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Around 45 people (including 35 church leaders) gathered together at Jubilee Central church in Hull on 9 October for the launch of Hull 2030.

Hull 2030 is a new movement to pray for, facilitate and encourage the planting of 20 new gospel-centred churches in Hull by the year 2030. It came about through a partnership between the Anglican ReNew and New Frontiers churches of Hull because of the massive need for new gospel-centred churches to reach those currently unreached, and therefore the need to work together wherever possible.

On 13 October, Grace Baptist Church, Hitchin held a welcome service for their new pastor Tom Forryan.

Around 200 people gathered in The Priory School, Hitchin as friends of the family and former church members joined the 20 or so existing members. Ashkan Sarmadi, current pastor of Derby Road Baptist Church, Watford spoke warmly of Tom’s previous ministry. Richard Lambert, Elder, explained the challenges of their three-year search for a pastor, mentioning in particular a ‘somewhat sombre’ evening gathering of church officers when they seemed to be out of options. In the providence of God, a few days later a phone call suggesting Tom for consideration was received.

In August it was announced that the Railway Mission has invested in the chaplaincy service and increased the support to the railway industry to help staff through the recent industrial problems faced by many of the train operating companies.

As well as the addition of five new full-time chaplains to the chaplaincy team, the hours of some of the part time chaplains has also been increased.

The Welsh National Eisteddfod held in the first week of August in Cardiff gave an opportunity for Christian mission by the Evangelical Movement of Wales.

Footfall past the stand in Cardiff was heavy, and good conversations were had each day. As part of a questionnaire pass-ers-by could fill in, people were asked to rate four sentences from 1-10:

How much do people in Britain today know about God, the Bible, or Jesus Christ?

And what about within the church – do evangelicals think clearly about theological issues, or does confusion abound? The State of Theology survey, commissioned by Ligonier Ministries, has uncovered what people in the UK are actually thinking.

An Association AGM is usually a duty that must be done and no more. But that of the Association of Grace Baptists in the South East on 6 October, at St Giles’ Mission, North London, turned into a real joy.

Four new churches joined the group, from Chelmsford, Hythe, Streatham and Ebbsfleet. The new book Pure Church, show-ing the biblical basis for the Association’s ecclesiology, was launched. Graham Nicholls, the director of Affinity, to which the Association belongs, articulated the aims of his work for wider fellowship.

Huntingdon is a market town about 20 miles to the north-west of Cambridge with a population of about 24,000. Being situated where the River Great Ouse meets the Roman Ermine Street (from London to York), Huntingdon has always been situated on a crossroads.

Although there are a number of small churches from various denominations, the rapidly growing population of Huntingdon and the surrounding area means that there is a huge need to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ salvation to the many who currently have no church connection.

It is with a sense of great anticipation and with thankfulness to God that the congregation of Stranmillis Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Belfast returned to its normal location in September.

For the past 12 months the church has been in a period of transition. Having vacated their normal location at 36 Stranmillis Road at the end of July 2017, due to the major building and redevelopment project, services of worship relocated to Stranmillis University College on Sunday mornings and to Lisburn Road Hall in the evenings.

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.