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Excitement is building as many churches across the nation gear up for A Passion for Life (APFL).

This is a nationwide mission initiative from gospel churches which had its first outing in 2010.

Over 100 students responded to the gospel at a UCCF city-wide student mission entitled ‘Rumour Has It’.

The Prohibition Era-themed week of events, which took place in late January, saw around 20 CUs from across London team up with 15 churches to put on a week of evangelistic events.

‘Life on life, together on mission’ lies at the heart of the NT vision for discipleship and it should therefore be at the heart of our vision for the local church. This has been the central conviction of the ‘Crowded House’ since it began in 1996, under the leadership of Steve Timmis.

But how could this conviction begin to shape the approach of churches with a similar theology and similar convictions about mission, but which have existing patterns of church life which may or may not facilitate this missional emphasis? That was the key question explored in a highly stimulating consultation in October facilitated by the Crowded House team, which brought together people from 11 churches (mostly, but not exclusively, from the FIEC but all conservative evangelical).

On May 20, Affinity held its annual Churches and Mission Day at Highbury Baptist Church in London, discussing the question ‘Is sending cross-cultural missionaries preferable to supporting indigenous gospel workers?’. John McDonald of Grace Baptist Mission urged churches to see that supporting a gifted national believer may be a far better way of using limited resources. If encouraged to support an indigenous worker, churches may say that they cannot support or pray for someone they have never met. And how will he or she send prayer letters if they do not speak English? Yet Paul had never met the Colossians and was constantly praying for them (Colossians 1.9). This is a challenge to our churches.

Culture of dependency

Do our mission strategies help or hinder? Do we ‘use’ national believers in our strategy, or do we serve them in theirs? If some level of control and accountability is lost in the process, is that a sacrifice worth making? Unless we let them lead, they may not escape from a culture of dependency which will stunt their maturity as leaders and churches.

Immediately after planting a new church in the neighbouring town of Thame in 2008, Long Crendon Baptist Church (LCBC) started making plans to redevelop the church building.

During the weekend of February 1-2, the church celebrated the opening of its new £1.5m facilities. An Open Day was held for the community on the Saturday, during which thanks were given to the architects, builders and various other community organisations who had offered use of their facilities during the nine months in which the church building was out of action. Visitors were impressed with the transformation of the building.

Oxford can seem to be a place that meanders along at snail’s pace; dreaming spires, etc.

But dig a little deeper, and you find that Oxford life is hurtling along at a bewildering speed: corners of land morphing overnight into student accommodation, ever-growing pockets of social deprivation, and waves of new arrivals from all over the globe.

This year was the turn of the Renewal Centre in Solihull to play host to the Grace Baptist Mission (GBM) annual meetings.

On October 26, the venue was full with 750 or more Christians from across the country. The theme was ‘A heart for mission’. One of the highlights of the day was the introduction of new missionaries who have come into the work.

A website which offers the Bible in easy-to-read English clocked up 4 million visitors from more than 200 countries during 2013.

The EasyEnglish version and commentaries use a vocabulary of just 1,200 words and are for those who have learned English as a second language. For those who have a greater knowledge of English there is another level using 2,800 words. Both levels follow simple forms of grammar.

1,000 people from across London crowded into Central Hall, Westminster, on October 14 for the Crossing London Hope 2014 Vision Night of inspiration, music and Christian worship and praise.

There were thought-provoking ideas about the future of Christian mission in London, and news of some exciting initiatives coming up in the next 12 months as Crossing London partners with many other groups, organisations and churches, to try to see the capital and its people renewed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The black and white of the St. Piran county flag was the colour of the month through September.

Walk Cornwall 2 did three weeks of evangelistic mission in the far west county, all under the auspices of Through Faith Missions, utilising local leadership.

A church plant that almost failed has taken off and goes independent in January.

Billy, Justine, Gill, Emma, Gary, John, Maggie, Amy are just a few of the many who have come to faith over the past six years at Shepherd Drive Baptist Church on the Chantry and Pinewood estates in Ipswich. If you have never been to the ‘far east’, Ipswich is a historic sea port on the river Orwell with a couple of large marinas full of posh yachts. Now just over an hour from Liverpool Street station in the City of London, it is also a rapidly growing commuter town.

Making a mark for God

Situated at a key point on this expanding housing development, the church is starting to make a real mark for God among the many young families who live round about. It was, however, back in the 1970s that a Christian nurse living on the estate first felt a burden to reach the local children with the gospel. In due time this led to a church plant, which, in spite of sincere efforts and a good building, never really impacted the area as it might have. After a closure of around three years, the fellowship was re-launched in 2007 with a specific aim of reaching the un-churched.

Over the last six years, a training ministry initially developed for a local church in the north of England now has a truly global impact.

The Porterbrook Network started in 2007 when church planters Steve Timmis and Tim Chester started work on a course that would equip Christians for mission and ministry in everyday life. It needed to appeal to busy Christians who couldn’t take a day a week for training. They wanted something that connected biblical theology to both heart change and mission. A key aim was to help men and women see mission as something to which they could contribute.

The result was Porterbrook Learning. It centred on biblical theology, character development and sound doctrine, as well as equipping people to speak the gospel into everyday life. It gave Christians a renewed vision for the centrality of the local church in mission, and trained people for evangelism and cultural engagement.

Scott Drive Church, Exmouth, officially opened its new building extension on September 21.

But the church’s real agenda is to see God’s kingdom extended in this seaside town. Founded in 1966 by a retired minister who saw the need for an independent church with strong biblical foundations, years of valiant effort by many did not seem to be bearing fruit until recently. Then God blessed the congregation with increased numbers and several conversions.

Newswatch (The Baptist Times)

October 20 saw the first gathering of Calon Lân at Rhiwbina Baptist Church in Cardiff.

After several months of praying together, the group launched the new Welsh language missional community. Cardiff’s population currently stands at 350,000 and is rising. More than 10% of its residents speak the Welsh language and this new group hopes to reach out to the tens of thousands of speakers who have little or no connection with any church.

The year-long search of Latimer Congregational Church, Beverley, came to an end on October 12 as Iain Clements was inducted to be the new minister.

Around 150 people gathered to celebrate the occasion and to pray God’s blessing on Iain and the fellowship.

The induction service for Andrew Wigham, the new pastor of Yateley Baptist Church in Hampshire, was held on September 14 at Yateley Manor School.

Over 170 people, including a good number from Wales, joined in a service of praise and worship. The meeting was led by Ray Smith, one of the elders of the church. During the initial part of the service, Ken Walters, another of the elders, explained how the church came to feel that Andrew was ‘the man of God’s choosing’ to lead the church forward. In response, Andrew spoke of his call to full-time ministry, from being a shy person to preaching in the open air in Covent Garden. He has pursued theological study in Wales and has experience working in a number of churches. More recently he has worked in a school in Rumney, Cardiff, with special needs students.