Three new churches are launched in London
Co-Mission
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
Co-Mission says it is ‘thrilled’ about three new church plants that, ‘in God’s kindness’, have just launched in London.
Redeemer Queen’s Park in north-west London launched on Saturday 25 September at 4 p.m. in Salusbury (sic) Primary School. Over the last year, God has graciously assembled a core team of 25 adults with a few kids to boot. Amazingly, 65 adults and 13 kids turned up for their launch, and even more the second week! Most arrived through personal relationships with the core team. Others connected with Redeemer through flyering or social media. The church’s university outreach and its children’s work are big draws.
Evangelism Now: ten key truths outlined
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
‘Evangelism
in a time of crisis’ was the
theme of the 2021 Evangelism Conference,
entitled ‘Evangelism Now’, held at All Soul’s
Langham Place.
Rico Tice set out the three key principles
of evangelism: it must be based on God’s
sovereignty; the gospel must be presented
with both integrity and truth; there must be
no deception in how we operate.
College cuts: doubt over evangelism centre
en staff
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
An evangelical theological college has axed
the role of Director of Ministerial Training,
bringing into doubt the future of its specialist
centre for training future evangelists.
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, said loss of income
due to the pandemic necessitated the change
– which means theologian evangelist Greg
Downes (photo) will lose his job as well as
his family home, which went with the role.
news in brief
Virgin closure
Fundraising platform Virgin Money Giving,
relied on by many churches, will no longer
take online donations as of 1 December.
Leading Christian philanthropy charity
Stewardship has urged church and charity
treasurers to take necessary action to ensure
online donations continue.
The platform – a subsidiary of Virgin
Money – will
close
completely by 22
February 2022. Church treasurers needing
more information can call Stewardship on
020 8502 5600, or visit stewardship.org.uk/
fundraising-churches-charities
Surge in student gospel interest
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Dec 2021
There has been increasing openness to the gospel among university students in the UK this Autumn, the UCCF has reported.
One unbelieving student attended an Abertay Christian Union (CU) lunchtime talk on ‘Lasting Joy’. Afterwards he said: ‘If this is true, you have a genuine hope for eternal happiness. If it’s not, you still have an anchor that allows you to find joy in this life – I find that exhilarating!’
New hope at Hope Church
AMiE
Date posted: 1 Dec 2021
The Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) has a new member church – Hope Church Goldthorpe in South Yorkshire.
The congregation is meeting in Astrea Academy Derne, on the south side of Goldthorpe village.
Marginalised find mercy on London streets
London City Mission writes: The cruelty of the pandemic has been that people already struggling have been hardest hit.
It’s those on the margins of society who were more likely to have died or suffered loss from Covid. It’s those living in crowded homes, less able to socially distance, whose low-paid work, if it hasn’t disappeared, has put them more at risk of contracting the virus. And it’s those for whom Covid, far from being a chance to save money, has added costs in the form of additional heating and food. London has been especially hit; reliance on foodbanks has more than doubled in the capital this year.
Tibet: what challenges under Chinese rule face the few believers?
As a precocious youngster I devoured Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer, the Austrian climber who after World War II became tutor to the young Dalai Lama in Tibet.
I still have the newspaper clippings of the thrilling escape of the Dalai Lama into India from Chinese troops in 1959. I then had no idea that over 50 years later I would myself see the golden roofs of the gigantic Potala Palace in Lhasa and cross the vast plateau with its nomads and herds of yaks.
news in brief
Honduras: evangelicals
now in majority
The Roman Catholic Church was
the
majority
religion
in Honduras, central
America, and is officially recognised by the
government. But it has now been overtaken
by evangelicals.
A new survey shows that 43.2% of the
population identify themselves as evangelical
Christians while just 38.2% call themselves
Catholics. 13% of Hondurans say they do
not belong to any religious denomination.
Is there an undiscovered Dragon in your church?
Karen Todd
Date posted: 1 Dec 2021
Church is not a business, right?
In recent months many of us have come to question the businesslike approaches of many megachurches and church plants, particularly as scandals have revealed the thin ice on which some have been built. But, before we overreact and discredit this businesslike approach, we should not lose the valuable insights that those with a good business head have brought to our churches.
‘Dial-a-doughnut’ and ‘Circus’ inspire 1,000 young leaders
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
Having never set foot on campus, having met only a few members in their CU and feeling uncertain about what university life will be like this term, many Christian Union leaders were especially eager to come to Forum 2021.
Forum is UCCF’s annual training conference for CU leaders, aiming to inspire and equip them to share the gospel in the universities, before they head back to campus in September. This August, over 1,000 students from across Great Britain arrived at the Quinta Christian Centre in Shropshire. They met friends face-to-face, sang praise to God, attended seminars and put their heads together to plan for the year in front of them.
A Passion For Life 2022 – how is it designed to work?
John MacKinnon
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
One of life’s most enjoyable experiences and one that spans the globe in its cultural relevance is the joy of sharing a meal amongst family, friends or even on occasions with complete strangers.
In the journey of life, I’ve known the simplicity of an apple given at great sacrifice in a poverty-stricken African village, the elaborate feasts of civil gatherings, the splendour of wedding celebrations, the countless choices of restaurant menus and, my favourite, the gathering round the family table for home-cooked fayre where the main ingredient is love.
evangelicals & catholics
Who will be the next Pope?
Leonardo De Chirico
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
There is a general perception that Pope Francis’s pontificate has entered an irreversibly declining phase.
It is not just a question of age: yes, Pope Francis is elderly and in poor health. But aging aside, the pontificate finds itself navigating a descending parabola. It started with the language of ‘mission’ and ‘reform’. Francis’ reign, now nearly ten years old, was immediately engulfed in difficulties, particularly within the Catholic Church.
Gabby’s new mission at FIEC
FIEC
Date posted: 1 Dec 2020
Gabby Samuel has joined the FIEC as the Women’s Ministry Development Worker.
Gabby is the youngest member of the Ministry Team and is supporting the FIEC as it raises the next generation of women’s ministry workers, as well as helping FIEC to think carefully and wisely about issues related to ethnic diversity in church.
Moldova and east Ukraine: breakthrough among young?
Slavic Gospel Association & Mission Without Borders
Date posted: 1 Sep 2021
Moldova has suffered particularly badly in the Covid pandemic, coming as it did on the heels of a severe drought and disastrously poor harvests in 2020, which added to the already heavy burdens of the poor and vulnerable.
Poverty is endemic in large sections of the populace, and its consequences are evident not only in material terms but in the realm of relationships, and particularly family life. This scenario is common in a number of East European countries. Families are poor. The parents cannot find work to sustain their children and their homes. They take the decision to go to other countries where work can be found, and children are left in the care of ageing grandparents who themselves find life difficult and challenging. Often this results in children growing up without adequate parental guidance and discipline, and falling prey to many dangers and temptations, including addiction, sexual abuse, and even human trafficking. It is no exaggeration to say that chaos is evident in many family situations.
news in brief
Eternal Wall prayer drive
Inspired by Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall, ‘Eternal Wall: 52 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Worship’ is underway.
It began on 3 September in support of a crowdfunding campaign for the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer, a Christian landmark planned for the West Midlands, UK in 2023. It is to include 75,000 ‘heritage bricks’ celebrating answered prayer as far back as 600 AD. The 52 days of prayer is a flexible prayer schedule that can be followed daily – either individually or in a small group, or in a church or organisation. For more information visit eternalwall.org
news in brief
Argentina: Evangelical Churches Day
The Argentinian province of Neuquén has enshrined in law a new Provincial Day of Evangelical Churches. The date – 31 October, Reformation Day – was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 1517.
‘We believe it was important to give public recognition and support to the evangelical churches that are doing essential work in our province and our country’, said provincial deputy Darío Peralta (see photo). He stressed that the Congress was ‘happy to highlight their work and make it visible by recognising them and declaring 31 October as the day of the evangelical churches in our province’.
Riga resumes in-person Bible training
John Woods
Date posted: 1 Oct 2021
It is great to be in Latvia in late summer when the daylight still holds until late evening and the temperature can still be hot. It was a particular delight for me to be there with Anthony Billington, associated with the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, to teach a weekend course on Whole Life Preaching as part of the two-year School of Preachers programme at the Latvian Biblical Centre (LBC) in Riga.
It had been nine months since the group were able to meet in person. We have managed to maintain the teaching via Zoom involving three languages. It was lovely to have the buzz of personal interaction in those September sessions.
Mission in the suffering church
Ben Kwashi
Date posted: 1 May 2020
Ben Kwashi, Bishop of Jos, calls Christians to keep sacrificing for the sake of the gospel
Mission is the hallmark of the church. John Stott put it this way: ‘Mission is an activity arising out of the very nature of God. The living God of the Bible is a sending God, which is what “mission” means.’
Celebration as church marks first birthday
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
First birthdays are special, and for an Essex
‘church in the home’ – its first birthday
marked an encouraging year despite the
pandemic.
Cornerstone Church
in Colchester, an
Anglican church, began on 18 October 2020
under the oversight of Anglican Mission in
England (AMiE). It has coined the phrase
‘… starting in the home, sustained in the
home!’ to reflect the church’s conviction of
the value of meeting in the home.
John Stott’s ‘new’ book: a heartfelt environmental plea
Thomas Creedy
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
In 2011 IVP published what was intended by the author to be his final book – summing up decades of prayer, study and ministry. John Stott’s The Radical Disciple, ten years on, continues to provoke, encourage and inspire.
Stott’s own purpose in that book was ‘to consider eight characteristics of Christian discipleship which are often neglected and yet deserve to be taken seriously’. One of these was ‘creation care’, an issue which is increasingly coming to our attention and the focus of the world. With the Stott centenary running from April 2021 to April 2022, IVP took the decision to publish John Stott on Creation Care, a definitive collection of Stott’s writings on the topic, carefully compiled from throughout his ministry. Sam Berry and Laura Yoder, in their own way, have carefully curated tens of thousands of Stott’s own words, adding interpretation and context, to produce a vital new book.
Afghan refugee children campaign
en staff
Date posted: 1 Nov 2021
More than £2,000 has so far been raised as part of a campaign to provide winter clothing for Afghan refugee children arriving in the UK.
The initiative is organised by Christian group Afghan Welcome – whose director is Krish Kandiah (see photo), and whose supporters include en contributor Graham Miller of the London City Mission, Gavin Calver of the Evangelical Alliance and many others.
