Cyhoeddir mai Tim Rowlands yw pennaeth newydd y Gynghrair Efengylaidd yng Nghymru
Evangelical Alliance Wales
Date posted: 1 Apr 2023
Mae’r Gynghrair Efengylaidd yn llawn gwefr o gyhoeddi y bydd Tim Rowlands yn ymuno â thîm y staff fel pennaeth y Gynghrair Efengylaidd yng Nghymru o’r 1af o Ebrill, i gynorthwyo’r eglwys yng Nghymru yn ei chenhadaeth leol ac i fynd â’i llais i’r gymdeithas ehangach ac i’r llywodraeth.
Cymeradwyodd Gavin Calver, Prif Swyddog Gweithredol y Gynghrair Efengylaidd, y penodiad gan ddweud: ‘Rwyf wrth fy modd bod Tim am ymuno â ni i wasanaethu a chynorthwyo’r eglwys yng Nghymru. Mae’n arweinydd eglwys profiadol sy’n gwybod drosto’i hun sut y gall yr eglwys ymgysylltu’n wleidyddol ac yn ddiwylliannol yng Nghymru. Edrychaf ymlaen at wasanaethu gydag ef ac at weld Duw yn symud yn nerthol ledled cenedl Cymru.’
Cyclone Freddy: missionary’s anguish
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Apr 2023
An evangelical missionary in Mozambique says storms and rain were ‘incessant’ and poorly-constructed houses around her were ‘flooding and collapsing’ as a tropical storm battered the country.
Cyclone Freddy, the longest-ever recorded tropical cyclone, which has returned several times, ripped through the country and neighbouring Malawi with over 600 dead and countless people missing, injured or made homeless.
Church planter and Bible student wins ‘Miss Germany’
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Apr 2023
The new Miss Germany, Kira Geiss,
is
a committed Christian. She has won a
title that, according to the organisers, is
no
longer about beauty alone, but also
about social engagement and the ability to
empower other people.
‘I think it is time to not only take care of
the healthy maintenance of our planet, but
also to actively engage in allowing people
to heal and grow internally’, she says on
the Miss Germany website, where she
is
described as a
‘theology student, aspiring religious and
community
educator, and
visual merchandiser’.
Sizer: CEM apologises
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Apr 2023
Christianity Explored Ministries (CEM) says it regrets not being firmer following a complaint it received in 2014 about Stephen Sizer.
In a statement to en, the organisation said: ‘Stephen Sizer volunteered with CEM, as a trainer and advocate, on several occasions between 2008 and 2020.
‘The easiest conversations I’ve had’ - is this model of mission the future?
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
If you were asked how a Christian Union runs an evangelistic event, you might guess it would look something like this: a short talk, time for a Q&A, and perhaps some food.
You’d be right. CUs have long operated within this structure and seen encouraging fruit come from it. This year, however, the CUs in Leeds pioneered a different approach.
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.
letter from the
Philippines: Mosquitoes, prison, tribes: mission in action today
Reuben & Cathy Saywell
Date posted: 1 Sep 2022
Some say that the first few months of long-term mission work are all about survival. Looking back, by God’s grace, we have managed a little more than that. As expected, we’ve had our fair share of highs and lows already.
It would seem that, since our arrival, blessings and trials have been handed out in equal measure. But all in all, we feel very much that the Lord is at work in Santa Maria, equipping us as we seek to be a witness for the truth to those trapped in false religion, and enabling us to take our first steps towards the planting of a church in this spiritually needy district of Bulacan.
‘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.
Wallsend: hope
AMiE
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023
A church launched last year in Wallsend has a newly-ordained minister.
Hope Church Tyneside was launched in May 2022 after a local Church of England congregation voted to leave the denomination and join the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE). A significant number of the members chose to join them in this endeavour, following the spiritual course which had been set years previously.
Persecution of Christians ‘doubles’ over 30 years
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023
Persecution scores have almost doubled over the last 30 years, the latest 'World Watch List' from Open Doors reveals.
2023 marks the 30th year that the gruesome chart has been compiled. To mark the occasion, Evangelicals Now obtained exclusive interviews with Jim Shannon MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG FoRB), and Timothy Cho, Open Doors UK spokesperson for North Korea.
And now Baptists face same-sex marriage battle too
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Mar 2023
The Baptist Union (BU) could change its rules to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals as early as October 2023 – but evangelical ministers within the union are making moves to defend the orthodox position.
In January, an in-person meeting of the newly-formed Evangelical Baptist Ministers for Marriage was held, against the background of increasing division over the issue of allowing the accreditation of practicing gay ministers. More than 220 orthodox evangelical baptists attended the meeting.
Successful missions in Guinea and Malawi
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Aug 2022
The GoodWORD
Partnership,
based
in Minneapolis, USA,
has
facilitated
evangelistic
and
training
initiatives
in
largely Moslem parts of Guinea, West
Africa, and Malawi, southern Africa.
In Guinea, where
only
7%
of
the
population is Christian, experienced church
leaders from five African countries and the
United States undertook
three weeks of
joint ministry. It included outreach to seven
prisons where a
total of 3,600
inmates
were
fed, both physically and spiritually;
equipping a Christian medical clinic in a
Moslem community; a three-day conference
on evangelism attended by 225 church
leaders and encouraging the local churches to cooperate
in
sharing
the gospel. One
evangelical
denominational
leader
in
Conakry, a city of 2 million people, said: ‘We
are now ready and committed to cooperate
in sharing the gospel in our city.’
‘Flux’: students share Jesus in Aberystwyth
Daniel Stafford
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
‘Our campus needs to know the good news of Jesus.’
These were the words of a member of Aberystwyth Christian Union following three days of outreach on their campus back in November. CUs traditionally hold outreach weeks in the spring term. These weeks provide an opportunity for focused mission: the CU hosts events aimed at welcoming every student at their university to consider Jesus. The gospel is clearly proclaimed, and every guest is given the chance to respond.
Lausanne: a new landmark for mission?
Evangelical Focus, Evangelical Alliance
Date posted: 1 Jan 2022
The first major Lausanne conference in Europe since a landmark event in 1974 has taken place.
More than 1,000 evangelical influencers listened to plenary speakers and discussed issues like ‘Christian identity in the era of identity politics’, ‘Reaching university students’, and ‘The gospel and the city’.
FIEC 100 multiplies into 170 and more
FIEC
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
A bumper crop of mission initiatives is being highlighted by the the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) as it continues to mark 100 years since its founding in 1922.
‘Back in the spring we asked our churches to tell us about what they are doing to further the mission of proclaiming Christ and His gospel. We hoped 100 might respond and we could share their news; in the end we received more than 170 submissions,’ said Adrian Reynolds, FIEC Head of National Ministries and Chairman of the en Board.
Do we have a theology of disability?
Kay Morgan-Gurr
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
We love theology in the evangelical church. We want to know what God says about all sorts of things in the Bible. We soak in what those who have studied theology say, and sometimes we study it ourselves with the books that we read and the podcasts we listen to.
But do we, as evangelicals, have a theology of disability?
Fuddy-duddy? Really we’re ‘slightly zany’
Vivienne Birch
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
‘To be honest, some people see EMF (European Mission Fellowship) as a bit fuddy-duddy’, a pastor recently confessed to mission director Andrew Birch.
Well, if the next conference is anything like this year’s, it will be fresh, joyful, challenging, and totally encouraging. ‘Fuddy-duddy?’ Not so much!
FIEC: 1,000 gather to mark 100 years
Joel Murray
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
Nearly 1,000 pastors, elders, women’s workers, youth leaders, and others in church leadership gathered at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool in November for the 2022 FIEC Leaders’ Conference.
It was the first national conference for three years, due to the Covid pandemic, but came just in time to mark FIEC’s 100th anniversary.
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.
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’.
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.
Christian aviators fly into earthquake zone
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
The emergency phone call was made to
Mission Aviation Fellowship’s Programme
Safety Manager.
‘The call,’ Dom Sant said, ‘asked me to
take the lead on mapping communities that
were affected by the earthquake that struck
Markham Valley in Morobe Province, Papua
New Guinea.’
From Brazil to Malaysia… Hope is explored globally
In January 2022, Christianity Explored Ministries launched its latest evangelistic resource, Hope Explored – a three-session course on the hope, peace and purpose found in Luke’s Gospel and the Christian faith.
During the spring and summer, over 500 churches in the UK implemented the materials as part of their evangelism. More recently, it’s had an increasingly international impact.
From homelessness and loneliness to Christ’s embrace
London City Mission
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
For some guests at London City Mission’s Webber Street day centre, near Waterloo, rehabilitation and restoration is a life-long journey. This is Josef ’s story.
Ten years ago, during the winter that Josef slept on the streets of London, the only way he could find reprieve from the biting cold was by sleeping on the vents that blow warm air out from the Underground.