Newsletter 1st June 2007
Duncan and Jan Weir 
address: 21 Green Lane, Farnham, GU9 8PY
tel: 01252 713790 (home) 07989 211 445 (mobile)
Hi everyone
Thanks to all those who managed to come to the information evening we held on May 18 th; we were really encouraged. Most of you know that since our return from Brazil in May last year we have been helping with a mission course called Kairos.( www.kairoscourse.org.uk www.kairoscourse.org ).This has already involved two short term visits to Brazil since May 2006 to give “Taster” presentations and, on the last visit, to actually hold the first Kairos course in Brazil.
We are currently planning another short trip to Brazil in August to train some facilitators from the first course. This will include some of the team consolidating their training by helping on a second intensive 5 day course, 27-31st August in Goiania. We will conclude the visit by arranging with friends in Rio de Janeiro to run a third course to be held later in the year in Rio.
This brings us to our next goal with regard to Brazil. In conjunction with Linda Harding, International Director for Development of new Kairos courses, and Ron Viner, UK Co-ordinator for “Project Brazil and Beyond”, we are working towards another two year season in Brazil as Brazilian co-coordinators of the project.
We are feeling very excited about this second opportunity to work in Brazil. We count it as a privilege that we can use the skills and experience gained during our previous two years and are looking forward to building on the foundations already laid.
The following gives an outline of the project and details of the budget.
Thanks,
Duncan and Jan
Project Kairos Brazil and Beyond
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Update May 2007
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This Project was first developed in the autumn of 2006, since when there has been significant progress and some major developments all of which are of great encouragement. As a result the first course in Brazil was held in Goiania (just South East of Brasilia) from 9th-13th April 2007, with all core materials in Portuguese.
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Current Status:
Inevitably the original strategy and timescales have changed as circumstances have required, but amazingly we were absolutely on time for the first course in Brazil! All written materials had been translated into Portuguese and tested with Brazilians based in the UK beforehand; and the work to dub core DVD materials into Portuguese was completed with a week to spare! We had 20 full participants, many of them pastors or leaders, and now have the first potential pool of national facilitators. After the course we were able to visit churches and/or leaders in Paulista Braganca, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Criciuma. All of these connections present opportunities for CursoKairos. Additionally other Kairos facilitators in the UK and Albania with connections in Brazil have the potential to open doors in Fortaleza and Sao Luis.
God’s Provision of People:
However, the most significant development in seeing the vision fulfilled has been the growing sense of God calling Duncan and Jan Weir to give themselves to this project. When it was first being developed, they were based in Goiania following a call from God to go and serve him there. They returned to the UK in May 2006 after 2 years in Brazil uncertain about their future, but with the Portuguese language!
Duncan and Jan first encountered Kairos in January 2006 during a visit home, and were significantly impacted by the course. On returning to the UK they began to help with courses, including the ones with Brazilians testing out the Portuguese materials. As they have journeyed with Kairos they have sensed God’s call to return to Brazil later during 2007 for a further 2 years with the specific focus of facilitating the introduction of Kairos into that nation. This is a major answer to prayer as it was difficult to see how the project could develop without the right person or people based in Brazil.
God’s Provision of Funds:
The original budget estimated that £16,400 would be needed to see the project through to the second Brazilian course and training the first indigenous facilitators. Translation costs to date have proved to be considerably more than estimated, but travel for the trip in April was slightly less than anticipated. Here is a summary of expenditure as at 15 May 2007:
| Administration |
£2752.00 |
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| Brazil trip April 2007 |
£3236.02 |
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| Translation |
£2456.00 |
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| Other |
£1385.10 |
(printing, donation for DVD dubbing*, sundries) |
| Total Expenditure: |
£9829.12 |
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*studio time and facilities for DVD dubbing has been generously given by Dick Davies of WEC |
By the same date gifts totalling £10631.46 had been received leaving a balance in hand of £802.34. We thank God for the generosity of churches and individuals that have kept pace with the needs to date.
Future Needs:
However, the developments with Duncan and Jan and the new possibilities of seeing Kairos firmly established in Brazil over the next two to three years will require some extra finance. A new estimated budget can be found below, and we would ask you prayerful to consider if this is a project you could support financially. In particular, Duncan and Jan will need support to enable them to remain in Brazil long enough to see Kairos established and the development of a national Kairos leadership. Whereas Duncan and Jan do have a personal network that they will be asking to continue supporting them in their future ministry with CursoKairos, we believe that a significant amount of this should be found from within the Kairos family.
There will also be an ongoing but, we anticipate, a gradually decreasing need for administrative, logistical and pastoral support from the UK over the next two to three years. Increasingly the finances for Kairos in Brazil will become an internal matter.
Project Budget – May 2006 to Autumn 2008
Activity
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Current Estimate
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| Dubbing of further DVDs/videos |
£500.00 |
| Translation of Leaders’ Guide and Facilitators’ Training Course |
£1,000.00 |
| Project administration – UK |
£3,500.00 |
| Support for Duncan and Jan Weir for 2 Years |
£25,000.00 |
| Set up costs for home and office (Car, furnishings, appliances, printer, video projector etc)** |
(up to) £12,000.00 |
| Estimated CursoKairos travel costs Oct ’06 – Oct ’08 (international flights and internal travel) |
£10,000.00 |
| Sundries |
£2,000.00 |
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Total
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£54,000.00
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** Some of these costs could be recouped at the end of the project period less depreciation
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Creative Giving/Support
There are various possibilities for giving financial support. We are hoping for one-off gifts especially towards set up costs; but we also need regular gifts, even small regular sums make an enormous difference. Tax efficient giving can be made through Stewardship Services or World Outreach (see below).There are also other ways of giving financial support, for example:
- a loan or a combination of gift/loan could be made for some of Duncan and Jan’s set up costs; for example, the second hand car market in Brazil is very strong so a car would not depreciate very much in two years compared with depreciation in the UK;
- some items could be donated; for example, video projectors are about half the price in the UK compared with Brazil, so one donated from the UK would save money.
If you are interested in exploring these or other creative ideas, please talk to Duncan, Jan or Ron.
Personal support for Duncan and Jan can be directed through Stewardship Services (forms can be obtained from them – email janonwater@aol.com or downloaded Stewardship Form).
Gifts for the project can be directed to Kairos, Cordelia House, Westfield Road, Burley, Leeds LS3 1DG. Cheques can be made out to Kairos but Gift Aid donations should be made to World Outreach and a Gift Aid declaration will be sent for completion.
Brazil and Beyond………..
We have always presented this project as Brazil and Beyond, Portuguese being the 7th most widely spoken language in the world. We now have enquiries about using the Portuguese version in Mozambique and with expatriates in South Africa. It was interesting that the first course in Brazil had three representatives from a Brazilian mission agency working into Portuguese speaking nations, notably Mozambique and Angola, and at least two other course participants had been on short term mission trips to Mozambique. So, we anticipate the “Beyond” phase is likely to start during this two-year period as well!
Current Project Team:
Linda Harding – Director
Ron Viner – UK Coordinator
Anderson Lima – Translator
Duncan and Jan Weir – Brazilian Coordinators
PHOTOS
the team - Duncan, Levy Santana, Ron Viner, Roberto Araujo and Jan
The first CursoKairos students
Elio for Manaus, Amazon and divino from Uberlandia, Minas Gerais Brazil - both visiting Goiania to participate in the 1st Kairos course in Brazil
Jan working with a small group on CursoKairos
Duncan leading a small group session on CursoKairos in Goiania
Jan leading a session in Goiania
Jane from Edinburgh now living in Morrinhos, Brazil, Derrick from High Wycombe, spending 6 months in Goiania and Elizete, Pastor from Goiania - 3 students on the 1st CursoKairos
Snack time
Praying for unreached peoples
more prayer
Levy presenting Pr Paulo with his certificate- the first Kairos graduate in Brazil
A Kairos Taster session at Braganca Paulista near Sao Paulo
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