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Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 25 Apr 2025

The humanitarian work of Christian mission organisation Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been honoured by King Charles.

Representing MAF, CEO Donovan Palmer (pictured left), Trustee Max Gove, Deputy Country Director in Uganda Sam Baguma, and Becky Waterman attended a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne, where the “exceptional” work of approximately 100 humanitarian charities was recognised.

Africa Inland Mission (AIM), an evangelical missionary agency, has merged its South Africa Mobilizing Office and Southern Region receiving office, forming a new ministry called AIM Southern Africa Region.

Tshepang Basupi has been appointed Director of AIM Southern Africa Region, consolidating the processes of sending and receiving missionaries, training leaders and sharing the gospel. The merger is intended to “better reflect the current and future realities of global missions” and will “enhance efforts to minister to the unreached peoples of Southern Africa”.

Alastair Bateman, CEO of Church Mission Society (CMS), has resigned from his post and announced he will step down at the end of July 2025 after six years, saying: “I believe the time is right.”

Reflecting on his time at CMS, Alastair said: “Serving in this community – so deeply committed to following Jesus, rooted in prayer, and bearing the fruits of the Spirit – has been the privilege of a lifetime.”

Tim Davies is the new Diocesan Bishop for the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), a GAFCON-aligned grouping outside the Church of England.

Andy Lines will continue in his roles as Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Convocation Europe (ACE) and Presiding Bishop of the emerging province of the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE), AMiE says. These are likewise not part of the CofE.

Samuel Escobar, an influential theologian and missiologist from Peru, has died aged 90.

Escobar was a leading figure in evangelical theology in the second half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century, website Evangelical Focus reports.

Lydia Houghton

Date posted: 16 Jul 2025

Jeremy and Elizabeth McQuoid, who have been heavily involved with the Keswick Convention for many years, are set to move to Canada.

Jeremy has served as Teaching Pastor at Deeside Christian Fellowship Church in Aberdeen, Scotland for the past 21 years. He also serves as Chair of Trustees, Keswick Ministries. Elizabeth is Commissioning Editor at Keswick Ministries, and is behind the widely-acclaimed Food for the Journey daily Bible devotions.

The Railway Mission is appointing Mameri Ese as a new Trustee.

Mameri is a senior project manager at Great Western Railway (GWR), with extensive expertise in finance, project delivery, and strategic leadership.

Tributes are being paid to renowned Biblical scholar Gordon Wenham, who has died.

Wenham, born in 1943, was a Reformed British Old Testament theologian and writer, and was once described by US academic Tremper Longman as “one of the finest evangelical commentators today”.

Rachel Cocksedge has been appointed as new Executive Assistant at Faith in Later Life.

“She’ll be playing a key role in supporting our mission to equip and inspire churches to reach and empower older people. Please pray for wisdom, joy and God’s guidance as she serves with us,” the organisation reports.

Jack Hemmings, who has died at the age of 103, was co-founder of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), the largest humanitarian airline in the world.

In 1945 Jack, an RAF Squadron Leader tasked with protecting the Bay of Bengal from Japanese invasion, read an article advocating the need to use planes to ‘carry messengers of peace and to unload cargoes of blessing’. As RAF Flight Lieutenant Murray Kendon wrote: ‘Instead of spreading destruction and death why should [aircraft] not now spread life and healing by that message wherein lie the seeds of peace and power?’

Simon Medcroft has been appointed to serve as Director for Essex with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

Simon has served as pastor at Danbury Mission for 20 years and will now be seconded to FIEC for one day a week to serve affiliated churches in Essex – one of the fastest growing but least churched counties in the UK.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 29 Jan 2025

On 10 January, over 120 gathered in St Nicholas’ church in Sevenoaks to give thanks for the life of OMF (UK) Co-National Director Peter Rowan, with 900 tuning in online from across the world.

The service included songs chosen by Peter, moving tributes from his children, and an address delivered by Dr Krish Kandiah on 2 Timothy 4:1-8. ‘Peter lived a life of service; just like Paul he can say his life was poured out like a drink offering,’ Kandiah said. ‘He can say that he fought the good fight… but his life offers us a challenge – what will we do?’

Robin Griffiths, who served as a missionary in Thailand for nearly three decades, was called to glory on 28 December 2024 after a short illness.

Robin served Jesus in remote jungle regions in west Thailand, churches in his native Isle of Wight, in Send (Surrey), on the beaches and high streets of the UK with United Beach Mission and Christian Answer, and most recently, in Truro, Cornwall. He loved to help people practically, sharing his love of God’s word, and his testimony of the goodness of God.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 1 Feb 2025

Gillian Joynson-Hicks, Vicountess Brentford, has died age 81. Lady Brentford had deep evangelical Christian beliefs, a ‘steely determination’ to advance them, and held several influential positions to this end.

Born in Kenya in 1942, Gillian was educated at West Heath Girls’ School in Kent. During her childhood, she suffered from rickets, which, according to The Telegraph, gave her ‘a lifelong fellow-feeling for those who were struggling.’ After training as a chartered accountant, she married the then Hon. Crispin Joynson-Hicks in 1964, bringing up three daughters and a son in Sussex.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 31 Jan 2025

Mark Vroegop has been appointed as the new President of evangelical network The Gospel Coalition (TGC).

Vroegop, who has pastored College Park Church in Indiana for nearly two decades, is a current TGC council member and board member. He was unanimously elected, and will be the third President of TGC, taking over from interim President Sandy Wilson.