FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES IN MAURITIUS (FCCM)

  

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Since Mario Li Hing joined Scripture Union (Ligue pour la Lecture de la Bible) in the late eighties, God has laid on his heart the burden to see unity among the churches on the island and this vision became more intense after attending a DAWN (Discipling A Whole Nation) conference in 1990 in Harare, Zimbabwe. He shared the vision with the Church leaders individually. The need for unity and its expression in the Body of Christ was deeply felt in order to accomplish the task of reaching the unreached.

To this effect, the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA) was invited in March 1992 to conduct a leadership seminar. It was the first time that Christian leaders from various Protestant denominations came together and there were 70 present. After this first seminar, a small group of Christian leaders, the Pastors' Fellowship, came together for prayer and they have been meeting on a monthly basis up to now. One of the projects that emerged from this Fellowship was the free distribution of Christian books to the libraries of some secondary schools; the Christian leaders have themselves contributed to the purchase of these books. After a second leadership seminar in 1993 and a third one in October 1995, they felt that time had come to establish a Christian Association in Mauritius i.e. a Fellowship consisting of churches, para-churches and mission agencies.

 

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FELLOWSHIP

Dr. Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Secretary, AEA who was the guest speaker at the third seminar chaired a business meeting on October 06, 1995 in view of the establishment of such a fellowship. After the presentation of the draft constitution, those present voted for the establishment of the first Christian fellowship in Mauritius bearing the name of Fellowship of Christian Churches in Mauritius (FCCM). In answer to the High Priestly Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ and prompted by the Holy Spirit, the Association was born on October 06, 1995 as a movement committed to advancing the Kingdom of God in Mauritius in obedience to the Great Command of love (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Members of the organisations below responded to the Pastors' Fellowship in 1992 and are considered to be the "Founder Members":

James Wong                                                                       - Anglican

Lindsay Blackburn, Sewram Mahadea, Patrick Beesoo            - Assembly of God

Stellio Souci                                                                       - Charismatic Evangelical Centre

Daniel Ah Kay Mun                                                             - Christian Charismatic Church

Tony Wong                                                                        - Evangelical Church of Tombeau Bay

Raj Rajaysur                                                                       - Life Centre Ministries

Mario Li Hing                                                                     - Scripture Union

 

 

 

At the time of its establishment, the following organisations had expressed the desire to become a member of the Association:

Mala Kamudu                    - Child Evangelism Fellowship

Paul Chenney                    - Dayspring Church International

Popo Vythelingum              - Christian International Ministries

Members of the Board of Management were elected as follows:

Lindsay Blackburn             - Chairman

James Wong                      - Vice-Chairman

Alain Shiu                          - Honorary Treasurer

Mario Li Hing                    - General Secretary

Daniel Ah Kay Mun

Paul Chenney

Mala Kamudu

Sewram Mahadea

Raj Rajaysur

Stellio Souci

Popo Vythelingum

Laval Joomun and Raj Rajaysur were appointed Auditors.

 Decision was unanimously taken to submit an application for registration with the Registry of Associations.

  

OBJECTS OF THE FCCM

a)      To promote evangelical unity and action in answer to Jesus Christ's prayer (John 17:21-23).

 

b)      To provide a national platform for fellowship/partnership in the Gospel and joint Christian witness.

 

c)      To defend and confirm the Gospel against all forms of humanistic ideologies and theological liberalism which tend to undermine the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.

 

d)      To foster programs of research, study and assistance to member churches and groups in missions and discipling of the nations.

 

e)      To assist member churches and groups in locating, sharing and placing personnel and utilizing other resources for the most effective implementation of their common task.

 

f)       To serve humanity in general and the Church in particular in matters of justice and peace, relief and development, leadership development (and empowerment of vulnerable groups).

 

g)      To promote behaviour and conduct which is consistent with the Gospel in humility, compassion and social transformation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

 

  BASIS OF UNITY

a)      The HOLY SCRIPTURES of the Old and the New Testaments are the Word of God. It is divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy, and serves as the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

 

b)       GOD is ONE. The One God is eternally self-existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4-5; Mt. 28:19).

 

c)      JESUS CHRIST is Saviour and Lord. As God, He was manifest in the flesh. We believe His virgin birth; His sinless human life; His divine miracles; His vicarious and atoning death; His bodily resurrection; His ascension; His present mediatorial work; and His future personal return in Power and Glory (Lk. 1:32-33; Jn. 1:1-4; 1 Tim. 2:5-6; 6:13-16).

 

d)      HOLY SPIRIT is God. As the third Person in the Godhead, He indwells every believer upon conversion and enables the believer to live a holy life; to witness in power; and to work for the Lord Jesus Christ (Ac. 5:3-4; Mt. 28:19; Ac. 1:8).

 

e)      MAN was made in the image of God and sinless. By choice Man fell out of favour into sin. In God's mercy, SALVATION comes to every lost and sinful person freely and simply by faith in Jesus Christ who shed His blood for sin, and through regeneration by the Holy Spirit  

      (Gen. 1:26-28;3:1-21; Jn. 1:11-13; 1 Cor. 12:13).

 

f)       All true believers in Jesus Christ are ONE BODY, the Church, of which He is the Head

      (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:14-22).

 

g)      SATAN is a fallen angel whose intent is to supplant God and frustrate His purpose, and whose ultimate end is consignment to eternal punishment (Lk. 10:17-18; Rev. 20:10).

 

h)      BODILY RESURRECTION of all the dead will take place someday. Believers in Christ will rise unto everlasting blessedness while unbelievers will rise unto judgment and everlasting punishment (Rev. 20:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10).

  

CODE OF ETHICS

It is required that each member of the FCCM accepts and adheres to this Code of Ethics in all aspects of life and ministry (2 Corinthians 6:4; Colossians 3:5; 1 Timothy 6:10).

  1. To maintain high standards of moral, financial and business integrity in all your life and ministries that the ministry of the Lord may not be blamed.

 

  1. To actively pursue relationships and fellowship with the other ministries and churches within FCCM in accordance with the commands of Scripture (Romans 14:19; Romans 15:1-7).

 

  1. To have mutual respect towards each person's differences in doctrine, style and personality as they follow the Lord Jesus (Romans 15:7; Philippians 3:15, 4:8,9).

 

  1. To maintain a teachable spirit towards the other leaders in the Fellowship (Ephesians 5:21; Proverbs 27:17).
  2. To speak only in an edifying manner regarding other ministers and ministries of the Body of Christ and give appropriate assistance to preserve unity (as long as everything is done in a Christ-like manner) provided behaviour and conduct are consistent with the WORD

(1 Thessalonians 5:11; Philippians 2:2-5).

 

  1. To have no part, direct or indirectly with a Church split (Galatians 5:18-20).

(split: division; separation: leave in peace).

 

  1. Upon leaving any church in which you have served as a member, volunteer staff or paid staff, that you will not establish any other ministry in the vicinity of the church you left unless you have permission in writing from the Pastor/Leader and to have no part whatsoever in attracting or seeking to attract any member of attenders of the church you left to be a part of your new ministry (Genesis 13:7-13; 1 Peter 5:2-4).

 

  1. To support and give your loyalty to any Leader under which you serve. If you cannot agree or provide commitment of support and loyalty, you will advise the Leader of that fact stating your reason in a Christ-like manner and withdraw from the Church and seek to affiliate with another local church in which you can join in good conscience. (Hebrews 10:25, 13:17)

 

  1. To follow the process and procedures as commanded in Scripture when faced with a brother or sister in violation of these ethics or other Biblically moral standards (2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 18:15-20).

 

  1. To support and give your loyalty to the Fellowship and to adhere to the Code of Ethics and to the Constitution and by-laws of the Fellowship.

 

 OTHER ORGANISATIONS JOINING THE FCCM

Agreeing with the structure and policy of the FCCM, other organisations have shown an interest in joining the Association.

  

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF EVANGELICALS IN AFRICA (AEA) AND WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE (WEA)

The FCCM is a member of the AEA and the WEA and is committed to and regulates its activities in accordance with the AEA’s and WEA’s principles, procedures and policies.

    

REGISTRATION OF THE FCCM WITH THE REGISTRY OF ASSOCIATIONS

An application for registration with the Registry of Associations was submitted in November 1996 and the FCCM received the certificate of registration on August 29, 1997.

 

 

 

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR 2003

Members of the Board of Management for 2003 were elected at our Annual General Meeting held on March 04, 2003, as follows:

Mario Li Hing                    - Chairman

Sewram Mahadea              - Vice-Chairman

Alain Shiu                          - Honorary Treasurer

James Wong                      - General Secretary

Stellio Souci

Raj Rajaysur

Mala Kamudu

Laval Joomun and Raj Rajaysur were appointed Auditors.

 

DESCRIPTION OF MINISTRY ACTIVITIES

Monthly meetings: The FCCM members have been meeting on every second Tuesday for fellowship and sharing of the Word

Night of prayer: Since 25 June 1999 a night of prayer is held on the last Friday of each quarter.

 

Coordination of various ministries in collaboration with Scripture Union:

Leadership seminars/retreats/training:

  • Several leadership seminars and retreats are organized annually. We have had the collaboration of the following guest speakers among others: Dr. Tokunboh Adeyemo from the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA), Pastors Graham Gernetzky, Jonathan Naicker, Harris Govindasamy from South Africa, Don & Heather Double from Good News Crusade, UK, Dr. Bruce Thompson from Switzerland. The most recent ones were held in September 2002 with Don Double.

 

  • Visit of a team from a counselling centre in Switzerland: They had ministry in local churches in November 1999, 2000 and 2001.

 

  • Training sessions on evangelization and discipleship in partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002.

 

  • Training sessions for those working in children ministry were held in August 2001 and April 2002 in partnership with Jannie & Elize Lötter from Petra College for Children’s Ministry.

 

  • Ladies seminars with Heather Double in September 2002.

 

  • Family seminar with Don & Heather Double in September 2002.

 

  • Training seminar for youth leaders in November 2002 with Hubert Rakotoarivony, AID for AIDS Coordinator, Scripture Union Africa.

 Outreaches:

  • Visit of Youth With A Mission teams in 1997-2002.

 

  • Youth rallies in 1997.

 

  • Outreach to Rodrigues: A team from Mauritius went for an outreach to Rodrigues island in partnership with Operation Mobilisation in August 1999. (Rodrigues forms part of the Republic of Mauritius. It is situated 500 km to the North-East of Mauritius and is 108 sq. km in area).

 

  • Visit of the Mauritius Outreach for Christ (MOC) team from South Africa: Training youth camps were held in December 1998, 2000 and 2001 whereas training sessions on mime and puppetry were conducted were conducted in December 1999.

 

  • A PACWA team (Pan-African Christian Women Alliance), the Women’s branch of the FCCM, went to Rodrigues in October 2002 to share about the ministry with the leaders and meet with the ladies there.

 

 

Evangelization:

 

  • JESUS Film to the Gospel of St Luke: The JESUS film in Mauritian Creole, the first ever full-length film (2 hours) in our mother tongue has been launched on Sunday 01 November 1998 at the Port Louis Theatre.

 

An interchurch training programme was held on 16-21 October 1998 and 29 October-06 November 1998 concerning the use of the JESUS film and evangelization in general with the collaboration of Campus Crusade for Christ. Other training sessions were held in August 1999, 2001 and May 2002.

 

Since its release in November 1998, film showings are being held in various regions of the island. It was aired twice on national television in 1999.

 

We participated in Operation Sunrise Africa which took place in 50 cities of Southern & Eastern Africa during 50 days (01 July-19 August 2002).  JESUS film videos and VCDs were massively distributed.

 

We praise the Lord that apart from the Creole version, we now have the film in almost every spoken language in Mauritius – Hindi, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Tamil, Telegu, Urdu, Hakka, Cantonese, Mandarin, English, French and Malagasy.

 

The children’s version of the JESUS film, “The Story of Jesus for Children”, has been translated in Mauritian Creole in March 2002.  Auditions and recording were held in June 2002.  It will be released soon.

 

  • Evangelistic meetings were held in Plaine Magnien (situated in the south of Mauritius)) and Rose Hill (found in the centre of the island) from 26 October to 04 November 99 with the collaboration of Don Double.  We held two other campaigns at Cité Vallijee (a suburb of Port Louis, the capital) from 12-14 September 2002 from and Cité Barkly (a suburb of Beau Bassin) from 19-21 September 2002.

 

  • Distribution of St Luke's Gospels: Joint project with the Bible Society of Mauritius for the distribution of some 25,000 copies of the Gospel of St Luke to primary schools and to those attending the JESUS film showings.

 Other activities:

 

  • March For Jesus 1996-2001.

.

  • Coordination of the visit of the MV Doulos in 1998.

 

  • Amsterdam 2000: Participation of five Board members in Amsterdam 2000 organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in August, 2000.

 

  • The Indian Ocean Regional PACWA Conference was held in August 2002.

 

 

Plans for 2003

 

·         Ladies seminars and meetings in March/April 2003 with Dawn Gernetzky and team.

·         Sports mission in the context of the Indian Ocean Islands Games in Mauritius (29 August – 07 September 2003).  An inter-church task force has been set up.  A National Day of Prayer is scheduled for Sunday 11 May 2003.

 

 

 

 

For further information, please contact Rev Mario Li Hing at the following address:

Fellowship of Christian Churches in Mauritius (FCCM)

c/o Scripture Union (Ligue pour la Lecture de la Bible)

39B Royal Road, Eau Coulée, Mauritius

Tel/Fax: (230) 674-0155

E-mail: sumtius@bow.intnet.mu

Web site: http://pages.intnet.mu/sumau

06 March 2003