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The head of Brighton City Mission has died. Mike Jourdain was described as someone with ‘great faith, passion and ability’ by Nick McQuaker of the Sussex Gospel Partnership.

Will Cockram, pastor of Cuckfield Baptist Church wrote: ‘Mike was treated for oesophageal cancer three years ago, but around Christmas it reappeared. Whilst given initial confidence from the medics over Christmas that it was treatable, Mike’s health declined very steeply, and the family were given the news that it was very possible that it might not be treatable and that he had months –possibly weeks – to live. He died six days later (17 January) in a hospice, aged 58. He leaves his wife Wendy, his daughter Clio, and a church family that is rejoicing for him, but grieving very deeply. We would covet your prayers.’

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.

Bishop Andy Lines, of the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) is to be assisted by two new assistant bishops.

Stuart Bell (photo left) who led St Michael’s Aberystwyth, the largest Anglican church in Wales, and Ian Ferguson (right), a minister from Westhill Aberdeen, will serve in the Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE).

As many parts of the world came to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games, so the gospel in turn was brought to them.

A variety of missions groups including Birmingham City Mission, Great Lakes Outreach (GLO) and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) brought teams to the area to work alongside local churches.

Churches are being urged to remember that, for some people, returning to church as the pandemic eases is still a difficult thing.

Carl Knightly, part of the leadership team at London City Mission and an Ambassador for Faith in Later Life, said: ‘Whilst vaccination rates are high and cases far lower than they were, many are still fearful of the implications of catching Covid and becoming unwell.

The future of organisations like the Titus Trust depends on whether they realise power must be redeemed as well as people, a psychologist who attended the Iwerne Camps has told en.

Dr Simon Walker, a Christian psychologist who works in school mental-health safeguarding, and who was at Iwerne Camps in the 1980s, was speaking after the publication of a report into the Titus Trust by independent charity Thirtyone:eight, which aims to protect vulnerable people from abuse.

An evangelical theological college has axed the role of Director of Ministerial Training, bringing into doubt the future of its specialist centre for training future evangelists.

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, said loss of income due to the pandemic necessitated the change – which means theologian evangelist Greg Downes (photo) will lose his job as well as his family home, which went with the role.

More than £2,000 has so far been raised as part of a campaign to provide winter clothing for Afghan refugee children arriving in the UK.

The initiative is organised by Christian group Afghan Welcome – whose director is Krish Kandiah (see photo), and whose supporters include en contributor Graham Miller of the London City Mission, Gavin Calver of the Evangelical Alliance and many others.

en explains the latest developments – and what may come

What has happened?

First, independent Christian safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight published a ‘lessons learnt’ report into disgraced former minister Jonathan Fletcher’s time at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon from 1982 and 2012. Previously it had emerged that Fletcher had engaged in naked massages with men as well as beatings on their bare backsides, among other things.

Scripture Union England and Wales (SU) has launched a mission framework, Revealing Jesus, based upon research undertaken about how people come to faith. Its aim is to see children and young people find a personal vibrant faith in Jesus.

It’s designed to connect with the 95% of under-18s who have no contact with church in England and Wales. In four steps, – Connect, Explore, Respond, Grow – young people are guided and supported on their faith journey.

Founded in 1893 as the Foreign Missions Club, the Highbury Centre is a Christian guest house in North London which has given shelter to missionaries, pastors, full-time Christian workers and their families for over 100 years.

Now, in the second English lockdown, unable to open unless people are travelling on essential business, Sue Scalora of the Centre said: ‘The Lord has helped us through the ups and downs, and we’ll try and keep open even though we’re making a loss at the moment serving the Lord’s people.’

The government opened a consultation¹ in July (closing on 7 November) on Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education, seeking views on the draft regulations and statutory guidance to schools.

This is already part of the curriculum in most schools as PHSE, but is due to become compulsory. Many parents, including Christians, are abdicating their responsibility to teach sex and relationships to their own children. Aware of this, the government has taken the chance to construct a curriculum which includes some helpful elements, but also some unhelpful teaching about sex and family life.

Reach out. Build up. Send out.

A mission statement of ‘sharing the life-giving story of God with London and the world’ could seem overambitious to say the least, but with the use of a vast building in central London surrounded by people from all around the world, this Euston Church statement is wonderfully appropriate.

After their church building was compulsory purchased, one might think that the church family, moving into a new building, might just take a few years to settle.

But this has not been the case at Enfield Evangelical Free Church (EEFC) in the north of London.

After 40 years of beach mission work at Lyme Regis, United Beach Mission (UBM) are happy that in the Spring of this year they were granted a further three years to run the children’s summer club after a challenge by a local councillor, over the past two years, put the work under threat.

Councillor Mark Gage, who in his profile on the Lyme Regis Town Council website puts a priority area for development as ‘youth facilities’, expressed concerns about UBM’s work with children on the beach. In the local paper, Tim Howlett, UBM’s executive officer, was clear that families are made aware of the Christian nature of the work of UBM and its aim to share the good news of Jesus, encouraging families to be involved and that no children are encouraged to attend without the permission of their parents.