with the CMS community online www.cms-uk.org

SHARINGJESUSCHANGING

LIVESIssue 2:2011

Community voices inspiring each other in mission

Dear members of the CMS community

We want to take this opportunity to talk with you about the sustainable growth of CMS. Following

wide-ranging consultations in the last ten years with members, supporters and friends, the CMS leadership

team and trustees have been working hard to ensure sustainability and growth for CMS and we are excited

about the future work and funding of our mission community. There are three things we want to be sure to

focus on in the years to come:

1. A commitment to proclaim the gospel prophetically. Our simple message: ‘Sharing Jesus, Changing

Lives’ describes the focus of our local and global mission.

2. A renewed commitment to CMS as a community of people in mission. No matter who we are or

where we live, we are called to live prophetically. We call this ‘Every-Member-Mission’. This lifestyle is

shaped by our seven member promises.

3. An ongoing commitment to establishing new CMSes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. These will be

sister societies, like CMS Ireland, with whom we share a similar vision: our call to world mission from

everywhere to everywhere.

We’ve just embarked on a new five-year strategy. Our major goals include: the growth and formation of

CMS members in their own mission living, establishing Asia CMS alongside CMS Africa as local expressions

of CMS in those regions, developing our training for pioneer leaders and mission partners and strengthen-

ing and sustaining our financial growth.

Sustainable Growth

Although we have plenty of vision and opportunities, we face two challenges as we go forward: to grow

and to sustain our growth. We believe in a generous God. The New Testament word for fellowship implies

generosity. God sustains us with his generous love as he draws us into fellowship with him and each other.

We would like to see our mission and membership grow along with income to support this growth.

In order to address the question of sustainable growth, trustees and directors have established a group to

look at challenging issues and how to face them head on with success. The details we are working through

are complex and include addressing changes in world mission, the current global financial crisis and par-

ticular characteristics of CMS’s own income streams. We plan to report the outcomes of this work in the

autumn. Over the next five years we would like to see a £500,000 increase in donations. This increase,

combined with cost efficiencies, will give us a balanced budget and basis for growth.

We are asking for your ongoing prayer and support as we work through issues of sustainability and growth.

Please pray that the Lord will give us his wisdom to know his way forward and the strength to do what he

leads us in. We do believe we can see a very positive way forward, but we want this whole exercise to be

bathed in prayer and have the support of the whole community as fellow members-in-mission.

We praise God that we stand together as we seek to see Jesus shared and lives changed in his name.

Yours in Christ,

John Ripley Tim Dakin

The four FsBy Ann SmithMark and Sally Ashcroft invited Man-chester area CMS members to their home on 6 May for a get together meal and to fo-cus on mission. Twenty-seven people ac-cepted the invite. It was an evening of four Fs: friendship, fellowship, food and focus. FriendshipMark and Sally welcomed us with smil-ing faces and happiness at having a fuller house than normal, providing us with an initial drink and encouraging us to meet and chat with other group members.There was a buzz of conversation as we formed bonds of friendship with like minded people from all walks of life.FellowshipMark opened in prayer, followed by a mis-sion praise song led by CMS mission part-ner Cyprian Yobera on his guitar. The silence that followed was certainly spirit-filled and the presence of Jesus was tangible. The smells from the kitchen tantalized our taste

buds and made us aware of all the prepara-tion that had gone in to producing an array of tasty food.FoodOur hosts provided a buffet and the va-riety of dishes suited everybody’s tastes. Sweets followed, some of which were provided by members and again there was a huge choice. Thank you to our hosts for such a wonderful spread.FocusAfter our meal we formed four smaller groups around the room and discussed mission in our churches and outreach in the local community. This lasted around 20 minutes, with all of us sharing what outreach our churches had been doing during Christmas and Easter. There were some amazing stories of faith ,hope and love. Two of them are in this edition of Connect (see articles from Mark Ash-croft and Jean Williamson). We finished with prayer. It was a wonderful time and we look forward to meeting again in No-vember. By the way, have you considered starting a group in your area?

Shiny shoes and good newsBy Mark AshcroftOn Friday 6 May the CMS community in Greater Manchester met together to encourage each other with stories of our involvement in mission. This is one that I was involved with at the Cathedral.Along with other dioceses, Manchester promotes a shoe shine on Maundy Thursday as a modern take on foot washing. The Cathedral clergy thought about this and decided to do it in the Arndale, which is Manchester’s biggest city centre shopping mall.So in our red cassocks we went over to the centre and set up our stall in the Halle Square at the heart of the Arndale.We had four chairs, shoe shining equipment, and some leaflets explaining about Maundy Thursday and inviting people to church on Sunday. Despite the fact that it was a hot day and many were wearing sandals, we had a steady stream of “customers”, who were rather surprised by our free offer.Shoe shining is a fairly intimate task and so you have five minutes to talk with your customer, explain about Maundy Thursday and Easter and listen to their story.One of my customers was a businessman who had come down from Glasgow; he shared how his sister had lost a baby at seven months the previous day; we were able to share in his pain and to offer our prayers and concern.We had over 30 customers in the hour we had been allocated and had many conversations, even with those who didn’t want their shoes shined.The whole thing was possible because the Dean of our Cathedral spends time each week visiting the centre, being available for pastoral talks and building up relationships with the management there; his hard graft week by week now pays dividends in allowing us to be in the public square sharing our faith. And it was great fun!

Surprise mission By Jean WilliamsonThe Mothers’ Union in Manchester Diocese has for many years been linked with Salisbury Diocese and every two years we exchange visits.Two years ago I encouraged four members of my own church who had never been involved with the link before, to offer hospitality. Little could I predict the results of this involvement.One member, two days before our guests were due to arrive, fell off her step and broke her arm and wrist. A neighbour, who happened to be working in his garden at the time, heard her cry and went to help. He and his wife took her to hospital and whilst waiting for treatment she explained to them about her guest who would soon be arriving. They offered to help with the meals and in transporting her guest to the various venues in the diocese. This included church services and neither of them had been in a church since childhood.They were so overwhelmed during those four action-packed days by the fellow-ship, fun and laughter, that once our Salisbury guests had returned home, they decided they would like to continue coming to church.Since then, they have become regular members and both have been confirmed. It has been a great joy and delight to watch them both grow and develop in faith.This coming week we return to our friends in Salisbury Diocese and with us, mak-ing the journey for the first time, will not only be the four who offered hospitality, but one who unexpectedly helped and found Jesus and Christian fellowship.

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Take note: new book features CMS community voicesNew Monasticism as Fresh Expression of Church (Ancient Faith, Future Mission) by Graham Cray, Ian Mobsby and Aaron Kennedy

Jonny Baker says, “A great intro to this subject - it has coherence and hangs together well even though it’s a collection of chapters by different people. Graham Cray gives an excellent introductory chapter and there are contributions from the likes of Ian Mobsby, Mark Berry, Shane Claiborne and Ian Adams. Stuart Burns gives a reflection at the end of the book - he is the abbot of Burford Priory and has been a source of great encouragement to the new kids on the block. He sees this movement as a sign of hope and I thought there was wisdom in his cautioning groups to not be too hasty to look for institutional/official recognition lest they lose their prophetic edge, but to concentrate on community life following in the way of Jesus Christ. I also welcomed Mobsby’s challenge to move beyond values to consider a rule of life for a community. Congratulations to all for pulling together a great contribution to this current surprise in the ever emerging church of Jesus Christ.”For Jonny Baker’s full reviews of this and other books, see his blog: jonnybaker.blogs.com and click on the “books” tab.

How I use CMS Daily Prayer By Pippa SoundyAs a relative newcomer to written liturgy, my experience with the CMS Daily Prayer has been an interesting journey of exploration.

For over a year, the prayer (in its prototype format) was my only real connection to CMS and I found that by engaging with it each day (sometimes just a part of it) I had a growing sense of belonging to our global mission community and a growing sense of our calling as a community of mission service. Now that I have been praying daily in this way with the community for over two years (usually on my own), I can see how it’s fuelled my own calling to join in God’s mission and generally challenged the way I live as a follower of Jesus. I’ve also introduced the CMS Daily Prayer to a number of church groups and ministry teams, such as the ecumenical chaplaincy at our local university, and have found it to be accessible and helpful to people from a wide variety of backgrounds. If you haven’t yet tried using the CMS Daily Prayer, I would encourage you to give it a go, and see how God inspires you through it.Note: A copy of the revised CMS Daily Prayer was sent to members with the last edition of Connect in February. If you did not receive a copy and would like one, please call the CMS office or email community.member@cms-uk.org

How and why I became a community companionBy Peter HemmingThe main reason that I considered getting involved as a Community Companion, is that when I worked through the CMS membership resource, 40 Days of Yes, last year, I wished I’d had a Companion. When I realised that people with that role/ vocation were few and far between, it encouraged me to consider whether it was a role I was being called to. Having been invited to get involved, I said yes. I know that over the years I was not often the “front man” for projects and presentations,

but I know that I have helped many people at

work and church find new roles or ministries

(in the broadest of senses), and this is some-

thing I can do. God seems to use the things

we’re good at in the service of the church.

With the CMS community being in its early

stages of growth, I perceive a need for Compan-

ions to encourage conversations and vocations

amongst community members and others, to

help us all in our pilgrimage together, seeking

God’s will for CMS and each other. Increasingly,

I feel there’s a place for me in this and I am

grateful to Pippa Soundy and Anita Matthews

and others for affirming me in what I can offer.

I long for more Christians to see the real pos-

sibility of living the gospel and being missional

all the time-witnessing through our day to day

living so that the risen and ascended Jesus be-

comes a reality to those who are often beyond

the reach of the church. I will do whatever I am

called to do, to make this happen. Becoming a

Companion is one way I can help.

And the nominees are?One of our roles as a Community member

is to nominate and elect CMS trustees. Please

will you prayerfully consider whether you know

anyone who has the skills and experience to

be part of the CMS board? In our life as a com-

munity, trustees have a governance and finan-

cial responsibility. They are also responsible for

encouraging and enabling the community to

grow in its mission and ministry.

It’s crucial that the board of trustees comprises

people with a breadth and depth of experi-

ence, who are diverse in ethnicity, gender and

age. Specifically, we need more church lead-

ers and charity workers, females, nationalities

other than British, under 35s and people with

legal and human resources expertise. Former

mission partners and people involved in mis-

sion as members of the community would also fit the bill. If you know someone who ticks these boxes and who is also a strategic thinker, coupled with financial and legal knowledge, marketing, fundraising and community building abilities, then why not nominate them? The closing date for completed nomination forms is Mon-day 19 September 2011. For more information and nomination packs, please contact Chris Neal on 01865 787407 or email chris.neal@cms-uk.org Members of the CMS community will then be invited to participate in the election of Trustees in October/November 2011. Voting papers will be sent out by the Electoral Reform Society with a closing date in the third week of November.Please see the enclosed sheet for more de-tailed information.

Support by the spoonfulEach year the churches of a benefice near Carlisle comprising St Mary’s in Wreay, All Saints in Raughton Head, St Micheal’s, Dalston and St John’s, Cumdivock hold a series of Lent soup lunches to gather the community togeth-er and to raise funds for CMS. This year was no exception. On the six Fridays during Lent, local church members provided delicious soups and tray bakes, and volunteered as waitresses and kitchen staff to provide a feast for all comers. As Terry, a regular, assures us, “Lunch is by no means abstemious – we enjoy good food and relaxed chat.” Good fun is not limited to the punters – laugh-ter is often to be heard in the kitchen too! Do-reen, often found by the stove, is certain of one thing: “Whoever said ‘there is only room for one woman in the kitchen?’ Each year we disprove that I think!” In 2010 the lunches raised £521.29. Thanks to all who helped and who attended these friendly and sociable, community-building occasions. Why not do something similar yourselves to raise money for mission?

Having just celebrated my 70th birthday, I would never have dreamed of the privilege of being asked to write the story of my involvement with CMS.I was born into a Christian family in Norfolk. My education and my career in teaching took place in Christian, though not evangelical, schools. Pat, my wife, was brought up in an evangelical family and her positive, straightforward Christian faith has influenced my thinking.When we retired to Harrogate six years ago, Pat joined the committee of the CMS Action Group and being attracted by the word “action”, I attended their events. Unfortunately, four years ago the future of this successful group was threatened by the illness of the Chairman/Secretary. In the absence of volunteers, Pat kindly suggested me as Chairman! She took on the post of Secretary. Together, we have striven to retain the ethos of the group, at the same time expanding its activities. We now hold two full suppers a year with speakers, the most recent one attracting 97 people, including our valued supporters from Wetherby. As a retired French teacher, I am well aware of Napoleon’s maxim that his army should march on its stomach. Pat

Serving by leading By Tony Ninham

and her helpers in the kitchen ensure that our members are similarly treated! We are, of course, blessed to have local mission partners such as Andy and Susie Hart, Angela and Chris Chorlton and Anna and Chris Hembury. They are, by their vision of God’s calling and their selfless giving of themselves, our true inspiration. Annually we also hold two coffee/lunch events in the centre of Harrogate. In the past year we have sent £1,590 to CMS. We are much indebted to our ever reliable treasurer, Theva Thevarokiam.On a personal note, I am so happy that our daughter, Kate, together with her husband and two daughters help at all our events. On 14 October our speakers will be Ed and Marie Brice, mission partners in Asuncion, Paraguay. Hopefully, this will further cement the joining of CMS and SAMS. CMS has certainly added a new dimension to my own life.

Godly play in DurhamBy Robin and Penny Minney We worked with religious education for six years in Russia and after that in Africa, with sup-port from CMS. When we came back to Britain, we were both of retirement age and wanted to be active in our parish community.Our village is spread out, with the church among trees at one end and quite a way from post-war social housing. But there is a small community centre, and we thought of doing something for children and their parents away from the church. We had heard of the Godly Play movement and went to courses. The Godly Play method allows a great range of ages to take part together.We started our story club in October 2009. We get together on Saturday mornings from 9.30am until 11am. Children are greeted individually and then they sit down on cushions in a ring with a storyteller. The stories are biblical or linked to the Church calendar. The storyteller always ends with questions, inviting the children to express themselves while listening to each other. Currently six to eight children attend, ages two to nine. Because the atmosphere is quiet, open and orderly, even two year olds who at first wanted to wriggle and run around now sit still, listen and take part in the story before going on to art or play. In all cases one or other parent comes with their child or children.After some free art time, everyone sits down to a simple meal together which is called “The Feast.” Some stay to help clear up, and the story teller says goodbye to each one. There is also a small library with one of the eight-year olds as librarian.We learnt that Godly Play helps children to find meaning and develops their concentration. It as-sumes that children have some experience of the mystery of God in their lives, but in today’s culture they lack the language, permission and understanding to express and enjoy it. I’ll give our last words to one of the children: “I like coming to story club because I like listening to the story and I like giving out the food. I also like playing with the paint and learning about the stories.” (Pippa, aged 6)

Recruitment to CMS in the 19th Century part 3By Wendy BowenIf we follow the trail of Buxton, Living-stone and Stanley, we come to the explosion in recruitment to CMS that marked the end of the nineteenth century. The first burst of activ-ity was the expedition to Uganda led by Alex-ander Mackay, six other laymen and one cler-gyman, Rev CT Wilson. Soon disaster struck and only Mackay and Wilson survived, so a second group was sent, this time down the Nile, including medical student Robert Felkin. As he typifies the virtually anonymous and forgotten 1,000 non-graduate CMS recruits, this is his story.He grew up in the workers’ accommodation of a Nottingham lace factory. Inspired by Liv-ingstone, and after some medical training, he applied to CMS when he was 20 years old and set off across the Mediter ranean, into the Red Sea via Suez, to the port of Suakin, where the camel route to the Nile

journey south began. He sent frequent ac-counts to CMS of what became a horrendous journey to meet up with Wilson in Uganda. Fel-kin’s medical skills so impressed Mutesa, the Ugandan ruler, that he was chosen together with Wilson to take a trio of Ugandan ambas-sadors to visit Queen Victoria, marking the first diplomatic link between the two countries.So Felkin had to face the return journey, which proved more horrendous than the first. The Nile was blocked with vegetation and he was forced to make a detour through what is now the Darfur region of the Sudan along a track illuminated at night by the bleached bones of dead slaves strung like cats-eyes across the desert. Felkin gives the first western account of an area still crying out for help today.So how do I know all this? By reading The Gleaner magazine – a real jewel in the CMS archive. There were two series of CMS maga-

zines started in the nineteenth century - The Intelligencer and The Gleaner, which faithfully printed and illustrated where pos-sible the conscien-tious accounts sent to it regularly by Felkin and others.

In with the old, in with the new By Ian Adams CMS Small Missional Communites developer

I am often asked how small missional communities connect to more established forms of church. Can you belong to both?I think small missional communities do what the church has always done at its best - they represent a re-imagining of church in a particular setting, with a sense of Christ’s presence in, love for and mission to that context. Small missional communities are therefore shaped for, and by, that setting and culture.This can sometimes lead to tension with the traditional church, particularly if it sees its own culture as complete or a timeless gift to all contexts. Of course some aspects are timeless – the gospels, the Eucharist, and the great festivals. But some of what we do as church is often a previous generation’s particular preference.It was good to be involved in the Fresh Expressions conference in Oxford in May called Changing the Landscape: Making the Mixed Economy Work. Almost 300 people gathered from the UK and beyond to share their experiences of working in both new and traditional contexts. The main speaker was Archbishop Rowan Williams, who originally

coined the phrase “mixed economy”. Questions arose around enabling lay leadership, easing tensions, oversight, funding, sustainability and mission—are we making disciples or church-goers? All of these are important and complex issues. The mixed economy is not about the traditional and the new doing their own things independently, but about doing them in mutual encouragement.The recent emergence of emphasis on community and movement in the spirit of the monastics offers a deep connection with the traditional, but also inspires new expressions of Christ-life and mission. This is, of course nothing new. Jesus attended worship in the temple and read in the synagogue. He also created a small community around tables, in the marketplace and on the road. The mission of God will always overflow our boundaries and expectations.For more on the Fresh Expressions event see: www.freshexpressions.org.uk/ changingthelandscape

Salsa for cricket, cricket for change By Chuli ScarfeI was CMS area coordinator for the Dio-ceses of London and Chelmsford from 1997-2007. Since leaving CMS I have qualified as a cricket coach and gym/fitness instructor. I am at present training as a sport psycholo-gist and continue to be an active member of the Asia CMS team. I am passionate about the benefits that sport can bring to the lives of young people and, as an Asian woman, par-ticularly to girls in countries like Nepal where the opportunities are much more limited than we have in the West. Therefore, to engage in youth ministry in Nepal is an ideal way to combine my love of sports with mission. I have been invited by youth workers in Nepal to teach cricket to girls in secondary schools and colleges, initially in Pokhara and Kath-mandu. I will be leaving in early September. I am raising funds for this vital sports ministry by teaching salsa at church and youth events. If you would like to know more, email me: chulzsalsa@gmail.com

Helen, what led you to be part of the CMS pioneer mission course?

I wanted to do the CMS pioneer course because for the past four years I’ve been running a comedy club. Although it’s not a Christian comedy club, it is run by a Christian and operates under a clean, less offensive ethos with Kingdom values. In addition to the comedy world, I’m also wanting to link with the fitness world. I’ve developed links with my local gym and talked with people there about how I might help gym users think through their emotional or even spiritual issues whilst they work on their external ones. Knowing about the CMS pioneer training course and knowing course leader Jonny Baker for a few years, I felt I needed to be somewhere that could offer support as I further develop both of these areas. Whilst I am here to think

theologically, I also really value this network of people who “get it”, who understand what I’m trying to do.Tell us more about the people you are engaging with.My heart is for two communities. One is comedians, who often travel the length of the country alone. Sometimes they may have had a bad gig, they may question themselves; it can be a struggle. Often they bare their heart and soul on stage, and who supports them emotionally? There’s a gap there. You often see chaplains for football clubs, theatres, etc, but what about the comedy world? I’ve always been interested in comedy. Whilst doing my masters in youth ministry and theological education, I did a dissertation on Christianity and humour. One night, I woke suddenly with the idea to start a comedy club with a less offensive ethos. Lots of people gave me lots of reasons to wait but the passion was too big so I set it up and it got so much media attention..BBC One, The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, etc. It’s been running for four yeas now and the gigs are regularly sold out. The club attracts some comedians of faith, any faith, who like to work under our ethos. Other comedians see it as a challenge. For many, I’m the nearest thing they have to a spiritual leader and many comedians suffer from depression so

I am there for them.The other group I’m concerned about is the fitness world. My background is in youth work and at the gym, I often meet people who were in a youth group, who have now grown up with unresolved issues. I meet people who struggle with self esteem issues, eating disorders, who are stressed and they are coming to the gym to punch it out, but I want to see how I can encourage them to deal with what’s going on inside. How is the pioneer course helping you so far?My calling seems to be shifting from youth work after 15 years, to a different direction. Doing this course is focusing my thinking. I’m thinking about who God wants me to be. It’s kind of strange to see God using me more outside the church these days and it’s good to be with a group of people who understand and accept that, who know what it’s like to be on the edge. The course is helping me keep theology on my agenda. I want to keep coming back to God’s mission and the Bible.

Pioneer Profile: Helen Tomblin

Helen Tomblin

Could the CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training Course be for you? Or for someone you know? To learn more, see www.pioneer.cms-uk.org or email pioneer@cms-uk.org Could you be a Pioneer Friend? Pioneers need people to come alongside them in prayer, understanding and support. To sign up to be a Pioneer Friend, go to www.pioneer.cms-uk.org/friends

We, the Parish of St Barnabas with Christ Church Worcester, lack a vicar, have an empty vicarage and have an area of deep social and spiritual need. So what do we do?About fifteen concerned Church of England people literally drew a vision with pen and paper. What came out of this practical activity was the inspiration to create a bit of heaven on earth, exactly from where we are. The empty vicarage was drawn with its door open, faces at all the windows, vegetables growing, food being cooked and eaten, all sorts of people flowing in and out of the house from near and far. Other things mentioned were a rule of life, longevity, sustainability and hands-on social action. Fulfilled people were dotted around; a spiritual glow filled the paper. The vicarage was to become a mission house.A core group of interested people have been meeting regularly to move the project forward. So two years on in September a Church Army Officer and his family are to move into the vic-arage, and we are able to offer him a part- time job. A second mission house is on the horizon to make sure that this mission is not one-per-son led, and a garden project is developing. A community is being forged.

The Tolladine mission story so far By Susan Martyr

Friday 8 April. A seven-hour train ride from Edinburgh to Oxford gave me plenty of time to focus on what lay ahead. I was traveling to the induction weekend for the CMS mission trip to DR Congo (25 June-12 July) and at this point I had not met any of my team. What would they be like? Thoughts of this and visas, CRB checks, vaccinations and finances kept me oc-cupied until I arrived at CMS.Steve Johnson, our trip coordinator, greeted me at the door by name. I thought this was a great touch – very warm and an illustration of good attention to detail. As the weekend went on, Steve further illustrated that we’d be in safe hands on what is guaranteed to be a challenging trip.Friday evening: This trip wouldn’t be much good if we didn’t lift it to the Lord from the out-set and so we did. This provided relief; worries don’t seem so great when you aren’t carrying the weight of them on your own shoulders.Saturday: One of the more entertaining as-pects of the residential weekend was that van-ity and self consciousness are stripped away

pretty quickly! Sitting round a breakfast table with strangers is a wonderful way to force people to forget about their make-up or hair. Getting to know people in such a setting can put you outside your comfort zone, which is ideal for what’s ahead.The subjects of gospel and culture were on the menu for the rest of the day: We talked about how to communicate the gospel and how not to come across as spoilt westerners. We discussed how we are going to embrace our Christian family on another continent and if we bring our preconceptions and agendas, they will only get in the way. Sunday brought the end of the weekend and signaled the forming of our mission team. I am sure that my fellow travellers will endorse this request for prayer.

Matt’s blog: http://now4somethingcom-pletelydifferent.wordpress.com For upcoming Encounters: www.cms-uk.org/encounter

DR Congo via OxfordMatt Barber begins his CMS Encounter Mission Community journey

Two bricks, ten thousand miles By Ian HarveySaturday 29 January saw the placing of the first brick on the foundations of Maison Josue Manda, a house we are building for street children from Lubumbashi. This brick was sent by one of my CMS link churches, St Helen’s Church Wheathamp-stead. The brick came from their churchyard wall, which St Helen’s are in the process of renovating. It is thought to be over 100 years old and created a lot of interest locally! In turn, Kimbilio, our project, sent one of our bricks to Wheathamsptead. This was a great way to symbolise the link between us both. Josue Manda was one of our valued volunteers, who tragically drowned in an accident before Christmas. This house will be named in his hon-our and to represent the contribution he made to the life of Kimbilio. Thanks to Zoe Rew running the London marathon in support of Kim-bilio, we now have the funds for the foundation of this building.

Where there’s a will Christian solicitor Henry Anstey answers frequently asked questions about making a will

If I don’t make a will, will my loved

ones automatically inherit?

Making a will is one of the most important

steps that you will take in your life. All too

frequently people assume that their nearest

and dearest will automatically receive their

assets. For those without a will, the intestacy

rules set out whom the state thinks should

get what. This may not be what you want or be in the most tax efficient way.Can I leave a gift to CMS without making a will? Charities receive nothing automatically so unless you include them they do not fea-ture under the intestacy rules. If you want to benefit favoured charities on your death then making a will is essential.

Can giving a gift to CMS in my will help me to avoid tax?Charities (and churches) are exempt from Inheritance (and other) taxes and so a be-quest to charity does save you tax. If you

leave 10 per cent of your estate to charity

then the government will reduce the inheri-

tance tax rate from 40% to 36% on the rest

of your estate. The current “nil” rate band

is £325,000 for individuals and potentially

£650,000 for spouses or civil partners, pro-

vided that the first spouse leaves their entire

estate to the survivor. Tax is then paid on the

excess at 40%.

CMS greatly values gifts from wills. To learn how to make a lasting difference by including a gift to CMS in your will, contact Hannah: hannah.caroe@cms-uk.org or 01865 787400

New FREE CMS Harvest resource, Food for Thought, now available to download: www.cms-uk.org/harvest

to events: www.cms-uk.org/events

to CMS people

In your area18 June Birmingham CMS Association, Knowle male voice choir’s annual concert. Venue: Knowle Parish Church, Knowle, Solihull, B93 OLN. Time: 7pm. Contact: ann@bower.me.uk

23 June Hull and District CMS Association AGM summer meeting and speaker at the Church of Ascension, Hull. Time: 7.45pm. Contact: angelasamuel_9@msn.com

25 June CMS Yorkshire meeting. ‘From Everywhere to Everywhere’ - mission around the world in 80 minutes; what God is doing in South America, Kashmir, Uganda and Sierra Leone. Venue: St John the Evangelist, Lepton, Huddersfield, HD8 0EW. Time: 10.30am–3pm. Contact: Linda Hunter at mutagwok@aol.com or phone 0114 236 3480.

28 June Birmingham CMS Association, buffet supper and talk: The Arab World – a window of opportunity? Speakers: CMS’s Tanas Alqassis and Bishop Maurice Sinclair. Venue: St Stephen’s Church, Selly Park. Time: 7pm. Cost: £6 Contact: Ian Knowles on 01564 782493 or email esleyknwls@yahoo.co.uk

6 July Fundraising at St Crux - the parish hall of All Saints’, Pavement, York city centre. Time: 10am–4pm. Refreshments, cakes, books, bric a brac. Contact: Miranda Smith on 01904 424322 or Jean Mackay on 01904 412971.

15-16 July CMS Wales conference, Hebron Hall, Dinas Powys. Cost £75. Details from Val Major: v.major1@ntlworld.com or 02920 313492

5 September York & District CMS Association, Prayer Lunch. Venue: The Spurriergate Centre, York. Prayers for the World Church. Time: 11am to 12 noon, followed by fellowship lunch in the centre for those who want to stay. Contact: Neill Mackay on 01904 412971

12 September Maidstone and Malling group annual meeting at Holy Cross Church, Bearsted. Speaker: Andrew Parfitt. Also speaking at St Luke’s church at the two Sunday (11 Sept) services. Contact:trishasandberg@talktalk.net

13 September Fundraising at St Crux, the parish hall of All Saints’, Pavement, York city centre. Time: 10am–4pm. Refreshments, cakes, books, bric a brac. Contact: Miranda Smith on 01904 424322 or Jean Mackay on 01904 412971

24 September Connect Live (formerly Members’ Day) for Southern members and friends, CMS Oxford, 10am-4pm, Bring and share lunch, RSVP to Anita Matthews: 01865 787496 or anita.matthews@cms-uk.org

5 October Mission Partner Fellowship meeting, All Saints’ Church Hall, Greenbanks Close, Milford-on-Sea, SO41 OSQ. Time: 11am–4pm. Contact: Elizabeth Edmunds on 01425 610797

8 October Connect Live (formerly Members’ Day) for Northern members and friends, St Mark’s Broomhill, Sheffield, 10am-4pm RSVP to Anita Matthews: 01865 787496 or anita.matthews@cms-uk.orgOr Linda Hunter: mutagwok@aol.com

14 October Harrogate CMS Action Group, Supper and talk with Ed and Marie Brice, mission partners in Asuncion, South America. Venue: St Mark’s Church Harrogate. Contact: Tony and Pat Ninham on 01423 873617 or email: patninham@tiscali.co.uk

14 October Norwich Diocese, fish and chip supper (£5) and talk – How does the community of an association fit into the community of CMS, with CMS’s Anita Matthews. Venue: St Paul’s Church, Tukswood, Norwich. Contact: Douglas Durrand on 01263 822388

12 November Harrogate CMS Action Group, coffee and lunch at Wesley Chapel, Harrogate. Time: 10am–2pm. Contact: Tony and Pat Ninham on 01423 873617 or email: patninham@tiscali.co.uk

National events18–21 July CMS People in Mission conference and core training at All Nations, Ware, Hertfordshire

13 September CMS Pioneer Mission Leadership Training course starts its new academic year. You can sign up to the full course or dip into individual modules (including Missional Entrepreneurship and the Bible’s Big Story) throughout the year. For more information, see pioneer.cms-uk.org

14–18 September Sponsored challenge: cycle ride from London to Paris. Phone 01865 787521 or email hannah.caroe@cms-uk.org

13 October Sponsored challenge: Trek the Great Wall of China. Phone 01865 787521 or email hannah.caroe@cms-uk.org

NEXT CONNECT: AUTUMN 2011

Send your stories to naomi.steinberg@cms-uk.org

Ben and Katy Ray departed to Iringa, Tanzania on 12 May as new mission partners serving at Neema Crafts.

Meanwhile, Matt Caldicott has become a SALT partner, working in Britain.

At CMS’s office in Oxford, we welcomed Debbie James back from maternity leave in March. She is working part-time as discipleship team leader. Meanwhile, Berdine van den Toren took up a new part-time role in April as mission learning and development advisor for the pioneer leadership team.

WelcomeMission partners Anne Lapage and Kevin Simmons went to Kilolo, Tanzania on 1 March, where both have teaching roles. For Anne this is simply returning to where she was posted as a CMS mission partner before the couple got married in North Wales in September last year. For Kevin it’s a new venture.

David and Rine Ingelby, with children Sem and Joanna, are new mission partners working in South Asia. David’s ministry is community building, while Rine’s is cross-cultur-al training.

22 October Sponsored challenge: Skydive Hinton, Oxfordshire. Phone 01865 787521 or email hannah.caroe@cms-uk.org

17–21 October Building missional community, with CMS’s Chris Neal. Venue: Lee Abbey, Devon. For more details, see www.leeabbey.org.uk/devon/programme or email anita.matthews@cms-uk.org

24–28 October Navigating the future (A week for curates) in partnership with CMS, with CMS’s Chris Neal. Venue: Lee Abbey, Devon. For more details, see www.leeabbey.org.uk/devon/programme or email anita.matthews@cms-uk.org

Resource Mission weekends:

18–20 November Small missional communities, Bradford

9–10 December Mission arts and culture, London

3–5 February 2012 Mission at the margins, Kingston

23–25 March 2012 Transforming communities, Manchester For more information, see www.resourcemission.com

2–4 December CMS Mid-Africa Conference 2011, High Leigh, Hoddesdon, Herts. Details to follow.

To find out where your link

mission partner will be

speaking about their work

when they are

visiting the UK, see

www.cms-uk.org/linkvisits

FarewellCMS mission partners Gwen Carlisle and Mags Southern have transferred to SAMS Ireland and will continue their ministry at St Andrew’s School, Asuncion in Paraguay where they are head and deputy head respectively. We wish them every blessing with SAMS Ireland.

At CMS’s office in Oxford we said farewell to discipleship team administrator (previously deputation supervisor) Nicole Kuisis at the end of March. Nicole had lent her many talents to CMS for four years. She hopes to travel and then begin full-time study from September.

DEATHSDecember 2010Vivien Mills, Iran and Egypt 1949–67

March 2011Margaret Caroe, Nigeria and Sierra Leone

Joan Cook, Sudan 1947–1955

AprilNancy Mahy, Nigeria and Sierra Leone 1954–1976

Church Mission Society, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6BZ t: 01865 787400

CMS is a mission community acknowledged by the Church of England A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales, charity number 1131655, company number 6985330, registered office: CMS, Watlington Road, Oxford OX4 6BZ

Ways to connect to the CMS communityLink with mission partners: Julie Hinckley: julie.hinckley@cms-uk.org or 01865 787524

Get involved in everyday mission: www.wearesayingyes.orgEncounter Mission Community trips:

Steve Johnson: stephen.johnson@cms-uk.org or 01865 787495Local groups and associations: Barbara Oakley: barbara.oakley@cms-uk.org or 01865 787487Community events, forums, networks, communities of practice: Anita Matthews and Pippa Soundy: anita.matthews@cms-uk.org or pippa.soundy@

cms-uk.org 01865 787496 or 01865 787491Changes to personal details or mailings: Kate Hall: kate.hall@cms-uk.org or 01865 787467Giving: Ferrol Brown: ferrol.brown@cms-uk.org or 01865 787468

40 Days of Yes for the whole family By Anna DakinThe CMS membership resource 40 Days of Yes has now been specially adapted by CMS mission partner Ruth Radley in Sudan to make it more interactive for families and young people. This new version still includes a Bible verse, a reflection, and a prayer for each day, but there is also a suggested activity to encourage thought, discussion and action on the day’s theme. For example, day 38 is focussed on what you can do to help your community. You are asked to find a local newspaper, then, “Cut out any articles of where people are in pain and suffering. As you place them in front of you, pray for the people involved and others whose stories are similar but untold. Ask the Lord to show you what you can do in your community. If you are with others, after you have prayed, talk about what your response might be.” This is just one of 40 ideas that are there to encourage both children and adults to see mission as part of their day to day lives in a practical and fun way. To see and use this resource, go to www.cms-uk.org.

Issuing forum invitationsLatin America By Tim Greenhalgh Whether you’ve had an interest in Latin America for a long time, a short time or it has yet to happen, then the CMS Latin America forum is the place for you. The aim of the forum is to develop a dynamic net-work that facilitates various opportunities for everyone to engage with all aspects of mis-sion in South America. Whatever your age, wherever your interest, there’s something you can contribute to – and receive from the Latin America Forum. For more infor-mation, contact Jo Hazelton: jo.hazelton@cms-uk.org or 01865 787400

(Mid) Africa By William ChallisFor many years the Mid-Africa forum has played a key role in encouraging prayer and practical support for the church and our mission partners in the Great Lakes region. We are in the process of expanding our am-bit slowly so that we can work more closely in parallel with the work of CMS Africa and the Africa region in CMS UK, without los-ing our historic commitment to Mid-Africa. We are starting by making connections with Sudan, the whole of Uganda and Zambia. We would value expanding the forum with a few new members with expertise and contacts in those countries. If you feel you might be able to do this, please contact Steve Burgess: steve.burgess@cms-uk.org or 01865 787400

Communal living at its best Paul Kollman reflects on adapting to house-of-mission lifeLike missiologists-in-residence before me, I live in House 244 - the CMS community house in Oxford. Sharing a common life has been a most enjoyable part of my immersion into CMS. I am grateful for the welcome accorded me and for the inspiring sisters and brothers who have supported and challenged me.The house is spacious and comfortable. We are eleven people, with eight belonging to two families who live in small apartments on the top floor. Most leave during the day—me to CMS or the Bodleian, parents with children to a park or nursery, others to workplaces. Improving weath-er, however, has made our backyard a lovely sanctuary for relaxation while children play. We have an impressive vegetable garden along with some hens. I have appreciated our common efforts to embody stewardship of creation through our purchases and consump-tion patterns.As a Catholic priest normally living in a student residence at my university in the US, I am un-used to living with children. At times I find my-self grateful for my small apartment--read: ref-uge--from clamoring play and shrill voices that sometimes echo about the house. Much more prevalent, however, has been an appreciation of the sweet liveliness of the small ones and the loving attention given them by their parents.We gather most evenings for meals we take turns preparing. We meet and pray together weekly. We laugh often and easily, sometimes over miscommunications caused by the aston-ishingly many mistakes in English English (why “rocket” for arugula? What is a swede—in lower case?)Appreciative of friendships formed, I have drawn strength from the integrity with which we, singly and together, try to walk our paths faithfully in Christ.

Sponsored cycle ride: First place for CMSTwo keen and energetic supporters recently took part in a home counties’ cycle ride on behalf of CMS.Max Baker-Hytch, an Oxford PhD student, took on the 25 mile ride whilst George Karavias, who works in recruitment, went for the 50 mile event. Max (pictured) completed the ride leagues ahead of his fellow competitors. Max said: “The cycle ride took us on a circuit through a mixture of sleepy Surrey suburbs with the gentle backdrop of the Thames interspersed with the mayhem of the main roads into London. I took just over two hours to get round, which I don’t think is too bad considering I’m normally used to cycling no more than a mile and a half in one go.” The duo’s fundraising efforts will help CMS share Jesus and change lives worldwide. Why not follow in Max and George’s tyre-tracks? CMS is offering all sorts of other challenges; you can run or walk 10k on the Olympic marathon course, run the Brighton Marathon, or even trek to Machu Picchu or climb Mt Kilimanjaro. For a gentler challenge, supporters can walk 10k through the South Downs in May 2012.For more information see www.cms-uk.org/chal-lenges and contact Hannah on 01865 787521 or email hannah.caroe@cms-uk.org