search

Despite the anger and vitriol that fills the front pages of our tabloids, there is good news on the streets of London…

Let me tell you about my friend Ilyas Ayoub, who works in one of the most diverse parts of our capital – Forest Gate in East London. Ilyas works at a mission centre, sandwiched between a temple and a mosque, where he partners with local churches to love the community and by sharing the gospel message.

In January, Co-Mission, a network of local churches in London, launched a film We Plant Churches to Reach the Lost.

Through a series of testimonies the film explains why the network does what it does. Co-mission seeks to follow Christ’s command in Matthew 28:19: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’

A vicar and Oxford biology graduate resigned from the Church of England and from his role as a school governor in May. This occurred after transgender ideology, endorsed by his diocese and taught in the CofE school where he was a governor, silenced him as a scientist and a Christian.

During a training session on transgender issues run by Mermaids, John Parker was told by the headteacher: ‘This is training, John, it’s not your time to share your view-point.’ This followed his request to raise some different perspectives. The training session was recorded, and the audio clearly demonstrates that his request was shut down by the headteacher.

Every year, FIEC provides two retreats exclusively for women. Thrive is for women in ministry and the Ministry Wives’ Retreat is for those who are married to men in full-time pastoral ministry.

It’s an opportunity for women to spend time away from the busyness of church life and be encouraged in their service to Christ.

With a mission to Jewish people taking place in London in the summer, en interviewed Richard Gibson, Director of Ministry for Christian Witness to Israel (CWI), about the need for Christians to share Jesus with Jewish people.

en: Evangelism to Jewish people can be controversial for some Christians, so tell us a little bit about that, and why we shouldn’t shy away from doing it.

The 30th meeting of the Scottish Reformed Conference took place on 11 May at Hamilton College.

The Revd Professor Sinclair B Ferguson (4th from left) and Dr Robert Murdock (3rd from left), Principal of the Faith Mission College in Edinburgh, spoke to about 450 people from different Reformed churches and denominations.

Every Easter, hundreds of CU students descend upon Prestatyn as an integral part of the Word Alive conference, run in partner-ship with UCCF. Word Alive has furthered the discipleship of thousands of CU leaders, who return to their campuses nurtured by the teaching and by growing in their faith together.

In recent years we have been encour-aged to hear of CU students bringing their unbelieving friends to Word Alive. There is a growing trend for students who have attended CU events, but not yet made a pro-fession of faith, attending as a next step to exploring Jesus. But why is this happening?

‘How do we plant healthy churches that grow young disciples of Jesus?’ This is one of our questions within 2020birmingham.

2020birmingham is a collaborative church-planting movement in Birmingham. We began in 2010 with a vision to see 20 churches planted by 2020 and have grown to prayerfully seek another 30 by 2030. We exist because we believe that the spiritual need and opportunities for mission in our city are too big for us to meet on our own. We are evangelical churches seeking to be together for the city.

A church, situated opposite the Byker Wall in Newcastle, celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Meeting in a corrugated-iron hall, Welbeck Road Evangelical Church started under Newcastle City Mission. Over 50 attended the Sunday School, many coming from the surrounding estates which were to be made famous by the BBC children’s television programme Byker Grove.

Christ Church Balham, in South West London, joined the Free Church of England denomination in January.

It is hoped that this move will help secure gospel ministry for generations to come and send many more people into full-time paid gospel ministry.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to meet in secret as an underground church? Have you ever felt that it is almost impossible to imagine what it’s like to meet under persecution? How do you meet? How does it feel? How do you worship when you can’t make any noise? What are the issues? When challenged, what do you say and how do you react?

A mission organisation in a Central Asian region has begun to challenge Christians in more comfortable surroundings to consider what it would be like to meet in secret.