canadian Baptists and their partners.

learn4 Peace Talks: Excerpts

of Dialogue with Leaders from our African Partners

8 From Genocide To Grace: A Photo Essay from Rwanda


just think16 How could we move towards each other?

17 Personal Application ?

18 Welcome to Your New Home: A story of one church’s intervention to help newcomers in the community

20 Restoring Life: Faith and friendship in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

the view22 Springforth Youth/Kenya

see23 Parting Shot

touch24 Grassroots Heroes

3mosaic—spring 2014

Men must see that FORCE begets force, HA

TE

begets hate, TOUGHNESS beget

s tou

ghne

ss. a

nd it

is all a descending spiral, ulti m

ately ending in destructi

on fo

r al

l and

everybody.

Somebody must have

SENSE enough and

MORALITY enough to

cut off the chain of hate

and the chain of evil

in the universe.

And you do that by LOVE.

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

13cut to the chaise

Spring 2014

mosaic is a community forum of local and global voices united by a shared mission. mosaic will serve as a catalyst to stimulate and encourage passionate discipleship among Canadian Baptists and their partners.

learn ............................ 4 Peace Talks: Excerpts

of Dialogue with Leaders from our African Partners

8 From Genocide to Grace: A Photo Essay


the view ..................... 16 Springforth Youth/Kenya

18 Welcome to Your New Home: A Story of One Church’s Intervention to Help Newcomers to Canada

20 Restoring Life: Faith and Friendship in the Aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

see ...............................22 Parting Shot

just think ..................23 How Can We Build Common Ground?

touch ......................... 24 Grassroots Heroes

mosaic is published three times a year by Canadian Baptist Ministries. Copies are distributed free of charge. Bulk quantities available by request.

c o n ta c t7185 Millcreek DriveMississauga, ON l5n 5r4Tel: [email protected]

Managing Editor Jennifer Lau

Editor Laurena Zondo

Art Direction Gordon Brew

Cover Photo Johnny CY Lam

Connect with us.

www.cbmin.org

@canadianbaptist

facebook.com/cbmin.org

As partners in the Canadian Baptist family we exist to serve the local church in its grassroots mission. Together we impact our communities and beyond through the love of Christ.

So goes the popular saying. But what if it is broken? CBM’s new tagline: embracing a broken world through word and deed. So…is the world broken?

Christians often fall into two camps. One group focuses on the evil in the world and speaks of how things are getting worse and worse. The other group focuses on God’s work in the world and while they acknowledge the continuing presence of evil, choose to focus on the Kingdom of God that begins as a mustard seed but grows into a large tree (Matthew 13:32). The reality is that Jesus taught that both good and evil would increase alongside each other, and that we should not focus on the evil but on planting good (Matthew 13:24-30).

God made the world good…very good (Genesis 1). But then it was broken (Genesis 3). All of the relationships created good and full of life in the beginning were broken when sin disfigured Creation: our relationship with God, with

one another, and with Creation. To reconcile is to bring together and heal all of those broken relationships. We are commended in 2 Corinthians 5:18 to enact the ministry of reconciliation.

Humanity has attempted all kinds of experiments to heal those broken relationships apart from God. I recently returned from China, which is now experiencing great spiritual hunger. This hunger is the aftermath of the failed attempts of totalitarian communism or unchecked capitalism to heal what is broken.

As we are reconciled to God, all of the other brokenness in our world starts to be healed. This issue of mosaic is intended to inspire you with stories of reconciliation that illustrate how our broken world is embraced through word and deed. God be with you as you are reconciled and engage in the ministry of reconciliation.

Grace and peace, Rev. Sam Chaise Executive Director of CBM

Connect with Sam and what’s happening in CBM’s global network of ministry. Follow Sam on Twitter @samchaise_cbm.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”


Excerpts of Dialogue with Leaders from our African Partners

by Terry Smith, CBM’s Director of International Partnerships

NDAMBUKI: Kenya is confused. We don’t have peace because of our involvement in the war of Somalia. Kenya does not like war. We try to take the neutral stand to call for peace for the regions. Since Independence, the only war we have entered outside of our country is Somalia. And this is really a troubling time for us as a nation.

CHOL: In South Sudan, there is great loss; whole towns have been set ablaze – burned completely. People have been killed. According to the latest reports, more than 7,000 people have lost their lives. Some people have fled to seek refuge. Others are IDPs (internally displaced people). Some are sheltering children in churches and camps for their protection. The destruction in terms of human life or even livelihood [livestock and crops] is quite great, especially in the greater Upper Nile.

MUNYAMASOKO: We have gone through years of suspicion and hatred between Rwandans. Our country was broken by genocide. But a different initiative to build peace is happening. We are sharing the way to bring people together, talking about peace, talking about how we can make sure genocide never happens again, and learning to live in a new way.

Each of these leaders has a proven track

record of influencing both church and civil

society and is courageously building a culture

of peace through their churches. Their stories

of the struggle for justice and peace within

their local contexts are worth hearing. These

are words emerging out of a deep passion for

God, a love for their people and a troubled

conscience about the shortcomings of their

political and economic situations. Peace Talks

Terry SmithCBM’s Director of

International Partnerships

K akule MoloBaptist Community in Central Africa

DEMOCR ATIC RE PUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

Gato MunyamasokoAssociation of Baptist Churches of Rwanda

RWANDA

Timothy NdambukiAfrica Brotherhood

Church

KE NYA

Riak Saphano Chol Faith Evangelical Baptist Church

SOUTH SUDAN

Joseph Maina MachariaAfrican Christian Church

& Schools

KE NYA

Q: It must not be easy being

a leader in Africa today.

What’s the political climate

like in your country?

Early this year, I sat down with African leaders from our partner network to talk about peace building in the midst of a very troubled continent. They included:

SMITH

5mosaic—spring 20144 mosaic—spring 2014 learn

[above] kenya's north eastern province is home to large numbers of refugees predominantly from Somalia.

[right] suffering in s ilence — Countless numbers of women are victims of sexual violence in the DRC where rape was used as a weapon of war in the decades of civil conflict.

[below] cbm's newest african church partner is in south sudan , Africa's youngest state, which struggles with a lack of economic development and renewed conflict in the region.

MOLO: We hear young people say that they are actually victims of the adults. The negative acts of the adults are devastating to children. They need to work real hard so that the future will be better, that they can live longer, can build peace in all sectors of life.

NDAMBUKI: I remember after the Westgate massacre, a child asked her father, “Dad, do you want to tell me that these guys who killed all the people is the same God that created all of us?” That is a theological question that many people are asking.

CHOL: During the war in Sudan, leaders would go into villages and recruit young boys so they could become part of the army of child soldiers. We have church members who were child soldiers – I was a child soldier at the age of 14 – but because we came to Christ, we left the rebel forces and now are in the church.

MUNYAMASOKO: If I look at the way some people are living – children without parents, people living with HIV/AIDS, people who go hungry – yes, I can feel that hope is very far away. But then I see how CBM comes alongside the church. Many children received help and have already made changes – some go to universities or vocational training, and they are making their own life. Hopelessness is in the past, but what we see today is that things are changing.

MACHARIA: Nothing really brings me more hope than the way people continue to know Christ and to join in his church in the midst of many, many, struggles.

MOLO: We keep going because we know we have brothers and sisters who keep us in their prayers. We are very grateful that Canadian Baptists stand alongside us in building a culture of peace.

MUNYAMASOKO: For us in Rwanda, there is hope in the new generation. This is why we focus on youth. Young people are coming together – Hutus and Tutsis, sharing and discussing together. These youth talk about the way they want to live today, how it’s different from their parents. This gives hope to our entire country. People were victims of their neighbours. And after training through youth peace camps, you see people coming together and sharing. It’s very important. I am a witness of this. I have seen people reconcile even though it’s a long process. They forgive each other and you can see the result of the peace camps.

MOLO: We see peace being built in and through the ministry of the pastors. In a situation of conflict, pastors don’t lose heart. They encourage Christians that God is going to prevail and that his peace is going to prevail. Therefore, the people keep heart.

Through peacebuilding, we invite people to be reconciled with one another, breaking down the walls of hatred, violence, revenge and hurt which typically mark our broken world.

Postscript: I love the words of Ezekiel 34, where the prophet announces a new Covenant of Shalom: Because of who God is, there will be a time when everything broken will be put back together, only better than before. When peace will finally come, people will find meaningful work, the fields and trees will bear a rich harvest. Water-tables will be filled. Children will laugh and sing. People will live in security. All forms of bondage will be broken. Nothing will make the people afraid. And God’s people will be agents of peace.

Several decades ago, most evangelicals, with the exception of some Anabaptists, might have equated peacebuilding with pre-evangelism, helping to create a positive feeling towards the Christian message (and its messenger!) so that the Gospel could be proclaimed and souls saved. But really, we need to see it as intrinsic to integral mission and the witness of the local church. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:18 we have been reconciled with God in Christ and have now been given the ministry of reconciliation. Through our evangelism, we invite people to be reconciled with God through Christ. Through peacebuilding, we invite people to be reconciled with one another, breaking down the walls of hatred, violence, revenge and hurt which typically mark our broken world.

In 2013, CBM invested over $75,000, including a generous matching grant from a donor, to promote peacebuilding initiatives in Africa. We supported youth camps where inter-tribal and inter-ethnic learning could take place. We also funded worskhops for pastors throughout Kenya, Rwanda and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rev. Munyamasoko, currently the head of the AEBR in Rwanda, wrote a practioner’s manual for peacebuilders. In the DRC, we helped chaplaincy programs which enabled the rehabilitation of child soldiers. Emergency assistance was offered in the name of peacebuilders to local churches who reached out to Muslim leaders in Garissa, Kenya, in the wake of terrorist attacks against churches.

Today, our resolve to help heal broken communities through local churches is stronger than ever. CBM Field Staff are working hand-in-hand with our African partners to promote a culture of peace. And although the odds often seem stacked against this work, we believe in the triumph of grace in the midst of brokenness. And we don’t lose heart!

Q: How do children and youth react to conflict in your country?

Q: It’s hard for us as Canadian

Baptists to relate to all the struggles

you and your churches encounter.

Do you ever lose heart and feel that

the challenges are just too great?

Q: How are you and

the churches bringing

hope in the midst

of such hopelessness

and darkness?

SMITH

SMITH

SMITH

7mosaic—spring 20146 mosaic—spring 2014

A Photo Essay

Photos: Johnny Lam, Canadian photographer and Dydine Umunyana, Rwandan filmmaker

Text: Laurena Zondo, Editor of mosaic

2014 marks 20 years since the Rwandan

Genocide. Kwibuka – Kinyarwanda for

“remember” – is the name given to the

annual national commemoration which

begins each year on April 7.

It is a time to remember so many lives lost during

a brutal killing frenzy that eliminated an estimated

one million Rwandans over 100 days.

But Kwibuka is also a time to hear the stories of

courage, perseverance and renewal as Rwandans

attempt to unite, to forgive, to reconcile. CBM and

the Association of Baptist Churches of Rwanda are

part of this process of grace and restoration. “We

are driven by the idea of making the church a home

of peace, to help build a culture of peace where

people are able to deal with problems in love and

respect,” says Rev. Gato Munyamasoko, leader of

the AEBR. “Key to this process is the education of

youth, they are our best hope for change.”

pho

to: J

L

FROMGENOCIDETO GRACE

Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre – walls and

walls of photos of loved ones who were killed.


pho

to: J

L

pho

to: D

U

YO U T H P E AC E

Youth visit the Kigali Genocide

Memorial as part of an annual peace

camp that brings youth together from

across Rwanda for learning on conflict

transformation and trauma counselling.

The use of arts encourages the sharing of

stories. And the emphasis on inner peace

helps youth discover God’s love and their

personal worth. “Love is a catalyst for

peace, it sets you free yourself,” said one

young girl, after attending peace camp.

Youth have started peace clubs in their

schools, churches and villages.

LOV E

A new youth peace club makes mud bricks

to repair the home of a widow from the

genocide. Other youth peacebuilding activities

include tree-planting, kitchen gardens, sports

events, radio announcements, and community

presentations with songs, poems and skits to

spread the peace message.

CO U R AG E

“We often had no food and no money

for school fees…I had no hope,” shares

Dusabimana (pictured with his grandma).

Today he is finishing secondary school and

hopes to study accounting in university.

Dusabimana’s father died when he was

six years old. He has helped take care of

the family ever since and was among the

first group of children to participate in a

unique project that supports orphans and

vulnerable children, especially those living in

child/youth-headed households. Over 1,000

children have benefitted.

pho

to: D

U


mosaic—spring 201412 mosaic—spring 2014

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H O P E

Growing new crops such as pineapples is

not only improving the livelihood of families

in the community but also building peace

as neighbours work together.

“Matthew, with its teachings on love, is my favourite Bible

passage,” proudly shares Kapmire. She is one of over 1,000

people (most of whom are women) who can now read thanks

to a literacy program. She has even inspired her young son

who had dropped out of school. “If my mom can go to school,

me, too, I can go and learn.”

D I G N IT Y

A tactic in the genocide was the use of rape to

deliberately infect with HIV. While there is progress

in treatment and prevention, families continue to

be devastated by AIDS today.

Goreth lost her husband to AIDS and then

discovered that she and her youngest child were

also HIV positive. Today Goreth is a Guardians of Hope (GOH) leader in her community, helping

others to live with hope and dignity. GOH are

church-based support groups that offer counsel,

microcredit for income generating activities,

school fees, and other family support.

pho

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13

RECONCILIATION IS A LOT OF WORK. It’s much easier to agree to disagree and to walk away with irreconcilable differences than to try bringing two seeming opposing things together. So why bother?

There have been many reconciliation services with Indigenous people that sometimes involve foot washing. Usually someone offers repentance on behalf of all present, possibly even for an entire denomination, or even a nation. We might see a Native person up there on the platform with a non-Native pastor/leader who offers the apology. Afterwards some then may feel that it's all done – that reconciliation has taken place and they can go back to their normal life thinking that that we have finally resolved the tension of Indigenous issues in Canada.

I have found that these reconciliation services are largely futile and a waste of time. They are futile because everyone believes they are off the proverbial hook afterward.

And they are a waste of time because:

1. We only see a Native person from afar and never have built a relationship with them. I have met people who tell me that I am the first Native person they have ever known. That is how isolated Canadians can be from each other. If you have a Native friend, congratulations! You are one of a few.

2. It is a mistake to believe that an apology in itself is enough. No wife or husband would ever agree to that sentence. An apology must come with a change in behaviour. Restitution must be a large part of true reconciliation. How does this apply to the Indigenous people in Canada? Let us ask the question: Has Canada done enough to right the past wrongs?

3. An apology must involve humility. This is biblical. Let’s discuss the foot washing ceremony that is often a part of a reconciliation service. A foot washing ceremony is an act of humility and service. It is symbolic of the lowest task of the lowest servant in a wealthy first century home. In the average household you could wash your own feet, if needed. Today, it is not easy to perform a foot washing ceremony in either position of the washer or the washed. Foot washing has not been a part of our modern culture when entering a home. Not even in our entire Canadian history! In Canada it is customary to take your shoes off when entering a house but we much prefer covered, socked, or slippered feet. There is no dust, no sandal, and no real honour in touching the foot of your guest. Some biblical concepts need to be interpreted in light of the modern Canadian context. We don’t really need to wash each other’s feet, but we do need to walk in humility and service to one another.

So how can we practically walk in humility and service towards our precious Indigenous people here in Canada? One way is to simply listen.

Indigenous people have a wisdom, humility, grace and humour that you will find surprising (especially if they’ve only lived in your imagination all these years). We need to simply listen to Indigenous people to show humility. This will take time. Our Indigenous people have a very different worldview and value system. These worldviews and values can clash with yours if you are not careful to listen and learn. Just try washing your next dinner guests covered tootsies…. culture clash!

Jesus is the best example of reconciliation we have as Christians. Jesus took on the form of a slave, humbled himself even to be obedient to death (Philippians 2). Further on it states “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.” (Phil. 2:3). Is this possible for Canadians? Was it possible for Jesus’ hearers? To think of others as better than ourselves is not the way we naturally think but it is the scriptural way to treat others.

Jesus gave of himself completely and humbled himself becoming like the most vulnerable person in any family or any culture. There is no better picture of utter dependence than that of a newborn baby. Yet that is how the Creator of the Universe came to humanity. A baby is dependent and a child submits to being taught.

So we have seen that reconciliation is not easy. It is work. Work, in that we should follow the example of Christ. Work that involves the giving away of our very selves.

I would suggest we instead practice a contextualized form of foot washing that practices humility and service towards Indigenous peoples. This involves changing your present perceptions and coming to understand Indigenous peoples by really listening and developing deep relationships. Indigenous people have so much to teach us, if we will only be open to this. This is a good start toward reconciliation.

Dr. Cheryl Bear-Barnetson (pictured) is author of Introduction to First Nations Ministry. She is an award winning singer and songwriter and enjoys telling truth through story. Cheryl has been a licensed pastor with the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada since 1999.

[email protected] cherylbear.com

A Good Start Toward Reconciliation

by Dr. Cheryl Bear-Barnetson

Dr. Cheryl Bear-Barnetson was one of the

presenters at New Paths, a CBM-sponsored

national conference held April 4–5, on ministry

with Indigenous Peoples. mosaic asked

Cheryl to share some of her experience in

reconciliation ministry.

Listening:A national conference on ministry with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples was held on April 4–5, 2014 at Lorne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga, Ontario. We had 225 participants from across the country, of which approximately 25% were First Nations, Metis or Inuit.

The conference was a collaborative effort involving CBM, the Canadian Baptist denominations, and Canadian Baptist Women. Key speakers included Terry LeBlanc, a Mi’kmaq from Edmonton who heads up the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies; Cheryl Bear, a singer/songwriter/pastor/evangelist from the Carrier First Nation in BC; Ontario Regional Chief Stan Beardy from Thunder Bay; former Alberta Grand Chief Joe Dion, a member of First Baptist Church in Vancouver; and Mark Buchanan, former Canadian Baptist pastor and now a professor at Ambrose Seminary in Calgary. Some of the major outcomes include:

• Increased understanding about the history and treatment of Canada's Indigenous peoples over the last 500 years and their present realities

• Greater appreciation for the spiritual and cultural heritage of Canada's Indigenous peoples and all that God is doing among them today

• Significant networking among First Nations leaders themselves, as well as between them and leaders of our Baptist work

New PathsCANADIAN BAPTIST

INDIGENOUS PEOPLESMINISTRY CONFERENCE

14 mosaic—spring 2014

I have found that these reconciliation services are largely futile… because everyone believes they are off the proverbial hook afterward.


Kenya and Back:Youth from Springforth (an annual youth

conference by Convention of Atlantic

Baptist Churches) share some of the

personal impact of their visit to Kenya

this past spring.

Kenya is a beautiful country, and is filled with loving people. While we were there, our team was being intentional in establishing relationships- valuing people over projects. I am still processing what I’ve seen, articulating what my heart has experienced and applying what I’m learning into my life. One thing that I’ve been observing first-hand is that there are lots of people in this world. Through this, I’ve been learning and focusing on the value of relationships, and that every conversation could be a blessing, or could lead to a friendship that will last forever – even across oceans. Upon my return, I am being more intentional in spending time with people and connecting with friends new and old – in nurturing the relationships I am already in and creating new ones as well. We are all part of God’s family, and we are here to encourage and learn from each other and to grow together.

~ L auren Zwicker

As I continue to process all that I witnessed in Kenya, I continue to be overwhelmed by the confident hope that was expressed by the people we met. They had confidence that God would provide their physical needs and they were confident that God’s presence would continue to sustain them through challenging times. As I have returned home, I am challenged by their examples of confident hope and generosity and continue to seek ways that I can grow in those ways. Kenya and her people have captured my heart, and I look forward to exploring future ways to pursue God’s work among His people.

~ Dan P yke

You never really know what a place is like until you visit…You never know how a person really feels until you’ve experienced what they go through…Honestly, I did not think much about the environment before I went on the trip. I did the regular things [for environmental care] - recycle, turn off the lights when you leave a room, do not take more than you need. But after seeing how they conserve water in Kenya…that their very life could possibly depend on the rain and they must take full advantage of it when it comes…They need it for their crops, animals, selves, and much more…and it is not as simple as turning on a tap for clean drinking water. It made me think about everything that I need and “want” in life and to better see the difference between the two. Though I was conscious about taking care of the environment before I went, seeing how blessed I am makes me more conscious, and gives me that extra bit of drive, to be a better steward.

~ Noah Clark

Going to Kenya with my Springforth team and CBM was an incredible opportunity. Not only were my team and I able to experience a whole new culture than what we are used to, but we also were able to catch a glimpse of the world, and everyday struggles, through the eyes of those who have a different perspective than we do in North America. Throughout our work farming and building relationships with people in Kenya, I was able to learn that the North American cultural mindset of striving for material gain and independence is not the only method of having a quality of life, nor is it necessarily the best method. The greatest lesson that I learned while in Kenya is that a sense of community and investing in building relationships, is far more valuable than solely seeking personal gain. Because of this, I am now more aware of the importance of investing in people rather than investing in personal success, which actually turns out to be more satisfying.

~ Krista Flower

[top] Lauren Zwicker[middle] Dan Pyke

[bottom left] Noah Clark[bottom right] Krista Flower

THE VIEW

GO NOW! TAKE THE NEXT STEP. Contact CBM about a short-term mission opportunity overseas.

Planning for trips in 2015 is underway – Kenya, Rwanda, Bolivia, India, Cuba and more.

Go to cbmin.org for a complete list of opportunities.

CBM ANNOUNCES THE GIVE TO GO HUB. An integrated fundraising tool for you and your church mission team.

You can make a difference in the lives of people in need around the world. Put that desire into action, and embark on a life-changing global discipleship experience with CBM.

The Give to Go hub will help you share your adventure and its impact with your family, friends and the world.

Getting started is as easy as 1, 2, 3, GO!

L A U N C H I N G S U M M E R 2 0 1 4

REGISTERCreate a profile page.

to generate funding support and raise awareness for your

CBM mission event. Short-term trips?

Church or group fundraiser?

1

PERSONALIZESet up a customizable

page for yourself and buildteam pages too.

Invite other team membersto join. Add your photos.

Set your fundraising goals.

2

PROMOTEPublish your campaign to family and friends.

Share the mission through social media. Manage donations,

track progress and follow up with your thanks.

3

16 mosaic—spring 2014 17mosaic—spring 2014

We get to walk beside refugees as they get reconciled to new lives in Atlantic Canada.

I only dabble but it’s my wife Kelly’s full-time work and she has the inconvenient habit of

bringing it home. One evening she ruined supper with the sad story of a Bhutanese family

being tormented and traumatized by their Saint John neighbours.

Maddening, especially since both the dad and mom have mental disabilities. We visited in an attempt to console them and counter-balance wrongs, but if they felt better for it, I sure didn’t. I left livid. Saint John – the most beautiful city I know (viewed at a distance from the Harbour Bridge on a rare sunny late afternoon in July) – had committed the unpar-donable sin of unwelcome and become ugly with the act of petty neighbours who seemed to have provincial problems compared to the international injustices that had separated an innocent family from their continent.

But I soon realized that I was not seeing the whole picture. Everywhere I went, I started to see an army of passionate and persevering people committed to community health and healing: the refugee family’s neighbourhood social workers, Kelly and her settlement agency colleagues, and the members of another newcomer-settling church who helped the family move and re-start yet again.

All these people had seen (close up) more of Saint John’s dark side than I probably ever will, but all remain somehow reconciled both to the community ideals they longed for and to the actual community who seemed at times to be destroying (at least delaying) those ideals.

In them I saw Jesus who suffered so much from sinful people so that those sinful people would not give up on other sinful people. He reconciled us godless people to God and then entrusted us with the long-suffering ministry of reconciliation. Now I just need to stay reconciled to present reality and its people and to ultimate reality and its promise – all of us refugees living together in the home of righteousness.

Fast forward two months later and…I was really hoping (unrealistically perhaps)

for reconciliation between the parties. The good news is no one was hurt (physically anyway). The better news is the family found another place (a really nice one). They’re now resettled and

stronger for the experience. And perhaps the best news is one of our churches got to play a hand.

Lancaster Baptist Church has a history of refugee sponsorship, some of which remains unknown or unsung. In fact, the large Somali family they recently laboured years to bring had a rough transition to Canada and didn’t stay in Saint John, but members of the church loved and served them every step of the way and still do.

After that, you’d think they’d wash their hands of such no-strings-attached, nothing-to-show-for-it ministry or at least take a break and catch their breath, but no (and this church doesn’t have a robust volunteer or financial base). Every Monday night they now open their Christian education building for “Family Night” – a chance for newcomers to gather, play games, practice English and share snacks. Basically they’re giving relationships, integration and witness a chance.

And it doesn’t stop there. Their practical love has a way of pursuing the “Family Night” people throughout the city, throughout the week. They more, as they doggedly devote themselves to inter-cultural ministry.

So when the traumatized refugee family needed help moving, they didn’t ask Kelly’s government-funded settlement office, they didn’t ask me (and I get called in on moves every month), they called their friends from Lancaster Baptist Church – people of growing repute in Saint John’s Hindu and Muslim communities.

The whole affair has taught us that it’s not just newcomers to Saint John who have big problems. We never got to meet the family’s old “troublesome” neighbours, but we did pray for them knowing they were up against as many challenges as our refugee friends were. We also learned that Saint John has a host of hospitable people – rarely wealthy, usually wounded, but wonderfully welcoming.

A story of one church’s intervention to help newcomers to Canada

by Paul Carline, CBM Strategic Associate

[left] Celebrating Christmas with new refugee families: Rev. Wayne Murphy, pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church, dresses up as Santa and delivers gifts on Christmas Eve.

[right] Family Night at Lancaster Baptist Church – a chance for newcomers to gather, play games, practice English and share snacks.


They are kindred spirits that God brought together in a remarkable way following the

devastation that Typhoon Haiyan imposed on the Philippines, and they are key leaders

in the reconstruction of houses for some of the poorest families in northern Cebu Island.

Renato (K ak a) ConstantinoDirector of Engaging Missions, Greenhills Christian Fellowship South Metro

Pastor Ver (Virgilio Inocencio) Church Planter and Pastor, Cebu Island

Liferest ring

Renato (Kaka) Constantino is the Director of Engaging Missions for Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF) South Metro, a large suburban church in the southern suburbs of Manila. He has always had a heart for the poor but, as a young engineering student, was drawn to communism as the best option for addressing the hopeless poverty that defined life for so many in the Philippines. As his

passion for the cause and his exceptional leadership ability became obvious, Kaka rose quickly to senior leadership in the outlawed Communist movement, to the point that he was making decisions that determined whether people lived or died. Eventually he was caught and put in jail to await trial. There, through the kindness and witness of one of his guards, Kaka came to faith in Christ.

November 8, the church and his home, along with the homes of hundreds of poor families in the area, were destroyed.

Two days later, God brought Pastor Ver and Kaka together. Two gifted Christian leaders, both with a passion for serving the poor in the name of Christ and through the church of Christ; both with exceptional leadership ability and business acumen. Pastor Ver, along with his wife, children and grandchildren are living in temporary shelters and tents. Kaka has his own shelter on the muddy church property. They have already begun construction of new homes for the poor in their community – the first of what they hope will be as many as 1,000 new houses.

CBM has committed funds for the first 100 houses, and the GCF churches in Manila have raised money for another 50 houses. They anticipate additional support from partner churches in Singapore, Thailand, and the US, as well as Canadian Baptist short-term mission teams through CBM that will work with them and the local people. Also underway is the construction of a basic multi-purpose building that will replace their destroyed church and enable them to more effectively serve their community. In due course, Pastor Ver will rebuild his house as well, but he and Kaka’s first priority is to construct houses for the poor in their community who have lost everything.

Thanks to gifted and committed local leadership with a heart for the poor, your gifts for Typhoon Haiyan relief are making a difference. As I passed through Manila on my way back to Canada, the national newspapers were already exposing sub-standard housing being built with inferior materials at hugely inflated prices by unscrupulous contractors in devastated Tacloban. What I witnessed being done by our partners in northern Cebu stood in stark contrast to those front page news stories. How privileged we are to work with our church partners – the gifted, committed men and women who are models of selflessness, compassion and integrity. How grateful I am that God brought these two former revolutionaries together to bring about a new revolution through God’s love in northern Cebu.

Faith and friendship in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan

by Blair Clark, CBM’s Director-at-Large

Not long after this spiritual transformation, Kaka was unexpectedly but miraculously acquitted by the President, and given an opportunity to return to school and complete an MBA at the most prestigious university in the Philippines. He then began work with a German multinational company, traveling extensively in Europe and Asia, and eventually headed up their Asian operations. After 12 demanding years in business, and increasing involvement in GCF South Metro’s mission program, Kaka walked away from his lucrative career to assume a volunteer staff position with the church as Director of Engaging Missions. It was in that capacity that he traveled to northern Cebu just two days after the typhoon, and the Lord led him to Pastor Ver.

Pastor Ver (Virgilio Inocencio) grew up on the island of Negros – mostly owned by wealthy plantation owners, and where most of the local Filipinos were poor, landless day labourers. He became a Baptist youth pastor, but like Kaka, was deeply troubled by the poverty of his people and became convinced that land reform was the only viable solution. Leaving the ministry, he became a passionate activist for land reform on Negros, which made him a serious threat to the wealthy plantation owners. As threats to his life became more frequent and credible, his supporters assigned armed body guards to protect him. His wife, a teacher from neighbouring Cebu Island, concerned that he and the whole family could be killed, returned to Cebu with their young children. Eventually Pastor Ver concluded that he would be killed long before he succeeded in achieving land reform, and so he followed his wife to Cebu, where he developed a very successful landscaping business focused on bonsai plants.

At the peak of his business success, God called him back into ministry, and he left the success and comfort to move to the northern part of Cebu Island to plant a church among the poor sugar cane workers and fishermen. After six years of ministry, a thriving church of over 300, growing engagement with the poor in the community, a nice house on a hill overlooking the beautiful Visayan Sea, and several of his adult children joining him in the work, God’s blessing was evident. However in six hours on

[right] Installing bamboo f looring in a new home: This past spring CBM sent its first short-term mission team to help rebuild in Cebu (Philippines) after Typhoon Haiyan.

[below] Leona Nulla in front of her makeshift home.

[above] The church grounds with temporary tent housing for Pastor Ver, Kaka and others in the community who lost their homes.

[above] A new home going up for the Nulla family (pictured front row with the Canadian and Filipino build team).


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Canadian Baptist Ministries

7185 Millcreek Drive

Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5R4

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MEET SOME OF THE FACES BEHIND THE DISTRIBUTION OF CBM RESOURCES – OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS!

Pictured: A team from Lorne Park Baptist Church (Mississauga, ON) assists with the mailing of the Kids Care 2014 curriculum.

Why do they volunteer their time to CBM?

“I’ve always wanted to be involved in work of this nature….Since I was a kid I wanted to go to India,” explains Don Boyd, one of the faithful on the Lorne Park volunteer team. “I can’t think of a better place to volunteer…CBM is a wonderful, friendly bunch of people…I have more laughs than anything when I’m here.”

“I think God expects us to be giving,” says Ruth Mitchell (pictured) who has had a lifelong interest in global missions starting with a grandfather who served as a medical missionary in China.

We pass along a sincere note of thanks to all of our volunteers! Your wonderful gift of time is much appreciated and helps to keep administration costs down.

Emil Brunner’s statement that “the church exists by mission as a fire exists by burning” emphasizes the importance of mission for the life of a congregation. Is this true in your context?

Mission should be one of the most exciting aspects of church life. Mission occurs where the gospel of God’s love and grace encounters the needs of the world. Unfortunately, there are times when a congregation may feel that its mission strategy has evolved through circumstances and lacks a sense of focus or direction. There is a realization that the majority of church members do not connect with the mission activities, people and organizations that are supported by the budget they support.

DISCOVER is an exciting, new CBM resource designed to assist congregations to reconnect with their passion for mission.

Learn more today at www.cbmin.org/discover

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Documents

CBM mosaic spring 2014