Report on Foreign Missions

Transcription

1 Report on Foreign Missions By the Rev. Paul S. Howden, Chair of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Diocese of NEMA. A teleconference meeting was convened for the members of the committee on Friday Oct. 18, 2013 in which much of the information below was discussed. REC Mission Website Parishes are invited to link the REC Mission website to their Parish websites. In addition to current projects, everyone is invite to find reference information on Retired missionaries at and follow some mission events at Colvins. Matt and Sora Colvin along with their four children continue their ministry in the Philippines; Sora with her midwifery ministry, and Matt with his teaching. Matt Colvin recently posted an update on his blog, and because it is so fascinating, I include it below in its entirety. It reveals how passionate Matt is about his teaching ministry, and how unique it is. Please pray for and support the Colvins with your prayers and financial giving. "Do you know what percentage of the children of Christians enter full-time Christian service as missionaries, pastors, and other similar callings? One in two hundred, or 0.5%. Yet among the children of missionaries, that figure soars to 3 out of every 10, 30%. And of those 3, two of them will eventually go back to serve on the overseas mission field in some capacity themselves, and 17% will be long term missionaries. (Numbers from Raising Resilient MKs) I have ten classes a week to talk about the Bible, God, and literature with 40 of these young men and women. Probably 10 or 15 of these kids will be teaching others the things I teach them about Jesus this year. Like Sora with her student missionary-midwives, God has put me in a place of greater leverage than I had in Cincinnati. "When I was 12 years old and in the public schools (a miserable experience I would never wish on my kids), my mother taught me Latin at home. It was determinative for my future life, though I resisted and grumbled about it at the time. ( Do those Latin flashcards, or you ll have no dessert tonight! Yes, Mom was a tough cookie.) My pre-teen perspective was that I took a full slate of classes at school just like everyone else, so why should my summer vacation be ruined by having to learn Latin? But the lesson I subliminally learned was that my mother loved

2 me and that she thought a knowledge of Latin was a precious enough possession that it was worth imparting to me despite my grumbling. That was the takeaway for me: teaching someone difficult concepts and ideas was a way of loving them. This love-language doesn t work for everyone, and sometimes it isn t understood until years later, but when it clicks, it is a beautiful thing. "A lot of missionary activity here in the Philippines is geared toward conversions. My ministry is not. I am not, for instance, running a youth camp designed to bring kids to a crisis so that they make a decision for Christ. Instead, I am using my knowledge of languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew) and ancient sources to give already committed Christians a deeper grounding and better reasons for what they already believe. And ironically, that makes my ministry a fairly rare one in a city that has a lot of crusades and revival meetings. It is easy to find preachers here who will convert you or get you ready for the Rapture. It is harder to find someone who knows enough Greek and has read enough scholarship to tell you, say, what N.T. Wright and David Daube say about the Sadducees and neither angel nor spirit, so that you can understand Acts 23:7-9 and teach it to others. I am not aiming to make converts; I want to make teachers, as Paul says: " what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2 ESV) "This is a ministry that targets a smaller audience ( faithful men, not unbelievers) and takes more time with them. One of the first questions my Latin students asked was, How long will you be here? They wanted to be sure that we are in it for the long haul before committing to a long-term course of study. It takes time to learn an ancient language, or to cover the history of the early church, or to survey the Jewish background of the New Testament. Deep academic instruction is not a one-and-done ministry. "The depth of serious instruction gives me the chance to build the same sort of teacher-studentparent triangular relationships that I had as a teacher in Cincinnati. A teacher doesn t just affect kids; through kids, he also touches parents. (How many MHA parents heard from their kids over dinner, Guess what outrageous thing Mr. Colvin said today? ) Parents trust teachers with their kids. If you re a faithful and excellent teacher, you will win favor and the hearts of parents. Many of our senders in Ohio have that relationship with me, and they are sponsoring our presence here in Davao City because they want me to form that sort of relationship with others. "While my position teaching MKs at Faith Academy Mindanao was semi-miraculously lined up within 24 hours of deciding to become a full-time missionary, it isn t the only ministry I m engaged in here. I have also been blessed by our friends Pastor Vic and Cathy Bernales. Even before we arrived, they welcomed us with open arms. They have sought out opportunities for me to teach Filipino students. I have filled the pulpit for Pr. Vic when he was away. He invited me to teach church history and Jewish background of the NT in his Reformed Institute of Ministry. He and Cathy are the organizers of the homeschooling coop here in Davao City, and they advertised my Latin class and introduced me to other families who wanted to have their kids learn. They have also embraced with enthusiasm the idea that I should start a Greek class, and are spreading word about it to their friends and acquaintances in other churches. Their own older children,

3 Yuri and Ysha, have been students in all my Latin and RIM classes. More than anyone else here in Davao City, they have been the enablers of my ministry here, seeking out opportunities for me to teach, and connecting me with Filipino homeschooling families and adult learners. "I m about to start the second academic quarter at Faith Academy tomorrow. When I get home, I ll have Latin class in our dining room. Then it s off to church to teach NT Jewish Background from 6:30 to 9:00. (Yes, Tuesday is loaded!) Thank you to our senders, and to the parents of my students, for entrusting me with this ministry." Germany. English Camp went well. This last summer several people from the Free Church of England and even a pastor from Serbia participated in the English Camp. Bishop Paul Hunt put together organized theatre play performances based on the life of Peter as part of the summer outreach. Bishop Gerhard Meyer is hosting another English Camp this summer of Please contact him if you know of somebody interested in serving and helping out with that. Croatia. The Rev. Damien Grout will lead teams this spring to work and do evangelization in the city of Osijek, Croatia. The Church of the Good Shepherd is the place where teams will stay, work and worship. The Rt. Rev. Jasmin Milic is the Bishop who oversees the mission works in Croatia and Serbia, and he would be very much involved in supervising the activities. One of the great blessings of this mission is to get to know and work with Bishop Jasmin, and also to meet members of the different churches. It is planned for 12 people, three teams of four people serving for two weeks each, one after the other. The teams cannot exceed four due to the housing at the Good Shepherd Church of Osijek center; there is room for only four people at a time. The accommodations are very comfortable. The university students are eager to learn English, and the team would be involved in teaching conversational English classes based on the stories from the Gospel of Luke. On weekends there will be opportunity for team members to minister in preaching stations/mission works in different parts of the country. There are two Anglican mission works in Serbia. Dates are flexible, but April 22, 2014 the first team would arrive, followed two weeks later by the second team on May 6, and the last team would arrive for May 20. Each participant would do his own flight arrangement to Zagreb, Croatia, and then catch a train to Osijek. Damien would arrange for somebody to meet the team member at Zagreb airport to help the transportation to Church of the Good Shepherd in old town Osijek. During the school year the place is packed, so the possibility of a big class of young Croatians arriving at the church to learn conversational

4 English from U.S. team members makes for an exciting evangelistic opportunity. $2, is estimated cost; approximately $1, for the round trip U.S. to Croatia and $ for other expenses. Rev. Damien Grout thinks he has five or six team members from his parish in Alpine, Texas. He is looking for leaders, and members for the other teams. Two parishes are located in Serbia. Judy King. Judy announced her retirement from BFM in 2012, and the BFM accepted her retirement, providing her a full salary during a year for her transition back to the US. Churches were encouraged to contribute to her pension. She is still translating parts of the Bible into the Apurina language, and wants to visit the Apurina people in Brazil from time to time. She is accepting donations to do those activities, and if you would like to support Judy checks should be made out directly to her. Olsens. And It was Good, an autobiography by REC retired missionaries Jean and Dan Olsen, was published for family and friends in October (2013). Beginning with stories from their youth, and preparation for the mission field, the book goes on to tell their story in Africa: in the Sudan, until the government refused to let them return; in the Congo, until forced out by civil war and the Simba rebellion; and in Kenya. Reprinting and shipping details are still being worked out. Canon Bill Jerdan plans to have a copy at Diocesan Council and will be able to take orders. A reprint would require a minimum order of 50 copies, at about $10.00 each, plus about $4.00 for shipping and postage. Christian Formation Ministries: The Rev. Samuel Maduma will lead a Training Seminar for catechists and clergy November in the Ruvuma Anglican Diocese in Tanzania. Please pray for the students, many of whom help lead mission churches in rural areas. The Board of Foreign Missions would like to raise $2, to enable Christian Formation Ministries to provide the Ruvuma Anglican Diocese with printed teaching materials for the trainees to use in their local ministries.

5 Jerdans. Bill and Diane Jerdan send monthly reports of their many activities. Bill is the executive secretary of BFM. He attended GAFCON 2013 along with Bishop Sutton, Bishop Hicks, and Bishop Gadsden. Please see his report, or you can contact him through the web site for more information. Roger Converse. Roger updated the teleconference participants about the ministry he and his wife have to international students at the University of Pennsylvania. They appreciate that more volunteers are helping out. Roger writes: "There are two InterVarsity ministries I am involved with at U. of Penn. International Student Ministry - We hold 3 investigative Bible studies and 4 English classes each week on campus, plus outreach and social activities. 1. The international student ministry at the University of Pennsylvania has recently seen the addition of two new volunteers: Bob (formerly an English teacher at, Hanoi University, serving in several capacities), and Stephanie (a nursing student serving in our investigative Bible studies). 2. This semester we have enjoyed the participation people (mostly non-christian) from China, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Germany, India and Israel. 3. I will join with other campus and church International student ministries on October 26 for a training day in Philadelphia. Forty people are now registered to attend and we hope to have more. Graduate Student Ministry - 1. The Penn Graduate Christian Fellowship has a theme this year of Hearing from and Listening to God, and has seen an average of 20 students at weekly meetings, including a Muslim student. About half of these Christian students are internationals. 2. There are also six students who pray together weekly. We also combine these two groups monthly for a forum on campus where we present interesting topics from a Christian perspective." They have a web site to tell interested students when and where meetings and things are happening. Also, Pastor Crum asked Roger to help with summer teams to parishes in our diocese.

6 Egypt. If conditions are safe enough, Dr. Chris Taylor possibly taking another team to Egypt in January. Please contact the Rev. Greg Miller if you know somebody interested in a mission opportunity to Egypt with Chris Taylor. Covenant Chapel R.E.C. in Basking ridge, NJ, made a donation of $7, to the Anglican Church of Egypt to purchase the machinery that enables hearing-impaired people to read the Bible. Bishop Mouneer Anis of Egypt spoke at Covenant Chapel too. Covenant Chapel also gave financial aid to Rev. Nadine of the Anglican Church in Pakistan for an emergency medical need. We thank Covenant Chapel for their sacrificial giving and participation in Anglican missions to the Middle East. A.C.N.A. NEWS Mission Day at Trinity School for Ministry (311 Eleventh Street, Ambridge, PA ): The Very Rev. Yee Ching Wah, Associate Mission Director, Diocese of Singapore, will speak on the opportunities for North American Anglicans to help Church Planting projects in Southeast Asia. Tues. Nov. 12, Lecture 7 pm; Wed. Nov. 13 Eucharist & Dean s Hour 8:30 am-12 noon. Blessings in Christ, The Rev. Paul S. Howden Please contact me for questions or corrections: paulhowden6@yahoo.com