More about our speakers
Bisoke Balikenga
Based in Bunia, eastern DR Congo, Bisoke worked with CMS mission partner Judy Acheson for many years and then took over as provincial youth worker in 2009, when Judy retired. He is Church Mission Society’s longest-standing local partner in Africa.
Bisoke is married to Furaha, and has three children. He has been involved in youth activities since 1989, and studied at Daystar University in Kenya. He describes his vision as reaching “young people with the gospel, enabling them to discern the way forwards and to make informed decisions”.
Working with the Anglican Church in Congo, Bisoke started a peace centre in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri province in eastern DRC. Ituri is a region rocked by tribal fighting.
Thousands of people have fled attacks in their villages and travelled to Bunia in search of relative safety – with 200,000 displaced people now in the area.
They are in desperate need of food, water and shelter, and are deeply traumatised. Many women and girls who arrive at the peace centre have suffered sexual violence, and been rejected by their families as a result.
Bishop Martin Gordon
Martin Gordon is the Bishop of Goma in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He lives there with his wife Anthea and their three children. Martin has been a CMS mission partner since 2020, having previously led a church in London.
Goma is a city of two million people, on the border with Rwanda and Uganda, and in the shadow of an active volcano. It is a region that has known conflict for the last 30 years including the Congo Wars between 1996 and 2003 and the recent resurgence of armed rebel groups. Trauma is a reality of life for many and the country is desperate for peace.
The diocese leads a lot of ecumenical work on peacemaking by training and equipping church leaders (men, women and young people) and bringing communities together for joint initiatives. More recently they have also been working togehter on conflict mediation.
The diocese is twice the size of Belgium and has a vision to plant 50 churches in the next five years. They are already well underway and have already started in an area called Walikale, an archdeaconry in the forest, three days away from Goma by motorbike.
Elise and Jon Fletcher
Elise and Jon Fletcher have made their home in the neighbourhoods of the Khlong Toei slum in Bangkok since 2014. They have two teenage sons, Elliot and Sam, and an adopted daughter, Bow.
Practising assets-based community development, they serve alongside local leaders to identify and build on existing strengths.
Elise uses her creativity to bring together women around a common purpose. There is no shortage of charity in Bangkok but Elise seeks to empower and equip those on the underside to be the agents of change. This approach encompasses social enterprises, debt repayment schemes, medical advocacy, fighting evictions, English teaching and a lot of incidental partnerships along the way!
Jon is an ex-GP and cares about caring. He loves developing people and projects, finding ways to bring wellness and total health. Jon also uses his medical background and experience of the Thai adoption system to work with the Thai government in the area of care reform. He is part of an advisory group (Alternative Care Thailand) seeking to get children out of orphanages and into loving families.
They are passionate about helping people to find worth and purpose as they participate in God’s kingdom coming in Khlong Toei slum community.
Rev Mark Nam
Mark Nam is a British born Chinese priest in the Church of England. He is vicar of St John the Evangelist, Woodley, in the Diocese of Oxford, and founder of The Teahouse, a network that raises the profile and participation of Chinese-heritage clergy.
Mark is a trustee for SPCK Publishing, and the Li Tim-Oi Foundation which provides grants to women in the Majority World to access theological training. Mark is a chaplain to the Asian Christianity MA students at CMS (Church Mission Society) and a trustee for CARG (Campaign Against Racism Group) who work with the Government to combat hate-crime against East and South-East Asian communities.
Mark was a recipient of the 2023 Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lambeth award, in recognition of his “Outstanding contribution to the community in accordance with the Church’s teaching”. He has written for Preach Magazine, The Canterbury Preacher’s Companion and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio, Premier Radio, and United Christian Broadcasters. He tweets/X @marknam
