Several times recently I have been asked by concerned Christians questions along the lines of, ‘Will Muslims take over in the UK/the West?’ or, ‘How should we respond to the violence of Islamic State or the influx of refugees?’ My precise answer depends upon the circumstances, but is usually along the lines of, ‘Keep…
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I have to admit that when I first signed up to do Weymouth beach mission, it wasn’t all about serving God and sharing the gospel. I did want to do those things but there were other reasons too! My brother-in-law and sister had been encouraging me to come for some time and I was…
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Testimonies at Sidmouth From 8-14 April, a series of Parkinson-style interviews took place at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Sidmouth. Coming from the same county as the real Michael Parkinson, Yorkshireman and evangelist Roger Carswell interviewed a variety of inspirational Christians. The first was Professor Stuart Burgess, head of engineering design at Bristol University,…
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SixtyEightFive Ian Williamson was 28 years old and life made no sense to him. He was a nightclub bouncer with a £200-a-week cocaine habit; into sex, violence, alcohol and self-harm. Now, ten years later, he runs an inspiring Christian ministry to men and young people from troubled backgrounds in South Bank, a suburb of…
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Reaching east in West London Cranford, in the London Borough of Hounslow, lies under the flight path of the world’s busiest airport. Cranford Baptist Church is about 1,800m from the end of the northern runway of Heathrow Airport, and aircraft often pass overhead. When the church was founded in the 1930s, Heathrow was…
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Sowing the seed It is part of the Great Commission that evangelical churches should reach out to their neighbourhoods, regularly and prayerfully, and use the opportunities given. Perhaps the greatest opportunity, apart from regular visitation, is at Christmas time. For the past three years, Aycliffe Evangelical Church in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham,…
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Western Ireland Mayo is the Irish Republic’s third largest county and well known for its beautiful scenery, rolling hills and rugged coast line. The county is home to Ireland’s ‘holy mountain’ and its premier Marian shrine. According to tradition, the mountain just outside Westport is where Saint Patrick spent 40 days and…
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The Gospel in the West End of London The Lord greatly blessed The Open-Air Mission’s (OAM) week of outreach this June in the tourist areas of London’s West End. A team of twenty-two made the gospel known to a large number of people. Many listened to the preaching and some then stayed…
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Captive audience, with liberty to stay away! Gerard Chrispin discusses a unique prison double mission During DAYLIGHT’s Easter Mission at HMP Verne and Young Offenders Institute (YOI) at Portland, one inmate called Bert (all prisoners names changed) declared that the Christianity Explored (CE) course – modified for prison use – had ‘filled…
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Wales land of revival Wales – land of revival, mighty preachers of the gospel, hymn writers, hymn singing, and chapels! Surely the Principality’s great Christian heritage must mean that the spiritual temperature there is higher than in the rest of the United Kingdom? The answer, sadly, is otherwise. Although there are…
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Northern Ireland today Northern Ireland has a population of less than 1.6 million. Its people are characterised by warmth and friendliness. It is a place of ‘compact natural beauty’ with easy access to a rugged coastline, fresh-water lakes and the spectacular scenery of a rich, fertile countryside. The two main cities of Belfast and…
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If we compare the church in Scotland today with that of the 1950s we see great changes. In the postwar years, God and his Word had a central place. Membership of the national church, the Church of Scotland, stood at a record high of 1.32 million. Family religion was strong and the Lord’s Day…
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