Together (Spring 2019)

together SPRING 2019

money for your mission INSIDE National Director announces new fund A lasting legacy for Scotland Called to a Northern adventure

WELCOME... …to the FIEC publication aimed at inspiring and equipping you – church members and leaders – in your service for your church and wider community.

Our front cover picture is by Peter Beggs at Hope Church Vauxhall.

You can read more about the church in John Stevens’ article on pages four and five.

Together is published by FIEC, 39 The Point, Market Harborough, LE16 7QU. 01858 434540 fiec.org.uk admin@fiec.org.uk fb.com/theFIEC @theFIEC Editor: Rachel Dalby 01858 434540 rachel.dalby@fiec.org.uk Designed by: AH Graphic Design www.ahgraphicdesign.co.uk ah@ahgraphicdesign.co.uk 07500 465753 Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Got a story?

We’d love to hear stories from your church – why not get in touch with us? The deadline for submissions for the next issue of Together is Friday 16th August 2019

Effective ministry is a team effort, where everyone plays their part according to their God-given talents and the opportunities available.

Through the FIEC network, we want you to feel supported and encouraged in your work, no matter how big or small the task in which you’re involved.

Launching this Spring edition, on pages four and five you’ll find some incredibly exciting news about FIEC’s new Mission Fund. Churches are being invited to apply for a share of money to fund church planting, revitalisation and growth.

It was a delight for me to meet our new Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Elinor Magowan, recently. Elinor, who grew up in Wales, is working part-time alongside Elisabeth Smyth. You can read Elinor’s story on page eight.

Along with some very encouraging stories about church planting, this edition also features news on a range of mission projects, conferences and resources aimed at supporting you or others in your congregation.

If you know someone in your church who doesn’t yet receive Together directly to their home, please encourage them to sign-up using the form opposite.

Rachel Dalby, Editor

CONTENTS 3

Sign-up to receive Together

16 First steps towards ministry

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Money for your mission

19 Primer 07: Show & Tell

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Called to a Northern adventure

20 Helping prisoners into the light

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Supporting women in ministry

10 Conference call 12 News in brief 14 A lasting legacy for Scotland

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22 Reviews 24 Website links global to local 26 Bible fun for young people 28 New church affiliations and church plants

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MONEY FOR YOUR A donor’s generous gift has led to FIEC launching a £750,000 mission fund. Our National Director, John Stevens, explains how the money will be allocated.

FIEC exists to enable independent churches to work together to reach Britain with the good news of the Lord Jesus. So, with less than 3% of John Stevens Britain’s population being bornagain believers, we’re thrilled to announce a significant sum of money for community gospel projects.

A generous gift of £500,000, along with other funds made available to us, means we’re offering three pools of money totalling £750,000 for the advancement of gospel work, especially in the neediest areas.

We want to ensure that this money is used as effectively as possible and as soon as possible.

To enable us to distribute the funds, we’re seeking applications from FIEC churches planning specific projects that fall into the following categories: church planting; church revitalisation, and evangelistic church growth.

Priorities We’ll prioritise allocating money to projects seeking to bring the gospel to areas of urban deprivation, places with a large ethnic population and rural areas. These types of places tend to have less gospel witness.

It’s our prayer that the Lord will have mercy, and work in mighty power, so that there will be a thriving gospel church in every community in the land. While this challenge seems huge, our God can do more than we may ask or imagine.

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Despite all the media reports of rapid church decline and secularisation, faithful gospel churches of all kinds are experiencing slow steady growth.

FIEC has grown considerably in recent years.

Our 600+ churches are growing and have a regular attendance of over 60,000 people. New churches are being planted on a regular basis, and more people are being converted and baptised.

WE’RE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE A SIGNIFICANT SUM OF MONEY FOR COMMUNITY GOSPEL PROJECTS. Graciously blessed Over the years, God has graciously blessed our network with gifts from churches and individuals that have enabled us to invest in the advance of the gospel.

For example, over the past six years we’ve been able to invest over £1.5m in training gospel workers because of the support we’ve received for our Training Fund. People helped by that fund include Sam Gibb, the Senior Pastor at the Hope Church Vauxhall plant.

Sam (pictured far right) received FIEC Training Fund support while at Oak Hill Bible College, and is now leading the Vauxhall plant set up with help from FIEC directors and church leaders. The plant has also received FIEC funding towards securing its charity status. fiec.org.uk

MISSION Sam told me that planting and growing a church, in an area where many people were out of work, was extremely challenging.

Serious investment He said: “There’s a real need for serious investment in mission if the unreached are going to be reached, which is why I’m encouraged and excited by FIEC’s new mission fund.”

In recent years, FIEC has also been able to support church planting and revitalisation, including giving £60,000 towards refurbishing

a building for a plant on a deprived estate in Scotland in conjunction with 20Schemes.

Although our new mission fund means FIEC has more money to invest than ever, it’s a small sum compared to the overall scale of gospel need.

Sadly, we won’t be able to fund every project that’s proposed to us. For this reason, we pray that we’ll receive many more donations from individuals and churches.

In the meantime, please join me, the FIEC staff team and trustees in rejoicing in

this generous provision for the work of FIEC churches. We would appreciate your prayers for us as we seek to steward these resources wisely and effectively. I look forward to reporting back on how they have been used to further the cause of the gospel in our land.

Details of how to apply for money from FIEC’s mission fund can be found on our website – fiec.org.uk.

If you feel able to give to further our work and replenish this fund, we would love to hear from you.

HOPE CHURCH VAUXHALL LEADER SAM GIBB (FAR RIGHT) WITH OTHER CHURCH MEMBERS

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CALLED TO A NORTHERN ADVENTURE

For four years, Worthing in West Sussex had been home for Doug Clark and his family. So why did they decide to up-sticks and move 300 miles last summer? Doug explains.

In his poem The Beggar’s Litany, 17th Century poet John Taylor wrote: “From Hull, Hell and Halifax, good Lord deliver us!”

It was a phrase that was well known by Yorkshire folk back then, such was the reputation of Halifax at the time. Beggars were afraid of Hull because they were likely to be pressganged into the navy, terrified of Hell for obvious reasons, and of Halifax because of the Halifax gibbet – a

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machine used to decapitate thieves.

There may no longer be beggars of the 17th Century variety in Halifax (and, thankfully, the gibbet’s blade is now in a museum), but there is still need for the prayer ‘from Halifax, good Lord deliver them!’

Indeed, a set of prayer cards published by FIEC a few years ago encouraged churches in its network to pray for a number of towns and fiec.org.uk

population, and even more who profess to having no religion, Halifax is in desperate need of the life that Jesus gives.

That’s why, last summer, my wife Rachael and I moved our family from Worthing to West Yorkshire to plant a church in a deprived area of north Halifax.

This was not an easy decision for us. For four years Worthing had been our family home, and we’d loved it. We were interwoven into the church family at Worthing Tabernacle, where I’d been Assistant Pastor, and our four children were settled in school. cities (50 places, to be precise) including Halifax.

Yorkshire was once known for its preachers and missionaries, from Hudson Taylor to Wycliffe and Wilberforce. But, sadly, this is no longer the case. In West Yorkshire only 3.1% of the population attends church, which is 1% lower than church attendance in Manchester, which itself has half the church attendance of London! Yorkshire has one of the lowest levels of gospel presence in the UK.

Desperate need Halifax is a town of 90,000 people with only a couple of evangelical churches.

With 37% of children living in poverty, a large Muslim fiec.org.uk

Calling But Rachael and I grew up in Yorkshire, and we felt God calling us back. This is something we had prayed about a great deal, and our research had revealed just how spiritually poor parts of the region were. We saw that Yorkshire needed more churches and we felt we could help.

We sought advice and support from FIEC, and we are now part of a small team that meets weekly on a Halifax housing estate. We are working towards publicly launching a new community church.

Gaining FIEC Church Plant Recognition has helped to raise our profile and has given us legitimacy in the eyes of other churches. It has also brought practical benefits, including

help with the legal costs of setting up our new church.

Our mission is to launch a Christ-centred, culturallyengaged and confessional church. But we need God’s help.

YORKSHIRE HAS ONE OF THE LOWEST LEVELS OF GOSPEL PRESENCE IN THE UK. God has already been good to us in calling another family from Worthing, along with a woman from Manchester, to join us. He has also given us enough funds for our first year.

But planting a church in a poor community means it will take several years to reach financial self-sufficiency, so we are looking for churches to partner with us.

We believe that the church is the front line of mission, and, as Christ’s ‘body’, is the agency through which God is at work in the world. That’s why Rachael and I knew that, however comfortable we were in Worthing (where the climate is warmer!), we had to go to Halifax.

We realise that the past few months have only been the start of our adventure, and we don’t know exactly what lies ahead. But we pray that God will use us in Halifax to make a real difference.

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SUPPORTING WOMEN IN MINISTRY Elinor Magowan is our new Women’s Ministry Co-ordinator, working parttime alongside Elisabeth Smyth. Together Editor Rachel Dalby asked Elinor about her life and career, and why women in ministry needed support.

With a full-time working husband, two daughters, a career and local church responsibilities, Elinor knows a thing or two about the joys – and challenges – of being a Rachel Dalby busy woman.

Having recently served for four years with UFM Worldwide, which partners with churches sending missionaries into cross-cultural ministry, Elinor also has a deep understanding of issues faced by workers in foreign (and sometimes hostile) environments.

At UFM Worldwide she proactively supported women who were, in turn, supporting their husbands and communities. She travelled in South America and a number of European countries, and witnessed the struggles experienced by women working in, and assisting others in, ministry roles.

But the icing on the cake (if she needed it) of

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Elinor’s qualification for her new role with FIEC is that she has lived in ministry households and been part of evangelical churches for most of her life.

Minister’s daughter Elinor grew up in Wales, where her father was pastor at Borras Park Evangelical Church, Wrexham. Almost 30 years ago Elinor said “I do” to David, who is currently a pastor at Reading’s Carey Baptist Church.

When she and David married, Elinor had already been a Christian for over a decade, and so she understood that God had a plan for their lives. Now, looking back, Elinor sees clearly that God has used each phase of their lives to train and prepare them for the next.

“And I’m incredibly excited by this new phase of working with Elisabeth at FIEC!” Elinor told me, having joined our staff team at the start of the year.

Much of Elinor’s initial work will involve fiec.org.uk

supporting ministry wives, complementing Elisabeth’s work with women in ministry.

She said: “Working alongside women across the world has shown me that we experience similar pressures and difficulties in our gospel work. We often ask the same questions, too, so we must share advice for better ministry.

Rest “Pressures can come from within as well as without. Sometimes we may feel inadequate, overwhelmed, resentful, insecure, anxious and far from the Lord. At times we may be criticised unfairly, our husbands may be discouraged, and we may feel stressed.

“We may find it hard to draw boundaries and take the rest we need. We can be disappointed by our own sin as well as the sin of others.”

Elinor added that, while this sounded a bit depressing, we were assured that ‘God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (2 Corinthians 9:8).

ELINOR MAGOWAN

close to the town centre.

“It’s great to be part of a church that’s taking the good news of Jesus to men, women and children from many countries, across a range of ages, and from different sections of society,” said Elinor.

AT TIMES WE MAY BE CRITICISED UNFAIRLY, OUR HUSBANDS MAY BE DISCOURAGED, AND WE MAY FEEL STRESSED.

Pray

Love

churches in Reading, Stockport, and California.

In the light of all the strains that women in ministry face, how might God work through Elinor?

“I would like my FIEC role to be one that enables women to love the Lord more deeply, to hold onto his word more firmly, and to prove his faithfulness every day. If we do this then the Lord will shine through us to bring greater glory to himself,” she said.

The Reading church co-pastored by Elinor’s husband, David, has a large multicultural congregation and is located in a needy area fiec.org.uk

Prior to moving to Reading, David was pastor of Whitby Evangelical Church in North Yorkshire, and before that the couple, who have two grownup daughters – Angharad and Dilys – attended What could Together readers pray about for Elinor in her first months with FIEC? She said: “This role is a huge blessing. What a joy it will be to learn from Elisabeth and work with her. Please pray that I’ll keep close to the Lord and learn from his word.

“Pray for wisdom and energy; that I listen and learn well and am able, with Elisabeth, to see God’s way forward as we seek to provide support, training and refreshment to women serving their Lord and Saviour.”

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CONFERENCE Our 2019 Leaders’ Conference is for all leaders and staff members in FIEC churches, as well as members of our Pastors’ Network. Here, Huw Iley, Pastor of Bethesda Evangelical Church, Brampton, explains why congregations should encourage their leaders to take part.

This year’s conference, from 11th to 13th November, Huw Iley promises to help grow leaders at every level of church life. And with talks lined-up from several internationally-renowned senior pastors, who are also highly-regarded authors, it isn’t hard to see why tickets are selling fast.

For congregations of many larger FIEC churches, providing the time, space (and money) for their leaders to attend this annual event has become woven into the fabric of their routines. But for members of smaller churches, who may rely heavily on a lone leader, finding sufficient cover for their pastor to take part can be tricky.

Yet, with conference organisers this year throwing a spotlight on raising-up and training elders and deacons, alongside how leaders can be equipped for different church

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ministries, I think it would be especially beneficial for people from smaller churches (as well as the larger ones).

I was among almost 900 leaders who attended last year’s conference at the Riviera Centre in Torquay, and I found the whole experience to be enriching in a variety of ways.

Torquay is, of course, a very long way from my home in Cumbria! But, thanks to a VW van that seated nine pastors, the long drive meant conversations could begin early; and there was time to reflect together during the journey home.

Brilliant speakers The conference is very well run. The programme is balanced, the venue is excellent and the staff friendly. All the delegates ate great food together, providing opportunities to meet people and share stories.

A line-up of brilliant

speakers and workshop leaders gave us a great deal of intellectual and spiritual food for thought, as well as fresh perspectives on our own roles and church situations.

A LINE-UP OF BRILLIANT SPEAKERS AND WORKSHOP LEADERS GAVE US A GREAT DEAL OF INTELLECTUAL AND SPIRITUAL FOOD FOR THOUGHT. There were helpful reviews of books for leaders and church members, and for giving away – helping us to get the most out of the very comprehensive 10ofThose bookstall.

It was great to hear news about the FIEC network, including the fact that over 30 churches joined last year, and that a new FIEC church was, on average, being planted every month. Being fiec.org.uk

CALL

together in one place enabled leaders to see the bigger picture and sense the growing FIEC momentum.

At times it was tricky balancing a busy programme with talking to people – such an important element of these events. But even just two or three good conversations with people ministering in similar (or different) contexts are incredibly valuable to leaders.

Our church had supported six of our leaders to attend the conference together. We are not affiliated to FIEC, but the conference gave us a unique opportunity to get to know the network and to think about what it would mean to join.

This year’s speakers include Mark Dever and Colin Smith from the USA. Please encourage and support your leaders to go along.

Church leaders and staff members booking for FIEC’s 2019 Leaders’ Conference on or before 30th September can do so at the discounted price of £190 per person. This includes the full conference programme, meals and refreshments.

The price rises to £225 from 1st October.

Delegates need to book their accommodation separately, and there are special conference rates available at selected nearby hotels when booking through FIEC’s conference webpage.

You can fly to Exeter from a variety of UK airports, and there are discounted train tickets available from GWR. Simply select ‘Torquay Conference’ as the destination on the GWR journey planning page. The tickets will be available around three months from the start of the conference.

More information about the conference is available at: fiec.org.uk/lc2019

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NEWS IN BRIEF RETIREMENT HOME MINISTRY GROWS The Spring 2018 Together featured a story about a fledgling Christian work in a retirement home in Bristol. The ministry was set up by a team from several South Gloucestershire evangelical churches.

Project co-ordinator Pauline Barnett, who has been thrilled with its growth over the past year, says: “What started out as a Sunday get-together to encourage a few people in their Christian faith has been steadily gathering momentum, particularly in the past 12 months.

“More residents of the retirement home are now joining in with Sunday services, and we’ve been grateful to the home’s managers and staff for their willingness to facilitate a weekly Thursday morning discussion session.”

Pauline adds: “With an ageing population in the UK, it’s vital that church congregations and leaders continue to work hard to engage more with older people.

Please join me in thanking God for existing ministries in residential, nursing and care homes, and in praying for this work to thrive.”

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SPEAKING OF DEATH Inspired by the theme’s coverage in recent films, books and a radio play, Linda Allcock (pictured) has written a website article for FIEC about a growing willingness to talk about death in our culture, and how this gives us opportunities for sharing the gospel.

Linda, who lives in Central London with her husband, Jonty, and works alongside him for The Globe Church, writes: “At last! We can talk freely about death. Why am I so pleased?

Because in the birth of Jesus, the Bible tells us that: ‘on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned’ (Matthew 4:16). In the shadow of death, the gospel is not just good news, it is the best news.”

You can read Linda’s full article on FIEC’s website.

Search for ‘Speaking of Death’.

FIEC NETWORK REACHES RECORD SIZE The number of FIEC-affiliated churches and recognised church plants has climbed above 600 for the first time.

Since the last issue of Together, 23 churches and five plants have been admitted to our network by FIEC’s National Recognition Team – the group that meets regularly to consider church applications.

John Stevens, FIEC’s National Director, says: “One of the great encouragements at FIEC continues to be the number of new churches applying to join us because they share our gospel convictions and want to support our national vision.

They want to be independent churches working together to reach Britain for Christ.”

All churches and plants new to FIEC are shown on the map on the back cover of this issue. fiec.org.uk

PRAY FOR LONDON

NEW ISLAND CHURCH

FIEC’s London Director, Trevor Archer, is encouraging church members and leaders to pray about the challenges and opportunities for the gospel in the capital city.

Trevor says: “The sheer immensity of the task before the church can be numbing of gospel expectation, but, despite the challenges, there is good gospel reason to be optimistic about the future.

“Please, in your group and individual prayer times, keep London in your thoughts. In particular, please pray for a growing awareness among evangelical leaders, born of gospel-heartedness and urgency, to develop generous partnerships across historical and ethnic divides.

“Pray also for new churches to be planted in the most populous and unreached urban areas of London, and for failing churches to be willing to embrace change for the gospel’s sake.”

An online article written by Trevor about the gospel situation in London can be found on FIEC’s website. Search for ‘London in Focus’.

After many months of praying as a group of around a dozen, Grace Church Orkney has launched Sunday evening services to the public.

The church, in Stromness, is the initiative of local Christians and takes forward the gospel work of a previous congregation. It arose from the island’s great gospel need and a commitment to a strong Bible-centred ministry.

Stromness, located on the west of the ‘mainland’ (the largest of more than 70 islands), has a population of around 2,200.

Several thousand more people live in the surrounding areas.

Tony Wilkinson (pictured), who is one of the church’s founding elders, says: “As the initial core group met to pray and discuss options for a new church, we were blessed by the offer of an existing church building.

This has provided a central meeting place for developing gospel ministry.”

Tony adds: “Not having planted before, we’ve been especially thankful for FIEC’s advice and encouragement.”

The church received FIEC funding towards the costs of the legal work required to write a constitution and deal with OSCR (the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator).

You can read more about Grace Church Orkney in an article written by FIEC’s Scotland Director, Andy Hunter, for our website. Search for ‘A New Church for Orkney’.

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GAVIN AND JEAN MCALLISTER

A LASTING LEGACY

FOR SCOTLAND Gavin McAllister’s death last year, aged 99, marked the passing of one of FIEC’s elder statesmen. But, as Scotland Director Andy Hunter explains, Gavin’s impact on FIEC’s work will live on.

Gavin’s birth preceded the formation of FIEC by three years – he was Andy Hunter born in 1919 and FIEC (or The Fellowship of Undenominational and Unattached Churches and Missions, as it was then known) was formed in 1922.

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By the end of his life, he had been pivotal in helping to grow our fellowship and gospel work in Scotland, having held key local church roles along with positions focused on mission across Scotland and beyond.

His heart was to see local churches supporting each other and reaching the

nation for Christ. And FIEC has recently discovered that Gavin’s home-calling was not the end of his contribution to that vision.

Gavin and his wife, Jean (who died in 2016), left a £70,000 share of their estate to FIEC. They directed through their Will that a third of that money should fiec.org.uk

be used in Scotland. This hugely generous gift means that, even now, the couple are continuing to support the work they loved.

Gavin was born in Glasgow, the city to which he gave so much of his life. However, it was in the Highlands that he came to faith aged 15 before becoming a ‘boy preacher’ in his early Christian years.

in Scotland.

Military service

LEGACIES CAN HELP US TO SUPPORT CHURCH PLANTING IN HARD TO REACH PLACES, TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS AND TO STRENGTHEN STRUGGLING CHURCHES AND BATTLE-WEARY PASTORS.

Like many of his generation, the Second World War called Gavin into military service, where he served in Dover and Orkney. Throughout these years he so stood out for Christ that his fellow servicemen nicknamed him ‘The Bishop of Flotta’ (after one of the Orkney islands).

After the war, Gavin graduated from Glasgow University and became a Chartered Accountant in the NHS – an occupation that gave him many opportunities to share his faith.

If there was one place that truly had Gavin’s heart, though, it was Glasgow’s Finnieston – an inner city dockland area on the Clyde. Here, he assisted his father in outreach work to its predominantly working class population.

In 1961, Gavin became the founding pastor of what would become Finnieston Evangelical Church. It was also the year he married Jean.

The Sixties brought the beginning of a large Asian community to Glasgow. Most were from Muslim and Sikh backgrounds, but some came from Indian and Pakistani Christian communities.

Asian Christians Gavin was quick to welcome them, and the church became a spiritual home for Asian Christians who today lead the church. His gospel heart was seen in his willingness to adapt services to be as accessible as possible to this new group – including translation into Punjabi and Sunday lunch becoming curry and pakora. He would later become Chairman of The Fellowship of Faith for Muslims

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While rooted in local ministry, Gavin possessed a big vision for national and international gospel work. At the heart of his national gospel concern was the desire to see independent gospel churches, like Finnieston, work together for the cause of Christ. Key to this for Gavin was FIEC.

He served as our Scottish Treasurer and then as Scottish President on three occasions.

In these roles he travelled throughout Scotland visiting churches and encouraging leaders and congregations alike.

The directors and trustees at FIEC are now prayerfully thinking through how best to use Gavin and Jean’s money to strengthen and grow the cause of Christ.

It was a privilege to know the couple and be part of the FIEC family with them – and it is a cause of immense thanksgiving to God that they are still blessing us now.

Gifts from people like Gavin and Jean over the years have helped us enormously as we seek to support the FIEC network of churches in reaching their communities with the gospel.

Legacies can help us to support church planting in hard to reach places, to train the next generation of leaders and to strengthen struggling churches and battle-weary pastors.

More information about leaving a legacy to FIEC can be found by searching for ‘legacies’ on our website.

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FIRST STEPS TOWARDS MINISTRY How can someone feeling a strong call to ‘independent’ church ministry begin their journey? Oak Hill College ministry trainee Sam Anderson explains how The Hub Conference can help.

So, you’ve had this overwhelming feeling for months, Sam Anderson perhaps years, that God’s calling you into ministry. You’ve prayed and prayed, and talked and talked with mature and wise Christians who know you well.

You (and they) are absolutely convinced you should act upon this call. So what next?

It’s not easy to get quality time to prayerfully think through big decisions, and if you’re married, carving out that time can feel even harder.

So, away from all the distractions of everyday life,

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my wife, Alice, and I set off to The Hub Conference to think through ministry together. This FIEC event, held in January, was attended by around 80 delegates from across Britain.

All of us were at different stages on our path into ministry.

Key moment For us, it was our second Hub, and it was a key moment in the year for us to think through ministry, get to know others in ministry and be reminded of the risk we’re all called to take.

After settling in to the hotel and having a good dinner and chat with other delegates, the event kicked off with Nathan Howard from Enfield Town

Community Church preaching on 2 Timothy 2.

This was a really helpful reminder of our spiritual forgetfulness as the people of God, and that we need to: ‘Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.’ 2 Timothy 2:8.

As believers, we need to remind ourselves of the gospel, applying it to our lives all the time. Gospel-remembering helps us endure trials with joy because there is no one better, no one more than Christ, worth suffering for.

Something that struck me afresh was that suffering is not the problem but the pattern for Christian ministry. fiec.org.uk

We follow a Saviour who suffered for us, demonstrating true servant leadership.

I was really encouraged by Nathan speaking about what a ministry of reminding others looked like. We’re not called to create a fresh, exciting, new ‘out there’ angle on the gospel but to simply remind others of Christ crucified.

Job offer I attended this year’s Hub having already received a ministry job offer (Alice and I will be joining Oldham Bethel Church as gospel workers in September). But I still benefited from the event’s excellent talks and from getting to know others.

It was extremely helpful to chat with people who have been working in ministry for years.

The message from my Bible college and from the conference has been loud and clear on this. If you’re working in ministry, you need the fellowship of other gospel workers. And what better way to meet some of those people than at The Hub? Everyone attending was given time with an experienced ministry couple to benefit from

their prayers and wisdom. Alice and I were able to meet the same couple as last year.

On the final day, we were helpfully challenged by Ian Williamson from New Life Church, Middlesbrough, to take risks for the glory of Jesus’ name. It was a fitting end to the conference, and something that should challenge us all.

I can often make comfort an idol, so I’m thankful for The Hub’s help and challenge to think through the cost and sacrifice of ministry, not as a medal of honour to others, but as a genuine response to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

If full or part-time ministry is something you’ve been praying and thinking about with your church leaders, then The Hub Conference 2020 could be a helpful next step.

If you’re interested in attending The Hub, please get in touch with the FIEC office. In the meantime, the key talks given at the 2019 event can be downloaded from FIEC’s website.

FELLOWSHIP DURING THE HUB

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PRIMER 07: SHOW & TELL Published twice a year, Primer is aimed mainly at helping church leaders to stay theologically sharp. But church members looking for in-depth material are also among its growing readership.

Here, Primer editor and FIEC Theological Adviser, David Shaw, who is also part-time Tutor in New Testament and Greek at Oak Hill Theological College, introduces the latest issue.

Each issue of Primer focuses on one area of theology, surveying current debates alongside historical perspectives. The current issue explores the topic of apologetics and, let’s face it, this subject can be theological Marmite!

Some people love the thought of engaging with culture and thinking how best to ‘tear down strongholds’ or ‘subversively fulfil’ the latest trends. Others find apologetics intimidating, or suspect that it distracts from actually getting on with evangelism and betrays a lack of confidence in God’s sufficient word.

In light of these questions, Primer 07 starts with Scripture, as Dan Strange asks what the Bible says about fallen human beings and how that should set the agenda for our evangelistic questions and methods.

Next, Matt Peckham is our guide to several recent books on apologetics that help us explore everyday evangelism and ask good questions.

For our regular historical extract we have an excerpt from Blaise Pascal’s Pensées – a published scrapbook of his thoughts on reason, miracles, happiness, and the centrality of Jesus to anything we have to say. Bill Edgar comes alongside to introduce them and reflect with us on their significance.

All three of these articles reject the idea that apologetics is some lofty and intellectualised pursuit, and the rest of Primer 07 is designed to reinforce that. fiec.org.uk

Jonathan Leeman’s article is a vital piece of the puzzle because it draws the church into the conversation. Jesus spoke about the way our love for one another makes the gospel visible – and yet this is regularly overlooked in discussions around apologetics. In truth, our task is to show and tell the gospel.

Gavin McGrath discusses apologetics and preaching, arguing that Scripture itself is engaged in apologetics, seeking to persuade us and subvert our assumptions about the world.

This is so helpful when we often hear expository preaching played off against apologetics.

Finally, to really bring the theme home, we have interviewed a number of churches about how they are engaging apologetically with their communities – what are the questions they face, how have they learnt to answer them, and how are they living out the gospel in compelling ways?

You can find Primer for sale on The Good Book Company website. If you’re new to Primer, then you’ll find the previous issues for sale here, too.

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HELPING PRISONERS INTO THE LIGHT More than 82,000 people are serving sentences in UK prisons. Tim Diaper, one of the pastors at Rickstones Church in Witham, Essex, explains how members of other FIEC churches can help people behind bars to start a new life.

It raises eyebrows when I tell people that I’ve been in prison dozens Tim Diaper of times. While that’s true, the reality is that it’s never been as an inmate.

Before becoming a pastor, my work with a Christian charity meant that I got to visit many prisons across England and Wales. On every occasion, I felt a tangible sense of relief as I walked out of the gate at the end of the day. Contrary to what you may hear, prison is no holiday camp!

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FIEC Together Spring 2019

One thing that was obvious to me was that God was at work behind those prison bars. Through chaplains and volunteers the good news of Jesus was finding, and continues to find, its way into some of the most secure places in the country.

Best thing I heard recently of a prisoner who said: “Coming into prison is the best thing that’s happened to me; I’ve heard the gospel and I’ve become a Christian!”

And that’s why it’s a privilege and delight for me

to now serve as a trustee of Daylight Christian Prison Trust, whose vision is that prisoners may be brought from darkness into light.

From a firmly evangelical foundation, our conviction is that this will come about as the Bible is proclaimed and explained, and as people pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work.

Daylight’s ministry centres on three elements: •

Volunteers from evangelical churches who go into prisons to lead Sunday services and Bible studies.

•

Local groups who faithfully pray for the ministry and for the prisoners we’re reaching.

•

Individuals who commit to our letter-writing scheme – a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel. fiec.org.uk

In Matthew 25, Jesus lists some of the ways in which his disciples are to show Christian compassion. They include some obvious things like feeding the hungry and looking after the sick. But, at the end of his list, Jesus says: “I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Later he says: “Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Many of the men and women in prison feel lonely and forgotten. They’re locked away from society and many have little or no contact

PRISON BIBLE STUDY

with family or friends on the outside. Yet Jesus cares for them, and he calls his church to care, too. Daylight demonstrates that care by sharing the gospel with them and praying for them.

Lost souls One prisoner told us: “There are many lost souls in prison, and if it wasn’t for Daylight there would be many more.”

While we’re thrilled about those souls that God has impacted through our charity’s work, we’re conscious that there are thousands more prisoners to reach with the gospel. And that’s where leaders and members of FIEC churches could help.

We’re already grateful to several FIEC churches including Wheelock Heath Baptist fiec.org.uk

Church in Cheshire, who are partnering with us. Wheelock Heath’s pastor, Tim Wilson, sometimes preaches at HMP Thorn Cross.

HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT PRISONERS HEAR THE MESSAGE OF GOD’S LOVE FOR PRODIGAL SONS. Tim told me: “At first, I wondered what I could say to a group of prisoners. However, the gospel is for all, and it turned out that preaching in prison felt surprisingly normal. I shared a short talk on the Prodigal Son, and I and other members of the team had opportunities to discuss

the message with inmates and staff. How important it is that prisoners hear the message of God’s love for prodigal sons.”

In my own church, I’m very excited that a recentlyconverted woman who was once a prisoner wants to get involved in writing letters to prisoners. She’s really keen to share the love of Jesus that she has experienced.

Perhaps you and a group of friends in your church could lead Sunday services or run a Bible study course in your local prison? Or maybe you could form a prayer group?

For more information about getting involved, please visit: daylightcpt.org

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REVIEWS

We would like to say a big thank you to Jonathan Carswell and 10ofThose for providing these reviews.

Becoming Christlike

Devotional Dippers

Peter Lewis This book, from the Keswick Foundations Series, deals with a subject I wish I had known more about when I first became a Christian. Indeed, it’s a subject to which all Christians should continue to return throughout their earthly walk.

At the centre is the doctrine of Union with Christ – what that doctrine means for the believer and how it should impact the life that the believer lives.

The book is divided into five parts: The Source of Christlikeness; The Model of Christlikeness; The Helps to Christlikeness; The Contradictions to Christlikeness, and The Triumph of Christlikeness.

The author walks us through the book like a wise grandfather. He first sets out the comfort and security we have by knowing that we’re part of God’s eternal plan. He builds on this as the book progresses, all the way through to the joy of knowing that, when Christ returns, we shall be Christlike at last.

The book is simple without being simplistic.

Lewis writes in such a way that those with the weakest faith will know that Christ holds them, and yet Lewis is also able to challenge us to be aware lest we fall. Of course, he is also quick to show that restoration is always possible. We cannot lose Christ or our justification in him.

The book is practical in its application. Much would be gained by reading this book one-to-one with a trusted friend and honestly discussing your respective journeys to Christlikeness.

Neal Patterson, Knighton Free Church, Leicester

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Spending time as a family reading God’s word and praying is not an easy thing to maintain.

Partly this is due to the disappearing culture of long meal times. Partly it is because of the complex status of children in the New Covenant (according to my understanding: not automatically believers, yet highly privileged in what they have access to).

But the truth is also that there are precious few quality resources around to help make such times work well. That’s why I’m really pleased to see one FIEC pastor’s idea become a reality in the form of Devotional Dippers.

These three tubes (prayer, key words, names of God) each contain 40 heavy duty cardboard sticks with a verse, a question and a prayer written on them.

The simple idea is to draw out a stick at the meal table (or at bedtime), read the verse or passage, talk about the question and then pray.

At the end, you put the stick back in, but turn it around. A little coloured tab is on the reverse end of each stick so you can see which ones have been selected and which are still to draw.

It’s a great idea. Innovative, fun, faithful and useful! I imagine that getting the idea from concept to reality was not easy, but it’s been done very well. Definitely worth having a set yourself.

Adrian Reynolds, FIEC Associate National Director

fiec.org.uk

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Different

Evidence Not Seen

David Martin

Darlene Deibler Rose

This is a very timely book. As the subtle sirens of materialism, careerism, sentimentalism and nationalism creep incrementally into the psyche of the Christian and the church, we need this book to shake us up and wake us up!

David Martin’s rallying cry to bold, unashamed and undistracted Christianity should be heard and heeded by everyone.

He calls us back from the brink to live wholeheartedly and uncompromisingly for Jesus Christ before a watching world.

We each need this book in our hands and its message in our hearts to expunge the subtle idols alluring Christians.

This book would be a very helpful resource to be read in small groups, among students or given away at church services. It is a vital tonic to assuage the restless, unsatisfying spirit of the age that is always away from Christ towards comfort, complacency and consumption. It is absolute dynamite!

Ransome W. Cooper once said: “The reading of a good biography forms an important part of a Christian’s education. It provides him with numberless illustrations for use in his own service. He learns to assess the true worth of character, to glimpse a work goal for his own life, to decide how best to attain it, what self-denial is needed to curb unworthy aspirations; and all the time he learns how God breaks into the dedicated life to bring about his own purposes.”

I think Cooper’s words strike at the heart of why biography is so important. Sure, we all love to read a good story, but Christian biography can teach and train in a way that many other books can’t.

Evidence Not Seen is perhaps the finest missionary biography you’ll ever read. It’s the story of Darlene Diebler Rose, who was one of the first missionaries to New Guinea.

During the Second World War, Rose was captured by the Japanese army and suffered greatly while being held in a Prisoner of War camp. This is a moving story, but it’s also one that shows God’s faithfulness and enduring love.

Ruth Graham (wife of the late Billy Graham) said: “Try this and see if you can put it down!” I would echo that challenge to you!

This is a book that whole congregations could read, and it would be ideal for book groups. I feel it would be unsuitable for under-16s.

Jon Gemmell, The Proclamation Trust

Jonathan Carswell, 10ofThose

fiec.org.uk

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WEBSITE LINKS GLOBAL TO LOCAL With almost 90% of the UK adult population now describing themselves as regular internet users, seasoned missionary Matt Rich is encouraging churches to make more use of online tools. Here, Matt, the pastor at Bethany Christian Church in Ulverston, Cumbria, explains how his website supports Christians working in their local communities.

It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet and, indeed, Matt Rich those people who were born in the western world since the 1990s have never known life without it.

Office for National Statistics research in 2018 showed that the number of internet users in the UK had continued to rise, with 89% of adults surveyed saying they used the internet regularly.

With the ‘internet of things’ now being used to link everything from central heating to home lighting systems, the world wide web

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is playing an ever-increasing role in our lives.

I first started using the internet for mission in 2000 while doing Christian work in schools. It wasn’t long after this that I launched into full-time internet evangelism.

Back then, internet chat rooms were popular so I’d ‘visit’ them to start conversations about God. I guess I became an e-vangelist.

Experiment Sadly, those chat rooms started to be hijacked by people for exploitative reasons, so I decided to experiment with other ‘places’ where one-to-one typed

conversations were possible.

I quickly realised that, because people didn’t need to reveal their identity, they were far more likely to be honest and open in their conversations about faith.

I saw a huge evangelism opportunity, and so launched Chatnow – an online gateway for people to converse anonymously with Christian volunteers about faith.

Private space Chatnow is a private space for people who feel that visiting a church or having a face-to-face conversation with a Christian is too daunting. People using the site can ask and say anything they want about their own faith. All our chats are typed conversations without the use of video or audio.

Although many of our conversations are with people who’ve never had contact with churches, we’re seeing more website visitors as the result of them receiving recommendations from churchgoers.

Our Chatnow volunteers are equipped to deal with all types and levels of enquiries. Typical questions we’re asked range from ‘What’s a Christian?’ to ‘I’ve been attending church for years but I don’t believe any more – can you help me?’

Wherever possible, and at the appropriate moment, we recommend those we chat with to find a church in their home area. As a result, several FIEC churches have received visitors with whom we’ve spoken. One woman subsequently wrote to me enclosing a photograph of her baptism!

Support This is where the global really links to the local.

Churches can point people in our direction and, after helping them work through some of their questions about faith, we can point them to local churches to find out more. It’s a mutuallyreinforcing mission project, and we’d like to support more independent churches in this way.

To provide 24-hour global coverage, Chatnow fiec.org.uk

is now part of the NeedHim.org network of similar sites around the world. This provides a pool of around 600 volunteers, each working between two and ten hours per week, engaged in thousands of conversations.

Each month, the Chatnow website, which has evolved to include written answers to common questions, attracts around 16,000 visitors. This results in more than 3,000 conversations. That’s a staggering amount of mission work going on!

Christians who want to refer people in their own communities to Chatnow can give them our website address – chatnow.org. They could do this via their church notices, on their church website or by word of mouth. Our hundreds of Christian volunteers are happy to support them in their local evangelism.

Chatnow is always looking for more volunteers to chat online to people. If you feel you could help, please visit the ‘Get Involved’ section of Chatnow’s website.

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BIBLE FUN FOR Each year, around 300 young people attend the Bible by the Beach conference in Eastbourne with their parents or guardians. Ed Drew, who leads the event’s children’s work, caught up with some of last year’s young participants to ask them what’s special about the weekend.

Bible by the Beach offers so much.

Contemporary and lively in Ed Drew style, it’s a high quality Bible-centred conference for all God’s people. It attracts church groups, couples, families and individuals at all stages of their Christian journey.

Some of our 1,000 or so participants come from FIEC churches, and several FIEC church ministry workers will

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FIEC Together Spring 2019

be speaking at this year’s event over the May Day bank holiday weekend (3–6 May).

In my role managing the children’s programme, I’m always interested to hear young people’s opinions about the event, and to find out what brings them (aside from their parents) to Eastbourne.

While making preparations for 2019, I asked two sets of sisters, Keziah and Naomi, and Elodie and Sylvie, to describe their experiences of the 2018 event. The girls (pictured with

some friends) have known each other all their lives because their parents used to attend the same London church.

Naomi (9) told me: “People meet up to hear about Jesus and have fun. Last year was our first time, and we had a really good time.”

New friends Keziah (11) replied: “For the children, there’s a programme for each age group. We were in ‘Bold-ers’ group and we got to run around a lot. But it wasn’t a blur – we could understand the Bible talks. I think the adult ones were good, too.”

Sylvie (9) explained: “The adults get talks from pastors.

My mum likes to make new friends, and she enjoys talking.

You can go to the beach when you’re not in your programme.” fiec.org.uk

YOUNG PEOPLE Elodie (11) added: “But the sea is freezing! I didn’t want to go in but I went in anyway!”

Keziah said: “It’s really good for families. We get to spend time with friends. I made a new friend called Emily. The adults don’t have to go to everything so it’s very flexible.”

The children all agreed that, since last year, they’d spent time persuading their parents to take them to the 2019 event. “We had lots of fun, and I think our parents had fun as well,” said Naomi.

Time together Sylvie and Elodie are part of Bradfield and Rougham Baptist Church, an FIEC church near Bury St Edmunds. Keziah and Naomi currently live in southern France, where their father is the pastor of a church plant.

Bible by the Beach gives the two families a chance to spend time together, and their stories echo those of many others who attend our conference.

What began as a Bible conference for Sussex churches is now drawing people from much farther afield. While the long weekend offers fiec.org.uk

plenty for adults, children can gain a great deal from it, too.

CONTEMPORARY AND LIVELY IN STYLE, IT’S A HIGH QUALITY BIBLE-CENTRED CONFERENCE FOR ALL GOD’S PEOPLE. The children’s programmes will often be larger than those in their church groups, offering the chance to experience being part of a larger Christian peer group. It’s also our aim that these programmes provide the best in Bible teaching on the same theme as the adults’ stream.

Through discussion times with smallgroup leaders, we create opportunities to ask questions, explore the Bible’s meaning and to think through the impact on everyday situations.

Children of all ages are welcome.

More information about Bible by the Beach is available at biblebythebeach.org

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WELCOME TO THE FAMILY...

Since the last edition of Together:

NEWLY AFFILIATED CHURCHES Community Church Sheppey, Kent Hollywood Christian Life Centre, Birmingham Park Langley Church, Bromley, Kent West Side Fellowship, Worcester Emmanuel Church Bramcote, Nottingham Fellowship Baptist Church, Luton Grace Church Brockley, Lewisham Union Hall Evangelical Church, Manchester Caerwent Evangelical Baptist Chapel, Monmouthshire Christ Church Cambourne, Cambridgeshire (formerly a recognised church plant) Cornerstone Church Portsmouth, Hampshire (formerly a recognised church plant) Silver Street Community Church, London (formerly a recognised church plant) Christ Church Hemel, Hertfordshire (formerly a recognised church plant) Pemberton Free Grace Church, Wigan, Greater Manchester Emmanuel Baptist Church, Leeds Bourne Evangelical Church, Lincolnshire Duke Street Church, Richmond, London Fressingfield Baptist Church, Suffolk Grace Church Waterloo, Broadstone, Dorset Hebron Evangelical Church, Liscard, Wirral Hope Evangelical Church, Snettisham, Norfolk Huntly Christian Fellowship, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (formerly a recognised church plant) Stoke Ash Baptist Church, Suffolk

NEW CHURCH PLANT RECOGNITIONS Kenilworth Community Church, Warwickshire Hope Church Vauxhall, Lambeth Emmanuel Church Keighley, West Yorkshire Hope Church Halifax, West Yorkshire New Hope Church Balmedie, Aberdeenshire

fiec.org.uk fb.com/theFIEC @theFIEC 01858 434540 admin@fiec.org.uk The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered in England and Wales with charity number 1168037 and in Scotland with charity number SC047080.

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