BMS World Mission AGM

Nepal featured prominently in the BMS World Mission AGM, with updates on mission personnel in the earthquake-ravaged country, alongside the launch of its latest appeal My Father’s House, which focuses on a particular ministry there.

The 20-minute slot still managed to convey the breadth of BMS’ work across the world as it seeks to serve the most marginalised and least evangelised peoples.

The session began with an update on finances.

‘For BMS, finance is much more than just numbers and accounts,’ noted treasurer Robert Ashurst. ‘It’s about doing things properly, and well, highlighting managing financial and operational risk, ethics and seeking to demonstrate practical concern for the environment.’

Val Stevens, BMS Director of Finance who joined last year, paid tribute to her predecessor David Locke and colleague Marian Rudall for the strong financial position she inherited.
The past year had once gain seen a steady income stream, ‘and we are very grateful,’ said Val.

Nevertheless that income had been largely unchanged for around 10 years, so BMS is intentionally trying to encourage more people to join its 24:7 Partners scheme, which enables regular giving.  
Val closed by introducing the new BMS review video.

The generous support had enabled to BMS to provide support in some of the world’s disasters, including the typhoon-devastated Philippines, Syria, the Ebola crisis and the more recent earthquake in Nepal. 

There had also been a surplus in the previous financial year, which has been channelled towards the BMS Mission Innovation Fund, and subsequently used to help women in Thailand set up a bakery to provide an alternative income to prostitution, support lawyers in Mozambique, and give new freedom and self respect to women in Zimbabwe by enabling them to make their own sanitary pads.  

Director of Communications Mark Craig gave an update on a number BMS projects, including Project Cyrus, a prayer initiative for North Korea, Share the Light, the church planting ministry in India led by Benjamin Francis, and the Dignity initiative, which counters gender-based violence. ‘It’s something we need to wrestle with’, said Mark, ‘because though “complicated and grim”, if statistics are right there are many people in our churches affected by gender-based violence.’

Mark also introduced the BMS Harvest Appeal called My Father’s House, which highlights the life-changing work on spinal injury patients in Nepal led by BMS occupational therapist Megan Barker and her team. The title refers to 10-year-old Diya, whose dad’s spine was shattered in a terrible truck accident. ‘It’s a story of incredible hope,’ said Mark. ‘And there is so much more need for that now.’

He was of course referring to the recent earthquakes.

BMS has a large mission team in Nepal. UK-based staff hit the phones immediately news filtered through of the terrible initial quake early on 25 April. All were accounted for by the afternoon, and have been very much involved in the relief effort.

The session also relayed how BMS is now a network hub for a number of global Baptist relief and development agencies.