News and Events
This page will give you a summary of the many things that are happening around the CMS family. We will list all the things that have happened and will happen. So keep this page in your favourites so you can find out what is going on. We will highlight Recent News that the CMS family will be interested in as well as our upcoming events. Click here to see.
Recent news
Just to let you know I have just spoken with Michelle Jackson in Kobe and all our missionaries in Japan are ok. The quake epicentre was at Sendai 250 k north of Tokyo. Michelle asks that we will pray with them that this terrible tragedy will bring many Japanese people to faith in Christ.
All these disasters feel very apocalyptic. It is worth dipping again into Mark 13 and Luke 21 and Jesus’ teaching about the beginning of the end.
In Christ,
Paul.
CMS NZ
With our recent encounter with Steve Maina, people have been asking about Steve and the CMS NZ office. This email was received from across the ditch.
I met someone today who, after the quake, went back to the CMS office to check on things. Steve Maina was out of town at the time but the rest of the staff were gathered outside with no-one injured. The building itself appeared to be OK. Inside computers had been thrown to the ground and papers and books were everywhere.
Also came in was the experience of two ex NZ Missionaries...
“… the impact on our home side of the city was minimal compared with the east side of town, which along with the central city took the brunt of things. I was over in the east side of town helping to finalize some funeral arrangements. When the earthquake hit I dropped to the ground for protection and was thrown flat. As the shaking continued for what seemed forever, there was the noise of the quake itself along with the shattering of china and glass, the microwave falling etc etc. Strong shakes continued throughout the rest of the afternoon which somewhat hampered the cleanup. Judi & I decided that it would not be a good idea to remain in the house overnight so packed up the two cars with Judi’s things (she is up from Te Anau) and anything of special importance and headed back to our place. To travel a journey that would normally take us 20-30mins took us 3 hours and involved 25kms. It was difficult finding a bridge open over the Avon River and the roads were covered with water and sludge from liquefaction. We also had to contend with soak holes in the roads (a number of cars were firmly stuck nose first) and the huge volume of traffic. As both night and rain fell it all became a bit of a nightmare. We saw so many homes with holes in their roofs where tiles had moved, broken windows, twisted homes, tarmac that had lifted, huge cracks in the roads and flooding. That side of town has no water, power or sewage. This time round we have been fortunate and have all three although we do just wonder where the sewage is going, knowing that the ponds are in the worst hit area!
Today has been rather strange with having to make new very simplified farewell arrangements for tomorrow while at the same time receiving numerous texts, phone calls and e-mails from those wonderful people who care. Thank you. We will now have a short farewell in the open on the lawn at Janet’s home, she will then be cremated and at a later date we will have a memorial service. In the midst of it all I have been receiving birthday wishes for what will be a memorable birthday.
Christchurch will take years to recover from this. Many peoples nerves are frayed to breaking point, a number have headed out of town and of course most of us remain in our homes and continue to feel all the aftershocks which seem a little less in intensity and a bit less frequent. A good night’s sleep would make a difference! …”
Tribute to Bishop John Wilson
Bishop John Wilson died peacefully at home on 22 January after a long battle with cancer. John was a great friend to and a Vice President of CMS. He took a keen interest in CMS mission around the world and was incredibly supportive of any new intitiatives on the part of the Society. John was the chairman of Acorn Press Ltd, which he helped to found in 1979, to publish books by Australian authors to meet needs in Australian churches and society at large. He was consecrated a bishop in the mid 1980’s, after many years of teaching Old Testament at Ridley Melbourne.
Bishop Wilson served as Vicar General of the Diocese of Melbourne between the retirement of Archbishop Peter Watson and the election of the current Archbishop Philip Freier. He leaves behind a legacy of biblical scholarship and leadership that has impacted the lives of many around the world. We will very much miss his energy, wisdom and wise counsel. The courage with which John faced his illness has been a wonderful example of how to face our mortality as followers of Christ.
Please pray for his wife Jill, and daughters Susan and Jenny.
Check out our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CMSVictoria
Checkpoint online
Recently Checkpoint magazine became available online.
Go to http://www.cms.org.au/branch/vic/branch-matters and download your copy now.