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Catalysts for peacemaking, especially where minorities are persecuted, where justice is denied, human rights are suppressed or reconciliation is needed.
I am delighted to be able to update you on some of our Peacemaker projects and share a little of our plans for next year. Peacemaking tends to be more fruitful and lasting when undertaken discretely. Therefore, details of some ongoing Peacemaker projects and partnerships may on occasions be limited, especially in countries where minorities are experiencing persecution.

Project Update

Christianity Explored in Kenya and Uganda
At the invitation of Bishop Tim Wambunya, Bishop of Butere in Western Kenya, Jim, Brian and I travelled to Butere via Nairobi and Kisumu in September to train 50 lay pastors in the Diocese to use the Christianity Explored course. Bishop Tim’s aspiration is for all his lay pastors  to receive the training. Continue reading →

Teaching at Kagera Christian Theological College
In January, I visited Murgwanza in Kagera Diocese as a member of the Christianity Explored team to help train 130 lay leaders and youth leaders to use the course.  Arising from that visit, Bishop Darlington Bendankeha invited me to return to Murgwanza to teach ordinands undertaking a three-year diploma course for ministry at the Diocesan theological college.

Kagera is situated in north west Tanzania high on a ridge overlooking the borders of Burundi and Rwanda near the shores of Lake Victoria. It is one of the poorest regions of Tanzania. More than half the population live on less that $1 per day. Continue reading →

Resourcing Archbishop Henry's Ministry
Bishop Henry Luke Orombi, one of Uganda’s most respected leaders, lived through a series of intriguing life events culminating in his appointment as the 7th Archbishop of the Church of Uganda in 2004. Over the years, he has mentored thousands of youth, fathers and leaders both in religious and corporate fields. Continue reading →

From Balfour to Banksy: An interview with Miranda Pinch
100 years ago Britain’s Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour set in motion the vision of Israel… His ‘Balfour Declaration’ had another, disastrous impact: the dispossession of the Palestinian people. This film looks at other visions — including a wide range of views from occupied Palestine today, ranging from anger to attempts at envisioning a future. Continue reading →

Christ at the Checkpoint USA
The first Christ at the Checkpoint USA conference is being held in Oklahoma City next week. We are a community of evangelical Christians who believe that following Jesus with integrity means that our lives are formed by our love for God, the teaching of the Bible and a fearless life of discipleship in the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe that one of the first hallmarks of discipleship is love for both our own community and for our enemies. We wish to find Jesus at the center of everything we do and to make his life our life. Which means finding courageous love for Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews alike.

I am giving a presentation on the relationship between Israel and the Church. Download a copy here or watch an earlier presentation here.

Future Projects

Keep Hope Alive: YMCA Olive Tree Planting in February 2019 
One of the Five Marks of Mission widely adopted as an expression of contemporary Christian mission is “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”. This project sponsored by the YMCA is a practical peace-building community initiative in Palestine. Continue reading →

A Community Well in East Africa
Several years ago, Christ Church Virginia Water raised funds to build three classrooms for a school Shadrach Lukwago founded in Goshen, Uganda, in part to provide education for the thirty or more orphan children he and his wife Nora had adopted. Christ Church also raised sufficient funds for Fields of Life to bore a well for the school and community. 

The school now has 700 pupils and they each enjoy safe clean water from the well every day, besides many families in the local community. Shadrach, who is also Kiwoko Hospital pharmacist,  told me that as a result they have seen a marked decline in disease and mortality associated with drinking contaminated water. We are therefore presently exploring whether Peacemaker Trust might promote the digging of another well in East Africa next year. Shadrach talks about the school here

Resources

Zion’s Christian Soldiers: The Bible, Israel and the Church
"Many Bible-believing Christians are convinced that God blesses those nations that stand with Israel and curses those that don’t. This belief has had a significant influence on attitudes toward the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East. Stephen Sizer contends that this view is based on the misinterpretation of the Bible. He provides an introduction to Christian Zionism and a clear response and positive alternative based on a careful study of relevant biblical texts."

This popular book is now available on Kindle. The Chinese edition will, God willing, be available in 2019.

Join the Peacemaker Team

Peacemakers is a Faith Ministry
By the grace of God, we are entirely dependent on your prayers, advocacy and financial support. Our plans for the year ahead are ambitious. We have already received invitations or are aware of further opportunities to assist with peacemaking projects in China, Iran, Ireland, Palestine and Tanzania. 

We are thankful that around 60% of our budget is already pledged or given. Our goal therefore is to raise the balance of £20,000 by Christmas. Will you please help us continue to be catalysts for peacemaking, especially where minorities are persecuted, where justice is denied, human rights are suppressed or reconciliation is needed. How to give →

Copyright © 2018 Peacemaker Trust, All rights reserved.


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