STORIES & IMPACT UPDATES OF OUR WORK TOGETHER
ISSUE 01 | Winter 2021
Journeying Together
Jennifer Lau · Executive Director
Welcome to a new year and the very first issue of CBM Responding. At CBM, we continue to embrace a broken world through word and deed. This year is no different.
We hope this new quarterly publication will inspire and connect you with our shared work and mission through the latest news and updates from Field Staff and projects around the world. It is our way of connecting all the pieces of CBM’s online, social and print communications, and bringing them together in one easy-to-read format. We are excited that this new publication will keep you better informed about the impact of the work you faithfully support.
You may be wondering if CBM Responding replaces Mosaic Magazine. While Mosaic will continue to publish new articles online, it will no longer be a printed publication. However, you will still be able to read new Mosaic articles about critical global issues on our website, cbmin.org/mosaic.
We are thankful for the incredible support Mosaic has received over the years. The new digital version will continue to provide the thought-provoking content you have come to expect.
Thank you for journeying with us to serve the needs of the world’s most vulnerable people. Whether through prayer, financial support or going on a SENT trip, we are thankful to faithfully share and live out the gospel together.
Grace and peace,
Jennifer Lau Executive Director
In each issue of CBM Responding you will find:
• Recent updates on the people and places that your ongoing generosity is reaching (also on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/CanadianBaptistMinistries)
• CBM Field Staff highlights on how they answered God’s call, in faith.
• Uplifting stories from people whose lives and communities have seen hope and transformation.
• Global prayer items (also online at cbmin.org/prayerline)
You can anticipate seeing more stories from the places we’re working together in around the world in 2021:
7185 Millcreek Drive Mississauga, ON L5N 5R4 Tel: 905.821.3533
communications@cbmin.org www.cbmin.org
COVID-19 Update
International Projects that benefitted from your donations
It is undeniable how much COVID-19 has made an impact on our world today. By changing the way in which we work, live, worship and spend our time, the fabric of our lives has adjusted in many ways. COVID-19 has affected countless people around the world, especially those who are living in the margins. Day wage workers are unable to earn incomes under lock-downs, which is why CBM started the COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide support to people struggling most due to the pandemic.
It is thanks to your generosity over the past year that we have helped the vulnerable meet their most basic needs and more, in places like Bolivia, India, and Lebanon.
Thanks to the generosity of Canadian Baptists and our Canadian partners, over $330,000 has been contributed to CBM and our global efforts on your behalf for COVID-19 Relief.
WHAT DOES THAT INCREDIBLE NUMBER LOOK LIKE ON THE GROUND?
Bolivia: Over 700 households or 2,707 individuals received a basket of food supplies, giving families the nutrition and means they need to survive. With limited resources and the country struggling to contain its infection rate, these food baskets have been an incredible source of hope.
India: 4,000 families or 16,000 people received basic hygiene supplies and masks for safety. In India, necessities such as soap are essential to combat the spread of COVID-19. Over 20 families received one full month of poultry and pigs feed in order to continue maintain their livelihoods. 1,411 families received a month’s worth of cooking oil and food supplies, as many already live below the poverty line.
Lebanon: 35 frontline hospital staff workers have had the cost of their room rental for an entire month covered, as Lebanon’s frontline workers are overstretched due to the volume of COVID-19 cases in the country. Many are not able to return home due to pandemic restrictions, making it a priority to provide a safe place for workers to live in order to help protect them and their families.
Philippines: Some are not able to afford basic needs such as food, which makes a mask seem like a luxury. 90 frontline hospital workers received masks and meals while they were quarantined within the hospital, providing care for COVID-19 patients. Your support also provided financial aid for 50 households for food and basic necessities during lockdown.
East Asia: 360 households received food packages, supplementing families in need without having to worry about how to feed their families for even a short while. Providing nutritious and vital food items is a symbol of a hope for many.
On behalf of the people that benefitted from the COVID-19 Relief Fund, thank you. Thank you for helping to show people around the world that they are loved and cared for by God at all times. Together as God’s people, we can offer the gift of life wherever hope needs to be restored. No pandemic or crisis can stop the work of the Spirit around the world.
AT A GLANCE:
• Over 2,700 people received food supplies in Bolivia, giving families the means to survive.
• 16,000 people in India received soap and masks for safety, to combat the spread of COVID-19.
• 35 frontline hospital staff in Lebanon had one full month’s rent covered.
• In the Philippines, 90 frontline hospital workers received masks and meals while they provided care for COVID-19 patients.
• In East Asia, 360 households received food packages, which brought true hope and light.
Conrad & Fiona Kwok
East Asia, Golden Triangle
Conrad and Fiona Kwok serve with CBM as the Chinese Ministries Team Leaders in Asia. The Kwoks help develop an integral mission focus through local churches in our network of Chinese Ministry partners – providing strategic support in the areas of leadership formation and community development.
Conrad and Fiona work in collaboration with the Thailand Bethel Theological Institute (TBTI) to provide training for young Chinese church leaders from East Asia, northern Thailand and Burma. Fiona serves in various roles consisting of teaching at TBTI, helping with translation of integral mission resources into Chinese and participating in community development projects. Conrad teaches theology, while also mentoring students and young leaders. Fiona and Conrad also serve in an itinerant capacity in other parts of Asia, which includes working with unreached people groups from East Asia and the Golden Triangle (Burma, Thailand, and Laos), an area known as the heroin production and consumption capital of the world.
Prior to their appointment at CBM, Fiona worked as an office manager at Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, and Conrad was the Mandarin pastor at Brampton Chinese Baptist Church. He also led two church plants, one in Milton and one in Burlington, Ontario, while serving on the Executive Council of the Toronto Chinese Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship. Conrad and Fiona have two adult children.
INTERVIEW
Q: How did God bring you to CBM, to serve as long-term Field Staff?
God prepared us 12 years prior to our joining CBM in 2012. Fiona started to work with CBOQ in 2000, and Conrad became a Baptist pastor in 2004. We are members of the big Baptist family, so when God called us to work overseas, we joined CBM with no second thoughts. When we were initially talking and seeking direction about serving overseas, it was also the support and guidance of Terry Smith at CBM that reassured and made us feel that this Baptist family does care about their staff.
Q: What is one way you have witnessed God’s presence in your time overseas?
Through the people we met in the Golden Triangle, we all witnessed God’s presence. The students at TBTI, the drug addicts at Operation Dawn Drug Rehabilitation centre; they all witnessed the power of God and of the Gospel. It is because of God that we have witnessed addicts and people from all walks of life repent and become a Christian, or a Christian worker, and even pastors.
Q: In terms of understanding what it means to work as Field Staff, what encouragement would you share?
PRAYER POINTS
Pray for the Chinese Ministries Team of CBM and the ministries in Germany, Hong Kong and East Asia.
Pray for the Lahu community up in the mountainous region in Myanmar, and our partner Pastor Duodu and his team.
Pray for the ministries in the Golden Triangle and our partner, Thailand Bethel Theological Institute.
Are you interested in joining CBM as Global Field Staff? Are there other people you know who might?
If you are passionate about how God’s love transforms people’s lives, and would like to join a team that works globally with local churches to share that love in word and deed, contact Member Care: membercare@cbmin.org OR call 905.821.3533
We welcome the opportunity to talk with you. For more details, visit cbmin.org/job-opportunities
It helps to think outside the box; think outside the four walls of your church. God is going to use you in a much bigger and broader plan that is more than you can imagine. Be strong and courageous. Whether you sense God calling you to serve overseas or not, think big.
FOLLOW FOR UPDATES
cbmin.org/conrad-fiona-kwok
ckwok@cbmin.org
God’s Provision in the Golden Triangle
Jia Jun’s Story: Building the Church
Jia Jun is a young man who lives in an impoverished village in Chiang Rai province, Thailand’s northernmost province, which borders Laos and Myanmar to form what is called the Golden Triangle.
His calling to become a pastor and serve God’s people led him to serve at a small church, ministering to the Akha minority tribe who live in small villages at higher elevations. Though his conviction to full-time ministry to proclaim the gospel and minister to the community remains steadfast, he earns roughly $200 a month, while other pastors in the area earn up to twice as much. Meeting even basic needs can be a challenge.
But where God calls, he provides. Jun now receives financial and professional support through CBM, and has since opened a children’s Sunday school and provides weekly visitations for church members. He also receives coaching and mentoring support from CBM Field Staff, Conrad and Fiona Kwok, which helps equip Jun to teach and lead his congregation to share the gospel in their own village, and surrounding ones as well.
God’s gift of provision through CBM impacts not only Jun, but his ministry and community as well. The measure of that impact will only continue to grow!
Did you know that CBM sells coffee? Yes, we really do!
When a bag of Collective Cup is opened, the sweet scents of chocolate, sugar cane, plum and raisins deliciously waft out. This blend offers a smooth, rich flavour that energizes as it coats your tastebuds.
As a community of Christ followers who believe actions are an expression of faith, you – through the Collective Cup house blend – can empower local farmers who are able to realize the equitable benefits from their labors. This is coffee served with dignity & justice, which makes your private label coffee truly delicious. All while supporting CBM’s projects in El Salvador!
Conrad and Fiona Kwok (see previous page) are encouraged to see this young leader stepping into his calling to lead God’s people.
store.co323.org
Why do we sell coffee?
Coffee is a justice issue. We address the inequity and damage caused by coffee choices around the world, and you can read more about it in Mosaic magazine: cbmin.org/serving-justice
Collective Cup coffee... now that’s a cup of coffee that we can all truly get behind!
Praying Together
Support God’s work around the world through prayer
WHAT IS PRAYERLINE?
Prayerline is a weekly resource for churches and individuals to take part in God’s mission across the globe through prayer. Each week, a different Field Staff is featured so that they can be covered in prayer.
As CBM continues to serve all over the world, we invite you to join us as we pray with and for those in the mission field in the coming weeks.
PRAY WITH CBM’S FIELD STAFF
February 2: Lilian Yang, Golden Triangle Region National Field Staff
February 9: Suraj Komaravalli, India Team Leader
February 16: Bruno & Kathleen Soucy, Latin America Team Leaders
February 23: Yuanchuan Ye & Ming Gao, Germany National Field Staff
March 2: André Sibomana, Africa Team Leader
March 9: Elie & Mireille Haddad, Middle East and North Africa Team Leaders
March 16: CP Raju, India National Field Staff
March 23: Lewis & Felain Lam, Germany Strategic Associates
March 30: Bill & Janice Dyck, Bolivia Global Field Staff
PRAYER FOR CBM FIELD STAFF
Father, we lift up to you all of our Field Staff, who have dedicated their lives to carrying out your ministry. We thank you for their lives, and ask for protection, provision and overflowing grace as they go and make disciples of all nations. We are grateful for all those who pray with and for each and every one of our Field Staff.
We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lenten Special
Sign-up for the Prayerline e-newsletter
To get updates about upcoming shared prayers and reflections delivered to your inbox, visit cbmin.org/prayerline
A special edition of Prayerline will be out in February for the season of Lent. Subscribe today!
February 20: World Day of Social Justice
Pray for victims of poverty, exclusion, gender inequality, unemployment, and other social injustices.
Pray for healing, reconciliation, and restoration for people and communities.
Pray for strength and courage to speak out against injustice.
March 1: Zero Discrimination Day
Pray for the oppressed and those living in the margins due to discrimination.
Pray against hatred and judgment.
Pray for an end to discrimination in all its forms.
March 8: International Women’s Day
Pray to end gender-based violence.
Pray for greater solidarity with and among women globally.
Pray for equal opportunities for women.
March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Pray for God to heal the wounds of racial injustice and to end all racism.
Pray for greater openness and awareness around discussions of race.
Pray for greater openness towards the “other”.
UPCOMING WORLD INTERNATIONAL DAYS
Reflections of God at Work in 2020
Adrian Gardner · Director, Canadian Partnerships
On the evening of March 11th, 2020, I attended a board meeting at my local church (King’s Community Church) in North Oakville. News of a novel coronavirus was ever-present, and CBM staff were meeting regularly to discuss it, but it had yet to affect my life significantly.
Our church was proceeding as usual and I was preparing to lead a SENT team of students to the Dominican Republic on their March Break. As I drove home that evening listening to the radio, I heard the news that NBA player Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and the season was being put on hold. This was big news in Toronto as they had just played the Raptors. As I drove, the proverbial penny dropped within me. This coronavirus was going to change life significantly. Within a week, our church had moved online, the SENT program was placed on hold, the Canada-US border was closed, and non-essential businesses were shuttered.
“As I reflect on these past nine months, I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God and the generosity of His people.”
As I reflect on these past nine months, I am overwhelmed by the faithfulness of God and the generosity of His people. In a time of difficulty when it could have been easy to focus on our own hardship and need, Canadian Baptists continued to proclaim and demonstrate the love of God and cared for the most vulnerable around the world.
I think of CBM Calling, a daily livestream launched by our Content and Design team to tell the story of COVID-19 and how it was affecting our partners. The fact that we are all in the same storm, but not all in the same boat became a common
refrain as we detailed the impact of lockdowns on day laborers and those who live in countries without the economic safety net provided by the Government of Canada. This livestream has gained a faithful following and continues to tell the story of God at work through our partner network.
I remember our first Solidarity Sunday livestream where we joined virtually in solidarity with our partners. Over 200 people joined live and thousands watched later. Participants heard updates and prayer requests from our global partners and took time to pray for those in need.
I am thankful for our Regional Representatives and Church Engagement team who worked tirelessly to connect with churches and engage them in this new reality of online church. By offering resources with Build Your Own Sunday, CBM provided ways for local churches to focus on God’s global mission through their online services. Through Active in Mission, our first virtual run/walk/bikea-thon, we worked with churches to provide composting latrines and clean water in rural El Salvador.
Traditionally Christmas is a time when churches often take up a special offering to support ministry around the world. In 2020, over 70 churches launched online campaigns, continuing to practice generosity and demonstrate God’s love throughout the Christmas season.
The world has changed radically since that night on March 11th when I heard that the NBA season was being placed on hold. There are many stories that could be told of 2020. I am choosing to focus on the story of the church being the church, embracing the truth that we are not defined by our buildings or our gatherings. We are defined by our love, for God and for others.
Build Your Own Sunday
At CBM, we are finding new ways to work together in this COVID-19 season while continuing to provide assistance to those in the margins, through the local church. We created Build Your Own Sunday to deliver new, accessible video resources for you and your church. We want to encourage and help strengthen your church and its mission, all-year long.
Use the Build Your Own Sunday website to select sermons, music, prayer items and news from the field to use in whichever suits your service’s needs best.
HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL FIND TO BUILD YOUR OWN SUNDAY: Online Church Resources cbmin.org/buildyourownsunday
Sermons
Download recorded sermons by different CBM staff and friends of CBM. Each video comes with a reflection (20+ minutes) and a set of scripture readings.
Prayers
Download or share videos of CBM Field Staff and Canadian staff leading a time of prayer. Get print-friendly versions at: cbmin.org/prayerline/
“This Build Your Own Sunday is the most amazing thing CBM has ever done...other than the whole preach the gospel to the entire world thing, obviously...”
~ Pastor Matt Sampson, Agincourt Baptist Church in Scarborough, Ontario
Frequently Updated!
Check in for new sermons and resources. To share your ideas for video resources, please message communications@cbmin.org
Global Updates
Meet and connect with CBM’s Field Staff all around the world through video updates directly from the field. Get the latest updates from the places where CBM works.
Music
Incorporate music by Fraser Campbell, JUNO nominated recording artist and producer from Victoria, British Columbia, into your service.
Your 2020 Year in Giving
2020 was a year like no other. But even with the implications of a global pandemic, it did not slow down the overwhelming generosity and compassion of Canadian Baptists for the world’s vulnerable. We witnessed the body of Christ continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus, through the local church and its partners.
Thank you for restoring dignity to people in villages and cities and countries all around the world – letting them know that Canadian Baptists care about them and understand the importance of meeting the needs of the vulnerable. People in these communities now know they are that they are seen and valued.
Here is a snapshot of what your generosity accomplished in the past year.
More than 1,500 children and youth at risk were able to attend school programs in 2020.
From rabbits to water buffaloes, over 1,200 animals were distributed to alleviate poverty.
Greater than 30,000 members of family households benefited from COVID-19 relief or supports.
More than 63,000 fed through our food assistance programs.
Over 500 marginalized women were empowered through vocational training.
Almost 10,000 refugees benefitted from CBM’s assistance through crisis response programs.
More than 1,600 pastors and church leaders were trained and equipped to build the church.
Doubling Your Donation, Dollar for Dollar
Coming to your mailbox and your inbox!
In February, look out for this year’s matching opportunity, made possible through Canadian Foodgrains Bank and a generous donor of CBM. Together, they have promised to match every dollar that is donated in response to the appeal letter, arriving soon. There you’ll get to read more transformative stories about food and responding to hunger, in faith.
The cycle of hunger and conflict is hard to break. Civil conflict often forces the displacement of populations, which then leads to hunger. According to the World Food Programme, food insecurity continues to grow in DRC, creating the second largest hunger crisis in the world after Yemen, with 21.8 million people who are food insecure.
But there’s a village, Kiliba, which sits on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika in the province of South Kivu, that is defeating all the odds.
Kiliba was once the site of the second largest and oldest sugar mill in the DRC, which generated many jobs and allowed people to earn a steady salary. When the factory was destroyed by civil war in 1998, people lost their jobs and had to find new ways to live. However, switching livelihoods doesn’t happen overnight, and resources were increasingly hard to come by. Though the village of Kiliba sits on fertile land, farming knowledge and techniques were desperately needed to adapt to this major change of learning to become farmers.
Meet Amani, a young agronomist who spends her days visiting farmers and providing instruction and orientation on farming techniques, particularly in regards to conservation agriculture, which involves the least amount of materials and cost for greatest crop gain and soil protection. Her knowledge and expertise along with others just like her, is being supported by the local church, CBM’s partner in the DRC, the Baptist Church in Central Africa (CBCA).
With hard work, perseverance, and a resilient spirit, the people of Kiliba have managed to successfully harvest cassava and sweet potatoes, leading to an abundance of crop in the village – not only feeding families but also providing them with a means to make a living. The success of these supported farmers and new farming techniques have even led them to be able to supply food to their hungry neighbors to the south, in the city of Uvira.
Food projects often have an even greater impact in communities than just improving food insecurity – communities find renewed hope in their homes, churches, and livelihoods, and are able to give back to others in need.
Food projects often have an even greater impact in communities than just improving food insecurity – communities find renewed hope in their homes, churches, and livelihoods, and are able to give back to others in need.
Now is your chance to make a difference. Look out for this year’s matching opportunity in February, where you will find other inspiring stories of transformed communities, thanks to the generosity of Canadian Baptists.
Every donation in response to this upcoming campaign will be matched 1:1, making double the impact!
Double your donation!
Breaking Cycles of Hunger
CBM Calling is a live broadcast that keeps you connected to CBM and the world.
During 2020, our content team:
• Produced 96 episodes of CBM Calling
• Featured more than 90 guests
• Posted 38 hours of content
• Logged over 200,000 hours of views
We discussed issues of racial injustice, COVID-19 in Indigenous communities, updates from Field Staff and projects, and so much more. We can’t wait to bring you more relevant and inspiring content in 2021.
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facebook.com/cbmin.org
@canadianbaptist
@canadianbaptistministries vimeo.com/cbminorg
youtube.com/canadianbaptistministries