Shoe leather and locusts eaten in horrific drought
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 1 Jun 2022
Facing its worst drought in 40 years, food and water in Madagascar are so costly at the moment that reports are coming in of communities eating locusts, leaves, clay and even shoe leather to survive, the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) says.
MAF writes: UNICEF says that half a million children under the age of five will be ‘acutely malnourished’ this year, with a further 110,000 facing ‘severe malnourishment’.
Blood and fire
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Jun 2022
Book Review
‘WITH GOD ON THEIR SIDE’:
William Booth, the Salvation Army and the
Skeleton Army Riots
Read review
FIEC: 100 not out!
Joel Murray
Date posted: 1 May 2022
The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) is marking its centenary this year.
And to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the organisation has announced that it is gathering 100 gospel projects from around the country to enable church partnerships and fuel prayer for mission.
Europe: different strands of evangelicals work together
Joel Murray
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
More than 600 church workers from 41 countries and four continents have attended the European Leadership Forum (ELF).
The mission of ELF, which was held in Wisla, Poland, is to ‘unite, equip and resource evangelical leaders to renew the Biblical church and evangelise Europe’. Their desire is for different evangelical groups to work together to achieve more than any single organisation can on their own.
BU evangelicals in new call
Evangelicalbaptist.uk
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
A new resource
for evangelicals
in
the
Baptist Union has been launched.
Evangelicalbaptist.uk
says:
‘This website
exists
to help equip
the Baptist church
family to face the challenges and take hold
of
the opportunities
from an evangelical
perspective. We need
to hold on
to
the
truth found
in God’s word and continue
to communicate it in a real, relevant, and
radical way.’
Beeke’s Scottish challenge: P…P…P…P…P…P…P…P…P…P
Richard G Buckley
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
The 31st annual meeting of the Scottish
Reformed Conference has taken place at
Hamilton College.
Dr Joel Beeke from Heritage Reformed
Congregation in Grand Rapids, USA was
the main speaker. He preached on the words
of Psalm 22 that Jesus reiterated at the Cross:
‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken
me?’ In the course of his sermon, Dr Beeke
reflected upon the profound depths of the
real experience of Jesus whilst he prayed
this, both what it does not mean and what
it does mean. But also from the question
‘Why?’ – what was
the purpose of
this
experience and
the
infinite
love of God
and the Lord Jesus Christ expressed in this
cry. In his second address, he pressed upon
Christians the urgent need to reflect upon the agony of Christ when we pass through
sharp and painful experiences in life. He did
so in a unique sermon of ten points each
beginning with the letter ‘P’. In thanks, our
chairman
suggested adding another
three
points likewise beginning with ‘P’, to the
positive pleasure of the people present!
everyday evangelism
Love your neighbour: a strategy to reach the world
Glen Scrivener
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
It used to be much more difficult to connect with our neighbour (that’s neighbour singular – we’re at the end of a terrace). He spoke no English and would furtively dart in and out of the property. When the police hauled him away we learned that he’d converted the whole house and its roof space into an indoor cannabis farm. I had no idea he was so entrepreneurial.
The new tenant, let’s call her Debs, is a mum of three and a smoker (of the tobacco variety). I mention this only because she is out smoking on our shared porch 20 times a day, which is bad for her health but, I hope, good for her soul.
Justin Mote goes to glory
Bob Marsden
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
Bob Marsden writes: To God be the glory, great things He has done, and He did great things in and through the life and ministry of Justin Mote, who died recently.
Justin was converted while at school and he was nurtured in the faith at Emmanuel Church, Northwood. He studied at Oak Hill but, being too young to be legally ordained, he served as a lay curate at St Mary’s Basingstoke with Alex Ross.
Five ways to welcome the cultural outsider
Jason Roach
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
I slipped in at the back of the church. In front of me was a family with an eight-year-old girl sitting nervously next to her dad. She looked even more agitated when a man that she didn’t know sat next to her in one of the few seats left.
Her dad saw her nervousness, put his arm around her and said: ‘Don’t worry. Let me tell you a story about this man. Ten years ago, I was new to this country. I walked into this church for the first time not knowing anyone. This guy walked across from the other side of the church and made me feel like family.’
news in brief
Mexico: evangelical
leader sentenced
Naasón
Joaquín García,
the
leader
of
Mexico’s largest evangelical church, has been
sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison for
sexually assaulting three teenaged girls from
his church. He will also be required to register
as a sex offender for life.
The 53-year-old
led
the
congregation
La Luz Del Mundo based in Guadalajara,
Jalisco, Mexico, which
runs churches
in
several
locations
throughout
the United States and Mexico.
What will happen at Lambeth 2022?
Global Anglican bishop gathering looms
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
The Lambeth Conference which is set to
take place from 26 July to 6 August, last
met with all Anglican bishops in attendance
in 1998 – 24 years ago.
The 1998 conference was due to receive
the report of the Decade of Evangelism from
its
secretary, Cyril Okorocha of Nigeria.
This was
shelved and Canon Okorocha
stood down in favour of pressure from some
bishops to discuss the issue of homosexual
unions. The outcome of the 1998 conference
was a
resolution, Lambeth 1.10, which
‘while
rejecting homosexual practice
as
incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our
people to minister pastorally and sensitively
to all irrespective of sexual orientation and
to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals’.
Jésus t'aime
Marche Pour Jésus 34 @Mpj34 / Evangelical Focus
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
More than 10,000 people have taken part in a national march for Jesus in Paris.
The majority of those taking part in the event, which resumed after a two-year break due to the pandemic, were reported to be between the ages of 25 and 35. The march was led by a team from YWAM (Youth With A Mission) accompanied by six musical bands.
The fascinating story of John Brown of Haddington
R.A. Miller
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
This year marks the 300th birthday of John Brown of Haddington.
In 1722, Brown was born into a poor Christian family in Scotland. As a young teenager, he found himself an orphan after an illness claimed the lives of his parents. Soon after, he found himself quite sick as well. Brown wrote this in his memoirs, ‘Four fevers on end brought me so low within a few months of my mother’s death, as made almost every onlooker lose all hopes of my recovery.’
A wee dram, a big dream: the Christian working with whisky and billionaires
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jul 2022
Is it possible to be a committed Christian entrepreneur in the world of Scotch whisky? Duncan McFadzean (photo) reckons so.
He is an Investment Banker to the Scotch whisky industry and co-founder of Creo, which exists to ‘connect, train and resource Christian entrepreneurs to advance the common good’.
Evangelical Futures: Diversity - a powerful witness to a divided world
Graham Miller
Date posted: 1 May 2022
As we consider our future as evangelicals, we should return to the commission the Lord Jesus gave before His ascension: ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8).
Sharing our faith is core to our identity as followers of Jesus Christ, and Christians sharing their faith with others has been used by God to underpin the growth of the global church – despite heresy, persecution and scorn, the gospel prevails!
news in brief
Cost of living
As
the cost of
living crisis deepens,
the
Evangelical Alliance
(EA)
is urging UK
churches to use their power to take action,
such as helping with the means that churches
already have; and supporting other Christians
in what they are doing in the community.
Writing on the EAUK website, advocacy
coordinator Jo Evans said:
‘As Christians
who trust in a good God who commands
us to love our neighbour as ourselves, we
should be motivated above all other sectors
of society to take action and do something about the problem at hand.’
‘I’ve had to pinch myself – evangelism’s never felt so easy’
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Apr 2022
CU mission weeks are back.
Until recently, the idea of hundreds of students sitting chair to chair in a marquee, baguettes in hand and listening to a gospel talk, has seemed laughably out of reach. In the past few weeks however, 77 Christian Unions across Great Britain were finally able to run mission weeks in-person again. After a two-year break, they were uncertain how these weeks of focused evangelistic events might be received.
New missionary vision for Europe
European Missionary Fellowship
Date posted: 1 May 2022
Andrew Birch, Mission Director for the European Mission Fellowship (EMF), talks the organisation’s growing to en about vision for the continent of Europe.
Andrew, what’s the vision you’re developing?
Evangelical Futures: Seven needful qualities
Jonathan Lamb
Date posted: 1 May 2022
An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us that ‘to prophesy is extremely difficult, especially with regard to the future’.
This is certainly the case as we try to anticipate the future of evangelicalism, and is heightened still further by the fact that we live in a context of considerable social and political volatility, confront a rising and more aggressive secularism, and live within communities with growing non-Christian religious affiliation. But most of all, humility is called for because of the most significant reality of all – God’s sovereign engagement in the life of the church and in the realities of our world. In the midst of so many unknowns, we trust His good purposes.
everyday evangelism
Capturing imaginations
Glen Scrivener
Date posted: 1 May 2022
When it comes to communicating Christian truth, illustrations are often considered to be decorative. They are added extras, definitely not essential. Stories can be dismissed as a poor substitute for hard logic.
Perhaps they’re considered a concentration break, or an added dash of emotion to spice up your gospel presentation. Mostly, stories and illustrations are thought of as a sideshow while the real business is to state truths as plainly as possible. This, of course, is not the way people tick, nor the way the Scriptures present truth.
‘Musicianaries’ ain’t bringin’ no moody blues
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 May 2022
A North Carolina folk duo is preparing to come to Chelmsford, Essex to share the gospel through music.
Songs of the Folk (aka classically trained married couple Andrew and Lauren Cason), discovered that music opened doors for them into people’s lives to share the Good News of Christ – often to the most marginalised in society or those harder to reach.
O-Yea? Oh yes!
Andrew Dalton
Date posted: 1 May 2022
A town crier has been successfully used by a church to attract people to its mission week.
Morley Town Crier Steven Holt was engaged by Morley Community Church in West Yorkshire to publicise its events.
pastoral care
Ministry’s dark feelings
Helen Thorne-Allenson
Date posted: 1 Jun 2022
Ministry is a privilege. It’s a hugely high
call. And whether we’re full time and paid,
or volunteering a few hours within the local
church, we can all know we have a part to
play in the greatest mission the world has
ever known.
It’s wonderful
to help people come
to
Christ and grow in their faith, in all the
circumstances of life. The process of pointing
people to Jesus can be a joy. The relational
depth, a delight. When we glimpse the fruit
God is bringing into people’s lives, we can be
stirred to praise. But, just between you and
me, that’s not how we always feel, is it?
