Reaching out with clarity
Posted on: 30th November 2022
Ben works with the CMS Mentac program, training people with a specific interest in outreach to Muslims. Here he gives a small insight into the value of learning Arabic in talking about the gospel with Muslim people. “Tell us a story!” My family and I had been in the Middle East for two years and […]
Health fears lead to hope-filled conversations
Posted on: 13th November 2022
CMS missionary Anne* teaches English, and conducts sociological research amongst nomadic people in the Middle East. This gives opportunities for significant conversations about important subjects—life, death, God, hope, relationships. Here Anne tells how one such conversation has led to many more. “So why are they afraid of death?” Om Jamal replied, “Because of the punishment […]
Singing God’s story
Posted on: 16th June 2022
CMS worker J is serving in the Middle East. Here she describes how the telling of Bible stories can open pathways to faith for women and their families. My teammate and I are sitting on mattresses that line the edge of the living room—four refugee women and us. There are five children jostling around me, […]
Stories to remember
Posted on: 17th May 2022
New CMS missionary J will be serving among Muslim women and families in the Middle East. In this article she shares some of her experience of sharing the gospel through stories.
Storytelling effective across cultures
Posted on: 16th May 2022
After decades of parish ministry in Australia, CMS workers Warwick and Caroline have been serving for over eight years in a multicultural city overseas. Caroline writes about the role of storytelling in their current ministry context.
Celebrating redemption with the Easter people
Posted on: 14th April 2022
Last night I went for a walk with a friend in the early evening. The dusty streets of this small Middle Eastern town were uncharacteristically quiet, with hardly a person in sight. Most of the shops were boarded up and the sound of car horns was strangely absent. As we walked, we enjoyed the festive lights hung up across the windows and watched the stray cats dart across the road.
Everyone loves Christmas (and Ramadan and Diwali…)
Posted on: 17th December 2021
After decades of parish-based ministry in Australia, CMS workers Warwick and Caroline have been serving in the Middle East since 2014. Here Caroline shares about life in a city where people love to talk about religion. Everyone loves Christmas, am I right? Well, you might say, it depends on what part of the world you live in. […]
Christmas in the Middle East
Posted on: 9th December 2021
CMS missionaries Malcolm and Charissa Forrest serve at a church in Jordan which ministers to expats from around the world. Charissa shares what Christmas looks like in her city, and the challenge this time of year can be for international workers. Christmas is a strange time to be away from home, especially when you live in a country where […]
Pray without ceasing
Posted on: 18th November 2021
In the Middle East, a number of CMS workers serve in various projects and programs—caring for refugees, sharing life with Muslim families and reading the Bible with local people. These are ministries suffused with prayer. One worker shares a story about her relationship with a refugee family and how the prayers of CMS supporters have […]
Checkpoint Summer 2021: Communicating grace
Posted on: 15th November 2021
CMS worker B serves in the Middle East, teaching English and learning about her adopted culture. Here she speaks of the challenges in communicating grace to Muslims. My lecturer drew her chair closer to mine. It was the last class for my course in formal Arabic at university, and she was conducting a conversational review […]
