Rooted in Jesus

Rooted in Jesus Conferences: Ministry in Madagascar

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A Rooted in Jesus team has just returned from Madagascar, where we had been invited to introduce Rooted in Jesus to the dioceses of Antsiranana and Toamasina. Both conferences went very well, and we were delighted with the hospitality which we received.
We’ve posted a full report on our blog https://rootedinjesus.blog/2024/10/07/new-rooted-in-jesus-conferences-in-madagascar/, and if you’d like a taste of the wonderful worship please head over to our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/rootedinjesusforafrica/ or click the image below.
We are hugely grateful to Bishop Jaomandiny and Bishop Solo for arranging and hosting the conferences, and to them, their families and the church members who offered us hospitality during our visit. We are also grateful to those who translated for UK team members Alison and John, to our fellow facilitators Jean Flobert and Keziah Rateloson, to those who provided prayer support each day during the conferences, to the Relay Trust who helped with the funding, and finally to Revd Donné and Neny Vero of the Diocese of Toliara who printed the books.

Latest news from Rooted in Jesus

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We have just received a very encouraging Rooted in Jesus report from the Diocese of Maiwut in South Sudan. Maiwut is an exceptionally poorly resourced diocese, located on the border with Ethiopia, and the ministry is led by Bishop Peter Gatbel. We first sent a Rooted in Jesus team there in January 2023, with a return visit in January 2024. Those trained have done exceptionally well in starting and leading their groups, and most groups are now on Book 3 of the programme. Translation of the Rooted in Jesus Junior programme has begun, so we look forward to helping them introduce that in due course.
We have posted the report sent by Revd John Jamuth, the diocesan coordinator, on our blog, and you can find it here, along with photos from a men’s group, a women’s group and a youth group (above).

Other recent news is as follows:

Diocese of Northern Uganda – the first conference was held here in January.
Simon Cawdell reports: “ “The Rooted in Jesus course is growing across the diocese, and some groups are now moving on to book two which is very encouraging. We are also receiving requests for training from those that missed out this time around which is  an encouragement. The new co-ordinator, Rev Opiyo Geoffrey is presently touring the diocese to support groups and ascertain progress. We are reconvening the translation group to start on book three so that we are well prepared for the next stage in discipleship development. It was great to hear from an archdeacon on one of the visits I did that the course was transforming the life of his parish and more people are coming to church as a result. We have brought together the translation team to start work on Book 3 which is very encouraging.”
Diocese of Tonj, South Sudan – RinJ was also introduced to this area of the diocese in January.
Peter Aleu reports: “Rooted in Jesus in Tonj East Romic Area Diocese is very good and we managed to opened 11 centers. Each center has 12 participants × 11 centers. These 132 people are expecting to complete Book 1 at the end of this month.
Diocese of Bukavu, missionary area of Lake Tanganyika –  RinJ was introduced to this missionary diocese in 2021, with a follow-up conference in December 2023.
Coordinator Ven Minduli Mulanda reports: “”The ministry continues in our archdeaconries and deaneries, where the coordinators transmit the reports to us after their visits to different parish groups. Coordinator Ezekiel continues to make his rounds in Uvira. Some groups are in Book 2, others in Book 3, few are in Book 4.” The group leaders are particularly grateful for a recent gift of Bibles from a UK church – it’s hard to lead a group without one!
We continue to be grateful for your prayer and support.
Posted 29 July 2024

Updates from Rooted in Jesus

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It is always encouraging to hear from those using Rooted in Jesus. Recent news includes:

The Diocese of Morogoro, Tanzania

Anne Curnow reports that the Diocese of Morogoro has just held a further conference in Berega to train 14 people to use Rooted in Jesus Junior in Sunday Schools and church schools. The training was conducted by RinJ Coordinator Josephine Semwenda, Rev Samuel Magaza & Rev Phares Mwegoha.

News from the Diocese of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

Keziah Rateloson reports: Last week we were in Apasimanjeva for a Scout and Mothers Union meeting. The Sunday after the celebration I took time to meet with the Rooted in Jesus Group in the Church, and they have a great group of Children and adults. Itwas so good to see how they are so motivated at Church, God is really working with them. We passed a wonderful week in Apasimanjeva as everything was going well and knowing that their Rooted in Jesus Group is going well is making it even better.

News from the Diocese of Nyamlel, South Sudan

RinJ coordinator William Tong writes: We are committed to implementing Rooted In Jesus in Nyamlel Diocese. As the work is going on at Nyamlel Diocese yesterday we have opened the office for Rooted in Jesus in Langic Archeaconry for returnees who came from northern Sudan, and they’re truamised by the war which is going on in Sudan. I am requesting you to pray for me and people of South Sudan. May God bless you all. Rooted in Jesus has brought change to our churches.
To keep up with recent news check out the Rooted in Jesus website, or visit our Facebook page.

Travelling to forgotten places : The Diocese of Maiwut, South Sudan

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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

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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.

Ten Years Later! Rooted in Jesus in the Diocese of Nzara, South Sudan

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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

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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.

‘Mamaka’ – A Rooted in Jesus report from Madagascar!

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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.

Making disciples in the Missionary Diocese of Zambezia

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It is good for me to draw near to God;
in the Lord God I have made my refuge
that I may tell of all your works

Psalm 73.28
Today’s Psalm encourages us to place our trust in God even when life is difficult, even when things seem unfair. I am always with you, says the psalmist, confessing that it has not always been easy for him to remember this; you will guide me with your counsel, and afterwards receive me with glory.
In the midst of trouble, we are encouraged to seek peace. We have just received an inspiring report from the latest Rooted in Jesus conference, which was held in the Missionary Diocese of Zambezia, Mozambique, where people are doing just that. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, and Zambezia is one of its poorest provinces. It is both rural and isolated, and things have been made immeasurably worse by the recent ravages of cyclone Freddy, the most powerful and long lasting ever recorded worldwide. Despite these difficulties, 160 people made their way on foot, by bus and on the back of trucks to get to the conference, and threw themselves with enthusiasm into everything that was offered them: “God is here!”, they exclaimed. Groups have already started and, remarkably, four new churches have been planted.
The team, with members from both the UK and South Africa, was led by Bishop Martin Breytenbach; you can read his report here. We have also uploaded video presentations by team member Daniel Maganin of the Relay Trust, which helped fund the conference, and by Bishop Vicente Msosa, who has chosen to take on this remote and poorly resourced new diocese because he has a passion for evangelism and discipleship.
Here in the UK our ministry to church leaders continues, with regular meetings for those in similar ministry situations taking place both in person and virtually, and a series of events on prayer being held in various locations around the country. We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to John Benson, who has for many years led the ministry of EQUIP in North Wales, but who now finds that his ongoing health circumstances mean that he must draw this phase of his ministry to a close. We invite you to pray for John and for the members of that group.
If you would like to pray with us for the support and growth of discipleship in the UK and in Africa please do get in touch; we produce a regular prayer diary, and we have a dedicated team of intercessors who pray for our Rooted in Jesus missions.

Rooted in Jesus Annual Report for 2022

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We are pleased to let you know that we have now published the Rooted in Jesus Annual Report for 2022; it can be downloaded here.
The ending of the Covid19 travel restrictions led to a very busy year, with a record 23 Rooted in Jesus conferences taking place in 8 African countries. No fewer than seven of these were in South Sudan, the youngest country in the world, where Anglican churches are placing an increasing emphasis on discipleship as a tool for both consolidation and growth. We remain grateful to all those who have given their time and resources to make this possible, and look forward, along with our partners in Tanzania and South Africa, to continuing to serve our brothers and sisters across the continent in the coming year.
To find out more about Rooted in Jesus click here.