Area Bishop:-
Bishop Bill Musk
St George’s Church,
5 rue Ahmed Beyrem,
1006 Bab Souika,
Tunis,
Tunisia
Phone in our flat: +216 71 335493
Mobile (Bill): +216 23447439
Mobile (Hilary) +216 23446739
Email: billamusk@gmail.com
hilaryamusk@gmail.com
MuskNews: “Please pray for us!”
November 2011
Ghaddafi and Gambela!
: we have had a busy and stimulating couple of months with some exciting ongoing developments at St George’s, Tunis, with a pastoral episcopal visit to Gambela in Ethiopia (returning to Tunis via Cairo), plus a brief rendezvous with two of our daughters’ families in Rome. The period has been overshadowed by intense fighting in Libya, during which I kept in weekly touch with the Egyptian priest who maintained services on most Fridays at Christ the King Anglican Church, Tripoli.
St George’s, Tunis
: with the Church Council we are developing our vision for the St George’s of the future. We believe that the Lord is calling us to set up here a training/mentoring centre for the formation of ministers; plus open up the church to be involved in ministering to the needs of the local, poor community in which it is set – on this last point, the visit Hilary and I made to St Matthew’s Addis Ababa was inspirational (see below!).
: our annual Thanksgiving service was held at the end of September outside in the church grounds bringing together our three congregations for praise and worship, testimony and giving. It was lovely to see and hear from members of our Arabic-speaking congregation as they sang, prayed and gave testimony. The rains held off quite miraculously allowing a St George’s potluck to take place after the celebration.
: at a service late in October we baptised (amid thunder, lightning and torrential rain!) and confirmed members of our congregations. It was a humbling and wonderfully joyful occasion.
: Rev Ayo, with some of our lay members, has worked hard to get our prison ministry up and running again. They are visiting (mostly) African prisoners in several prisons just outside Tunis.
: some of the maids of employees of the Africa Development Bank have pooled their sewing talents to produce a set of altar frontals with material that Hilary managed to buy in Addis Ababa. Hopefully soon our sanctuary will have a colour focus for the seasons of the church’s year.
: the election of a Constituent Assembly has taken place in Tunisia. The run-up to the election provided opportunity for both good and bad advertisement of the concerns and proposals of different parties.
North Africa Episcopal Area
: the North Africa Episcopal Area continues to excite and frustrate me. The situation is normalising in Tripoli, Libya and Rev Hamdy there is reporting increasing numbers of people at Friday services (Friday is the equivalent of Sunday). Rev Gus and his teacher wife Marliese made it back to Tripoli and are reordering their home (broken into while they were away). We are trying to get Rev Vasihar and his wife Malini back to Tripoli to take over leadership of the ministry there; plus an Egyptian priest to take over from Rev Hamdy.
: Bishop Mouneer is hoping to visit Algiers (his diplomatic passport allows him better access than mine!) during November.
: I am hoping that, with our developing vision for St George’s, Tunis, we will be able to provide a much needed centre for meeting training/mentoring needs for the various churches/congregations of the diocese that are spread throughout North Africa.
: as previously mentioned, my colleague in the Horn of Africa Episcopal Area has moved on to become Bishop of Reading in the UK. A successor will hopefully be appointed in November (after some interviews) and installed in February of 2012. At Bishop Mouneer’s request, Hilary and I briefly visited Addis Ababa and Gambela in late September, returning to Tunis via Cairo. It was a stretching and humbling trip. We met folk leading the ministry at St Matthew’s, Addis Ababa who have a ministry to international congregations somewhat similar to us at St George’s. However, they are a decade ahead of us in getting St Matthew’s healthily involved in the local, poorish community where the church is sited. It was very inspiring to see what they have done and are doing.
: in Gambela we stayed at the Anglican Centre and met most of the priests and deacons of the many church and mission centres that are serviced by the Centre. Nuer, Anuak, Opo and Dinka brothers and sisters live simple but joyful lives in very challenging but exciting situations. The leaders of the Mothers’ Union (a very strategic vehicle for sharing the Word of God but also health recommendations and self-help ideas etc) were such lovely people. Hilary will write more below. It was my privilege to confirm some 130 candidates in two different churches of the area – one a “church” made up of an enclosure round a large shady tree, the other a church of wattle and daub construction (and very hot!). A retired priest and his wife are staying in Gambela during the Episcopal interregnum and wonderfully providing pastoral oversight and gracious wisdom and direction for this delicate but impressive work of mission along the Baro river.
Personal touch!
: Family news: I attended my nephew Tom’s wedding to Becca, (both medical doctors) in Arundel, which was a highly enjoyable experience. It was lovely to see my wider family. I discovered that Tom is in a very proficient band called, not surprisingly for a band full of medics, the Arrhythmics! The band has a website: www.arrhythmics.co.uk.
Ben received a highly coveted Blue Peter badge for his handwritten, illustrated, adventure story about “Rhino the Super Hamster”! Sam received his for a poem a week later! Two very happy grandsons with cards permitting free entrance into many national museums and amusements! The rest of the family are jealous and planning their attempts!
Olivia was 1 year on 18th October and celebrated in style at a farm in Warwick and again in Hyde Park with various family and friends. Nicola was involved in organizing the playlist for a silent disco called ‘free2dance’ lasting 135 hrs in which the world record for continuous dancing was broken, all in aid of Burma. She is still looking for more permanent work.
Rachel is still improving steadily, though sudden heat waves are not helpful! Aaron had a small op on his ear which will hopefully improve his hearing.
Helen was very disheartened to discover that she needs the same two ops (all in one this time) on her other leg. This will take place on 3rd Dec. She has peace about it now.
Rome. We met Helen and Sarah and their families in Rome at the end of October as they were due to come to Tunisia but chose not to due to the elections! We walked a lot, saw a lot and enjoyed each other’s company.
: Today there are mixed feelings in Tunisia as people wait to see if the new government will deliver on their promises and lead the country forward into justice and stability.
Libya We pray that there will be justice and peace following Ghaddafi’s death.
Egypt We sensed when visiting that the sectarian violence is a far-reaching problem and that some Christians may feel they were better off with the ‘devil they knew’. Please hold all these lands in your prayers.
: Ethiopia: I was never good at précis!! But I will attempt to give the very briefest of highlights!
Most amazing bird! The red bishop! A stunningly bright red bird very common in the Gambela. We had the benefit of Rosemary being an ornithological enthusiast with binoculars! We saw three types of kingfisher, all in the garden at the compound!
Most glutinous mud! The mud in the villages of Lare and Pinwol! Rosemary said that she had got stuck in it last time and had to leave her wellies and be carried! But when we arrived they met us with bowls and water and performed a foot washing ceremony!
Most wonderful smell! The coffee roasted each morning by the people in Addis; a sort of family ritual! Mmm! Lovely to wake up to!
Most moving moments! The welcome song the church sang for us in Pinwol and when the women all clapped and smiled and sang it again as I took a second helping of their maize dish! (That may be why I was so sick later, but it was well worth it!!)
Most salutary moment. Seeing that some people in the villages were so poor that they put a few grains of corn into the collection basket.
Most interesting meal! I was served my food in a pottery bowl on top of a charcoal burner! Like a stir fry, it kept cooking as I ate!
Saddest realization: that there are so many, many street children in Addis Ababa.
Encouraging sign: The sign of the ‘Association for former wood carriers’ who help women find new work so that they don’t have to carry huge piles of wood up and down steep hills.
Most amusing tale! When an Ethiopian friend of Rosemary’s discovered that we don’t have vultures in England, he said, ‘I don’t understand! Who eats your dead donkeys?’!!
Most hilarious experience! When going into the museum in Addis to see the 3.2 million year old hominid skeleton Lucy, the men were searched and we women were told to search ourselves!!
Most sensory experience: Feeling and seeing the beautifully dyed scarves made from silk on the silk worm farm in Addis. We learnt about the whole process.
Most delightful scenes: Watching and listening to the singing in the churches in the Gambela! Such passion!
Most humbling experience: Spending time with the leaders of the Mother’s Union; such sweet, humble women, committed to promoting education and health and Bible knowledge in their area. So many women proudly wear their white uniform with blue sash.
Most worrying information: Hearing that the main thing that the MU and Tear Fund are promoting is the building of latrines and the washing of hands before and after touching food. So many die young due to basic hygiene deficiencies.
Most shocking? Seeing girls in their young teens, the age of our Voices in the Desert group here, holding little babies and then realizing they were their mothers.
Most inspiring! The lovely people we met working in Addis at St Matthews (Roger and Lynn); out in the Gambela, (Colin and Julia) and with TEAR fund (Rosemary). We had such a wonderful time with all these lovely new friends and are filled with admiration for their choice to live as they do. We also met a lovely RC bishop, Angelo, who is doing an amazing job in Gambela having just built a seminary there. We met many Christians in Addis with NGO’s and missions. Wonderful people all sharing God’s love in a beautiful way.
Most interesting and beautiful country! Ethiopia is beautiful, and lush, her people are colourful and lovely and her orthodox church is fascinating and ancient, strongly influenced by Judaism and especially Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. I loved all the different Ethiopian crosses (72; one for each area), the Ethiopian art with people with huge eyes, and the feast of Meskel which we witnessed on our arrival, a bit like a street party with a bonfire!
I have added some photos, please write if you would like to see more (of the many many!) or hear more!! It was a trip packed with sights, sounds, smells and experiences, each as interesting as the other and far too many to pack into this letter! Like our trip to Yemen it has had a profound effect on us and will help us to pray more meaningfully in the future.
Prayers please for
: folk in Tunis on staff at St George’s – Bill, Kwame, Emil, Khaled, Souad and Mohsen.
: Rev Hamdy, Rev Gus and his wife Marliese (in Tripoli), Rev Vasihar and his wife Malini (in Egypt), Rev Ayo and his wife Rosemary (in Italy – Rev Ayo needs to put in order his marriage/residence papers there so that he will be free to join the ordained ministry team in Tripoli), plus various scattered lay leaders and former members of the congregation at Christ the King, Tripoli.
: the various African students making up the Church Council in Algiers. Visas for those needing to visit and help minister there.
: pastoral ministry amongst different groups of people at St George’s.
: protection and growth of national believers in North Africa; especially the congregation led at St George’s by Rev Emil.
: the impact of the work of members of the Africa Development Bank throughout the continent of Africa; pastoral care of such folk.
: pastoral care of the many folk who are here with “companies” and who attend St George’s.
: the appointment of a new bishop for the Horn of Africa and the provision needed for the continuing ministry of the Gambela project.
: the general situation in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, the Arab Gulf, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan – where not?!? and in the current shaking of several of those nations, for God’s Spirit to be unleashed in a wonderful way..
Many blessings to you all and lots of love.
Bill & Hilary
Bill & Hilary Musk are mission partners with I.C.S. (Intercontinental Church Society: registered charity no. 1072584). If you would like to contribute financially to their support, please go to www.ics-uk.org and follow the link to “Make a donation”, then select “Tunis–St George’s–Musk” from the drop-down list. Thank you.
Congregation get together after Sunday morning service, Tunis.
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