Audiomission Prayer Focus July 2012

Listen now [MP3 13.8Mb]

Andy and Susie Hart
Andy and Susie, with daughters Grace and Rosie, were CMS mission partners from 2002, working in partnership with the Anglican Church in Iringa, Tanzania. They returned to the UK in late 2011. Andy is a vet and worked to improve the health of rural families' livestock before becoming more involved with the management of Neema Crafts, the remarkable ministry set up by Susie. She started the centre in 2003, initially to meet the needs of young deaf people in the area, who were taught to make hand-made paper from elephant dung and maize leaves (among other unlikely but environmentally sustainable materials).

The hand-made paper workshop flourished, physically disabled people were invited to participate shortly afterwards, and over the subsequent years well over 100 people were trained and employed in paper-making, bead-work, woven textiles, a gallery cafe, candle-making and most recently micro solar panel production and recycled glass. They have now handed over the running of Neema to CMS mission partners Ben and Katy Ray.


Derek and Mary Fairfield
Derek and Mary Fairfield are CMS mission partners who spent the last two years working at Bethlehem Bible College. The main focus of the college is to train young men and women to become church leaders and thereby strengthen the local Palestinian church. Their primary role was to run the Guest House, which can accommodate up to 34 people. They had many other tasks and opportunities to serve – including Derek being the college driver (his British passport bringing advantages here) and Mary sharing the gospel every week among tourists and locals in Manger Square.

Henry Scriven
Bishop Henry is the CMS mission director for South America. After his ordination, he served in Harrow before becoming a South American Mission Society (SAMS) mission partner in Argentina until the Falklands War caused him to leave. Henry soon ended up in Madrid, Spain, where he was eventually appointed Suffragan Bishop in Europe, overseeing 40+ countries. From 2002, he served as Assistant Bishop in Pittsburgh, USA, before moving back to Britain to work for CMS in January 2009. He helped oversee the integration of SAMS with CMS in 2010. Henry was particularly moved to be involved in the 2011 UK tour of Jose Henriquez and his wife Blanca along with Alf Cooper. Jose was the designated pastor of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for two months. Even in the darkness, Jose saw miners healed and brought to faith in Jesus; he and Alf gave the same call to people in England and Ireland.

Reflection from Tanas Alqassis, CMS transcultural mission manager for Europe, Middle East and North Africa

Published: 16:37 02 July 2012  |  1020 views
Last updated: 09 August 2012
See other stories in these categories: Israel/Palestine, Latin America, Audio: Prayer Focus, Africa, Middle East