Abbey Baptist Church in Abingdon has a new pastor – from Zambia! Chris and Helen Hawthorne enjoyed many years of ministry in St John’s Wood in London, and have spent three and a half years serving with Grace Baptist Mission at Proclamation Institute Zambia (PIZ). Chris was inducted as pastor in Abingdon on 18 February, with Richard Underwood from FIEC preaching.
Chris said Zambia has been a great gospel opportunity. People want to speak about Christ, supermarkets play Matt Redman songs, and Christians are welcomed at many doors. ‘One day at PIZ, we were doing some text work and the passage clearly convicted everybody in the classroom. The whole class went quiet. The following day we were talking about preaching, and the way God worked the previous day made it clear that the power is not in the presentation (like the big show often seen in Zambia), but in being clear with the gospel. Our time in Zambia further convinced me that the heart of church ministry is teaching the Bible really clearly and prayerfully, and making sure people understand what it means for their lives. There are some great Zambian churches doing just that, and seeing significant fruit.’
