News & Stories

Mission has often been viewed as being from the north to the south and from the west to the rest of the world. Over the last couple of centuries, this type of outreach helped foster and preserve the witness of the Church in the majority (non-western) world.

Tribute to Gary Nelson

General Secretary of CBM 2000-2010

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Gary Nelson was one of the most influential Christian leaders in Canada with a reach that spanned across the world. We mourn his passing in January 2024 but also celebrate his fruitful and abundant life of ministry:

The Baptist World Alliance thanks God for the life and legacy of Gary Nelson! During his long involvement with the global Baptist family, Gary served as BWA Vice President, Chair of the Baptist World Aid Committee, and as a member of the General Council and Executive Committee. Gary helped shape the BWA on the Baptists in the 21st Century Committee and the Implementation Task Force. He welcomed new groups to the BWA as part of the Membership Committee and called others to missional living through his involvement with the Living Water Evangelism Program and Church Leadership Commission. Yet Gary’s impact on the BWA far outreaches his involvement on committees and commissions. Gary left a mark that will be felt for generations to come, and he did so with grace, humor, wisdom, and most importantly, with love.

— Julie Justus, Director of Global Partnerships & Unity, Baptist World Alliance

Some people we meet leave a pleasant and lasting impact on us. Gary Nelson was one such person. I first met Gary in 2002 when he was General Secretary for Canadian Baptist Ministries. LSESD was a fairly young ministry at the time, yet I remember being very impressed by the depth of his knowledge of our ministry, and both our Lebanese and Middle East contexts. I could see that his interest was genuine as was his offer to help. He instantly put his words into action. Gary was a resilient, solution-oriented leader. Able with his reassuring smile and sensible wisdom to tackle situations of crisis with a contagious sense of calmness. Gary loved the Middle East. He loved the people of the Middle East. And he certainly loved the Church in the Middle East.

— Nabil Costa, CEO THIMAR (LSESD), Lebanon

I first met Gary in Kigali at the inauguration of the AEBR (Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda) office and again in India where we spent an afternoon playing volleyball together, shouting to celebrate each point. I remember those times with joy. Gary loved people and was very humble, approaching everybody. I was amazed by his humble leadership and observed his influence on those around him. Gary led by example. He was my role model in my own leadership position, and I will continue to imitate him. May God continue to help us lead by example as Gary did.

— Gato Munyamasoko, CBM Peace and Reconciliation Specialist, Africa

Dr. Nelson’s hard work and visionary leadership manifested through his big heart for Africa and especially for us in the ABC (Africa Brotherhood Church) …we collaborated to establish several community and social intervention projects that have helped us to preach, both in word and action, the message of the love of Christ to a world. We celebrate the rich life of a brother that loved the church in Africa and a committed and honest friend …we loved and cherished our time together, especially at ABC. May the Lord rest his soul in peace.

— The Most Rev. Dr. Timothy Ndambuki, Archbishop of the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC), East, Central and Southern Africa.

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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 12.
To read the whole issue Click Here.

The Results are in from the Steps to End Hunger Campaign

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Thanks to you we exceeded our Active in Mission goal of $100,000 toward food security programs all over the world, including right here in Canada. You have helped feed vulnerable families and provided new hope to the marginalized. Here are a few ways sustainable food security programs are making a difference across Canada and in our world today

The CBWC has a committee known as the Justice and Mercy Network (JMN). This committee picked up from where the broader CBWC community left off after a successful summer of raising funds for CBM’s Active in Mission initiative in partnership with our sister conventions: We ended up with 21 churches applying for assistance with local food security programming…it was a real challenge…but so encouraging to know how many of our churches are currently involved in food security programs. There is talk of forming an affinity group moving forward so they can network together. We are hopeful that this initiative continues and are grateful for the chance to participate! (Louanne Haugen, Director of Communications & Development, CBWC)

Approximately 350 volunteers for Mission Nouvelle Generation in Brossard, Quebec feed about 1,500 families each week of the year. They also offered a variety of important services and initiatives to serve the community such as practical services at low costs and a community garden allowing families access to freshly picked fruits and vegetables. They have a dehydration project to maximize donations and minimize waste by taking the oversupply of fruits and vegetables and transforming them into long-lasting products while preserving their nutritional value. Mission Nouvelle Generation has helped new immigrants and those on the margins of society get back on their feet. Many of them come back as volunteers to give back to society. During the holiday season, Christmas Food baskets were distributed to 2000 families.

In Nairobi, Kenya, Stephen lost his job when his company had to downsize. He decided to move back to his hometown and become a farmer to support his family. He followed the farming practices of his neighbours, but they all experienced crop failure due to the lack of precipitation in the region. He received training in conservation agriculture from CBM’s partner, the ACC&S, alongside several other farmers who were experiencing the same challenges. They all learned how to mitigate the effects of changing weather patterns. Stephen has had a successful harvest from implementing these new measures. His youngest son has also shown interest in conservation agriculture by joining his school’s 4K Club and taking care of his very own plot of land. We’d love to hear your story of how your church community is addressing local food security through Active in Mission. Feel free to post your own stories using #AIM2023, #AEM2023, or #ActiveInMission2023.

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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 12.
To read the whole issue Click Here.

Canadian Baptist Ministries

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We recently shared Emily’s story in our February letter of how efforts from Canadian farmers helped her gain greater food security in Kenya. Here is a story from Lebanon where, through our partner MERATH (Middle East Revive and Thrive), we are able to deliver humanitarian aid and sustainable programming for vulnerable refugees, including food programs.

Pictured right (centre) is Mazen, who works at the distribution centre of his church in the Bekaa Valley, he says:

“The people we serve are in desperate need of help. They suffer from the terrible economic situation and the lack of work, and they can’t even provide food for their children to eat. Many families cannot buy milk for their young children, they tell us they mix water with corn flour or bread instead. These families are not used to being taken care of with unconditional love. It makes a huge difference when we are able to help them in a way that reflects the unconditional love Jesus showed us. It is amazing to them – and to us – that people who don’t even know them and are living very far away, as far as Canada, are thinking about them and have on their heart to help them without asking anything in return. This thought alone fills their hearts with joy and hope. Through our help, you are reminding them that they are not alone, but that we are one family in which we are all brothers and sisters in humanity.”

Heifa* is a beneficiary of the food packages Mazen helps distribute. She shares her story of how you have helped women and families like her own by giving and doubling your impact.

“We were in a difficult situation in Syria. Our house was damaged after being hit by a bomb. Thankfully, we had fled to my brother-in-law’s house at the time. Life was not safe there.

I came to Lebanon with my husband, two kids, my parents and two brothers, and rented a house near the church. I was told that my children can join the school and that the church offers some assistance. We have seen a big difference in our children’s education…they were able to catch up with the rest of the class due to the help and extra effort of their teachers…they get along very well and that makes me happy. They learn hymns and Bible stories.

The church doors are open to all. This is the humanitarian message, to help each other, even though we come from different religions and backgrounds. Once a month, my parents and I get a box of food aid which makes a big difference in our situation. The church also provided us with mattresses and blankets upon our arrival. Our God is a good God. We were all welcomed in the church, although we had no relatives or acquaintances here, we feel a part of this community.

I never expected this kind of help. At Christmas, the church gave us a gift of 20 litres of diesel (for heating), biscuits, chips, chocolate, walnuts, and milk for the children. They were enough for two months. It is costly to provide diesel for heating.

The church is home to us, we attend the meetings and feel comfortable here. My biggest dream was running away from Syria, and now my husband and my children are safe, this is what counts.”

*Name changed for privacy and security purposes.

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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 12.
To read the whole issue Click Here.

Year in Review

Canadian Baptist Ministries

min read2023 HIGHLIGHTS:

Your generosity made all the difference for families and individuals who struggled in various ways this past year. CBM’s local partners work in communities where conflict, changes in climate, disasters, and soaring costs pushed many into a life of uncertainty. Poverty, hunger, health, security are just some of the issues that have become more pronounced in recent times. But you help spread the gospel by bringing hope to a broken world through the practical expression of Christ’s love. It is by being the hands and feet of Jesus that the church is built, one local community at a time.

CRISIS RELIEF RESPONSE

James 2:14-17 reminds us of the importance of marrying our words with actions, especially in times of crisis. You helped CBM support several relief efforts that provided food baskets and hygiene items to individuals impacted by natural disasters such as flooding in South Sudan and Pakistan, droughts in Kenya, and intense storms in Malawi, Rwanda, and Cuba. We were also able to assist thousands of individuals displaced by conflict in regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, and Ukraine, and in refugee camps in Greece and Cyprus.

CBM’s single largest relief project in 2023 was to support winterization efforts in Ukraine. This project provided blankets, heaters, fuel, coats, and other items needed for internally displaced people to survive the winter months.

Our emergency appeal for earthquake relief in Türkiye and Syria raised over $260,000 which went towards food, hygiene kits, winter items (blankets, bedding, jackets etc.), clothing, and psychosocial support.

NEW THEME! CREATION CARE

In line with our stewardship of the earth, we added creation care as a focus area providing our partners with an opportunity to gain knowledge and practical skills beneficial for implementing future creation-minded projects. We provided training for our partner organizations on topics such as waste management, resource conservation, natural disaster risk mitigation, and the theology of creation care. These include the Togo Reforestation Campaign which aims to strengthen the capacity of communities to reforest empty spaces and improve people’s lives. Another such project is the Philippines Disaster Preparedness project which focuses on sharing knowledge and skills among pastors and church leaders on subjects such as managing crises, climate change, reforestation & environmental protection, and food security so that they can pass along that knowledge to their local communities.

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENTS IN 2023 AND INTO 2024

CBM recently formed a partnership with the Baptist Convention of Egypt. Our 2023 collaboration efforts included a project to develop church leaders as well as support for two recreational centres, one for women and another for children and youth. The purpose of these spaces is to create a safe place where individuals have access to social support and educational opportunities.

Our new partnership with the Togo Baptist Convention (TBC) resulted in a successful drinking water project, a conservation agriculture project, and training in both reforestation and integral mission. We look forward to continue collaborating with TBC in 2024.

In Sri Lanka, we began work with Asia Pacific Baptist Aid beyond previous relief-based projects. One endeavour has been implementing the Disability Inclusive Ministries project aimed at training church leaders and congregants on how to include and support individuals with disabilities, an often neglected and isolated segment of the population in Sri Lanka. This project will be continuing in 2024.PHNjcmlwdD4KZnVuY3Rpb24gcmVhZGluZ1RpbWUoKSB7CiAgY29uc3QgdGV4dCA9IGRvY3VtZW50LmdldEVsZW1lbnRCeUlkKCJjYm1yZXNwb25kaW5nNSIpLmlubmVyVGV4dDsKICBjb25zdCB3cG0gPSAyMjU7CiAgY29uc3Qgd29yZHMgPSB0ZXh0LnRyaW0oKS5zcGxpdCgvXHMrLykubGVuZ3RoOwogIGNvbnN0IHRpbWUgPSBNYXRoLmNlaWwod29yZHMgLyB3cG0pOwogIGRvY3VtZW50LmdldEVsZW1lbnRCeUlkKCJ0aW1lNSIpLmlubmVyVGV4dCA9IHRpbWU7Cn0KcmVhZGluZ1RpbWUoKTsKPC9zY3JpcHQ+https://www.cbmin.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CBM-Responding-2024_Winter_Screenshot.png

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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 12.
To read the whole issue Click Here.

Celebrating Together

Word of Welcome

Jennifer Lau, Executive Director

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We have so much to celebrate and share with you in this issue of CBM Responding, particularly as we will be retiring this newsletter after the current issue. CBM Responding has served us well in these interim years as a bridge between the beloved mosaic magazine and what’s next on the horizon for CBM’s publications.

We will continue to share incredible stories from the field where you have helped bring about God’s transformation through the gospel expressed in both words and actions. Be on the lookout for the exciting new ways we will report on your global impact.

Your contributions in 2023 have made significant impacts on families and communities around the world. 121,102 people benefitted from our programs last year. With food security being one of our major areas of focus this past year, nearly 30,000 people received food assistance including sustainable programs for long-term solutions.

For the first time, the entire Canadian Baptist family joined together to raise funds for the Active in Mission campaign. We set a goal of raising $100,000 for food programs both locally and globally. We are thankful for the generosity of Canadian Baptists who helped us to exceed our goal!

2023 was a year of milestones, in which we marked 20 years of the Hopeful Gifts for Change Gift Catalogue and Kids Care mission resource for children. As a founding member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, we joined in celebrating their 40th anniversary.

This year, we are excited to celebrate 150 years of Canadian Baptists serving in global mission together with you. You are part of a long history of faithfulness and prayer that has helped bring hope and healing to a broken world. We have embarked on a 14-month journey looking back at where we came from as well as forward to where God continues to lead us. None of this would be possible without generations of faithful service and the legacy we all share. Canadian Baptist leaders who have walked with us over the years have contributed 14 inspired words that reflect our history and shared hope for the future.

Our world continues to face unforeseen disasters and crises in addition to longstanding issues surrounding war, poverty, and the economy. As part of our creation care focus, our church partner in Togo has implemented a reforestation initiative. Our partner on the ground in the Philippines has started a disaster preparedness project. Topics such as waste management, resource conservation, reforestation & environmental protection are addressed in these programs.

We also look forward to working with our new partners in Egypt and Sri Lanka to provide social supports for women, children, and those living with disabilities by training leaders with strategies for integral mission. You can find out more about these new partnerships and your impact around the world throughout these pages.

Thank you for making all these programs possible, as together we embrace a broken world through word and deed.

Grace and peace,

Jennifer Lau

Executive Director

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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 12.
To read the whole issue Click Here.

Mission has often been viewed as being from the north to the south and from the west to the rest of the world. Over the last couple of centuries, this type of outreach helped foster and preserve the witness of the Church in the majority (non-western) world.

CBM celebrates 150 years of local and global mission next year. Many staff and volunteers have come and gone in that time, and we honour the legacy each have contributed to fulfilling God’s call.

It was an honour to witness the incredible work of God’s people in India when I travelled to our local church partners earlier this year. As we visited many homes and churches from the bustling city of Kolkata to the mountaintops of Nagaland and Mizoram, the passion of our partners in sharing the Gospel – through both word and deed – was evident.

Millions of people continue to need humanitarian assistance as the war in Ukraine rages on. Canadian Baptists alongside Baptist groups around the world faithfully work to respond amid the devastation and tragedy.

Phoebe is the Hospital Chaplain at the Capiz Emmanuel Hospital located in the Philippines. Her daily interactions bring her face-to-face with those struggling with difficult health issues.

It is such a privilege that God uses CBM as a catalyst for pursuing peace and for building up the Church. We accomplish this by being a bridge between what God is doing in Canada and what He is doing around the world.

Spring is often a time of new life and renewal as the last chill of winter gives way to warmer days and a fresh start. These last few years of the pandemic along with a series of catastrophic events around the world, in a way, have been like an extended and brutal winter.

Thank you for making Active in Mission 2022 a great success! You ensured we reached our goal of raising $60,000 towards children’s education in 9 countries around the world.

As a grandmother, witnessing these milestones brings back memories of my own children as they grew as individuals. Being part of a group was a natural next step. Sports were an important factor in this process.

Exciting new initiatives are in progress with our partners around the world. Because of your faithfulness, we are able to reach farther and more strategically to bring hope for a better future.

Spring is often a time of new life and renewal
as the last chill of winter gives way to warmer days and a fresh start. These last few years of the pandemic along with a series of catastrophic events around the world, in a way, have been like an extended and brutal winter.

Your 2022 year in giving, our partnership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and more!

Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Margaret Atwood, Leonardo Di Vinci, Steve Jobs, Joni Mitchell and countless others have created amazing pieces of art, music, innovative technologies, architectural masterpieces and businesses.   

Byron has participated in Canadian Foodgrains Bank programming since its inception in 1983 when his father, Clayton Richardson, was the first board of director to represent CBM.

Recent statistics show that a staggering ten percent of the world’s population are suffering the effects of food insecurity. Your support has helped address the needs of the hungry around the world both with acute needs and in working towards long-term solutions.

Poverty and economic crises, droughts and famines, political and ethnic conflict, and many other humanitarian crises continue to greatly impact the lives of vulnerable populations globally. As we begin a new year, we are renewed in our commitment to share the Word and be co-labourers with Christ to love, serve and bring hope to those in need around the world.  

Thank you for your faithfulness throughout this past year. Your support has enabled us to bring Christ’s message of hope to a world that seems increasingly on the edge. As we forge ahead together into 2023, we look forward to witnessing all that God makes possible through His enduring love.

Ongoing and newly developed conflicts have driven displacement across the globe. According to the UNHCR, 89.3 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide. Sixty-nine percent of refugees and displaced people originated from just five countries (Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar). Children, who account for 30 percent of the world’s population, account for 41 percent of all forcibly displaced people.

The ads for back-to-school shopping were everywhere, and while I tried to ignore them in the middle of summer, my daughters were thrilled with the idea of picking out their school supplies in early August!

For over 40 years CBM has sent individuals and teams from Canada to visit our global partners. These experiences were put on hold in March 2020 due to the pandemic. However, we are excited to be planning SENT experiences again for 2023.

We hear a lot about the value of hard work. Our parents, grandparents, and teachers all promote the message. My husband’s grandfather always asked only one question: “Are you getting enough work?” My paternal grandfather was a teacher, boatbuilder and pattern maker who worked into his mid 80’s, still building boats. Both men lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. They both had a deep-rooted faith and knew that living it out through their work and in all aspects of life was integral and essential to life itself. But somehow this has gone astray, and our lives reflect the unbiblical sacred/secular dualism where what happens at Church on Sunday is ministry, and Monday to Saturday are for secular activities.

At Christmas, churches around the world celebrate God’s gift to us – the Word becomes flesh. This Christmas, CBM wants to help your church community offer this gift of hope to others through our local church partners around the world.

Rob lives in Ottawa with his wife Jill, son Isaac, daughter Nevaeh and two dogs. They moved to Ottawa so that Rob could serve as the pastor of Bromley Road Baptist Church. Previously, Rob served at Heart Lake Baptist Church in Brampton as their associate pastor, West Edge Community Church as their youth pastor, and at Yonge Street Missions Evergreen Youth Center. Rob completed his undergrad at Tyndale University College and received a master’s degree from Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto and another master’s degree from Tyndale Seminary. He also went through the Arrow Leadership Program a few years ago, which was a transformational experience. Rob is currently a student at Acadia Divinity College in their Doctor of Ministry program.

One of CBM’s key causes is to Build the Church around the world. We believe that God brings healing to a broken world through local churches. That’s why we aim to equip and empower congregations to share the gospel and proclaim God’s love in their communities.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13) 

New partnerships, new staff, and opportunities to give a gift of hope this season.

Staff book picks, an update on Ukraine, Introducing Vennture, Meet our new Field Staff Laura Muema, and more!

Food. We all need it – yet around 768 million people in the world experience hunger. At the start of the year, CBM invited Canadian Baptists to feed the hungry through a matching grant opportunity. We asked for you to join us in giving hope to the hungry in places like South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya and Lebanon.

As we look towards Canada’s second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CBM wants to offer resources, articles, songs and the space to reflect as we prepare our hearts and minds for a time of listening and lament on September 30, 2022.

If you are like me, you sometimes need to just make words up, combining two or more common words. They might look a bit strange, but they somehow just seem to fit together rather nicely.

Laura serves alongside the Africa team, contributing to CBM’s overall ministry in the areas of family ministries, social support for vulnerable children, gender equity and empowering women.

According to the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 6.2 million people have fled Ukraine; the vast majority of these are women, children and the elderly. There are more than 3.3 million refugees in Poland alone, along with more than 924,000 in Romania, more than 610,000 in Hungary and more than 464,000 in Moldova. Inside Ukraine, roughly 7.7 million people are internally displaced as a result of the conflict, which is equivalent to 17.5 per cent of the entire population.

Summer is a busy time for us as we complete campaigns that will roll out in the fall and winter seasons. Yet, each of us will find an opportunity to close down our computers and set aside work for planned summer vacations. What are your plans for the summer? Whether on a plane or on a dock, summer provides the time and space for reading. Here are some suggestions from my CBM colleagues for what books to pack in your bag this summer.

Hear from Adrian Gardner about the work happening to help relieve the Ukraine crisis. Meet our newest Global Field Staff, Kathryn Scott. And learn about how Fiona Kwok is Building the Church in Myanmar. All in this issue of CBM Responding.

The email described the efforts made alongside CBM’s partners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the CBCA, and the CEBCE, together with our colleague Polisi Kivava Baudouin, CBM’s Relief and Development Specialist.

Joe and Alexi Bridi chop parsley and mince garlic in their kitchen at home in Lebanon. It looks like any other day preparing food for their family, except for two computers on their kitchen table – one computer camera facing Joe and Alexi and a second pointing toward their kitchen counter.

One of CBM’s key causes is to Build the Church around the world. We believe that God brings healing to a broken world through local churches. That’s why we aim to equip and empower congregations to share the gospel and proclaim God’s love in their communities.

Byron serves alongside the Latin America team, contributing to CBM’s overall ministry in integral mission and global discipleship by facilitating training for church partners, organizing and facilitating SENT trips in Guatemala and El Salvador, and strengthening partnerships and local ministry activities.

Joseph serves with the Chinese Ministries Team, supporting ministry opportunities within the Golden Triangle region. His role also supports existing partner relationships and helps create new connections with Canadian churches.

As we enter the fall season, it is with renewed excitement that we share another issue of CBM Responding with you. Another year is almost upon us, and this is already our fourth quarterly issue for 2021 – we aren’t slowing down now!