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We need to be informed of what God is doing in his world.

The information will cause us to appreciate the greatness of our God and the certainty of his promises. It will also stimulate us to prayer for many of our brothers and sisters who are paying a high price to follow Christ today. In Europe it is possible to think that as Bible-believing Christians we are part of an ever-decreasing minority, yet we are a protected minority, though the fear is that these protections are fast disappearing.

Duke Street, Richmond was the venue for the second Healthy Churches Conference which took place on 5 September and is from the ‘9Marks’ background.

Last year the speaker was Mark Dever of Capitol Hill Baptist, Washington. This year, with the focus on evangelism, it was Mack Styles of Redeemer Church, Dubai.

Steve Brady, Principal of Moorlands College in Dorset, will tell you that he is from Liverpool and a true Evertonian.

Steve Brady loves football, but truly comes alive when talking about the Word of God. Steve comes from a mixed church background and had little to do with church during his childhood.

Over 70 people gathered at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire for a weekend of prayer for Muslims, 10-12 June.

Longstanding members of the Fellowship of Faith for the Muslims (FFM) mingled with representatives of various mission organisations – some of whom were serving missionaries visiting the UK: a couple from South India serving with Tribals Transformation India; an Indian Manipuri family with three children serving with SIM in Bangladesh; and a couple from Basel serving in France. There were several believers who had turned to Christ from a Muslim background, including an Iranian family who were present with their two children, having fled persecution in Iran.

George Curry

Date posted: 1 Sep 2016

Those who attended the Northumberland Bible teaching weekend said it was an excellent event. Sponsored by Longhorsley Mission Church, Kevin Bidwell (Sheffield) and Derek Cleave (Bristol) addressed the 200+ who gathered on 2–4 July 2016.

In three sessions Kevin Bidwell opened up our call as Christians to run, wrestle and box. Derek Cleave, also in three sermons, ably helped us explore the obedience of Abraham.

The world is in a terrible state and yet the Bible speaks of a multitude from every tribe, people and language that no one can count gathered together around the throne and in front of the Lamb.

How will a lost world be saved? That’s the question to which around 100 young people (aged mostly between 15 and 25) sought the answer at a weekend called Saved2Serve, which took place at All Nations Christian College, 8–10 April.

Churches in Britain have a long tradition of sending missionaries to unreached nations of the world, but today many unreached peoples are on our doorstep too, which is why two:nineteen exists – a Serving In Mission (SIM) project which was conceived within an FIEC church.

two:nineteen (from Ephesians 2.19) was set up in Reading in 2012 by mission workers Dave and Maura Baldwin. It’s designed to encourage churches to engage with people from other cultures living in their local communities.

The 27th annual Scottish Reformed Conference took place on Saturday 14 May. The conference has been growing numerically since it was established.

Just short of 600 people, not including the large number of children, came to enjoy the activities and teaching.

John Stevens

Date posted: 1 Jul 2016

In May, while the UK pondered the EU referendum campaign, I was privileged to attend the European Leadership Forum.

Over 700 evangelical leaders from all over Europe gathered for six days at a hotel in Poland. The object is to serve and equip national leaders to renew the biblical church and re-evangelise Europe, through a strategy of identifying, uniting, mentoring, and resourcing evangelical leaders. The Forum brings together experienced leaders from the US and Europe to serve and equip the next generation.

130 women from several churches across Essex gathered at Danbury Mission near Chelmsford on 12 March for their annual regional Women’s Conference.

Those who attended were challenged by teaching on ‘Loving Father, Son and Spirit’, from speaker Sharon James, author of God’s Design For Women and social analyst for the Christian Institute.

Years ago, people would have assumed a sectarian murder in Glasgow was a product of the Orange-Green divide – perhaps an overspill from the Ulster Troubles, or football hooliganism by RC Celtic supporters against Protestant Rangers’ fans or vice versa.

Few, if any, would have identified it with the murder of a member of the Ahmadiyya sect by a Sunni Muslim – but this is the face of modern Britain.

Recently I asked to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC), and received a negative response (you can read the full letter at the end of the article).

In particular I wanted to introduce Dr Mike Davidson to the ABC. Mike is ex-gay and his organisation, CORE, helps those wanting to move out of homosexuality pursue their aims through psychological and (sometimes) pastoral support. The ABC has met many interested parties; has he met groups like CORE? He readily refers to the ‘LGBTI’; what about ex-gays? If ‘it is paramount that no voice is unheard’, why the omission?

The European Mission Fellowship (EMF) held a special farewell and welcome service on 12 March at Welwyn Evangelical Church in Hertfordshire.

They said goodbye to outgoing director Martin Leech, who later this year will take up a pastorate in Australia. Those being welcomed were Martin’s replacement Ian Parry, founding pastor of The Bay Church in Cardiff, and Steven Bowers, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. Steven is taking up a new post as assistant director with responsibility for running the headquarters and administration.

On 29 January, Christian Concern hosted a conference – ‘What is the Gospel?’ – at the Emmanuel Centre in London. The speakers addressed some of the sociocultural issues faced by the Church.

Christian Concern is a non-profit organisation campaigning for a nation once defined by the Christian faith. The UK is now largely a secular, humanistic, morally relativistic nation, the fruits of which can be seen in widespread immorality and social disintegration.

What began as a pastor’s hunch about the lack of conversion growth in the local church, turned into a full-blown 24 hour Consultation on Evangelism in late 2015.

Evangelists and leaders partnered with Lansdowne Church Bournemouth to organise an event which brought together local, regional and national leaders of churches, theological colleges and Christian agencies.

Epic Biblical stories often become blockbuster movies. In 1956 it was The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston and in 2004 it was Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

18 March saw the UK release date of a film based on the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Starring Joseph Fiennes, Cliff Curtis and Tom Felton, Risen is a fictional story about a powerful Roman Military Tribune tasked with discovering what happened to Jesus after the crucifixion (see review in March en).

With 140,000 people working and 40,000 living in London’s Canary Wharf, how are they going to hear the gospel?

It was this challenge that occupied the thoughts and prayers of working Christians and members of St Peter’s Barge as they met to hear Rico Tice explain the vision for ‘Questions of Life’ (www.questionsoflife.org.uk). This outreach aims to give everyone in the Wharf a chance to engage with the gospel – specifically through a week of talks arranged for 14-20 March.