Church Society The Church Society met on Saturday 26 May, at Oak Hill College, for its yearly conference and annual general meeting (AGM). James Crabtree, chairman of Church Society Council, opened the conference with a brief exhortation from 2 Corinthians 6. After mentioning the apostle Paul’s extraordinary trials, he reminded us that we…
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Youth Feature Impact weekend On the weekend of 4-6 July, teenagers from Central Baptist Church (CBC), Walthamstow, and Thornton Heath Evangelical Church (THEC), met together for a weekend of fun, fellowship and faith-building. It was held at CBC’s premises and organised by THEC Impact leaders, under the leadership of Robert Jeffrey, who in August left…
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First in The United Reformed Church (URC) in the UK has joined Quakers and Unitarians to take advantage of new legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples to celebrate civic registration in their chapels. Counsellor Steve Radford, president of the Liberal Party, said, ‘We are pleased, as we wrote during the formal consultation,…
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CWI at the Olympics London Theological Seminary (LTS) played host to Christian Witness for Israel (CWI) over August as many CWI field workers and volunteers witnessed during the Olympic Games. The team was based at LTS and alternated between central London and other Jewish areas. From 3-12 August, teams reached out to Jew…
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Summer Conference 2012 In one of the coldest summers of recent years, the sun shone on Summer Conference 2012 at Cardiff, with wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures in the high 20s throughout the week. The Lord also warmed our hearts with messages from Vernon Higham, John Murray and Richard Brooks. Jonathan Munday and Neil…
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‘Faith in the public square’ The General Synod of the Church of England (CofE) met in York to back the right of Christians to ‘manifest their faith in the public square’. In a debate brought about by a General Synod member and cleric from the Peterborough Diocese, Rev. Stephen Trott, the three houses of…
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WORLD MISSION Ministering to the church in China God has blessed his people in the UK with a great heritage. For centuries the gospel has been preached here. We have a wealth of Christian literature, many excellent Bible teachers, conventions and Bible colleges. In many other areas of the world the church is much…
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EMF graduation On Friday 29 June, all this year’s full-time students at the European Missionary Fellowship’s (EMF) School of Biblical Studies received certificates at a graduation ceremony. The ceremony, held at EMF’s headquarters in Welwyn, was attended by friends and supporters of the Mission and relatives and friends of the students. The students…
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GBP Scotland Dundee and Wick witnessed many conversations over the summer as the team from Grace Baptist Partnership (GBP) Scotland went out to bring the gospel to people. According to the latest GBP update, many people attended the open air preaching in Dundee in July, including some Chinese and Polish men who received literature.…
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Hear me carefully John Blanchard ¬— a biography Marlene WilliamsEP Books, 143 pages, £6.99 ISBN: 9780852347850 Among the many who have benefitted from the literary output of John Blanchard, there are probably not a few who would appreciate knowing more about his life story and 50 years in full-time ministry. The same will…
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Middle East Christians There is still a role for Middle East Christians as ‘salt and light’ in their communities, the chief executive of UK Christian development charity BibleLands has claimed. Addressing a seminar on the Arab Spring at the New Wine Christian conference, on 23 July, Jeremy Moodey suggested that Christians in the West…
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Son of the underground Isaac Liu Lion Hudson: Monarch, 144 pages, £6.99, ISBN: 978-0-85721-199-6 Isaac Liu is the son of ‘the heavenly man’ whose story caused quite a stir and not a little controversy several years ago. Now, Isaac tells his own story of being brought up in a home from which his…
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Making sport of Jesus ‘Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads’ (Matthew 27:39) 2012 has been the year for momentous events. These have drawn large crowds, with millions of global spectators reached through many media outlets. Not least among these extraordinary happenings were those surrounding Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee. …
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All Souls All Souls Church, Langham Place, opened its doors to London’s West End during the Olympics. From the end of July to 12 August, the church was open for all to come and watch the Olympics, reaching out to people in their own languages with personal witness about the gospel. The church set…
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Youth Feature Beach mission After being unproductive last summer, I felt convicted to spend the first two weeks of this summer, from 14-28 July, serving God with United Beach Missions (UBM). My first week in Benllech, Anglesey, can be summarised in two words — temperamental weather. Each day’s programme was uncertain, and it was…
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Only connect! John Donne, the seventeenth century preacher and poet, famously wrote: ‘No man is an island entire of himself’. In a culture that prizes the rights of the individual over responsibility to the community, Donne’s words need to be heard once more. Christians are not immune to the individualistic spirit of the age…
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Marriage in Scotland The Scottish government’s decision to press ahead with redefining marriage in a gay marriage bill is an assault on religious freedom and a lawyer’s charter, Colin Hart has warned. Mr Hart said, ‘This is a crazy decision and shows that Mr Salmond has failed to grasp the importance of marriage as…
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World Mission Changing contours in China The church in China is beginning to cast off its chains and is emerging as a powerful force for change. Is this phenomenon likely to transform the communist culture of a repressive regime and create a more open and tolerant society? Article 13 of the Constitution of the…
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After my husband died, I remembered something which happened many years earlier. We were newly married and visiting people my husband knew well, when the lady said something to me I never forgot. She was fifty-something, had teenage children and her husband had just left his pastorate of 20 years. The family was in…
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Sickly politics A Green Party councillor was hauled before an inquiry in July after voting against a motion to support the Government’s plans to legalise same-sex marriages. According to the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), Hollingdean and Stanmer councillor Christina Summers voted against the proposals at a full council meeting. Speaking to the Brighton Argus,…
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Troubled families East London and Essex charity, WHCM Counselling and Support (WHCM), has awarded ten more counsellors certificates, on completion of their diploma in counselling children and adolescents. A statement from WHCM said the counsellors will go on to help and support troubled or problem children, adolescents and families in various schools and other…
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Kibera International children’s charity Global Care has launched a special short-term campaign to help 56 children in the world’s biggest slum — Kibera — on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. John White, chief executive of Global Care, said in Kibera people are so poor they buy sugar by the spoonful rather than the bag,…
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Rhondda Evangelical Church On Saturday 12 May the opening service of the Rhondda Evangelical Church was held at Salem Church, Llwynypia, Rhondda. The fellowship derives from the membership of Trinity Calvinistic Methodist Church, Tonypandy, which recently left the Presbyterian Church of Wales. The church has known long association with the Calvinistic Methodist Church of…
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Internet controls Ministers have launched a UK consultation on parental internet controls to help protect children from accessing harmful websites. Brought by Tim Loughton, minister for children and families, and Lynne Featherstone, minister for equalities and criminal information — joint chairmen of the Council for Child Internet Safety — the discussion paper seeks the…
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Dr Nigel Wright Dr Nigel Wright will retire as principal of Spurgeon’s College on 31 August 2013. He has been principal since 2000 and will have served the college for 21 years. He was ordained into Baptist ministry 40 years ago by Dr George Beasley-Murray. Dr Wright served the Baptist Union as president from…
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The envy of Eve Melissa Kruger Christian Focus, 256 pages, £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-84550-775-6 This interesting read combines the sort of practical analysis of heart-level Christian living to be found in the writings of the later Puritans with the anecdotal style often found in Christian writing today. The anecdotal aspect makes the book readable,…
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The following articles are here: The golden chain of salvation (2) The golden chain of salvation (3) The golden chain of salvation (1) ‘And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified’ (Romans 8:30) These memorable words are part of what has been called…
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Beach missions in Portugal Which is the most important ingredient of a beach mission — a week of uninterrupted sun and cloudless blue skies or an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with many families? Obviously it is the latter, and in the UK this is sometimes done in cool, overcast conditions.…
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Faith schools The European Commission has said it will investigate the legality of the laws that give faith schools in England and Wales the ability to ‘discriminate’ in the employment of teachers on religious grounds. This follows a formal complaint from Accord Coalition founding member, the British Humanist Association. According to a statement from…
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Gay Marriage Several US mayors have threatened to block a pro-marriage fast food chain Chick-fil-a after its president said he supported the biblical definition of the family unit. According to reports from CBN, the mayors of Boston and Chicago threatened to punish the US multi-billion dollar fast food chain because it backs traditional marriage. …
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Something is happening in evangelical circles. There’s been a subtle shift; a movement with no name and no leader, but spreading like the mists that roll in from the sea — swift, silent and chilling. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but it shows itself in a plethora of ways — the…
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Youth Feature Lakeland Bible School 2012 This year was my first time on Lakeland Bible School and I would love to go back again! The weekend was held in the Keswick Convention centre and there were about 30 people there. It was great to meet Christians and hear what is happening and what…
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First Lewis conference A group of like-minded brethren from different churches began a monthly prayer meeting in Stornoway last October, in the lead-up to the inaugural Lewis Christian Conference. This conference took place from Friday 29 June until Monday 2 July, when the speaker was Charles Price, senior pastor of the People’s Church in…
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National Churches Trust Places of worship across the UK are finding it harder than ever to get funding, the National Churches Trust (NCT) has said. Speaking on the launch of a newsletter for Friends of the NCT, Claire Walker, chief executive of the trust, said, ‘In these tough economic times, places of worship are…
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Black churches Delegates representing some of Britain’s largest Black-led churches have agreed a plan to change the relationship between the Black church movement in Britain and the British political process. At a meeting on 17 July, speakers, including Simon Woolley of Operation Black Vote, Rev. George Hargreaves of the Christian Party, and academic…
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John Grier After almost 38 years at Evangelical Bookshop, Belfast, John Grier has handed over leadership of its ministry to Colin Campbell. Colin is the fifth manager since the shop was started by John’s father, W. J. Grier, in 1926. John has seen many reasons to thank God for his goodness. Church leaders report…
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Syrian collapse ‘There is a Church in Syria’. This is how Barnabas Fund (BF) made its appeal to Christians to help brothers and sisters in this beleaguered country. Speaking as reports from Syria revealed desperate humanitarian needs, BF said that aid agencies are struggling to deal with an ever-growing number of refugees fleeing into…
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The shop around the corner The days of the old fashioned Christian bookstore seem numbered if current trends continue, but there are things that churches and individuals can do to maintain a high street presence. The ‘survival of the fittest’ is usually a topic found inside bookstores, not used of them, but Christian literature…
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Theological famine relief How can we train a whole new generation of pastors in some of the poorest regions on earth? This was the sobering task set before Pastor Training International (PTI) and Christian Books Worldwide (CBW) at their first-ever joint annual conference in Swindon earlier this summer. PTI exists to provide teaching and…
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William Booth (1829-1912) William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army, a denomination now found in 124 countries and having 800 corps (churches) in the UK. William was born in Nottingham, on 10 April 1829. His father, Samuel, was a speculative builder who lived to make money. When 49 and a widower, Samuel…
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Where are the ministers? There continues to be a shortage of men coming forward for the Christian ministry. Many evangelical churches that can afford to support and are actively looking for a minister are unable to find one. In many areas of the country, if two or three smaller churches were willing to form…
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North Korea The world’s most closed nation, North Korea, opened its doors to the international community after heavy flooding in June and July. According to the BBC, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) was allowed to send emergency food aid into the country. The WFP said the initial food assistance would provide flood…
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Make the world your parish: increasing your global influence for ChristReggie Weems Day One, 128 pages, £6, ISBN: 9781846253386 Reggie Weems, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA, has written this book to ‘help pastors understand the full ramifications of applied grace (practical theology), and in so doing increase their global influence…
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Manila floods Dozens of people have died after a devastating typhoon and severe flooding in the Philippine capital of Manila during August. According to BBC reports, torrential rain caused flooding across the city, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes and closing schools, offices and the stock exchange. It followed the…
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The Clapham Sect and the abolition of the slave trade (5) Within the Clapham Sect’s united endeavours William Wilberforce’s contribution was outstanding. He was more than an eloquent and engaging parliamentary speaker with a melodious voice; he fired all the others in faith and fervour. He was, even for his day, small and slight…
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DVD review — Courageous Director: Alex KendrickRated: Suitable for 12 years and over If you are familiar with the work of the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Pictures (Flywheel, Facing the giants, Fireproof), you will know what to expect from their latest DVD Courageous. The theme this time is fatherhood, with the focus on…
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How can you preach the gospel regularly without running out of gospel material or without becoming monotonous to your regular hearers?
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Call to Africa A forum of African leaders from more than a dozen nations has heard a clear call for the African continent to turn to God and live according to biblical principles. Concerns expressed at the African Biblical Leadership Initiative (ABLI) in Uganda, run by Bible Society, ranged from the growing threat of…
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Thornton Heath On Saturday 14 July, Thornton Heath Evangelical Church (THEC) joined with many friends for the induction of Gordon and Sandra Bull and to thank God for his provision of a pastor. Peter Dunn, church elder, opened the service, which was held at Selhurst Evangelical Church as Thornton Heath’s halls were still under…
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David Cameron and gay marriage Christian Concern has launched an email campaign to get Christians to lobby their constituent MPs after David Cameron confirmed his determination to redefine marriage by 2015. His comments, made at special reception for homosexual celebrities and activists at Downing Street, spurred Christian Concern to design a template message for…
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The unhappy truth behind Happy Science Happy Science — a fast growing new religious movement — has arrived in Uganda, among many other nations. We are indebted to Rodgers Atwebembeire, a graduate of African Bible University and a researcher for the Africa Centre for Apologetics Research (www.acfar.org) for writing this article. On Rubaga Road,…
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Cornerstone blazing a trail Cornerstone, an evangelical fostering agency, is blazing a trail in placing children with foster families who hold biblical Christian beliefs. In contrast to high-profile closures of faith-based adoption agencies, Cornerstone is actively seeking to expand its activities with the help of committed evangelical Christians. Back in 2008, the outlook for…
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Son of the Underground Isaac Liu Monarch – Lion Hudson 144, £6.99 ISBN: 978-0-85721-199-6 Star Rating: 2 Isaac Liu is the son of ‘The Heavenly Man’ whose story caused quite a stir and not a little controversy several years ago. Now, Isaac tells his own story of being brought up in a home from…
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The Envy of Eve Melissa Kruger Christian Focus 256, £8.99 ISBN: 978-1-84550-775-6 Star Rating: 4 As someone who rarely finds a 20th/21st century book that he prefers to the writings of the Puritans, I found this to be a very interesting read. It combines an element of the forensic analysis of the practical heart-level…
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Among the many who have benefitted from the literary output of John Blanchard, there are probably not a few who would appreciate knowing more about his life story and fifty years in full-time ministry. The same will doubtless be true for the many who have appreciated his spoken ministry. For all such, this…
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Reggie Weems, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA has written this book to ‘help pastors understand the full ramifications of applied grace (practical theology), and in so doing increase their global influence for Christ’ (p. 20). He has a heart for getting pastors involved in mission and helping them lead their…
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If you are familiar with the work of the Kendrick Brothers and Sherwood Pictures (‘Flywheel’, ‘Facing the Giants’ and ‘Fireproof’) then you will know what to expect from their current DVD ‘Courageous’. The theme this time is fatherhood with the focus on four different fathers, three of whom are in the local police department.…
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