TFM Newsletter Dec 2022

December 2022

Tim writes ...

Why do miracles happen? We are often so busy look ing at the miracle, we forget to remember where it came from!

No food, a storm on a lake, illness –something is going on. Something is happening and the fer vent cr y is ‘Lord, help us!’ and He does

So it is that our world may be in crises –and getting worse – but we are seeing some incredible works of God. Through Faith Missions has been given a good number of oppor tunities and we rejoice in seeing God work power fully in all the recent missions.

To add to our delight, on a return visit to Torbay, we were humbled to see how the things we helped with last year have continued, strengthened and grown

I t is so easy to see the things that are going wrong – but much more exciting to pause and ask God ‘ What are you up to?’ and then see the miracles tak ing place all about us!

Personally speak ing, Georgina and I are still in exile – week 41 if you are counting – but we are amazed at the journey we are on, at the things God has entrusted us to do, at the places God has put us and at ways in which we see God’s hand at work . One day we will have a home –

a place of refuge, of training, of worship –but until then we are humbled and delighted that God has chosen us to do this for Him. And we are not alone – we keep coming across other people also called into exile, on their own journeys, with their own incredible stories

In this newsletter you will read repor ts of all that TFM has been up to - and it is glorious reading! I’m delighted that two of the repor ts are written by Chris and

Pedders Way

Greenbelt

Rushden

George – because they took the lead in those ventures – if we are to do all that God wants us to do then we need to expand, we need more team members, more prayer warriors – and yes, more finance too

But I have run out of time to talk about the other oppor tunities – nor th Nor folk , Bradford, Wyesham, Basingstoke – are but just a few – TFM is truly blessed with stuff to do – we ser ve an awesome God and we desire to be as close to Him as possible. Then whilst the storm continues, we will see His miracles, we will k now His protec tion; and we will be covered by His glor y

Yes and Amen

God bless Tim Hall

Pedders Way Mission

Week 1 – Dan Holland

Knettishall Heath Countr y Park to Castle Acre – Sept 20-27

My four weeks of W T W in 2021 were challenging, but I did make some arrangements for accommodation ahead of time Pedder ’s Way (week 1) was a first for me, with no for ward planning. So, six of us, a good mix of ages and experience, set out from Knettishall Heath We had a couple of lean days with few people along Pedder ’s Way, and the tiny villages and hamlets either side. The church at Great Hocken was locked which set the tone for our reception in this village where we stayed two nights

On Monday we hiked up to Watton, a rural Nor folk town of some 7-8,000 people We sat on the lawn in front of St Mar y ’s where I spent 90 minutes phoning around the various churches in the town. The team prayer walked and sent me possible contac ts. Feeling over whelmed, I asked God to sharpen a number to me; which one will open doors for us?

As soon as I heard pastor Nick Nundy ’s voice from Purpose Church, it was a breath of fresh air Nick turned on a sixpence (his family had just returned from Tenerife, in the small hours that morning) He helped us to find a nearby church building to sleep in and ac tivated members of his congregation

Purpose church is young, only planted last November, and they had been cr ying out to God for help in evangelism. Into the fray thrust six missionaries clad in blue with a hungr y look in their eyes. God magnetised us to each other and joined our hear ts. So from the nex t morning, the ‘walk ’ turned into a mini-mission. We worked shoulder to shoulder with Purpose Church door k nock ing, visiting local businesses, praying and evangelising For three days we worked solidly with many encouragements to draw us on Sometimes the church sent six people out to work with the six of us.

We went on our way rejoicing to Castle Acre, the last leg of our walk , but not before Nick had invited me back to preach on the Sunday, which was awesome. Richard W. my 2ic also came and we laid hands on them to receive anointing to evangelise I anticipate great repor ts when I meet with pastor Nick soon

Prophetic Evangelism

The prophetic evangelism course has rolled out six times now, four times on Zoom and twice live. Most recently delivered it live at St Paul’s Peterborough with David and Christine West; 26 people attended and a blessed time was had by all God continues to graciously bless and anoint this course which will be running again on Zoom early nex t year.

Daniel Holland

Week 2 –

George Mar tin

Castle Acre to Holme -next-the -Sea – 27 Aug to 4 Sept Mark , Lambrini, Maureen and I met the Week 1 team at Castle Acre church for lunch and Thanksgiving

At 1pm, I rang the church warden of Great Massingham church, Steven, who I had never met and still haven't, to ask if we could sleep in his church that night. With no hesitation he said ‘ Yes’ and Julien would meet us there at 4pm. After doing some door-to - door visits, we set off and arrived late at 5pm, to be welcomed with open arms by Julian He k new NOTHING about us but as we walked in the church he said, ‘You can have anything out of the two fridges and I’ll nip and fetch you some milk to make cups of tea’ This set the tone for the whole week of God's provision, all from complete strangers

We did a lot of door-to - door work , so much so I had to go back to my car twice for replenishment of KGPs, What Ifs and bibles.

Twice when we entered a church to sleep in I lay on a pew and said out loud "God how do you do it? A roof over our heads, divine appointments all the time and wonder ful provision from complete strangers ”

We finished at Holme-next-the-Sea church on the Saturday at 12 noon for a Thanksgiving ser vice and quite a few locals came along.

The church warden of Holme asked, ‘ When are you coming back?’. I said, ‘ When you ask us or there is talk of walk ing from Hunstanton to Burnham Thorpe nex t year ’ . She said, ‘ Why don' t you go all the way to Cromer 37 miles?’ I replied, ‘I t ’s up to you lay folk to get it moving!’

Thank you also to Colin and Bob and the prayer warrior team

Basingstoke

Imagine if there was a Christian hub, a centre of strength and mission planning, a ‘city of refuge’ that resourced a whole region of the countr y. Christians would come and go, finding refreshing and being re -tooled, mission teams sent out and received back . This is the word that God gave us recently for Basingstoke, a town I k new nothing about before work ing for TFM

I t ’s a nice enough place, unassumingly nestled in the Hampshire downs between Reading and Winchester Three, week-long missions over three years, countless trips to preach and network and many conversations later, I k now rather a lot about Basingstoke. I’ve crisscrossed the town on foot, by car and, of course, door k nock ing. Rather like Jacob, I am now inclined to reflec t, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Gen 28v16)

There have been 3 mission teams over 3 years, we’ve worked with four churches. Some team members have returned repeatedly, this May ’s mission was the biggest team with 13 members Each time we go the favour of God on the team increases and the relationships grow in trust resulting in more fruitfulness At the end of this May ’s mission I kept repeating ‘this does not feel like an ending, more like a new beginning’. So we are excited to watch God’s greater purposes unfold through it all.

We returned again in November, just for a weekend (see poster image below), to stoke those fires of mission. There were 18 TFMers who wanted to come back , to celebrate what God has done and strike out one more time into the streets and communities of Basingstoke Watch this space Basingstoke Churches, I thank my God ever y time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your par tnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carr y it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

(Phil 1v3-7)

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my hear t

Well Greenbelt was quite something For those who are unfamiliar, Greenbelt is a 4- day event focussed on ‘Ar tistr y, Ac tivism and Belief ’ and many Christians attend Having in the past reflec ted a full range of Christian views, it is now predominantly liberal and does not adver tise itself as a Christian event. Therefore, quite a lot of non- Christians also attend. Our on-site team comprised Tim Hall, Frank and Anne Mansell, Rober t Parker, Tom and Claire Robinson, Mar tin West and myself ( Tim had k indly stepped in when George Mar tin switched to leading week 2 of the Peddars Way mission) We were also greatly suppor ted by our prayer warrior team led by Bob Barnes.

Greenbelt was an unusual arrangement for TFM, firstly because volunteers paid towards the event and secondly because we camped together Our aim was 1) to recruit volunteers for TFM, 2) seek mission oppor tunities and 3) lead non-believers to Christ. Well, we didn’t do well on the first of these but we came away with six definite mission oppor tunities and six commitments to Christ We had loads of brilliant conversations and gave out loads of literature

Greenbelt is deliberately ‘edgy ’ . For example, there was a discussion with Richard Dawk ins which involved ask ing him about his ‘spirituality ’ . I t is good to be challenged, but I k now we all felt that, at times, it crossed the line and some repor ted a sense of dark ness Sadly, there were some complaints about us, which I suspec t are wholly unjustified, but it seems TFM will not be going to Greenbelt again.

Challenging, yes, but what an outcome! Here are a few high spots The campsite worked superbly as did the stand Claire and Anne did brilliantly with the catering and I have this abiding vision of Tom pushing his wheelbarrow full of k it yet again to

or from the car park A young couple visited the stand who were both vicars and were wanting their churches to grow They were delighted to meet us and said we were an answer to prayer. I met a security guy at ‘ The Jesus Arms’. He was an Asian non-prac tising Muslim and he said he was enjoying the festival and said it was so much friendlier than other festivals. He said he’d had the bread and wine at the Communion ser vice and asked me about Christianity For over half an hour I was able to share the gospel and resurrec tion stories I left him with a KGP which he said he’d read. At the stand I met a young man who was about to go to University. He was par t of a Church youth group but had never made a commitment to Christ He prayed the prayer of commitment I emailed him four days later and he had already told his Church youth leader, sought out a church near Uni and found out about the Christian Union! Praise the Lord!

Chris Watts

Torbay Mission 16-18 September

When we arranged a return to Torbay for a shor t but packed Mission weekend we had no idea what was to happen the week before that would distinc tly change the reception that we had on the doors as well as in church.

St Matthias Torquay can clearly be defined as a Christ centred church reaching out with and for Christ, keen to find new ways of sharing the Gospel in the community

We were aware of many changes at St Matts since our previous visit both within the leadership and in the outreach that is being offered largely by lay Christians. Rev. John Beckett was welcoming as ever and encouraged us to take par t in each of the three Sunday ser vices giving talks and using testimony. The death of Queen Elizabeth had a profound effec t on many people, this was apparent on the door-to - door visits which found many at home and willing to talk faith I t seemed that her faith added an ex tra way in to Salvation conversation and for that we can give thanks to the Lordher testimony suddenly recognised by non-believers was power ful over that weekend.

Outside St Matthias the regular ‘Coffee Stop’ on the piazza was a popular place for people to meet and chat and ideal for speak ing Jesus in a friendly and natural way This ministr y has been built up since our last visit, we were really impressed by the vision of Joanna, Andrew, Pete and their fabulous team. We saw so many older people who live alone really enjoy this free coffee, cake and company Please pray that the team will continue to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to offer hope throughout the Winter I am sure that the whole team Andrew, Brian, George, Steve and Pete would agree with me that it is an absolute joy and a privilege to work with St Matts.

Georgina Hall

Rushden mission

The Rev Rachel Hawkins and her husband Andy were one of the few to respond to the TFM Via Beata letter informing Churches of the Walk, so I was delighted when Tim asked me to return to lead a Weekend Mission there

Matthew, Robert (two new members) plus Pat, Jeremy, Brian and myself arrived on Friday evening for a ‘bring and share’ supper with the locals where testimonies were shared.

The main event of the weekend was on Saturday afternoon, The Rushden Feast, to which most of the people in the area came We helped the church to erect their Gazebo and went and helped lots of other groups put theirs up which led to KGPs being given and conversations being had.

From 1pm to 5 30pm at the church Gazebo there were always 4 team members, sometimes 6, doing surveys with no end of folk of all ages who probably had never heard the Good News of Jesus.

For me, one of the highlights was two nine year old boys saying they believed Jesus was the Son of God even though their Mums were unsure

That evening at St Peters church there was an over order of Fish and Chips so two church members went down the surrounding streets until they found families who hadn't had their supper yet and so they had supper from the church This was following on from what the church did for the free Platinum Jubilee BBQ in the church garden when they went round the neighbouring streets when the event had started, asking folk to come to a free meal Their generosity was still being talked about on the door to door

A lovely Mission Daniel Holland

Who are Through Faith Missions?

I had just introduced myself as CEO of Through Faith Missions –and this was the subsequent question. And the answer?

An evangelistic charity work ing with churches to speak Jesus? A faith filled organisation that has spent nearly 40 years following Jesus and seeing ex traordinar y things? A company of Christians who invite other men and women to join them in all the excitement, fear and joy of a mission team? A launching pad for innumerable Christian ministries (over the years so many people have ser ved on a mission team and been so transformed that they have gone on to do amazing things for God)?

It's worth pondering this for a moment, for it is when we consider what we are that we realise more fully God’s presence now and His leading for the future. It’s in this pondering that we recognise how dynamic TFM is - always pushing on in faith, trying new things, adapting old methods, keeping true to the Gospel message but we might change the language or the way we deliver it It’s in this pondering that we recognise how TFM has given so many men and women a platform, a place to tr y ‘speaking Jesus’ in all kinds of settings and different ways. It’s in this pondering that we recognise how much of a family we are - with so many people having been with TFM from the beginning

And the wonder ful thing is how TFM continues to be used by God; how all our histor y, all our experience, all that we have done is used by Him in new ways in our ever- changing world.

So if you need to encourage and inspire and re -motivate your church in faith - ask TFM to run a Saturday training If you have no money, no resources but need help speak ing Jesus – we can help with that. Whether you are a single village church or a huge town church, whether you want to cover a village, a town, a city or a diocese - we will happily work with you and use our experience to help you to do it Just get in touch and let ’s see what God does!

And if you personally feel at a low ebb – come along and join a training day, I promise it will re -invigorate you! If you feel called to evangelise but don’t k now where to star t – come and join one of our mission teams If you are full of passion for the Gospel but are unable to physically take par t in mission – join us on one of our prayer teams Just get in touch and let ’s see what God does!

Tim Hall

Coffee mornings

One of the changes we made during lockdown was the online coffee morning We are amazed that this is still going strong as ever yone is now pretty much back to ‘normal’ with out and about ac tivities

One really lovely aspec t of these mornings (which happen once a month - usually on a Thursday) is that it feels like that moment when a team comes together for mission The sense of an immediate bond, of family and of course Jesus!

We share what we are all up to and what our respec tive churches are doing, or not doing and then there is usually a

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good time of prayer for one another If this all sounds a bit intimidating, then please note that we often have one or two who quietly join us and listen in without feeling the need to say ver y much at all so do give it a go I t is such an encouraging time especially if you are one of those whose Church is not doing so well or if you are not able to get out on mission but want to keep up with TFM and other suppor ters. The zoom link is published in the week ly prayer mail or give us a call get the details

Georgina Hall

Through Faith Missions is always looking for new opportunities to preach the Gospel Over recent months one of the things we have been considering is whether we are called to walk north-south, up and down the country – presumably from John O’ Groats to Southampton We are at present undecided about this, partly because it is a vast distance without one clear route

So how would you set about this? Would you draw out an arbitrary route and then walk it as we did Walk the Way? Would you conduct village and town missions up and down the country and

then connect those? Does it have to happen logically, one step at a time, or could it be more sporadic covering a bit here and there until we have done it all? Whilst it is still very unclear, we will continue to discuss, pray, and think – and we would appreciate your prayers too – we need a clear call to begin this enterprise!

However, whilst on this theme, if we can help YOU to speak Jesus in YOUR community, then do get in touch and let ’s talk!

Training Weekends

The Training weekends continue to be a great oppor tunity for TFM old and new to get together, share stories and learn from one another

We have been to Washington, Great Moulton, Peterborough, Thornton (Bradford) and Laxfield in the past year The joy of these days/weekends is that it ’s a TFM group effor t

Local Christians come to be encouraged and enthused and it works because the Lord invariably brings others, the ‘old hands’ to join us We have a programme to follow in order to cover as many aspec ts of mission as possible but with the addition of regular TFMers those who are new and generally green are able to go out in the afternoon with experienced team members.

These weekends ser ve more than one purpose. They show people just how uncomplicated it can be to star t a conversation in the street, on the doorstep using our trusty Questionnaires (sur vey questions) and to allow the Holy Spirit to lead on from that They enable people to come together in outreach – for some they become aware that they are not alone in wanting to share the Good News of Jesus. There is the oppor tunity to worship outside of their regular church times (Saturday night is Worship and Prayer for healing). These weekends are invaluable for churches wanting to do outreach and needing a boost or those preparing to invite a TFM team to work alongside them in Mission

To all TFMers out there, please note that you do need to have attended a training event within three years of any mission that you join and you need to update your references at this time too So don’t get caught out We are constantly adding to the teaching and there are some new pointers for work on the doors.

Even if you are up to date on your training please come and join us I cannot state how encouraging and helpful it is to us and to the churches to have you there!

People were so enthused at the training weekend in Thornton that they were heard the following day in church chiding those who didn’t attend and telling them how easy it had been! O ften the churches where we have been continue to do the door to door as a regular aspec t of outreach

are book ing Training dates for nex t year so If you are a Church planning outreach or would like to explore the idea of inviting us

ve with you in mission please do get in touch Better still, collaborate with other churches in your area and call us in See how believers can work together in spreading the Good News of Jesus!