Keep the faith issue 88

Britain’s leading Black communityfocused publication

ISSUE 88

promoting and supporting faith and family values

Paying tribute to the late great

MAYA ANGELOU

It’s time to move beyond Black stereotypes by

REV DAVID SHOSANYA A minister shares how he lived under the threat of terrorism in Nigeria

HOW SHOULD THE CHURCH

RESPOND TO UKIP?

SETH PINNOCK shares his experience of leadership

YOUNG PEOPLE

TALK ABOUT ATHEISM, RELATIONSHIPS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIPS

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WELCOME 03

CONTENTS ISSUE 88 10 18

Dear Reader It’s our aim for this month’s Keep The Faith magazine to provide you with some informative, inspirational and enlightening reading during the summer. I think we’ve achieved it with this edition.

Our world is filled with some great, inspiring, successful young adults; so is the Church and, in this month’s Keep The Faith, we have profiled some young Christians who are doing great things in their chosen fields of work and ministry. A few young believers share their views on some of society’s pressing issues: atheism, entrepreneurship and relationships, and we’ve interviewed young leader, Seth Pinnock, founder of youth event, the Midnight Oil Summit (MOS). He is hosting the last ever MOS, so we’ve asked him to share the insights he has learnt about leadership over the past eight years.

It isn’t just young people who have something of worth to offer the Church; we’ve also interviewed award-winning businesswoman, Dion Johnson, who shares how she helps mature women to create the life they want.

Other topics covered in this month’s Keep The Faith include Dionne Gravesande paying tribute to leading Black icon, the late author and poet Maya Angelou, who died in May; Rev David Shosanya exploring the concept of Blackness, and how negative images distort how Black people are perceived, whilst Rev Wale HudsonRoberts examines the rise of UKIP, and gives some pointers to how the Church should respond to the Party’s growing influence.

There are lots of interesting articles to browse through in this month’s Keep The Faith and, if you like what you read, do think about taking out a subscription – either for yourself or your church. Visit www.keepthefaith.co.uk to place your order.

Happy reading

Editor, Keep The Faith Magazine

14 20 24 WELCOME

04 Food 4 Thought by Marcia Dixon 06 Readers’ Letters

NEWS

07 News pages

GOSPEL

10 Gospel News by Marcia Dixon 12 Get on board the Gospel Summit Roadshow

by Juliet Fletcher

OUT AND ABOUT

14 People and Places by Dami Abajingin 16 Keep The Faith About Town

INTERVIEW

18 Interview with Dion Johnson 20 Interview with Seth Pinnock

FEATURE

22 The business dream vs job security

by Sotonye Deru 24 Young lives with faith at the core

by Marcia Dixon 26 Is ‘new atheism’ the big deal - or is it us?

by Andy Gray

Keep The Faith Limited Suite 48 88-90 Hatton Garden London EC1N 8PN Tel: 0845 193 4433

R

31 28 Common myths about Christian dating and relationships by Kunlé Oyedeji 29 Love is more violent than terror

by Fred Williams 30 The rise of China and what it means for Black Christians by Richard Reddie 31 Maya Angelou - the woman who touched the world with a written word

by Dionne Gravesande 32 The reason for seasons by Esther Kuku

COMMENT

34 Moving beyond Black stereotypes

by Rev David Shosanya 35 The nasty party by Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts 36 Is there a role for apostles in the 21st century church? by Rev Stephen Brooks 38 Pastors’ Column by Archbishop Doyé Agama

LIFESTYLE

39 Business Matters by Denise Roberts 40 Cyber Corner by Keno Ogbo 42 Mind, Body & Soul by Lola Olarewaju 43 Heart to Heart by Esther Fenty

MISSION

46 Living in Babylon

Publisher: Shirley McGreal admin@keepthefaith.co.uk Editor: Marcia Dixon editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk Advertising: advertising@keepthefaith.co.uk Admin and Subscriptions: admin@keepthefaith.co.uk Twitter: @keepthefaithmag www.keepthefaith.co.uk www.blackchristiandirectory.com

The Publisher would like to thank Marcia Dixon, Juliet Fletcher, Richard Reddie, Dionne Gravesande, Esther Kuku, Sotonye Deru, Andy Gray, Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts, Rev Stephen Brooks, Archbishop Doyè Agama, Denise Roberts, Keno Ogbo, Lola Olarewaju, Esther Fenty, Rev Fred Williams, Rev David Shosanya, Seth Pinnock, Dion Johnson, Kunlè Oyedeji, Jackie Raymond, Becky Wybrow our advertisers and all our supporters. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher.

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04 WELCOME

FOOD 4 THOUGHT

CHURCHES NEED TO UNITE AGAINST GANGS AND CRIME

I

’ve written about this issue many times before and, in the last edition of Keep The Faith, we focused on youth, gangs and crime, but I’m more than willing to continue harping on about it until I see our church leaders join together to address the knife, gangs and crime issue in a united, coordinated fashion.

Last month, the death of yet another young Black teenager hit the news headlines. David Headlam, 18, the son of Bishop Alonzo Headlam of the World Vision Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Harlesden, north-west London, was walking home in the early hours of Sunday morning and was chased by two men, stabbed and bled to death.

Another young man dying. Another family crying.

And a community left asking, exasperated about the senselessness of it all.

Although there are churches and individual Christians doing some stellar work with at-risk young people and gang members, I would argue that the Black community and wider society are still looking for Black church leaders to work together to combat this issue.

It’s a biblical imperative for Christians to focus their attention on those who need additional help and support to live a productive life. Jesus said,“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The lives of too many young people are being unnecessarily cut short, leaving other young people in fear, and their parents bereft.

I believe strongly that churches are more than up for the challenge to have a positive influence on the lives of our youth. Congregations are full of skilled, willing individuals, who want to roll up their sleeves, muck in and make a difference, so as to rid our communities of the terrible scourge of knife, crime and gangs.

But we desperately need our church leaders to join hands together and lead the charge.

Here are some reasons why church leaders must do so: They are part of the Black community’s leading institutions, which are able to demonstrate that leadership It lets the community know that Britain’s Black church leaders can put aside differences to work together on combatting issues of major, societal concern

OUR YOUTH CAN DO GREAT EXPLOITS FOR GOD When the Apostle Paul wrote: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity,” to Timothy, his young mentee, I don’t think he realised these words would serve as a constant reminder to young Christians that their contribution to the Church is just as valid as that of older believers.

And, in 1 John 2:14, the Apostle John states: “I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”

These Scriptures are a reminder that young Christians matter, and that they have something of worth to offer the Church.

It’s easy to forget this fact when we constantly hear negative stories about young people, but many of the Bible characters that we love and adore - Joseph, Samson, Samuel, David, Daniel, the disciples and Jesus Himself - were called to serve the Lord when they were young.

So, let’s be mindful that our youth have a place in church, and that they possess all the necessary attributes to do mighty works for God. Let’s just give them the support and opportunity to fulfil their spiritual potential.

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DO CHRISTIANS

LOVE THE WORLD? I’m an ‘old school new school’ believer - one who loves some aspects of the old church but who also embraces the new.

I became a Christian in the 80s, and learnt about Christianity from church leaders of the Windrush Generation. They were passionate about Jesus; believed Christians should be different from nonChristians; taught about right and wrong, sin and hell, and disciplined believers for violating church codes.

How things have changed.

Nowadays, Christians don’t want to be different from the world; aren’t keen on hearing messages about sin and hell, and churches seem loathe to discipline members when their behaviour is off key.

Believers also seem to have developed a penchant for the things of the world - the fame, the riches, recognition and status.

This is understandable. Kind of. The things of the world are attractive. Enjoyable. Pleasurable.

That’s why the devil tried to tempt Jesus with all the kingdoms and splendours of the world if He would just bow down and worship him.

Jesus refused. And so should we.

The values of God’s Kingdom and the world will always be at odds with each other. That’s why the Apostle John wrote: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”

The truth of the matter is that a true, real, deep love for the Lord will make ‘love for the world’ abhorrent, even when tempted.

Christians should be different from the world, evidenced by our love for God, each other, our behaviour and attitude. So, the next time you feel ‘worldly’ and tempted to blend in with the world, remember that God called you to be different.

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Each edition is filled with: • News/features about issues affecting the Black community • Interviews with leading Christians and church leaders • Gospel music news • Business & Lifestyle • Inspirational articles • Interesting and insightful social commentary from a faith perspective • Uplifting Testimonies RS:

PASouTtO how to Find lasting nurture s in your Keep The Faith magazine enables marriage tion congrega the general public to get an insight to some of the great things happening within the Christian community, and informs the church community of who AVIDA REV D is doing what and where, and how the NY SHesOreSlaA tionship m shar work of the church is impacting lives. ned fro ea gl s sight her ISSUE

GOSPEL

Britain’s leading Black communityfocused publication

ISSUE 87

promoting and supporting faith and family values

When are Black men and women going to Britain’s ck Bla leading nitycommu lication pub focused ting and promo ting suppor family faith and es valu

learn to get along?

DISCOVER THE ART OF

85

PREACHING A GOOD SERMON

WHEN CHRISTIAN LEADERS should be a force for good

SO WHAT’SABOUT GOOD ION

S SUBMIS RIAGE? IN MAR

‘IS BRITAIN ABR CHRISTIAN CHURCH COUNTRY?’ CHOIRS

MINISTRY AND OHTV

Special Keep The Faith feature

& BRUCEINE DYEisR YOUTH, CRIME JANfe, love and min try

AND VIOLENCE

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VIDAL JUBA TALKING FAMILY,

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06 LETTERS

Training for churches is inspiring

I was greatly inspired to read about the work of Hazel Nelson-Williams and her plans to provide training for churches interested in working with at-risk and disenfranchised youth. This is a noble aim, and there are many Christians in churches who would love the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people going down the wrong path. I commend Ms Nelson-Williams’ work, and wish her all the best on her endeavours.

Jennifer Brown, London

Readers’ Letters ISSUE 87 Britain’s leading Black communityfocused publication

When are Black men and women going to

promoting and supporting faith and family values

learn to get along?

DISCOVER THE ART OF

PREACHING A GOOD SERMON

WHEN CHRISTIAN LEADERS

should be a force for good

RICHARD REDDIE ASKS

‘IS BRITAIN A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY?’

VIDAL JUBA

TALKING FAMILY, MINISTRY AND OHTV

Special Keep The Faith featu re

YOUTH, CRIME AND VIOLENCE

WISE WOMEN AWARDS 2014

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WINNERS ANNOUNCED Issue 87.indd 1

17/05/2014 20:53

We’d love to hear your views on Keep The Faith and the featured articles. Send your letters to Keep The Faith Letters, PO Box 574, Bury St Edmunds IP33 9BW or better still, email letters@keepthefaith.co.uk

Well done, Keep The Faith Congratulations to both the publisher and editor of Keep The Faith for being invited as representatives of the Black church to a 10 Downing Street reception, hosted by the Prime Minister. Your magazine does a great job in highlighting the great things Black Christians are doing in the UK and beyond, and I always look forward to reading it. You represent the Gospel and the Black Christian community well.

I pray that God continues to bless your work.

Josephine Andrews, Manchester

The killings have to stop Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin’s article, ‘It’s time to say Enough Is Enough’, was so timely. It’s a message she needs to preach in churches around the country, as she is so right. I think a lot of the criminal and murderous behaviour we see in our community is due to the breakdown in the family, and she is right in saying that parents have failed our young people by not giving them the time, love and discipline that they require. These are values that people of African descent once adhered to. As a community, we need to take up Rev Hudson-Wilkin’s suggestions and start living in unity, stop colluding with the perpetrators of violent acts, and raise our children ourselves, instead of allowing them to be raised by the streets or the television.

Jonathan Peters, Wolverhampton

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Girls, gangs and women’s ministries

The Keep The Faith story on ‘Girls, Gangs and Sex’ shocked me to the core. It’s awful to know that there are young girls that are forced to participate in degrading sexual acts by gang members. It makes me think that churches need to re-think the way they do women’s ministry. Women’s departments should put on events aimed at fostering better relationships between mothers and daughters, as well as provide guidance to parents on how to instruct their daughters, particularly those who might be susceptible to being violated in this way. We live in perilous times, and it’s important that we arm our children with information that will help keep them safe from predators and gangs that want to take sexual advantage of them.

Sarah Marchant, Luton

Great role model

I regularly watch OH TV, so it was really good to read about Vidal Juba, Head of Channel Management of OH TV, and hearing about his work as a musician, his role as a husband and father, and how his faith in Christ impacts and influences all that he does. We hear a lot about the negative things that young people do in our community, but it’s such a pleasure to read about young adults that are positively impacting society.

Tunde Odunsi, London

Let’s build better relationships

In Rev David Shosanya’s article, ‘When Are We Going To Get Along?’, I’ve noted how Black relationships have become minefields in recent years and, unfortunately, the casualties tend to be children. We have bought into the negative perceptions of each other and, as a result, cannot see the beauty in each other, as our forefathers did, particularly those who immigrated here in the 1950s and 60s. How can we expect to build a strong community for our children, if we are unable to positively affirm each other? Rev Shosanya’s article provides much food for thought, and I hope that we are able to take on board his helpful suggestions on how we can build better relationships.

Michael Stanbury, Sheffield

NEWS 07

Black churches unite to produce political manifesto With the 2015 elections becoming the major concern of the UK’s politicians, leaders of Britain’s Black churches have united together to garner the attention of political parties, by producing their first ever political manifesto.

Entitled ‘Black Church Political Mobilisation: A Manifesto for Action’, this historic document contains calls for Britain’s African and African-Caribbean Christian community to become more politically astute, and to mobilise itself to deal with some of the pressing issues facing the Black community as a whole. It is also a call for society to see the Black Church as a viable, pro-active political force.

In the Manifesto foreword, jointly written

by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Bishop Eric Brown, Pastor Agu Irukwu and Reverend Nezlin Sterling, the ministers state: “By encouraging our churches to actively engage in the socio-cultural, political and economic institutions locally and nationally, we hope to strengthen communities, promote active citizenship and the common good.”

Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo

Issues covered in the Manifesto include: Policing and Criminal Justice; Prisons; Mental Health; Church and Community; Voting and Political Mobilisation; Family and Marriage; Youth and Education, and International Development, and outlines how the Church proposes to work alongside the government, policy makers and local councils in combatting the areas that arise in each sector.

Some of the solutions outlined in the 42-page document include: • Calling on the government to work with Black Majority Churches (BMCs) to discuss the disproportionate numbers of Black people in the prison system, and to work to reduce it • A call for greater ‘faith literacy’ amongst policy makers, so that they understand why churches do what they do, and believe what they do • An admonition for church leaders to play a greater role in encouraging Christians and the Black community in general to play a more active role in politics, and to encourage every eligible Black person to vote

• Encouraging churches to give single mothers greater support, by providing child day care for working mothers, and counselling for parents struggling to raise their children alone

Bishop Joe Aldred

‘Black Church Political Mobilisation: A Manifesto for Action’ will be officially launched in the autumn. Bishop Joe Aldred, who is part of the steering committee for the National Church Leaders Forum (NCLF) which helped produce the document, and head of Pentecostal and Multicultural Relations at Churches Together in England, told Keep The Faith: “We have consulted widely in developing (the manifesto), but are aware it can be improved. Going forward, we’d like the political ideas in the Manifesto to be embraced across our churches, so that the Black Church becomes, and is seen as, a political force for good.”

He added: “We hope the political parties will realise that the Black Christian vote has a price on it, and is not pledged to any particular politician or party, but to those who observe keenly what is important to us; can satisfy us that they understand us and our issues, and are able to produce policies consistent with our values, hopes and aspirations.”

For more details, visit www.nclf.org.uk, like on Facebook @NCLF, follow on Twitter @NCLFNEWS.

Bishop Eric Brown

PERSUECUTED CHRISTIAN’S BABY DISABLED AFTER GIVING BIRTH IS SHACKLES Meriam Ibrahim, the Sudanese Christian woman who was imprisoned for refusing to recant her faith and become a Muslim, has been talking about her experiences in jail, where she gave birth to her second child whilst her legs were held in shackles.

Speaking to CNN, Meriam, 27, stated that she feared her child might be disabled. “Something has happened to the baby … I don’t know in the future whether she’ll need support to walk or not.”

Meriam explained: “I gave birth chained. Not cuffs, but chains on my legs. I couldn’t open my legs, so the women had to lift me off the table.

I wasn’t attached to the table.”

The past few months have been momentous ones for Meriam. She hit media headlines around the world, when one of her relatives filed a criminal complaint against her for marrying a Christian, as it was thought she was a Muslim.

Meriam was charged with adultery, because it’s illegal for a Muslim woman to marry a Christian in Sudan, as well as apostasy. She was given the death penalty and sentenced to receive 100 lashes, despite the fact she was heavily pregnant.

After an international outcry, the Sudanese Government agreed to free her, only to re-arrest her for travelling with supposedly falsified travel documents. At the time of writing, Meriam was awaiting the outcome of those charges, and was resident in the US Embassy in Sudan, alongside her husband - American citizen, Daniel Wani - and their two children.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

08 NEWS

Healing at retreat hosted NEWS by former KTF columnist SNIPPETS

F

ormer Keep The Faith columnist, Gladys Famoriyo, recently hosted her first ever Overcoming Emotional Baggage (OEB) women’s weekend retreat, themed ‘Restored and Refreshed’, which resulted in an attendee experiencing physical healing.

The attendee, Ruth Pearson, shared: “I came into the retreat lame, literally, as a result of a longstanding illness. I arrived in a scooter, but left leaping, running and dancing. My physiotherapists, who saw me before and after, were confounded and simply wrote ‘walking miracle’ in my notes. My lungs also got better, and I could now take deep breaths.”

Ruth was one of many ladies who experienced restoration and transformation at the retreat, and many were able to overcome longstanding issues and gain renewed hope following a session on forgiveness, emotional wellbeing and suffering.

Gladys Famoriyo, an inspirational speaker, author and founder of Overcoming Emotional Baggage, explained the reasoning behind the retreat. She said: “For some years now,

our conference/event attendees have been asking for further services/events to support them through challenging/ changing life experiences. They wanted more than what they felt was currently available. Therefore, our goal is to meet these needs, and support the body of Christ through such initiatives.”

Ms Famoriyo is putting plans in motion to organise more initiatives to help women deal with the personal struggles they are experiencing.

For more details, call 08707501969 or visit www.overcomingemotionalbaggage.com.

ICONIC BLACK CHURCH UNDERGOES MODERNISATION One of Britain’s iconic Black Pentecostal churches has closed its doors for several weeks to undergo a £290,000 refurbishment and modernisation.

The New Testament Assembly in Tooting, south-west London is one of the UK’s most wellknown Black churches, and serves as the international headquarters for the denomination founded by the late Bishops Powell and Bernard in 1961.

A number of well-known people have visited or attended events at the church, including Rev Jesse Jackson, The Clark Sisters and gospel artist, Timothy White, and the BBC has broadcast services from the church.

Delroy Powell was installed as head of NTA UK in 2013, and is driving the refurbishment. He told Keep The Faith the reasons behind this initiative: “We want to rearrange the church so that it suits our way of worshipping, but retains the history and features of the building.”

Efforts will also be made to make the building more fuel efficient. When the church reopens later this year, members and visitors will worship in a light, airy auditorium, which will have a new sound system installed and a new stage.

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NTCG APPOINTS NEW NATIONAL TREASURER/SECRETARY

Bishop Derek Webley MBE has been appointed as the new National Treasurer/Secretary of the New Testament Church of God (NTCG), and one of his roles will involve providing support and advice to Bishop Donald Bolt, who’ll take up the role of National Overseer on September 1. Bishop Webley is one of NTCG’s most well-known church leaders, and made history in 2009, when he became the first African Caribbean to serve in the role as chairman of West Midlands Police Authority.

ATHEISTS SET TO LAUNCH INTERNET TV STATION

American atheists are set to launch the world’s first TV station dedicated to atheism. The station, which will be available via the Internet, will run atheist content 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Details about the station, which has not yet been named, were revealed at a meeting of atheists, free thinkers and non-theists at Stanford University.

The channel will feature a range of content, including programmes of atheist events as well as programmes provided by atheist video bloggers and atheist groups.

CHURCH PAYS HOMAGE TO FIRST BLACK ANGLICAN BISHOP

The Church of England recently held a special service to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the consecration of Nigerian minister, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, at Canterbury Cathedral.

During the service, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Rev Justin Welby, apologised for the church’s racist treatment of Bishop Ajayi, who was the Anglican Church’s first ever Black bishop, and is credited with establishing Anglicanism in Nigeria and producing a Yoruba Bible.

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ARE MORE CHARITABLE

A recent BBC survey found that people who practise a religion are more likely to give to charity than those who don’t. The survey, carried out by ComRes (a market research agency), found that just over three quarters of people living in England who practise a religion (77%) have given to charity in the past month. This compares to only two thirds of English people who do not practise a religion (67%).

09

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10 GOSPEL NEWS

L E P S O G NEWS Guvna B set to be soundtrack for summer MOBO Award-winning artist, Guvna B, is gearing up for the release of his EP, entitled ‘Something For The Summer’ on August 3, 2014.

This long-awaited EP features seven feel-good urban music tracks that will feature hip-hop, afrobeat, drum ‘n’ bass and r ‘n’ b sounds, and is set to become the soundtrack for summer.

Urban Music Award winner, Guvna B, made history in 2013 by becoming the first urban act in history to make it to Number 1 on the Official Christian & Gospel Chart with his most recent album, ‘Odd 1 Out’.

The album also reached Number 22 on the Official R‘n’B Chart.

As Guvna continues to wave the banner for uplifting and inspirational music, he is now making great strides into the urban scene, with co-signs from Fuse ODG, Bashy, Ghetts and Jahméne Douglas, who performed at the London date of the Odd 1 Out tour.

After an incredibly successful couple of years, the Prince’s Trust Ambassador explains why he is releasing the EP:“I live in London, where summer makes up its own mind. Plus we’ve all got issues: bills, hard times and life can be a real struggle. With this EP, I wanted to make feel-good music to get us through the sunny days and the rainy days. We just got in the studio and had fun. It’ll inspire people to look on the bright side of life.”

For more information on Guvna B, please visit www.guvnab.com.

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Meet the Artist: Dwayne Tryumf After three years out of the music limelight, gospel rapper Dwayne Tryumf is back with a bang, with his release Live in Concert, Britain’s first ever live rap album. He spoke to Keep The Faith about the release; why he was away for so long, and the reasons he decided to study Chinese.

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): You recorded ‘Live in Concert’ in 2011, and you are now just releasing the album. Why the long gap between the recording and the release date?

DWAYNE TRYUMF (DT): I released the first single and music video, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, in 2012. The long gap before the album’s release was because I didn’t realise how much work would go into getting the record to sound right; with a live album, there are so many things that can and will go wrong and this was my first.

Myself and the bass player (Ian Copeland Green) spent many hours correcting mistakes. With a live recording, if the drummer makes a mistake you have to fix every musician on the song, as they rely on him for their timing. And, to make things worse, I can be quite a perfectionist. Also, in the midst of working on the album, I lost a close friend (Original Tony Rich), which also slowed down my motivation with the album. The album was finally finished by Feb 2013, at which point I was so exhausted I needed a break from the album (I had probably listened to it thousands of times!).

KTF: What did you do during your gap period?

DT: At the beginning of 2013, I decided I needed a break from music altogether, and began learning to speak Mandarin Chinese, full time, in the hope of being able to spread the Gospel and maybe even rap in the language. In the space of one year, I learned over 1000 words; passed both Levels 1 and 2 of the official Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), and wrote a few rap bars in Chinese. I am now competent enough to have a conversation and read on a basicintermediate level.

KTF: You are the first UK gospel rap artist to record a live album. What was your inspiration behind recording a live rap album?

DT: During my private time I listen to a lot of gospel albums: Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Tamela Mann, Winans, Commissioned, Kim Burrell, etc, and they all have live recorded songs or albums. I love the dynamics in their songs, and wanted to bring that into the rap genre.

KTF: You’ve got quite a few artists featured on the album. How did you manage to get them to participate in the recording?

DT: I think nearly every major artist in the UK gospel rap scene was there (sorry to anyone I forgot to invite!). Thankfully, I had a lot of help from my wife, who sent out emails, made phone calls, and liaised with all the artists.

KTF: What are your three favourite tracks on the album?

DT: Thy Kingdom Come, African Drum (Live) and Proverbs 31 Woman (Live).

KTF: What should we expect from you during the course of this year?

DT: I will be writing new material and developing myself as a recording artist.

KTF: Describe yourself in five words.

DT: Lion, Lamb, Leader, Pioneer, Broken.

Live In Concert is out now, and is available on iTunes.

For more details, visit www.dwaynetryumf.com; like on Facebook @ dwaynetryumf; follow on Twitter @dwaynetryumf; follow on Instagram @ dwaynetryumf

GOSPEL NEWS 1 1

Singer uses single to raise awareness of kidnapped girls Annastasia Baker, the winner of the 2013 Gospel TV show, Time2Shine, recently released Let Me Go, a new single focused on raising awareness of the 200+ schoolgirls kidnapped in Nigeria by Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, in April.

A mother with a young daughter of her own, Annastasia cannot imagine what the families of the lost girls are going through. And, without the financial means to directly impact the ongoing campaign to find them, she has turned to music as a tool to keep the situation in the public eye.

This rising star is scheduled to launch her debut album later this year at the Jazz Café. In the interim, the Christian singer, who attends the New Testament Church of God in Lee, south-east London, is looking to build on her success of winning Time2Shine to springboard her music ministry, as well as continuing the fight to improve the situation in Nigeria.

ARTIST WATCH Leo Powell

L For more details, visit www.annastasiabaker.co.uk; like on Facebook @ Annastasia Baker; follow on Twitter @annastasiabaker; view on YouTube.

eo Powell is a new artist hoping that music lovers will enjoy the musical offerings on his debut album, From the Fire. The album title matches Leo’s life: he grew up in a Christian home and attended church as a youth but, at 16, Leo left the church to experience worldly pleasures, which included pursuing a career as a rapper. Although Leo had his plans, God had a plan for Leo’s life and, at 32, Leo responded to God’s call for him to return to his spiritual roots. From The Fire, produced by Blessing Mapeza, is a mix of hip-hop and R’n’B, with gospel-infused lyrics of faith, hope and love, which document Leo’s experience of returning to God. Now a youth leader at Jubilee Church in Enfield, Middlesex, Leo wants his music to touch lives, and is desirous that his music inspires Christians to become more Christ-like, and that non-Christians accept the Gospel. Not only that, but his hope is that in the forthcoming months he’ll get opportunities to perform his songs, so that people can see and hear, at first hand, someone who’s literally jumped out of the fire, into God’s hands and is singing about it. For more details, visit www.leopowell.com, like on Facebook at Leo Powell.

GOSPEL NEWS BITES If you are a fan of gospel star of the moment, Mali Music, you’ll be pleased to know he’s one of the guest artists who will be performing at the annual International Gathering of Champions (IGOC) conference, organised by Kingsway International Christian Centre. The other special international guest artist taking part is praise and worship supremo, Israel Houghton. This year’s IGOC runs from 27 to 31 August, and guest speakers include Prophetess Juanita Bynum. For more details visit www.kicc.org.uk.

British gospel singer, David B, is a young man on a roll. He recently won three awards at JUMP - the first ever gospel music video awards held in the UK. It no doubt made him realise that his decision to give up his medical studies to pursue a music career was a good one. This talented young man is currently busy promoting his debut 8-track EP, Care About The Journey. For more details visit www.davidbonline.com.

A few weeks ago, former Destiny Child’s member, Michelle Williams, was being trolled on Twitter. I bet she’s now having the last laugh. Michelle has caught the full attention of the gospel community, following the release of Say Yes, which is an afrobeat version of a song popular in Nigerian churches. She is joined on the track by her former bandmates, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. The song is taken from Michelle’s new gospel album, I Am Freedom. For more details, visit www.iammichelle.com.

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12 GOSPEL NEWS

Get on board the Gospel Summit Roadshow!

Following the recent Gospel Summit held at The Drum, Birmingham, plans are now in motion to hold a roadshow targeting those involved in the UK’s gospel music scene. Juliet Fletcher reports.

JULIET FLETCHER is a former BBC Producer and founding Executive of the GMIA

T

he success of the recent Gospel Summit – the music industry business event – has spurred plans for an exciting roadshow which will take place from July onwards, in key cities around the UK, including London, Liverpool, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham and Brighton. Although a series of online webinars and workshops had been staged, it has become clear that something more sustained – and even permanent – is needed.

The GMIA Gospel Summit Roadshow may be the answer to this.

Music industry guru – rights and arts management expert, Linton Beckles - will lead the charge to make hundreds of gospel practitioners ‘industry-ready and fit for purpose’. It was his presentations that became the ‘star attraction’ of the Summit music industry-focused event.

Support for gospel music was expressed by bishops, reverends and pastors, leaders who attended the GMIA Executive Board Complimentary Luncheon sponsored by the Bible Society. The three-course luncheon was attended by a mix of leaders who were impressed by the food, as well as by matters highlighted at the gathering, which included plans for a new songbook featuring the compositions of writers of gospel hymns, worship choruses and themed songs.

“The feedback has been fantastic,” says Linton Beckles. “However, we knew time-wise it wasn’t going to be enough; therefore the Summit has now become a springboard to get this knowledge and skill-based training on the move, to places around the UK. We are using the support of the leaders we know to proactively bring this right inside our church networks and events.

“Some may say that it’s the leaders who don’t seem to have an interest; I say differently, because even our Lord began with those who were willing to follow Him. It’s with the visionary and the proactive that change comes, otherwise the energy is given to that which is negative and not positive.”

A former pop star, hit songwriter, music producer and A&R manager, Linton has gone through all the stages of working in the music industry. He has taught Musicians’ Union members, as well as members of the Federation of Entertainment Unions, and he specialises in rights and contracts. To have someone of his skill

and knowledge at an accessible rate is a real coup for our scene.

So, what does Linton plan to bring to those attending the Roadshow events?

Linton Beckles (LB): “There are four things most important to me about running the GMIA/Gospel Summit Roadshow. I’m going to give everyone information that will make them: 1. Businessready - All you need to know about setting up and running your music and media business; 2. Rights-ready - Where you need to go for royalty collections, and how to secure your copyright and IP portfolio; 3. Charts-ready - All you need to do for chart eligibility and sales monitoring; 4. Marketing-ready - Getting the key components of your arts management and publicity to work on building your fan base and public profile.”

JULIET FLETCHER (JF): “So how can church leaders help gospel artists right now?”

LB: “First, STOP seeing them as something separate from what the Church is doing especially those who do contemporary art forms.

Secondly, START seeing them as key components in God’s end time harvest; they are both Levites and evangelists, and should be treated as part of the church leadership, whose gifts and callings are key to reaching the hearts of men for God. Thirdly, mentor and train them, and bring them to spiritual maturity. Fourthly, be their covering and provide support in developing their craft.

A tall order some might say but, if we are truly discerning of the times, we would see why music is so key in the last days, and why the enemy always targets our artists and musicians.”

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The Roadshow will come to any town in any city, with the proviso that a minimum of 15 persons are booked – to make it cost-effective.

The Roadshow programme may vary with special sessions, for example on ‘How to produce a great music video’, led by experienced music video producers, and ‘How to become a gospel music administrator’ (someone who looks after artists: managing music royalties, registering music for rights management and bookings).

It suits anyone who is a performer, promoter, event organiser, booking agent, songwriter – at any level of involvement or with no experience at all.

If you would like the Roadshow to come by your local church or community event, call the GMIA on 020 3086 8348 or visit www.gmia.org.uk.

Kemar

Rakeem and Kemar Rakeem (8 years old) and Kemar (4 years old) are half siblings who have been in foster care since October 2012 and have remained in the same foster placement. The circumstances surrounding their removal into foster care are in relation to birth mother’s criminal activities; a lack of supervision and leaving the children for significant periods on their own and her inability to meet all of Rakeem and Kemar’s needs.

Since the boys have been removed into foster care significant improvement has occurred in all areas of their development.

Rakeem attends school and Kemar attends nursery which they both really enjoy. They have adapted well to routine and boundaries and have responded well to positive behaviour management techniques.

Rakeem and Kemar are in the process of developing a loving and affectionate relationship with their foster carers.

Rakeem

Rakeem

Kemar

Contact:

Rakeem is a beautiful boy who is described as friendly, has a good sense of humour and is affectionate.

Family Needed:

Rakeem has had a significant period of development and is starting to give himself permission that he can be a child.

Kemar is a beautiful little boy who is described as “full of fun; affectionate and loves hugs”; he has a good sense of humour and likes to be silly”

Ethnicity:

Jamaican/Nigerian

Legal Status: Placement Order

Once a year indirect letterbox contact with birth parents A two parent active adoptive family who are emotionally warm, can provide a high level of empathy and understanding alongside clear routines and boundaries

29/07/2005

Rakeem has spent a large amount of his life worrying about adult concerns and this has meant that he often acts older than his age. He has had to be taught to act more like a child and to understand that he does not need to know everything an adult knows! Although he may act older than his years at times, at other times he can be quite emotionally young and will require parents who can support him with his emotions.

Rakeem has at times displayed some challenging behaviour such as difficulty sharing his foster carer’s attention. However he is learning that he can gain attention through positive actions rather than negative. Rakeem struggles to articulate his emotions and this can mean that his anxiety will be displayed in behaviour.

10/02/2010

He is a happy little boy who likes clear boundaries and routines. He is in a development stage of testing his boundaries and is starting to exert his independence with self-care skills which is very positive.

Kemar does require reassurance that his foster carer is nearby and likes to have a lot of her attention. He is learning to share her time and this is encouraging him to become more independent.

Kemar has developed significantly since being with his foster carer and now asks for lots of cuddles and goes to the foster carer when he has hurt himself. He is growing in confidence all the time and through attending nursery his self-esteem has increased significantly also. He has developed friendships and really enjoys playing with other children.

Rakeem has said that he REALLY wants an adoptive family who can look after him forever.

Kemar’s imaginative play was very limited but now he is able to play by himself and really enjoys playing games and looking at books.

Rakeem needs a highly nurturing, empathic, loving family who can accept him for who he is.

Kemar is a happy little boy who will thrive on the empathy and understanding of loving parents.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Karin Hill Adoption Services, Saltisford Office Park, Ansell Way, Warwick CV34 4UL Tel: 01926 746956 Email: karinhill@warwickshire.gov.uk

14 PEOPLE AND PLACES

PEOPLE PLACES AND

DAMI ABAJINGIN

is a freelance journalist, lover of God, carbs and literature, in that order.

Follow Dami on Twitter at @dami___

Welcome to People and Places, providing an insight into some of the things Christians are doing within the Church, and how they are sharing Gospel values in society at large

LadyT - inspiring

thousands with her voice

Y

ou may not know her face, but you certainly know her voice. LadyT possesses a voice that eases you through your busy commute/ school run, as she presents Premier Gospel’s Gospel Drive on Tuesdays to Fridays between 3pm and 7pm, and she also wakes you up, as she co-hosts The Big Breakfast on Saturday on both Premier Christian Radio and Premier Gospel from 8am to 11am. When she isn’t gracing the airwaves with her presence, LadyT is an artist manager. “There are lots of late nights, meetings, gigs, shoots, etc, but despite its hectic role, I enjoy it.”

Hailing from Oxfordshire, LadyT (real name Tolu Adepegba) is expressive and impassioned. She loves cars (her dream car is a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport), Arsenal and travel: “There is nothing better than exploring different countries and cultures.” But it is her love for music that led her to Christian radio.

She began her career as a broadcast assistant at BBC Oxford, for a show called ‘Urban Gospel Experience’, which was hosted by DJ G. She quickly moved to co-hosting the show within a couple of months before she landed her job at Premier Gospel, where she is a main host and is going from strength to strength. The fact that she was nominated for a Wise Women Award in the ‘Women In Media’ category is testament to that. “I was very shocked, yet humbled, that someone had taken the time out to appreciate what I do, and felt that I needed to be recognised for it.”

Although LadyT may have taken to radio as a fish does to water, she wasn’t always confident that it was for her. “When God blessed me with

the job, I was like, ‘Hmm, can I really do this?’ ‘Will I be accepted?’ ‘Am I good enough?’ etc. I had to rebuke those thoughts real quickly by praying and just thanking God that He has given me this.” She added: “I had to really put myself in a place of self-belief and ultimately ask God to help.”

Trusting in God has shaped her into the woman she is today. “Every experience births a lesson learnt. I believe everything happens for a reason - good and bad. It helps you to grow and mature as a person and in your chosen line of work.”

God is surely moving in LadyT’s career and, by His grace, her desire to become the UK’s answer to Oprah or Wendy Williams will be granted.

Watch this space.

For more details, visit www.premiergospel.org.uk

EMPOWERING YO

D

upe Makinde is a driven woman. Alongside her role as wife and mother, and her work as a part-time management accountant, Dupe runs God’s Grace Foundation (GGF), a charity she set up in 2004, as a result of a directive from her heavenly Father.

The Charity helps to positively transform the lives of children and young people, by enabling them to fulfil their potential, as well as advance their mental, spiritual, moral and physical development.

GGF works with young people here in the UK, via its courses which touch on issues like leadership, mother/daughter relationships and parenting.

Some courses are run independently, others are held in churches which book Dupe to run sessions.

And such is the Charity’s growing influence, GGF sits on the Parenting and Family Support Joint Commissioning Board in Greenwich.

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PEOPLE AND PLACES 15

LYDIA FREMPONG - Helping individuals build confidence through coaching

C

onfidence, or the lack thereof, is something we all deal with at one point or another. Lydia Frempong, Channel 4’s Executive Coach and the founder of Butterfly PR, has dedicated her life to helping people discover their inner-confidence and walk boldly in the direction of their dreams. “For as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in the psychology of the mind,” she tells KTF. Lydia has spent years collaborating with thought leaders, teachers, life coaches and spiritual leaders - all of whom have helped to propel her life forward to achieve both personal and professional goals. Her life’s work is in reciprocity of this. “I always knew it would be a matter of time and preparation to make the decision to commit my life to guide others in the very same way that I have been guided.”

As a confidence coach and theta healing practitioner, Lydia works with media professionals and individuals to discover ways for them to remove self-limiting beliefs which have held them back. This applies to personal and professional spheres of life, ranging from achieving success in the workplace, attracting the love they deserve, or living a healthy lifestyle. “My role is a truly honourable one; it is built upon trust, honour and understanding.”

Not only is Lydia a confidence coach, she is also a patron for Showing Racism the Red Card, and she delivers a coaching diploma at Cambridge University. With such a successful career, she is bound to have faced some challenges. She reveals: “I have built and maintained a spirit within that will not allow situations to overcome me. It does not mean I have not experienced moments of being or feeling overwhelmed.”

While Lydia values the support of her friends and family, she recognises the need to derive strength from above. “My faith is the foundation of all I do. I can honestly say my faith has enabled me to do some wonderful things in life, as well overcome some serious challenges.

My faith gives me wings to achieve, conquer and feel empowered. ” It is Lydia’s desire to help others feel empowered, too.“Maya Angelou said, ‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you’.

A lifelong dream of mine is to write a book to share my experiences to ultimately inspire others.” Lydia will also be setting up a Coaching Academy to train up-and-coming coaches, who desire to impact

To find out more about Lydia, head to www.coachlyds.com and follow her on Twitter @coachLyds

their world through teaching and encouraging people, the young and old.

So what makes Lydia feel confident? “The list is long; one would be having a faith which provides me with empowerment and the belief that all things are possible. It reminds me that my life has value and purpose.” She adds, “The love of my family and friends is fundamental.”

Lydia also attributes her confidence to living a healthy life, self care and setting positive boundaries.

If you are struggling with self-confidence, here’s Lydia advice to you: “I always call upon the quote that states that FEAR stands for ‘False Evidence Appearing Real’. Look at the situation head on, most of the time the energy we give to our fears is unfounded. Other than that, it’s advisable to confide and receive guidance. I’ve learnt that we are not an island, and we must never suffer in silence. Speak up, let go and start living.”

OUTH TO BE THEIR BEST - DUPE MAKINDE Whilst in Nigeria, a country Dupe regularly visits, GGF provides educational scholarships to disadvantaged children, and relieves poverty amongst vulnerable children.

She explained: “In Nigeria, our key focus is to give orphans and young people in one-parent homes an equal chance to education. This is achieved by providing them with education kits, after-school programmes, as well as medical support to combat poor health and poverty. The education kits include uniforms, shoes, school bags, stationery, textbooks and study materials.”

It’s obvious that the work of GGF does make a difference, as exemplified in the life of Allison Olalekan, a 16-year-old boy the Charity has been able to help. He was abandoned by his mother, due to being disabled, and lives with his elderly grandmother. After coming into contact with

GGF, not only has he received educational support, the Charity has also bought him a wheelchair, so that he could be more mobile.

Dupe is rightly proud of GGF’s work. She told Keep The Faith: “We have supported more than 50 children with their primary and secondary school education in Nigeria. These are children that would otherwise not have achieved GCSE qualifications without our support.

In the UK, over 100 young people attend our programmes every year, and we currently reach more than 100 parents and youth leaders a year.”

In fact, such is the high regard in which GGF’s work with children and young people is held, Dupe received an award for her work from the Haven of Rest charity.

The future looks bright for GGF. Dupe

shared: “Going forward, we are looking to continue with our FREE weekly study support in the UK and Nigeria. This project is focused on out-of-school hours learning classes and workshops.

In April 2014, we launched the Girlz Empowered initiative in Nigeria. The focus of this work is the prevention of teenage pregnancy and rehabilitation of teenage mums in target areas. Our goal is to also reduce the number of teenage mums in our target areas, who end up as sex workers.”

There’s no doubting that GGF is serious about its mission. Long may its work continue.

For more details visit www.godsgracefoundation.org

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16 KTF ABOUT TOWN

KEEP THE FAITH ABOUT TOWN If you have an event or news you would like featured in Keep The Faith About Town, email editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk with details. You must have pictures to accompany your story.

The ‘Posh & Becks of the North’ welcome new addition to family The ‘Posh & Becks’ of the North, Bruce and Janine Dyer, were the featured couple in the Keep The Faith’s yearly edition about love, marriage and relationships. This Barnsley-based couple not only have a strong, loving marriage, but also work together in ministry, sharing the message of the Gospel in prisons, events and within their local community.

The couple, who have four children, have recently welcomed a new edition to their family: Amira Grace Dyer, the couple’s first daughter, who was born on May 21. As you can imagine, Grace - as she is affectionately known - is experiencing a lot of love from her four brothers, as well as from the wider community that she is a part of. It’s Keep The Faith’s prayer that God continues to bless the Dyer family and all that they do.

The Dyer Family

UK’s first video awards held at Gospel Summit Over 300 people, including prominent church leaders, passed through the Gospel Summit, held at The Drum in Birmingham and hosted by Ni-Cola and Karl Nova. The Summit aimed to foster unity, time for learning and networking opportunities, and featured a luncheon for church leaders and gospel practitioners; talks on various issues, and live performances. Attendees included Noel Robinson, Watchman, The Cokers and many others.

The highlight of the Gospel Summit was, without a doubt, JUMP - the UK’s first ever gospel music video awards. A total of nine awards were presented on the night, and the winners were as follows:

Noel Robinson

Best UK video: Ijo Ya by David B Best Male video: Ijo Ya by David B Best Praise and Worship video: Devoted by Noel Robinson Best Female video: Bitter Pill by Tara Brown Best Video by a Choir/Group: Yahweh by LFC Choir Best Reggae Gospel video: Babylon by Ram1 Best Afrobeat video: No More Tears by Andrew Bello Best UK Soul/R’n’B video: Only Human by Divine Divine

David B recieves award

Best Rap video: Down for My Brothers by A Star ft Utter Once & Jahaziel

Ni-C ola and Karl Nova

Launch of new multi-lingual publishing company Keep The Faith editor, Marcia Dixon, was one of the guest speakers at the launch of Gihon Publishing, a new company based in Hatfield, Herts, created by author, publisher and missionary, Ruth Dickson.

The company’s unique niche is its ability to translate products into a range of languages, such as Niger-Congo languages to Afro-Asiatic languages and Indo-European languages to Sino-Tibetan languages.

Gihon Publishing works with a range of clients - Christian and secular but founder, Ruth Dickson, is hoping that believers will see her business as a tool they can use to fulfil the Great Commission to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Ruth shared: “Gihon Publishing is being used as an evangelical instrument to publish to the nations. It is set to open the door and make it easier for organisations and individuals with evangelical endeavours to disciple the nations.” Visit www.gihonpublishing.com for more details.

G ihon Publishing launch Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/keep-the-faith-magazine

Ruth Dickson

17

Name: Rebecca DOB: December 2010

Rebecca is a very happy, friendly, active and curious little girl. She has lovely big brown eyes and has a very attractive smile. Rebecca enjoys attending nursery and can express her own interests and preferences in activities she wishes to engage in. Rebecca specifically enjoys building blocks and signing along to nursery rhymes.

Rebecca was born premature and with medical complications she remained in hospital and was discharged in March 2011 into a foster placement. She was not placed with her birth parents due to Rebecca being at risk of neglect. Rebecca has been with her current foster carers since March 2011. Therefore Rebecca has had positive experiences of stability and emotional warmth from her foster carers and consequently she has formed good attachments.

Due to Rebecca’s premature birth her right leg is slightly shorter than her left but she has shoes to compensate for this also Rebecca’s right hand is slightly stiffer than her left. Rebecca is continuously showing progress and is being supported by a physiotherapist. Her foster carers report that these does not impact on Rebecca’s play and describe her as thriving and an ‘easy to care for child’. Rebecca engages well with children and adults. She has developed nice friendships in nursery and likes to play alongside her friends. Rebecca can become easily distracted when completing tasks and sometimes needs encouragement to help focus. Rebecca’s speech and language is progressing and she is able to communicate her wishes such as the food she likes.

Ethnic descent: Black Caribbean Religion: None specified Family needed: One or two-parent adoptive family Legal Status: Full Care Order and Placement Order Geographical area: Any in the UK Video clip available: Yes Contact: Cherrell Christie Telephone: 020 8489 2414 Email: Cherrell.christie@haringey.gov.uk

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18 INTERVIEW

DION

JOHNSON Dion Johnson is an award-winning business owner, whose self-named company focuses on helping professional women aged 40 and over to re-focus their lives and careers, so that they are able to do the kind of work they want to do. Dion, a Christian of 14 years’ standing, made the difficult transition from being a successful midwife to entering unchartered waters, undergoing training and re-establishing herself as a business owner. It was the right decision. Not only is Dion helping hundreds of midlife women find fulfilment in their work and personal lives, she has won awards for her efforts, and is fast becoming a role model and demonstrating that life can still be exciting, no matter how old you are. Dion Johnson spoke to Keep The Faith about her life and work.

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): What inspired you to start a company to help unfulfilled professional women find more fulfilling work?

DION JOHNSON (DJ): When I was in my mid-thirties, I hit a big professional pit; I was really fed up with my job and my life, if the truth be told, and as my dissatisfaction grew. It forced me to come face to face with the harsh reality that, even though I couldn’t stand my job anymore, I was also petrified about losing it; I felt heavily dependent on it. I’d always been in healthcare and I was good at it; my family was proud of my accomplishments; I earned good money and received accolades for my trailblazing leadership exploits, so becoming fed up and dissatisfied was a huge inconvenience and, actually, it felt like a threat to my wellbeing. But the longing for MORE never went away and, 10 years ago in 2004, I took a massive leap of faith and handed in my notice, with no idea what was next for me, just a deep knowing in my belly that there was more and that I needed to take this step to find it.

KTF: How did you go about finding fulfilling work?

DJ: I spent the first six months in my dressing gown, crying out to God as the harsh realities of no income and no clear direction hit me and hit

me hard. I agonised to ‘find myself’. I feared I wasn’t going to be able to care for my daughter, and lived with consistent uncertainty about how we would survive yet, somewhere deep in my belly, I knew I needed to stick with this path into the unknown. But here I am! It’s 2014 and everything is different now! I trained as an Executive and Performance Coach, studied psychology and Neuro Linguistic Programming, and began putting one foot in front of the other to share what I was learning and to be of help to whoever came my way. This whole experience has become my passion and the foundation undergirding my work with professional women in the marketplace.

KTF: How long has your business been going, and what kind of responses have you been getting for the services you provide?

DJ: I work with women who are ready to evolve to a higher expression of who they were born to be. I think it’s because of my health and midwifery background why I attract mostly, but not exclusively, women from the people professions: doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, midwives and leading women, who appear to be doing so well on the face of things but inside are experiencing

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deep dissatisfaction and boredom.

These women know secretly and instinctively that something needs to change and shift. They may not know what or how, but that’s what they discover as we work together. We create a partnership; I invest in my own learning, development and transformation, and then share openly with the women I support, teach and guide, as they commit to their own transformation.

KTF: You were born with a facial disfigurement, which you used to hide, but do so no longer.

Why is that?

DJ: Five years ago, a series of events led me to question my own level of authenticity and how I was showing up in my business. I was born with a facial disfigurement, and wore an artificial eye and dark glasses to cover my facial flaws. I was petrified of being seen by anyone without my ‘mask’. I arrived at a place in my life, where I had to decide whether I was more committed to continuing with my personal transformation and authentic presence, or if I was going to betray that and continue showing up behind this mask.

It was a terrifying and enormous decision, but I committed to finding a way to show up in my business and life for real - no more hiding.

I began to share this with my clients and followers, and it really struck a chord!

KTF: What kind of things started happening when you began to let people see the real you?

DJ: Women from all around the world began to get in touch with me to tell me their story about the secret masks they wear both professionally and personally, too. The more candid and authentic I become, the more I am attracting the attention of professional women who know there is more to them than they are currently being... it’s amazing. Since telling my story, I have been featured in other articles; invited to take the platform as a TEDx Speaker, and have won two awards: Inspiring Woman in 2012 and Mentor of the Year in 2013.

It’s AMAZING! KTF: How does your company help women looking for ways out of their unfulfilled work?

DJ: A lot of what I do is simply about getting women to admit it! Admit how they are truly feeling about work and life, and making a decision to pay attention and not keep trying to dismiss their innermost thoughts. I teach women that it’s not wrong to become unfulfilled; it’s wrong to ignore it. Dissatisfaction, work and life crisis, boredom and disillusionment are all part of life’s way of alerting us that we are ready for the next stage of the transformation process. It’s an opportunity to evolve into another dimension of self-expression and being.

By nature, life is continually presenting us with opportunities to grow. Becoming consistently fed up at work is exactly that: a signal it’s time to grow on and develop. But you can’t grow and stay the same... that’s one of the scary truths I help my clients to face.

KTF: And how do you help women find fulfilling work?

DJ: The honest answer is I don’t. I give women the opportunity of quality time, space, guidance and support, to take a good look in the mirror and to get reacquainted with themselves. So many women are trying to stay satisfied with a life they built 20 and 30 years ago, but they need to realise they have outgrown it. I help women admit to themselves what they really want. It never ceases to amaze me how disconnected women can become from their heart and true desires in the name of busyness and caring for everyone and everything.

KTF: You use the term ‘midlife women’ - can you explain what you mean by that, and why you feel that midlife women have a lot to offer society?

DJ: According to research commissioned by healthcare provider, Benenden Health, midlife - or the middle age - is starting older than it used to be. It was once believed that the landmark began at 41; it is now thought that middle age does not start until aged 53. Many of my clients are in their mid-forties and –fifties, and very mindful about the prospect of facing and adjusting to being the big five-0. I meet women who are often, secretly, anxious about what being this age means. They think about getting older and less productive; they face all kinds of unknowns physically, emotionally, socially and financially, and it can often evoke an overwhelming need for review and change and, for many, crisis. My message is, it doesn’t have to be terrible; in fact, I’m convinced it’s an unprecedented opportunity to make a unique, important and personally meaningful impact in the world through their work. I’m consistently blown away by the depth of knowledge and wisdom the more mature professional woman possesses.

KTF: How does your faith influence your life and your work?

DJ: I like to describe Jesus as my CEO. My love, drive and sense of mission are a direct result of my love and relationship with Him. I remember one day in prayer, He told me: “For I so love the world that I created you, Dion!” Everything you see me do in service of the women is inextricably linked with my service to my heavenly Boss.

It’s really that simple. I am fully persuaded that God has big intentions for professional, midlife women in His plans to bless the world.

KTF: What should we expect from Dion in the next few months?

DJ: It’s all about getting the message out there, far and wide, that women, and especially Midlife Women, have the power to break out of the mediocre and mundane; make their unique mark, and absolutely LOVE living life! I am thrilled to be launching my new online 30-Day programme called ‘REThink YOU’. I’m excited about this, because it’s a really easy way for busy professionals to access my support in a group setting, without the need for travel and big time investment. Plus, it’s a great challenge and opportunity for me to overcome my technology phobia, and make the Internet work for my business! The best is yet to come!

For more details, visit www.dionjohnson.com.

Dion Johnson will be hosting a special launch event and fundraiser to raise money to stop maternal deaths in the developing world, on July 22 at Bloomsbury House, 2-3 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2RL. Speakers include Grace Ononiwu, Chief Prosecutor of the CPS, Midlands. Admission is £20 plus booking fee.

Visit www.bit.ly/SheShinesGlobal to book your tickets.

INTERVIEW 21

‘As with any vocation, one must desire to achieve one’s best. You don’t have to fill your elders’ shoes, just walk in their footsteps, because we have our own shoes to fill.’

SETH PINNOCK

For the past four years, Keep The Faith has chronicled the development of young Christian leader, Seth Pinnock, and supported his event, Midnight Oil Summit (MOS) - a major youth conference that aims to impact young people in all areas of their lives. This year’s MOS will be the last, so KTF felt it made sense to talk to Seth about what he’s learnt about leadership over the past years, and to find out his plans for the future.

Keep The Faith (KTF): Why have you decided to make this year’s MOS your last?

Seth Pinnock (SP): I believe that this is the appropriate time for that ministry to transition.

I feel MOS is an expression of the vision I received when I was 17 years old. Turning 25 this year, it’s apparent that we have grown deeper and wider since then, and it’s time for us to move forward into a new thing which reflects that.

KTF: What have you learnt about leadership and being a leader, as a result of organising the Midnight Oil Summit?

SP: I have found that effective leadership comes more from a fluid than a rigid model. Whilst it can be exciting and exhausting, great leadership is the ability to transfuse the DNA of a vision, and to support and share its direction. If there was a word that I would use to sign off this adventure, it would be ‘tenacity’.

KTF: What do you like/hate the most about being a leader and being seen as a role model?

SP: The opportunity to influence and impact with a greater cause in mind is most beneficial.

KTF: What advice would you give young people who feel they are being called by God to become leaders?

SP: Go full throttle at it! As with any vocation, one must desire to achieve one’s best. You don’t have to fill your elder’s shoes, just walk in their footsteps, because we have our own shoes to fill.

We should not endeavour to emulate our father’s template, but seek to discover our own. It’s important not to pour new wine into old wineskins; just make sure that it’s wine and not fruit juice!

KTF: In your view, how should the Church support young leaders?

SP: I feel that the Church has made incredible

progress over the years, which is fantastic!

However, there must be more space and shuffling, in order for young people to shape what the present-day Church should look like.

KTF: What unique qualities do you feel young people bring to the mix?

SP: Young people are authentically tuned to the frequency of the times and, like the children of Issachar, can give clear, fresh and relevant perspectives.

KTF: Lastly, now that you are closing one chapter of your life and starting a new one, what should we expect from you in the next few months?

SP: Last year, Midnight Oil celebrated its seventh anniversary at the world-renowned Symphony Hall in Birmingham. We held seven events across three locations in Birmingham city centre, led by a team of 300 volunteers. We recorded our first urban worship album, which features songs that I have penned over this journey. I’m very excited about releasing it this summer, as well as seeing what lies ahead as God’s Bride Ministries becomes part of The Message Trust family. They have been at the cutting edge of youth work and evangelism for over 20 years.

The last ever Midnight Oil Summit will take place at Earls Court, London, on August 8 as part of Morris Cerullo’s Mission to London, and at Birmingham Town Hall on August 9.

Guest speakers and artists include Bishop Wayne Malcolm, Volney Morgan & New-Ye, Noel Robinson, Ram One, Rix, Guvna B and many more. Registration is £10. Visit www. missiontolondon.com to register for the London event, and www.midnightoilsummit.org to register for the Birmingham event.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

22 FEATURE

The

business dream vs job security Award-winning businesswoman, Sotonye Deru, shares the reasons why people should consider utilising their God-given talents to start their own business

I made a decision that I wanted the freedom, fulfilment and legacy that came with running my own business, and took the steps and actions needed to see that dream become a reality.

Since then, I have been blessed to have given birth to three books, a book publishing company, two event management companies, and have become a world-renowned motivational speaker and business start-up coach.

SOTONYE DERU

is a businesswoman and start-up business coach

THE HARD TRUTH

“Bob, we would like to thank you for your 20 years of service at GPO but, unfortunately, we will have to let you go.” This was the reality for many of us, or for someone we knew when recession hit.

The life we had been promised, the job security we had dreamed of, the pension scheme we were looking forward to, all came crashing down, and many were left hopeless, jobless and broken. We had put all our eggs into one basket called ‘9-5 JOB’, and had nowhere else to turn for financial stability. For many, it was the end of their life; for some, it was a pay downgrade and, for a small percentage, it was the birth of their independence!

Whatever the result, it was an awakening to the truth that we needed to start developing multiple streams of income with our natural gifts, skills and talents given to us by God; to start small businesses, which could be started anywhere, anytime - at university, whilst working for someone else, or even after retirement.

I have always been of the strong conviction that, as people of faith, we need to really take hold of the Scripture in Deuteronomy 8:18 that says, ‘God has given us the power to produce wealth’.

GETTING STARTED

Four key steps/questions to ask yourself when thinking of a business idea – your ‘cash machine’.

1

What are your skills? Make a list of your

skills, the things you are good at, the things you do naturally, the skills you use at work, etc., such as writing, singing, event management, styling, photography….

One of my favourite stories in the Bible that illustrates this is the story of the widow and the jar of olive oil, found in 2 Kings 4, where, after almost giving up, the widow was able to become debt free and build a successful business, once she had identified and started to use what she had in her house. She mixed her faith with all she had, and trusted God. At this point, I want you to ask yourself: If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?

What business would you start up? What social enterprise would you give birth to? You have the choice to either take the bold step of living your business dream and be on your way to financial freedom, or join the millions of people who have sadly traded their dreams of freedom for the competitive rat race they call life!

As we know, there is no such thing as ‘job security’. True wealth and freedom are created through having your own business; generating passive income (making money while you sleep or even on holiday). Could you be the next millionaire? The next Richard Branson? The next JK Rowling? Maybe….

THE SOLUTION

When I started my first business, running a legal clerking agency at the age of 22, it was not easy - and I never thought it would be - but one thing I knew was that, if I were to put all my resources, energy and expertise into building my empire ‘cash machine’, then it was bound to succeed. I had enough faith and passion to get the journey started, and allowed God to guide, lead and connect me to the right people.

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2

Out of those skills, which ones are you really passionate about? Which ones get you

excited? Which skills can you use towards fixing a problem that you are passionate about?

Rank them in order of passion.

3

Once you have identified your skills, and

narrowed them down to the ones you are really passionate about, is there a need/gap for the business in the marketplace? Do people really want what you have to offer?

4

Lastly, identify your USP (‘Unique Selling

Point’). What will cause you to stand out from your competitors?

Is this you: ‘An entrepreneur sees an opportunity which others do not fully recognise, to meet an unsatisfied demand, or to radically improve the performance of an existing business. They have unquenchable self-belief that this opportunity can be made real through hard work, commitment and the adaptability to learn the lessons of the market along the way. (Chris Oakley OBE)’?

If so, then what are you waiting for? Ask yourself those four questions, put a plan of action together, get a business start up coach, and start reaping the following rewards: freedom, flexibility, success.

For more details, visit www.sotonyederu.com or email info@sotonyederu.com)

23

“Attending one of the Southwark information meetings made us realise we were ready to complete our family” Maria and Jack, from Peckham

Adopt in Southwark If you are considering adoption, why not contact Southwark Council? You’ll benefit from outstanding support and dedicated social workers who will help you as you take your first steps towards completing your family. Your age, ethnicity, marital status or sexuality are not important, but being patient, caring and committed is.

For more information about adopting in Southwark and for future dates of adoption meetings visit www.southwark.gov.uk/adoption or talk to us by calling 0800 952 0707 or emailing adoption@southwark.gov.uk

www.southwark.gov.uk/adoption

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

24 FEATURE

YOUNG LIVES WITH FAITH AT THE CORE

The Christian community is filled with lots of great, talented young adults, who are doing great things for God and the wider society. Four of them spoke to Keep The Faith about their work, their faith and their plans for the future

MILDRED TALABI,

30, attends iCan Ministries in Bow, east London; works as a Communication Manager of a youth centre; runs a CV makeover business, and speaks, writes and blogs about careers and business.

She is currently working on her second book, which gives young people advice on how to get a job in today’s climate. She is married to Malachi Talabi, a speaker and teacher.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

Writing my first book, 7 Keys to a Winning CV, in seven days! I didn’t realise how big a deal this was until I started working on my second book – it has taken me a year and half so far, and I’m still not finished!

VOLNEY MORGAN,

24, attends the First Born Church of the Living God in Birmingham; is an ordained minister, and pastors the young people at his church. He is also director of New-Ye, a dynamic choir that is injecting some excitement and dynamism into the gospel music scene with their energetic performances. Volney is engaged and due to be married by the end of the year.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

It has to be leading and directing gospel group New-Ye for eight years.

We’ve ministered in some really great churches, such as Ruach City Church, KICC, COGIC, to name a few. But some of my greatest achievements have been opening up for Cece Winans, Jason Nelson and Myron Butler, and we also did a library album for Universal Studios.

That came about by us just being in our rehearsal, lost in worship, and a man came in and asked us if we would work on a Universal Studio project.

In what ways does your faith inspire/help you to do what you do?

My faith inspires me every day to walk in the direction of making a change, whether that be to one person or to a crowd. It helps me to continue to see the good in people, even when it’s clouded by all the bad. My faith inspires me to tell a story with my life, one that will be told long after I’m gone, one that gives God the glory.

What’s your favourite Bible verse?

I wouldn’t say have one; it really is whatever Scripture is blessing me in that season. At the moment, the Scripture that comes to mind is Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, which starts: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

It is my aim that I will be doing even greater in ministry - maybe a pastor, who knows but God. I still want to be travelling with the Gospel to bigger and greater arenas, where the Word can reach people on a mass scale. More albums and more live concerts. It has always been my heart to open a school of the arts that will keep the younger generation active.

Lastly, what is the mantra you try to live by?

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) For more details, visit www.vmandnewye.com. Like on Facebook @ VM & New-Ye, or follow on Twitter @VM_n_NewYe.

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In what ways does your faith inspire/help you to do what you do?

My faith, my relationship with Jesus, is everything to me. I go to Him for guidance on the next step to take in my career; for wisdom when I get stuck; for inspiration when I’m running low, and for provision when things are tight. I believe my work is my ministry, and my ministry the work I do. Having a living relationship with Jesus helps me to be the best me that I can be in all arenas of life.

What’s your favourite Bible verse?

I have several, but I’ll probably go with Psalm 34:1 – “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” I’ve been through some highs and some lows in life, and each time it all comes back to this: God is good and very worthy of my praise in all circumstances.

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time where your work/ ministry are concerned?

My vision is to be a full-time multiple best-selling author, influential speaker and writer, still inspiring and changing lives in the realm of business and careers.

Lastly, what is the mantra you try to live by?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” In other words, this life we have now is all that we have, so make the most of it by being, doing and having all that God has created you to be, do and have, while you still have the chance to do so.

For more details, visit www.mildredtalabi.com and receive a free audio download of ‘How to Land that Job With a Winning CV!’ Friend on Facebook @ Mildred Talabi and like on Twitter @mildredtalabi.

FEATURE 25

DANIEL STONE,

25, attends Mount Zion Community Centre in Aston, Birmingham; is the National School & College Pastor’s Coordinator for the Ascension Trust, and oversees 26 initiatives around the UK. He also works as the Education and Community Projects Coordinator for recruitment experts, Rare, which helps young people gain places at top universities and work with top employers.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

Becoming the first person ever from my state school in Birmingham to graduate from the University of Oxford, where I read Economics and Management. This will stand as my greatest achievement, because it was something that I had never dreamed was possible. I enjoyed three prosperous years, in which I became the President of St Peter’s College.

In what ways does your faith inspire/help you to do what you do?

My faith defines who I am and the choices I have made to date. I have always tried to live with a pure heart before God, seeking His will above all else. My faith gives me the strength to do this, despite the presence of fear and pride.

DR STUART PATTICO,

31, attends the Church of God of Prophecy in Tooting, London, and is a full-time itinerant preacher with a teaching and healing ministry, who has ministered in the UK, Africa and Asia. He’s the author of nine books, and is married to Andrea Pattico, a speaker and worship leader.

What’s your greatest achievement to date?

One of the goals of my ministry is to see God’s power demonstrated in undeniable ways. One of the most vivid examples of this goal being achieved was a meeting the Lord and I conducted in Ghana. In that service, 50 people testified of being instantly and miraculously healed, including a man who was completely blind! Furthermore, in that meeting, 100% of those, who had symptoms that could be immediately tested, testified of being healed.

In what ways does your faith inspire/help you to do what you do?

Without a relationship with God and an awareness that I have been called, I couldn’t do this. It is God who enables me to understand the Bible. I rely on God to inspire the books I write and the messages I preach, and am totally reliant on His power when ministering to the sick and praying with people. Without His anointing, there would be no healings, no miracles and no sense of His presence.

What’s your favourite Bible verse?

Romans 5:3-5: “…but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

I’m still a young man, but I’ve seen enough in my life to know that suffering of some sort is part of life. If we’re able to endure this suffering, I believe that God will develop in and through us, the type of character that can transform our world.

Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?

When we look around the world, there is a common and a desperate need for education. I believe there is a need for education in a practical sense, but this shouldn’t ignore the need for spiritual enlightenment. I’d like to develop the expertise to contribute and lead others to impact young people in both of these areas.

Lastly, what is the mantra you try to live by?

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

For more information, visit www.schoolpastors.org.uk, like on Facebook @ Ascension Trust, or email d.stone@ascensiontrust.org.uk.

What’s your favourite Bible verse?

I don’t have a single favourite verse, but these have a special place: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3 NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12 NKJV) Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time where your work/ ministry are concerned?

I am thankful for the fruit of my ministry so far but, as God wants us to “bear much fruit”, I am eager for my ministry to be on a much larger scale, reaching more people, both in the UK and overseas. By His grace, this will result in more believers being equipped, and more lost souls being saved. I am confident that the Lord will do this.

Lastly, what is the mantra you try to live by?

“For to me to live is Christ...” (Philippians 1:21 KJV) Whilst I am far from perfect, my life revolves around Christ. He is my life. I don’t try to fit Him into my schedule – He is my schedule. He must always be at the centre.

For more details of Dr Pattico’s ministry, visit www.stuartpattico.com, like on Facebook @ DrStuartPattico, or follow on Twitter @DrPattico.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

26 FEATURE

IS ‘NEW ATHEISM’ THE BIG DEAL - OR IS IT US? Andy Gray explores the rise of atheism and its impact on young people’s beliefs, and concludes that how Christians ‘do church’ is key in affecting whether young people serve God

ANDY GRAY

S

is founder and Pastor of CityHill Church, Clapham Common

ince 2004, we have witnessed the rise of New Atheism, which ironically started as a result of 9/11, triggering the release of Sam Harris’s book, ‘The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason’.

It was said that after 9/11 Islam would suffer. Somehow, New Atheism has kept most of its focus on Christianity, even though its first rise was a direct result of Islamic extremists’ terror attacks on that fateful day. The key figures of New Atheism became known as ‘The Four Horsemen and Horsewoman of the Non-Apocalypse’ consisting of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett, with Hirsi Ali replacing the now deceased Christopher Hitchens.

A decade later, and the landscape has evolved as things have taken an unpredictable twist; atheist churches have now sprung up across the globe - yes,‘churches’ - although the good news is, at first glance, the Black Church in Britain seems yet to feel the real pinch of the New Atheist movement. I fear that this will change, because often we lack vision, foresight and any resemblance of true prophetic gifting. As a result of these things, churches end up playing a more reactive strategy rather than a proactive one.

My wife, Jodi, and I started CityHill Church in Clapham Common in February last year. It was just the two of us to begin with. Now, we are averaging fifteen regular attenders per week. Often the figure is closer to 30 over the course of the month.

On Good Friday, we had a social in a bar, where the first cocktail was on Jesus. We invited different friends who probably wouldn’t come to church on Sunday, but would be happy for Jesus to pick up the bar tab!!! One of the guys I chatted to that night was upfront with me; he said, “I am cool with this Jesus, but me and church just don’t work…” He then started to list the problems Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

in church and, as I listened, they were all valid: mainly money and corrupt, manipulative leadership. I just listened and invited him to check us out and, if he wasn’t feeling it, no biggie.

Since the first day of CityHill, we have not taken up a single offering. The reason for not taking an offering was the reoccurring message I kept hearing from 20- and 30-somethings: they were tired of financial corruption in the Church! I had a decision to make as a pastor: what do I love more? The budget or the people?

New Atheism has some good arguments, but that is not why churches are losing the younger generation; we lose them when we push them away. Sunday after Sunday, the style of the talk pushes them away, the music pushes them away, the culture of judgment and hypocrisy pushes them away.

‘If every generation makes it their priority to serve the generation coming up, we will have a church that can weather every age’ Out of the people we have had visit CityHill, who have previously stopped going to church, not ONE has stated atheism as their reason for leaving. New Atheism has been successful in taking ground with the nones (people of no faith) and agnostics.

Once I was invited to speak at a church, who had brought me in as ‘that youth guy that the kids will love’. They sat me down, telling me about their passion for young people and that they wanted to see JESUS move among the young people. Their talk made me excited but, when the service started, after 10 minutes I realised they did not have a passion for young people. Passion means to suffer; they were not prepared to suffer any change in church culture to reach young people.

I firmly believe the biggest problem is church pushing people into the embracing arms of the New Atheist movement, by clinging on to a ‘church culture’ that is way past its sell by date. Jesus called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. I want to implore the older leaders in the church to do this.

If every generation makes it their priority to serve the generation coming up, we will have a church that can weather every age.

However, if each generation creates a power struggle to keep church exactly how they like it, we will watch it lose its power. A church’s power is in serving; it is true that young people should serve those who are older, but we must accept that they, on the whole, are too immature to know what humility, service and sacrifice look like… until we show them!

Back to Good Friday. The guy who ‘didn’t do church’ has been coming to CityHill ever since; he has signed up to serve on team. All it took was showing him a place where money was not valued more than people.

Andy Gray has been involved in children and youth ministry for over a decade. His biggest achievement to date is ‘convincing his wife, Jodi, to marry him’.

Jodi and Andy

O ur f irst ever C

hr istmas Ser vic e

27

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28 FEATURE

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT CHRISTIAN DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS Young Christian leader and author, Kunlé Oyedeji, sets the record straight about dating and relationships for young adults

KUNLÉ OYEDEJI

is the Director of The Cornerstone Ministry, and a reputable speaker in the area of dating and relationships

MYTH 1:

‘The one’ is out there for me

This is one of the most common myths concerning relationships and marriage. Do you believe you have found the right one? Yet you are unsure?

Isn’t it funny how one can easily say that God said this and said that about other circumstances life may bring them, but might not be so sure when it comes to God telling them who they should enter into a relationship with, or who their husband or wife is to be?

Christian psychologists have remarked that this notion of there being one person on earth that is compatible with you is taken from Hollywood films, where pictures are painted with the dramatic coming together of couples, suddenly meeting in an airport after not seeing each other for ten years. It would be unprofitable to assume that God gives man the choice of accepting salvation through Him as our free will, but gives more importance to who our spouse should be, as opposed to where we spend eternity.

Where we spend our eternity is more important than who we marry in the eyes of God. The Word of God tells us, in Proverbs 8:35, that he who finds God finds life, and in Proverbs 18:22 that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. There is a significant difference between finding a good thing and finding life.

So, if there isn’t one chosen person for us, what about God providing Eve for Adam? What about Isaac and Rebekah? Or even indeed Joseph and Mary? As this is a widely discussed topic, check out the chapter ‘Relationship Myths’ in

my book Relationship Matters on amazon.co.uk for more detail and insight on this topic.

MYTH 2:

If it is meant to be, it will be…

Imagine I told you that I aspire to be the world’s foremost basketball player. Imagine I told you that, in order to do this, I slouch around all day; I don’t train or eat the right food and, in fact, I don’t even do anything other than watch basketball games on the television. Do you believe I’ll become that great player? Obviously not.

Likewise, people who believe that God is going to bring them that partner, and that all they have to do is sit around and not want to put themselves in the right circles in order to enhance their chances of finding someone special, are also mistaken. The Bible tells us, in James 2:17, “Faith without works is dead!” To say that it is ‘meant to be’ without being intentional is fruitless. It is fair to note that, when one is in the will of God for their life, they are likely to find their spouse along the way. It is the duty, however, for individuals to be deemed available and approachable to those whom they may deem as potential partners.

MYTH 3:

There are no good men or women out there!

I have often heard people say to me that they cannot find a suitable partner, or I’ll hear that ‘there are no good men or women out there’ during a conversation or at the end of a seminar.

However, the Bible tells us in Matthew 7:5 that we should first take the plank out of our own eye in order to see clearly (paraphrased). That is to say that, before we start complaining that there are no suitable partners out there, we should ask ourselves: Am I a suitable individual for someone else? And would a potential date say likewise?

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If we all look at being suitable and compatible, accepting differences that come with relationships, then maybe there would be more suitable possibilities; bearing in mind we have established that there is no perfect partner.

Each individual is unique, and no one is perfect.

However, God has placed members of the opposite sex in our lives who are compatible with us, and therefore we have a choice in choosing someone that is compatible with us, and allowing God to gel the relationship according to His will.

MYTH 4:

Opposites Attract

Opposites can attract and can make good relationships. It is fair to note, however, that if opposites do attract, they must have agreed on something initially, in order to cause the initial attraction, even if it was the fact that they are opposites that attracted them in the first place. So, it is fair to say to some degree that opposites sometimes do attract and sometimes they do not. God created variety, and variety is great. I advise people not to look to enter relationships in which the person is a carbon copy reflection of himself or herself. If you agree on everything, there would be no room for you to challenge one another and help each other grow mentally in other areas.

Kunlé Oyedeji is the author of ‘Relationship Matters’ and recently released ‘The Process of finding Mr or Mrs Right in Christ’ available on amazon.co.uk. For more information, visit www.kunleoyedeji.com.

FEATURE 29

LOVE IS MORE VIOLENT THAN TERROR

Rev Fred Williams has experienced first hand the terror of persecution by Muslim terrorists whilst living in Nigeria. He shares his experience with Keep The Faith FRED WILLIAMS

S

is a co-founder of LoveJustice, human rights advocate and film producer with UK-based Christian Concern

houts of “Allah Hu Akbar” and gunshots filled the air, and the only thing on my mind was to get to my family. I knew the Islamic militants were definitely going to attack the church, because our location was just a stone’s throw away from Bauchi Road, a section in the City of Jos Plateau State, Nigeria, that did not have a single church standing. The faster I drove, weaving through makeshift roadblocks and barriers, the more frantic were people’s attempts to stop me, yelling at me that a church was under attack ahead of us. The smoke rising from the church location confirmed my concerns: they had indeed attacked the church, and my family was in the parsonage. I screamed out the names of my children, as some neighbours helped put out the fire in the worship auditorium. For some reason, the attackers had fled before they could get to my family and some members of the choir, who had taken refuge by hiding in the living quarters a few yards away. My children came out as soon as they heard my voice.

I honestly cannot imagine how parents feel when their children are kidnapped, raped and killed. I know I was willing to do anything to save my family. I did not mention earlier that, on one of the roadblocks I was unable to smash through because it was too heavily fortified, there were plain-clothed armed men, who had threatened to shoot me for daring to be on the road. One of them actually put a pistol to my head, but I simply told him to get in the car and help me rescue my family, or get out of my way. During a crisis, people usually react in two ways: they are paralysed by fear or fuelled into action by rage. I think I fell into the latter.

The attackers returned later with their numbers swelled. The whole road was filled with a blood-thirsty mob, chanting: “Allah Hu Akbar”, while the mosque nearby kept announcing they had arms, and that the infidels should not be spared. They kept on saying this was jihad and that Allah was with them. The whole experience was like a nightmare. We had no choice but to stand our ground, because we noticed that any time people fled, they were chased and brutally cut down. I quickly mobilised the youths around, and asked for everyone able to stand to get whatever they could lay their hands on for protection. If we didn’t defend ourselves, they would kill everyone. I remember clearly we had about 25 of us against at least 100 Islamic militants. The mob filled the road, chanting “Allah Hu Akbar”, but we stood our ground in front of the church, shouting “Hallelujah”.

I remember asking the young man beside me if he was ready to die. I asked him if he had given his life to Christ, because it was very crucial at this time. We stood our ground and something miraculous happened. One of the elders in the Muslim community next to us stood in front of the advancing mob and stopped them. To cut a long story short, he prevented that particular mob from attacking us. I have to note here, however, that the attacks continued all around us for several days, and many lives were lost.

On one occasion after we were attacked, I was determined to lead a counter attack against an Islamic school two blocks away. I rationalised that, since they kept attacking us, the best form of defense was to attack them back, but the Spirit of God spoke to my heart that if they burn your church and you burn their mosque, there’s no difference between you

and them. I believe the war on terror cannot be won by hatred and violence. There is one thing more violent than terror, and that is love.

There are people in northern Nigeria, who are the unsung heroes, laying down their lives as missionaries and followers of Christ, and who are willing to LOVEBACK and build lives, instead of picking up arms. These are the people we need to support and learn from.

They are fearless people, who are willing to pay the ultimate price for the Gospel. A good example is Dr Emmanuel Razack; he was the leader of the Christian Faith Ministries’ Bible School in Jos, who was shot dead a few days ago by Islamic militants that regularly engaged in armed robbery. His mission group told me they believe the way forward is to reach out in love and to build bridges, so they have built a computer centre in a Muslim community around Jos. They said if they can get to the youth and help educate them, there will be no foot soldiers for Boko Haram.

As the anguish of the parents, and of many other families thrown into turmoil due to Boko Haram going on the rampage in Nigeria, continues unabated, what can we do in practical terms to help and respond creatively in defiance to terror?

These and other piercing issues are what we hope to address with the LOVEBACK initiative. We believe corporate bodies, artistes, charities, and anyone who really cares can make a difference, if they are really willing to step out on a limb. We can all reach out - one person at a time.

LOVEBACK focuses on engaging people in creative and constructive ways of responding to terror. www.keepthefaith.co.uk

30 FEATURE

The rise of China and what it means for Black Christians

China is set to become the world’s major super power, and home to the world’s largest Christian population. Richard Reddie looks at how Black Christians can help evangelise this vast mission field

RICHARD REDDIE

W

is a writer and religious commentator.

His latest book explores the history of the New Testament Assembly in the UK.

hen I was growing up, my mother in her wisdom used to say, “Nothing lasts forever - except the Kingdom of God.” She usually said this after someone famous had died, but the phrase could easily have applied to an empire or nation, which are often characterised by their rise and fall.

According to academics, we are currently witnessing the escalation of China as the premier global superpower, and the waning of the United States; a fact borne out by economic forecasts that show it will overtake the USA sometime this year as the world’s leading economy. This should hardly come as a surprise, as virtually everything, from computers to clothes - once made in the USA - are now manufactured in China.

China’s pre-eminence can be seen in Africa and the Caribbean, particularly in infrastructure projects and business matters. On a trip to Jamaica a few years ago, my father pointed out that the new highway from the airport into Kingston was built by the Chinese. Similarly, on a trip to the island’s north coast, I could not help but notice the numbers of Chinese workers erecting bridges and involved in other major infrastructure projects. The situation in Africa is even more striking; in the last three years, China has given more loans to Africa than the World Bank has. And in the past decade, trade between China and Africa has increased to $120billion, making Africa China’s largest trade partner. It is estimated that there are over 500 Chinese companies currently trading in Africa, which own everything from farms to factories. Equally, figures suggest that over a million Chinese people now live in Africa and, given the Chinese penchant for migration, that number is likely to increase.

So, if the 20th century belonged to the USA, this century - so the argument goes - belongs to China.

Discussions have taken place on this theory from a geopolitical and social perspective, but nothing from a Black Christian standpoint. Despite its history of African enslavement and racial segregation, the United States has always been considered a land of

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opportunity for Black people from the Caribbean and Africa. For Black Pentecostals, it was the birthplace of the modern-day Pentecostal movement, and home to many of the Church of God denominations that altered the spiritual climate of the Caribbean, Africa and later, the UK. Indeed, it is still true that Black Christians continue to look to the USA for leadership and inspiration. How many congregations, especially wealthy ones, take pride in inviting over a dynamic US bishop to add some spiritual glitter to their annual convention? Likewise, Christian promoters know the value of having a big US gospel star on a concert line up, as this will guarantee a sell-out audience. It seems as if the ‘S’ in USA spells ‘success’, and those in the UK have always been attracted to it.

This cannot be said of China which, unlike the USA, does not consider herself a Christian country.

In fact, the Beijing Government is often accused of the state-sponsored persecution of Christians, only sanctioning churches that meet its exacting criteria.

Yet, despite this, as we read in the last issue of Keep The Faith, Christianity is growing in China, and it will soon overtake the USA as the country with the greatest number of Christians.

China and its people present a wonderful opportunity for Christians, especially Black ones, to share the Gospel. For instance, African- and Caribbeanbased churches could do more to reach out to those Chinese workers currently in their countries. Once converted, some of these men and women would return home as mission-minded Christians. Likewise, from a UK perspective, more churches ought to consider the possibility of carrying out missions to China, as a precursor to planting churches. History reveals that Black British congregations have a good history of church planting, or affiliating with churches in India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. And, despite the obvious political, cultural and ethnic tensions, it would seem logical for them to focus on China, with whom there are increasing commercial and cultural links. Churches should take advantage of the growing numbers of Africans living in China, and use these folks as their initial mission field for church plants. Estimates suggest that anywhere up to 200,000 Africans currently reside in the country, and Beijing plans to enrol 30,000 Africans on short-term professional training programmes between 2013 and 2015, while it plans to bring in 18,000 African students to its universities.

Any Black Christian focus on China would not be easy, but neither was the establishment of the first African-Caribbean congregations in the UK, which had to battle a range of forces in order to grow into what they are today. However, God was gracious and His Spirit was active, enabling these churches to transform Britain. God the Holy Spirit will undoubtedly assist anyone willing to step out in faith to win souls for Christ in China.

‘China and its people present a wonderful opportunity for Christians, especially Black ones, to share the Gospel.’

FEATURE 31

MAYA

ANGELOU

A woman who touched the world with the written word Dionne Gravesande pays tribute to the late American writer and academic, Maya Angelou, and examines the impact her writing had on women across the world

DIONNE GRAVESANDE

T

is Head of Church Advocacy at Christian Aid

he quote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”, has shaped my philosophy over the last 10 years. Its author is the late and great Dr Maya Angelou, whose eyes closed for the final time on May 28th, 2014, aged 86. Maya Angelou was an African-American author, poet, civil rights activist, actress, director, playwright, songwriter and singer. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays. She deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest literary giants of modern times. Her words were powerful and had a profound influence on women and men all over the world.

Maya survived several personal trials that defined her very character. Born April 4th, 1928, in St Louis, Missouri, she grew up in the segregated American South. For most of Maya’s early life, she existed on the very margins of society. She grew up in poverty, and survived rape and sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend, who was then murdered by her uncles. Maya recalls she felt responsible for the death, and so stopped speaking for five years. During these years she started writing poetry. Giving birth at 16, her late teens and early twenties brought more hardships, as she tried to make a living and raise a child, while having little education or training in a country that legally discriminated against her. But, from these bitter beginnings, Maya would rise and thrive to have an extraordinarily full life. By the time she reached 40, she had been a professional dancer, madam, lecturer, activist, singer and editor. She had worked with Dr Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, lived in Ghana and Egypt, and toured Europe.

In a moving and extraordinary tribute, Michelle Obama called Maya “one of the greatest spirits our world has ever known”. Quoting Psalm 139, Michelle said Maya had taught all women that self-worth “has nothing to do with what the world might say. Her words touched people all across the globe, including a young White woman from Kansas, who named her daughter after Maya, and raised her son to be the first Black president of the United States.”

“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

Taken from Still I Rise Maya’s most notable work, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, illustrates the difficulty of growing up as a young Black girl in a world that neither loves nor values Black girls. This was the first Maya Angelou book I read, and it helped me find my own voice to express my feelings about

my own racial abuse. Her autobiographies and poetry urges Black women to love themselves, and to love the God who is present within them.

She was very comfortable in her glorious Black skin! When Maya unapologetically calls Black women ‘phenomenal’, she disrupts those forces that attempt to rob Black women of an identity of also being made in the image and likeness of God. Maya found real meaning and comfort in the Christianity she learned as a child growing up in Arkansas. Her deep, spiritual sensibility can be seen in her writings. In so many ways, Maya Angelou understood human behaviour, and had a message for Black women, in particular. She knew our hope, our pain, our ambition, our fear and our anger, and she assured us that in spite of it all, in fact because of it all, we are still created in the image of God. Transcending her own pain, she learnt to forgive herself and others. She lived in the hope things can and do change; she didn’t just want to be a phenomenal woman herself. She wanted all of us to be phenomenal women right alongside her. That’s powerful to hear!

Words have real power. God spoke the world into being by the power of His words, and we are in His image in part because of the power we have with words. Words do more than convey information.

Our words have the power to destroy and the power to build up (Proverbs 12:6). The writer of Proverb tells us: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). Ask yourself, are you using words to build up people or destroy them? Are they filled with hate or love, bitterness or blessing, complaining or complimenting, lust or love, victory or defeat? Like tools, they can be used to help us reach our goals or to send us spiralling into a deep distress. Whatever your answer, Maya Angelou’s lasting legacy is set: she used words to build, restore and empower thousands of people across the globe. Rest in peace, Maya Angelou. We salute you! www.keepthefaith.co.uk

24 FEATURE 32 FEATURE

The

reason for

seasons

Recently married and soon-to-be first time mother at 40, Esther Kuku reflects on her life to date, and shares why there is a reason for all the seasons we go through

ESTHER KUKU

is presenter of Premier Gospel’s Family Hour, which airs every Saturday from 11am - 12pm

I

f someone had told me when I was thirty what my life would look like at forty, I am sure that I would have shed a few less tears.

I remember my 30th birthday as being awful. I got saved at 19, and the dream was to be married by the time I was 25 and have a big family. However, on my 30th birthday, I was still single and, rather than see all the good that God had done, I magnified the disappointments of failed relationships and broken promises. The funny thing is, I never doubted that I would get married and have a family; I was just disillusioned that God – the divine vending machine - hadn’t coughed up these promises in my timeframe.

Fast track 10 years and, two months after my 40th birthday last year, I got married to the most amazing man on the planet. He came with two beautiful children (aged six and eight), a heart sold out for God, and the ability to make a mean Sunday roast! Suddenly, after quiet Bank Holidays and weekends alone, I am shouting at children to stop sliding down the banisters, while my husband says, “Baby, that’s what children do!” We serve a God who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works within us. He didn’t just place me in a family – according to Psalm 68:6 - but three months after getting married, I fell pregnant.

You see, if only I had fully understood the

revelation of the different seasons our lives go through. Now, after years of waiting, I am juggling being a stepmother of two, a new wife and, in nine weeks’ time, motherhood for the first time.

The reality is that my twenties and thirties were a season of intense preparation. God was giving me a testimony. Today, if you asked me if I was ready for married life, I would honestly say, ‘Well I should be.’ While this whole marriage thing is a gift, it’s also hard work! I thank God that, despite not knowing why I was single for so long, I had fun and didn’t spend all the extra time I had wallowing in depression.

Thank God I learned how to cook and keep house, went on holidays, and built a network of amazing girlfriends that are just as vital to my life now as they were then.

‘Just as crops have a growing season, we have to go through various seasons in our life to mature and grow.’

Just as crops have a growing season, we have to go through various seasons in our life to mature and grow. Genesis 8:22 says, ‘As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, ‘To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven.’

Daniel 2:21 says, ‘And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings.’ And in that Scripture lies the hardest

truth: The seasons of our lives are beyond our control. It’s in God’s hands when our winter ends and our spring starts.

It’s crucial that we become adept at understanding the season of life that we are in, as this will prevent us from making bad choices in life. I was never going to get married at 25, as the man God had for me wasn’t even saved then! I needed to sow seeds of prayer into the ground for him, as he was in the world and going through his own trials. The reality is that what felt like a season of unending winter for both of us, when nothing seemed to be growing in our lives, was actually God turning the soil of our hearts so we were ready for each other.

If you ever speak to a mountain and it doesn’t move - in my case when I was 25, it was a mountain of singleness - then maybe it’s not the devil, maybe it’s a protective block in the road, resurrected by God to prevent you from making a mistake that will cost you your destiny.

There is a huge difference between demonic strongholds of resistance and opposition, and protective barriers that are set in place by God to stop us from moving outside of his timing.

When it’s your harvest time, all the doors of promise in your life will swing open. Let’s not try and run ahead of God and end up with second best, whether that relates to a job, a new home or a spouse. It doesn’t matter how old we are. The Word of God states that He who began a good work in our lives will be faithful to complete it. At the appointed time, you will prosper and, when your season of breakthrough comes, don’t be afraid; be strong and embrace it with joy.

34 COMMENT

Moving beyond the Black

stereotype Rev David Shosanya explores the concept of Blackness, and why it’s important that Black people aren’t always projected as living in poverty, being in need and always wanting to be rescued with money raised for charity

REV DAVID SHOSANYA

is a Regional Minister & Director with the London Baptist Association

I

’m proud to be Black! How that statement is received is determined by one’s view of Blackness. However, sadly, the fact that I need to make such an assertion is hugely problematic in itself, and should not be easily or conveniently overlooked. Being proud to be Black is not an assertion that my White colleagues, friends or contemporaries have to make about their Whiteness.

The unspoken and assertive assumption is that one should be proud to be White, because Whiteness is normal, and if Whiteness is normal then there is no need to explain, apologise or assert anything about its characteristics, manifestations or even its existence. It is normal and therefore does not need to be interrogated.

Blackness does and should!

Having to assert that I am Black and proud conveys and carries an intrinsic recognition and assumption about Blackness itself. Blackness and pride are not words that are readily twinned in our minds or vocabulary. This is surprising, as we have much to be proud about! As Black communities, we come from and belong to a group of people whose existence and history were savagely attacked and severely distorted, and yet we retain within ourselves the inherent dignity of being human in the face of historical and contemporary assaults on our person.

Having to assert that I am Black and proud implies in some way that there is something or someone - possibly a group of people - that see Blackness as problematic. There is!

I recently read an article by an American academic that used a Supreme Court case, where residents were appealing to the law to retain a state judgment reserving their right to prohibit and prevent traffic from passing through their private, residential neighbourhood. The writer appropriated the metaphor of ‘unwanted traffic’ to describe or capture the spoken and unspoken sentiment of Blackness co-existing or passing through White communities/White spaces.

The metaphor is extremely powerful, and carries a number of sub-themes which can easily be explored to highlight the pernicious, corrosive and dehumanising fact of racial prejudice.

Given the frequency with which being Black

(or Blackness) is correlated to underdevelopment, being in need and uncivilised, compared with the perceived kindness, generosity and benevolence of White people (or Whiteness), one could be easily excised for quickly drawing the conclusion that a Black person has never, is currently failing to, and possibly could not in the future, have made, be making or continue to possibly make a positive contribution to the human race or civilisation.

“Blackness and pride are not words that are readily twinned in our minds or vocabulary. This is surprising, as we have much to be proud about!”

One can bring this home and highlight the manner in which some Christian charities portray and reinforce representations of Black people and Blackness in their literature, in an attempt to raise funds. When challenged, their replies go something like this: “But that is the reality, what can we do?” A lot, I suggest! For a start, they must ask themselves if this is the only reality, and what effect it has on how individuals perceive Black people and Blackness.

My contention is that such representations are not just exploitative; they have the detrimental effect of consciously or subconsciously juxtaposing racialised notions and conceptions of Blackness (uncivilised and regressive) with Whiteness (civilised and progressive). In other words, they pathologise who we are to the wider

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world, and reinforce subconscious assumptions and beliefs about Blackness.

The corollary to Black poverty is White exploitation through structural inequalities mediated through unjust financial systems, and an indifference to the plight of Black people.

Another answer to the assertion “But that is the reality, what can we do?” is to tell the full story, and show the complete picture of Blackness, without reducing it to representations of chronic need!

One would be mistaken to reduce the content of an article such as this to mere grumbling, politicking and misguided or manipulative racial politics. That would be the easy and the cowardly way out. In fact, the foundational basis of this article is fundamentally theological, and locates its moral authority on the basis that all humanity is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). In other words, the reason why individuals - irrespective of colour or culture should be handled with care and ‘represented’ as authentically as possible is because they are God’s creation, and caricatures dishonour that fact. In truth, the capacity to look oneself/one’s culture in the eye - individually or collectively, as a community or society - is one of the hallmarks of cultural maturity, and a movement away from blind and misplaced defensiveness. The ability to go further and beyond that, and to affirm and embrace the positive difference in others, is the highest ideal of the human state.

There is no room for discrimination of any sort in that space.

COMMENT 35

the nasty party Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts examines the success of UKIP in the recent council and European elections, and argues that the Church must take a stand against the racism within this growing political force

REV WALE HUDSON-ROBERTS

P

is the Racial Justice Co-ordinator for the Baptist Union of Great Britain

rotest vote or not, UKIP’s inexorable surge onto the political landscape has created an earthquake. Even mainstream parties have conceded that UKIP’s meteoric rise is a blow and a worry.

UKIP has no MPs, but won 27.5 per cent of the ballots in the European elections, and became the first minor party in over a century to lead a national vote. Its triumph was crowned by the 161 English council seats it picked up, having won a paltry 30 between 2009 and 2012. While the other parties strategise on how to stop the UKIP machine, UKIP are strategising on how to win a handful of parliamentary seats in next year’s General Election. Even more alarming is their dream to take hundreds of thousands of votes from the mainstream parties, making the outcome fiendishly unpredictable.

UKIP targeted the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council of Ministers, but in more recent days, with increasing numbers of Brits competing for properties, health, schools and employment, UKIP have seized on the fears and vulnerabilities of the British public.

Its approach has become obviously racist, enticing many into its xenophobic tentacles.

There is something toxic about the party; it is more than just vilifying foreigners. The public are now being empowered to proudly express heir unpalatable views about immigrants.

The views of many, having lain dormant for many years, have become vociferous in their expression and malignant in their effect. That a third of the UK population have recently indicated their prejudice and racist beliefs in a recent poll, suggests that words and actions are slowly converging.

There are a number of catalysts behind racism’s current visible ascent, the politics and strategy of UKIP being amongst the most influential. And their burgeoning fan base, which sadly consists of some Black and Asian people, is powering the force of their arguments. The obvious inability of mainstream parties to stop them creating a society divided on race and other lines is becoming glaringly obvious.

“Protest vote or not, UKIP’s inexorable surge onto the political landscape has created an earthquake.”

This thrust for votes is being driven mainly by its leader, Nigel Farage (pictured), who recently commented, “It was rush hour from Charing Cross; it was the stopper going out. We stopped at London Bridge, New Cross and Hither Green. It was not until we got past Grove Park that I could actually hear English being spoken in the carriage. Does that make me feel slightly awkward? Yes. I wonder what is really going on. And I’m sure that’s the view that will be reflected by three quarters of the population, even more.”

This consciously culturally-biased (racist) political organisation is intent on playing a smart game of divide and rule, and is beguiling numbers from all walks of life. In the early days,

So, with the face of British politics likely to change, what can the Church do to address this concern? Understanding the social and political landscape, which has contributed to the rise of UKIP, is a starting point. In short, their support is disproportionately drawn from older, blue-collar workers, with little education and few skills; groups further marginalised by the economic and social conversion of Britain.

For such - mainly White - disgruntled voters, disillusionment with the political system has meant that UKIP have become their only voice. Understanding this world, imbibed by UKIP, will strengthen the Church’s protest.

Protest is one of the perennial themes in the New Testament. Jesus handpicked His disciples not for them to retreat into the

mountains to pray, but to support and equip them in their mission to change the world - which also included saving souls. Saving of souls was incredibly important to Christ, but we should not forget that the saved soul is called to be salt and light to the world at large.

This involves the inauguration of a new and just kingdom, one marked by righteousness and justice. In other words, Christ saved us so that people could protest and experience victory against the very things they were saved from, such as sin. Excluding others from the party, because they are Polish, Romanian, and so the list continues; we call this racism.

A challenge to UKIP is what the Church needs to become, a kind of protest movement.

Voting is one way the Church can do this.

With the passing of the European and local elections, there is still the General Election, which is fast looming. Curtailing UKIP’s influence is what our votes will do. Herein lies the conundrum. Many of our pastors enjoy sipping tea and coffee with the political elite; parading the corridors of power with their sharp suits and even sharper shoes, giving the impression that change and progress are part of their DNA. Yet the same pastor will have little knowledge of the likes of UKIP, and would rather preach on speaking in tongues, deliverance, and women dressed in inappropriate attire, rather than on the Church being salt and light in one’s immediate vicinity, which might involve casting the vote.

As the Church, then, perhaps we need to take more seriously how we can challenge parties such as UKIP, whose policies exclude and not include, and disempower and not empower others. If the role of the Church is to be salt and light, that means in all areas of life, not just a few.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

36 COMMENT

Is there a role for apostles in the 21st century church?

Rev Stephen Brooks gives an insight into the apostolic ministry, and argues that there is a role for apostles in the modern-day church

REV STEPHEN BROOKS

is National Development Manager for Excell 3 www.excell3.com

W

hat exactly is an apostle, and how should we understand an apostle’s role today? The Bible singles out apostles as one of two foundational ministries in the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:19-20), which are attached to Jesus, the Chief Foundation of the Church.

Theological traditions hold conflicting views on apostleship. Some believe the gift was limited to the twelve disciples but is no longer relevant today, others believe apostles exist today.

The apostolic leader’s primary function is to extend God’s Kingdom and initiate new ways to bring people to Jesus. In the New Testament, Paul exemplified this; he had a desire to go to places where no one had yet preached the Gospel. He didn’t want to build on someone else’s foundation. Paul also lists apostleship among the leadership functions given to the church in Ephesians 4:11. The word ‘apostle’ literally means ‘sent one’, a term that may be applied to many believers, although we must be mindful of the New Testament’s warning against false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13).

Apart from the original 12 apostles, Barnabas is referred to as an ‘apostle’ in Acts 13:2, and the same Greek word usually translated ‘apostle’ is used to refer to Titus in 2 Corinthians 8:23. The Apostle Paul modelled this gift in the early church; he explained that his calling was to lay new foundations that others would build upon.

He appointed elders and pastors in the young congregations, and released them to step forward into ministry. When he tells the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:14) that he is glad he had not baptised many of them, he also indicates that other gifts follow the apostolic calling to equip the body more fully. Paul reveals that the Lord assigns different roles to people within the body of Christ for the common good. He points out, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthinas 3:6). Wherever Paul went, he left behind churches that others would then lead. Apostles aren’t concerned with carrying an organisation from generation to generation, but making new generations. It’s about reproduction.

I believe there are men and women currently doing apostolic ministry, but very few of them recognise it as such, and thus don’t call it apostolic. Also, in an attempt to avoid association with the Roman Catholic Church, in terms of

hierarchy and structure, they refrain from using the word.

Apostles are able to look at the spiritual landscape and see where God is working. There is a difference between apostles and missionaries, who also carry the Gospel to the unreached: apostles are eager to establish churches, and not just see people converted to Christianity.

Bishop Sydney Dunn is a wonderful example of apostolic gifting. Whilst serving as pastor in the early ‘50s, he felt inspired by the Lord to begin planting new churches and raising up new leaders. His passion for starting new things eventually led to establishing over 50 churches here in the UK, and building the multi-million pound Bethel Convention Centre in Birmingham. The vision to extend outwards, through planting multiple congregations, is also clearly evident in the apostolic leadership of General Overseer of the Redeemed Church (RCCG), Dr Enoch Adejare Adeboye. He has been a pioneer of the multiple-site model now presently operating in over 160 countries, and RCCG is currently the fastest growing church in the UK. The model for church organisations should be relational; the paternal bond between apostle and pastors emphasises the source of apostolic authority. Every pastor needs an apostle, and every apostle needs pastors. Today, many church organisations are based on a company or corporation model, and local churches are often supervised by bishops or district superintendents.

The function of the apostle working among churches has been replaced by the organisational function of the CEO, the president or the bishop.

Many of these offices are now occupied by people lacking the apostolic gift, working primarily administratively.

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Do you know which three of the Ephesians 4:11 ministries are mentioned most in the New Testament? Or which two of those fivefold ministries are mentioned least in the New Testament? The answers indicate how out-ofbalance the modern church has grown, compared to the original church that Christ established.

The word ‘apostle(s)’ occurs 85 times in the New Testament; the word ‘prophet(s)’ occurs over 150 times in the New Testament, and the word ‘teacher(s)’ occurs 125 times in the New Testament. The word ‘evangelist(s)’ occurs only three times in the New Testament, and the word ‘pastor(s)’ occurs precisely once in the entire New Testament. Yes, once!

The Bible speaks of New Testament apostles, prophets or teachers a combined total of approximately 200 times. Pastors and evangelists are mentioned a combined total of four times!

And yet, the modern day church calls most ministers by the term ‘pastor’ and shies away from ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’. Man’s prejudices, fears or misinterpretations have deprived the Church of the two foundational ministries that Jesus Himself placed on earth. The Church today, wherever it denies these two ministries, is improperly structured. Pastors, evangelists, teachers and prophets alone cannot effectively deliver the intended growth and equipping function of the Church, leaving it somewhat wanting. Let us move forward as the Bible says, “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).

You can contact Rev Brooks at sbrooksaui@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07940 237959.

37

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38 COMMENT

Pastors’ Column

ARCHBISHOP DOYÉ AGAMA

is a Certified Management Consultant.

Do we need a strategy for managing Christian ministry?

Want a successful church/ministry? Want to impact lives and communities with Gospel values?

Then you need to think and plan strategically. Archbishop Doyé Agama shares how

P

roverbs 29:18 says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ Hosea 4:6 says, ‘My people perish from lack of knowledge.’

Habakkuk 2:2 says, ‘And the LORD answered me, and said, “Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it”’(KJV).

Don’t be too spiritual to manage the blessing!

Praying for a blessing requires responsibility to plan and prepare for recognising, receiving and making the best use of the blessing when it manifests. Warfare without control is chaos.

Chaos only causes chaos! The actualisation of vision requires a process. Anything in creation that sustains an expected output must function in a state of order, and order is the required process of turning vision into destiny. A vision from heaven often does not become reality on earth, without a communication of some practical knowledge (Exodus 25:40). You must actualise in order to realise!

Strategic planning is the central and essential component of strategic management. This planning process uses a broad range of information or intelligence inputs, which must be correctly analysed and effectively applied, in the actual context of the problem. Strategic management converts the long- and mediumterm goals of the strategic vision into a strategic plan (Planning stage). It then uses the strategic plan to methodically assemble and coordinate all organisational procedures and processes to achieve the strategic goals (Programme/Project stage), with adequate monitoring to sustain quality and sufficient flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances (Ongoing Monitoring and Response).

To plan strategically, you must first think strategically! If you want the strategic answers, you need to ask the strategic questions. No intelligence is useless. The trick is having the right frameworks (processes) and wisdom (human operatives) in place to make the right judgment call, at the right time, and to follow through appropriately to your best advantage.

Strategy belongs to the realm of possibility, probability and prediction. It therefore requires mental or intellectual effort, and sometimes a positive sense of the greater possibilities of being, or, what some would call, a higher spirituality.

However, a prediction by itself is not a strategy.

Strategy requires policy, and policy in turn requires activation of proper process to become reality.

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21st century apostolic ministry strategies should cover the geographical, jurisdictional, historical and prophetic realms; in creating a contemporary, biblically orthodox vision for Christian ministry. True apostolic pastors should be able to formulate, implement and evaluate their ministry strategy to actualise their God-given vision. Strategic ministry management is a vital component.

Strategic ministry management is that process of formulation, actualisation and realisation of your ministry strategy. Strategic ministry management is the practical means of clarifying and achieving the ministry vision.

It is the creation and utilising of wide-ranging policies, in line with the original God-given vision, that: • are both practical and spiritual • coordinate all the efforts of the ministry • meet long-term ministry objectives

“21st century apostolic ministry strategies should cover the geographical, jurisdictional, historical and prophetic realms” Strategic management acts first at a high level to set the direction of the organisation, and to develop the plans, policies and processes

that will bring the vision to reality using all available resources. It is also an ongoing progression to understand the internal and external environment of the ministry, and to align the internal to achieve the best result from the external.

This usually means that the senior ministry leadership need to understand their God-given vision in terms of the environment in which their ministry operates, as well as the strengths and challenges of their own organisation.

Senior leadership then set out ministry objectives to fit the vision, and communicate these to the staff and membership as a realistic and practical strategic plan for achieving the vision. Ideally, there should be a covenant bond that creates a deep relationship between leaders and those they lead; and, in particular, other existing and emerging leadership.

Your strategy must link to your exact identity in the vision. Identity is often one of the major keys to destiny. True success is faithfulness in what God has sent YOU to do. If you don’t know what real success is for you, it will be hard to know if you get there. In receiving your vision from God, also understand that your skills and gifts, and your position in time and place, are still key resources in successful strategy for that vision.

SOME KEY THOUGHTS: No one really requires a strategy where everything is known and all outcomes are certain. The true power of strategy is in the enabling of chosen outcomes, even in the midst of an uncertain environment.

What destroys an army in battle is not what happens between soldiers at the front line, but rather the inability of commanders to take sound, strategic, military decisions at critical moments in the conflict.

Senior leaders, who fail to prepare the next generation, have unwittingly decided that their success cannot outlive them.

This article is an excerpt from a scholarly paper entitled An Introduction to Strategic Ministry Management.

For further details, visit www.mindstrategies.co.uk.

LIFESTYLE 39

Business Matters

DENISE ROBERTS

is founder of Christian Women in Business UK and Loud Voice Communications

DRINKING COFFEE WHERE BUSINESS BUDS

M

eet Georgina Wilson Kamara, a woman with a passion for business and property so strong that it led her to enrol for a PGCE teaching degree. “It was a means to an end to get onto the property ladder,” she confesses, “but 18 months into the course, I got married and bought a property with my husband, so I left that.”

Georgina and her husband, James, then set up their estate agency in 2007. At the time, they were both working for estate agents and had planned for her to keep working, while he built up the business. Then God spoke to Georgina’s heart. “I felt that I should leave my job, but it didn’t seem logical. I would pray and get peace, but I couldn’t do it. I did this three times. When I finally decided to leave, my employer begged me not to because I had literally transformed her business.

Smelling the coffee

Georgina and James have now been providing property management, investment and other estate agent services in the south London area for more than seven years.

They did remarkably well during the recession and, in 2012, opened their second branch – a bright and large venue on Norwood High Street. It would feature a coffee shop to the front and estate agency to the rear but, it seemed, God had other plans.

“It was quite slow and very difficult, and many times we tried to give up the lease, but each time something would happen. Favour would come from nowhere; for example, the landlord would give us a rent-free period, or people who had opposed our plans would be shut down.”

She adds: “That’s why I think there is something special about this venue.”

Business begins to bud

Business began to bud when they decided to focus on the coffee shop instead. Today it employs three members of staff, and is home to a number of events and activities, like after-school kids’ karate, dance sessions for tots, and ladies’ discussion nights. It also caters for private functions.

Most importantly, James Wilson Coffee Shop is home to the BUD, short for ‘Businesses Under Development’. It marks a transition that allows the couple to do different things, and Georgina to use her passion for business to support others to fulfil their dreams.

“I work with those in need of coaching,

How to be more appealing to customers than your competitors 1. Find out as much as you can about the people you are trying to appeal to. How old are they? Where do they live? What sort of work do they do, and what do they earn?

Are they married or single? Do they have children? What media do they consume?

single parents, and people who need to build their confidence, to name a few,” she said. “It’s not just about business. It’s about pulling out what is already inside somebody. When I do my consultancy sessions, they are never normal.”

2. Personify your audience. Create a profile on the type of person, who might buy your products or services.

Now plan everything around their needs.

3. Don’t ignore your competitors – find out what they are doing.

Marketing Jesus’ Way

Toward the end of August, Georgina will launch her new book, Marketing Jesus’ Way, thus entitled because, as she says, “Everything taught in marketing is in the Bible. Jesus did all of these things, and we can duplicate them in our own businesses and ministries.”

The book starts at the foundation, at the reason for going into business in the first place, and encourages readers to believe in who they were created to be.

The journey has not been easy. “There have been lots of ups, downs, left and right turns,” Georgina says. “But I have learnt that God is the Director, so I cannot make a decision without Him, even if I think something looks logical for the business.

When I trust Him, it always works out.”

Find out more about BUD at www.bizbudee. co.uk and James Wilson Coffee Shop at www.jameswilsoncoffeeshop.co.uk

4. Aim to do things better than your competitors, and then to improve on your own products or services.

5. Provide customers or clients with ways to give feedback, comments and suggestions, and act on complaints speedily.

So what makes your business so special?

Your brand defines your service or product, so building a strong identifiable one is key to business success. It is what makes you unique.

This event provides an overview of what branding is, alongside case studies of successful companies that have built a strong brand. It will cover: Developing new or refining existing USP and key messaging; Identifying what differentiates you and your offer from what is already out there; Defining your core brand values; Developing a narrative to define your brand; and Techniques to ensure branding is constant in all areas of communication.

It is free for small- to medium-sized creative businesses (less than 250 employees) in London, and takes place on 16th July from 2pm to 6pm at Radisson Blu Edwardian Grafton Hotel, 130 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 5AY. Visit www.creativehub.org.uk for more details. www.keepthefaith.co.uk

40 LIFESTYLE

Cyber Corner

KENO OGBO

is a Writer and Web Designer

Implementing a social media strategy

E

very business wants to get the attention of customers and potential customers online, either by increasing hits to their website or by getting people to interact with them or talking about their brand online.

If this is one of your marketing goals, then thinking about social media is essential. These days, most people have an online social media profile, so it makes sense that you use social networks to get in touch.

It can seem complicated to get started with a social media strategy, but really most of it is just common sense and using the whole process as a learning curve! Here are three really simple insights to get you started.

Insight No 1: Where do you want to sign up?

One of the biggest decisions for your social media strategy is choosing the social media networks you want to sign up to. It can be tempting to try and sign up to every single website in order to try and reach everyone, however this method won’t usually work effectively for you. The best thing you can do is pick a couple of social networks and concentrate your methods on these. It is far better to have a couple of well-run social network profiles, rather than half-hearted attempts on every single social network possible.

There is a lot of information online on each of the social networks and the type of users that use them. This allows you to match them up with your industry, and work out what is the best network for you and your marketing needs.

Selecting the right social media platform Here’s a quick review of key, social media platforms:

FACEBOOK

Good for sharing larger pieces of information, new product details, company news, special offers and similar items. Also good for engaging and interacting with customers and potential customers; for example, asking questions, running competitions and sourcing opinions or reviews.

TWITTER Insight No 2: How much do you want to spend?

Spending on social networking isn’t always about money but, instead, you need to look at how much time you want to spend. Of course, the more time you can spend the better, but this isn’t always possible. Instead, what you should do is look at how much time you can spend, and a schedule for what you are going to do during this time. Getting organised, and knowing what you are going to do, means that you can make the most of your time and help your social media efforts to be as effective as possible.

Insight No 3: Sharing is caring

One of the most important aspects of social media is what you share with your customers.

You need to make sure that whatever social network you use, you share a variety of news and information via a variety of media. You want to keep people interested, but you also want to make sure that what you are sharing, people will want to share with others, because this is the best way to encourage the growth of any of your social networking profiles.

Short, sharp contact with customers. Good for posting links, tips and items that can capture your customers’ attention in very few words. Also good for connecting with new people.

LINKEDIN

Business-to-business communication, good for business networking and initiating introductions to desired contacts.

Excellent for joining and participating in interest groups.

INSTAGRAM

Sharing company photos and communicating with a wide range of people. This mobile-only app is popular with younger customers.

DEMYSTIFYING MOBILE APPS

S

o what app do you find you use the most on your mobile device? Technology apps? Or photography/image manipulation, social platforms, games, music, educational, organisational, finance or perhaps fitness and diet apps? Today, there are apps for just about everything; in fact, almost 300,000 apps are in existence. So what exactly is an app?

It is simply a specialized, focused mini version of an internet-based service, and mobile devices give you the opportunity to store hundreds of these miniature internet services in one place.

Apps also give brands and businesses the opportunity to spread a specialised service to their customers or followers but, significantly, the app sector is dominated by software developers, publishers and entrepreneurs, who dream of having the next big selling idea.

APP PLATFORMS There are three main app platforms for end users. The popular IOS platform powers all Apple mobile devices from iPads to iPhones, to the mini versions. Apps for IOS are available on the ‘App Store’. The Android platform works on a wide range of non-Apple mobile devices, including the popular Samsung range of phones and tablets. The most popular store is Google Play. There are a number of independent third-party stores that sell apps across the spectrum of mobile devices.

Most mobile devices will already be loaded with a ‘store’ on purchase, ready for you to download free or priced apps.

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WHAT TO SHARE ON WHICH PLATFORM

This is one of the most commonly asked questions. What should I share on social media? The short answer is that ‘it depends’ on your industry sector, but our advised rule of thumb is keep it light, informal, focused and with a mix of 60 % lighthearted relevant posts / 40 % direct business posts.

KENO OGBO runs Spiral Web Solutions – and can help organisations with their fundraising strategies.

To contact Keno call 07958 004 739 or email keno@spiralwebsolutions.com

41

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42 LIFESTYLE

Mind, Body & Soul

LOLA OLAREWAJU

is a Personal Trainer, freelance Certified Lifestyle Coach and Owner of Final Measure - a fitness and lifestyle company

How to stay motivated

I

t’s been a few weeks now since you set your New Year goals. You started with that unstoppable determination to reach your goal by a specific time. Perhaps you’ve started to slowly run out of steam, or maybe you’ve continually lost your momentum. Whatever stage you are at, here are six tips to keep you motivated.

back on track. Asking a trusted friend to pray for you is another option.

Tip 5: Don’t be so hard on yourself Try to enjoy the journey. Perhaps you’re pushing yourself really hard, but still you’re not getting the results as quickly as you’d hoped. Maybe you just need to relax a bit. Maybe you need to take a step back for a moment; perhaps take a day or two off from your exercise programme and then start again. You want to try and enjoy your journey towards your goal, because the more you enjoy it, the more you’re likely to achieve your goal.

Tip 6: Watch and read motivational stories or speeches We all can do with word of encouragement sometimes. Surround yourself with success stories, videos of inspirational moments, testimonies and positive people who can help strengthen you.

Tip 1: Remind yourself of your vision Habakkuk 2:2 tells us to ‘Write down the vision and make it plain on tablets.’ In other words, make it visible. Perhaps it has been a few weeks now since you set your goal, and life being its usual self has been busy. If your goal is now out of sight, revisit your written goal. Make it visible again, where you can look at it daily, perhaps even twice a day: at the start of your day and before you go to sleep at night. Keep that goal in mind, so that when those low moments come, you can remind yourself of the reason why you are doing what you are doing.

Be encouraged. Even if you fall off track or get distracted from your goal, as soon as you become aware of this moment, get back on track and just keep going until you reach your goal.

Tip 4: Pray Pray to God for a renewed strength and motivation. Ask God to help you. Ask God to motivate you again. If you are feeling discouraged, tired or just fed up, ask God to help you get Follow us on Twitter @keepthefaithmag

7

To snack or not to snack. That is the question. As a personal trainer, the answer I give my clients is always based on the individual. Our bodies are all different, and whilst John might need a snack between breakfast and lunch, Sarah might not. So what is the verdict on snacking? Snack if you need to, but be careful what you snack on. You want to avoid the high fat, high sugar, high salt snacks, like chocolate bars, biscuits, pastries, and instead choose fruits, chopped vegetables like carrots, celery sticks and cherry tomatoes, whenever possible. Try and snack on foods that will keep your blood sugar level at a constant, and that are naturally low fat with fewer calories.

3

Tip 2: Break down your goal into baby goals If your goal is to lose 7kg in six weeks, then set yourself baby goals of 1kg a week and, each time you reach a baby goal, reward yourself.

Don’t wait till you reach your 7kg target goal before you say ‘Well done’ to yourself.

Tip 3: Be patient Habakkuk 2:2 continues ‘…though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and not delay.’

We wish our goals could be reached instantly.

We wish we could be fitter now, or be two dress sizes smaller now, or have more energy in our bodies, immediately forgetting there is a process to change. Change can take some time, and we just need to stay faithful on our part and our desired result will certainly come.

HEALTHY SNACKING

SWIMMING

Are you on a mission to get fit this summer? Need an all-round workout that will leave you feeling energised and refreshed? Look no further. Swimming will do just that for you.

Swimming is a fantastic form of exercise for any age, and is great for the whole body, working all the major muscles. You can burn up to 476 calories per hour doing lap swimming.

Swimming can be a good activity, especially for those with joint problems and for those who might be carrying a lot of excess weight, because the water takes pressure off the joints. To find out more about swimming within your area, contact your local authority, or do a search on Google and start getting the benefits.

LIFESTYLE 43

HEARTTOHEART

ESTHER FENTY is a qualified psychologist and pastor’s wife

How can I cope with my husband’s dementia?

I’ve been married for 30 years, and my husband has recently being diagnosed with early onset dementia. My husband had become very forgetful and, at times, aggressive and I thought it best that he go to the doctor. Being diagnosed with dementia was the last thing he or I expected. I’m not sure what to do. He has a good job, is active in our church, and father to our adult children. I’m a professional woman, who’s also active in the church, and I don’t know what I should be doing to prepare myself to cope with the situation, as the doctors have said he’ll get worse, not better.

Hazel, London

Esther Fenty says:

My partner’s children won’t accept I’m marrying their father

A

fter many years of raising my two children on my own, I have met a wonderful man that I plan to marry next year. He’s everything I prayed for and more. The reason I’m writing you is because of my partner’s children. He has two teenagers, like me, but whereas my son and daughter have been very welcoming of my fiancé, his children have not. Whenever I visit my fiancé’s home at weekends (they live with their mother during the week), or we go out as a group, his children can just about bring themselves to say Hello to me, and hardly say anything to me whilst I’m with them. They just about speak to my children, and when they do, it’s to say they don’t want their dad to marry me because they are fearful ‘I’ll take him away from them’. I’m worried that if this is what they are like before the wedding, what will they be like when my fiancé and I get married? What can/should I be doing to get my soon-to-be step-children on side?

Jennifer, Bristol

Esther Fenty says:

Even some adults find it hard to accept the new partner of a widowed parent! It is therefore not unusual for teenagers to feel this way. Admittedly, both your children and those of your fiancé have had the experience of seeing their parents separated. That your children are able to handle the situation of having a future stepparent in a more mature manner, and are willing to share you with someone else, may be down to a number of factors: security, confidence in their relationship with both set of parents, how the break-up was initially handled, or the resilient nature of your children. Your future stepchildren may have been affected by previous experience, or could

be echoing the feelings of other people.

Although wanting to be liked and accepted by your future stepchildren, you may have to face the fact that, despite your overtures of love and affection, the feelings may not be reciprocated.

In particular, after years of inculcation through literature, the image of the wicked stepmother may be hard to erase. Relationships take time to build, and it is not clear how long you have known each other. Therefore, give them time, and also try to understand the situation from their perspective.

It is said that the fear of pain is worse than the pain itself. Their fear of losing their father, however irrational it may seem, indicates that there may still be unresolved issues of loss and grief on their part. Their fears - although seemingly irrational - are real, and need to be addressed.

They might be concerned about some practical issues; for example, instead of having their father to themselves all weekend, as they have been accustomed to, they will have to share him with three other people who see him all week.

They might be dreading the idea of unfamiliar territory if he moves to your house or a new house. They might feel like you are intruding into their space if you move to live in his house.

One way forward might be to ask their father (without upbraiding them) to affirm his love for them, and to assure them that nothing will take him away from them. In addition to group outings, plan some time that they can be alone with their father at weekends.

Be yourself with them; they’ll see through anything else. Show them that you love them and love their father. Treat them fairly, as you would your own children. Do not let their attitude spoil your relationship with their father.

There is no doubt that this diagnosis will be life changing for your husband, as well as for the family. However, you will not be unusual, as the Alzheimer’s Society estimates that there are more than 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK. Although your husband will share symptoms in common with many people with early onset dementia, he will also show some individual differences; for example, the rate at which the dementia progresses.

Educate yourself by gaining information from organisations like the Alzheimer’s Society or Dementia UK. Depending on his job and health, consultation about reduction of hours or final retirement on the grounds of ill health can be discussed with the medical profession and his employers.

The observation skills that you used previously will become more crucial in the future.

Work with the health professionals who will be assessing your husband regularly, and liaise with agencies for support both in and outside the home.

Explain to the leadership of the church, friends and family on a needto-know basis, so you can get support and so that people will understand and accept the changes in behaviour.

At the same time, ensure that you have rest and time for yourself, so that you can contribute to your husband’s care. Continue in prayer (including with prayer partners) for yourself and family.

Esther Fenty provides godly and practical advice on a wide range of issues. To contact Esther email editorial@keepthefaith.co.uk

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46 MISSION

Barnabas Fund Suffering Church Action Week 2014

LIVING IN BABYLON

Faithful to Christ in a hostile world

T

he fires of anti-Christian persecution rage on around the world. Through most of the Middle East, and in large parts of Africa and Asia, our brothers and sisters continue to suffer discrimination, ill-treatment and violence because of their love for Christ. Research has estimated that around 200 million Christians – about 10% of the total number – are disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their faith.

Every week seems to bring its share of tragic and heart-breaking stories. In Nigeria, scores of Christian girls are abducted by a militant Islamist group, which threatens to sell them as slaves. In Pakistan, a Christian child is brutally gang-raped by four Muslim men, and her father is kidnapped to deter him from pressing charges. In North Korea, the Communist government rounds up Christian converts, accusing them of helping a missionary to plant churches; they face the death penalty. And in Libya, ten Egyptian Christians are killed in just over a month in what looks like a concerted campaign to drive believers from the country.

Compared to such acute persecution, the low-level contempt, prejudice and bias that some Christians in the West experience seems pretty unimportant. But our churches are facing serious challenges of their own: from the shrill voices of the “new atheists” and their secular allies, from a confident and increasingly politicised Islam, and from new laws and regulations that threaten our traditional freedoms. It is highly unlikely that we will suffer any kind of violence or state-sponsored oppression, at least for the foreseeable future, but we already face social

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pressure to water down or abandon our faith, and this is likely only to get worse.

Contempt and rejection for Christ’s sake

Anti-Christian hostility, whether severe or slight, may distress us but it should not surprise us.

The Bible teaches us that as Christians we are exiles here on earth, living in a land that is not our heavenly home. As a result, we are bound to be despised and rejected to some extent, because our values and practices are so different from those of wider society, whether it be Muslim-majority, secular or whatever.

The New Testament uses the name “Babylon” to refer to the Roman Empire as a place of exile and suffering for God’s people. And still today, Christians everywhere live in our own “Babylons”, societies where we must expect contempt and rejection for Christ’s sake, even though its range and intensity will vary from place to place.

But the Bible also calls us to stay faithful to Christ in our hostile world. It shows us just how valuable our Christian faith is, reminding us of what we have already received from God in Christ and pointing us to our glorious future.

On that basis it encourages us to hold on to our distinctive beliefs and lifestyle in the midst of our “Babylons”, so as to guarantee our present and future blessing from the Lord. And it directs us to help one another to stand firm for Christ in the face of hostility and suffering.

Support to stand firm

Barnabas Fund is inviting Christians around the world to consider and respond to this call to persevere, in a special week focusing on

anti-Christian persecution. The theme of this year’s Suffering Church Action Week, which will run from 26 October to 2 November, will be Living in Babylon: Faithful to Christ in a hostile world.

During this week, Barnabas is encouraging churches to run services and activities based on the theme, to show how we can offer practical and spiritual support to our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer most severely because of their faith in Him, so as to help them withstand the persecutions that they face. These events will also provide an opportunity to build ourselves up in our own faith, so that we too can resist the pressure to fall away.

Please prayerfully consider how you and your church could get involved in Suffering Church Action Week. A free Living in Babylon Inspiration Pack will be available to order, which includes examples of all the materials you will need to take part. For more information, please visit www.livinginbabylon.org.

Living in Babylon Faithful to Christ in a hostile world

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