Newsletter: September - October 2015

Global Consultation- Wow!

337 participants from 63 nations gathered in Lima, Peru from the 14th to 18th September 2015 to listen, learn and share with one another around the topic of Integral Mission and Shalom: justice, peace and joy. We also had a further group of young people meeting on the 14th September at our Micah Youth pre-consultation and guests from Lima taking part in our opening on Monday.

Travel and arrivals were not without their incidents - with lost luggage, delayed flights, arrests, and sadly even one participant never made it at all. Each story held its own inspiring grace-filled testimony of generosity and perseverance. Despite these challenges, the Consultation sessions enriched our perspectives and challenged us to move deeper in as we embrace and live out God’s Mission. To capture some of the daily memories see this collection of video logs here.

All plenary sessions were recorded and will be uploaded shortly for access to all. Materials and resources shared throughout the week are being uploaded here.

A very big thank you to:

Paz y Esperanza – our hosting member. Their staff team and volunteers were truly amazing in how they managed to support and serve us all throughout the week. A special note of thanks to Alfonso Wieland (CEO) and Rolando Perez (Advocacy Director) who daily handled the challenges and opportunities with grace and efficiency. Thanks too to the team of lawyers who enabled the visa on arrival process to work so smoothly.

Our event managers: Ruth Alvarado and Jenny Vaccari – who worked long hours to ensure we all thrived throughout the week.

Our team of interpreters: Rogelio, Emilio, Nina, André, Gabriel, Andrew, Prisca, Kuyo, Mariia, Tally and Alena - who together enabled us to have simultaneous interpreting into Spanish, English, Portuguese, French and Russian. They were further assisted by volunteers who helped with interpreting during the workshops.

Our worship team: led by Luis Alfredo, Guido, Dave, Erin, Stephen and Tracy. Thank you for inspiring us to reflect, change and act in and through our worship. The CD of the five new songs written for the Consultation, will be available for purchase from Micah Global next month.

Our speakers, presenters and workshop facilitators: thank you for making this an enriching time of learning.

And of course, to all those who attended, who dreamed of attending and to our members worldwide who enabled this Triennial to take place – it was so good to come together. Thank you.

The handover ceremony from Latin America to Asia took place and we now turn our eyes towards our 7th Triennial. Dates: 10th to 14th September 2018 – Location: Asia (Country to be announced). See you there!

Sheryl Haw
International Director

Next Steps: Post Global Consultation

Latin America (Alfonso Wieland, CEO of Paz y Esperanza - right)) hands over to Asia (Kennedy Dhanabalan, CEO EFICOR - left) for the next Global Consultation.

Throughout the Consultation week we had appointed a number “listeners” who were tasked with reviewing the days prayerfully and capturing what they felt were the main points we needed to hear. We also invited feedback from a panel of speakers and members of the Micah Panel of Reference on Friday to hear what they felt God was saying to us. Finally, feedback was invited from all participants through the Micah feedback and evaluation form (contact Micah if you would still like to complete this form).

Here are some initial outcomes:

1) Strong recommendation to build up a Micah Youth / Younger People – our future leaders. The pre-consultation on Micah Youth / Changemakers anticipated this need and already confirmed our commitment to prioritise investing in the next generation of Micah advocates. The under 25 year olds who attended presented a statement at the Consultation calling on us for greater inclusion and investment into their generation.

2) Recognised danger of an imbalance between living a life of integrity with regards to integral mission (personally and corporately in our organisations and churches) versus simply “doing” social action projects. Micah needs to ensure theological reflection informs practice.

3) Becoming people of peace is key. Out of this flows life-changing word, deed and signs.

4) National Coordinators affirmed a Covenant agreement with Micah Global and established a working group to explore and recommend theme and approaches for our next Global Campaign.

5) Themes that are arising:

- Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
- Corruption, inequality and injustice – barriers to life in all its fullness
- Non-violent approaches to global crises
- Restorative economy
- Healing wounds of ethnic conflict and reconciliation
- Gender based violence and the role of the church, including trafficking, domestic violence, harmful cultural practices and inequality
- Access to health care for all
- Living within planetary boundaries
- Engaging with the younger generation and equipping them to be changemakers
- Addressing historical and current power structures and policies that exploit and profit from others
- Inclusion of marginalised and vulnerable groups
- Faith based engagement in sustainable development
- Sustainable Development Goals

During the consultation we explored the need of developing a Micah course on the theological and practical foundations of integral mission. There was a significant commitment towards this course's development which will be followed up so as to eventually enable all members to access this training.

Ongoing communication and invitation to participate will be made through our regular newsletters and special thematic bulletins. We continue to welcome your input: info@micahnetwork.org.

Micah Sunday: 18th October

Resources are available for all to enable their local church to facilitate a special Micah Sunday Service.

The 18th October coincides with the International Day on Eradication of Poverty (17th October) and seeks to raise awareness of the newly launched Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - especially SDG 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty everywhere.

This is an integral part of Micah Global's advocacy initiative to raise awareness of the travesty and injustice of poverty. 

Download your commitment card, poster, service and sermon outline, PowerPoint and other prayer resources here.

Please let us know about your plans for recognising Micah Sunday. 

A Missional Response with Communities in Conflict

On the 30th September 2015, Global Connections will faciliate their biannual Integral Mission Forum in London.

Theme: a Missional Repsonse with Communities in Conflict

Start Time: 11:00
End Time: 16:00

Location: CMF Offices, 6 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1HL, UK

Recording of session will be availabe after the event.

Sustainable Development Goals Launched

The Sustainable Development Goals have been formally adopted by the United Nations earlier this month.

See more information in the Micah launch bulletin here and download a summary overview of the 17 Goals.

Global Food Week

The Churches’ Week of Action on Food is an opportunity for Christians and others around the world to act together for food justice and food sovereignty. It is a special time to raise awareness about farming approaches that help individuals and communities develop resiliency and combat poverty. The Food for Life Campaign places a particular emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and the situation of smallholder producers and their access to, and control over, natural resources such as land, water and seeds.

All of us can examine our food choices and call for policy changes that will ensure the right to food for everyone. The Food Action Week includes:

International Day of Disaster Reduction: 13th October 2015

International Day of Rural Women: 15th October 2015

World Food Day: 16th October 2015

International Day of Eradication of Poverty: 17th October 2015

Micah Sunday: 18th October 2015

For ideas, actions and activities to join in with - see here.

CBM Inclusion Resource

CBM (a member of Micah) is one of a consortium of NGOs launching a new set of standards for humanitarian agencies, to help ensure that people with disabilities and older people can access support and actively participate in times of emergency.

The Minimum Standards for Age and Disability Inclusion in Humanitarian Action have been developed to be used by all practitioners involved in humanitarian response; including staff and volunteers of local, national, and international humanitarian agencies. They provide information on the actions needed to ensure disaster response is as inclusive as possible, through shelter, nutrition, food security, livelihoods, education, health and protection. The overarching principles include recognition that persons with disabilities and older people must be able to participate in all aspects of humanitarian response on an equal basis with others.

10 Steps Health Guide - ALM

American Leprosy Missions (ALM) has developed a teaching guide to address cross-cutting issues common to many Neglected Tropical Diseases and other health conditions. Ten Steps: A guide for health promotion and empowerment of people affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases is available for download below.

As basic care at the community level is strikingly similar across diseases, the Ten Steps health guide will enable affected individuals, communities and health workers to identify and address common problems early, know when and where to refer, and understand how to monitor results.  It encourages ownership and a person-centered, problem-based approach to learning where the trainer/facilitator becomes a “coach”.

See Summary Card, Guide and resources here.

Book Resource: Mind the Gap

Mind the Gap by Colin Smith

In a time of mass urban migration, the great irony of our age is that the closer we have come together the further we have moved apart. Within this globalizing world the gap between rich and poor grows ever wider, creating seemingly unbridgeable chasms between people who inhabit the same city. It is against this backdrop that Colin Smith explores what it might mean to create a different kind of narrative where these gaps become redemptive spaces, open to new possibilities.

See more information here.

Congress on Alcohol and Drug Addictions

A Congress faciliitated by FLACT (Latin American Federation  of Therapeutic Communities) will be held in Lima from the 20th to 22nd October 2015.

Location: Universidad Femenina UNIFE, Lima, Peru

For more information see: www.isaac-international.org

ISOR - Dates for Your Diary

The International School of Reconciliation (ISOR) will be held from the 9th to 26th August 2016, in Kigali Rwanda.

Please hold these dates in your diary and plan to be there. Micah highly recommends this 3 week intensive training for all who want to see their nations healed from the pain of conflict and prejudices.

For more information and to register: school@lerucher.org

Micah Events

Australia: Voices for Justice

Dates: 10th to 13th October 2015

Bangladesh: Integral Mission and the Churc+h

A national Integral Mission Conversation

Dates: 25th to 28th November 2015

Guest Speaker: CB Samuel