Last week, CMSI Partnership Coordinator Linda Abwa emailed Global Partners in DR Congo to find out how they were managing in the crisis. The responses Linda received came as quite a shock. The answers were not about Covid-19. In both Bukavu and Kindu Dioceses, flooding has been severe and has led to significant loss of life and damage to property. At a time when Ebola numbers have started to rise again and with Covid-19 cases increasing significantly since 20th April, the dis

One of the many consequences of Covid-19 for CMSI's work has been the postponement of our 2020 teams and short-term placements. The second of our training sessions for this year's CMSI Teams was due to take place on Saturday 25th April. As a staff team, we felt it was important to meet with everyone as scheduled (albeit via Zoom), for a time of sharing about the postponements and a chance to pray for each other and our Global Partners. The gathering was wonderful! Around 20 p

In a great show of resilience, the Diocese of North Kivu completed the third building for their Compassion for Children in Distress Project last week. This building project has been overwhelmingly supported by Milltown and Killyman Parishes, who both also supported the first building completed in 2017. These link parishes have been standing with Bishop Isesomo and Mama Mbambu (Dorcas) as they work hard to secure the best home situation possible for the vulnerable children who

CMSI Mission Associate, Isabelle Prondzynski is currently in lockdown in Brussels, where she was visiting when the Covid-19 measures were introduced in Belgium. Isabelle took the opportunity in her new 'office' to write a link letter, which provides recent news and prayer requests from the Urban Development Programme of All Saints' Cathedral, Nairobi. Isabelle writes: In Nairobi, the 350 families under the care of the Urban Development Programme (UDP) of All Saints' Cathedral

During this period of Covid-19 restrictions, CMSI is increasing its output of stories, news and prayer updates. We are doing whatever we can to continue equipping and inspiring churches in mission and maintaining fruitful connections within God's global family. Every Friday, we'll aim to provide a summary of what we've shared during the previous week. It's a double-helping of Friday Updates this week after the Easter break. In CMSI over the past two weeks: Gillian Maganda sha

CMSI has made material from its recent Children's Resource packs available as free downloads from its website. The CMSI Children’s Resource is specially produced each year for Sunday schools and youth groups in Ireland. It provides original and creative material for at least four sessions with four different age groups. The Children's Resource aims to help children and young people explore the biblical story of mission and to learn about life, faith and mission in a different

We received the following prayer letter yesterday from Bishop Hilary of Yei Diocese in South Sudan. Please continue to remember Bishop Hilary and his people at this time. Prayer requests from the Diocese of Yei Based on Psalms 91:7 ‘’Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you’’. Though the vulnerable people in my communities are displaced by the war and cannot remain in one place, nor find food and water to

Human Development and Community Services (HDCS) - one of our Global Partners in Nepal - is responsible for managing a series of rural Christian founded hospitals. This week, we received news of some of the creative ways that these hospitals are preparing their communities to stand strong in the face of the coming epidemic. Each country has its own unique challenges and in Nepal, with mountainous terrain and scattered rural communities, the network of outlying hospitals has a

Yesterday, the head of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) issued a stark warning about the impact of Covid-19 on food shortages in some of the world's poorest countries. (BBC News: 'Coronavirus: World risks 'biblical' famines due to pandemic - UN'). David Beasley was speaking following the publication of an annual report on Global Food Crises (external link). The report includes some very dire predictions around increases in food shortages and famine, highlighting 10 countri

We received Easter Greetings last week from Shyogwe Diocese in Rwanda. Archdeacon Joseph Sehorona is based in Butansinda Parish, in Hanika Archdeaconry. As well as sending the following video message, Joseph provided a quick update on what is happening within his parish and how the Covid-19 lockdown is affecting his wider ministry. Joseph also told us that the four churches in his parish area have been closed, as have all places of worship throughout the country. He has been

As we in Ireland practice 'social distancing' and get used to home working, Uganda too has imposed stringent measures to try and limit the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Public transport has suspended, transporting people by motorbike has been banned, schools and churches closed, all public gatherings stopped and daily curfew imposed from 7pm - 7am. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has even released a video of himself working out in his office, to encourage citizens

Just as Rwanda began its country-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, it was beginning its annual 100 days of mourning to commemorate the genocide (1994) that tore this small country apart. Bishop Emmanuel Ntazinda from Kibungo Diocese had these words of encouragement to share: We thank God for being on our side, because the number of infections is not on the high side, and those infected are being cared for by healthcare givers. Currently, there have been no d

The gift of a large legacy some years ago has enabled CMSI to send support to some small Christian organisations working with children. One such is Tentmakers based in rural Uganda. Moses contacted us requesting support to develop the small school he had founded in his home village as a practical expression of the ministry of the local church. It's a day school where children would learn about the Christian faith and receive quality education. With the grant Moses constructed

During this period of Covid-19 restrictions, CMSI is increasing its output of stories, news and prayer updates. We are doing whatever we can to continue equipping and inspiring churches in mission and maintaining fruitful connections within God's global family. Every Friday, we'll aim to provide a summary of what we've shared during the previous week. This week: We introduced Megan Totten - the newest member of the CMSI staff team team. Keith and Lyn Scott shared video greeti

I was passing through the lobby in a hotel in Juba and noticed the displays on the occasional tables. Not the expected flower arrangements or newspapers, but small ash trays filled with soil and sprouting grass. As I pondered the significance of these table decorations, I thought of the traditional nomadic way of life of many of the people of South Sudan: cultures where people and cattle are interdependent, where the long, dry season determines where they wander, following so