Beach, teach and reach
J.P. Earnest
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
The two-week-long OAM Tenby beach mission took place during July and August on the sunny Pembrokeshire coast.
Converted through the work of a beach mission, each summer this writer now leads the work, beginning every day with personal and team devotions and prayer times, before leaving for the beach.
Acts in Aberystwyth
Dylan Brady
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
August saw 1,000 believers descend on Aberystwyth for the annual Evangelical Movement of Wales Aberystwyth Conference.
The main speaker for the week was Art Azurdia, a pastor and professor from Portland, USA. He spoke from Acts, with the theme for the week being Spirit Empowered Mission. He faithfully and dynamically explained what Pentecost means for today.
Ailish Ferguson Eves 1938 –2017
Ray Porter
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
Her Irish Christian name reflected her ancestry, but she died with a traditional Batak scarf (ulos) around her neck, signifying her adoption into the Hasibuan clan during her time working in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Converted at the age of 15 through the ministry of Humphrey Newman at St John’s Church Welling, she went to university in Leeds, then taught RE in Yorkshire. After further study at London Bible College she was sent to Asia with OMF in March 1969 by Sidcup Baptist Church. She served in Bandung, West Java, as a lay Elder in the Gereja Kristen Indonesia, whose members were mainly Chinese. She preached, taught and counselled regularly in the congregations, but her greatest ministry was to students and other young people.
The Third Degree
The last best opportunity
Kate Duncan
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
University is a key moment.
From day one, university promises a chance to reinvent yourself, to make lifelong friends and to load your CV with qualifications that will guarantee you your dream job upon graduating.
standing together
The yawning gap
Graham Nicholls
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
‘Sending missionaries abroad is boring.
‘It belongs to a bygone pioneering age. It’s part of cultural imperialism. It’s no longer necessary. It’s not a priority.’
news in brief
Africa: Study Bible
Earlier this year, Oasis International launched the Africa Study Bible, with notes by more than 300 African pastors and scholars.
The Study Bible uses the New Living Translation and contains more than 2,600 features casting light on Scripture from an African perspective. Christian ministry African Christian Textbooks is a ‘cornerstone partner for the distribution’, according to Oasis.
Alternative Synod?
Peter Sanlon
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
One year ago the Daily Telegraph announced on its front page the new ‘Anglican Partnership Synod’.
Nicknamed a ‘shadow synod’, it marked a new form of partnership between Anglican churches in Kent and Sussex.
Sudan: eight arrests
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC)
challenged a government decision in late
August to impose an unelected leadership
committee on the church, which only came
to light when church leaders were arrested.
The Ministry of Guidance and Religious
Endowments, which oversees religious affairs
in Sudan, appointed an alternative Executive
Committee of the SCOC, led by Mr Angelo
Alzaki, to manage church affairs. Eight senior SCOC leaders were arrested and charged
with trespassing on the church headquarters
and refusing to hand over control of the
church to Mr Alzaki. They were released on
bail later that day.
Bridging strategy
Ray Porter
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
Book Review
CHANGING LANES, CROSSING CULTURES:
Equipping Christians and Churches for Ministry
in a Culturally Diverse Society
Read review
Argentina: dictionary
Church Mission Society
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
In August, a team led by Bob Lunt completed
and published a Wichí–Spanish language dictionary to complement the Wichí Bible translation, which was first published in 2002.
The Wichí
language, spoken by up
to
50,000 people
in parts of Argentina and
Bolivia, is the most common language of the
Mataco-Mataguayan language family.
North Korea: ‘Lord! Help!’
World Watch Monitor
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
Hannah Cho* tells her story of faith in God despite horrendous persecution.
After the Korean war, public religion was discouraged. The local church was turned into a school and Hannah remembers that her Christian mother prayed at home while the family kept watch for informants.
Oak Hill’s new President
Oak Hill
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
The College Council of Oak Hill College announced that the Reverend Jonathan Juckes has been appointed President with effect from 1 January 2018.
Johnny brings to the role practical parish and pastoral experience across a wide variety of parish situations, as well as many years of involvement in theological training.
news in brief
Council prays to Allah
At the opening of a Full Council Meeting in
Oldham
in the summer, Islamic prayers
were led by an Imam.
The new Mayor of Oldham is a Muslim
and the Imam-led prayer repeats the pattern
of the Mayor before last, who was also a
Muslim. The Qu’ran section read out talked
about ‘those who have gone astray, and those
who have earned [Allah’s] anger’ traditionally
interpreted
as meaning
Jews
and
Christians. Therefore the Council, were in
effect, being encouraged to not be like Jews
or Christians.
news in brief
Proud?
Buses and Underground signs were wrapped in rainbow flags by Transport For London as part of London’s Pride week, in early July.
50 Santander bikes (formerly Boris bikes) were adorned with the same symbol. Skittles, the sweets known for their ‘rainbow colours’ were produced in totally white packets as ‘only one rainbow deserves to be the centre of attention’. Facebook now issue a rainbow flag as one of seven standard emojis to use to ‘like’ a status.
China: a personal report
Source protected for security reasons
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
A question to start: Is our God still working in China?
The short answer is Yes! It is however important to fully understand the current attitude and freedom permitted by the Chinese authorities regarding religious practice. China’s policy on religion states that ‘the Chinese people are free to choose and express their religious beliefs as well as demonstrate their religious status’.
Australia: Catholic Church in the dock
Peter Riddell
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
The relationship between church and society in Australia has always been ambiguous.
In the earliest years of European settlement
following the establishment of Sydney in 1788,
a fundamental divide existed between the free
settlers and colonial officials on the one hand,
who tended to be Anglican, and the large numbers of convicts, often Irish Catholics, who were
predictably anti-authority and resentful.
Leslie Jarvis 1938 –2017
Jonathan Jarvis and Howard Sayers
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
On 27 July 2017, the funeral and thanksgiving service for Leslie Jarvis was held at
Market Street Chapel, Hailsham. The
chapel was
full with
family and
friends
from many churches.
The spirit of thanksgiving and worship,
especially
through
the
singing of Leslie’s
favourite hymns, was a testimony to the
grace of God in his life and a wonderful support to Leslie’s wife Nettie and his family.
Jonathan Jarvis gave a message of thanksgiving and reminiscence on behalf of the family, Pastor Paul Relf gave the reading and
prayer and Pastor Howard Sayers spoke from
Philippians 4.
Erroll Hulse 1931 –2017
<span>Sharon James remembers the life of her father, who went to glory on 3 August</span>
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
Erroll was brought up in a privileged and nominally Christian family in South Africa.
While studying architecture at the Afrikaans-speaking Pretoria University, his friend David Cowan invited him to Pretoria Central Baptist Church, and he was converted.
Tasmania: 0 week mission
Andrew Maskell
Date posted: 1 Jul 2016
Thirteen years ago, my ‘gap year’ brought
me to Tasmania. Now by God’s providence,
wisdom and humour I find myself living
and ministering to the university community
(with
the University Fellowship of
Christians) in Hobart, along with my wife
and two children.
There are close to 14,000 students on campus in Hobart but the University Fellowship
has historically represented about 0.5% of
that number. Our ministry is one of evangelism and training leaders. It is an exciting but
arduous and slow mission field. Or at least it
has been until this year…
Bishops rebooted
Charles Raven
Date posted: 1 Jul 2017
Anglicans claim to be part of the Reformed Western catholic tradition and one of the most visible ways that continuity over the centuries is maintained is through episcopacy, which the English evangelical reformers of the 16th century quite deliberately retained in contrast to their continental counterparts.
Was that wise? In the present-day Anglican Provinces of the West, the claim to Reformed catholicity is looking ever more dubious as apostolic substance ebbs away. Moreover, disunity and doctrinal incoherence in the Anglican Communion has been an episcopally led phenomenon.
Jesus’ prayer for unity in his church
Alan Purser
Date posted: 1 Jun 2017
Alan Purser has a careful look at what Jesus was actually saying
John 17 is holy ground: Jesus prays for unity, that his church may be one. For this is the key to effective mission.
The Third Degree
Examgelism!!
Kate Duncan
Date posted: 1 Jul 2017
Spring months are busy.
It’s the time of mission weeks. By contrast the pace of the university summer term can seem slower as students knuckle down for end-of-year deadlines and exams. Yet with these stresses and challenges also comes a stream of evangelistic opportunities – in Christ and in Christ alone can we find rest for our weary souls and purpose for our lives. So, despite the increase in deadlines and work pressures, Christian Unions (CUs) continue in their gospel mission.
