The pastor saving lives in North Korea
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Twenty-four years ago, Kim Seongeun witnessed dozens of dead bodies floating down the Tumen River, which separates North Korea from China. Ever since, he has been committed to helping people escape Kim Jong-un’s totalitarian regime.
Pastor Kim, as he is known, organises these dangerous escapes from his base in Seoul, through a charity and church named Caleb Mission. They have rescued 1,012 people since it began in 2000, taking defectors on an ‘underground railroad’ through Southeast Asia to safety. The very first to be rescued was a woman named Park Esther, a lieutenant in the North Korean Army – who later became Kim’s wife.
‘Almost as monumental as the moon landing’
Adam Thomas
Date posted: 1 Feb 2024
Do you ever find yourself counting the endorsements at the start of Christian books? Probably not – but someone has to do it!
Which is why the ‘Christian Book Endorsement Awards’ was founded in 2021, to quantify the phenomenon of excessive book endorsements.
Covid: government exceeded mandate – evangelicals
Affinity
Date posted: 1 Feb 2024
The government did overreach itself during the pandemic, delegates at an Affinity event have broadly concluded.
With the backdrop of the government’s Covid Inquiry, the organisation, which represents 1,200 evangelical churches and groups, recently held a symposium bringing various partners together to reflect on how Christians and churches responded to the pandemic.
C of E evangelicals grapple with uncertain way ahead
Diocesan Evangelical Fellowships (DEFs) around the Church of England are grappling with what to do following the introduction of ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ (PLF).
en contacted local groups in each part of the country following the CofE’s move in a more liberal direction in the run-up to Christmas.
Moldovan believers mark 30 years of Biblical training
Slavic Gospel Association
Date posted: 1 Feb 2024
Thirty years of a Biblical leadership training scheme in Moldova are being celebrated.
Recently, Slavic Gospel Association staff members had the joy of joining with church leaders, and past and present students of the Mission School in Balti, Moldova, to mark the anniversary.
The Bible comes to Balimo
Gary Clayton
Date posted: 1 Feb 2024
Thanks to MAF, nurse Reena Delesae was able to get hold of a Bible.
Reena is a senior nurse at Balimo Hospital in Western Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where the hospital is extremely short-staffed and the nurses must carefully manage the medication available because there’s a real danger of it running out.
letter from Mozambique
Growing hope in the land of tears
Janet Phythian, Mission Associate with Church Mission Society, writes: During my recent visit to Sofala, central Mozambique from July to September, I gave much thanks for abundant vegetable harvests grown on the Africa Naturally farm at our base in Mezimbite, for orphans in care.
This followed a slow start in April due to extensive flooding caused by cyclone Freddy (see en April 2023 for more details). We were also able to support Pastor Pires to start a children’s ministry at his church, Seed of Abraham, following the amazing training he had received from Rory Bell of TnT Ministries/Mustard Seeds.
Survey flags up ‘gospel poor’
London City Mission
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
A new survey has identified which groups practising Christians tend to share the gospel with, and those people who may miss out on hearing the good news. The research holds significant findings on the attitudes of Christians towards sharing their faith.
The research was conducted by Savanta, and was commissioned by London City Mission, an organisation dedicated to equipping everyday Christians in London and beyond to share their faith. The survey asked practicing Christians to share their confidence levels for sharing their faith with others, with interesting results:
Middle East: ‘Jesus can change terrorists’ hearts’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
While world leaders have devoted a countless number of hours to finding a seemingly impossible solution to the ongoing Middle Eastern crisis, Misha Vayshengolts, who serves with International Mission to Jewish People in Israel, believes that ‘Jesus is the answer’.
In an interview with en, Misha spoke about what life is currently like in Israel, how recent events have impacted his work as a missionary, and why he thinks Jesus is the solution to the crisis.
Andy Bathgate: ‘A faithful disciple of Jesus’
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Former Scripture Union
(SU) Scotland
CEO Andy Bathgate died on 17 October,
aged 68. He leaves his wife Alyson, with
whom he shared over 40 years of marriage,
and his three daughters, son-in-law, and
grandchildren. He died peacefully at home.
Andy was the CEO of SU Scotland from
2001 to 2020, having volunteered with SU since
his teens. He was also the Scottish team leader
for UCCF (Universities and Colleges Christian
Fellowship) and was a founding member of
CVE (Christian Values in Education) Scotland,
serving as its Chair from its inception in 2014
until his retirement from the role in 2022.
Obituary: George Verwer, mission pioneer, 1938–2023
en staff
Date posted: 1 May 2023
Verwer was born 3 July, 1938. His parents were Eleanor Caddell Verwer and George Verwer Sr., a Dutch immigrant and electrician. They lived in Wyckoff, New Jersey, outside New York.
Verwer ‘was an athlete and boy scout, but spent a lot of time chasing girls and getting into trouble,’ as US magazine Christianity Today reported. This included starting a fire in some woods and breaking into someone’s home.
Richard Coekin enters ‘new season’
Dundonald Church
Date posted: 1 Nov 2023
Richard Coekin is stepping down as Senior Pastor at Dundonald Church and Mission Director of Co-Mission in 2024 to pursue a ‘new season’ of ‘ministry, training and equipping church leaders’.
Coekin has ‘faithfully and courageously served’, declared a statement from the trustees of the Co-Mission Churches Trust, Co-Mission Initiative Trust and the Dundonald Church Governing Elders.
Radical gospel mission harvest
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Dec 2022
A radical ‘gospel rescue mission’ that began just last year in Derbyshire is seeing powerful conversions to Christ – and community leaders witnessing the extraordinary impact of the gospel.
Edge Faith Community, part of the national Edge Ministries, is pioneering a form of church and faith community in super-deprived communities. Carl Beech (see photo), who runs Edge Ministries, said white working-class people are probably the most unreached people in Europe and among the most vilified.
Are we robbing Peter to pay Paul?
David Baldwin
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
The message of Christ is for ‘all the nations’. Every Christian celebrates this little Biblical phrase because without it we wouldn’t have heard the gospel.
Of course over time many involved in missions have found it more manageable to focus on one particular region or people group. There’s some good sense in that, but I’m far less happy when I hear missionaries saying things like I heard again the other day: ‘The Lord has only sent us among (name of people group)’.
Job done, says missionary to Africa
Charles Gardner
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Ex-Muslims are making disciples among a largely unreached people.
After 25 years of sharing the gospel in sub-Saharan Africa, a previously London-based physiotherapist feels able to say that her ‘mission is accomplished’.
Palestinian Christians urge Western believers to repent
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Palestinian Christians have urged Western church leaders and theologians to repent of voicing ‘uncritical support for Israel’ and ‘re-examine’ their positions.
A group of Christians, including Kairos Palestine, Bethlehem Bible College, and Christ at the Checkpoint, has published an open letter saying they ‘grieve and lament the renewed cycle of violence in our land’.
The fastest-growing church? Maybe not what you think
Milla Ling-Davies
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
A new report from the Bible Society has
revealed that the fastest-growing church in
the UK is the Chinese Church.
In just the last two years, there has been
29% growth in the Chinese Church in the
UK – a large jump from the 7% growth they’d seen in the previous ten years. This is
largely due to people emigrating from Hong
Kong to Britain.
A cry from the heart of London: can you help us?
Andrew Murray
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
A Soho church is issuing a heartfelt plea for a new pastor to join it in one of the UK’s toughest mission areas.
Andrew Murray, who has been pastor of Hope Church, West End – which serves Soho and Covent Garden – says that after four decades of struggle the congregation is now just nine.
Good news for your career
OMF UK
Date posted: 1 Dec 2023
Around 60 workers from across the UK gathered in Manchester to explore how their careers and sharing the good news of Jesus were made to go together.
Work+Go Manchester 2023 combined plenary sessions looking at the value of work in God’s world and with seminars exploring the practicalities of working out faith in different vocations such as medicine, coding, art and the charity sector.
Chris Wigram
Luke Randall
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Chris Wigram has been announced by trustees as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Global Connections (GC). He started in the post in late November, having previously served as GC’s Chair of Global Conventions between 2006 and 2008, and also as a board member. Chris has also served in leadership positions with OMF and ECM.
Global Connections is made up of several organisations and individuals including churches and charities, as well as others. It exists to support the UK church’s mission community at home and abroad.
Moscow via the US to Wales...
Dave Gobbett
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Dave Gobbett, Lead Pastor, Highfields Church Cardiff, writes: It is a great thrill to report the launch of a new gospel congregation in South Wales.
November 5th will be the date to remember as the first meeting of Penarth Evangelical Church (penarthchurch.org.uk), planted by Highfields Church, Cardiff. With a core team of around 30 led by three elders, between 70 and 80 people, young and old, mature believers and interested enquirers, are now gathering together each week, committed to Bible-believing, cross-preaching, soul-reaching, and community-creating life together.
Baby-boomers to Generation Z?
Charlotte Mayhew
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
How do we bridge generational divides to make Jesus known together?
The recent London City Mission ‘Diaspora Conference’ was an opportunity to bring Christians together from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere, to explore this vital question. With no easy answers to the complex tensions that often exist between generations in our church communities, we focused on listening and learning from each other’s experiences.
Punched leader prays for attackers
Nicola Laver
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
London City Mission’s chief executive Graham Miller and his wife Alison are recovering after an assault in Earlsfield. Their daughter witnessed the attack.
Miller said they were assaulted after he ‘challenged some kids for abusing a cafe manager next to the station’. He tweeted: ‘We were both punched repeatedly in the head from behind and Alison was knocked down. Kids were still hitting her whilst on the floor and passers-by had to tear them off.’
Stay, says bishop
Iain Taylor
Date posted: 1 Jan 2024
Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, who is orthodox on issues of sex and sexuality, and has been a leading voice opposing change, spoke to en.
She said: ‘Why should we leave? One of my heroes of church planting in the Polynesian islands was George Selwyn, an architect of the Anglican Communion. He had a compellingly pragmatic response to error: “But how, you will ask, shall the truth of doctrine be maintained if we tolerate in the mission field every form of error, and provide no safeguard for the purity of the faith? I answer that, as running water purifies itself, so Christian work is seen to correct its own mistakes.” I urge evangelicals to resist any intimidation, but instead to stay and contend for the gospel through the Church of England.’