JULY 2022
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Building the Church
Your Generosity
Fiona Kwok · Team Leader, Chinese Ministries
min read
In the fall of 2021, CBM invited Canadian Baptists to ‘Empower the church in a Time of Crisis.’ We asked for you to join us in supporting our global partners as they continue to share the gospel and proclaim God’s love in their communities.
Through your generosity, over $120,000 was raised to help support pastors and lay leaders shepherd their churches well. One way these funds are being used is through the Lahu Village Project.
CBM began reaching out to the Lahu villages by providing medical support to the villagers. The hope was that within 10 years, the gospel would be proclaimed to 100 Lahu villages. We knew this was a big vision and we prayed that God would provide us with a mission partner to accomplish it. God answered our prayers, and in 2017, we began a partnership with Pastor Duodu and his team.
Through this partnership, CBM is helping communities improve their quality of life by building clean water supply systems, purchasing buffalos for farming, and constructing multifunctional church buildings. Since we began this project in 2017, Pastor Duodo an his team have visited over 40 villages.
Three years ago, one of the pastors came to Jar Ha Ko’s village and preached the gospel to him and the villagers. Jar has a family of five and earns his living through farming and working as a shaman performing religious ceremonies for the villagers. He refused to accept Jesus during this first meeting, but the team continued to visit the village to provide medical care and preach.
During one visit, Jar approched the team and shared he was having nightmares and feeling afraid. After the pastor prayed for him, he felt peace inside and experienced God’s power. After years of visits, jar accepted Jesus into his life. “It was not easy for me to change my religion,” said Jar. “Fortunately, the pastors didn’t give up on me. I gradually open my heart to Jesus. After accepting Jesus as my savior, I feel safe and free.”
Since 2017, 500 new Christians have been baptized and we have completed building four churches with the fifth one now underway. The Lahu communities hope that the cross on their churches will show that their lives are different now that they have become followers of Christ.
Beyond this, we are also financially supporting three local pastors in these communities. With the support of Canadian churches, CBM and Pastor Duodu will continue their work to proclaim the gospel to the Lahu communities. Please pray that these remote and unreached communities will be transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ.
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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 06.
To read the whole article Click Here.
Uplifting Women
Global Snapshot
Jessica Banninga · Communications Specialist
min read
Women living in low-income countries around the world often struggle with gender biases, illiteracy, and little access to the job market. These factors often keep them in the grips of poverty, struggling to provide for themselves and their families.
Lila and Sirati are both 35-year-old Soura widows belonging to one of the oldest tribes in India. Living in remote villages in East India, the Soura have little access to good medical care. Sadly, something as common as a fever often turns deadly, and both of their husbands died.
Being illiterate and only owning small plots of land, both these women were struggling to provide for the needs of their children. Recognizing their situations, the local church invited Lila and Sirati to enroll in the Empowerment of Soura Widows program. Since joining the program, Lila has received financial assistance to start rearing goats.
With two goats, Lila’s life has been transformed. She can now provide for herself and her children and is able to pay for their schooling. “I want to be an example for my community,” said Lila. “I want to show the other widows that they can be a part of this program. I am thankful that I can provide quality education for my children.”
Sirati was given financial assistance and training to start a tailor shop in her house. Now, by stitching clothes she can earn a daily income! “Within two years, I had saved enough to open and bank account and start depositing my earnings,” said Sirati. “Because of this new income, I can send my daughter to school. I am very thankful that I can sustain my own future.”
Both Sirati and Lila have become an inspiration in their communities. Attitudes have changed and the widows are living a dignified life. Villagers are even showing concern and helping widows, instead of looking down on them. Other widows are seeing that change is possible and are looking to Sirati and Lila as role models in how they can develop their families.
The Empowerment of Soura Widows program is aiding widows like Sirati and Lila in finding ways to break the cycle of poverty and better care for their children by earning an income. By using locally available resources, widows receive the tools and training to begin small business enterprises such as purchasing and selling local goods, creating handicrafts and raising animals. Microenterprise, savings support and training are provided for up to 40 widows a year, with many of the women under the age of 40.
RECOGNIZING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY -MARCH 8
International Women’s Day is a day that commemorates the social, political and economic achievements of women, while also highlighting the barriers and biases that have affected women for many years.
International Women’s Day is a day that commemorates the social, political and economic achievements of women, while also highlighting the barriers and biases that have affected women for many years.
Women in different parts of the world use this day to come together to celebrate one another and rally for equity and representation. At CBM, we interviewed Patty Nacho, Lilian Yang, and Laura Muema, three of our Field Staff, on how the pandemic has affected women and girls in their regions, how CBM is working in their region, how they have seen progress on gender equality, and what advice they have for women and girls.
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This article was from CBM Responding Issue 06.
To read the whole article Click Here.
Job Opportunities
8 week Summer Student Employment Opportunity: Communications Assistant
CBM is seeking a Communications Assistant to work with the Content & Design team.
Get to Know Your Partner in Mission
Get to Know Patty Nacho
CBM Field Staff, Patty Nacho, lives and works in Cochabamba, Bolivia. In this video learn more about her life and ministry.
Get to Know André Sibomana
CBM Field Staff, André Sibomana, has been working with CBM since 2011 and now serves in Rwanda as Africa Team Leader. In this video learn more about his life and ministry.
Get to Know Suraj Komaravalli
Suraj Komaravalli serves as Team Leader for CBM’s ministries in India, helping develop integral mission strategies in CBM’s priority areas of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, and Nagaland.
Get to Know Gato Munyamasoko
Gato joined CBM in 2018 as a Peace and Reconciliation Specialist in Africa, having worked for CBM from 2007 to 2013. Gato supports CBM’s partners in peacebuilding in the region and has developed a Peace & Reconciliation curriculum that is the basis for his work.
Get to Know Joe Bridi
Based in Beirut, Lebanon, Joe Bridi works with CBM’s local partners to develop strategies for ministry and provide support to graduates of Arab Baptist Theological Seminary who are launching ministries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
Get to Know Byron Velásquez
Byron serves alongside the Latin America team, supporting CBM’s overall success in the areas of Integral Mission and Global Discipleship by facilitating venues for instruction & dialogue, and by organizing and facilitating SENT trips in Guatemala & El Salvador, to reinforce partnership agreements and local ministry strategies.
Get to Know the Bustins
The Bustins joined CBM in 2002 to teach at the Kalimantan Theological Seminary in Pontianak, Indonesia, where they helped to train and mentor future leaders for local churches. They moved to Rwanda in August 2012 to work with CBM’s church partner, the Association of Baptist Churches of Rwanda.
Get to Know the Huttons
The Huttons serve alongside CBM’s partners, the Bolivian Baptist Union (UBB) and its development arm OBADES, to build and support effective ministries. These include caring for vulnerable children and women, promoting local economic development, health care initiatives, food security, and responsible environmental practices.
Get to Know Kathryn Scott
Kathryn will be joining the Latin America team, contributing to CBM’s overall ministry in the region. Her role will initially focus on language learning, while also supporting CBM’s partners in Central America.
Get to Know Michael Waddell
Michael has taken on a new role of Senior Associate, Faith+Work and Philippines, where he will provide leadership to the overall strategy and initiatives of CBM within the area of marketplace ministries. He will continue to liaise with CBM’s partners in the Philippines in order to implement, monitor and evaluate...
Read more >Field Staff Ministry Updates
Kwok Ministry Update May 2022
The situation in Myanmar is still difficult. We continue to receive reports from the field. So many of our students, pastors, and alumni have contracted COVID. The high inflation and political unrest still affect daily life. People have no jobs, therefore no money to bring food on the table.
Active in Mission: All Summer Long!
Active in Mission began the week of June 19th-26th. More than one hundred participants answered the call, helping us reach more than 70% of our goal. Many individuals, churches, and groups have asked us if it’s too late to join- it’s not! We will be extending the campaign site throughout the summer, so there is still time to coordinate your own event by going to www.activeinmission.ca