In 2019, news outlets around the world exploded with images of massive crowds in Hong Kong. Hong Kong had never seen such huge demonstrations in its streets. People were protesting new laws China forced the Hong Kong government to adopt. For weeks, the news cameras showed the amazing sights of crowds with umbrellas (for protection) standing in the shadow of massive skyscrapers voicing their outrage. As a result, thousands of protesters were arrested. By 2022 it was obvious Hong Kong, a special independent free district of China, would become – well – just another city in China. As a result, tens of thousands of Hong Kong people started leaving Hong Kong.
Because of Hong Kong’s status as a former British colony, many ended up in the United Kingdom of Great Britain (UK).
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church has ten churches in Hong Kong as well as several schools. In the past, the fastest growing presbytery in the denomination was Hong Kong Presbytery. Some of those emigrating to the UK were Cumberland Presbyterians. They quickly gathered other Christians and starting meeting. Within a year there were four Hong Kong Christian CP mission churches, two in Scotland and two in England. All four mission churches have Hong Kong CP pastors.
As the director of global missions, I had a meeting with the four pastors in Edinburgh, Scotland in August of 2022. I explained to them to go from 0 to 60 or 70 in attendance in just one year was rare. Usually, when planting new churches, it takes years to grow to that size. Three of the four mission churches have from 60 to 70 in worship each Sunday, and one
has around 40. There are Sundays when they have seen as many as 100 in attendance. Our pastors in the UK are in contact with friends and family in Hong Kong. They report more are coming to the UK. Not all those attending are Christians transferring from a Hong Kong church to a CP mission church, some are professing Christ and seeking baptism.
This year our Gift to the King Offering will go to help the new CP churches in the UK. Although the churches are young and growing, they still have many needs. Most of the immigrants from Hong Kong arrive with very few belongings. It takes time to find employment and find the stability they had living in Hong Kong. The Gift to the King Offering will go to these CP churches to help them cover the costs of paying pastors and doing ministry. All of them are currently renting space to worship in different places, some in UK churches and others in community centers. Your offering will be used to help support pastors and ministries in these different churches. It is our hope that by the end of 2023 our new mission churches will be well on their way to self-sufficiency.
Third John is a letter of recommendation. The letter is to a church leader named Gaius. The writer is recommending a group of Christians which has arrived in their area. “Therefore, we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for truth” (vs. 8). John called on the church to be faithful to the brothers and sisters who were strangers in a new world. Please prayerfully consider supporting our brothers and sisters laboring to share the love of Christ in the UK.
A new church development is done with the intention of creating an organized Cumberland Presbyterian congregation. We share our faith in Jesus Christ by connecting and building relationships and expressing the love commandment with all peoples.
A church planter is one who has been called by the Lord to plant or start a new congregation. A church planter can be a layperson or an ordained minister.
MISSIONS MINISTRY TEAM of the Ministry Council, CPC
ART DIRECTOR
Sowgand Sheikholeslami ext:211
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Milton Ortiz ext:234
PUBLICATIONS MANAGER
Matthew Gore ext:221
In 1999, I had the opportunity to experience first-hand what a church planter is. My wife and I started a new Spanish-speaking congregation in Boston, Massachusetts. Something which was clear to us from the beginning was the desire to plant the kind of church of which we would want to be a part. We dedicated ten years to building the church. The church is still active and moving on. Being a church planter was the most rewarding adventure I have ever experienced. At the same time, it was the most difficult and brutal experience of my life. What I am trying to say is in order to be a church planter you must be sure you have been called to start a group. Second, you need to open yourself to surrendering to the lead of the Holy Spirit and allowing Christ to build his Church through you. Things do not always go wrong. It was often a fulfilling experience. People leave and people show up. Things go slow but some things move fast. Then the time comes when the new church development is ready to be organized and elders are required to be elected.
This issue of the Missionary Messenger is focused on the Gift to the King Offering. The offering will help to support new church planters in the United Kingdom. You will be able to read about them and their ministries, and how to support them.
I would like to invite you to read the article “I Started a Podcast and How It Changed Me,” in hopes that you will listen and be encouraged to share your faith journey with others. Also, read the article “What The Church Can Became In 2023.”
You will also find information about women’s ministry, our missionaries in Brazil, a mission trip to Belize, and financial information, too. May the Lord bless you this Christmas and use you in the new year!
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Jinger Ellis ext:230
Kristi Lounsbury ext:263
T. J. Malinoski ext:232
Milton Ortiz ext:234
Lynn Thomas ext:261 Rebecca Zahrte ext. 264
8207 Traditional Place Cordova, TN 38016-7414 phone 901.276.4572 fax 901.276.4578
messenger@cumberland.org
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http://cpcmc.org/mm
To read the previous issues of The Missionary Messenger visit us at http://cpcmc.org/mm/ mm-archives Member
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How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! (Romans 10:14-15)
Today we are reflecting on a letter the Apostle John sent to his best friend, Gaius. This was a private and personal letter expressing how John saw Christian hospitality as a way to walk in the truth.
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. (3 John 5-8)
Hospitality can be seen differently in other cultures. When we travel to other countries, as denominational staff, sometimes we stay in people’s homes instead of in a hotel. It depends on how their culture expresses hospitality. One is not better than the other. We could be invited for dinner in a home or at a restaurant. For many in the United States, showing hospitality is done through financial support and by opening one’s heart to those in need.
Based on the other two letters from John, it seems another leader of the church refused hospitality to other itinerant preachers. John is urging Gaius to welcome and provide for Demetrius as one who upholds the truth of the Gospel.
Pause and remember people who over the years have stayed with you in your home for a brief period. They could be family members, friends, people from the church, internationals, or strangers. I am almost sure they experienced the blessing of the Lord while staying with you.
As a denomination, there are Cumberland Presbyterians who go to other countries to preach the gospel. We call them missionaries. They move to those countries to help local pastors do ministry. We support them through the Stott-Wallace Missionary Offering. We also have other Cumberland Presbyterians who are not missionaries but are church planters. Some are planting churches here in the United States, some are planting churches in other countries, and some are planting churches in countries other than their own.
Today, we have four new church planters in the United Kingdom. They are building Christ’s Church in four different towns in Scotland and England. This text from the Scriptures is calling us to consider Christian hospitality toward these church planters. Gift to the King Offering and donations will support them as they continue sharing the gospel, developing leadership, and establishing the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the United Kingdom.
How can I express Christian hospitality to strangers ministering in a country far away, church planters in a foreign country building Christ’s Church?
How beautiful Oh Lord, are the feet of the messengers bringing good news, announcing salvation in foreign lands. I pray for these four church planters. I pray that through our church you provide financial support. I pray that you use them in the extension of the kingdom. I pray that you keep them fresh and renewed in your grace. Amen.
Christmas is from December 25th until January 6th . The Christian calendar shows that Christmas is a twelveday event. In fact, one can justify giving gifts on all twelve days. The Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is based on the Christmas calendar. The song lists the gifts given each day of Christmas, all twelve days. Imagine what advertisers would do if the world of commerce adopted a twelve-day Christmas. Many countries have a national holiday on January 6th in commemoration of the three Magi, the Wisemen, who came to see Jesus. Three Kings Day is the last day of Christmas.
The three wisemen, or Magi, were not Jews. They were not followers of the Jewish God or practitioners of the Jewish customs. They were priests of Zoroastrianism. These foreigners, living in a foreign land, saw something in the sky which caused them to travel to Israel. They came to understand a remarkable child had been born— a future ruler, a person of importance. Typical of kings meeting a new king, they
brought expensive gifts. Each wiseman (called a king) brought a luxurious gift. They found Jesus and his parents and presented the Christ child with the gifts fit for a king.
Mrs. Wai Sum Lai is a CP church planter working in the Glasgow, Scotland, CP mission reaching Hong Kong immigrants. Mrs. Lai notes how, in her native city of Hong Kong, the malls and shopping centers are full of amazing Christmas displays. They are large and stunning. She said Scotland has Christmas decorations, but not as grandiose as Hong Kong. The same is true in South America. In Medellin, Colombia, an entire river is covered with massive Christmas displays that light the center of the city. People walk along the river looking at the Christmas scenes suspended on cables above the water. In many cities in the USA stores and shopping centers do similar things. Admittedly these spectacular Christmas displays have commercial aims. They are a means to sell things to Christmas shoppers.
Keep in mind the secular Three Kings used expensive gifts to honor Christ. They
knew Jesus was important, but they really had no idea who he was or why he was in this world. They related to him the only way they knew they gave him gifts. Their world was a material world. To honor the new King, they believed they needed to give a gift.
Much of the world celebrates Christmas, even countries that have a low percentage of Christians. Hong Kong, Japan, France, Guatemala, and Colombia, like many other countries, go all out to promote purchasing and giving gifts. We should take comfort in how countries, even non-Christians around the world, have commercialized Christmas.
As with the Three Kings, they may not understand what is going on but they know it is important. The festive lights and buying of gifts speak to the gentile Kings trying to relate to and understand who Jesus was.
As the world spends money on gifts in the shadow of Christmas lights, we pray they ask the same question the Three Kings, with gifts in hand, were asking who is this child?
In the first months of the COVID-19 pan demic interactions and interpersonal relationships were stretched and strained by uncertainty. Everyone ex perienced a period of discon nect and isolation. Gathering for worship, weddings, or funerals was discouraged. It created a void. Our in terpersonal relationships at school, at work, with family, and at church dramatically changed. Many people expe rienced isolation, some expe rienced a loss of identity, and everyone mourned at some level.
community is doing well or the areas that need improve ment.
With over two years of ex periencing the challenges of recording, editing, and pub lishing a podcast and with over a hundred guests help ing to develop the skills of listening, engaging, and ask ing questions, hosting Cum berland Road has taught me a lot about people and myself.
Two and a half years ago I started a podcast talking with people about their faith. Here is what I learned about podcasting, people, and myself.
Several months prior, I had been tinkering with the notion of getting Cum berland Presbyterians to dialogue with one another about matters of faith. The main problem I percieved was how to pull something together and avoid the pitfall of the interview becoming a debate between the guest and host which forced the listener, consciously or un consciously, to choose a side. When the pandemic made everyone scramble for ways to counter the deep discon nect and isolation as our in teractions with one another drastically changed, the idea of creating a podcast for Cumberland Presbyterians resurfaced.
Ultimately, my aim was to seek out a different Cum berland Presbyterian each week and talk about their faith journey. Their journey includes sharing meaningful experiences, what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, where the presence of God can be found today, and what the Church as a
We can create spaces for people to be comfortable in the sharing of themselves. It took a podcast to realize how important it is that people need both space and time to trust, share, and be themselves. Cumberland Presbyterians need it; all of humanity needs it. While I do not have the means to say best how to do this, I recog nize that we need spaces for people to be themselves and feel safe in doing so.
Listening is a skill…so is ask ing meaningful questions. We joke within the Malinoski family that we each speak si multaneously with our voice and hands. The louder and faster we speak, the more an imated our hand motions be come. It takes skill to listen to another person without interrupting. It takes skill to really listen, not just waiting for our opportunity to speak, but to listen intently to an other person. Then mean ingful questions can come naturally to affirm what we have heard, inquiring more deeply because we have let the person’s words linger and resonate within.
Extending grace to others and to yourself. I cannot es cape the self-critical reflec tion on what comes with the work and the ministry
of which I am a part. For example, while editing the podcast before publishing, I am thinking, “why did I ask that question? Why didn’t I follow up to that comment that was made?” It is in the weekly, circular editing, and self-analysis I have had to allow a little grace to enter my life. Conversations are not perfect. They are messy, complex, and incomplete just like the people who have them. The same goes for ex tending grace to one another. We know our values, beliefs, and practices and measure others against them. Where better to extend grace than to someone who is trying to figure out how to navigate within this beautiful world just like we are? Grace, for giveness, and understanding can carry us a long way.
I am quite optimistic about the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Cumberland Road puts us in the front row of some amaz ing people who are sacrifi cially giving of themselves. We have the privilege of lis tening to people who love deeply and share intensely about what God has done and is doing in their lives. Each faith journey enriches my own and inspires me to become a better husband, fa ther, co-worker, friend, and Christian. When the con versation is over, I feel like I made a new friend. Every faith conversation reminds me that shared relation ships always trump shared beliefs. And while people in the Cumberland Presbyte rian Church may come and go, the mission and ministry will carry on long after I am gone.
Originally scheduled for August 2020, our mission team arrived on July 8, 2022, in Belize in Central America. Greeted with “Welcome” banners, smiles, and hugs by children and adults from the Living Word Bible Church, the team boarded the school bus which serves as the main outreach of the church.
The Living Word Bible Church is led by James Jones, a native of Belize. He and his wife, Gina, have five children. The Reverends Lee and Leslie Attema began their association with the congregation several years ago during their intended retirement. Unfortunately, due to some health reasons, the couple had to return to the States. However, their training and influence have remained with the church, as have the ties to the Cumberland Presbyterian Denomination. The church leadership is made up of six elders and the pastor. The church has a praise group, Sunday school, an online Bible study, and an opportunity to continue to grow. The church is rebounding following the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to move forward.
The visit of our mission team provided “a spark” for the congregation, according to several in the congregation.
The church meets in a borrowed building in Ontario, Cayo, Belize. Using one large room for worship, two smaller rooms for classes, along with a kitchen without a permanent stove, no refrigeration (only a small freezer), and dishes brought from home to cook. However, the church was thankful for the team, and we were greeted with smiles and love each day, along with some of the most delicious meals ever made. Several of our stateside congregations gave extra funding to our participants to purchase items needed. On the last day, several of the team members were able to give new fans, a new stove, new dishes, new pots and pans, and extra supplies on behalf of those who contributed.
The team enjoyed worship with the congregation on Sunday and began their programming that afternoon with a session for the adults on “Deepening Spiritual Practices.” Monday and Tuesday evening programming included sessions on finance and self-care.
The mornings and afternoons were filled with celebratory chaos, smiles and laughter, singing, crafts, Bible study, and recreation. The team, along with several youth and adults, joined together to have the first ever VBS for the church. There were 60-70 children in attendance each day to hear the words spoken about “God’s Promises.” At least two children gave their hearts to Jesus during VBS. An additional blessing was that two of the original team members slated to go in 2020 were able to meet their prayer partners.
On the last day, thanks to many generous donations, the team provided 53 backpacks filled with school supplies to the school-age children. All the children were given certificates for attending VBS. Another highlight of the last day included presenting the pastor and elders with the news that funds were collected through the Second Mile gifts campaign to pay off and provide for general upkeep of the bus. Since the loan is paid, one of the first things the church will
do is paint the bus to identify it as the church bus and no longer a school bus.
Following five days filled with learning about God’s promises, relationship building, hugs, tears, and great meals prepared by the church, the team spent two days in Caye Caulker relaxing. This was a much-needed time of reflect on God’s Promises fulfilled during this trip and on each person’s life. God was present in each moment.
Team members included Cindy Buffington (Iowa), Susan Groves (Good Prospect CPC, Illinois), Peg Latch (Good Prospect CPC, Illinois), Cathy Littlefield (Booneville CPC, Arkansas), Darlene Lounsbury (Iowa), Rev. Kristi Lounsbury (MMT), Sherry Poteet (Elmira Chapel CPC, Texas), and Christie Vanderlaan (Orange CPC, Missouri).
For those interested in learning more about planning or participating in mission trips, please contact Rev. Kristi Lounsbury at klounsbury@cumberland.org or 901-276-4572.
When people ask our church’s mission leaders where our next mission target will be, the answer is, “we do not know.” The reality is, we follow where the Spirit leads us. When doors open and we see opportunity and leadership we step through.
In 2018 and 2019, there were large protests in Hong Kong over changes that China insisted be made. Hong Kong is a “special district” of China. Once the Hong Kong government clamped down on the freedom to protest and speak freely, thousands decided to migrate to new countries.
In late 2021, Rev. Y., a CP pastor from Hong Kong, moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, in the United Kingdom (UK), and started working with Hong Kong people who had emigrated there. He contacted the Missions Ministry Team explaining he was willing to start a CP church in Scotland. The Spirit led, the door opened, it seemed realistic, we had a leader. He started the Edinburgh Hong Kong Christian Church and within a month they had almost 100 attending worship services (sharing space with a Scottish church).
The Edinburgh pastor then contacted a Hong Kong pastor in Sheffield, England, and helped both pastor and church affiliate with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. David Quan was accepted as a candidate for the ministry when he already had a church of 35 participants meeting in a community center in Sheffield, England. Later Rev. Y. contacted Hong Kong people in Glasgow, and he announced a date for them to gather where he would preach their first sermon. Sadly, before that happened, he was infected with COVID-19 and died. Within just a few months Rev. Y. started three CP missions in the UK.
The Missions Ministry Team (MMT) soon discovered a CP licentiate from Hong Kong Presbytery who had emigrated to England, Mr. Oldfield So. He agreed to take responsibility for the Edinburgh and Glasgow congregations. He lived in England but traveled by train and bus each weekend to serve these congregations. Mr. So moved in August to Scotland to be closer to the work. He reached out to old seminary friends who had migrated from Hong Kong to the UK and asked if they would be willing to serve. Mrs. Wai Sum Lai was accepted as a candidate for the ministry and began to serve the Glasgow congregation. Each weekend, she flies from Wales in the southwest of Great Britain to work in Glasgow. They meet in a shared facility arrangement in a Scottish church. Mr. Joseph Li, a seminary friend of Mr. Oldfield So, was accepted as a candidate and started the Birmingham, England Hong Kong Christian Church which meets in a community center. He and his family live in Birmingham. This is the newest mission point.
In just over a year, we have established four mission points in the UK, two in Scotland and two in England. We now have four seminary trained and experienced church planters (a licentiate and three candidates), and we have between 200 and 250 people involved each Sunday in our new mission points. We believe these missions will continue to grow, as more Hong Kong people migrate to the UK. We also believe there will be more opportunities to establish new CP churches in the UK.
So, you may be asking, where is your next target area? The answer is, where doors open, when we see realistic opportunities, and when we find leaders able and willing to lead.
Since I came to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2021, I always had an idea of planting a church which belonged to the Hongkongers. I prayed for this. Is this idea really God’s plan? In 2022, more people from Hong Kong came to the UK, and the existing churches were overwhelmed. Just like Paul had a vision of Macedonia, the voice of church planting was becoming increasingly clear. In May 2022, God opened a door for us. God prepared several families in Birmingham, England who wanted to become a core group. They had the same mind and vision and we all came together. We prayed whether we should set up a church in Birmingham.
After several prayer meetings, we decided to put our thoughts into actions. In June 2022, we held a prayer meeting for Hong Kong which
was opened to the public. Thank you, God! With the support of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Missions Ministry Team), on July 31, 2022, the Hong Kong Christian Church in Birmingham officially had its first Sunday worship with 62 people in attendance. Currently, our average attendance in worship is between 65-70. We believe that Hongkongers moving to the UK are like the exiles of Israel, we need to bear a significant historical responsibility regarding the political persecution in Hong Kong since 2019. As followers of Christ, it is one of our responsibilities to remember our beloved Hong Kong in the Christian perspective. We need you to pray for us and support us to continue to share God’s Good News to comfort and take care of the continuing growth of Hongkongers in the United Kingdom.
Ihave been living in Sheffield, England, United Kingdom (UK), since November 2020. Before that, I lived in Hong Kong. I am an immigrant to the UK. For immigrants, there are many challenges, everything is new. As a family we have had to integrate into a new culture, an unfamiliar environment, a new language, and new ministry and work.
It has been a real privilege and an act of God’s Grace that I have had the opportunity to know the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. I am currently a member of the CP Church and working with the Missions Ministry Team.
I am not alone in this journey. I am part of a large immigrant group of Hong Kong people. There are tens of thousands of immigrant families from Hong Kong in the UK. We are all in the same situation. Moving your family to a new culture and trying to fit in is never easy. But thanks
to God, every step of the way God has shown us His wonderful plan. A plan beyond imagination.
In my heart I had a burden when I arrived in the UK. I wanted to contact people from Hong Kong. We had experienced the same social movement and we all have the same love and suffer the same pain for Hong Kong.
As a result, the UK has become a new home for many Hongkongers. The Sheffield church (a CP mission church) is the church I pastor. It was started over a year ago to serve and reach out to people who are suffering and seeking new guidance from God in new circumstances. We currently meet each Sunday in a community center. We have about 40 people in attendance, many were not Christians when they lived in Hong Kong. We are planning how we can better integrate and serve this community, so please continue to pray for us and hope this new ministry will be a blessing to more people.
“In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles at the Kebar River, the heavens opened, and I saw a divine vision.” (Ezekiel 1:1)
My name is Oldfield. After serving in a church of the Hong Kong Presbytery for four and a half years, my family and I found ourselves among the people leaving Hong Kong for the United Kingdom. At the time we left I was approved to be licensed by my presbytery. Because of the pandemic and later our emigration from Hong Kong, the licensing service never took place. I, and many others who have moved from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom, can relate to the above verse in Ezekiel.
On the day of my arrival to the United Kingdom, 18th of July 2021, Pastor Y. (a CP pastor from Hong Kong Presbytery) called and asked
me to join the mission in the United Kingdom. At the time he contacted me I was living in Leeds, England. Before I could reply to him, he left us suddenly in September 2021. Pastor Y. died of COVID-19 while living in Scotland.
Pastor Y. established two mission points in Scotland, one in Edinburgh and another one in Glasgow. With guidance from God, I replied to Pastor Y., not in word, but my response was made by my actions. After talking to the Missions Ministry Team, I agreed to serve the groups he left in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I started going to either Edinburgh or Glasgow every weekend, until my family moved to Scotland in July 2022. Later in 2022 I was able to recruit another church planter to take responsibility for the Glasgow mission. I continue to serve Edinburgh and provide encouragement
to Glasgow and their new pastor. As a candidate, I transferred from Hong Kong Presbytery to the MMT (Missions Ministry Team) and was later licensed by the MMT on the 18th of July 2022, with the blessings of Hong Kong Presbytery.
To keep up with our expansion, it was necessary to apply for legal status as a CP Council of Churches in Scotland. Our application was accepted by Scotland. We now have the legal structure to fulfill the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, thus allowing us to provide Sunday school and activities for children and youth. We will soon be starting children and youth ministry. The hall we meet in each Sunday for worship is almost full to capacity during our Sunday services. We have started looking for a bigger place to meet to keep up with the growth.
Since 2017, my British husband, Gareth and I had been thinking it was time to move back to the United Kingdom (UK) to serve God. We had been living in Hong Kong. Gareth works with a mission organization called Operation Mobilization (OM). OM has offices in Hong Kong. For him returning to the UK was more convenient for his work with his colleagues. My spouse’s visa was granted in November 2018 so that I could live in the UK. We continued to pray to God, asking when it would be the right time to leave Hong Kong. We eventually decided to move back to the UK in early-July 2019. We thought in the summertime it would be easier for us to adjust to the UK.
Because of the move to the UK, I realized that I would need to find a new “mission field.” Before we moved back to the UK, I heard that a lot of Chinese churches were
looking for pastors or ministers. My first reaction was it would not be difficult for me to serve in one of the Chinese churches in the UK. In fact, I discovered it was harder to find a place to serve than I thought.
When Gareth and I returned to the UK, he continued to serve with OM while I was looking for a local Chinese church. It is true, there are a lot of churches looking for a minister. I prayed and applied to serve in several churches. I do not know why, but no doors opened. In the meantime, political issues in Hong Kong changed unexpectedly and rapidly.
As a result of the emigration of Hongkongers, a lot of Christians came to the UK. They needed to have a church suitable for them. At the same time, I heard about the Glasgow Hong Kong Christian Church (a CP mission in the UK) from a seminary classmate. He was a CP pastor from
Hong Kong and was working with the CP Church in the UK forming new Hong Kong churches. God showed me the needs of the Hong Kong Christian Church in Glasgow. Then I prayed and followed God’s steps to become part of the CP church planting ministry in the UK.
Once in the past, after first moving to the UK I thought, why did I come back at this time? Today, I see how God let me have good re-entry adjustment to the UK and refresh my spiritual life so that I could serve Him with joy. I am currently a candidate for the ministry in the CP Church. I am the stated supply pastor of the Glasgow Hong Kong Christian (mission) church. We share facilities with a Scottish church and worship each Sunday in their sanctuary. We have between 60 to 80 worshipers each Sunday.
Rev. Josue Guerrero and his wife and daughter were missionaries in Salvador, Brazil. They are originally from Emaus Presbytery in Colombia, South America. After four years of service in Brazil they have submitted their letter of resignation announcing they will be moving back to Colombia. Their service as missionaries concluded at the end of August 2022.
As a missionary in Brazil, Josue helped establish a council of Cumberland Presbyterian Churches. A council functions like a presbytery in that it gives churches, missions, and leaders a platform to plan ministry together. Josue helped establish the legal structure of the CP Church in Brazil. He also guided two church planting projects, one in the town of Mata de Sao Joao and the other in the city of Salvador. While living in Brazil Josue helped prepare both lay-leaders (elders) and mentored candidates for the ministry. Sara was involved in helping establish a Cumberland Presbyterian women’s ministry in Brazil. We would like to thank Josue and Sara for their service!
As the year is wrapping up and a new year is advancing upon us, it is natural to slip into a contemplative frame of mind. The year 2022 has imprinted memories and events in our consciousness that we recall with sentiment and affection. As time does, it tugs on our shirt sleeve like an impatient child ready to leave a store, pulling and provoking so we do not linger too long in the past. Then, we wonder if those same sentiments and affections can either be replicated or avoided in the future, squinting with an inquisitive, furrowed brow, imagining what a new day, month, and year may gift us. Waiting for us is a new year in 2023, pregnant with new beginnings and new possibilities longing to be born.
New Year’s resolutions take shape and meaning as we make commitments
to improve our lives, trying to make the new year better than the last. We resolve to make improvements: pledging to better care for our bodies, learn a new skill, volunteer more, become more organized, or spend more time with family, for example. In general, New Year’s resolutions are individual undertakings; selfimprovements that can have a trickle over effect of impacting others but are primarily autonomous. What if New Year’s resolutions could be created more communally? What if a Christian denomination collaborated with one another; imagining, envisioning resolutions for a new year? What if the Cumberland Presbyterian Church made efforts to make 2023 better than 2022? What new beginnings and new possibilities would we birth? What kind of Church would we commit to becoming? Running with this thought experiment we can resolve…
To become a Church that finds its confessional documents uplifting, challenging, and meaningful. We can resolve to see our Confession of Faith as an instrument of love; an invitation to all who want to believe in Jesus Christ and experience salvation. To become a Church that reads, studies, and discusses our confessional documents both individually and corporately. To resolve in advancing the freedom found in God through Jesus Christ that enables us to be a Church known for bearing witness and serving both God and neighbor in every aspect of our living. To become a Church
that is excited to share how God is transforming our lives and inviting others to receive the great gift of grace made possible in Jesus Christ.
To become a Church where we naturally flourish with multiple generations . We can take on an even bolder commitment towards Christian education and discipleship with children, youth, students, and young adults to create an intergenerational way for worship and ministry to become a Church that enables and involves every person to participate in enriching and making accessible communities of faith, equipping all for a life of witness and service in the world.
To become a Church where intercultural relationships are integrated into our denominational identity. We profess to be a “Global Church;” yet we can create more occasions and opportunities to foster and increase our awareness of one another. We can become a Church that recognizes and celebrate the multi-national, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural identities present in our Church and cultivate diverse expressions of the Christian faith for those in search of community and belonging within and beyond our community of faith.
To become a Church that embraces digital space. The digital space is a realm in which we inhabit already in other spheres of our living. We can move within the digital space with a mission and ethic that helps us communicate with one another, create, and build Christian community, express ideas, worship, pray, and fellowship. We can resolve to make the digital space not just an
after-thought or option but open us to new possibilities.
To become a Church that is knowledgeable of its government structure. Our church government is designed to aid in accomplishing our mission. We can resolve to become knowledgeable of our structure which will help bring both a theological and spiritual renewal into our decision-making, give wisdom and clarity to our decisions, with proper ownership by those who are making them.
To become a Church that is known for its joyous stewardship. In gratitude towards God, we can become a Church that shares our gifts, time, programs, institutions, and monetary wealth that effectively serves our calling and mission. We can resolve to make our regular giving and tithing a privilege to glorify God and where our stewardship can be celebrated as a rewarding, anticipatory adventure to see how God will use them.
The New Year’s resolutions above are intended to exemplify the thought experiment: if we choose to collaborate; imagine what new beginnings and possibilities can be created in 2023 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. For any Church resolutions to be birthed, we need every woman, man, and child working together. We need the input, experience, wisdom, and commitment to act. What would you add to the New Year’s resolutions? What would happen if your congregation, session, youth group, Bible study group, new church development, or worshiping community created New Year’s resolutions? What would they be?
The Women of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church have a long and rich history of supporting both the missionaries and the mission work of the CPC. In 1924, Mrs. Eva Hughs from Missouri, a pioneer and a courageous worker who had labored sacrificially for the cause of missions, became concerned her life would soon be over, and she would no longer be able to serve where her heart was. At the time banks were paying 4% on “time deposits.” She wrote to the Board of Missions and asked where she would be able to place $30 dollars on a “time deposit” that would be guaranteed and accruing interest of $1.20 per year that would be able to perpetuate her dues and become “A Living Reality!” The answer received began the Membership Endowment fund, where all memberships purchased become “A Living Reality” for the future of ALL mission work of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. As with all endowment giving, all monies placed in this fund will be invested and the only money utilized will be the interest accrued. YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN IN THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY with the peace of mind, joy, and economic tax advantage offered, by sharing a gift that keeps on giving. The endowment is used for the expansion and continued work of the mission programs of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church that Eva Hughs so desperately worked towards. Your membership today will help continue the legacy of Mrs. Hughs and countless others who share in the vision and dedication of the mission field of our great denomination.
Memberships for the Missions Ministry Team may be established by an individual, a local or regional Women’s Ministry group, or any other group or organization of the church, presbytery, synod, or Convention. Memberships may also be purchased in memory of those who have gone before us.
Memberships may be purchased at several levels. These levels are Perpetual ($30) which can be given to any person who is concerned about strengthening and sustaining the mission work of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Diamond Perpetual ($50) can be given to any person who has served in the CP Church or women’s ministry faithfully for a period of 10 years or more. Patron Membership ($100) can be given to any person who strives for the strengthening and continuation of mission work. Silver Patron ($125) can be given to a woman who has served the CP Church or women’s ministry faithfully for 25 years or more. And the Golden Patron ($150) can be given to a woman who has served in the CP Church or women’s ministry faithfully for 50 years or more.
An explanation and application for each level of membership can be found at cpcmc.org/mmt/cpwm/. Please mail the completed application along with the check or money order for the appropriate amount of membership to the Missions Ministry Team, 8207 Traditional Place, Cordova, TN 38016-7414. Please allow three to four weeks for delivery.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Del Cristo Presbytery, we cannot thank you enough for your hospitality and generosity! The 2022 Convention was an amazing time of fellowship, friendship, worship, and agape love. Of course, business was taken care of too. New officers were installed. New projects were voted on for the upcoming year. New changes were announced. And this year we were honored to hear from our new missionaries, Rev. John Jairo and Rev. Esperanza Correa, and their vision for the future. We were also blessed to hear from Rev. Socorro Delgado Pejendino and the obstacles she has overcome since the loss of her husband and her continued ministry with the people of Guatemala. For more information, a video wrap-up, photos, and this year’s resources please visit cpcmc.org/convention2022/. We will see you in Denton, Texas, in 2023!
2022 has brought with it some new and exciting
opportunities. One of those opportunities was the Clergy Women of the Year awards. Beginning in the month of April using the “Women’s Ministry of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,” Facebook page, “WoosleyWomen,” Instagram, and email blasts all in the denomination were encouraged to submit names for the Clergy Women of the Year. At the end of the month, votes were tallied and the top three nominees in the two categories of Clergy Women inside the United States and Clergy Women outside of the United States were then put to a vote. Again, utilizing both social media and email platforms the nominees’ names were shared for voting during the month of May.
In June 2022, during the Clergy Women Reception held at Convention and General Assembly in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the award winners were announced.
This year’s first-ever winners of these awards were: The Reverend Lisa Cook Clergy Woman of the Year inside the United States and the Reverend Nobuko Seki-Clergy Woman of the Year outside of the United States. Congratulations to these two women and all the work and dedication given to the Kingdom of God. Thank you for all you do and the examples you are to your communities!
Rev. Lisa Cook graduated in 2008 from Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, with a B.A. in Business and Organizational Development. Following graduation, she attended Memphis Theological Seminary, earning her Master of Divinity in 2013 with honors. Lisa was ordained by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and called to serve as a street chaplain to those experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty in Nashville, Tennessee. Lisa
serves this unique church/community through Sacred Sparks Ministry, an outreach of Nashville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The purpose of the ministry is to meet men and women experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty where they are and to offer a ministry of presence, love, pastoral care, outreach, and relationships. She currently oversees “Loads of Love,” a laundry, food, and more outreach service located at St. Luke CPC in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rev. Nobuko Seki is the pastor at the Higashikoganei CPCJ (Japan Presbytery). Her mother was a Christian, so she attended church school when she was small. Baptized at the age of 20, she married, continued to work, and served as a deacon and elder at the Kunitachi Nozomi CPCJ. In 2004, she visited Tennessee on a mission tour and attended the General Assembly. Here she was asked by the Reverend Dr. Pam Phillips-Burk “why are there no female pastors in Japan Presbytery.” In 2005 and 2006, when attending the General Assembly as an elder commissioner, two female pastors asked Nobuko on separate occasions a very similar question. She began to wonder why she was asked the same question three times. From that time on, her discernment to become a pastor began. Making up her mind she worked during the day, studied at a seminary at night, graduated in 2012, became a licentiate, then received ordination on March 16, 2014. Nobuko currently is in her sixth year as pastor at the Higashi Koganei Church.
We give honor and thanks to these women and to all the women of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for their continued dedication and sharing of the Gospel message.
The Loaves & Fishes Offering last year was for the feeding programs in all six Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Haiti. One hundred percent of the funds donated to the Loaves & Fishes Offering will be used to fund a children’s lunch program for the next two years.
The Gift to the King Offering last year was used for the Colombia Colegios. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church owns and operates three schools in Colombia, South America: one in Cali, Pereira, and Manizales. All three schools share the same name. They are called The Colegio Americano (The American School). This offering will support struggling families that have students in the Colegios, thus allowing our schools the opportunity to continue educating students challenged by the economic impact of the pandemic.
La Roca de Salvacion (Rock of Salvation) CP Church is located outside of Birmingham, Alabama. The church worships in the Rocky Ridge CP Church facilities. La Roca de Salvation attempted to purchase a building, although there was a closing date, the seller backed out of the deal. Unfortunately, the purchase of this building fell through. La Roca de Salvacion CPC continues their search for a future worship facility. Funds will be sent to the church when they find another building.
2017 - Donations totaled $259,529; expenses were $341,763; deficit of $82,234
2018 - Donations totaled $319,144; expenses were $319,710; deficit of $566
2019 - Donations totaled $327,206; expenses were $268,013; surplus of $59,193
2020 - Donations totaled $271,684; expenses were $271,728; deficit of $43
2021 - Donations totaled $249,301; expenses were $314,237; deficit of $64,935
2022 - $325,871 has been received as of August 31, 2022; expenses are $239,584; surplus of $86,287
Any end of year surplus remains in the SW offering account and is used the next year.
For decades, the CPC has provided additional giving opportunities beyond the regular tithes and offerings collected by our local congregations. These gifts became known as “going an extra or second mile.” The projects we supported this year are:
Repairs for School Bus in Belize #34475 – donations totaled $3,625.00
Urban Bicycle Food Ministry #34482 – donations to date total $2,175.00.
• Provides over 200 meals a week to individuals affected by poverty and homelessness in Nashville, Memphis, and Des Moines. Additional mission points include Dubuque, Colorado Springs, and Chicago. Food is purchased, prepared, and delivered by volunteers by bicycle.
• The Ministry started in 2012 providing meals and essential supplies: blankets, jackets, handwarmers, insect repellent, sunscreen, and sleeping bags.
• UBFM’s mission is to serve food and provide essential supplies, to connect by building relationships in caring for, praying for, and getting to know neighbors on the streets, and to create and sustain disciples among the volunteers and the people they encounter.
• UBFM founder and director is a Cumberland Presbyterian, Rev. Dr. Tommy Clark, minister at the West Nashville Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
• UBFM is a non-profit 501c3 organization.
• Funding goes directly to food and essential supplies. No administrative costs.
• A meal consists of two burritos, a bottle of water and a small dessert.
• $19.84 feeds 25 people.
• Funding will purchase canned refried beans, white rice, taco seasoning, ground beef, shredded cheese, aluminum foil sheets, packets of hot sauce, ten-inch tortillas, and water.
• Additional needs for fall/winter: hand warmers, tarps, gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, sleeping bags, socks, sweatpants, undergarments for men and women (all sizes), and coats for men and women (all sizes).
• Additional needs in spring/summer: sunscreen, insect repellant, shorts for men and women (all sizes), t-shirts for men and women (all sizes), socks, sweatpants, and undergarments (all sizes).
• Additional information:
• History and Theology of UBFM: https://www.ubfmnash. org/historyandtheology Website: https://www.ubfmnash.org/
Amount needed from Second Mile: $5,000 Amount received to date: $2,175.00
Please make check payable to the Missions Ministry Team indicating for “UBFM” and mail to 8207 Traditional Place, Cordova, TN 38016-7414.
POLICY: THE MISSIONARY MESSENGER is published for the Cumberland Presbyterian Church by the Missions Ministry Team. Opinions expressed by the individual writers are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editors.
THE MISSIONARY MESSENGER does not accept advertising. © 2022 Missions Ministry Team ADDRESS CHANGE: Send new address and label from a recent issue to the Circulation Secretary at the address below.
THE MISSIONARY MESSENGER (ISSN 08868344), (Publication permit number: PE14376) is published quarterly by the Missions Ministry Team of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,8207 Traditional Place, Cordova, TN 38016-7414. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, Tenn.
The magazine is sent free of charge to each household in the denomination.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: THE MISSIONARY MESSENGER, 8207 Traditional Place, Cordova, TN 38016-7414.
Looking for help on how to be a follower of Jesus at school, on your team, at home, and in your community?
Join other youth around the denomination for a weekend in San Antonio, Texas to learn more of how to be countercultural with your faith.
Who: youth from 7th grade up
Where: San Antonio, Texas
When: February 17-20, 2023
Cost: $100.00 per person through December 31, 2022
More information and registration: cpcmc.org/yec