The Church of St Mary Rushden Northamptonshire

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MISSION NEWS                                                    September 2011 

LATEST LETTER FROM BISHOP ABELINO AND PATY in Chile

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

I am sending you the prayer requests that we have published in our own church bulletin for this month of September. We are so grateful to you all for praying for us.

 

1.                  We thank the Lord for all those who worked together on Monday August 15th seeking to give our church building a face-lift, and making us more visible in the community. Can we pray that more of us will be able to offer their gifts as a witness to their commitment to the Lord?

2.                  We also give thanks for those who took part in the Sunday School’s spiritual retreat last Saturday. It was really very edifying, and we are keen to repeat it on Saturday, 24th of this month. Please go on praying for this children in the neighbourhood of the church as we are very keen to bring the Gospel to them and their parents.

3.                  The Community Centre is an activity we have developed for the most vulnerable children in the area. Lucila is in charge of this every afternoon from  Monday to Friday . We pray the children will come know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

4.                  Our church supports and prays for two missionaries working overseas. One is Veronica Vega in India and Andrea Guerrero in Morocco. Please join us in this.

5.                  Youth ministry. We thank God for the dedicated work of Emanuel and Melanie, the couple who guide and teach the young people every Saturday. We pray that more will join and grow in the Lord.

6.                  The church of Conchalí is under our pastoral care at this time. We thank God for their perseverance every week in spite of having very demanding jobs. We pray they will grow in number and in faith.

7.                  18th September is our national independence festival. Also, September is Bible Month. We thank God for his faithfulness to our country and the freedom of expression which enables us to preach the Gospel. We pray for our government, for God to give our leaders wisdom in their leadership of the country. We pray for the services to be held all over the country in celebration.

8.                  Bishop Abelino is to visit the churches in Concepción for confirmations and other activities. Pray that the visit will be a real encouragement for them.

9.                  Our mission in the high Andes up the Bio-Bio valley. A group of our members will journey with Abelino from October 8th – 11th to encourage the Christians in their growth. We pray that everyone will be able to raise the funds for the journey and that they will rejoice as they find people blessed by their visit.

Don’t forget our page   www.iglesiaanglicanadelsalvador.blogspot.com  where we publish our news and biblical teaching.

 

May the Lord bless you all as you love and serve him.

 

Your friends Abelino and Paty


August 2011
 

 

To our beloved brothers and sisters in the churches which so faithfully support us. Please receive our greetings from The Church of the Saviour in San Joaquín, Santiago.

 

I want first to thank you for your fellowship and encouragement that you have offered us through your prayers and generous support. Many thanks. Even at this distance we feel ourselves very close to you all. We always remember with special affection, We trust you are all well, with the Lord’s gracious help.

In our fellowship here we all pray for you, praying that the Lord will prosper you especially as you see your church growing. We thank God that Bishop Colin and Barbara were able to visit our church recently and to preach the Word. It was with great joy that the brethren were able to remember “old times” with them.

 

Thank God the church is advancing in different ways. At the start of the year, we decided to make some improvements to the façade of the church, with practical help given by members of the church. The work was done with great joy as we all worked together. Thank God we have a number of new members who helped us. We ask your prayers that we will continue to grow.

We recently held a “Thanksgiving” service. Each member was asked to bring some product that they had made themselves as an expression of gratitude to the Lord for all that they have. As each brought their gift they gave testimony to how God had prospered them in their work or business. We sold all the products and dedicated the money to the Lord’s work. Everyone took part with great enthusiasm. However we continue to pray for those who are still unemployed.

 

Praise God and thanks to your help, our church now rejoices in the sewing room. The ladies meet there to pray, study the Word, and to work in different types of sewing, making bathroom curtains, sheets, window curtains etc. Again, all they produce is sold, with a percentage going to those ladies who make the products and the remainder to meet some needs in the church. We pray that other ladies from the area will join us in this project and also to hear the Gospel.

I ask your prayers for my own activities, as part of my time is given to this congregation and the remainder is to assist Bishop[ Tito Zavala in his Episcopal work. But all this has been a new stage in my ministry with new challenges to serve the Lord as he permits me.

I thank God for this new part of my “School of Life” in this huge city with so much family breakdown, corruption and social problems. May the Lord help us to be a blessing to the most needy.

 

Prayer Needs:

1.                  Our congregation also has pastoral responsibility for the church in Conchalí a borough in the North end of the city.

2.                  In October, we plan to make a congregational visit to the church among the Pehuenche people in the high Andes further South.. Pray for  those of us who will form the team that we will be a real blessing to the folk there.

3.                  One of our great desires is to reach the children of this area. Pray for Luis who has charge of the activities of the Sunday School.

4.                  The Sunday School teachers have felt the need for a time apart together for themselves and also to introduce others to this ministry. It is planned for August 27th.

5.                  We thank God for answering the prayers of several who have found employment recently. We continue to pray for some others.

6.                  On August 20-21st, I will be visiting the church in Arica on the border of Chile with Peru in the North. Pray that it will be a blessing for them.

7.                  We thank God for those in Conchalí who are studying the Word through the SEAN courses. We trust it will be important for their growth to maturity.

8.                  Several here have asked that we have a half night of prayer. We have set September 3rd apart for this and we have invited the Christians from Conchalí to join us.

Do visit             wwww.iglesiaanglicanadelsalvador.blogspot.com           where you’ll find news, sermons and study material.

With all our love,

Abelino and Paty


 
MISSION NEWS                           July / August 2011

 

As you are aware Brian and Val Hodgkin working for Wycliffe Translators in the UK on behalf of another country.  Wycliffe is truly an international organisation and has close ties with Japan. However because of the earthquake earlier this year, Wycliffe’s regular work has had to cease. The staff have had to be involved in coordinating aid supplies for many of their partner churches and supporting them in the rebuilding process.

More recently Wycliffe members have seen the impact of violence in the Ivory Coast where members from the UK are involved in projects. All Wycliffe members are safe, as indeed they are in Japan. This does not diminish the concern for our partners in the Ivory Coast.

However in March a Wycliffe translator was killed in a terrorist bomb blast in Jerusalem. As well as praying for the work of the Bible translators, we also need to pray for their safety.

We have a number of dates to tell you about, all in the autumn. We have two visiting preachers, James Archer of the Church Army on November 6 and Rev Liz Kerr, former curate at St. Mary’s on December 4 (is that winter?).  Liz has spent three years in Uganda since her retirement.

The Mid-Northants Church Mission Society (CMS) Area Committee arranges two meetings each year, usually to talk about Mission work in Africa. Their next meeting is on Thursday October 6 and will be held in St. Mary’s Church Hall. Chris and Eta Jones who were Mission partners in Uganda and have served on the CMS General Council will be speaking after a hotpot supper. Previous hotpot suppers that I have attended, both in Irchester Church, have been excellent. It is hoped that by having this meeting at St. Mary’s, there will be good support from St. Mary’s congregation.

The date for the Mission coffee morning and quiz evening has changed, now they will both be on Saturday October 29.

Don’t forget to look at the Mission noticeboards, either the one in church or the one in the Church Hall, or of course the website.

                                                                                                                                         Peter Chamberlain

MISSION NEWS                              November 2010
 

Mission Finance Update

 

Once again it’s the time of the year to say thank you for all that has been given over the last twelve months to support our Mission partners whether here or overseas.

 

The Church Council has again allocated 10% of the Church’s general income to be donated to mission and this year it amounts to £10,300, which will be split between the various Societies we support. £2,060 will be given to support Brian & Val Hodgkin still working with Wycliffe but based in Nottingham, £2,060 to Church Pastoral Aid Society (our Church’s Patron), £2,060 to South American Mission Society where we help support Bishop Abelino and £2,060 towards the support of Anita and Colin Smith in Kenya through Church Mission Society. The remaining £2,060 will be split equally between the Church Army and the Langham Partnership.

 

In addition to this we have been able to send £250 to CMS to help towards a Falcon Camp for under privileged children and £100 to Church Mission to the Jews.

 

Once again the Lent appeal organised by the Ladies’ Group was very successful and just over £769 was sent to Wateraid, and another £120 was raised for this at the Party in the Park.

 

We have also been able to send £570 (half of the Garden Party proceeds) to Kenya to help set up a Homework Club in the slums of Nairobi.

 

Collections were taken in church as a response to the Pakistan floods & Chilean earthquake and we were able to send £535 and £187 respectively.

 

Our thanks go to all the people who have so generously given over the past year and it is good to see that in these continuing difficult financial times the church can still look outside its boundaries and support others worse off than us.

 

 

Bob Bates

  
MISSION NEWS                                     June 2010

Mission

Richard and Sue Kellow (and Emily) have nearly finished their link church visits and their period of service with CMS.  They have said their final thanks and farewells and have appreciated the support given by the churches over the past few years. 

They ask for continued prayer for the people of Rwanda, particularlly for the Rwandan Presidential Election in August. 

Richard has been selected for ordination training in the Church of England later this year.  We wish him every success.

 

We already have a replacement family to support in Africa, Colin and Anita Smith and their children Sheila and Sandie in Kenya.  Colin heads up a centre for Urban Mission, where pastors are trained, churches helped to set up small business projects and where there are HIV/AIDS ministries and homework clubs for young people. Anita ministers at the Anglican Cathedral and among the expat and settler community.  We hope to meet them next year when they are on leave.

 

For three years we have also supported Lizz Kerr in Uganda.  Liz is a former curate at St mary's and will be visiting to preach at the 9-30 and 11-15 services on Sunday 4th July, after which there will be a bring and share lunch.

 

We have recieived a short communication from Abelino and Paty in Chile: 'Give thanks that we survived the earthquake.  The flat was only slightly damaged but a lot of crockery was broken.'  They are looking forward to various projects later this year.

                                         

                                        Peter Chamberlain

 

 From Brian & Val

As we look back over our 25 years work we are so thankful for the partnership with you all.  You have encouraged and supported us through 23 years in Papua New Guinea and now through the beginning of our new assignment based in UK.

 

During our time in PNG you prayed us through the years working with the Menya people and then encouraged us through various job changes until the PNG team asked Brian to take on the leadership of all the work in the country.  Now you are there for us as we take on the leadership of a team seeking to see Scripture translated into the minority languages of a large West Asian country. Our team is scattered throughout Britain and Europe.  Experts in computing, and the different aspects of the translation task seek to support exiled nationals from our focus country as they translate God’s Word into their own language.

 

Thank you for your prayers and support as we make this big change. We are now based in Nottingham but travel often to meet with our team members face to face. When we began our work we had two small children.  Now we have four adult children and three grandchildren!

 

Thank you once again for all you have done and are doing to help us keep on keeping on with our aim to see every person in the world have access to scripture  in a language they understand.