Your prayers answered!

Day of Prayer 2024

Your prayers answered!

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Your prayers make a real difference across the world. As we gather for the BMS World Mission Day of Prayer on 4 February 2024, take a look at how your prayers from last year have been answered!

You prayed: We give thanks for the safe space that BMS partner All4Aid provides on the Greek island of Lesbos. We pray that as well as practical support, centre users will experience a deep sense of God’s love.

We give thanks to God for how you gave so generously to our Safe Haven appeal to support refugees in Lesbos, Greece. In the most recent issue of Engage, the BMS magazine, we shared about how your support has provided women like Bibi* with food, hygiene items and a warm place to rest and make friends. Our partners in Lesbos, All4Aid, remain determined to provide a safe space for women like Bibi and to share the love of Jesus with everyone who uses the centre. With the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza and unrest in Eritrea, Afghanistan, and Sudan, the work of our partner All4Aid could not be more vital right now. Your support will continue to help refugees rebuild their lives and encounter the love of God as we begin this new year.

A woman using a washing machine at a refugee welcome centre in Lesbos, Greece. The woman has her back to the camera and is wearing a grey headscarf and a cream coat.
You’ve helped provide a safe haven for refugee women on Lesbos to wash their clothes.

You prayed: Almost one in three women have experienced gender-based violence. We pray for those who are in this fight and who will not allow women who have been abused to be forgotten. We pray for justice and dignity for all women and girls.

A Ugandan woman in a blue and white stripy top with a white collar stands in front of an office. She is smiling to the camera.
Amazing Valerie from JLH is helping to bring justice to children in Uganda.

Our partner in Uganda, Justice, Livelihoods and Health (JLH) help to protect young girls from child marriages. They raise awareness of gender injustice and train cultural and religious leaders in the Kasese and Gulu districts of Uganda. One of the girls they work with is a young 14-year-old mother. She and her baby have found a new home where their needs are being met. They have also received sponsorship from good Samaritans in their village to continue her secondary school education. God has answered your prayers, and women in Uganda and across the world are now being treated with the dignity that they deserve.

You prayed: Please pray that we would uphold creation stewardship across all our work, and invest in projects from Uganda to Afghanistan that are combatting food fragility and loss of soil fertility.

Your prayers for God’s creation have made great strides in both protecting our planet and helping those in need. Not only have you helped farmers in Uganda grow bountiful crops in the face of climate change, but you’ve also helped bring a buzzing beehive to the highlands of Afghanistan! BMS worker Ruby* hopes that the beehive will help the community orchard she works on thrive, and bring abundant, healthy food to the local community. Life is still incredibly hard under the de facto leadership of Afghanistan, but we pray that these bees will be a symbol of hope for many.

Bees crawling out of a blue beehive in Afghanistan.
A buzzing beehive in the highlands of Afghanistan!

You prayed: Many women are becoming disciples in North Africa. We pray for BMS partner BigLife to identify four women to be sent to mentor and disciple women there coming to faith in Christ.

A woman in a blue patterned sari worshipping in church. Four other women are in front of her also worshipping.
Women praising God in Kolkata!

Over the last year, several men and women in North Africa have expressed an interest in seeking the Lord. One person gave their life to Jesus and was baptised. God continues to grow the Church in North Africa, especially amongst university students. One student has even started a home group, and he is rejoicing in the Lord, because God has opened so many doors for sharing the gospel in 2023.

In India, a man from a Hindu background has recently become a believer. When he heard the gospel for the first time, he repented of his sins and decided to follow Jesus. His life changed completely, and he was baptised on Christmas Day. Praise God for his salvation! Your generous giving and prayers will help Christians mentor and support these new believers as they begin their journey of faith.

You prayed: BMS has the privilege of telling stories of both joy and difficulty around the world. We pray that BMS would do this sensitively and wisely, honouring those who have trusted us with their life stories.

Over the last year, the BMS Communications Team have worked hard to tell stories sensitively and to honour the people who have entrusted us with their stories. God has even given us opportunities to share how we use stories with the people that BMS works with. Our Days of Plenty appeal featured Barbara, a farmer from Gulu in Uganda. When a BMS filming team visited her, they showed her and her family how they had used her photo in a previous edition of Engage magazine – she and her children were delighted! We are always learning how to improve how we tell stories ethically, and we continue to ask God to guide us in this area of our work.

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Three Ugandan children smile as they look at photos of themselves in a magazine. A third person, out of shot is holding the magazine for them.
Barbara’s children loved reading about themselves in Engage!
What’s more inspiring than abundantly answered prayer?!

If you’re keen to pray with us next Sunday, 4 February, on the BMS Day of Prayer, you can find all the resources you need to run your service right here. We can’t wait to see how God moves through your prayers in 2024!

*Names changed for security reasons.
Words by Chris Manktelow and Laura Durrant.

Help save lives in Ukraine this Christmas

2023: A BMS Year in Review

2023: A BMS Year in Review

Reflecting on the impact you made possible

From conflict in Israel-Gaza and earthquakes in Nepal and Afghanistan, to the extraordinary faith, hope and love shown by BMS World Mission partners and supporters, 2023 has been a year of great highs and lows. God has been faithful through it all, and the new year gives us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the BMS community. This is our review of 2023.

Transformed Lives in Thailand

A young man in a pool preparing to be baptised
Your support for Helen and Wit means believers like Thew are thriving in their faith.

In 2023 we launched the Thailand Spring appeal and were completely blown away by your generous giving. Because of you, lives across South Thailand have been transformed. You’ve empowered people to pursue their dreams, much like Thew and Suree with their new food stall selling fried chicken and sticky rice. You’ve equipped individuals like Ajarn Arreat to answer the call God has on their lives – Ajarn is one of our newest BMS-supported workers, and she’s faithfully dedicated herself to helping run the church in the village of Ban Dara. Most importantly, you’ve partnered in helping people discover how deep God’s love for them truly is, restoring and healing them. When Helen and Wit Boondekhun first arrived in Thailand over five years ago, there were no churches or believers in the region. Thanks to you, there are now three blossoming churches in the surrounding area, and the church in Wang Daeng is in the process of building a new church site, as they’ve outgrown their current one!

A Season of Change in Chad

Kalbassou and a number of hospital staff are standing around discussing the results shown on the paperwork Kalbassou is holding

It’s been a season of change for the Guinebor II (G2) Hospital in Chad. We waved goodbye to the Shrubsole, Chilvers and Spears families, who are leaving the G2 in the capable hands of Chadian staff and BMS mission workers Claire Bedford and Kalbassou Doubassou. The hospital has also installed new solar panels to replace the dirty and expensive diesel generators that it relied on for electricity during power cuts. Your donations provided 25 per cent of the funds for the solar panels, and we are so grateful for your generosity. BMS mission workers and Chadian staff at G2 and Bardaï hospitals would not be able to care for the sick and share Christ’s love without your prayers and support.

Bringing abundant life in Uganda

Barbara loves her children and wants them grow up happy and healthy. But drought and companies that force farmers to sell at low prices mean that she can’t always afford to pay school fees for her children. Your support for Days of Plenty, the BMS Harvest Appeal for 2023, helped Barbara avoid exploitative middlemen by selling her crops through the co-operative Cek Cam. She also received seeds and agricultural training from BMS partners. Now she can afford to send her children to school and train other women on how to kick-start an abundant harvest. You can learn more about Barbara’s story by checking out the video above!

Women on the Frontline

A compilation image of women from across the world.

At the end of the year, you joined us in praying for COP28, the United Nation’s annual climate conference, hosted in the United Arab Emirates. Sahara told us about how Nepalese women are bearing the brunt of natural disasters and Susan in Uganda shared about how conflict over scarce water is causing domestic violence. You also faithfully prayed for our gender justice champions and joined in with 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Your dedicated prayers help BMS partners come alongside women in faith and action as they both steward God’s beautiful creation, and boldly champion gender justice in their communities.

Hope amid Disaster

A crowd of people stand around a large lorry in the mountains of Nepal as it unloads relief aid for the village
A recent earthquake in Nepal has had a devastating effect in the districts of Jajarkot and West Rukum. Your support is bringing vital, long-term relief to people in desperate need there.

War broke out this autumn in Israel-Gaza, and in Armenia. It was tragic to watch these conflicts unfold on our TV screens, but your prayers and generous giving do make a difference. Our partners in the Middle East and Europe are deeply grateful for your prayers, and your support is helping displaced Armenians rebuild their lives. We would also like to thank you for how you gave so generously after earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, Afghanistan and Nepal. Your prayers and donations meant that communities received the food, shelter and mental health support that they need in the aftermath of disaster.

Thank You!

Thank you so much for the difference you’ve made in 2023. Without your generous giving, faithful prayers and dedicated volunteering, our work would not be possible. As 2024 begins, you can be sure that your support will help even more people across the world hear the good news about Jesus and experience fullness of life through Christ.

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Words by Chris Manktelow and Ed Axtell
BMS World Mission

Reflections on COP28

Let (climate) justice flow like a river…

Reflections on COP28

I'm praying for this

Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, shows us how woman across the world are disproportionately affected by environmental issues – but are also often the ones at the frontline of the climate justice fight. As COP28 begins, read on to hear perspectives on climate change from across the world.

What do you think about climate change? How is it impacting your life? There are many ways in which you might respond to these questions, depending on where you live in the world, your socio-economic status, your political affiliation or your religious inclination. Your response may also be influenced by whether you are a woman or a man. Household surveys from Global North countries over the last ten years have shown that women tend to be slightly more concerned about climate change and more willing to make lifestyle changes than men*. Meanwhile, in the Global South, women grow and produce up to 80 per cent of food for family consumption, and they have the primary responsibility for collecting water and firewood. In addition, women in developing countries are already more vulnerable to undernutrition and have less access to medical services than men**. Environmental degradation and climate change make all of these challenges harder, and the burden falls disproportionately on women.

A woman smiling in front of some greenery
Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS' Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, has served in Peru for over ten years.

With COP28, the United Nation’s annual conference on climate change, beginning today, we have been asking women around the world about their experience of environmental problems, climate change and their effects.

Susan Blanch Alal, Justice Livelihoods Health (JLH), Uganda

How are environmental problems, including climate change, impacting your local communities, especially women?

Let me tell you about Alice, who’s been supported by JLH in Gulu. Alice says that the impact of climate change causes difficulties for a greater percentage of women than men, especially those living in the city or nearby towns. She shares how difficult it is to get firewood because of deforestation in the area, and confesses that women have been beaten by their husbands for cooking late or for asking for money for charcoal or firewood.

A Ugandan woman in a red patterned dress smiles for a photo.

Alice shares that one of the impacts of climate change is also tensions over water in her village. She says, “You will find women competing for water in a nearby borehole, because streams that women used to fetch water from to help with other domestic work have dried up, and women now mainly rely on drilled water”. The borehole water is also controlled, paid for and has hours for opening for community use, and as a result women have fought or been beaten by their husbands because of delays in collecting water. Alice says, “I remember one day when I was beaten by my husband for quarrelling at the borehole site. The lady I quarrelled with is a neighbour and she discussed the issue with her husband who reported the issue to my husband. It was a very bad experience for me and I was pregnant at that time. I imagine how many women have experienced violence due to climate change the way I have.”.

Pray with us

Please remember the wives and mothers in Uganda and around the world who are dependent on firewood and wells for the daily needs of their families, especially as these resources become more difficult to access due to deforestation and climate change. We pray for peace and collaboration in their communities.

Pray for those at risk of domestic violence, exacerbated by the pressures of climate change and poverty. Pray that God’s justice will flow, and that in the face of climate breakdown, people will still be treated with respect and dignity.

We thank God for the work of JLH in coming alongside these women in faith and in practice, helping them plant trees, construct safer stoves and even installing new community wells.

Karen Name: Naw Bah Blute Paw
Thai Name: Khun Mayuree
2nd year student in the Karen Theology Programme, Siloam Bible Institute, Thailand

How are environmental issues affecting you as a young woman and your hopes for the future?

Across Thailand and the world, natural resources and agriculture are decreasing; I see the cutting down of many trees in my home village, and even the water does not seem clean anymore.

Therefore, as a young woman, I feel it is important to preserve what God has created for us. All of us need to do our part to conserve the environment, in the best way possible.

I feel in the future that if we do not look after nature and the environment, it may not exist anymore. This is something that I think and pray about often. The added benefit of looking after the environment is the produce that we grow ourselves, which we can share with others, and it tastes delicious.
Along with my friends and fellow students at Siloam, we are trying to take care of and maintain God’s beautiful creation that he has given to us.

Pray with us

Pray for young people around the world to have hope in God for their futures and to become leaders in their communities who will pave the way in restoring the damage done to God’s creation.

We thank God for the integral training being provided to young people at the Siloam Bible Institute, helping them to see and respond to God’s love for all that he has made.

A Thai Karen woman in a pink dress smiling.

Sahara Mishra, Human Development Community Services, Nepal

A Nepali woman wearing an orange scarf and a black coat

How are environmental problems, including climate change, impacting local communities, especially women?

There are profound and disproportionate impacts of environmental problems, including climate change, on local communities in Nepal, particularly affecting women. Changes in weather patterns, water scarcity and natural disasters have disrupted agricultural cycles, livelihood diversity, health and hygiene. Women, who often play a pivotal role in agriculture, other income-generating work and household management, bear the brunt of these challenges. These environmental crises have increased their workload and exacerbated the existing gender inequalities, as women’s time for education and income-generating activities diminishes, being compelled to [invest more time] in household management.

The weather extremes, especially exposure to heat, are associated with pre-term birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. Additionally, increased natural disasters such as floods and landslides have threatened women’s safety and health, heightening the risks of their displacement, gender-based violence, losing their source of income and making them prone to trafficking and marginalisation within their own communities as well. The impact of the environmental crisis is multifaceted and multidimensional and requires gender-responsive strategies to address all the issues.

Pray with us

Women in the world, irrespective of geographical and territorial boundaries, social status or age, have been affected in many ways by environmental crises. Please join Sahara in praying that God may provide comfort, refuge and guidance to overcome the difficulties women are facing knowingly or unknowingly, through careful stewarding of creation and adaptation and mitigation responses and strategies.

Claire Bedford, BMS pharmacist, Guinebor II Hospital (G2), Chad

How have environmental sustainability initiatives impacted the local community, especially women?

The recently installed solar power system at G2 Hospital, which added on to the existing solar power available at the hospital, has enabled us to have enough energy to light and ventilate the new women’s ward that opened a couple of months ago. It’s also ensured that we can provide more consistent and reliable electricity to the maternity unit. Wonderfully, women can now always give birth with adequate lighting and they are also able to be hospitalised in a well-lit and ventilated ward. This all means a more positive and comfortable experience for women accessing healthcare at G2 Hospital.

A woman stands in the grounds of a hospital in Chad

Pray with us

Please pray that pregnant Chadian women would access pre-natal care as early as possible in their pregnancy and also come into hospital as soon as possible if there’s a problem with their pregnancy or they are in labour.

We thank God that improving the environmental sustainability at G2 Hospital also means that pregnant women and their babies can benefit from improved treatment conditions.

An important lesson that I think climate change is teaching us, is that ‘caring for the environment’ is directly related to ‘caring for people’. Or in other words, being a good steward of God’s creation also translates to loving your neighbour. ‘Green’ initiatives have often been viewed as something based primarily on a concern for the non-human elements of creation and perhaps only obliquely related to a concern for our fellow humans. Now we are beginning to grasp that what is genuinely good for ‘the environment’ is also genuinely good for us.

I hope this story will help guide your prayers for COP28. For more prayers during the course of the conference, head to the BMS Facebook page and give us a follow!

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Words by Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator
*OECD Survey on Environmental Policies and Individual Behaviour Change (EPIC), 2022, 2011
**USAID Climate change and Gender Fact Sheet, https://www.oecd.org/dac/gender-development/46460915.pdf

Harnessing the sun

Harnessing the sun

The healing power of solar panels

In a country heavily reliant on fossil fuels, Guinebor II Hospital has recently upgraded its solar panel array thanks to your generous support. BMS World Mission’s Ed Axtell shares the significance of your impact.

“The first thing I did in the morning at the hospital was to listen for the sound of the generator. It was the first thing to tell me if a child had made it through the night” – BMS World Mission doctor, Tom Spears

I can’t remember the last time I truly appreciated power or electricity. Turning the lights on, turning on the heating or connecting to the internet. Even now, I’m sitting and writing this down on a computer, and I don’t give it a second thought. The phrase ‘flip a switch’ reinforces our ‘effortless’ relationship with power: we beckon, it comes running. That’s it. But that just isn’t the case across the world, especially in Chad.

Sun setting on N'Djamena in Chad over a sandy landscape with trees.
Your support is harnessing the sun's power to bring health and hope to Chad.

Located at the crossroads of north and central Africa, Chad is 189 out of 190 in the UN’s Human Development Index (their list of the world’s most fragile states). It’s a tough country to build your life in. Life expectancy is only 52.5 years and on average, children only receive 2.5 years of education. The most sobering figure is that one in nine children in Chad will die before their fifth birthday. N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, has really suffered from a lack of power. With its rapid growth and many people installing air-conditioning, it’s not uncommon for people to be without electricity for five to six hours a day. To combat this, the Government has moved to providing its citizens with diesel-fuelled generators – however this is far from a perfect solution. Besides the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels, there’s also the effects of noise pollution and the respiratory problems this can cause. In a country that, on average, has 264 days of sunlight a year, attention has moved to solar power. And it’s your incredible support that’s making this green revolution possible at Guinebor II Hospital (G2).

G2 has always relied on a combination of diesel generators and its small existing array of lead acid solar panels, however even this system has its issues. The solar system only had 12KW of charge and the invertors it used were intensely complex, meaning that no-one based in Chad could fix them if needed. When someone required oxygen, a small diesel generator would have to be brought round to power the concentrator, as the solar didn’t have enough charge to power them. Imagine being admitted to hospital and receiving the treatment in a stifling hot room pumped full of diesel fumes! Drugs and medication were going out of date due to the storage fridges overheating, surgeries were having to be powered by generators, babies were being delivered by torchlight and there were no fans on the wards. This might seem like a small issue in comparison, but when the temperature can hit 45 degrees, fans are a must. BMS mission workers Mel and Tom Spears describe the challenge presented by most patients choosing to sleep outside because of the heat: mosquito nets aren’t easily installed or available outside, significantly increasing the risk of malaria for the patients.

Three men praying in front of a blue curtain on a hospital ward
BMS doctor Tom Spears knows only too well the negative impact the heat can have on the patients.

The recent overhaul on G2’s solar has meant a massive transformation for the hospital – and it’s possible thanks to you. The recent project, part-funded by BMS supporters, has enabled G2’s solar capacity to increase threefold, allowing the hospital to significantly reduce its dependence on diesel generators. The whole project was also completed alongside a Chadian electrician, allowing local staff to take ownership of the project and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to repair and maintain the solar array.

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With all these improvements, it’s empowered G2 to continue to be an example for hospitals across Chad. New wards being built can now have fans pre-installed, which drastically increases patient comfort and quality of care – especially as some patients were discharging themselves early from the hospital due to the heat! Beyond comfort, it also enables the staff to be able to have greater infection control on the wards. Now, two oxygen concentrators can be run in the same ward purely off solar power. There’s no need for generators in the wards anymore, which is an incredible step forward. On top of all of this, the pharmacy now has air conditioning too (installed on BMS Pharmacist Claire Bedford’s birthday!) This has allowed G2 to significantly reduce the amount of medication being thrown out, saving money but also making sure those that need life-saving medication can get access to it, straight away.

Two pharmacists standing in front of shelves of medical supplies
Life-saving medication can be kept for longer with air-conditioning now installed in the pharmacy.

Throughout all of this, God’s timing has been so evident. As with many large infrastructure projects, the work experienced delays from the beginning, but during this time, lithium batteries became an option for the solar system, which can last six times longer than the lead acid batteries they replaced. Beyond that, the same day the new panels were installed, the oil refinery in Chad closed for maintenance. With diesel practically unobtainable across the country, without the new panels, G2 would have had to pause surgery for six weeks. God’s timing for the project meant solar power kicked in at just the right time, doubtlessly saving many lives.

Thanks to these advances and your, support G2 can continue to stand on the frontline of healthcare, supporting and empowering those that need it the most. A flick of a switch, something we take for granted — but such a weighty and treasured decision in Chad.

Thank you!

Thank you for your ongoing support for BMS work in Chad!

BMS supporters provided a crucial 25 per cent of the funds needed for the solar project in Chad, and we’re so grateful. For the latest about work at G2, stay tuned for an upcoming webstory sharing more about changes to the BMS team in Chad and how you can continue to save lives at this desert hospital. Make sure you never miss a webstory by signing up to our weekly email update today.

Words by Ed Axtell
Content Creator Apprentice, BMS World Mission

BMS at The Big One

Hope for the world:

BMS at The Big One

Praying for this

Last week, BMS World Mission joined with Christians across the UK at The Big One climate pilgrimage. BMS’ Writer, Laura Durrant, shares thoughts on why The Big One left her with hope.

A purple banner with the words 'Hope for the world' on it in front of a church

The day began with a service of worship at St John’s Church, Waterloo. Hundreds of Christians from all walks of life were packed into a church hall to sing together in worship, give God the glory for all he has given us, and ask forgiveness for the ways we’ve sinned against creation.

There was a sense for many of us that we wished church could always be like this: so many of us packed in the sanctuary that there was only room to stand, knowing that despite your different backgrounds, you’re united together in Jesus. Buoyed spirits from the service spilled out to the streets once it had finished, and, despite the threat of rain, we began our pilgrimage into the centre of London.

A crowd and a purple banner protesting in front of a building

The crowd mingled together as we walked, people caught up with old friends and introduced themselves to new ones. We came to the office of oil company Shell, to hand in a letter from Christian Climate Action highlighting their lack of action against phasing out fossil fuels, and to raise our voices in a chorus of Amazing Grace.

Around the BMS banner, supporters, staff and former mission workers marched together, taking shifts at holding our banner which proclaimed that we still have hope for the world. I spoke to BMS supporter Sara Simms, who is the head of creation care at her church in Guildford, about why she thought it was important for us to be there. “I see God’s mission as threefold: to reconcile us to himself, to each other and to the planet that we live on,” she explains. “If we’re to serve the poor, we need to look at this issue that has made people poorer.”

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A purple banner with the words 'hope for the world' on it waving with Big Ben in the background.

As the crowds converged in Parliament Square, I was fortunate enough to snap this photo of the BMS banner waving boldly in front of Big Ben. I asked BMS staff member Ruth Whiter what she thought about the message on the banner. “A lot of messages at climate protests are, understandably, angry, but at BMS we’re all about hope,” explains Ruth. “We’re all about positive change.”

A group of people stood in front of a purple banner.

One of my favourite things about the day was the community feeling that came with it. Being able to reconnect with former colleagues and meet BMS supporters, and knowing we were all together for the same cause, made me really resonate with the message on our banner. Thousands of people coming together to share fellowship in the Lord and fight together for his creation must be some reason to have hope!

A woman holding a sketch in front of a blue banner.

As the day came to a close, I asked Ruth and Sara what they would ask for prayer for – and wonderfully, they both ended up saying almost the same thing: that our leaders would listen. That they would get the message, that they would hear the voices of those crying out to them, and listen to God’s wisdom as they determine how to act.

Words by Laura Durrant, Editor of Engage, the BMS magazine.

Turning lament into an anthem

Turning lament into an anthem

On April 21, BMS World Mission will be joining Christian Climate Action at The Big One, to stand up for God’s creation. BMS’ Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, Laura-Lee Lovering, shares her thoughts on transforming our laments for creation into action.

What if I told you that global warming, loss of biodiversity, ecological breakdown, all of these, were not the greatest threats to human existence? You might think I’m not the best fit for the title of Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator – but stick with me.

I’ve spent a lot of the last year and a half in my role – as well as the ten years before that spent serving with BMS in the Peruvian Amazon – facing the very real ways in which humanity has ship-wrecked rather than stewarded God’s creation. It’s something that is easier to deal with through compartmentalising, but which I’ve been learning to face head on with lament and repentance. It’s a crucial aspect of stewarding creation, especially for those of us in the privileged Global North, but it’s easy for repentance to become purely despair and self-deprecation. With lament there must always come hope – hope in our sovereign Lord, who has promised to conquer sin.

A photo of a woman in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.
Laura-Lee Lovering has been serving with BMS in Peru for over ten years.
A photo of a plant in a field in Uganda.

And there has to be a connection between the groaning of creation and the sin of humanity – the humanity that God charged with stewarding the creation is different from the humanity that has destroyed it. I am in no doubt that the true existential risk to human beings is not climate change, biodiversity collapse or environmental pollution. It’s sin. Not global warming, but sin. Not the extinction of the pollinators, but sin. Not microplastics showing up in human blood, but sin. It’s because sin is at the root of so much of our reasoning and behaviour – pride, greed and laziness, for starters. Statements like “we have eight years to save the world!”, referring to the cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions that are estimated to be required by 2030 to “keep us on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees”, need to be considered most soberly, I think, by Christians across the world.

A photo of a river in Guinea.

So what does that mean for us? Are we to passively sit back and wait for divine intervention to solve the environmental crises? The classic joke of the drowning man turning away two boats and a helicopter because God will rescue him comes to mind! In reality, God has already saved us in Christ and now we must take an active part in not only rejecting sin in our own lives, but also standing up for those suffering the injustices caused by sin – following in the footsteps of Jesus himself. Turning our lament for creation into a song of thanksgiving for our God, and into an anthem cry for those whose voices go unheard.

And it’s for this reason my UK colleagues at BMS will be joining Christian Climate Action (CCA) and many others at The Big One on 21 April (I’d be there myself if travel constraints allowed!). We see this as an opportunity to show that the Church’s light in the world has not gone out, nor has the salt of the earth lost its saltiness. This is our chance to stand in solidarity with those whose voices often go unheard, the oppressed, the real-life people who are suffering because of a world chained to overconsumption, greed and selfishness. And we would love it if you could join us there (not only to help us hold up our banner!). CCA is planning a pilgrimage to Parliament Square (you can find more details on their website) and the hope is to gather together 100,000 people in peaceful protest. So, if you’ve got a free day, why not consider meeting us there? And if you can’t make it on the day, you can always join me by praying while the pilgrimage is taking place. Give thanks to our God who is in control and through whose divine power we have been given everything we need to be good neighbours in a groaning world that he created for us all.

Join us on April 21st!

We would so love for you to join us in standing together for climate justice on Friday April 21. You can find out all the information about The Big One, and other ways your can get involved in the event, on the Christian Climate Action website. If you plan on joining us on the day, get in touch with Matty Fearon on mfearon@bmsworldmission.org to find out more details.

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2022: a BMS year in review

2022:

a BMS year in review

As we stood on the threshold of 2022 and looked forward, it’s doubtful many in the BMS World Mission community could have predicted what was to come in the year ahead. From war in Europe and a cost of living crisis, to incredible hope triumphing over struggle in the achievements of BMS partners and supporters – this is 2022, our year in review.

Hope in the darkest times

As we look back at 2022, one event looms especially large in our hearts and minds: the war in Ukraine. The shocking events of the Russian invasion in February soon unravelled into months of violence and bloodshed, resulting in a refugee crisis affecting millions. In the midst of it all, BMS supporters came together to raise an astounding total of more than £1.6 million.

That money went to help families like Lili’s, who fled Ukraine after surviving for more than a month in the basement of their home. Thanks to you, Lili and her children found shelter, practical support and a warm welcome in a church-turned-refugee centre in Poland. Watch her story below to learn more about the difference you made.

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Standing firm in crisis

The war in Ukraine had an impact that reached far beyond Europe’s borders. Shockwaves were felt across the world, especially in countries that had previously relied on Ukraine as the breadbasket of Europe. As global prices skyrocketed, it was the most vulnerable families who were hit the hardest. Thanks to you, they weren’t forgotten.

You supported families like Julie’s who fled Syria for the safety of Lebanon, but who experienced the impact of war all over again through an economic crisis that left them utterly devastated. As a result of your support, Julie’s been attending an education centre where she can make up for lost years – and where she finally feels safe and loved.

Photo of Julie with her family
A BMS-supported Church Learning Centre in Lebanon has given Syrian refugees like Julie (right) and her family renewed hope in 2022.

Good news from Good Land

Soumy* thought he’d have to leave Nepal to have a good life. Your support for the BMS Harvest appeal for 2022 persuaded him otherwise. The appeal, named Good Land, was based on the idea that flourishing can be found in Soumy’s home village of Ghusel, with the right opportunities and support. You brought that support in the form of veterinary training, child-centred education and clean water practices, as well as providing breeding goats to the community. The results have been so encouraging – check out a video shot on the ground in Ghusel to see them for yourselves!

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Your prayers bringing justice

Your faithful support and prayers this year have helped embed crucial gender justice and creation stewardship principles across all our work. In November, you prayed for our gender justice champions, which we shared on our Facebook and Twitter pages during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign. These dedicated individuals are working hard to see God’s justice reign throughout BMS-supported work.

And just before that, you prayed along with our Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator Laura-Lee Lovering ahead of COP27, trusting that the Lord would be at work among world leaders making big decisions about the future of the planet. Your support and prayers for these areas are so crucial to making God’s vision of justice real across the world – so thank you for praying with us!

Two women pastors from Bangladesh smile at the camera, along with a man and a woman
BMS workers Pete and Lou celebrate with Nandita and Jyoti!

Celebrating and making history in Bangladesh!

At the end of the year, our partner the Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS) celebrated the 225th anniversary of BMS founder William Carey’s arrival in Bengal. Thousands of people came together to celebrate BBCS’ rich history, and to anticipate an exciting future, as with the celebration came the ordination of BBCS’ first two female pastors!

Praise God for Pastors Nandita Sharkar and Jyoti Ratner! Please pray for them as they take their first steps in their ministries this year.

Praying for Afghanistan

Afghanistan is another nation that has really been on our hearts this year. We shared an update on the changes there during a period of relative stability over the summer, and many of you gave generously to our Afghanistan Christmas appeal to help farmers feed their families. However, you may have seen the recent news about more tragic restrictions on women’s rights and their ability to access work and education.

There is so little hope left in Afghanistan – especially for Afghan women – so we ask that you continue to pray for this nation. Please pray for wisdom, open hearts and for a resolution to this situation that is hurting those who have already been hurt the most.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for the difference you’ve made across the world in 2022. Without your generous giving, faithful prayers, dedicated volunteering and hearty support, none of the work mentioned above would have been possible! You can be sure that with your support in 2023, you’ll reach people in need, help build strong communities and see even more people come to Christ this year.

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Words by Hannah Watson and Laura Durrant.

COP27: where creation and lament meet

COP27: where lament meets creation

News from the climate emergency frontline

Praying for this

Ahead of the global summit on climate change, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator Laura-Lee Lovering charts her hopes and despairs one year deeper into her role.

Download Laura-Lee's latest prayer for COP27 (Adaptation and Agriculture)

In a few days’ time, almost 200 world leaders, plus activists, non-governmental organisation representatives and perhaps even the odd surprised tourist, will congregate in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP27. Around about this time last year, the UK was gearing up to host COP26 in Glasgow and I was three months into the role of BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator. But how do COP27 and God’s creation intersect?

Drawing knowledge from God's word

Regardless of how you might feel about climate change and the single-issue lens on carbon emissions, the recent UN Emissions Gap Report 2022 makes it clear that the world’s governments are nowhere near to even pledging the kind of change that is considered necessary to limit global warming.

From where I sit, one year on, I will dare to say that I’m not so surprised and I don’t believe we should be. As Christians who must draw our knowledge of the human condition from within God’s creation — primarily from God’s Word — this is certainly cause for lament. But it shouldn’t diminish our hope and personal commitment.

A group of people working in a field in Peru.
Laura-Lee helped create kitchen gardens with the Awajun people of north-central Peru.

Getting back to basics

Over the last year, as I’ve started to unpack the creation stewardship role and all that it can, might or should encompass for BMS, there have been many positive moments. There were the talks I gave to my local church youth group here in Piura, Peru, which resulted in their decision to do a monthly evangelism-and-litter collection activity in the church neighbourhood. This led to an invitation to collaborate on an evening conference on “The Christian and Creation” with the Piura Baptist Youth Association. Here it became clear that many of the young people were barely aware that the Bible provided a clear foundation for environmental stewardship to counter the predominantly secular-humanist perspective they were learning in the colleges and universities.

There was the invitation to accompany Peruvian mission worker, Raquel Leon, in her ministry to the Awajun people of north-central Peru. Raquel had heard that I had done ‘environmental things’ in the low jungle of the Peruvian Amazon and thought I could assist in her integral ministry in the high jungle. So, I got back to basics, leading workshops on God’s blessing of clean water and how to keep it (and us) clean to avoid sickness, as well as God’s blessing in biodiversity and the importance of a varied diet of local fruit, nuts and vegetables to keep us healthy. I still hope to return in the next few months to follow-up with the local believers and the kitchen gardens that we created together.

A group of young people in green t-shirt
The young people from Laura-Lee's church are sharing their commitment to creation stewardship with their community.

Putting our own house in order

Then there are the UK Creation Stewardship Champions, members of our UK-based staff who volunteered to champion practical creation stewardship in our UK office back in April. As we grapple with the reality that what we in the UK consider to be a normal level of consumption of goods and energy, is one of the main drivers of environmental pollution, biodiversity loss and global warming… well, we realise that we also need to prioritise putting our own house in order.

To that end, we’ve been working on how we can improve our environmental footprint across our all UK-based operations, including our international flight mileage and energy use (which I track by calculating our organisational carbon footprint each year). We also expect to have a fully LED-lit office by the end of the year, and we hope that parts of the lawn outside the building will have been converted to wildflowers by the end of next year.

And then there have been the numerous workshops, webinars and presentations which have taken me to more places than I can count – predominantly through my laptop and the internet. One thing is clear from the many conversations: we know that we are all part of the same creation, but stewarding it well takes many different forms and we often don’t know where to start.

I’ve concluded that the best thing we can do together is to sound out the biblical principles and learn to ask ourselves the right questions: how do I impact creation and how does it impact me?

Laura Lee-Lovering inspects a fruit in the Nauta rainforest
Laura-Lee is carrying all that she has learned from her field work in Peru into online seminar rooms across the world.

Creation care and the gospel

Very recently I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to a course on “Creation Care and the Gospel” with the International Baptist Theological Seminary. It allowed me to delve into the biblical tradition of lament, specifically in the context of ecological brokenness. In human terms, lamenting is what we do when we’ve come to the end of ourselves, and hope has become a matter of faith where feelings no longer help us.

Where lament meets creation, we see that it is God who got there first upon seeing the state of the world just six chapters after he created it and declared it good. Yet even though he judged the world (and he will judge it again), he hasn’t given up hope. Instead, he carried on working and then sent his Son into the thick of things, telling us to follow him.

So, while corruption besets us on every side, outside and in, we are still called today to be witnesses in word and deed to the Creator and the Saviour of the world. Therefore, let’s not lament as the world laments, without hope. Let us lament, knowing that the God of heaven and earth laments with us, but he hasn’t given up hope and he hasn’t stopped working.

The opportunity to support Laura-Lee

You can keep sustaining all that Laura-Lee does and plans to do in her role as Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator through prayer, especially during the next two weeks of COP27. You can also support Laura-Lee financially as a 24:7 Partner. Your monthly gift can help keep alive her vital work with BMS partners around the world and allow her to keep educating the next generation of Christians in how to steward God’s creation.

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Download Laura-Lee's prayer for COP27 to share with your church

Words by Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator.

Grains of sand

Grains of sand

Praying for this

Meet the litter picking heroes of Piura, Peru, and find out how you can join them in their mission!

When we think of Peru, we often think of lush rainforests, ancient monuments and stunning beaches. And while that’s accurate, Peruvian towns and cities struggle with the same things we do here in the UK — litter. “There’s just rubbish everywhere you look in the city,” says Laura-Lee Lovering, BMS World Mission’s Creation Stewardship Co-ordinator, who moved to the city of Piura in northern Peru last year. Laura-Lee has a background in environmental science, so as well as helping BMS partners across the world embed creation stewardship initiatives into all their work, she’s keen to engage her church and community in Piura in championing creation stewardship too.

A group of young people in green t-shirt
The young people from Laura-Lee's church are sharing their commitment to creation stewardship with their community.

Initially, she expected some resistance. “Environmental issues are very much seen as something that’s imported from outside,” Laura-Lee explains. “It doesn’t seem crucial enough, considering the other concerns that are right in front of them.” Laura-Lee wants to encourage Peruvian Christians in understanding the biblical imperative for caring for our environment and God’s command to steward his creation. So she started small by asking the youth pastor at her church in Piura about possibly talking to the young people. And as is an ongoing theme in this story, she ended up with more than she asked for!

Laura-Lee began with running two sessions with the youth group on creation stewardship, and ended the second session by asking the young people what they thought they could do about it. After a bit of discussion, one person came up with the idea of litter picking in the neighbourhood. The suggestion perfectly met two needs, where the young people could improve their community and care for the environment at the same time. They decided to get matching t-shirts with the name of their church on them and head out once a month to pick up litter. “It’s important for me because I want the place to be clean,” says Nadia, one of the group members. “Even I can help with my ‘grain of sand’ so that everything looks better!” And the best part is, they’re doing it as proud ambassadors of their church and sharing the gospel as they go.

A group of people picking litter
These litter picking heroes are determined to help clean up their neighbourhood.

While they go out picking up rubbish, they also hand out gospel tracts and strike up conversations with passers-by about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. “We show the public that we belong to a church and that we have the responsibility to take care of the environment,” says Samuel, another member of the group. And after only a few months, they’ve already had some fruitful conversations. People have been really pleased with the impact the group are having on the community – they’ve been thanked with lots of cups of fizzy drinks from their neighbours! – and people have already shown interest in coming to church.

Even I can help with my ‘grain of sand’ so that everything looks better!

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But Laura-Lee and the litter picking heroes aren’t stopping there. Not long after the group first formed, Laura-Lee was invited to a meeting of the Piura Baptist Youth Association. She hoped she’d be asked to do some more low scale talks with local churches, but instead they asked her to plan a whole conference at the association level! It’s a big undertaking, but on 18 June they’re holding the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference, open to young people from all the Baptist churches in the Piura region. Laura-Lee will be running sessions on the theological reasoning for creation stewardship, and they’ll be joined virtually by a representative from Christian environmental charity A Rocha to share about the work they’re doing in the area. And of course, the litter picking group will also be giving a presentation on everything they’ve been doing in their local community. Their hope is that people will be inspired by the biblical imperative for creation stewardship and will be encouraged to take small steps to care for creation in their churches and communities.

A group of young people praying
Laura-Lee goes out with the group every month to provide support and pray with them.

The environmental issues faced in Peru and across the world are bigger than all of us as individuals, but the litter picking heroes of Piura would love for you to join them in their endeavours. “I would recommend that you join us. Together, as brothers and sisters, we are going to save our world,” says Nadia. So why not join them and start up a litter picking group at your church? Or why not pray for the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference this weekend? You’ll find a whole list of prayer points below. Tackling creation stewardship individually can be daunting, but if we join together as a Global Church, we might just have enough grains of sand to make a difference.

Could you pray?

Please pray for the ‘Christian and Creation’ conference on Saturday 18 June.

  • Invitations and flyers have been sent to all the Baptist Churches in Piura and the Christian student network that serves the universities – pray for good attendance of young people and church leaders.
  • Pray for good internet and functioning equipment on the day, so that Andrea Regalado, from A Rocha Peru, will be able to participate successfully via Zoom.
  • Pray for Laura-Lee as principal speaker, that God will use her to inspire the young people attending to take action for creation stewardship in their churches.
  • Give thanks for the work of the Piura Baptist Youth Association, making this and other events possible throughout the year. Pray that the association leaders would be encouraged and inspired to keep working for the building-up of young Christians in this city.

Words by Laura Durrant.

Calling all stewards

Calling all stewards

Looking after the planet just got easier

Praying for this

Creation stewardship is crucial to our mission, and to our faith. It’s why BMS World Mission was on the streets with Christian Climate Action earlier this week. It’s why we’ve been supporting creation care initiatives for years. And it’s why we’re encouraging you to do what you can in the fight for climate justice. Not everyone can join a demonstration, but by using our new carbon calculator, you can offset your carbon footprint and put that money straight back into the environment.

Come with us to a fragile desert ecosystem – one that’s home to the peoples of the Tibesti region in mountainous northern Chad. We’re in the mid-Sahara Desert, so as you may imagine, medical provision in this remote and unyielding environment might be hard to come by. But travel to the oasis town of Bardaï, and you’ll meet BMS medical workers Andrea and Mark Hotchkin. They’ve lived here for years, supporting the government hospital which provides 24-hour healthcare (whether through life-saving surgeries or supporting safe childbirth) to the communities who need it.

A mountainous desert landscape.
This mountainous desert landscape is home to the peoples of the Tibesti region.

The sad irony is that this beacon of life and health has traditionally had to rely on diesel generators to get electricity pumping round its wards. Like any hospital, the one in Bardaï needs to keep life-giving medication refrigerated and crucial equipment powered for use in medical and surgical emergencies. But that meant 35,000 litres of diesel fuel per year being burned up in a 60KW generator, releasing 90,000kg of greenhouse-generating CO2 into a delicately balanced desert climate. The generator was expensive, limited, and damaging. But in a place as remote as Bardaï, it used to be the only option.

“Used to be”, because the Bardaï hospital project is the first BMS project to receive the Climate Stewards Seal of Approval. Under the scheme, money raised through offsetting carbon is invested in supporting green initiatives to protect our planet – starting in Bardaï. Where diesel used to fuel the hospital, solar panels now power a majority of its needs. And when you choose to offset what you can’t reduce in your own carbon footprint, you become part of this incredible solution – reducing emissions in Bardaï and, as more creation care and carbon reduction projects come online, around the world.

Soon, by calculating and offsetting your carbon emissions with the BMS Carbon Calculator, you will be a part of initiatives that meet the high standards of Climate Stewards and that do something real and valuable to fight climate change. From emissions-reducing efforts in Christ-glorifying ministries like the Bardaï hospital project, to planting trees for carbon capture and oxygen production, BMS is committed to being part of the solution to our climate crisis, and to doing it in the name of Jesus.

Solar panels funded by BMS supporters being unloaded from a plane.
The panels arrived on a flight already scheduled to visit the region, so no extra carbon emissions were created by their delivery.
The BMS-supported government hospital at Bardai.
Solar panels will now power a majority of this crucial hospital's needs.

The Bardaï solar panels will save an estimated 1,578 tonnes of carbon emissions over a period of 20 years, representing an 87 per cent reduction in annual fuel consumption. To put that into context, the yearly saving is equivalent to the output of 24 standard UK cars, and the financial saving for the hospital equivalent to six months’ worth of life-saving medications.

It’s also going to improve lives by improving reliable power. The old generator’s output was patchy, meaning patients might give birth by torchlight at night. The new solar panels allow the hospital to function for 24 hours a day with proper lighting and refrigeration of medications – enabling better care, more thorough cleaning, safer operations and a hugely better atmosphere for patients and staff. And it’s hoped that the solar panels will generate interest from the local community, raising awareness of green energies and better alternatives for fuelling life in Bardaï.

God gave us a world to take care of. Doing so doesn’t need to be a choice between helping people and being good stewards. Praise God for this opportunity to do both!

Try our new carbon calculator!

At BMS World Mission, we want to encourage you to reduce what you can. But for carbon emissions you can’t reduce, our calculator will allow you to invest in greener solutions for some of the most fragile places on earth. Take positive action in responsible stewardship, and try the calculator today!

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Words by Hannah Watson, Editor of Engage, the BMS World Mission magazine.