STALHAM BAPTIST CHURCH

Living on a knife-edge

GWEN HUNTER

It was early one Sunday morning when persistent knocking brought me to the door to find Lina and one of her daughters in a state of agitation.  Lina's granddaughter was in the hospital outpatient department, ulcerous legs giving cause for concern.  She was one of twins and the boy had died two days before, with malnutrition and associated anemia.

The family had a debt to the hospital, money had finished, the surviving twin needed treatment and they couldn't afford medicines or food.  Father had gone further east to contact friends for help. He didn't return alive and the second twin also died, despite the help we gave.  Only the mother was left to mourn the loss of all her immediate family, together with her mother and sister I was surprised to learn that Ngida had married and gone with her husband to live in Congo Brazzaville where they had settled well and were becoming relatively prosperous until the war broke out and they had to flee along with thousands of others.  Fighting broke out again between the government militia and the rebel groups more than a year ago in Congo Brazzaville.  There have been massive and violent atrocities against the civilian population in an attempt to wipe out whole communities with arbitrary executions, mutilation and rape being performed on a wide scale.

First the Brazzaville population fled to the south to seek refuge in the tropical forests, but they found themselves, together with the local population, victims of indiscriminate violence.  They had no access to food or medical care and fleeing in ever-greater numbers further south and west they crossed the borders in their thousands into the Bas Congo region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (or DRC, formerly Zaire).  They preferred to stay near to the borders but it was difficult to get help to them in some of the remoter parts and the DRC government wanted to avoid the security hazard with Congo Brazzaville militia crossing the borders.  Consequently they moved on down to the river at Luozi (the head town of the Manianga area). UNHCR officials came in with food and supplies and set up camps but soon found that they couldn't cope with such large numbers.

Thousands of refugees flooded into Mbanza Ngungu and others, passing through Luozi, poured down into Kimpese.  At the same time the simmering war in Angola boiled up again. The UNITA rebels gained ground and moved towards the north of Angola causing tens of thousands to flee similar atrocities and pour north into Bas Congo (DRC).  Many of those fleeing from Angola this time have fled before.  For them, life seems a vicious circle of fleeing, settling in temporary accommodation, returning, planting, and often before a fall harvest can be gathered, fleeing again leaving their fields to be flattened and their houses looted.   They live on a knife-edge.  Insecurity is a way of life.  Poverty and malnutrition are normal.  Yet they survive as a people though many individuals are lost.

So it was that once again Bas Congo (DRC) became home for probably at least 150,000 refugees fleeing from war to its north and south.  The people of Bas Congo are in a critical period.  The land which has been grossly over-farmed can just about support the local population, many of whom live at or below subsistence level and now there was an influx of hungry mouths to feed.  In Luozi the market became a meagre affair.  The local Congolese couldn't find anything to buy because the refugees needed to eat as well.  Many refugees were sick, the hospitals filled up with needy souls who couldn't afford to pay Aid organisations such as the Red Cross and Medecins sans Frontieres have come in with some help but fleeing takes its toll.  A diabetic pastor fled from Congo Brazzaville, his insulin was running out, he couldn't exist without it, frantic radiophone messages were sent.  The medicine was only to be found in Kinshasa and that was several days away and with no regular or sure way guaranteed.

The Church is called upon to show the love of God.  To give away what it needs for itself - not out of its abundance but out of its poverty.  Our Congolese have given themselves to help these refugees.  In fact over the border in Congo Brazzaville our Congolese have often been badly treated in the past and many of the refugees have remarked on the warmth and love they have felt in the way they've been received by the people in Luozi.  They came in fear, fleeing from violence, suffering, insecurity and pain and they were received with compassion Man's inhumanity to man causes refugees.  Only God's love between peoples can bring about reconciliation Oh that God would bring peace - real peace - to Angola and Congo (both Congos) so that refugees can return in security to their homelands and build for a good tomorrow.

Gwen Hunter is a pharmacist and BMS missionary, currently on her final Home Assignment in the UK after working in Zaire/Congo with BMS for over 30 years.

Norfolk Carers Help-line

Our number has changed, but NORFOLK CARERS HELPLINE is still here for carers 24 hours a day.  For information, support, or a listening ear - if you have been caring for a while or have just started, don't wait for a crisis, call our free service. 0808 808 9876.

Book, Video and Tape Lending Library

We have quite a varied selection of Christian books, tapes and a few videos in our lending library.  If you cannot get to Church yourself or know of anyone that can't and would like to borrow from our lending library, please let me know and a visit will be arranged

Kids Aloft 2000 Project

Servants Aloft Ministries

Extracts from the letter in the July 2000 Magazine written by Ronnie Cartwright, Chairman.

The 96 children and 10 adult helpers arrived at the expected time on Wednesday 7 June at Prestwick Airport.  They were met on the tarmac by representatives of Servants Aloft Ministries, together with the Provost of South Ayrshire Council - Mrs Liz Foulkes, who after the immigration official had cleared the passports/visas, led the procession through the Airport, upstairs to the Aviator suite, where a civic reception was held for some 150 people.

After enjoying some food & drink and receiving their first "bag of goodies" the children were divided into their groups and taken off by coach to their respective host churches in New Cumnock, Newton Meams, Queens Park and Denny/Falkirk, where from all reports they had a super time for the first 10 days of their holiday in Scotland.  On Saturday 17 June the children were then transferred to 5 more churches at Ayr, Maybole, Airdrie, Larkhall and Paisley/Renfrew.  Again they enjoyed their time thoroughly, taking part in a wide variety of activities, and visiting different places each day, not to mention all the gifts and presents they received over the 3 week period in each place. 

Anyone who was at Prestwick Airport on Tuesday 27 June to see the children take the return flight to Minsk, will know what I mean when I say that the luggage situation was "mayhem" to say the least.  There was SO much -1 am told 372 pieces between the children and their leaders! - together with 30 boxes of Humanitarian aid that we sent to the children at the Sanatorium in GORADISCHY near Minsk.  Despite this vast amount of luggage, the plane was only 30 minutes behind schedule leaving for Minsk, after a very tearful time of goodbyes between children/leaders and host families from all the churches involved, I wonder what you thought when you read our January 2000 bulletin and saw that the costs of Kids Aloft 2000 were to be £40,000!!   If you were like us in Servants Aloft Ministries, it scared us somewhat to think of such a figure, but despite this inward fear we knew that we had to go ahead with the project and that God wanted us to step out in faith and see how good He was going to be to us.

What happened - well believe it or not - generally speaking the finance only came into our account on the day an invoice was due to be paid.  For example, the payments for the charter aircraft had to be paid in two equal parts, the first by 22nd May and the second by 31st May.  By 22nd May we had sufficient funds to allow us to pay 50% as agreed, to be left with just £12 in our account -WOW - with the knowledge that in 9 days time we had the same amount to pay again, and we just didn't have it!  Did God let us down - NEVER - Praise the Lord, by exactly 31st May sufficient moneys had come into our account for us to be able to clear the final 50% of the plane charter fee - "His love is as great as His power, and knows no measure nor end".

Baptist Missionary Society Secretary
Special Dates for your Diary

Harvest Weekend. is 23rd - 25th September.  We will have as our guests for the weekend John & Rena Mellor our BMS link missionaries.  We hope to have a Harvest Supper on the Saturday evening and the Auction will be on the Monday evening.  Further details in the weekly Bulletins All proceeds will be split between the Baptist Missionary Society and Operation Agri.

Dates for the Autumn.

At the time of printing we have not yet arranged the mid-week programme.  Thursdays will continue to be Prayer Meetings throughout August.  The next Church Meeting will be on Thursday 12th October The next Alpha Course starts on 27th September.

We have also been invited to Sheringham Baptist Church to share in a North Norfolk evening celebration Sunday 1st October (tea at 5pm).

Our Sunday Services

Our Sunday Services are held at

10.45am and 6.30pm.

Activities for children and young people take place during morning service.

Details of other services and activities are listed in the weekly bulletins.

Please contact the Pastor, Ron Skivington (582091)

or Church Secretary, David Meale (536443)

if you need more information.

Editorial Note

All items for the October - November Magazine to:

Monica or Frank Payne

at 50 Brumstead Road by Wednesday 13th September, please.

[ONE SIDE of paper only, please.]

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