One month to go: 2012 Leadership Consultation
It's just over one month to go until Faith2Share's Leadership Consultation, taking place in Antayla, Turkey from 5th to 10th March 2012. These five days provide vital time for members of the Faith2Share family to share face to face and to plan and collaborate for the future. The focus of this year's gathering is 'one year on from the Arab Spring' and is seeking to resource the church in the midst of massive cultural and political changes in the Middle East, North Africa and into Asia. Faith2Share director Mark Oxbrow says bookings are near enough closed, but if you are absolutely desperate you need to contact us TODAY. If you are member you can find out more about the gathering in the Consultation area. Whether you are planning to come or not, do pray for this important gathering and for the CAC (2-6 March) which immediately preceeds it. These are days of massive change and it's urgent we pray for the Christian's around the region and beyond, as we seek to respond.
Faith2Share appoint new staff
Today two new part-time staff join the team at Faith2Share. As our work in Asia continues to expand Rev. Vijay Isaac (left) joins us as Regional Coordinator for Asia. On secondment from our largest Indian member agency, Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), Vijay will be based in Chennai, south India. Having worked previously as a missionary in Gujarat, Vijay also brings a wide experience in mission administration. In our Oxford office in the UK, Andy Freeman also joins us today as our new Communications Officer. Andy brings with him a long experience of work with the 24-7 Prayer movement as well as some work with CMS on their Pioneeer mission track. Faith2Share International Director, Mark Oxbrow, will now be released one day a week to work with the Lausanne Movement as their Senior Associate for Orthodox-Evangelical relations. All five Faith2Share staff either work as voluneers or are supported by individuals and churches in their ministry.
Two minute gospel in the Andes
Juan Bendezu is the enterprising director of Radio Inti Andina (Andean Sun Radio) in Peru. Noticing how advertisers sell their product in just two minutes on the air he has commissioned a whole series of two minute Christian radio programmes. One listener wrote in to the station about his limited understanding of missions beforehand; but now, he says. "listening to these programs, I have understood what we're expected to do - what we have to do - without fear." Some programs of special interest to listeners have covered topics such as "The Great Commandment" and "Called to Holiness." Bendezu also lists other listener favorites as: one profiling the Old Testament character of Abraham, and others that focused on "God as Missionary" and "God and His Church." The programmes are produced in Quito, Ecuador, for the ALAS-HCJB Spanish satellite radio network.
Fatwa against Christians challenged in Kashmir
The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) has called upon Mr. Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Kashmir, to ensure the security and safety of the tiny population of Christians in the Kashmir valley region of India who have been living in terror since a hate campaign was launched in the city of Srinagar following a fatwa of the Sharia court on 19 January 2012. The anti-Christian campaign first stated in Srinagar in October when fundamentalists accused the Church of North India minister, Mr. C M Khanna, of All Souls Church of forcible and fraudulent conversions in the city, which is almost entirely dominated by Muslims. Simultaneously, a rumour campaign was mounted against the Christian schools which have been in the city for more than a century. The school principals were accused of luring students to Christianity. The schools, which have over 7,000 students, have just seven Christian students.
Call for renewal in mission from Nigerian bishop
Speaking at the Mere Anglican Conference, 18-21 January, Archbishop Ben Kwashi (left) from Jos, Nigeria, called for a renewal of a dynamic Anglican missiology. Having stressed the centrality of prayer and the teaching and preaching ministry of the church, Bishop Ben spoke of mission as "an exciting enterprise, an exciting adventure and a very contagious spiritual experience". He went on to say, "Individuals need to be led to a personal encounter with Christ, but these individuals also need to be gathered into a living, worshipping community who enrich, support and encourage each other. It is from this community of faith that other communities are founded and other individuals brought to know, love and serve the Lord." To read the full text of Bishop Ben's address at Virtue on Line 
Lord bishop encouraged to be missionary and pilgrim
In preparation for taking up his role as Bishop of Winchester, Canon Timothy Dakin, the Executive Leader of the Church Mission Society, was this week ordained and consecrated bishop by the Archbishop of Canterbury in St. Paul's Cathedral, London. Preaching at the service, the bishop of Chelmsford, The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, encouraged him to "be a missionary and pilgrim rather than master and lord". CMS trustees are currently interviewing for a new leader and hope to make an announcement during February. Bishop Dakin will be installed in Winchester in April 2012.
Egypt summit announced
Exactly a year after the start of the Egyptian revolution that resulted in the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has supported a call by Christians in Egypt for an international day of prayer. WEA Secretary General Dr. Geoff Tunnicliffe said, “the WEA is calling on our global community to stand in united prayer with our sisters and brothers in Egypt at this crucial time in Egypt's history." Dr. Tunnicliffe also announced an Egypt Summit in Washington DC to take place on 7-8 February 2012. At this invitation-only summit, Egyptian Christian leaders will provide an analysis of their current reality and provide a framework of how best organizations/churches/foundations etc. can partner with the Church in Egypt at this critical time of transition. The WEA has asked Christians to pray with Christians in Egypt for a peaceful transition within the country and for cooperation among all other parties in order to achieve equality, freedom and justice in the nation.
Prayers for Egypt
Christians around the world have been marking the first anniversary the uprising in Egypt that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Prayers have been said in churches in Cairo and in many other places for the peace and future stability opf the nation. In Britain the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos, offered his prayers for people in Egypt, especially those who lost their lives or suffered as a result of the social and political upheavals of the last year. “In reality" he said, "at least in the short term, the transition has brought greater social divisions and subsequently given rise to increased attacks on minorities, mainly Christians, we therefore offer our prayers for all those who have suffered at this time as a result of these challenges, as well as those affected by an ailing economy, increasing unemployment and general breakdown in law and order.”