New Director for European Mission Fellowship
Rev Scott Moore has been appointed as the new European Mission Fellowship (EMF) Director.
Scott will take up his role in early 2024, replacing current Director Andrew Birch, who will remain with EMF in a new role of Field Director. In a message on the EMF website, Andrew shares: ‘I am looking forward to working closely with Scott… We would appreciate your ongoing prayers that, with the Lord’s help, we would work together for the building of Christ’s Church all over our needy continent.’
Over 800 youth equipped for mission
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
About 850 young people and youth leaders attended this year’s Sorted one day youth conference, which took place at Westminster Chapel.
Attendees came from a wide variety of Anglican, Baptist, Free/Independent churches and many others. Most were from around London, but there were also groups from Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Brighton, Bournemouth, and Norwich.
Carl Knightly
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Carl Knightly has been appointed as the new leader of the City Mission Movement (CMM) UK and Ireland.
CMM was founded in 1991 and exists to support the 18 City Missions across the UK and Ireland. City Missions work to serve their cities and take the gospel to the people of their cities across the country.
First pastor for 50-year-old church
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Ferniehill Evangelical Church in Edinburgh finished the year praising God for two big encouragements in 2023 – they moved back into their renovated building and employed their first pastor, Alistair Chalmers.
For over 50 years, Ferniehill Evangelical Church has been faithfully witnessing to the local community in Gilmerton, Edinburgh.
OMF welcomes new General Director
OMF UK
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
At a special gathering in Thailand on 27 November, Dr Patrick Fung handed over the role of General Director of OMF International to Dr Joseph Chang.
Joseph is OMF International’s 11th General Director in the organisation’s almost 160-year history. Originally from Taiwan, Joseph and his wife Lori have relocated to OMF’s International Centre in Singapore for the role.
Chris Wigram
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Chris Wigram has been announced by trustees as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Global Connections (GC). He started in the post in late November, having previously served as GC’s Chair of Global Conventions between 2006 and 2008, and also as a board member. Chris has also served in leadership positions with OMF and ECM.
Global Connections is made up of several organisations and individuals including churches and charities, as well as others. It exists to support the UK church’s mission community at home and abroad.
Moscow via the US to Wales...
Dave Gobbett
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Dave Gobbett, Lead Pastor, Highfields Church Cardiff, writes: It is a great thrill to report the launch of a new gospel congregation in South Wales.
November 5th will be the date to remember as the first meeting of Penarth Evangelical Church (penarthchurch.org.uk), planted by Highfields Church, Cardiff. With a core team of around 30 led by three elders, between 70 and 80 people, young and old, mature believers and interested enquirers, are now gathering together each week, committed to Bible-believing, cross-preaching, soul-reaching, and community-creating life together.
Punched leader prays for attackers
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
London City Mission’s chief executive Graham Miller and his wife Alison are recovering after an assault in Earlsfield. Their daughter witnessed the attack.
Miller said they were assaulted after he ‘challenged some kids for abusing a cafe manager next to the station’. He tweeted: ‘We were both punched repeatedly in the head from behind and Alison was knocked down. Kids were still hitting her whilst on the floor and passers-by had to tear them off.’
Baby-boomers to Generation Z?
Charlotte Mayhew
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
How do we bridge generational divides to make Jesus known together?
The recent London City Mission ‘Diaspora Conference’ was an opportunity to bring Christians together from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere, to explore this vital question. With no easy answers to the complex tensions that often exist between generations in our church communities, we focused on listening and learning from each other’s experiences.
Stay, says bishop
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, who is orthodox on issues of sex and sexuality, and has been a leading voice opposing change, spoke to en.
She said: ‘Why should we leave? One of my heroes of church planting in the Polynesian islands was George Selwyn, an architect of the Anglican Communion. He had a compellingly pragmatic response to error: “But how, you will ask, shall the truth of doctrine be maintained if we tolerate in the mission field every form of error, and provide no safeguard for the purity of the faith? I answer that, as running water purifies itself, so Christian work is seen to correct its own mistakes.” I urge evangelicals to resist any intimidation, but instead to stay and contend for the gospel through the Church of England.’
news in brief
Andy Croft resigns from Soul Survivor
On 23 November, it was announced that Senior Pastor Andy Croft would leave Soul Survivor Watford. He made the decision despite being allowed to return to ministry following an investigation into his safeguarding practices, and the practices of his former colleague Mike Pilavachi (who was found guilty of an abuse of power and spiritual abuse across 40 years of ministry).
In a letter to his congregation, Andy shared that he made the decision ‘after much soul searching and prayer’ and said that he and his family ‘intend to stay as part of the congregation’ while they discern their next steps. ‘I need to acknowledge that I myself have also been deeply impacted by aspects of Mike’s abusive behaviour’, he added.