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.
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.
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.
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.
‘If we must die because of our faith in Jesus, that is what we must do’
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
Following the latest military coup in Burkina Faso, the West’s politicians are apparently now worried that Russian mercenaries may be invited in to quell the jihadist uprising there.
Meanwhile, Western Christians are being asked to pray for their brothers and sisters in the unstable and poverty-stricken West African nation, that they may have the courage to keep preaching the gospel.
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 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.
Israel: Netanyahu’s return prompts concern
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
The return of Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party, who has just swept back to power in Israel with the aid of new far-right allies, is causing concern amongst mission agencies working with Jewish people.
Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, having been in office for a total of 15 years, from 1996-99 and 2009-21. He has been a controversial figure for many years, not least for facing charges of bribery and fraud whilst previously in office. His main new coalition partner, the Religious Zionists, is led by the right-wing extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir, who celebrated their electoral success at an all-male campaign gathering overnight in Jerusalem, where supporters waved Israeli flags and chanted ‘death to terrorists’.
Doubt on Welby’s future role
Paul Eddy
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
If the Church of England moves towards blessing same sex-marriage, or ‘opts into’ allowing gay marriages in its churches as a result of the Church’s General Synod meeting in February 2023, ‘pain and distress will be felt by millions of faithful Anglicans across the globe’, and ‘significant questions would be asked as to whether Archbishop Justin Welby would be able to continue to lead the Anglican Communion.’
So says the Mouneer Hanna Anis, Archbishop Emeritus of Egypt, a global Statesman within the Anglican Communion and an adviser to the primates of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), whose provinces represent 75% of Anglicans across the globe.
Rico full-time with Christianity Explored
Christianity Explored Ministries
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
Well-known
evangelist Rico Tice will
be working
for Christianity Explored
Ministries
(CEM)
full
time
from next
September, it has been announced.
For the past 21 years Rico (56) has worked
for both CEM and as Senior Minister for
Evangelism at All Souls Langham Place.
Bishop’s task
en staff
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
The new flying bishop for conservative evangelicals in the Church of England, Rob Munro, takes on his role at a critical time.
Dr Munro, who has been Rector of St Mary’s Cheadle, will be a crucial voice in future votes and discussions on sexuality which are at a critical stage. The former Maths and PE teacher, will have a special national ministry to parishes of a complementarian evangelical theology across England.
Check your evangelism
healthcheck.talkingjesus.org
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
An ‘Evangelism Health Check’ is now live online.
The check is a survey tool set up by the Evangelical Alliance which church leaders can use to gauge how their church feels about sharing the gospel and their evangelism habits. The survey can be run live in services with the results updating in real time so leaders can get an up-to-date and accurate picture of where their church is at in terms of evangelism and mission.
Churches bridging the north-south gap
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
A partnership between two independent churches – one in a middle-class southern area and the other on a Yorkshire council estate – is bridging the north-south divide and advancing the gospel.
Banstead Community Church lies 13 miles outside central London in leafy Surrey which, along with Sussex, is the wealthiest part of England according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). ‘Average wealth’ is said to be £263,000 by the ONS.
Symes goes off-stream from Mainstream
Paul Eddy
Date posted: 1 Jan 2023
Andrew Symes is to stand down as Executive
Secretary of Anglican Mainstream on 1
January 2023 after nearly ten years in post.
Symes, 56, who had earlier
served with
Crosslinks
in South Africa,
joined Anglican
Mainstream in 2013 to further its work amongst
orthodox Anglicans in the UK.
Brazilian on a mission to Chard
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Aug 2021
A Brazilian missionary is working among
young people in Chard, Somerset, mentoring
and giving mental-health support with the
help of local ministries.
Raquel Lima
(see photo), who
is also
serving the local Portuguese community, has
been placed by Latin Link (in partnership
with
South West Youth Ministries)
to
mentor and support young people alongside
Forefront
Church,
an
independent
evangelical fellowship.
Frank Entwistle 1937 – 2022
Julia Cameron
Date posted: 1 Nov 2022
Frank Entwistle will best be remembered for his leadership of Inter-Varsity Press (IVP) for 25 years, retiring in 2002.
Set up in 1936 as the Publishing House of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (later UCCF), IVP was the strongest and most widely-known independent evangelical publisher of its day. Frank Roland Entwistle grew up in Lancashire, imbibing a love of books and of reading from his father. Following his conversion aged 14, he set his heart on ordination, and later studied theology at St John’s College, Durham, choosing a special option on Luther and Calvin. He was prepared for ordination at Cranmer Hall. The fairly conservative faculty, and the strong inter-collegiate Christian Union (DICCU), gave Frank a thorough Biblical grounding. While at Durham he met his wife, Beryl, and they married during his curacy at St John’s Harborne in Birmingham. In 1965 Frank joined the home staff of what is now Crosslinks, editing the Society’s magazine and books.
AMiE ordains
AMiE
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
Dr Osita Orafu, originally from Nigeria, has been ordained in the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) at Trinity Church, Scarborough.
AMiE is a network of Anglican evangelical churches outside of and independent of the Church of England.