News from Around the World

Christmas Offering Video

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:47:39 -0600

Cathy Bates, wife of the Patriarch, The Most Rev. Craig Bates, put together this video to promote the IDA Christmas Offering among the churches in the Northeast.

Annual IDA Christmas Offering

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 15:48:49 -0600

Every year during Advent CEC parishes around the world take up an offering to support the work of the International Development Agency of the ICCEC. This is one of the main ways our Communion supports the development of our churches worldwide. Bishops, rectors and vicars are encouraged to prepare their parishes for this offering and to schedule one or two Sundays to give every family an opportunity to support our missions program.

Please mention this offering in your services throughout December. Direct your people to the IDA web site where they can get information about what we are doing worldwide. Encourage them to sign up for the IDA e-newsletter by entering their email addresses on the home page.

Here is a link to a bulletin insert you can print and distribute to your parish:

IDA Christmas Offering Insert

The insert is designed to be printed either two-sided so you can cut them two-per-sheet (choose “short-edge binding”) or one-sided, one-per-sheet. Choose your printer’s highest resolution for best results.

Rectors, please send a check in the amount of your offerings to the Patriarch’s office at this address:

Office of the Patriarch, IDA
122 Broadway
Malverne, NY 11565

Normal individual and parish gifts should still be sent to the IDA office in Selma, Alabama. (See Contact page.)

I pray that during this Advent season you experience the fullness of God that is ours in Jesus Christ.

In Christ,

Archbishop Charles W Jones

Well!

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 17:31:59 -0600

When Integrity Worldwide visited Bishop Moses’ diocese in Meto, Kenya, January 2009, one of their tasks was to oversee the drilling of a well. Stephen Devries, president of Bedouins International, and professional photographer wrote this about the day they hit water:

“I’ve never in my life experienced something like the digging of the well in Meto. Not only was it just a beautiful sight… the water shooting 60+ feet into the air and catching the reflection of the early afternoon sun… but it was a powerful sight… watching water erupt from a parched land… a place that’s been in drought for 15 months. A population that’s lost 50% of it’s cattle in under 2 years. But the thing is… they didn’t even cheer. There was no excitement, no jumping up and down or running in the mist. At first I was a little disappointed to be completely honest. The most we got from them was a quick shuffle away from the direct stream. But as I talked to people I began to realize that what I mistook for lack of concern was sheer and total awe. These people stood there in silence as they realized that for the past 2 years their cows had been dying… they’d been walking miles upon miles for water… trying to nurse dehydrated babies when they were dehydrated themselves… and it was right below them the whole time. They stood there not knowing what to do… now… finally…they can drink in their village. Whenever they want. They don’t have to rely on water from across the Tanzania border that comes and goes… they don’t have to send donkey water trains to the river miles away… they don’t have to collect the run off from their homes in cisterns. They can walk to the well in their own village. Fresh, cold, clear and clean… they have water. It was an amazing day for us… and a historical day for Meto.”

To see more of Stephen’s posts and photographs from this trip, visit his blog at http://www.bedouinsinternational.org/blog/

To read more about Integrity International’s work in Meto, see their blog at http://integrityworldwide.wordpress.com/

News from the Diocese of Machakos, Kenya

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 11:25:27 -0600

This year, although we are experiencing famine, we thank God that we have continued the work of ministry in the Diocese. As bishop I continue to visit the various parishes to encourage, teach and give pastoral care to the Christians. I have been encouraged by the congregations because most of them have continued to be faithful to God and his church. Just as it was in the church of the Apostle,s we request for prayer from our brothers and sisters around the world.

Above is a photo of one of the functions we had a few weeks ago to collect funds to continue the construction of one of the churches in the DIOCESE. At this function we managed to raise 85,000 ksh, or 1,134 US dollars. This church was started in this area in the year 2000 with 9 members of the congregation. At the moment there are more than 120 members. We see this church growing continually.

Thanks and God bless you.

Bishop Bernard Katili Matolo

News from Diocese of Kajiado, Kenya

Mon, 2 Mar 2009 12:19:10 -0600

A large team from Alabama traveled to Meto, Kenya, with Integrity Worldwide. The team ran a medical clinic, drilled a well, distributed food and ministered in Bishop Moses Ngusa’s diocese. Below are photos and a video from Integrity’s web site.

Brazil 2009!

Sun, 1 Mar 2009 19:28:46 -0600

We are excited to announce that this July we will return to Recife, Brazil, to participate with our Brazilian brothers and sisters in evangelism and ministry. This announcement has been met with great excitement here and in Brazil. God has greatly blessed our work with our Brazilian church members whose passion for spreading the Gospel has inspired many.

We will work with about 150 youth from ages 12 to 30 on a weekend outreach one weekend. We will also participate in various ministries and attend one or two services in the cathedral in Recife and another church nearby. We will do some sightseeing, shopping and spend one day at the beach south of Recife.

Estonia/Latvia Postponed
We decided to postpone our mission to Estonia and Latvia because of health issues with a key pastor and other circumstances that our churches are facing that would make it difficult to to host a team this year. Our prayer is that God would lead us there another year, to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in this difficult spiritual environment.

Dates: July 14 through 27
The main outreach we join takes place at an annual Winter Festival (remember Brazil is in the Southern Hemisphere) in the city of Garanhuns, about 200 miles inland from Recife. This outreach will be on one of the weekends we are there.

Cost
We estimate the mission will cost $800 plus round trip airfare to Recife, Brazil. Flights from the US to Recife range from $900 to $1,300. A $200 deposit must accompany your application packet.

Candidates
Anyone who loves Jesus Christ and knows Him as their personal Savior and Lord is welcome to apply for membership on this team. Because this mission is under the IDA and our hosts are CEC churches, CEC members will have priority in team member selection. It is also necessary to have the blessing of your rector and, if under 18, your parents.

As with all missions trips, it is important that you be physically fit, able to walk long distances, carry your baggage through airports, city streets, up stairs and on public transportation. You should be eager to help out in any way needed during the mission and willing to try new things.

We already have about 20 people from around the CEC signed up to go to Brazil. Because this change occurred so late, we need you to apply soon if you believe God is leading you to join us in Brazil this summer. Pray. Speak with your rector or vicar, your parents and trusted spiritual friends.

Apply Soon
If you believe God wants you to join us, download an Brazil09_STM_App.pdf, complete it and mail it in by March 20. You will also need to have your rector and a mature Christian friend or relative fill out and mail in a Personal Referral Form included in the application packet. If you are a past team member, you must complete a form as well.

If you have questions, please email Fr Scott or Mitzi Howard.

Fr Scott: frscott <at> idacec.org
Mitzi: mitzi <at> beneiaorusa.org

For His Glory,

Fr Scott

Progress on Rwanda Cathedral

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 16:20:19 -0600

Bishop Emmanuel Ngirumpatse, CEC Bishop of Rwanda, has been building his cathedral in Kigali for many years because construction in this capital city is extremely expensive. (We reported on this last April.) Bishop Emmanuel returned from Convocation last August to a notice from the Government that he could not use the building in it’s unfinished condition and that his only choices were to finish it or move out. Bishop Emmanuel wrote,

“The Government of Rwanda has a Master Plan prepared by an American for the City of Kigali. They want to compare Kigali to Chicago; The project is called ‘Vision 2020’. So people build according to the Master Plan.... That is why we are obliged to build with solid materials - metallics and iron sheets not any sheets but the solid ones - it is forbidden to use trees. This makes [building] very expensive, so to build in Kigali is not a joke, is not easy.”

Photos from Bishop Kizungu Sylvain

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 18:22:32 -0600

Bishop Kizungu Katarama Sylvain is CEC Bishop of the Diocese of Bukavu in east DR Congo.

A Short, Recent History of Congo

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 11:22:44 -0600

This is an excellent, though very brief, historical overview of the problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo put together by the Economist, a British news magazine.

Please see photos from Bishop Sylvain recently added to this web site.

If you have trouble viewing the video above, please try at the Economist web site:

A Short, Recent History of Congo

Disclaimer: News agencies from former colonial powers sometimes maintain an editorial bias against indigenous authorities in former colonies.

“House of Bread”

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:01:19 -0600

Through a gift from a couple in Alabama Bishop Hannington Bahemuka is realizing a long-held dream of running a “House of Bread” for the people in his diocese in western Uganda.

Bishop Hannington writes, “It will be used basically as a training Centre for making and selling bread. People will come to this house to learn how to make bread. This will generate money for the people making the bread.”

This center will also meet a big need in this remote location. Bishop Hannington continues, “At the moment, our traders go 75 miles away to another town to bring bread to sell in our town.”

“Secondly, we will use this house as a centre for selling milk from our orphanage. With time we will purchase a milk preserver so that the milk will keep for a long time.

“Our women will come here to learn how to use sewing machines and have a store for [selling] the clothes they make.

“I will use some of the rooms as a hotel and restaurant. That way the house will bring in income.”

The building is in a central location, but it needs a lot of work .

Bishop Hannington: “I purchased this “House of bread” because I wanted to secure this wonderful site. Otherwise the house needs renovation and refurbishment. What is needed immediately is a latrine or toilet. The current latrine is in such a very sorry state that the health workers may not allow the house to operate as a hotel. The house has twelve rooms and needs a latrine with six stances. The rooms in the house need to be fashioned according to our need and function. We need re-enforcement and a wall around our property.”

Bishop Hannington estimates that it will cost $8,500 to bring the building up to hotel and restaurant standards and fit it for the uses mentioned above.

This is one example of the many ways our bishops and churches in Africa are blessing their people and communities.