Presbyterian Missionaries Feature In New BBC Programme

A new BBC series called Distant Horizons will feature Presbyterian missionaries, Joe and Janet Campbell as they work in Nepal. The Campbells, who are from Holywood in County Down can be seen on the second programme in the series, which will be aired on BBC1 on Wednesday 30 April at 10.45pm.

Distant Horizons is a series of three programmes, which tells the stories of three people from Northern Ireland who have taken their work skills to far flung locations for a variety of reasons.

As the Campbells headed towards 60, Joe and his wife Janet could have opted for a quiet retirement but instead chose a four-year stint in the Himalayan country of Nepal.

Joe worked for the Mediation Network in Belfast for many years, quiet work taking place in the background of parade and peace line disputes. Now he's using his peace building skills in post civil war Nepal to good effect.

He says: "Whenever you meet politicians or just politically aware citizens in Nepal they're often trying to get you to give an opinion that you are on one side or the other and I just remember the old maxim from home whatever you say, say nothing and that kind of guides me. There is one thing we can give the people from home though and that is a bit of hope."

The country only emerged in 2006 into an uneasy peace after ten years of bitter conflict by Maoist guerillas fighting to topple the country's Hindu king. Joe's work for United Mission to Nepal (UMN) takes him into difficult terrain around Nepal as he tried to sow the seeds for reconciliation drawing always on the experience of home.

BBC Northern Ireland filmed Joe as he sought to initiate dialogue between a Muslim minority community and their Hindu neighbours. Keeping healthy and safe are the biggest challenges for Joe and Janet in a country where travel is precarious and third world conditions make for a difficult domestic life. But despite the hardship of life in a third world country Joe is hopeful that he can make a difference:

"I think at the end of our four years, if we have helped the situation, even moved forward an inch or two or even to stop going back it will have been time well spent."

Joe, an elder from First Holywood Presbyterian has been working successfully with UMN since the couple's arrival in Nepal in 2006. UMN is a Christian International Non-government Organisation (INGO) whose mission statement is "To minister to the needs of the people of Nepal in the Name and Spirit of Christ and to make Christ known by word and life, thereby strengthening the universal Church in its total ministry." Joe also now works at a national level with the Nepali government on peace initiatives.

Producer of the first two programmes of the series, Marie Irvine says: "It's a gutsy thing they're doing. I don't know whether many of us would have the courage to make such a radical change to our lives and leave the comfort of home to travel to a third world country to try and make a difference to other people's lives. We all know of people who've left Northern Ireland to work or volunteer abroad and perhaps we admire them but don't give it much thought beyond that."

Issued by Sarah Harding, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org