South Park impact
Jason Freeman
Date posted: 1 Mar 2019
South Park Chapel in Ilford appointed Shenazzer Ephraim as evangelist and disciple maker at a service on 26 January.
The chapel was founded in 1906 and has been seeking to make Jesus known ever since. Times have changed and the demographic has changed but the gospel is still the same and is still the power of God to save people.
EFAC: successful re-launch completed
The Revd Richard Crocker
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
The Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion (EFAC) held the second part of its 2018 international Council meeting in Nairobi in October.
The successful establishment of the Council heralds EFAC’s reemergence as a powerful international Anglican ministry. EFAC’s vision is to encourage and develop biblically faithful fellowship, teaching and mission, as well as to resource church leaders throughout the Anglican world. There were 22 participants, including those from existing, reviving (four) or developing EFAC national Chapters. Five continents were represented and 11 participants were bishops.
Sri Lanka: new term
Dr Paul Hoole
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
On 11 February, Baldaeus Theological
College (BTC) opened
its new semester
with a simple worship service and a few
local pastors.
The message given at the service addressed
the importance of producing Bible-learned
servants of God whose lives reflect the holiness and goodness of God in character and
conduct.
Northern training
Professor Michael Reeves
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
Dear Sir,
Jeremy Marshall’s article ‘Why a Northern
lucidly highlights
Seminary?’ (March en)
the great need for gospel work in the North
of England, which has often been neglected
by theological education, church planting,
and
investment. He rightly observes that
evangelicalism has a Southern and London
bias at the expense of northern English cities, let alone Scotland and Wales.
London Gospel Partnership
Brian O’Donoghue
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
At the first London Gospel Partnership Conference, on 2 February, leaders gathered from a diverse range of churches to be encouraged in biblical ministry across the capital.
Kevin De Young gave two outstanding talks at East London Tabernacle on the theme of God’s Message by God’s Means for London. His first address on 1 Thessalonians 2 highlighted the centrality and importance of God’s word for God’s work in gospel churches. His second talk (The Big God of Small Things and Small People, Zechariah 4) was a magnificent encouragement to trust in God’s power even as we are so conscious of our own great weaknesses.
New church
Barry King
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
The only evidence of a church in the central
Bounds Green area is a plaque commemorating a Church of England building torn down
in the 1990s which was replaced with flats.
An area just over a mile up the road from
Wood Green, Bounds Green has its own local
culture, a Piccadilly Line underground rail
station, a national rail station, shops, cafés,
barbers, a small but popular monthly street
market, and thousands of residents.
Keep going, pastor!
Jonathan Worsley
Date posted: 1 Apr 2019
Dilapidated buildings, small budgets and struggling congregations: Jonathan Worsley on irresistible grace & ministerial steadfastness
It’s Monday morning. You’re driving to the church office, reflecting on your sermon from Sunday.
Timothy Alford 1933–2018
Simon Percy
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
Timothy Alford went home to glory on 6 December 2018.
I first met Timothy when I was a young pastor in the early 1990s and he was the General Secretary of Africa Inland Mission (AIM). Little was I to know then how much of an influence he would have upon me and the work I am now doing at Pastor Training International (PTI).
Revitalisation: why bother?
John James
Date posted: 1 Feb 2019
John James on what is so good about turning round dying churches
‘It is easier to give birth than raise the dead,’ my friend replied, as I began to talk about the church revitalisation project we were prayer-fully considering.
Germany: teen outreach Europe
OM Internationale
Date posted: 1 Jan 2019
3,200 teenagers and adults from all over Europe (and beyond) came together to TeenStreet (TS) 2018 in Oldenburg for a week full of worship, Jesus, passion, life and fun.
As different as all the countries, cultures, backgrounds and churches might be, one thing connects everyone at TS: they know Jesus and want to grow closer in their relationship with him.
Michael Green 1930 – 2019
Richard Cunningham
Date posted: 1 Mar 2019
The Revd Canon Dr Michael Green (1930 –2019) died peacefully on Wednesday 6 February following ill health.
A persuasive evangelist and distinguished theologian, he was in demand as a speaker until his recent illness.
Fight or flight?
David Baker
Date posted: 1 Mar 2019
There are two schools of thought about the
way forward for evangelicals in the Church
of England at the moment.
The first school of thought is what might
be called the ‘into the lifeboats’ approach.
This ‘boats’ view believes the CofE is lost.
Those who think otherwise, it is implied, are
wasting their time. People should be planning
to leave – perhaps to the Anglican Mission
in England (AMiE) or the Free Church of
England; furthermore, to put any energy into
other strategies is merely to repeat the same
failed actions of the last 50 years, it is argued.
If we keep on with the same tactics we will
merely replicate the same results.
news in brief
One a day
The UK Deed Poll Service reported a sharp rise in the number of parents paying £35 to alter their child’s title from ‘Miss to Master’ or ‘Master to Miss’ in the past five years, with about one under-16-year-old making the change every day, it was reported in January.
‘We used to issue a couple of these deed polls every couple of months, but now it’s seven to ten a week,’ said Louise Bowers, a senior deed poll officer. The majority are teenagers, but some are as young as ten.
news in brief
Algeria: tent ban
Christians in Algeria were forced out of a tent they were worshipping in by police on 28 January after their church building was sealed by authorities.
The tent, set up in the grounds of Azaghar Church, enabled the 300-strong congregation to continue worshipping following the forced closure of their church building for spurious ‘health and safety’ reasons. The church lost the use of its building in October 2018, despite the congregation responding to requests to install fire exits and fire extinguishers.
Douglas Dawson 1922 – 2019
Philip Grist
Date posted: 1 Mar 2019
My friendship with Douglas Dawson began
nearly 70 years ago when in 1952 he came
to speak at our newly-formed Fellowship of
Youth group at Zion, Trowbridge.
Doug’s life began in East London. There
were six children in the family connected
with the chapel in Hainalt Road, Leyton.
Doug left school at 14 and in 1941 he volunteered for the RAF reserves.
Millennials and internships
Matt Waldock
Date posted: 1 Mar 2019
Matt Waldock of City Church Manchester on how to attract young graduates into short-term church work
You simply cannot avoid them!
Easy Bible
Mission Assist www.easyenglish.bible
Date posted: 1 Jan 2019
The EasyEnglish New Testament smart-phone app was
judged by
the Premier
Digital Awards 2018 as one of the best
launched in 2018.
It’s available free of charge and has already
been downloaded in 150 countries around
the world. The EasyEnglish Bible is a new
version of Scripture using a limited vocabulary of just 1,200 words and simple syntax,
and was devised by a small team of Mission
Assist volunteers.
Technology
InSight into our universe
Pete Nicholas
Date posted: 1 Jan 2019
On Monday 26 November Nasa’s Mars InSight probe touched down.
It is a wonderful technological achievement. Please note, I am using the adjective intentionally, ‘wonderful’ – an achievement that is (and should be seen as) ‘full of wonder’.
The future of the hot seat
This month I step down as the editor of en.
I have been asked to continue to write a monthly column, but Jonathan Worsley now takes over in the hot seat.