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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.

The Grace Baptist Mission (GBM) has held its Annual Mission Day in Euston.

Highlights of this year included welcoming missionaries to serve in Uganda, in the Netherlands (Abigail and Adrian Yeboah – see photo), and a new missionary to join the Radio Team based in the UK.

United Beach Missions (UBM) holds a variety of outreach events every summer.

Among them, is a ‘Smugglers Trail’ in Benllech, Anglesey.

Adam Malooly writes: Praise God! 23–25 June was a fantastic weekend away as people from 29 Co-Mission churches around London gathered on a field in Canterbury to worship, pray, learn from God’s word and enjoy fellowship.

The occasion was the Co-Mission REVIVE festival, with this being its 19th year running. We were so grateful to have over 2,000 people come together at the University of Kent. Being Christians in our corners of London sometimes leaves us feeling isolated, so to be reminded of God’s goodness in growing His church here in London for His glory was a real encouragement. The theme of the weekend was ‘Faithful through the Storm’. We reflected on this topic and heard from our main speakers: Matt Fuller (Pastor, Christ Church Mayfair), Ray Galea (Pastor, Fellowship Dubai) and Jack Sara (President, Bethlehem Bible College).

European Mission Fellowship held its annual Ballymoney conference in Ballymoney Baptist Church, NI, on 20 May 2023.

With approximately 130 people filling the church, Phil Dunn (EMF’s NI Representative) introduced the theme of the event: ‘Here we stand! Not ashamed of the gospel’. In a world that we all know is changing rapidly, Phil reminded us that we are called to stand firm, courageously contending for the truth of the gospel. This set the tone for the morning, which was to include mission news, panel discussions and book reviews.

Two hundred women gathered for the sold-out ‘Women for Mission’ (WfM) Conference organised by the Free Church of Scotland which took place at Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, Inverness.

The first conference of its kind since 2018, ‘it was a real joy to have a wide age range of participants, including babes in arms whose behaviour was exemplary throughout the whole event,’ the FCoS website reports. ‘We were privileged to have as our main speaker Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, and author of a number of books.’

Nicola Laver

Date posted: 1 Jun 2023

Two mission organisations are planting a foothold in Britain for the first time.

HeartCry Missionary Society is now supporting missionaries in England; while the New Anglican Mission Society (NAMS) is preparing to establish a UK base for church planters.

Luke Randall

Date posted: 1 Dec 2023

Former Scripture Union (SU) Scotland CEO Andy Bathgate died on 17 October, aged 68. He leaves his wife Alyson, with whom he shared over 40 years of marriage, and his three daughters, son-in-law, and grandchildren. He died peacefully at home.

Andy was the CEO of SU Scotland from 2001 to 2020, having volunteered with SU since his teens. He was also the Scottish team leader for UCCF (Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship) and was a founding member of CVE (Christian Values in Education) Scotland, serving as its Chair from its inception in 2014 until his retirement from the role in 2022.

A new survey has identified which groups practising Christians tend to share the gospel with, and those people who may miss out on hearing the good news. The research holds significant findings on the attitudes of Christians towards sharing their faith.

The research was conducted by Savanta, and was commissioned by London City Mission, an organisation dedicated to equipping everyday Christians in London and beyond to share their faith. The survey asked practicing Christians to share their confidence levels for sharing their faith with others, with interesting results:

Verwer was born 3 July, 1938. His parents were Eleanor Caddell Verwer and George Verwer Sr., a Dutch immigrant and electrician. They lived in Wyckoff, New Jersey, outside New York.

Verwer ‘was an athlete and boy scout, but spent a lot of time chasing girls and getting into trouble,’ as US magazine Christianity Today reported. This included starting a fire in some woods and breaking into someone’s home.

Richard Coekin is stepping down as Senior Pastor at Dundonald Church and Mission Director of Co-Mission in 2024 to pursue a ‘new season’ of ‘ministry, training and equipping church leaders’. 

Coekin has ‘faithfully and courageously served’, declared a statement from the trustees of the Co-Mission Churches Trust, Co-Mission Initiative Trust and the Dundonald Church Governing Elders.

Milla Ling-Davies

Date posted: 1 Dec 2023

A new report from the Bible Society has revealed that the fastest-growing church in the UK is the Chinese Church.

In just the last two years, there has been 29% growth in the Chinese Church in the UK – a large jump from the 7% growth they’d seen in the previous ten years. This is largely due to people emigrating from Hong Kong to Britain.

Around 60 workers from across the UK gathered in Manchester to explore how their careers and sharing the good news of Jesus were made to go together.

Work+Go Manchester 2023 combined plenary sessions looking at the value of work in God’s world and with seminars exploring the practicalities of working out faith in different vocations such as medicine, coding, art and the charity sector.

A Soho church is issuing a heartfelt plea for a new pastor to join it in one of the UK’s toughest mission areas.

Andrew Murray, who has been pastor of Hope Church, West End – which serves Soho and Covent Garden – says that after four decades of struggle the congregation is now just nine.

Elizabeth Sims writes: On 16 September about 150 people met to give God praise and thanks for a new season in the life of West Kilburn Baptist Church (WKBC); the induction of Steve Palframan as the new pastor and the commissioning of our church revitalisation.

During the service, we recalled how over the past 2 years God had led us to this day. We gave God thanks for His gracious hand upon us whilst we were without a pastor and praised Him for the help and guidance of Johnny Prime and Trevor Archer from the FIEC.

Dismay, anger and outrage from across the Church of England evangelical spectrum are greeting fresh proposals by bishops in relation to sexuality.

A majority of the C of E’s House of Bishops says it will commend its divisive ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ for use with same-sex couples ‘in public worship’ such as Sunday services – while 11 have publicly dissented.

Nearly 90 church leaders from across London arrived at Stockwell Baptist Church on for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Church’s (FIEC) latest regular London Gathering.

The event is organised three times a year for church leaders (pastors, elders, women’s workers, and others) who are serving in FIEC churches and in other evangelical churches, groups and missions across London.

Iain Taylor

Date posted: 1 Nov 2023

Scripture Union is aiming for ‘at least’ 3,500 groups in just three to five years time as it embarks on a new nationwide initiative.

SU – a Christian charity for children and young people aiming to share the gospel – is beginning its new ‘Mission Possible’ nationwide tour.

Nicola Laver

Date posted: 1 Dec 2023

Evangelical churches in the UK have started to experience the impact of the significant increase in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Gaza war on 7 October.

A church in Bridgend recently received a lengthy message through its online contact form saying: ‘It has become apparent that you fall into the category of dangerous Christians on account of your attitude to the Jewish people who are the biggest usurpers in the history of mankind … And yet the evangelical Christian world idolises them as though it was a duty to do so …’

Nearly 1,000 church leaders from more than 500 churches across Britain have met at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool for FIEC’s annual Leaders’ Conference.

The theme for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches’ 2023 conference was the justice of God: what it means to follow and love the God of justice as He ultimately brings all things under Christ, the just and righteous ruler.

Students from the UK have formed a mission team with UCCF to Bulgaria for the first time in eight years.

A team of students from university CUs across the Midlands, led by two staff from UCCF (the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship), spent a fortnight teaching local students English while providing an opportunity to study God’s word with them.

Susie Leafe

Date posted: 1 Oct 2023

The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) is growing. Not just because churches are joining or because new churches are being planted – but because God is at work in the lives of ordinary men and women who want to profess their newfound faith in the Lord Jesus.

In June, Trinity Church, Scarborough posted online some fantastic photos (some of which are show here) of a service where nine of their congregation were baptised, which prompted the question, to a WhatsApp group of ANiE leaders, of where else this was happening,

Iain Taylor

Date posted: 1 Oct 2023

Churches and Christian organisations have spoken of their sadness and pain as the official report into well-known charismatic leader Mike Pilavachi said he displayed coercive and controlling behaviour at the church and had inappropriate relationships.

His actions included massaging young male interns and wrestling young men as he used his ‘spiritual authority to control people’.

The Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) is a growing diocese. From its very first days, church planting has been a key aspect of what AMiE has sought to do – hardly surprising given its name. In recent months, AMiE have launched their 10:20 Planting Plan in which they hope to plant ten new churches by 2025 and a further twenty by 2030.

New church plants may come in many different shapes and sizes and Grace Community Church in Bury is just one example of what an AMiE church plant could look like.