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Nicola Laver

Date posted: 11 Feb 2025

Bradford 2025 has kicked off the New Year as the UK’s City of Culture, providing a perfect opportunity for gospel-focused churches to reach a wider audience.

The West Yorkshire city was announced as 2025’s UK City of Culture in May 2022 but has since been maligned by many (for reasons ranging from its gloomy weather to economic decline and racial problems). Almost a third of Bradford’s population is under the age of 20; and according to the 2021 census, four in ten people identified as being from an ethnic minority across Bradford District as a whole (significantly higher in the city centre).

Luke Randall

Date posted: 17 Jul 2024

Churches from across London are planning to unite next year for a London Mission Week, aiming to share the gospel with people in the city. The outreach initiative is supported by a variety of representatives from organisations including London City Mission, the Evangelical Alliance, the Church of England and London Mission Collective.

The event’s website revealed that cultural gatherings undertaken by the London Project – which exists to share the gospel with people in the city – have revealed a clear desire among the global church to collaboratively evangelise to the people of London.

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 10 Mar 2025

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.’

A galaxy of leading evangelical organisations is supporting what is described as an “exciting” new edition of Mark’s Gospel for mass distribution across London.

The giveaway Gospel is soon to be published by Grace Publications, in collaboration with Holman/Lifeway and London City Mission. Designed in what is described as “a contemporary zine format”, it combines “keen affordability with compelling graphics and design.”

Emily Pollok

Date posted: 23 Dec 2024

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.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 1 Apr 2024

Christian Unions (CUs) have seen an increase in the number of students professing faith during their mission weeks.

In February, as they do each Spring, nearly 100 CUs across the UK held mission weeks on university campuses – a series of themed evangelistic events spread out over five days. While CUs have often seen students profess faith in the days and months following mission weeks, this year they saw many make a commitment during the weeks themselves.

The latest Synod of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) has seen its three bishops present a detailed paper on why they have Anglican bishops, presbyters and deacons.

Lee McMunn writes: ‘Their substantial report traced the Biblical and historical roots for why we do what we do. We concluded that Anglican orders are very much fit for purpose, are for the blessing of the Church and should be joyfully embraced. As a result of our discussions, we resolved to establish a vocational Diaconate for godly and gifted men and women who have been properly identified and trained.’

The Grace Baptist Partnership, a network dedicated to planting, training and revitalisation, is celebrating 15 years of mission and outreach.

Representatives from more than 20 churches gathered at Dunstable Baptist Church for the annual Grace Baptist Partnership (GBP) Prayer and Praise gathering. The structure of the event flowed with the ministry emphases of GBP, namely growing leaders, planting and revitalising churches, and reaching nations.

It has been a season of vibrant, missional events weeks for Christian Unions. With around 100 CUs taking part, the gospel message has been heard by thousands of students, and hundreds are exploring further.

Students in the University of Warwick Christian Union were some of the first to hold their events week this year, which was centred on the theme of “Hope”. Halfway through the week, Ben (name changed), a CU member’s housemate, decided to attend an event. His curiosity had been piqued after he heard the events week was taking place and he arrived with questions. Interested, but by no means certain of the truth of what he had heard, he said to CU members afterwards: “I don’t know why God loves us”.

Jim Sayers

Date posted: 22 Mar 2025

“There is nothing inherently admirable about people with money. Why, then, do so many gospel churches favour the rich?” That was the challenge given by Steve Kneale at a recent conference, challenging leaders to a “religion that is pure and undefiled” (James 2:27).

Many ministries target the rich and successful for “strategic” reasons, but does that mean we have shown favouritism in our giving to mission? It is much harder to fund gospel work among the poor; there is no payback and lots of help is needed.

Luke Randall

Date posted: 14 Mar 2025

The Keswick Convention will ‘prioritise the emerging generation,’ its Chief Executive says, as the event prepares to celebrate its landmark 150th anniversary this summer.

The convention was started in 1875 by Canon Thomas Harford-Battersby and Robert Wilson and was attended by three or four hundred people. Now, around 12,000 travel to the small Lake District town which has a population of just over 5,000.

Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has called on en readers to join them in praying for vicars who are struggling to know how to navigate their Parochial Church Council (PCC) and congregations through the current phase of the Living in Love and Faith process and into the Alliance’s de facto parallel province.

John Dunnett, National Director, CEEC, said: readers will be aware of the ‘en Alliance’s call to construct the de facto parallel province. Were we to see hundreds, if not thousands, of churches using the Ephesian Fund (EF), requesting Alternative Spiritual Oversight (ASO) and sending their ordinands through the Alliance pipeline, this could very, very quickly become a reality. Such a significant expression of conscience would impact the bishops and bring them to the negotiation table. In reality, however, many incumbents are struggling to lead their churches into participation in this de facto province. Their commitment to orthodoxy is unquestioned but their situation makes this far from easy.’

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 5 Feb 2025

After months of prayer, a small group has boldly begun a new monthly service in Haverfordwest – delivered entirely in the Welsh language.

Described as a missional project rather than a church, the initiative (called ‘Rhywd y Brenin’ meaning the ‘net of the King’), was begun by seven people with a desire to better share the gospel with Welsh speakers across Pembrokeshire. They launched the first service on 6 October in Emmanuel Christian Centre in Merlins Bridge, and were delighted to welcome in 22 adults and eight children.

Nearly 400 church leaders and teams from across the denominations and networks in Wales recently gathered at Venue2 Swansea for the annual New Wine Cymru leaders conference.

In the light of the statistical and empirical evidence pointing to a significant spiritual openness in Wales and the UK, the conference theme was creating a Culture of Mission in the Local Church. Conference guest speakers were Paul Williams who is the Bible Societies CEO and research Professor of Marketplace Theology at Regents university Vancouver.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 20 Dec 2024

This autumn, a group of around 100 adults and children came together to launch a new church on an estate in Tolworth, south west London.

Hope Church Tolworth is an initiative between members of Cornerstone Church, Kingston (who are a part of church-planting network Co-Mission) and others who have come from Emmanuel Church, Tolworth (who are Anglican). They met for the first time on Sunday 24 November in a local Primary School building, following months of gathering for prayer, picnics and meals. The pastor is Bart Erlebach, who was formerly the minister of Emmanuel, Tolworth.

Nicola Laver

Date posted: 23 Jan 2025

A man and a woman are under police investigation for suspected fraud, alongside the regulatory investigation into Barnabas Aid (formerly Barnabas Fund), a charity supporting persecuted Christians – which has been widened to include four linked charities.

Wiltshire Police has confirmed it arrested two people on 7 November 2024 ‘in connection with an ongoing fraud investigation’.