The first day of the week
Travelling to forgotten places : The Diocese of Maiwut, South Sudan
We have now posted the second of our reports on the Rooted in Jesus conferences held so far this year in South Sudan. A team led by Bishop Tim Wambunuya travelled to the Diocese of Maiwut to hold a follow-up conference for over a hundred existing group leaders and more than fifty new leaders.
Maiwut is one of the most under-privileged places we have ever visited with Rooted in Jesus; one team member commented afterwards that the poverty was hard to take. As in many areas of the country, violence remains a part of daily life, food is hard to come by, and the elections due to take place later this year bring the fear of renewed political and social turmoil. And yet people continue to meet, to bring their struggles to God, to support one another and to pray together. The team returned tired but deeply encouraged, carrying the request that we remember them in our prayers.
If you’d like to read the report, it’s here!
Rooted in Jesus in the Northern Bahr el Ghazal Internal Province, South Sudan
We have just posted the second of our team leader reports from the latest Rooted in Jesus conferences. This time it comes from Revd Barry Blackford, who led a blended team on a challenging visit to three dioceses in South Sudan (circled on the map). The three conferences went very well.
The first was for the Diocese of Gogrial, the second for the Diocese of Tonj and the third for the Diocese of Nyamlel – all three within the Northern Bahr el Gazal Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. 331 new leaders were trained and commissioned, and 27 existing leaders (in Nyamlel) refreshed and encouraged.
We were touched to receive these words from Bishop Peter Yuol of the Diocese of Tonj: “May I take this golden opportunity to thank Rooted in Jesus as a Christian organisation for reaching places which have never been reached in the world. No missionaries have ever come to this place, therefore people are thirsty for the gospel. The Bible says a sick person is the one who needs the doctor. Rooted in Jesus is the doctor!”
We have posted Barry’s report on the Rooted in Jesus blog here. If the spoken word is more your kind of thing, you can also listen to a radio interview with team member Revd David Wood here!
As ever, we are grateful to everyone who prayed for the team and the conferences, to the Provincial Office in Juba who printed the books, and to the Relay Trust who provided grants to enable each diocese to cover the costs of the conferences.
Tribute to Ian Cripps
We would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Ian Cripps, a longstanding member of our EQUIP programme, following his death a couple of weeks ago.
Ian was diagnosed with cancer more than four years back, at which point he was given six months to live. Many people prayed for Ian, and he was able to enjoy many more months of active life than expected – partly expressing his love for his family, partly pursuing his passion for golf, but also coming with us on various parish missions, including his last one to Slough. Ian was an enthusiastic and tireless evangelist, and he was always very fruitful on these missions and an example to everyone. It was a particular joy a couple of months ago to listen to Ian sharing his faith on the Nicky Campbell programme.
Ian and Sue have asked Roger to take Ian’s funeral, which will be held in Uppingham Parish Church on Tuesday 5th March at 12.30 pm. All who knew and loved Ian are welcome. Please visit Ian’s tribute page here.
Rooted in Jesus in the Diocese of Northern Uganda
The Diocese of Northern Uganda has just held its first Rooted in Jesus conference! The conference was opened by Bishop Godfrey Loum, and hosted by Preb Simon Cawdell, an experienced Rooted in Jesus leader now serving with CMS as the Diocesan Holistic Discipleship Officer. The conference was held at Gulu Primary School, and was attended by 245 participants, including a group from the neighbouring Diocese of Nebbi and a representative from the Diocese of Kitgum.
This was the largest single conference we have ever run, made possible only thanks to the committed and active participation of the college, school and diocesan staff. The conference itself had been preceded by a diocesan-wide roadshow, with every archdeaconry being visited, prepared and invited to send a participant from each parish. The blended visiting and local teaching team enjoyed working together, the college students rose magnificently to the task of translating the sessions into Acholi and Alur, and everyone went home with a smile on their face. For the UK team – Alison Morgan, Roger Fenton and Hazel Aucken – it was a great privilege to be part of the ministry of this dynamic and ambitious diocese for a few days.
We remain hugely grateful to those who committed themselves to praying for the conference at home, and are glad to hear that, just one week later, groups have already started and plans for follow-up are being put in place.
To read the full report visit the Rooted in Jesus blog.
Ten Years Later! Rooted in Jesus in the Diocese of Nzara, South Sudan
Rooted in Jesus was first introduced to the Diocese of Nzara by a team led by Revd Mike Cotterell way back in 2012 – just one year after both the country of South Sudan and the diocese itself were formed. Just one year later, in 2013, a full scale civil war broke out in the newly formed country as rival groups embarked on a bitter and violent struggle for power. A peace agreement was signed in 2020, the Covid pandemic which followed close on its heels eventually receded, and the Episcopal Church of South Sudan is now forging ahead with humanitarian programmes and a renewed focus on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.
It was in this context that we were delighted to accept an invitation from Bishop Richard Aquilla to return to Nzara. A team from the UK travelled to Nzara to minister alongside their colleagues from within the Diocese, and 150 people attended the four day conference. The team was overwhelmed by the welcome they received and humbled by the enthusiasm with which the 150 delegates engaged with the training. Bishop Richard Aquilla writes that he has already begun a visitation of the diocese to see how the new groups are going.
We have posted a full report on the Rooted in Jesus blog, which you can read here.
Rooted in Jesus returns to DR Congo
This is the time of year when we reflect on our own vulnerabilities and give thanks for the coming of Jesus. We wish you a blessed Advent!
We have just posted a report on the recent Rooted in Jesus conferences in the Diocese of Bukavu, DR Congo. A team from the UK and from Burundi spent two weeks in the diocese. The first conference, held in Bukavu, was for the 100 clergy of the diocese – the first time they had been able to meet together for five years! The second, held in Uvira, was a follow-up conference for those trained in 2021 by a team from Tanzania and Burundi, and an opportunity to train new leaders as well.
The team was led by Revd Amanda Johnson, and the conferences hosted by Bishop Sylvestre Bahati and missionary Bishop Elisha Tendwa. We have posted a full report on our blog here.
Spiritual gifts from the Mathetes Trust
Over the last few weeks we have continued to pursue a fairly full programme, with Rooted in Jesus teams recently back from DR Congo, Madagascar and South Sudan, prayer weekends successfully completed in Sudbury and Minchinhampton, and another three regional EQUIP meetings this month, with more to come.
As we look forwards now to the coming celebration of Christmas, we would like to suggest a couple of our recent publications which, if you are not already familiar with them, might make suitable gifts:
Born Again – a simple retelling of the gospel for children
Born Again is a colour-illustrated, palm-size booklet which offers a conversational retelling of the gospel story for children aged 6-12. At only £1.50 it makes a great stocking filler, and it’s also available in inexpensive packs so that it can be given to Sunday School classes and families attending carol services. Christmas is probably the easiest time of the year of all to encourage people to think afresh about who Jesus was and what he has to offer, and our hope and prayer is that this little booklet will help you to do that.
Light in a darkened world
World Turned Upside Down, Alison’s book on the Psalms, has continued to meet with a positive response. James Newcome, the outgoing bishop of Carlisle, says ‘its message could hardly be more apt in today’s culture: namely that, however hard it may sometimes be to believe, ‘God is sovereign, and God is with us’. It seems a good time of year, as we reflect on the coming of Jesus into a complicated and painful world, to be thinking about that. World Turned Upside Down is reflective, personal and readable, with lots of real life stories and a consistent thread of thanksgiving.
To find out more, and to browse our other books and resource materials, visit our publications page. World Turned Upside Down is also available direct from the Bible Reading Fellowship, here.
‘Mamaka’ – A Rooted in Jesus report from Madagascar!
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with songs of joy.
Then said they among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has indeed done great things for us, and therefore we rejoiced.
Psalm 126.
A small team has just returned from Madagascar, a country where misfortune comes annually in the form of devastating cyclones which sweep away houses and destroy crops, and yet where the people of God continue to trust the Lord and commit their lives to following his ways. Twelve years after our first visit, we had been invited back to the dioceses of Fianarantsoa and Toliara to help re-energise the Rooted in Jesus programme after the challenges not just of the cyclones but also of Covid.
And the people sang. And danced. And prayed. And rejoiced. We heard testimonies of new life, we met people whose lives had been changed by their growing faith, we saw new buildings, sensed new commitment, and learnt new songs – one of them based on the words of Jeremiah 17.7-8 and dedicated to Rooted in Jesus. We were wonderfully looked after, and inspired by the example of those we met.
Practising Rooted in Jesus in small groups
We are particularly grateful to those who prayed daily for us during our time away.
We have posted a full report on the Rooted in Jesus blog, which you can read here.
Talking about the weather
As we sweat our way through a tropical September, the weather has become something of a hot topic. But September is also the time which as a church we have come to know as Creationtide. It runs from 1st September to the feast day of St Francis of Assisi on 4th October. It’s a time when as a church we focus on our Christian responsibility to care for creation.
Alison Morgan was delighted to be invited by the Bible Reading Fellowship (BRF) to contribute an article to help us think about creation and our place within it. It’s just been published – if you’d like to read it, it’s here.
If you would like to reflect more on the created world, what it tells us about God and how it can serve as a language to help us engage with him, you may also like to look at:
World Turned Upside Down – Alison’s book on the Psalms, published by BRF earlier this year. It has two chapters which look at the created world through the eyes of the Psalmists: ‘Who is God?’ and ‘Connecting with God.’ It’s available from our publications page, or from BRF (where you will also find the latest reviews). Alison’s other writings on creation can be accessed via her website, where she also explains how she expresses her own care for creation in practical ways on the Somerset Levels and Moors.
The Mathetes Trust 