World Mission

The Church Mission Society was founded on 12 April 1799 and is one of the largest British mission societies. Although CMS is an Anglican agency it has always worked in partnership with other Christian traditions to establish mature churches in the places where it worked. CMS today works in close partnership with churches and other agencies in over 30 countries supporting around 150 mission partners.

The CMS Link Scheme connects congregations in Britain with world-wide mission through CMS mission partners. It brings British churches into closer partnership with churches in another culture. Mission partners serve in particular areas in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Over many years St Luke's has supported several Mission partners. Our current link partners are the Revd Geoff & Revd Gill Kimber in Romania (see below).

Newsletters from the Kimbers

February 2004

July 2005

[taken from the latest information sheet issued by CMS]

Geoff and Gill Kimber
Romania

mao of Romania Geoff and Gill are building interdenominational friendships through the Cross of Nails reconciliation project in order to foster mutual understanding and respect. They work in partnership with the Centre for Ecumenical Research in Sibiu, hosting discussions and developing a small library of English theological books. They also teach English, work with an Orthodox social project and encourage mission through the Orthodox church.

Geoff and Gill have been living in the university city of Sibiu. As well as developing a library, they also support mission work with the Lord's Army, the renewal wing of the Orthodox Church, and have been involved in university teaching and in an Orthodox social project with needy children.

Geoff and Gill are not new to the mission scene. After marrying in 1971, and training at All Nations Christian College, they joined the Sudan United Mission (now Action Partners) and served for 10 years in Northern Nigeria. When they returned to UK in 1984 with three daughters and a son, Geoff trained at St John's College, Nottingham and was ordained in 1988 in Chelmsford Cathedral. Gill trained part-time at Oak Hill Theological College and was also ordained in Chelmsford in 1991. She has a strong vocation to the diaconate. They served in parishes in Coventry diocese, where Geoff became Chair of the Diocesan Mission and Training Task Group, and was a member of the Diocesan Synod and of the Diocesan Forum for Parish Development and Evangelism. He greatly enjoyed sharing the Christian faith through Alpha courses and Walk of a Thousand Men, and he and Gill were part of an ecumenical group of clergy meeting for fellowship and mutual support.

Gill worked part-time in the parishes and also as projects officer in the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral. She has received training in mediation and was a diocesan vocations adviser and a member of the Executive Committee of the Diaconal Association of the Church of England.

Geoff and Gill enjoy music, reading, crosswords, seeing friends, sightseeing and walking. Most of all, they enjoy spending time with their family. Hannah is married, currently living in Spain where she is an English teacher, and has just produced their first grandchild, Naomi. Caris is also married and is a doctor at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge. Juliet is getting married in July 2005 and is a primary school teacher in Bristol. Robin graduates, also in July, in physics from Bath university.

For more information contact
Link Adviser
Church Mission Society
Watlington Road
Oxford OX4 6BZ
Tel: 0845 620 1799
www.cms-uk.org
Registered charity number 220297

March 2005 (b) - Church Mission Society

You might like to pray for Nicu Pavel. He is coming to stay with us next week for a week's intensive English. It will be very hard work for us all! We go to him and Aurelia again at the end of the month to continue our intensive English and Evangelism series with the Lord's Army there. Geoff will be speaking at a men's meeting, and I will be speaking at a women's meeting on Saturday 2 April, on the subject of mission. In Romanian, of course, so we will very much need prayer for that!

Geoff is at present marking 40 exam scripts, all in Romanian. He has not done this before so again, your prayers would be valuable. We are of course affiliated to Ascensium, the Romanian NGO founded by an English couple who asked us to come to Romania through CMS and develop the ecumenical work. We have the AGM this week, in our centre, and that needs prayer too. We will be presenting a report of our work, again in Romanian.

Every blessing
Gill & Geoff Kimber

March 2005 (a) - Church Mission Society - Where your giving has helped

Gill Kimber is involved in the only orthodox social project in Sibiu. The priest in charge of the St Nicholas church feeds and runs a homework club for up to 30 poor and disadvantaged children and he invited Gill to help with English. As a result of your generosity, funds from the sponsored swim raised £600 of which half was sent at Christmas for presents (pictures on the notice board).

Gill says 'The Orthodox church is a great believer in saints and it was great to say that St Luke was helping St Nicholas'. Geoff & Gill would like to thank everyone for all their contributions; however large or small, both spiritual and material, all are much needed and appreciated. If you are interested in becoming more involved in CMS and the Kimbers' work in Sibiu, would like to receive a link letter or pledge a regular amount of money or would like to help in other ways please contact Gill Court.

Geoff & Gill complete 3 years in Romania in July and are returning home for 6 months. They are planning a visit to St Luke's on Sunday 23 October to speak at our 11:00 am service which will be followed by a buffet lunch in the church hall - an opportunity for all to meet and chat with them.

Prayer Points: Gill is instrumental in developing pro-life work in Sibiu. Please pray for her partnership with Irina Curea the local leader of 'Darul' Vietii (the Gift of Life). For greater love and understanding between the denominations. For the possibility of an interdenominational children's club and for safe travelling and useful visits, their plans for home leave and for God's wisdom and peace at all times.

March 2004 - Church Mission Society

"Father make us one, do not make 'them' like 'us', do not make 'us' like 'them' but make us all more like YOU." (Revd Steven Hughes who originally envisioned the Cross of Nails centre)

March is CMS (Church Mission Society) focus month. St Luke's has re-established the link with mission partners Geoff & Jill Kimber in Romania; you can read more about their work at the Cross of Nails centre

in their latest newsletter
in this explanatory leaflet written by the Kimbers
in this leaflet (a 223 kB pdf document).

CMS has mission partners working throughout the world and also in this country. Being a link church connects us in Britain with world-wide mission and also mission in this country, through the work of area co-ordinators and Partnership House. St Luke's has had links with CMS for over 100 years, there being documented evidence in the church accounts of congregational donations in 1899. Let us continue with our link with CMS, hopefully not just in this century but into the next, by giving and praying for all those involved in its work.

Please pray for Paul Brown CMS Area co-ordinator as he speaks to us today (7 March 2004) at the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services.

To find out more about the work of CMS visit the website at www.cms-uk.org or email infoa@cms-uk.org. Or look at the notice boards and pick up an envelope, donation box or gift aid/standing order form.

I am hoping to hold a stall at either a car boot or jumble sale this month, if you have any unwanted clothes, bric-a-brac etc please contact Gillian Court.

Below is some information on CMS's work in Romania.

March 2002 - Church Mission Society

God's Love is Meant to be Shared.

The Society supports Christians of many nationalities who are working and witnessing in their own and other cultures - helping them in every possible way. They offer a variety of ways to energize people for mission, widen their horizons and open doors they never thought possible.

Romania is situated in South East Europe. The Carpathian Mountains are the "back bone" of the country. The highlands and plains, the riverbanks and the shore of the Black Sea are home to 22 million people of many nationalities. Almost all belong to a Christian Church, 87% are Romanian Orthodox. The official language is Romanian, which is very beautiful and melodious and of Latin origin.

After centuries of turbulent history, they now enjoy peace and democracy. The transition to democracy has not been easy. The economy has collapsed, the people are poor and there are many uncertainties. Many families are burdened by unemployment and poverty, and housing conditions are difficult. The social assistance programmes are not effective.

In Romania, CMS is helping to give "street children" love, hope and a safe place to live. Although attention has been turned to the plight of Romanian children, many have been disregarded since they have families, though they still have to survive on the streets. Many families have been torn apart by substance abuse. In Iasi, St Andrew's House is a refuge for these children. CMS has supported this valuable work and has helped to build a much needed extension. St Andrew's House has become a place the children can even call "home".

The Romanian people have never lost their hope in the future of their country. Please continue to pray for them and the work of CMS serving people in sensitive parts of the world. Encountering God at the Cross enables suffering and weaknesses to become opportunities for further humble, compassionate mission.

Lord God we bring our wounds and suffering before you,
And gather those we care for into your loving arms.
Bring glimpses of the resurrection into this painful world.
Fill us with compassion and holiness.
Give us a greater vision of yourself,
And a greater experience of your love,
That we and others may go out confidently
In your mission.

this page was last modified on 26 September 2008