around the world tl,tU,t9on Italy - Steve Chalke international W indow o n the W orld January 1996 Missionary Herald ~ Baptist Theological Seminary Library Prague Czech Republic fflissionaryherald C O N T E N T S A happy and peaceful New Year to all our readers. As promised, mh enjoys a fresh look with an expanded content Richard Wells looks at world mi ss ion for 1996, and much of the inside is in colour. 204 years after Carey ................................................... 4 We welcome Steve Chalke, television personality and Baptist minister, to our team of specially commissioned Feature writers; he'll be contributing a regular column to ANOS ACROSS THE SEA challenge and inform. John Passmore, the BMS Europe Eastern Europe and beyond, Clive Doubleday ....... .. ..... 8 representative, brings wit and humour to a new column with some tales of the unexpected ... News Section And David Pountain adds strength to the mh ideas REIGN AND HOME NEWS section courtesy of some fascinating research. Take a look at the world from a global perspective ... 11 Every month, mh focuses on a country in which BMS is working and on an issue to make you think and inspire Centre Page you to pray. In fact, we hope you find the whole MS CO-ORDINATORS Meet the people who promote the work of BMS .......... 18 magazine provides you with fuel for prayer support for those who have answered the call to make Jesus known Country Focus throughout the world. Richard Wells H LOOKS AT ITA Y Jan Kendall gives a overview of the nation .. ............. 20 Resource Section Facts, figures and background .................................... 24 Personal prayer HOANDWHATT Miss ion digest: Information and prayer points Missionary Herald, the maga zine of the Baptist Missionary Society, from BMS missionaries around the world ................... 30 PO Box 49, Baptist Hou se, Didcot, Oxon, OXl 1 8XA. Action Teams: Life after training ................................ 33 Telephone: 01235 512077 Fax: 012 35 511 265 John Passmore E-mail: [email protected] John Passmore steps out of the bushes ..................... 34 General Director Director for Missionaries Reg Harvey Sian Williams Waves (for inquiries about service overseas) Managing Editor N INDEPENDENT VIE Richard Wells © Copyright 1996 John Weaver looks at this month 's them e ................... 35 Baptist Missionary Society Consulting Editor David Pountain Printed by Stanley L Hunt Ltd Rushden, Northamptonshire IN THE NEXT ISSUE Designer (CROSSING CULTURES) Anthony Viney Subscription for 1996 Mark and Marian Rudall on top of the world £5.40 through church mh distributors Illustrator £9.90 by direct mail line p&p) Sarah Prentice Nine issues plus the BMS Annual Review. Post and packing overseas at the rate Za ire and Angola PLUS supporting features Production Supervisor applicable Jan Kendall FRONT COVER: Hands across the communist divide. BMS missionary Ryder Rodgers prepares a new Albanian Christian for baptism in the sea • .. JanuarY1996 Miss ionary Herald ..,_ Mizoram, once a district of north-east slow growth in the first 60 years from Where will it all lead? Next we'll be India and, since 1972, an official state. its birth in 1907, during which the seeing evangelised people evangelising Significantly, the fledgling Zoram World Mission Board of the Brazilian their own nation! Baptist Mission became active just as Baptist Convention placed missionaries And that is what is in its infancy in the door was closing in that part of first in Portugal, then in Bolivia and Indonesia, a product of a movement of India to the Western missionary later in Paraguay, belies the clarity of the Holy Spirit in the tribal areas of presence owing to political instability. vision which they have held since the Asia during this last decade of the 20th The last BMS missionaries to leave - first Baptist church met in Salvador in century. Joy Knapman, who first Edith Maltby and Joan Smith, nurses October 1882. visited Muslim-dominated Indonesia at Serkawn Christian Hospital - Once Brazilian Baptist missionaries for the BMS in 1992, speaks of the brought to an end 74 years of activity set foot in their fourth field, powerful vision held by the Kerapatan by the society pioneered by J H Mozambique in 1971, it seemed to set Gereja Baptis Indonesia (Convention Lorrain and F W Savidge in 1894. in motion a period of rapid expansion of Indonesian Baptist Churches). Now on their own, the Mizo and during the 1970s Uruguay, "Their vision is to evangelise the Christians grasped the baton and ran Argentina, Venezuela, Spain and_ whole of Indonesia - that's 13,000 with it. Joy Knapman, BMS Asia Canada received missionaries from the islands with 180 million people," says Representative, says: "These people South American giant. By the 1990s Joy. "But they're only a small group may be quiet and unassuming but they there remained only two South and they're going to need help from have a passion for mission. They American nations to be reached by the other Christians." Thus a partnership believe God has chosen them to be Brazilians; Suriname and French with the BMS was born. bearers of the gospel to the world." Guiana are still priorities. Working with the support of For the Mizos, the world started on Today, with the urge to reach Baptists from Britain, Australia, the their doorstep and in the first 20 years unreached people across the world, and USA and Canada, the 2,000-member of their mission society they had called a 10-year strategic plan to match, the Indonesian Baptist convention has 88 home missionaries to work with Brazilian Baptist World Mission Board started work to plant a church in every non-Mizos in Mizoram and 50 to work is not only continuing the break new district of the nation's 27 provinces. · in India. With 18 in training and other ground but also consolidating existing The Indonesians see the involvement home ministers, the 41,076-strong work, training national Christians to of Britain and Australia as an answer Mizoram Baptist community was reach areas and cross cultural barriers to prayer for a "Macedonian call" to supporting 581 full-time workers. foreign mission agencies to partner Between 1971 and 1988 the mission them in a work on Sumatra, an island recorded 12,000 baptisms and 100 new The passion for of eight provinces and a population of church plants, and its working plan for outreach is driven by an just over 36 million. the years to the turn of the millennium Joy was clearly touched by their is a progressive strategy for evangelism expectation of great things response to such a mammoth in neighbouring India, Bangladesh, from God - an echo of the challenge, reflecting a passion for Burma, Thailand and Nepal. historic words spoken by outreach driven by an expectation of In 1996 the Mizos' vision has lost William Carey great things from God as they attempt none of its zest, propelling them to enlarge their borders. forward with church planting projects, Carrying the torch onwards, living sending out evangelists, leadership which would take foreign workers expectantly and attempting big things training and refresher training for years to accomplish. echo the powerful message Carey gave leaders. Theirs is a process which does In all this the BMS provides not the Northamptonshire Baptist not stand still; when a church has been only financial support for Brazilian Association 204 years ago in May 1792: established by a Mizo missionary, they missionaries, but experienced people. "Enlarge the place of thy tent and let move him or her on to plant another BMS missionary David Brown plays a them stretch forth the curtains of thine church. The emphasis is on training key role in administration, personnel inhabitations; spare not, lengthen thy for native workers to replace them. and training at the World Mission cords and strengthen thy stakes ... " The BMS, on which the Zoram Board in Rio de Janeiro. To Carey, who expected God was Baptist Mission is modelled, supports "The Lord continues to call many," about to do great things by extending the Mizos as they eagerly tackle the says David, echoing the passion for the kingdom of Jesus throughout the challenges. With BMS funding Ringa mission still ablaze in the heart of the globe, it followed that Christians were and Diki Lalringa and Tiana and Brazilian Christian. "But the financial bound to go big for God. Fuelled by Laldinpii Laltlankima are serving in burdens are very great and we're only this expectation, he thundered words Nepal with the United Mission. able to send a small number of new which have rung in the hearts of many With an equal passion for mission workers every year. But the work is the a Christian since: "Expect great things, on the other side of the globe the Lord's and so are the riches of the attempt great things." Brazilians and not standing still. The world; our task is to remain faithful." And they have. • January 1996 Miss ionary Herald ~ Challenge to maintain momentum Hands across Europe Aid for the Romanians satellite countries. THE TRANSFORMATION OF EASTERN EUROPE The primary response of Western But SIX YEARS AGO BROUGHT A FLOOD OF AID, churches to this open door of encourage opportunity has been a reactive one, as one BUT WHAT OF THE POSITION IN 1996? initially individuals, churches, CLIVE DOUBLEDAY THROWS DOWN associations and unions rallied to another TODAY'S CHALLENGE transport aid to these desperatdy daily as needy families and churches in the long as it East. In 1990 it seemed that all roads ver the past six years, the that things would change only when led to Romania. is called , world has witnessed a the present generation of hard-liners, Undoubtedly, many mistakes were 'today' radical transformation the old guard, had died or retired.