Mission in Lancashire
The Pais Project
Date posted: 1 Jun 2018
The national Christian organisation Pais
GB brought teams and some of the young
people they work with to Lancashire for a
weekend of mission over the first May bank
holiday weekend.
They organised multiple
fun days and
mission projects, using the opportunity to
train their young people in evangelism and
mission and to advance the Kingdom in the
Northwest.
Mission field of the workplace
William Taylor
Date posted: 1 Sep 2018
Wes Illingsworth asks William Taylor about the new ‘Questions for Life’ mission
In March 2018, ‘Gospel at Work’ Lunchtime Talks networks made a special effort to take Christ’s answers to life’s biggest questions into their workplaces.
history
Reformers & mission V
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
Geneva was not a large city. During Calvin’s lifetime it reached a peak of slightly more than 21,000 by 1560, of whom a goodly number were religious refugees.
Nevertheless, it became the missionary centre of Europe in this period of the Reformation. Calvin sought to harness the energies and gifts of many of the religious refugees so as to make Geneva central to the expansion of Reformation thought and piety throughout Europe. This meant training and preparing many of these refugees to go back to their native lands as evangelists and reformers.
history
Reformers and missions
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Jul 2018
The 16th-century Reformers had a poorly-developed missiology and overseas mission was an area to which they gave little thought.
That is what is said. ‘Yes’, this argument runs, ‘they rediscovered the apostolic gospel, but they had no vision to spread it to the uttermost parts of the earth.’ Possibly the first author to raise the question about this failure of early Protestantism was the Roman Catholic theologian and controversialist, Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621). He argued that one of the marks of a true church was its continuity with the missionary passion of the apostles. In his mind, Roman Catholicism’s missionary activity was indisputable and this supplied a strong support for its claim to stand in solidarity with the apostles.
Mission comes front and centre
Keswick Ministries
Date posted: 1 Aug 2018
Tim Chester is our guide along the Keswick Convention’s path to world mission
‘Unknown to me, I had been waiting for this moment. Every part of me tingled with fervent joy and happiness that I was allowed the privilege of responding, and that Christ was inviting me to serve him, to be called his ambassador, his missionary.’
history
Reformers and mission II
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Aug 2018
Last month we begin to think about the argument that the Reformers had no missionary vision or passion.
This month we continue to ponder this important theme by looking at John Calvin’s thinking about the missionary advance of the church.
history
Reformers & missions III
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Sep 2018
Calvin is insistent that believers must actively employ
their strength to bring God’s
salvation to others.
In his sermon on Deuteronomy 33.18-19
Calvin can thus argue that it is not enough to
be involved in God’s service. Christians need
to be drawing others to serve and adore God.
Specifically, how does God use the strength
of Christians? Calvin’s answer is that it is by
their words and by their deeds.
Field of dreams
Student sport mission field
Mike Harris
Date posted: 1 Oct 2018
All over the country, freshers are starting their first year at university.
Anyone who has been a student knows the challenge of trying to live for Jesus in those early weeks where everyone is grappling for a sense of belonging, an identity, image, reputation and a group of friends.
The Third Degree
Using media in CU mission
Joe Cook
Date posted: 1 Oct 2018
More and more, meeting students where they are means meeting them online.
As a result media, and specifically video, is increasingly being used to reach students with the gospel.
history
Reformers & missions IV
Michael Haykin
Date posted: 1 Oct 2018
In seeking to re-evangelise
Europe, the Reformers made
powerful use of the latest
technology at their disposal,
namely, the printing press.
By Calvin’s death in 1564, his interest in
Christian publishing meant that there were
no less than 34 printing-houses in Geneva,
which printed Bibles and Christian literature
in a variety of European languages. In the
1550s particularly, Geneva was a hive of
biblical editions and translations.
SENT: when mission takes us to a holiday cottage
Keswick Ministries
Date posted: 1 Aug 2018
If a holiday cottage could write, it would fill many a book.
Visitors come and go and the cottage is woven into the tapestry of life. More often than not, the cottage forms the centrepiece of the annual holiday highlight. It offers four walls of protection from the hustle and bustle of the daily slog, a much-needed haven. Depending on its setting, it will also serve as a door into another world, a world of beauty and escape.
Field of Dreams
Sport is a mission field
Graham Daniels
Date posted: 1 Jan 2018
‘The reason I go to church on Sunday is that I follow Jesus! Do you ever go to church?’
Those words changed my life.
He will hold me fast
Janice Pibworth with the story of the hymn written by Ada Ruth Habershon1 (1861-1918), who died 100 years ago this year
When I fear my faith will fail,
Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail,
He can hold me fast.
Towards understanding South Africa
Chris Sugden and Gavin Mitchell
Date posted: 1 Dec 2018
Cape Town South Africa is a bewildering mix of fabulously beautiful landscapes and vineyards which provide a resource for a booming tourist industry, within a few miles of vast stretches of shanty towns where people attracted by its stable economy come to seek well-being for themselves and their families.
The irony is that this ‘rainbow nation’ of many different languages, races and cultures did not start off as nation at all. Cape Town was only intended from the 16th to the 19th centuries to be a refuelling port for food and water for sailing ships of the merchant companies of Portugal, Holland, France and, finally, England en route to their trading empires in the East Indies and India.
EFAC reorganises & renews its mission
Chris Sugden
Date posted: 1 Feb 2018
At a meeting of Trustees in October, the
Evangelical Fellowship
in
the Anglican
Communion (EFAC) restated its vision and
appointed new leadership.
EFAC’s purpose remains to encourage and
develop biblically
faithful
fellowship and
mission throughout the Anglican world. It
is adjusting its goals and strategies to best
serve its constituency, which has seen tremendous change since John Stott founded
the Fellowship in 1961.
The urban priority
Dave Williams
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
Dave Williams reminds us of some uncomfortable facts about the evangelical church
‘The UK is a mission field and the church needs to step out of maintenance mode and into mission mode.’
Independent but together
Mark Herbert
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
A story of church revitalisation
Mark Herbert is one of the pastors at Long Crendon Baptist Church.
Field of dreams
Teaming up with church
Sarah Righetti
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
How well do you know your local area?
I’m pretty confident that wherever your church is based, there will be sportspeople and sports clubs on your doorstep. And there will probably be sportspeople in your church family too.
GBM: ‘Be of good cheer.’
Matt Benton
Date posted: 1 Dec 2018
‘When the servant’s wish and the master’s call coalesce, it will happen.’ This was the glorious and timely assurance ministered by David Campbell to the 600 or so who attended this year’s Grace Baptist Mission Annual Mission Day on 27 October.
David’s message, which closed the day conference at the Renewal Centre, Solihull, was not one of triumphalism. Rather, skilfully and gently, taking Acts 23.11 as his text against the backdrop of Paul’s desire to preach the gospel in Rome and the journey there, David reminded us that God’s plans always come to fruition and yet so often happen very differently from how we expect.
Christianity Explored’s growing global impact
Christianity Explored Ministries
Date posted: 1 Dec 2018
Many churches in the UK have been using the various evangelistic courses developed by Christianity Explored Ministries for several years. There are an increasing number of countries who now have access to them in their native languages.
Following the launch of Christianity Explored (CE) in Albania in May, the evangelistic course has had a major impact across the nation.
Jesus for Jewish people
Christian Witness to Israel
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
With anti-Semitism on the rise, Christian Witness to Israel reminds us of their work
Kyle was a homeless Jewish drug addict.
Prayer – the youth key
Scripture Union
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
A report in late September identified prayer and responding to local needs as two of the most important factors in seeing youth mis-sional objectives met.
The study found that prayer makes a significant difference to a mission’s success, identifying clear links between teams that met their mission objectives and those who dedicated time to prayer for the work. Alongside the obvious benefits of God answering prayers, respondents also reported the positive psychological impact of knowing others were supportive of the work. Prayer was also cited as an effective way of increasing support for the mission, providing involvement opportunities for those who couldn’t help practically.
Ewart Helyar 1920 – 2018
Tony Thompson
Date posted: 1 Nov 2018
Ewart Frederick Bertram Helyar was called
into the presence of the Lord just five days
short of his 80th ‘spiritual birthday’.
Born in 1920 in South East London and
unable to continue his schooling following
the sudden death of his mother when he was
14, he went to live with his grandparents in
East Coker, near Yeovil. His grandmother
was a Christian and encouraged him to attend
the local church. He started going to a boys’
Crusader Class and in 1938 he accepted the
Lord Jesus Christ, under the preaching of
Captain Reginald Wallis. During World War
II he served in Yeovil in the bomb disposal
unit of the Home Guard, being in a reserved
occupation with Westland Aircraft.
