From Korea with love – to Wales
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Korean Christians are preparing to descend on Wales this summer – with Welsh churches urged to prepare for a week-long Korean Prayer Mission and pray for a fresh revival.
Organised by the Director of the Europe Prayer Mission, Namjin Kim, the mission is due to take place on 3–10 July. Kim, who recently returned to the UK after a three-week visit to South Korea, had been invited by 11 Korean churches to share with them the spiritual state of Wales and to pray together for the country.
Mission today: TikTok pastor clocks up online flock
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
An evangelical church minister has headed for the spiritual harvest fields of TikTok, one of the latest and most popular social media platforms, to evangelise a new, younger audience – and he’s starting to reap success.
David Sims, vicar of St Thomas’ Church in Aldridge, Walsall since 2021, has amassed more than 10,500 followers on his @ tiktok_vicar profile where he runs virtual church services, reads the Bible and raises controversial subjects.
Death announced of veteran Bible teacher and scholar
Reuben Grace
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Valerie Griffiths (1933–2022), a gifted Bible teacher, scholar and advocate for women in the church and mission, went to be with the Lord on 5 December 2022.
Valerie worked with OMF (formerly known as the Overseas Missionary Fellowship) for 23 years, first in Japan and later in Singapore, alongside her late husband Michael, who died in January 2022. Michael served as General Director between 1969 and 1980.
news in brief
FGM: campaigner honoured
Campaigner, humanitarian aid-worker and Church Mission Society mission partner Dr Ann-Marie Wilson received an MBE in King Charles’ first New Year’s Honours List. The citation reads that Dr Wilson is being recognised ‘for services to the prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls’, in particular her pioneering to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Ann-Marie’s charity 28 Too Many sought to end FGM in 28 African countries where it is prevalent. Building on more than 3,000 FGM survivors’ stories and mobilising grassroots organisations with advocacy tools, Dr Wilson has helped secure widespread change.
‘Wise, gifted’ leader dies
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
The Revd Dr Paul Bailie, Presbyterian minister, lecturer and lover of Africa, died unexpectedly on 15 November 2023, just days after turning 54.
He was ordained by the Presbyterian Church of Ireland (PCI) in 1995; and from 2007 he had been chief executive of Mission Africa, one of the oldest interdenominational evangelical missions in the UK. He had recently joined the ICC Executive Committee representing the Presbyterian Church.
What can the world’s biggest YouTuber teach you?
Jonny Abbott
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
As a theology graduate, former pastor and now on the staff at Moorlands College in the communications department, I am learning all I can from everywhere I can about how we can get our message across in the contemporary world. Where to turn?
Well, I have just watched a video of a car with a jet engine strapped to it. The goal is to see how many buses it will jump over. If you were one of the 47 million people who have so far watched the video you will know that this was just one of eight other equally audacious ‘experiments’ put together by YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, AKA ‘Mr Beast’ (see photo). If you haven’t seen any of Jimmy’s videos before, they involve everything from subscribers competing for private islands, to creating a replica of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. As the most subscribed-to individual on YouTube, Mr Beast is redefining what the modern-day entertainer looks like.
Leadership scandals addressed afresh
Affinity
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
The continuing ramifications of recent leadership scandals in evangelical churches and the wider Christian world are being freshly addressed by one of the UK’s leading evangelical networks.
Affinity – which links around 1,200 churches and Christian organisations – says it wants to aim towards healthy Christian communities ‘where concerns about pastoral malpractice can be raised and dealt with fairly, and in ways which are honouring to Christ, theologically faithful and legally compliant’.
Russia crackdown: outdoor evangelism ban
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a controversial new package of counter-terrorism measures, including tougher sentences for extremism and heightened electronic surveillance of Russian citizens.
The law also bans evangelism outside church buildings, and anyone involved in a religious event must secure a government permit through a registered religious organisation. The restrictions even apply to activity in private residences and online. Foreign visitors who break this law will face deportation.
Bringing the gospel and practical help to one of the remotest places on earth
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Physiotherapist Ruan Swart uses MAF aircraft every week. The flights enable him to provide physiotherapy to the people of Elcho Island, Arnhem Land, one of the remotest places on earth.
For Ruan, the stress-free, 40-minute plane ride saves hours travelling by boat and land.
the ENd word
How God guides us
Jeremy McQuoid
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
‘… the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.’ (Acts 16:6)
How do you get guidance from the Lord? As I write this article, I’ve been putting together messages based on Christmas nativity passages where divine guidance seems to come by way of angelic visitations, dreams and reading astrological charts. They are fascinating passages, but I’m not sure they are a ‘how to’ guide for discovering God’s will. It is important to remember that these dramatic moments of guidance came before God had poured out His Spirit at Pentecost.
Anti-Semitism
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Dear Editor,
I just wanted to applaud your efforts in the January 2023 edition, especially with respect to the wide coverage you have given to the question of Israel and the Jews – obviously including my own submission of Jonathan Arnold’s testimony.
Evangelicals: the view from central Africa
Date posted: 1 Feb 2023
Dear Editor,
Most of the discussions around unity in faith and life for Christians currently revolves around ethical issues specially, in this season, to do with gender or indeed the teaching of the Holy Scriptures on male and female, as the divinely ordained context for marriage and sexual relations. Such attention to the ethical content of our faith is deserved, because after all Jesus did not mince words: ‘Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them’ (John 14: 23).
From royal events to churches – how do we welcome?
Recent media coverage of the Royal Family has included concerns about racism, including one event at Buckingham Palace.
Lady-in-waiting Lady Hussey’s role had been to put guests at ease at a reception. Unfortunately, whatever her intentions, the opposite happened. There were also allegations from Prince Harry and Meghan about related areas. I’m not going to comment on those events which have received so much coverage and divided opinion. However, it makes me think about the difficulties we have trying to connect with one another.