People

Many of the international Christian arts community were saddened to learn that the art historian and author Dr Graham Birtwistle had died at his home in Amsterdam on 6 October.

Originally from Accrington, Graham had an international career, starting as a lecturer in art history at Leicester Polytechnic. Later, his name became linked with that of the Dutch Professor Hans Rookmaaker (1922–1977), whose work, as Graham wrote, “left an indelible impression” on his life. Rookmaaker’s visits to England in the 1960s and 70s had an immense impact on British art students, particularly when his book Modern Art and the Death of a Culture was published in 1970. Graham was one of a number who travelled to study with him at the Vrije Universität (Free University) in Amsterdam. Another Englishman studying under Rookmaaker was John Walford, who went on to become Professor of Art History at Wheaton College, Illinois. The two became housemates and the cottage they and others shared was a significant “hub” for students and artists seeking to work out a Christian worldview within the arts.

en staff

Date posted: 2 Nov 2025

An independent Anglican church outside the Church of England has a new minister. St Thomas’s Church in Corstorphine, Edinburgh recently saw the licensing and institution of Mark Prentice.

St Thomas’s was constituted in 1844 as an independent Anglican church and is currently part of the Anglican Convocation of Europe, part of ANiE.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 29 Oct 2025

Wycliffe Bible Translators has paid tribute to one of its long-serving missionaries who has died at 87.

Dr Katharine “Katy” Barnwell served with Wycliffe for over 60 years. Barnwell pioneered locally-led Bible translation: after helping to see the New Testament published in the Mbembe language in 1985, she found that the Mbembe people wanted more translation – the Old Testament as well as translation into other Mbembe dialects – and so concluded that the best way to do this was to get some Mbembe speakers trained. “And so began the revolution in training local Bible translators that has led to the huge growth in Bible translation today,” says Wycliffe Bible Translators. Barnwell’s textbook Bible Translation: An Introductory Course in Translation Principles – first published in 1975 and now in its fourth edition – is the primary training resource for Bible translators worldwide.

Nicola Laver

Date posted: 26 Oct 2025

Sam Solomon, Christian scholar, apologist and a co-founder of Christian Concern (CC), died on 3 October.

A statement on the CC website says: “Sam was more than just a scholar. He prayed intensely, laughed freely, and brought the grace of God to countless people and situations in the United Kingdom and around the globe.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 25 Oct 2025

Equipping Pastors Worldwide has welcomed David Bhadreshwar as its new Head of Resourcing and Partnerships.

Bhadreshwar and his wife, Naomi, spent almost 20 years in Peru as missionaries – serving indigenous churches through preaching, teaching, discipleship, and pastoral ministry in villages and cities across the jungles, highlands, and coast. Registered with Global Training Network (GTN), Bhadreshwar has remained actively involved in overseas missions training since returning to the UK in 2023.

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 5 Oct 2025

Botrus Mansour is the new Secretary General and CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance. From Nazareth, Mansour is an Arab-Israeli with Palestinian heritage. He will step into his new role in October at the WEA’s General Assembly in Seoul.

Council Chair Dr Goodwill Shana, who has held the position during the six-month search for a new leader by WEA’s International Council, said Mansour would provide “servant leadership and strengthen collaborative efforts” of the alliance, which stands for 600 million evangelical Christians in 148 countries around the world.

en staff

Date posted: 4 Oct 2025

Richard Langmead is the new Chief Executive Officer of Operation Mobilisation (OM) in the UK. He will start his new position on 1 October.

Writing on social media, OM said: “Richard is from Poole on the South coast, but grew up on OM’s ship Doulos (Brazil, Mexico, Caribbean), where he developed a deep passion for justice, international outreach, and a lasting sense that life with Jesus is an incredible adventure.” Over the years, he has served as a church pastor, and as CEO with Urban Saints, among other roles.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 3 Oct 2025

OMF International UK has appointed Irene McMahon as its new National Director. Irene and her husband, Wilson, have served with OMF since 1989, both in the Philippines and the UK.

In the Philippines, McMahon worked on a church-planting team, trained Sunday School teachers, served as Chief Operations Officer at Koinonia Theological Seminary in Davao, and was Director of Transition for the OMF Philippines Centre. In the UK, she has worked at Belfast School of Theology, All Nations Christian College, and been Regional Co-Director for OMF in Ireland.

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 2 Oct 2025

Amy Scott has been appointed as the new Public Policy Officer for the Evangelical Alliance Northern Ireland.

“We’re so excited to welcome Amy Scott as our new Public Policy Officer,” Evangelical Alliance NI posted online. “We can’t wait to see how God will use her gifts and experience to serve our members and engage with local representatives here in Northern Ireland.” “I’m delighted to be part of the Evangelical Alliance NI team,” said Scott. “I look forward to representing our members in the public sphere and equipping them to engage with the issues that matter most in Northern Ireland.”

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 1 Oct 2025

Andy Roberts has been appointed as the new CEO of the Church Mission Society (CMS).

Roberts – a former mission partner and CMS director of mission – is originally from York and has lived much of his life in Brazil. There, he spent several years serving vulnerable children and young people, alongside his wife, Rose. The couple launched ReVive – a charity providing shelter and holistic support for girls affected by abuse, exploitation and neglect. In 2021, Roberts was awarded an MBE for his work with vulnerable children in Brazil.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 30 Sep 2025

Themelios – an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed, theological journal that “expounds and defends the historic Christian faith” – has welcomed two new members to its editorial board.

Greg Lanier is Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Orlando, and N. Gray Sutanto is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at RTS Washington, D.C. Themelios began in 1975 and ran initially as a print journal in the UK, before becoming a digital journal operated by the Gospel Coalition in 2008.

en staff

Date posted: 27 Sep 2025

Andreas Wenzel is the new president of the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA). He succeeds Frank Hinkelmann, who held the post for 12 years.

Wenzel was elected at a “hybrid Members Meeting Bar” in Montenegro, which gathered some EEA leaders in person and others online. The event also included a meeting with local pastors in Montenegro to discuss unity and mission, and support for the growing evangelical community in the country. The EEA seeks to represent 23 million evangelicals in Europe.

Operation Mobilisation (OM) has appointed a new International Director to lead its work in more than 147 countries worldwide.

Dr Iain Pickett (UK) took over the role from Lawrence Tong (Singapore) on 1 September. Tong has completed three terms, having led the movement since 2013. Tong was the third to do so since it began in the late 1950s. His predecessors were Peter Maiden and OM’s founder, George Verwer. They died in 2020 and 2023 respectively.

en staff

Date posted: 25 Sep 2025

Martin Smyth, former Presbyterian minister, Orangeman and Unionist politician, has died aged 94.

The Evangelical Protestant Society reports: “Mr Smyth served as minister of Raffrey Presbyterian Church from 1957 to 1963 and Alexandra Presbyterian Church from 1963 to 1982. He was Grand Master of the Orange Order for 26 years and was Unionist MP for South Belfast from 1982 until 2005. Above all, however, Mr Smyth was a committed evangelical Christian who faithfully proclaimed the gospel.”