Over the last few years Rooted in Jesus has been successfully established in the Diocese of Aru, DR Congo, by CMS partner Canon Peter Wyard and a team of local colleagues. Peter has recently returned from a further month in Aru, helping to provide further training for the existing 80 group leaders and to introduce the Rooted in Jesus Junior programme for the first time. Conference participants dancing at the Junior conference Peter writes: ‘My wife, Dr Patricia Strubbe, and I, Canon Peter Wyard, served in Aru Diocese as CMS mission partners for four years from 2018 to 2022, returning to the U ..read more

The Diocese of Maiwut is located in the far north of South Sudan, on the border with Ethiopia, where many people took refuge during the recent period of upheaval and insecurity. The region is geographically isolated from the rest of the country, with access only by river or by air, and the border with Ethiopia is officially closed, with the result that it is extremely difficult for people to obtain food and basic resources. One conference participant had sold his food parcel to travel from the refugee camp in Ethiopia, and another said people have been reduced to eating grass to survive. Hope ..read more

As part of an ongoing commitment to bringing Rooted in Jesus to all of the dioceses of the Internal Province, three Rooted in Jesus conferences were held in January and February: An Introductory conference in the Diocese of Gogrial, hosted by Bishop Abraham Ngor Mangong and held in Kuajok Cathedral An Introductory conference in the Area Diocese of Tonj East, hosted by Bishop’s Commissary Revd Peter Aleu Kok and held in Romic Church A hybrid Follow-up conference, with some Introductory elements for new leaders, in the Diocese of Nyamlel, hosted by Bishop Peter Garang Akuei and held in Nyamlel ..read more

The Diocese of Northern Uganda held its first Rooted in Jesus conference from 30th January to 2nd February. The conference was opened by Bishop Godfrey Loum, and hosted by Preb Simon Cawdell. Simon, who is himself an experienced Rooted in Jesus leader, is now serving with CMS as the Diocesan Holistic Discipleship Officer. The conference was held at Gulu Primary School, a church day and boarding school located within the diocesan compound in Gulu, and was attended by 245 participants, including a group from the neighbouring Diocese of Nebbi and a representative from the Diocese of Kitgum. Tea ..read more

Rooted in Jesus was first introduced to the Diocese of Nzara by a team led by Revd Mike Cotterell way back in 2012 – just one year after both the country of South Sudan and the diocese itself were formed. Conference delegates enjoying small group practice in the recent conference Just one year later, in 2013, a full scale civil war broke out in the newly formed country as rival groups embarked on a bitter and violent struggle for power. A peace agreement was signed in 2020, the Covid pandemic which followed close on its heels eventually receded, and the Episcopal Church of South Sudan is now ..read more

There are 13 Anglican Dioceses in DR Congo. The Diocese of Bukavu is located in the east of the country, close to the borders of Rwanda and Burundi and running alongside Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika. It covers a huge area, nearly 65,000 square kilometres, and is divided into 11 archdeaconries where over 56,000 church members are served by 118 clergy, supported by 539 catechists and evangelists. Two years ago, still in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic, we were delighted to be invited by Bishop Elisha Tendwa, who ministers alongside Diocesan Bishop Sylvestre Bahati, to send a Rooted in Jesus ..read more

Madagascar is the second largest island country in the world, and the 20 distinct ethnic groups share a unique blend of Indonesian and African heritage. More than 40% of the population are under the age of 15, and just 23% are literate. Many people profess the Christian faith, but traditional religious practices are also widely observed. Madagascar has just six Anglican dioceses, each of which covers a huge area. Rooted in Jesus was first introduced 12 years ago, when we were invited to the Diocese of Fianarantsoa, formed in 2003, and to the missionary area in the south-west which in 2013 wou ..read more

We were delighted to be invited by Bishop Vicente Msosa to provide the first training of any kind for the people of the new missionary diocese of Zambezia in Mozambique. Bishop Vicente is passionate about the need to introduce people to Jesus and to help them to become effective disciples, and we were delighted to support the burgeoning ministry of this new diocese. The Rooted in Jesus team was led by Bishop Martin Breytenbach, with team members from both the UK and South Africa. A two stream conference catered for both those who will lead small groups of adult disciples, and those who will u ..read more

We are pleased to let you know that we have now published the Rooted in Jesus Annual Report for 2022; it can be downloaded here. The ending of the Covid19 travel restrictions led to a very busy year, with a record 23 Rooted in Jesus conferences taking place in 8 African countries. No fewer than seven of these were in South Sudan, the youngest country in the world, where Anglican churches are placing an increasing emphasis on discipleship as a tool for both consolidation and growth. We remain grateful to all those who have given their time and resources to make this possible, and ..read more

We were delighted to receive the latest Rooted in Jesus news from Growing the Church, our partner organisation in South Africa, and would like to share a couple of items with you: Reflection on the Rooted in Jesus Training held in the Diocese of Umzimvubu A Rooted in Jesus conference was held in Umzimvubu, a diocese in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with 65 people attending from 11 parishes. Canon Luthando Xhamlayo writes: “Spiritual Hunger and Thirst “Generally speaking, one the clear indications that something is physically wrong with someone is when they lose their appetite. It is the s ..read more