Alternative Synod?
Peter Sanlon
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
One year ago the Daily Telegraph announced on its front page the new ‘Anglican Partnership Synod’.
Nicknamed a ‘shadow synod’, it marked a new form of partnership between Anglican churches in Kent and Sussex.
North Korea: ‘Lord! Help!’
World Watch Monitor
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
Hannah Cho* tells her story of faith in God despite horrendous persecution.
After the Korean war, public religion was discouraged. The local church was turned into a school and Hannah remembers that her Christian mother prayed at home while the family kept watch for informants.
Sudan: eight arrests
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC)
challenged a government decision in late
August to impose an unelected leadership
committee on the church, which only came
to light when church leaders were arrested.
The Ministry of Guidance and Religious
Endowments, which oversees religious affairs
in Sudan, appointed an alternative Executive
Committee of the SCOC, led by Mr Angelo
Alzaki, to manage church affairs. Eight senior SCOC leaders were arrested and charged
with trespassing on the church headquarters
and refusing to hand over control of the
church to Mr Alzaki. They were released on
bail later that day.
Argentina: dictionary
Church Mission Society
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
In August, a team led by Bob Lunt completed
and published a Wichí–Spanish language dictionary to complement the Wichí Bible translation, which was first published in 2002.
The Wichí
language, spoken by up
to
50,000 people
in parts of Argentina and
Bolivia, is the most common language of the
Mataco-Mataguayan language family.
Bridging strategy
Ray Porter
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
Book Review
CHANGING LANES, CROSSING CULTURES:
Equipping Christians and Churches for Ministry
in a Culturally Diverse Society
Read review
news in brief
Council prays to Allah
At the opening of a Full Council Meeting in
Oldham
in the summer, Islamic prayers
were led by an Imam.
The new Mayor of Oldham is a Muslim
and the Imam-led prayer repeats the pattern
of the Mayor before last, who was also a
Muslim. The Qu’ran section read out talked
about ‘those who have gone astray, and those
who have earned [Allah’s] anger’ traditionally
interpreted
as meaning
Jews
and
Christians. Therefore the Council, were in
effect, being encouraged to not be like Jews
or Christians.
Oak Hill’s new President
Oak Hill
Date posted: 1 Oct 2017
The College Council of Oak Hill College announced that the Reverend Jonathan Juckes has been appointed President with effect from 1 January 2018.
Johnny brings to the role practical parish and pastoral experience across a wide variety of parish situations, as well as many years of involvement in theological training.
news in brief
Proud?
Buses and Underground signs were wrapped in rainbow flags by Transport For London as part of London’s Pride week, in early July.
50 Santander bikes (formerly Boris bikes) were adorned with the same symbol. Skittles, the sweets known for their ‘rainbow colours’ were produced in totally white packets as ‘only one rainbow deserves to be the centre of attention’. Facebook now issue a rainbow flag as one of seven standard emojis to use to ‘like’ a status.
China: a personal report
Source protected for security reasons
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
A question to start: Is our God still working in China?
The short answer is Yes! It is however important to fully understand the current attitude and freedom permitted by the Chinese authorities regarding religious practice. China’s policy on religion states that ‘the Chinese people are free to choose and express their religious beliefs as well as demonstrate their religious status’.
Erroll Hulse 1931 –2017
<span>Sharon James remembers the life of her father, who went to glory on 3 August</span>
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
Erroll was brought up in a privileged and nominally Christian family in South Africa.
While studying architecture at the Afrikaans-speaking Pretoria University, his friend David Cowan invited him to Pretoria Central Baptist Church, and he was converted.
Australia: Catholic Church in the dock
Peter Riddell
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
The relationship between church and society in Australia has always been ambiguous.
In the earliest years of European settlement
following the establishment of Sydney in 1788,
a fundamental divide existed between the free
settlers and colonial officials on the one hand,
who tended to be Anglican, and the large numbers of convicts, often Irish Catholics, who were
predictably anti-authority and resentful.
Leslie Jarvis 1938 –2017
Jonathan Jarvis and Howard Sayers
Date posted: 1 Sep 2017
On 27 July 2017, the funeral and thanksgiving service for Leslie Jarvis was held at
Market Street Chapel, Hailsham. The
chapel was
full with
family and
friends
from many churches.
The spirit of thanksgiving and worship,
especially
through
the
singing of Leslie’s
favourite hymns, was a testimony to the
grace of God in his life and a wonderful support to Leslie’s wife Nettie and his family.
Jonathan Jarvis gave a message of thanksgiving and reminiscence on behalf of the family, Pastor Paul Relf gave the reading and
prayer and Pastor Howard Sayers spoke from
Philippians 4.
Bishops rebooted
Charles Raven
Date posted: 1 Jul 2017
Anglicans claim to be part of the Reformed Western catholic tradition and one of the most visible ways that continuity over the centuries is maintained is through episcopacy, which the English evangelical reformers of the 16th century quite deliberately retained in contrast to their continental counterparts.
Was that wise? In the present-day Anglican Provinces of the West, the claim to Reformed catholicity is looking ever more dubious as apostolic substance ebbs away. Moreover, disunity and doctrinal incoherence in the Anglican Communion has been an episcopally led phenomenon.
Jesus’ prayer for unity in his church
Alan Purser
Date posted: 1 Jun 2017
Alan Purser has a careful look at what Jesus was actually saying
John 17 is holy ground: Jesus prays for unity, that his church may be one. For this is the key to effective mission.
The Third Degree
Examgelism!!
Kate Duncan
Date posted: 1 Jul 2017
Spring months are busy.
It’s the time of mission weeks. By contrast the pace of the university summer term can seem slower as students knuckle down for end-of-year deadlines and exams. Yet with these stresses and challenges also comes a stream of evangelistic opportunities – in Christ and in Christ alone can we find rest for our weary souls and purpose for our lives. So, despite the increase in deadlines and work pressures, Christian Unions (CUs) continue in their gospel mission.
Narrow way
Karen Soole
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
Book Review
TO BE A PILGRIM:
40 days with The Pilgrim’s Progress
Read review
EMA 2017: fruit amid the battle
JEB
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
It wasn’t easy to find the Barbican Centre
for
this
year’s
Evangelical Ministry
Assembly (EMA) amid London’s burgeoning road and building works. But it was
worth the tricky navigation for Tuesday –
Thursday, 27–29 June.
The conference theme was ‘Bearing Fruit
and Growing’, with the morning Bible readings coming
from Ephesians. These were
given by Andy Gemmill of
the Cornhill
Training Course in Scotland and reminded
those there that, amid the spiritual battle,
‘your church is what Christ’s rule looks like
now.’ We need to ‘do church’ (I’m not sure I
like
that phrase) by
faith, not by
sight,
because for all its present flaws the church
displays God’s wisdom to the astonishment
of the heavenly powers.
Hearing God in the Old Testament
Keswick Ministries
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
I asked my wife, Bridget, for her thoughts on where to go with this article. She laughed and said: ‘Why do you ask me? You’re the one who’s taught the Old Testament!’ Then she added: ‘But I do keep hearing people saying, “I find the Old Testament really hard.”’
I’ve heard that many times, too. So I want to do three things here: acknowledge some of the challenges; ground our view of the Old Testament as God’s Word; give one pointer as to how to hear God’s Word in the Old Testament (OT).
Cult hero
Association of Evangelists
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
In June it was announced that Tony Brown would be joining the team of the Association of Evangelists.
As a former Jehovah’s Witness, his special interest is outreach to the cults, as well as teaching churches how to reach people caught up in cults.
Radical inclusion?
Rob Munro
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
Superficially we did the usual things: passing obscure legal provisions.
For example, there was giving official permission not to have to wear robes at main services (which I realise you all have done faithfully up until now); the valiant effort to put something to do with mission on the agenda. We even had the obligatory ‘current affairs’ motion, this time from the Archbishops following the surprises at the General Election, generally calling for more prayer and appropriate lobbying.
Wye Jesus
Evangelical Movement of Wales
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
Bethesda Evangelical Church (Hay-on-Wye)
and EMW, with Show Jesus, an evangelistic
enterprise, supporting, spent four days seeking to share the wonderful news of Jesus and
his
love
with
folk
attending
the
International
Hay-on-Wye
Literature
Festival in late May.
Following the theme – ‘LIFE - what’s your
question?’ the gospel was shared through artistic skills including pottery, storytelling, poetry and through preaching. Michael Ots spoke on
suffering
linked
to
the
tragic Manchester
bombing. Local author and church member
Ollie Balch led a guided tour around Hay.
Durham’s purple patch
UCCF
Date posted: 1 Aug 2017
Durham Christian Union won an award for
‘Best Society Event’ at the National Society
Awards on 19 May.
Hosted by the National Union of Students
and Red Oak Roller, the evening celebrated
university
societies
around
the United
Kingdom and what they contribute to their
members, their campuses and to the wider
community.
