UK & Ireland in Brief

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

The new Provost of Union School of Theology has been announced as Dr Clive Bowsher, currently minister of Abbey Baptist Church, Abingdon.

He takes up the post in January and will be based on the Wales campus. Dr Bowsher has an academic background, has held pastoral positions at two churches and co-mentored Union’s GDip Learning Community in Oxford. His forthcoming in the Son: Johannine Union, book, Life Oneness and Participation with Christ, is part of IVP’s New Studies in Biblical Theology series, edited by D.A. Carson.

About 170 believers celebrated Daniel Jarvis’ induction at Hayes Lane Baptist Church, Bromley, in Kent.

Those attending included 14 pastors, with more than 200 others seeing the service on YouTube. Having participated in two gruelling question and answer sessions on Zoom, in January 2021 Dan preached for three consecutive Sundays, and has subsequently been inducted.

Brian Whittaker has been inducted as Associate Pastor at Swindon Evangelical Church.

Following a number of years in which Brian and his wife Becca served in leadership with UCCF, he then trained for ministry at Oakhill Theological College in London. Moving to Cwmbran, Brian became Assistant Pastor at Pontrhydyrun Baptist Church, before joining Swindon this year.

Anglican evangelical organisations Church Society and ReNew are hosting a series of bi-monthly webinars to encourage and connect people in ministry who serve in churches which were not previously evangelical.

The first of these was held on 10 November with the theme ‘Revitalisation as Mission’. As well as a presentation on this topic from George Crowder, there was a spotlight on rural ministry from two ministers experienced in revitalisation in a rural context.