Cry of the Heart


What motivates you every day to get up and go? What frustrates you and has the potential to lead you down the road to disillusionment? When the path we are on seems filled with struggles, it is good to take a moment and reflect on these questions. When we did that, and asked why Micah is relevant for today this was the cry from the heart:

“God of love and justice, God of compassion and mercy, God who came and lived amongst us, who died for us that we may have life in all its fullness, we cry out to you that the evidence of your Kingdom amongst us now has become blurred with divisions, disunity, dichotomies, distrust and disempowerment. We need you to re-unite, reconcile, restore, recover and revive us so that we may reflect your Kingdom in our hurting and broken world, that we may be like Jesus to all: proclaiming freedom for the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, release for the oppressed, and good news to the poor – that now is the year of the Lord.” We need an integrated and integral mission response.

Micah thus represents:

- a uniting space and platform for the bringing together of local churches, Christian initiatives (aid, mission, business, colleges and seminaries), denominations, alliances and movements to learn, inspire, challenge, wrestle with and commit to an integral and missional response in our world from both individual and corporate groups (family, church, community, organisations)

- a united call to engage in responding in solidarity to the travesty of poverty, injustice and conflict.
Micah exists to enable a greater solidarity in learning and action in our shared vision to see God’s Kingdom come. We represent unity in our diversity, passion for integral mission, taking responsibility to be salt and light in all circumstances. Together we can make a difference.

However, this is a movement that requires not a token nod of the head, but a rolling up of the sleeves, an intentionality to engage and serve one another for the sake of the Kingdom. It requires a decision every day to be a blessing to others.

We have a message, backed up in action, covered in love that when delivered together is totally transforming our world. We are part of a move of God that is stirring up believers, activating his church to be the light and salt it was called to be.

May I invite you to roll up your sleeves and share this challenge, this task, the time and space that God has given us.

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:5).

United in Christ

Sheryl Haw
International Director

Thanks Gill


Over the last 12 months we have been blessed to have Gill Trainor assisting us in the Micah Secretariat. Gill works with OM International and as we have had our secretariat located in the OM office we have also been blessed with Gill in supporting the administration work one day a week. Gill came with tons of experience and insight and will be missed.

Thank you Gill – you are really one of our extended Micah family now!

Note: Operational Mobilisation International are members of Micah Network and for the last 3 years have given us some office space in their international office here in Carlisle. With their part move of the head office to Singapore they are downsizing the office space in Carlisle and sadly Micah has had to relocate. We want to thank OM for their generosity of time, space and spirit. It has been a joy to have shared with you.

Post-2015 Summit engages faith leaders across Africa in development goals


The Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa was one of the parties present at a recent Summit to gather faith leaders across Africa in deciding regional priorities for the post-2015 development agenda. Faith leaders from across the continent met at the Commonwealth Resort in Munyonyo, Kampala, Uganda for the African Faith Leaders’ Summit on 1st and 2nd July 2014.

The summit was hosted by the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda with support from the Government of Uganda and ran under the theme: Enhancing Faith Communities' Engagement on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

At the conclusion of the Summit, the faith leaders released a position paper and a final statement.  The position paper was inspired by the Common Africa Position (CAP), which outlines the Africa Union Position, among other frameworks.

A follow-up programme of action will present African faith leaders with the opportunity to engage African governments and regional integration bodies both on the Summit resolutions and the broader global debates.

The leaders were in agreement on the need to integrate the monitoring of national planning, implementation and accountability in the post-2015 agenda to ensure that the aspirations expressed in the position paper are realised.

Micah Network Events


Africa Regional Consultation

Integral Mission and Freedom

Come and join us for a time of fellowship and sharing as we seek God's heart for an integral response to challenges of bonded labour, human trafficking and exploitation.

September 8th - 12th, 2014
Livingstone, Zambia

Register today to guarantee your place!

For further details and registration, click here or email events@micahnetwork.org


Upcoming National Conversations

RWANDA

Intergal Mission and the Community
August 22nd, 2014
Assemblies of God Bible training center, Nyandungu, Kigali

UGANDA

God of Justice
September 15th-16th, 2014
Lweza Training and Conference Centre, Kampala

CAMBODIA

Good Governance and Accountability
October 9th-10th, 2014
Phnom Penh

 

NOTE: The Truth and Reconciliation Consultation which was planned to be held in Kigali in November has been postponed until further notice. 

Events from our Partners


The Leprosy Mission:

Healing, Inclusion, Dignity

September 29th-30th
Delhi, India

Global Connections Integral Mission Forum:

Global Change: Exploring Current Trends in Mission

Tuesday October 14th
Christian Medical Fellowship, London, UK

LEAD Community of Practice event:

The environment and language, education and development

November 17th-20th
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Global Diaspora Network


One of the outcomes from the Lausanne Cape Town meeting in October 2010 was the setup of a network called GDN (Global Diaspora Network), which operates under the Lausanne umbrella.

The 21st Century has been marked by the greatest migration in world history. People are not only resettling within their own countries, but are being scattered to all four corners of the globe. U.N. experts estimate that there are over 200 million international immigrants. People from every nation and tribe are moving because of regional conflicts and wars, devastating natural calamities, urbanization, labour related opportunities, educational advancement, etc. The scattering of the people (i.e. diaspora) poses challenges and opportunities to the global Church of Jesus Christ.

The Lausanne Global Diaspora Forum (GDF) 2015 will be held in Manila from 24th to 28th March, 2015.

For more information or to register see here.

Good Governance - Training

Jame and Leanne Lewis have continued to enrich Micah over the years as they have facilitated workshops on Good Governance. Over the last few years they have been developing a series of workshop materials that will be made available to Micah for training of leaders.

If you would like to explore having a workshop on good governance then they are keen to help and where possible come facilitate using this material. We are planning to have some of this material presented at our up and coming Global Consultation in 2015.

To find out more please write to the Lewis'.

Resources


Fundraising

Sas Conradie, from the Global Generosity Network, (the initiative that facilitates stewardship, generosity, giving and fund mobilisation among Christians), has listed an amazing number of resources, articles, good practice models, case studies and more, about fundraising, reflecting on generosity and ideas for resourcing ministry. See here for the resources.
 

We Not Me - New book from Andy Matheson, International Director of Oasis Global

"If we can rediscover what it means to be a community - the kind of community where all barriers are broken down and where our lives reflect the original vision of the gospel - then we play a much more effective part in ushering in God's Kingdom."

You can purchase the book online here.

Strategies for Hope

A new website has been launched (www.stratshope.org), filled with great resources and stories from contributors who are living with and working in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

 

If you or your organisation have come across or produced any resources or stories which you think would be valuable to the Network in encouraging and equipping members to practice integral mission, please highlight them to us by emailing coordinator@micahnetwork.org.