In Depth:  Emily Pollok

Emily Pollok

After moving around a lot over the past few years, most recently landing at a church in Nashville, Tennessee, Jonathan Worsley decided to come home last year.

Prompted by a longing for England and a conviction of the spiritual need in the UK, Worsley and his family joined with other Christians from Exeter and beyond to plant an FIEC church in the South West.

Emily Pollok

You almost couldn’t get two more different places than the bustling metropolis of Moscow and what Ricky Wilhelm describes as the ‘sleepy seaside town’ of Penarth, Wales. Yet, married missionaries Ricky and Brandy have seen the gospel powerfully at work in both.

Ricky and Brandy grew up in Oklahoma and were married at age 19. Inspired by a visit to their campus from missionaries in Russia, the couple decided to enter the mission field and spent the next eight years of their life working with the Udmurt people in the Volga region of Russia. ‘Love for the people came quite slowly,’ Ricky explained. ‘It was hard … Americans are admired in many ways but not necessarily loved by other cultures.’

Emily Pollok

Oak Hill College is launching a new leadership programme to help church leaders handle the challenges that come with their roles and establish practices to help sustain them in ministry.

The MA in Contemporary Christian Leadership will be led by Dr Mark Stirling, a former medical doctor who pioneered the work of Navigators with university students in Edinburgh from 1998–2004.

Emily Pollok

Several Christian schools and families are applying for Judicial Review following the government’s decision to start charging VAT for private and independent education.

This application follows legal action taken by six families to challenge the government on this policy last year after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced plans to amend the VAT Act 1994 in the 2024/25 Budget. Their case will be heard this Spring.

Emily Pollok

Four hundred women from more than 70 churches gathered to worship and hear from God’s word at the second annual Norfolk Gospel Partnership’s Women’s Conference.

The theme of the conference was ‘Eternity in our Hearts: Wisdom from Ecclesiates’ and was led by Karen Soole, author of Liberates: How the Bible Exalts and Dignifies Women.

Emily Pollok

Just before he received his last prison sentence in 2019, Lewis Gibson was living in a homeless hostel. He’d been warned that he would end up in jail again if he continued on his drug-fuelled lifestyle.

‘I was in despair, because I knew I was going back to prison,’ Lewis explained. At a crisis point, Gibson turned to a United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) devotional he’d picked up during a previous stint in prison. In it, he read Romans 10:13: ‘Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’

Emily Pollok

One of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the United States, which has attracted controversy for its Christian roots and ethical stance, is attempting to launch in the UK for the second time.

Chick-fil-A has 2,800 stores spanning Canada to Puerto Rico. It is best known for its fried chicken sandwiches and closed doors on Sundays and is planning to open five branches early this year in Belfast, Leeds, Liverpool and London.

Emily Pollok

One hundred people attended a London conference on 6 January which addressed the UK government’s consideration of a Conversion Therapy Bill and the Church’s response.

The event, titled ‘The MSC Group Introduces James Parker,’ was organised by the Marriage, Sex and Culture Group in partnership with Anglican Mainstream.

Emily Pollok

Christian Labour MP, David Smith, has been appointed to the role of Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for the UK government.

Smith, who became MP for North Northumberland in July 2024, takes over from Conservative MP, Fiona Bruce.

Emily Pollok

Certain things just make sense together. Batman and Robin. Tea and biscuits. But, church and wrestling?

‘Wrestling and faith evolved alongside each other for me,’ explains Gareth ‘Angel’ Thompson, founder of Kingdom Wrestling, a ministry that combines throwing down in the ring with sharing the gospel – all for the glory of God.

Emily Pollok

The Free Church of Scotland observed a National Day of Prayer on 27 November to lift up the nation and the work of its denomination in sharing the gospel.

All Free Church of Scotland congregations were encouraged to join in collective prayer, with many churches holding praying meetings on the day or throughout the week. Around 100 people from churches around Scotland joined an online prayer meeting on 27 November, led by Free Church Moderator, Revd Callum Macleod.

Emily Pollok

David Burrowes, former Tory MP and Co-Director of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, says new party leader Kemi Badenoch understands the importance of Christian values.

‘Kemi Badenoch has grown up in a Christian household and knows about the importance of Christian values as the foundation of family and community life,’ he said. ‘CCF looks forward to helping her renewal of Conservatism by listening to Britain’s faith communities about what the previous government got wrong and what we need to do to put it right.’

Emily Pollok

Coming to faith in Christ is the only thing that really transforms people in prison, says a Christian ex-jail governor.

Susie Richardson, Jersey’s prison governor for the past three years, stepped down from her post last month, closing the chapter on a 20-year career in the prison system.