missionscene Oct 2012

Reaching other cultures

October 2012

Cross-cultural mission: Read about the experiences of churches engaging with people of other cultures pages 4, 14, 18 and 29 Question - a new study resource for people who want to find out more about God page 24

How do you use ?

Share your feedback through our short survey page 26

A bi-monthly publication of the Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland

In this edition Page 3

Editorial: Peter Dunn, BMS World Mission, explores the theme of reaching other cultures.

Pages 4 - 6

Cross-cultural Mission: London Baptist Association Regional Minister, Kumar Rajagopalan, gets us thinking.

Page 7

Baptist Events: Find out about what’s going on and how you can get involved: Missing Generation, Larger Churches Conference.

Pages 8 - 9

Mission in the Media: BUGB Head of Communications, Amanda Allchorn, remembers the impact of Norman Kember’s kidnapping on his church in Harrow.

Page 10 - 13 Other Events:

Events being run by other organisations of interest to you or others in your church

Imagine: on the road, Emerging Church, Crucible Course, lyfe Forum, Diverse:city, Parish Nursing training course and Symposium, LICC Executive Toolbox, International Conference on Ageing and Spirituality.

Page 14 - 17 Other Faiths:

Baptist Minister Andy Williams shares his experience of relating to people of other faiths,

Inter Faith Week.

Page 18 - 21 Cross-cultural Mission - I have a dream ...:

Baptist Minister Nigel Manges shares the story of his church in Sheffield reaching different cultures. Embracing the World, Many Nations, One Church.

Pages 22 - 26 Resources: A range of resources to help you and your church in mission Thirsty, Hope for Harvest, Question, Get in the Picture, Big Welcome crossingplaces Mission File, Pilgrim’s Progress study guide, missionscene survey.

Pages 27 - 33 Youth, Children and Family Workers:

News of events and resources suitable for those working with children, young people and families

Urban Saints Energize, Are we being re-wired? - thoughts from Daniel Shillingford Youth Minister at Edmonton Baptist Church, Toddler Rocks!, Playtime Conference, Youthwork conference, Reach: BWA Youth conference, LIFE Exhibition.

Page 34

A final word

Page 35

Contact details: Get in touch with your local representative on the Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland

is a bi-monthly publication of the Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland

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‘Reaching other cultures’ - Each of the three words conveys something of significance.

Firstly, ‘Reaching’ implies that we need to actively move towards the other, rather than sitting where we are. All mission involves us reaching from where we are to another. We see such a movement throughout scripture as God reaches out again and again to his people. We see it in the words of Jesus to “Go and make disciples…”. We see it again in the early church as the Spirit pushed disciples out of the safety of a room to tell others about the transforming love of Christ. We see it in the history of the church people such as William Carey and Hudson Taylor reaching out from their home lands to far off places. Mission today involves a reach. In the UK church there can be a tendency to operate on a solely attractional model of mission that simply invites people to come to us and our gatherings. While this may still work for some, increasingly we need to be people who reach out; people who make the presence of Christ real in the places where we work and in the communities where we live.

This idea of ‘other-ness’ closely related to the third word, ‘cultures’. I believe that all mission is crosscultural. You do not have to get in a plane and fly to some exotic location to engage in the missionary task. The UK is as much a mission field as India or Peru. This was impressed upon me sitting in an Alpha course in an urban setting where the leader tried to convince a young lady that she was a sinner needing to know forgiveness. The young lady continued to retort that she considered herself to be a basically good person and so became increasingly offended by the group leader’s accusations. She sadly left never to return. My question is this – What is the Gospel to this young woman? We need to stop to listen and try to understand the culture within which we are sharing the gospel in order to do so effectively. We need to learn from those who engage in cross-cultural mission overseas and apply those lessons to our own context.

Secondly, ‘other’ implies that those to whom we reach are different to us. My own experience with BMS continues to stress to me the importance of understanding the ‘other’, the differences of those with whom we seek to share the gospel. The way in which we present the Gospel to the Hindu villager in India, to the farmer in the Andes in Peru and to the Muslim in Central Asia needs to take this ‘other-ness’ into account.

Photo: Caitlin McKeown, Nepal Action Team

Recently, on a trip to Central Asia, I spent time talking with a young Muslim man about faith. Our conversation could start with an assumption of God’s existence and we were able to share stories of creation. A bridge was built and then we were able to move from creation to Jesus, with the saying about the birds of the air and lilies of the field. From there we were able to move on to my own beliefs about Jesus. Reaching other cultures is an exciting journey that calls for understanding, wisdom and action.

Let us learn from one another and from those with experience of reaching other cultures.

The Revd Peter Dunn Director for Mission, BMS World Mission

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Tooting Junction Baptist Church - Festival in the Park 2012

The Revd Kumar Rajagopalan shares his thoughts on cross-cultural mission

What images, words and thoughts come to your mind when you hear the phrase, ‘cross-cultural mission? Also, who do you see engaging in crosscultural mission? Like most things, we have stereotypes about cross-cultural mission, which may be reinforced by me writing about it, but I will attempt to break some of them.

This fear-induced agenda has blinded Christians to the reality that liberal, tolerant British society is not open to embracing exclusivist claims of Islam, Christianity or any other faith. Instead it is more readily disposed to embracing inclusivist, tolerant, anti-proselytizing ethos of the Indic faiths, pre-Christian paganism and other new religious movements.

Whilst my focus is on outreach to South Asians, which I’ll share later, important shifts within British society make it vital that every believer understands that they are engaged in cross-cultural mission.

What are these shifts?

There are claims that western forms of Buddhism are the fastest growing religion in Britain and the Buddhist idea of mindfulness is already present within the world of psychology and psychotherapy.

Research carried out for Theos in 2008 shows that 27% believe in reincarnation and 22% believe in astrology. Our individualistic consumerist society favours a pick n’ mix spirituality where every individual can have their tailor-made set of beliefs, rituals, practices and lifestyles. From cities to rural hamlets, this eclectic spirituality can be accessed through the internet.

Despite teaching about Christianity and other faiths in our schools, many in 21st century Britain are either ignorant or indifferent to the Christian story. Its dismissal by some, mockery in the media and erosion from much of public life, means it is a vague memory for some and for others it is not even within their mindset. A story which captures this reality is of the boy who, at Christmas, asked his mother why the Lord’s parents named the Lord using a swear word.

The closing ceremony of the Paralympics called the Festival of the Flame, with its overtones of paganism and druid liturgy, epitomises this new landscape of British spirituality. It requires us to wake up to the reality that we are firmly embedded in a post-Christian society in which a plethora of non-exclusivist spiritualities are available to the spiritual consumer.

Additionally, the response to the 9/11 attacks in the US has not been cognizant of the British context.

We have been taken in by the feverish attempts of our government, media, and certain Christian organisations to understand and address Islam.

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If you wistfully seek the ‘old certainties’ of crosscultural mission to Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, think again. Multiple approaches are required for different generations; 3rd and 4th generation British-born Asians are chameleons adopting different hues in different spaces.

In the light of the above, all of us have to engage in cross-cultural mission. In this complex terrain it appears foolhardy to suggest any definitive principle or approach, but I hazard to suggest one.

Greenford Baptist Church Greenford Baptist has been seeking the Spirit’s leading with respect ministry to Asians. Warren McNeil the assistant pastor says, “We recognised 3-4 years ago that membership from Asia was not proportionately representative of those living in our area. Therefore we made a conscious decision to pray and evangelise into those communities. This included training for the Leadership Team and Sunday morning Welcoming Team, which involved a ‘mystery’ worshipper reporting on how an Asian would view our style of Sunday meetings. Their willingness to accept the mystery worshippers’ suggestion to visit, before advising on how to modify the service, demonstrates a commitment to learn and change.

In the past few years the First Jerusalem Council described in Acts 15 has captured my attention.

When some men told Gentile believers that they must be circumcised to be saved, Paul and Barnabas travel to Jerusalem to discuss the issue. The letter written to Gentile believers states, ‘It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to not burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.’ (Acts 15: 28-9) Attentiveness to the Holy Spirit led the first Jewish believers to abandon circumcision, the key plank of Jewish identity. I suggest that a willingness to listen and obey the instruction of the Holy Spirit is the key principle in cross-cultural mission.

The process of waiting on the Spirit must be continuous. In the past few months SAF and Jewels has sensed that prayer needs to play a substantial part of the partnership days. Therefore in 2013 we will significantly modify these days to spend time praying for those engaged in outreach, for those who are earnestly seeking Christ and for Asian believers facing persecution.

Those engaged in mission to South Asians are seeking to work by this principle. Jewels in His Crown, an umbrella organisation for those seeking to reach South Asians had been running a biennial residential conference for over 10 years. In late 2010 after the formation of the South Asian Forum (SAF) of the Evangelical Alliance we discerned it was time to stop these conferences. SAF and Jewels discerned the need to equip and enable those who had always wanted to engage in mission to South Asians but had never pushed the boat out and tried to do so. Therefore in September 2011 SAF and Jewels jointly held the first Asian Mission partnership day in Harrow, Northwest London. Since then we have held similar days in East London, Wolverhampton, Leicester and Manchester, each of which is bearing fruit. Alongside this at an early SAF meeting in October 2010 we sensed God’s prompting to write a booklet to address the key misconceptions and questions that South Asians raise about Christianity. God was in the project as a group of writers produced Jesus Through Asian Eyes, and 15,000 copies were printed in time for the first partnership day in September 2011.

One of the contributors to the booklet sensed God’s leading to develop the booklet into an evangelistic course akin to Alpha. Greenford Baptist now have some Asian believers and developed a pool of contacts, enabling them to pilot the Jesus Through Asian Eyes course in January 2013.

As we seek to work in step with the Spirit, we recognise that if the apostle Paul and his companions ‘tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to’, then we too will make mistakes (Acts 16: 7). I hope we’ll not continue with the partnership days beyond God’s timing, but we could.

Mistakes are inevitable, but the important step is not to cover up or make excuses but to admit them, seek the Spirit afresh and move forward in His strength.

Holy Spirit led mission will be painful as it will lead to conflict with fellow believers; disturbing and

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difficult as the Lord leads us to let go of old ways; uncomfortable as He asks to adapt to our context; and potentially disempowering as the Lord radically alters our fellowship.

Therefore while all that I have shared is important, on his visit to London the Revd Chris Duffett, Baptist Union President, hit the mark when he impressed upon us the need to love people. The Revd Osoba Otaigbe of Tooting Junction Baptist shares of a stepping stone to becoming a multiethnic/ multigenerational church: “In a very diverse community with many nationalities, faith groups and cultures that does not spend quality time together or talk to each other, our strategy was to practically share the love of Christ within our community by taking the church out of its building.” He continues, “…we organised a Fun and Sports Festival in the park to practically model Christ’s generosity, hospitality, teaching and creating a sense of family and community. We had free barbecue, free medical checks, bouncy castles, games with everybody playing and laughing together and an Alpha Course table where we met many people of other faiths.”

Biserica Romana ‘Speranta Si Har’ (‘Hope and Grace’ Romanian Church), Stratford, London The Revd Teofil Harii ministering to Romanians in London captures both the need to love and be Spiritled in mission: “I am a long way from loving people the way God does, but He enrolled me on the course and that is making all the difference in my ministry.

The Gospel has no boundaries. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us, people’s lives will be transformed, regardless of their location.”

In the midst of the inevitable difficulties, if we are Spirit-led and truly love people within and without the church, then the Lord will enable us to bear fruit that will last and so glorify Him. The Revd Kumar Rajagopalan Regional Minister with responsibility for Racial Justice and Inter Faith issues, London Baptist Association

The Jesus Through Asian Eyes booklet is available from the South Asian Forum at: http:// saf.eauk.org/SouthAsianForum/ resources.cfm

Tooting Junction Baptist Church’s Festival in the Park

For information about the Partnership Days taking place next year, please see: www.globalconnections.co.uk/missionintheuk www.jewelsinhiscrown.co.uk

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Missing: have you seen is our flagship event about the Missing Generation

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What can we do right now to engage with them?

www.missinggeneration.com/events/book

Venue: BMS International Mission Centre 24 Weoley Park Road Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6QX

AGE: 18 - 30 YEARS OLD

The Younger Leaders Forum would like to

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INTERNATIONAL MISSION CENTRE Time: 24 10:00WEOLEY - 16:30 PARK ROAD SELLY OAK, BIRMINGHAM, B29 6QX Date: Saturday TIME: 13 October 10 am - 4:30pm

Cost: £10 including refreshments DATE:

Saturday, 13th of October 2012

For more information see: FOR MORE INFO: www.missinggeneration.com/events/missing

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COST:

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COST:

£10 (includes refreshments)

Questions we will be exploring on the day include: Find us on Facebook Find Facebook • us onWho is the missing generation? @missingGen @missingGen Gto engage with • What can we do right now www.missinggeneration.com www.missinggeneration.com them?

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Larger Churches Conference for the Senior Ministers of Larger Churches - by invitation only Monday 26 - Wednesday 28 November High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon Speakers: Steve Brady - Moorlands College Ian Stackhouse - Guildford Baptist Church Cost: £195 per person including accommodation in single en-suite rooms and all meals.

For more information and booking, see: www.baptist.org.uk/events.html

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‘Norman Kember The world needs him to be free’ Once in a while, a local church hits the headlines for all the ‘wrong’ reasons. Here Head of BUGB Communications, Amanda Allchorn, shares the story of the impact of Norman Kember’s capture in 2005 on his local church in Harrow.

Picture the scene…it was a quiet sunny Monday morning on 28 November 2005 and I was driving alongside the beautiful Chiltern Hills to work. My mobile suddenly went ballistic ... national media had broken the news that Professor Norman Kember – a 74 year old from Harrow Baptist Church, and active member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship - had been kidnapped by an extremist group in Iraq along with three others representing Christian Peacemaker Teams. Everyone in the media wanted the story, and camera crews were turning up at this church tucked away in a normal suburban shopping centre.

Pat and Norman Kember, shortly after his release

I had only been Head of Communications here at BUGB for two months, so this really was a ‘baptism of fire’! After an emergency meeting at Didcot with our then General Secretary David Coffey - I jumped in the car and headed straight for the church to field the media interest and set up a crisis communications plan.

During this long four-month period, Harrow Baptist Church held a prayer circle, the local Inter-Faith Council met at Harrow Town Hall praying and sharing in the sadness, a letter was signed by all senior UK church leaders and Anas Altikriti (former President of the Muslim Council of Britain), and prayer vigils took place in the UK and around the world. In different ways people were coming together to pray for the freedom of the peacemakers, to condemn detention without charge and to call all people of faith around the world to pray and be united and steadfast in the work for peace in Iraq.

Within 24 hours I was in touch with the Foreign Office Media Team aligning our messages to make sure nothing that appeared in the media globally would endanger any of the captives’ safety. They would speak from a more political angle and we would speak more from the angle of a local church concerned for a good friend. There was a real fear that, as the captors watched television coverage in Iraq, they could confuse British Baptists with the Southern Baptists in the USA. The headline the church and I led with as we responded to the media during that period was: ‘Norman Kember The world needs him to be free’. Each time the captors spoke over the following four months, news channels in the UK and around the world - from the BBC to Al Jazeera TV - covered the story.

The world heard that because of the gospel value of peace, Norman was prepared to take a risk for God. They heard that prayer was central to the story through hearing about the continuous prayer circle at Harrow Baptist Church, and people of different faiths came together to pray for something they all believed in. Even journalists and reporters were touched by the Christ-like love folk at Harrow Baptist Church showed to them.

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But what, I hear you say, has this got to do with God’s Kingdom, mission and the local church?

And finally ... a few years back, before I was called to BUGB, I did a sponsored walk on the Great Wall of China for the Children’s Society. The Watford Observer, our local paper, covered the story before I left. The BBC Three Counties Radio Faith Programme producer read the story and on my return interviewed me on the Sunday Morning Programme. The next day I was at work in the City in London and a colleague who was going through a tough patch came up to me to say she had heard me. She lived 50 miles away! I had read a passage I had taken with me on the trip to China from Isaiah 40: 28-31 on air. The line ‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength’ had moved her and helped her own struggles. You never quite know who will be listening…

Everything.

Granted, the story above is an extreme one, but through the media we can tell stories of hope, of reaching out in love through our churches/mission projects reaching the forgotten and marginalised, of even in dark times extending the hand of forgiveness and healing.

I believe if our churches are more equipped and prepared to talk to the media - in difficult times as well as the good times - we would have an exciting mission opportunity to reach those who would never attend church, as well as those who do. Research undertaken by the Catholic Church has shown that many ordinary church members get a stronger sense of denominational identity from regional and national media than reading internal communications and newsletters. Makes you think doesn’t it.

(In the next edition of missionscene I will be covering how to plan and develop your church internal communications.)

Amanda Allchorn Head of Communications

As you prepare for Christmas - maybe using the great resource ‘Get in the Picture’ - or if you have other special events coming up, why not think about contacting your local paper or radio station to cover the story.

To get you started, why not visit the Baptist Union of Great Britain’s website and resources within the communications area at www.baptist.org.uk/ communications There are a number of Top Tips Guides for all kinds of media and communications activity. Also check out the Church and Media Net website for resources and training ideas at www.churchandmedia.net.

Norman Kember with Amanda Allchorn, at Harrow Baptist Church

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Your church can become a community that envisions, equips and supports people to live fruitful lives on their daily frontlines - wherever they are Join LICC’s Neil Hudson for an inspiring day of training that will offer practical help for church leaders and leadership teams who are determined to create whole-life disciplemaking churches.

He’ll be exploring the biblical vision and the practical principles and process he’s been learning in his work with churches of different sizes and denominations across the nation and offering a clear framework for moving forward.

Emerging Church Saturday 6 October Bristol Baptist College

Emerging Church

Saturday 6th October During the past 15 years or so, Christians across western culture have been exploring new and different ways of being church and engaging in mission. Some people are very sceptical of what might be yet another short-lived fad. Others are excited by the passion, creativity and missional energy they see in these initiatives.

Tuesday 2 October - 19:30 - 21:30 Glenwood Church Centre, Cardiff (Joint event with CICC) Monday 8 October - 09:30 - 16:00 Dawlish Christian Fellowship, South Devon

This Crucible Elements day on Emerging Church is a short introduction to this subject. Come and learn with others who are interested in pioneering, creativity and mission in local communities.

Monday 8 October - 09:30 - 16:00 Christ Church, Liverpool (Led by Chick Yuill) Thursday 11 October - 09:30 - 16:00 New Life Church, Rugby

Cost: £25.00 (£15.00 if unwaged) - including lunch and other refreshments.

Friday 12 October - 09:30 - 16:00 Orangefield Presbyterian Church, Belfast

For more information, contact Stuary Murray Williams on 0117 330 7826 or email stuart@murraywilliams.co.uk

Thursday 8 November - 09:30 - 16:00 Shrewsbury Baptist Church (Led by Chick Yuill) Saturday 10 November - 09:30 - 16:00 Elad Elim Church, Guernsey Tuesday 13 November - 09:30 - 16:00 Kingsland Church, Colchester

Crucible consists of three intensive training weekends each year to equip Christians to follow Jesus on the margins.

For details, and booking, see: www.licc.org.uk/ imagine/resources/imagine-on-the-road

To download the 2012-13 brochure, see: www.baptist.org.uk/component/docman/doc_ download/874-crucible-brochure.html

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TY s in SE:C-Icentred live DIVERlivdiinvgerJseesucsommunities

The first international lyfe forum: A Residents’ Guide to the Kingdom of God Lee Abbey, Devon Monday 8 – Friday 12 October 2012 At this unique event, key leaders from business, culture and church will gather as residents of the Kingdom of God to discover a deeper life with God — personally, locally and globally.

Hosted by James Catford (Group Chief Executive, Bible Society) and the combined ministry teams of Bible Society, Lee Abbey and Renovaré. Although not with us personally, we will be drawing on insights from people like Richard J Foster and Dallas Willard to discover a balanced vision and a practical strategy for life with God in the public square.

DIVERSE:CITY - 17-18 November This weekend of events in east London is being organised to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Urban Expression.

• A unique event for key leaders from business, culture and church • Interactive forum hosted by Lee Abbey, Bible Society and Renovaré • Discover a deeper life with God in the public square

Join the celebrations and learn from the adventures of the teams that have moved into inner-city communities across Britain.

URBAN EXPRESSIO

How to book

15th year ce

Cost: £350 per person (full board accommodation from Monday evening – Friday breakfast)

For more information: contact Doreen on 07852 590727 the Urban Expression community from or emailJoin doreen.westley@urbanexpression.org.uk

Please book directly with Lee Abbey at: www.leeabbey.org.uk/devon

To book your place, see: Sat 17 & Sun 18 November 201 www.urbanexpression.eventbrite.co.uk

for a week-end of celebrations

100 team members later & we’re back where it a ...Tower Hamlets! www.urb

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The next Parish Nursing Training Course will run from Monday 22 - Thursday 25 October 2012 and will take place at the International Mission Centre in Birmingham.

If you are interested in attending the course, please do either contact Parish Nursing Ministries UK (PNMUK) on 01788 817904 to chat further or alternatively complete the Application Form on the PNMUK website www.parishnursing.org.uk and someone will be in touch with you directly.

Please note: if you wish to attend the course please send the completed course Application Form to PNMUK as soon as possible, and at least 6 weeks before the start of the course.

The 2012 Parish Nursing Annual Symposium will focus on ‘Caring for Carers’ and takes place at Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire from Sunday 18 - Monday 19 November. PNMUK are pleased to advise that amongst their confirmed keynote speakers will be Margaret Sentamu, a keen supporter of their work.

For more information and a booking form, see www.baptist.org.uk/component/docman/doc_ download/1176-pnmuk-symposium-2012.html Please return your booking form to PNMUK by 12 October 2012 to secure your place. Alternatively, for any further information, please contact PNMUK on 01788 817904 or www.parishnursing.org.uk

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Applications are now open for Executive Toolbox 2013 A course from LICC’s Work Forum Three 24-hour modules from January to June equipping you to make a difference in your workplace culture, relationships and leadership.

Join a cohort of 36 Christians in mid to senior level positions of influence at St Katharine Conference Centre, described as ‘an oasis in the heart of the city of London’.

ADVENTurous

You will develop a deeper biblical vision of God’s purposes for work, analyse the culture of your organisation, develop spiritual strategies for change impacting yourself, your team and your organisation and build your confidence and resilience as a Christian leader in the workplace for the long term.

Saturday 1 December Union Chapel in London ADVENTurous is a one-day festival of ideas, artistry, spoken word and live music imagining how we got to where we are, and how we might move from where we are towards a new place in the future – all through three prisms: faith, ecology and the economy.

“The course has broadened my knowledge, deepened my theology and improved my biblical interpretation skills.” George, 2011

In the midst of struggling global economies, political transition and the end of the world* (apparently, according to the Mayan calendar at least!), the Christian season of Advent can be seen as a sign of new arrivals, a world re-imagined, cultures disrupted and paradigms well and truly shifted.

Find out more at: www.licc.org.uk/engaging-withwork/executive-toolbox

Bringing together thinkers, activists and artists from different faith traditions (and none) for a day of exploration, debate and wonder, Advent-urous is an event hosted jointly by Greenbelt and Union Chapel, drawing on a number of creative partners from a range of different networks – all with an interest in trying to conspire towards a better tomorrow.

Planning Ahead

Confirmed speakers and artists so far include Mike Frost, Ann Morisy, Ann Pettifor, Ruth Valerio and Harry Baker, plus art curated by Gavin Mart from Engedi Arts. Other speakers and musicians will be confirmed very soon.

The 5th International Conference on Ageing and Spirituality

will be taking place from Sunday 7 - Wednesday 10 July 2013 at The University of Edinburgh

This event is brought to you through the collaboration of Andy Frost, Matt & Juls Hollidge, Barney Barron, Peter Dominey, Jonny Baker, Paul Northup, Karen Stallard, Phil Smith and Juliet Kilpin.

More details to follow, or have a look at www.fiop-mha.events-made-easy.com

For more information, see: www.adventurous.me.uk

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Relating to people of other faiths, especially Muslims This edition of missionscene should provide plenty of help in relating to people of different cultures. People of different faith may be from what I’ll clumsily call ‘white British culture’. There are a small, but increasing number of white British people who have embraced faiths other than Christianity.

However, many people of other faiths living in the UK are either from another culture, or remain strongly influenced by another culture. This is the case for most of the Muslims I meet as I go about ministry in Burnley in Lancashire. Their families are Asian, with senior members having come, some from Bangladesh, but mostly from Pakistan.

Their children, young people and their parents are almost all British, many from Burnley. It may well be that some of what has been shared in this

edition of missionscene will be helpful in relating to Muslims as people of, or strongly influenced by, another culture. My focus here is on the difference that being of another faith makes to building relationships.

The vast majority of people of other faiths in Burnley are therefore Muslim and I have been working at building relationships with them for just over ten years, as part of my role as the Minister of Sion Baptist Church, located in the town centre. So the experience I have to share is limited to relating to Muslims. Each faith is unique, so what may be helpful in relating to Muslims is not necessarily helpful in relating to Jews, Sikhs, Hindus or Buddhists.

Christians and Muslims on a faith walk organised by Building Bridges in Burnley in June 2012, visiting mosques and churches

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Before exploring how we might go about relating to Muslims, I think it is important to explore why?

I start out from the Christian call, or command, to love my neighbour. If my neighbour is a Muslim, I must love him or her in the way I relate. Loving my neighbour is therefore about being welcoming, friendly, interested, caring, helpful, supportive, respectful and hospitable. I will also want to draw on the resources of my faith and pray for the wellbeing of my neighbour. Offering all this to my Muslim neighbour is likely to bring a response.

Assuming that he or she speaks English, which may not always be the case, we are likely to have conversations about all sorts of things. This may be rather less for me as a man in relating to a Muslim woman. I would need to be careful because by faith and culture an Asian Muslim woman may not expect, or be expected, to engage with men outside of her extended family. However, her circumstances may make a huge difference to this and I have a number of Muslim women who I count as good friends. On the whole though, because I am a man, I don’t shake hands with them, or touch them, as part of respecting them as Muslim women. When I meet a Muslim woman I don’t offer to shake her hand, unless she offers me hers.

Christians are welcomed to a Burnley mosque on the Faith Walk

In relation to Islam we need to ask ourselves the God/Allah question! Is Allah the same God that we worship as Christians? Your answer to this question will affect your view of Islam and Muslims. The use of a different name for God in Islam may suggest to Christians that either this is not God, or it is another god. However, Muslims and Christians share a monotheistic understanding of God. I start out from There is only one ultimate reality, God, the Christian call, and in Arabic the word for God is Allah, and Christians who speak Arabic call or command, God Allah. So Allah is simply another to love my name for the ultimate reality, God.

A practising Muslim is likely to want to discuss faith and to talk about his or her life as a Muslim. I will be pleased and interested to listen and learn and to ask questions. I will also look for the opportunity to talk about my life as a neighbour.

The explanation of what it means to Christian and answer any questions. If we live in God’s way in both faiths is very similar. Both go a step further and start to talk about the content faiths teach their followers to declare their faith in of our faiths, what we believe and why, then the God, to pray, to give, to fast and to some extent to conversation has become an informal inter-faith go on pilgrimage. As Christians we are called to dialogue! Don’t be worried, it’s just a conversation! worship only God and so are Muslims.

A person may describe themselves as a Muslim My personal experience of observing Muslim prayer because they are from a Muslim family, but they and befriending and working with Muslims is that may practise their faith partially, little, or not at the spirit of God is in their prayers and that the all. In a similar way someone might describe fruit of the Spirit is shown in the living of their lives. themselves as Christian. If this is the case your So my answer to the question is that Muslims and Muslim neighbour may be less enthusiastic or open Christians are worshipping and responding to the to discussing matters of faith. same ultimate reality, called God or Allah, but the revelations of God are both similar and different in Either way, in loving my Muslim neighbour, I am the two faiths. not seeking his or her conversion to Christianity. I am simply living out my Christian faith by loving my There are some clear differences in the neighbour and as I do so, I believe I am being an understanding of God. Christians, while believing authentic Christian witness. This is what I believe I in one God, also understand God’s unity through am called to be as a Christian in relating to people the community of the Trinity and Muslims do not. of other faiths.

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Christians and Muslims working together on the Faith Friends Project at the Burnley and Pendle Faith Centre. This places a Christian and a Muslim pair of Faith Friends to work together like chaplains in Burnley secondary schools. The project is chaired by Andy Williams.

Christians hold that Jesus Christ is God’s Word made flesh, fully human and fully divine and one of a threefold understanding of God as the Trinity. In Islam, God is one and this must not be compromised. Jesus is understood and revered as a prophet and was therefore perfect and without sin and was born of the virgin Mary and is second only to the prophet Muhammad. However, in Islam, Jesus did not die on the cross and rise three days later for the forgiveness and salvation of humankind.

Relating to people of other faiths inevitably means clarifying your own faith and this is one of the ways that I have been enriched by Muslim friends. If you are looking for ways in which to start relating to Muslims, here are a few suggestions: • With a Christian friend, go to a mosque on a Friday and ask if you can observe the prayers.

Make sure you are dressed from neck to ankle and that you remove your footwear on entry.

Women should cover their hair.

• With a Christian friend, go to an Indian or Asian take away or restaurant and say that you’d like to pray for the well-being of the owner and staff and their families. This will start a conversation.

Don’t forget to pray later!

• Take a taxi from a Muslim-owned taxi firm and ask the driver if you could pray for the well-being of him and his family…

• Ask your church to arrange a visit to a mosque – make sure you go!

• Invite an Imam to a church group to talk about his faith and his work.

• Find out where your nearest inter-faith group is and go along to a meeting.

• Read a book about understanding Islam. I recommend Understanding Islam, The First Ten Steps, by a Christian, C T R Hewer, published

by SCM in 2006. Pick something easy from it to discuss with a Muslim.

There is no need for salvation in Islam. All that is needed is to follow the way of life which Allah has revealed in the Qur’an and be the best Muslim you can be with Allah’s help. Humans are not perfect and will fail and sin, but Allah is merciful and forgiving and will weigh the life of the Muslim in a compassionately weighted balance and will decide on this basis whether they go to heaven or hell.

Interestingly most Muslims believe that Christians, along with Jews, as ‘people of the book’ will go to heaven.

Is Allah the same God that we worship as Christians? If your answer is no, then that makes Allah a false god and Arabic-speaking Christians need to find a new name for God. If your answer is yes, does it make sense for us to speak of ‘the same God’ understood in different ways? This is a question that could be discussed for a long time and one I should open up with Christian and Muslim friends!

Andy Williams Minister of Sion Baptist Church, Burnley

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Inter Faith Week 18 - 27 November Building good relationships and working partnerships between people of different faiths and beliefs is part of the year-round work of many people and organisations across the UK. Having a special Week provides a focal point for building these relationships and partnerships, and helping to open inter faith activity up to a wider audience.

Planning tips for Inter Faith Week

Inter Faith Week:

• Fit in a planning meeting early to decide what kind of event you might hold • Look at the resources available on the Inter Faith Week website www.interfaithweek.org • Register your event as early as possible at www.interfaithweek.org • Think early on about how you might evaluate the impact of your events once they are done • Where appropriate, consider inviting civic leaders and/or other key figures in your community and contact them well in advance • If you are running a whole programme of events, consider spreading them across the Week • Bear in mind the times which members of some faiths may not be able to attend events because of their own days and times of religious observance • Make someone in charge of taking photographs at your event and getting people’s permission to use these • Make use of social networking sites to boost awareness of your event • Tweet about your event using the #IFWeek tag so that other users can quickly find information about Inter Faith Week events • Invite journalists to attend and cover your event well in advance • After your event, send photographs and a press release to media and to enquiries@ interfaithweek.org

• Highlights the good work done by local faith, inter faith and faith-based groups and organisations • Draws new people into inter faith learning and co-operation • Enables greater interaction between people of different backgrounds • Helps develop integrated and neighbourly communities • Celebrates diversity and commonality • Opens new possibilities for partnership See www.interfaithweek.org for more details.

Look out for new inter faith resources coming soon from BUGB

The Inter Faith Week website includes lots of useful planning resources, including many developed specifically for schools, local authorities, faith communities, inter faith groups, colleges and universities, police, fire and rescue services and hospitals, as well as many other useful resources.

Please visit www.interfaithweek.org/resources

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I have a dream............

So said Martin Luther King, Jr as he shared his vision for a new society. In his mind’s eye was a clear picture of what could be: and that dream, that vision, spurred him on to see it become a reality.

As a church near the centre of Sheffield we were aware of God’s dream in which we were challenged to share: a dream of a radical community of people who are different from the world around us. A community characterised by the way we love each other across all the boundaries, cultures and ages, in the way we work together, the way we build one another up, the way we glorify God, the way every member is valued and their gifts are used and developed.

As we worked through the strategy we discovered some foundational principles which we had to apply to our mission:

As we worked through what this meant to us as a church we became aware that as many as sixty languages are spoken within a square mile of the church. We knew our purpose – to see lives transformed by the love of God, revealed through Jesus Christ. We want to see people come to know Jesus – all people, from the youngest to the oldest, richest to the poorest, educated or not, of every ethnic and cultural background. To be God’s community! The challenge of the dream was how to reach out to such a diverse group of people?

Discover all we can about their culture and language and what is unique about them as a group.

What is important to them? How do they think? What gives them identity and dignity?

Discern who is the best person(s) in our fellowship to relate to each particular group?

Determine the method, means and message. Too often we assume there is one way of reaching out to peoples, cultures and classes. I heard it once said, “Too often evangelism is conducted by people who have a solution and are looking for a problem to apply it!” We soon discovered there are many different ways that needed to be developed to reach across the boundaries.

We began by starting with what we had. We looked into the church and saw that God sent the cultures into our building and over the last seven years 42 nationalities have been through our doors, each with a story to tell and a need to be met. Our mission was in and through those that came through our doors, to support them and encourage them to be a witness in their own ethnic community.

Define the approach – plan the best way to reach out, the best method to meet their needs.

Over the years of learning through our mistakes we discovered that one size does not fit all.

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As we work through the vision, one of the most important things we have learnt is we are not called to assimilate people into our style of church but to encourage, enjoy and embrace their culture. The best illustration of this, and the most significant moment for us as a fellowship, happened seven years ago when a government department contacted us and asked if we would help support a people called the ‘Karen’. This was a group of people who were coming to Sheffield from the Thailand refugee camps through a government sponsored ‘Gateway programme’. (The Karen were the focus of the BMS Harvest appeal 2010.)

We have worked with different people groups in different ways: those from Iran and Afghanistan required one-to-one study of the scriptures; the asylum seekers needed support: through the process of application to remain in this country, and some required housing, food and emotional support; the Indian men were best reached through the church cricket team (with the added bonus they can play cricket and helped the team to win!). In addition, we have helped others through an English class and provided training to others that they might get a food handling certificate to enable them to look for work.

To help us engage with the many cultures, we have people available who are willing to act as translators (in at least 10 languages), and we will provide bibles in their own language if required.

To say it has been easy would not be telling the truth – there have been many tears in pastoral care and it has been costly in time and finance, but the joys far outweigh the hardships - the joy of seeing the transformed lives and baptisms continue to be a real encouragement.

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As a church we have gained so much from the Karen and other cultures and we are richer because of the fellowship and friendship. Recently I was welcomed into the Karen church as a member of their family – that meant so much to me personally. I hope and pray our mistakes and sacrifices will help us be more prepared for the future mission and dream that God has given us.

Nearly 100 Karen arrived in Sheffield and we invited them to our Church. About 20 came and over a short period of time this decreased to about three or four. The reason was that they did not understand my sermons (I explained that neither do most of my congregation!) but for the Karen it was a language problem. The result was the establishment of a Karen Baptist Church on our premises where I could speak through an interpreter. The church has grown from strength to strength and, although they worship now at different premises, we still continue to support them through teaching, preaching and pastoral support.

Nigel Manges Minister of Cemetery Road Baptist Church, Sheffield

It has been a blessing to see the church grow to over 100 on a Sunday and it was a real joy to see them welcomed into the Baptist family at this year’s assembly. At present we are supporting them as they search for their own church building so they can have their own mission station reaching out into the local community – and although most are on government benefits, they have sacrificially saved over £20,000 towards this vision and now hope the Baptist family may support them in their dream.

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Embracing the World This is a series of eight Bible studies and sermons for churches to work through to help build culturally inclusive communities. It is built around the eight core statements of the Manifesto: We believe:

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1 All people are created in God’s image in whose eyes we are all equal.

2 God’s great blessings need to be distributed equally to all people regardless of ethnic-origin or culture.

3 It is our duty and joy to welcome and embrace strangers, travellers, settlers and their families of all cultures into our community.

4 We can receive God’s special blessing as we offer a true welcome, a home, material needs and care to all people.

5 Every person is our neighbour regardless of culture or ethnic origin, and is fully deserving of our unconditional love just as Christ commanded.

6 We should not be judgemental about anyone based on their appearance, ethnicity, culture and background, but to treat all people as individuals created and loved by God. 7 We are called to be different seeking to live according to Christ-like values, and to be salt and light to all cultures.

8 We believe that Jesus calls us to care for all people, but particularly to protect those who are the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.

We believe that where these principles either have been, or are being, violated there needs to be repentance, and a determination to re-build bridges, as well as to stand against injustice.

Download a copy of Embracing the World free of charge from: www.baptist.org.uk/resources-events/missionfiles/doc_download/395-embracing-the-world.html Many Nations, One Church Attempting to create a more multicultural church can be uncomfortable. Inevitably, we’re led to ask whether we are doing enough. Whilst no one has all the answers, this Study Guide, produced in conjunction with Christian Aid, contains challenging questions to help churches move in the direction of God’s plan for a new humanity that will embrace all nations.

Although several years old now, this resouce has six study sessions on the following themes: • Worship: it’s your story • The Bible: different lenses • Leadership: enabling empowerment • Community: tough choices • Mission: across the divide • Audit: many nations, one church Copies cost £1.50 + p&p and are available from the BUGB online store at: www.baptist.org.uk/ resources/bugb-online-store.html

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thirsty Today a billion people worldwide will be using dirty water to drink, cook and wash with.

They have no other choice.

Use thirsty at your harvest celebrations this year and discover the refreshing difference that clean water projects are making to people in Haiti.

You can help BMS save lives there and in similar situations around the world.

www.bmsworldmission.org/resources/video/harvest

HOPE brings a fresh mission focus on harvest New HOPE for Harvest book published • Create a community collage to display outside your church, with positive stories and pictures of activities taking place in your area.

• Encourage your church to have a meat-free Sunday – if everyone in the UK gave up meat once a week, the emission savings would be the same as taking 5 million cars off the road.

• Have a technology fast – no TV, iPod, computer or mobile phone for a whole day.

These are just three of the ideas in HOPE for Harvest, the latest book from HOPE, helping churches to use key moments in the Christian calendar as a focus for mission. As well as offering fresh ideas for harvest festivals, the new book focuses on the importance of work, generosity and thankfulness as key aspects of a mission lifestyle.

HOPE for Harvest includes: • Fresh ideas for harvest festival services and • Articles from Tearfund on thankfulness, generosity, celebrations, plus ways to reach your community mission and caring for the environment with the good news of Jesus during harvest.

• A youth group session, lots of mission ideas and a • Four weeks’ worth of Bible studies from the Bible study for young people Stewardship Trust looking at harvest in the Old and New Testaments.

Cost: £5.99 For more details, and to order a copy, see: www.hopetogether.org.uk/Groups/133405/HOPE/HOPE_ • Articles and ideas from Mark Greene of London step_by/Books/Books.aspx Institute for Contemporary Christianity on the value of work and how to support your congregation in their workplaces.

HOPE is a national movement encouraging and equipping churches to work together in mission.

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The idea for Question came from Baptist minister Jonathan Vaughan-Davies, from Bethel Baptist Church in Cardiff. He tells us: ‘This project is a vision I’ve carried for many years, and to see God bringing it together has been so thrilling. The heart behind this course is simply to offer people a place to explore some questions about God that people often ask early on in their journey of faith. In its basic form the course is based on countless conversations I’ve had with people over the years as I’ve tried to communicate who Jesus is, and the love that He has for them – demonstrated in his sacrificial death on the cross.

‘My prayer is that Question might simply be a resource to inspire and equip you in the work to which we are all called.’

Think about it, talk about it, question...

Who am I? What is life about? Why is there so much suffering in the world? If God exists, then what is he like?

Answers don’t come wrapped up and neatly packaged. There are big questions which need examining. Question is a thought-provoking journey to stir up that sense of longing. Each episode connects our everyday experiences with the timeless truths of the Bible, providing direction for the conversation that follows.

Copies of the DVD in English are available from the BUGB online store or from BUW at a price of £8.00 inc VAT. For more information, see www. baptist.org.uk/question or www.buw.org.uk For copies in Welsh, please contact Cyngor Ysgolion Sul, Ael y Bryn, Chwilog, Pwllheli, Gwynedd LL53 6SH or the BUW office. anol yn lygaid gwah thau trwy n i weld pe i’n rhan. i a ffresni y holi Mae’r ddaw br as trw n y nn wy gyfle i dd wneud hy a’n cynnig llwyddo i laeth ac yn estiwn yn n â’n bodo d.

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After each of the six talks, the DVD has questions which the group can journey through at their own pace. They are a chance for people to engage with the issues, and will help to guide the discussions.

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”

We’re delighted to be launching Get in the Picture again this year with a brand new image and website.

It has been great to see the way in which churches across the country have got involved in the Get in the Picture initiative over the past three years. Get in the Picture took place in 100 towns across the UK last Christmas, enabling churches to connect with their community and make the most of this crossingplace opportunity.

Get in the Picture has been developed from an idea shared by BUGB President Chris Duffett, who piloted it through the work of the Light Project in 2008. It’s a clear reminder of the true Christmas story, and offers the opportunity to engage in conversation and invite people to your Christmas services and activities.

This simple idea enables churches to get the Christmas message right onto the streets of their town, village or community – setting up a stable scene in the lead up to Christmas and inviting people to dress up and literally ‘get in the picture’. Posing as figures in a nativity scene they have their photo taken, free of charge, which is then uploaded to the Get in the Picture website ready to be downloaded and sent to family and friends.

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This year we have refreshed the Get in the Picture website, with the aim of making it much easier for people to find their pictures. Information for churches wanting to take part is available on the website, along with a simple registration process.

There is also an opportunity to share information about the Christmas services taking place in your town.

Start discussing the idea with your church now!

Perhaps you could encourage a team of people from local churches to work together to create a stable scene and costumes, and run Get in the Picture in your community this year.

All you need to know is in the leaflet sent to all Baptist churches in August (and available to download from www.baptist.org.uk/component/ docman/doc_download/844-get-in-the-picture-flyer. html) and the Get in the Picture Mission File from getinthepicture.org.uk/about-project/resources

Have a look at the website www.getinthepicture.org.uk to find out more about what’s involved, and give it a try!

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BIG Welcome crossingplaces Mission File

Mission Files

Over 300 Baptist, Elim and Methodist churches around the country took part in the BIG Welcome this year - inviting someone they know to something they love. It was all about making people feel really welcome in any church activity.

BIG WELCOME CROSSINGPLACES Inviting one person we know to something we love and giving them a warm welcome The Big Welcome is a simple idea to encourage Christians to invite someone they know to something they love. It is about making people feel really welcome in any church activity.

Whilst for many churches this will mean inviting friends to a special BIG Welcome Sunday service we want to encourage churches to be really creative about what they invite people to - a meal, a concert, a quiz night, a coffee bar.

Whilst for many churches this meant inviting friends to a special BIG Welcome Sunday service, a number of churches were really creative about what they invited people to - a meal, a concert, a quiz night, a coffee bar.

But the BIG Welcome goes even wider than that. It’s recognising that we are Christians 24/7 - and that we have numerous opportunities throughout our day and week to share something of God’s love and welcome with those we meet.

This Mission File highlights some of the places where we meet other people, and directs you to resources to help you develop these into crossingplace opportunities.

Wouldn’t it be great if the BIG Welcome went even wider than that? We are Christians 24/7, and have numerous opportunities throughout our day and week to share something of God’s love and welcome with those we meet.

This new Mission File highlights some of the places where we meet other people, and directs you to resources to help you develop these into crossingplace opportunities.

Download a copy free of charge from: www. baptist.org.uk/resources-events/missionfiles/doc_ download/1221-big-welcome-crossingplaces.html

John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

is a wonderful story about a pilgrim called Christian and his adventures as he tries to find his way to the City of Gold (heaven). Liz Stacey has developed an interactive study guide which she’s used with some 80 and 90 year old seniors to help them gain a greater understanding of what the Christian life is all about, especially the wonderful provision of eternal life God has made through Jesus. Many found faith, and all experienced comfort.

missionscene survey We’ve been producing missionscene in its current format since August 2011 and would love to have your feedback on it as we make plans for the future.

• What have you found useful in it?

• Have you tried something new, or been to an event, because you read about it in missionscene?

• Is there something you’d like to see in a future edition?

• Would you be willing to write an article for it?

The study guide costs £25 + p&p and is full of interesting ideas, dramas, and relevant artwork for each session. In fact everything you need to run your group. You need buy only one copy per church or group as copyright permission is given for making up to 10 copies of anything you need.

Please take a few minutes to answer our simple survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/missionscene

To order a copy, or find out more, contact Liz Stacey on e.stacey@talktalk.net or 01962 808783.

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GREAT NEWS FOR YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

So what does Energize offer timepressed youth and children’s leaders?

Masses of creative, fun, adaptable meeting resources

At BUGB we really appreciate the fact that life is busy and it’s often very tough to come up with creative, engaging ideas every week that will bring the Bible alive to children and young people – for outreach and disciple-making. Whilst we don’t believe that any one resource has the complete answer, we’re really pleased to let you know about Urban Saints’ brilliant Energize package for churches which provides an amazing range of creative and adaptable resources for those working with children and young people aged from 3 right through to 18 years old.

Are you looking for meeting resources to help you unpack the life of Jesus or famous Bible characters with your group? Or perhaps your young people are facing challenges in their lives around issues like bullying, self-worth or healthy relationships? There are literally hundreds of creative, adaptable meeting plans for each age group, providing you with all that you need to unpack a wide range of subjects with your group in an interactive and engaging way.

Training resources for your leaders and young people

Over 1,000 churches throughout the UK and Ireland – and beyond – use the Energize website to serve the entire youth and children’s programme of their church – including many Baptist churches.

Whether you need to provide training for your youth and children’s leaders OR you want to develop and grow your teen emerging leaders, Energize provides a huge range of resources, powerpoints, articles and video messages to equip you and your team for the various aspects of youth and children’s work – as well as some inspiring devotional tools to encourage your personal walk with God.

“We have been using Energize for just over two years now and I am really happy to encourage other churches to sign up. It is amazingly good value for such high quality resources.

The website is very easy to use and the resources flexible enough to be adapted for different situations. We use Energize resources regularly for our Sunday family service and for our teens’ groups. It is always theologically sound, Jesus-centered, imaginative and fun.”

Leader from Braintree

Urban Saints are passionate about serving your local church and so we commend this great resource to you. And the good news is that all BUGB churches get 20% discount.

So check out Energize today by going to www.urbansaints.org/energize_BUGB and sign up for a free six week trial.

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Are we being rewired?

For the month of September I decided to explore the topic of social media within the youth group that I run at Edmonton Baptist Church. It has some extremely positive uses; for example, Facebook is the primary method I use to keep in contact with the young people. This method of communication has created an online community in which the good news is being shared all across the world.

On the other hand this very method of communication has also thrown up a number of issues for me and many other church youth workers, such as the awkward moment when we realise that our young people are addicted to mediums such as Facebook and BBM. There are also a number of other growing issues such as cyber bullying, abusive relationships, unfruitful debates with antagonistic atheists, inappropriate comments, pictures and videos which are way beyond the boundaries of decency.

These findings are echoed by a recent Channel Four documentary called, ‘The girl who became three boys’. This documentary focused on a girl called Gemma Barker who, at the age of 20, dressed up as a boy and deceived two teenage girls into dating her. The victims, who were aged 15 and 16, believed they had found their perfect boyfriends after Barker created Facebook profiles for each of the male characters she invented. Barker duped the girls, their parents and police by wearing baggy clothes, hats and only using text messages to communicate with one of the girls because ‘he’ said ‘he’ was shy.

It was only when the police arrested her and she was strip-searched that they realised ‘he’ was in fact a girl. More importantly, one of Barker’s victims asserted that she did not think it was strange that she fell in love with someone she met on Facebook and only spoke to a few times.

This creates a minefield for the Christian youth worker with regards to discipleship. But what I also find interesting is recent research conducted

by Baroness Susan Greenfield, a top neuroscientist at Oxford University and a director at the Royal Institute. She identified that repeated exposure to social mediums like Facebook, computer games, fast-paced TV shows, instant messaging, chat rooms and social networking sites could effectively rewire the brain, while also leaving a generation with progressively shorter attention spans. Additionally, Greenfield’s findings also indicate that young people are losing the art of communicating face to face, instead preferring to communicate with each other online.

Many young people are clearly losing the art of communicating in the real world. In an attempt to redress the balance between the literal and virtual worlds, I challenged the young people in my youth group to leave their virtual worlds behind and spend a week tidying up gardens for people with low mobility, or other difficulties that made it hard for them to look after their gardens. As it worked out, we ended up giving a helping hand to some of our

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church members as well as some individuals from the local community. The youth group demonstrated the personification of God’s love by helping people with a practical outpouring of love and service. In doing this they were also reminded of the value of face-toface, real world communication and much needed integration.

Social media moves from being a valued tool to a distraction when the majority of our relationships are maintained in cyber space.

When this happens we can lose sight of the importance of building meaningful relationships with those around us and, more importantly, with God. Relationships via social media can subtly encourage us to present ourselves with a celebrity type image; an image that suggests our lives are wonderful, always exciting, actionpacked and air-brushed.

It is clear to me that as followers of Christ we must return back to the heart of Jesus and the early church. For example Acts 2:44-45 says ‘all believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need’. (NIV)

The Bible says, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27 NIV). In reaching young people and others we are in relationship with, we need to create space for us to know one another, warts and all, and to know God. Everything else is a cheap imitation of the real thing. Why don’t we all take the challenge to give up all social media for a week and replace it with quality devotional time with God and building relationships with those around us? I guarantee you, it will make a difference.

Love for God compelled the early church to care for and support one another in tangible ways; it was the love of God that caused strangers to become friends.

The early church fully embraced and understood that being in relationship with others facilitated the outpouring of God’s love.

It is not good enough to poke a friend on Facebook to see if they are ok, or to send them virtual flowers when we hear they are not well. We are called to real relationships, to be known and to know others intimately, to set aside time to share in the vicissitudes of life.

Daniel Shillingford Youth Minister, Edmonton Baptist Church

Young people from Edmonton Baptist Church youth group

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Toddler Rocks!

The Entheos Trust has announced two more Toddler Rocks days. These days are for toddler group and church leaders, looking at the ‘stepping stones’ that can be added to toddler groups to make them crossingplaces. They are days full of interaction, fun and opportunities to ask questions, share ideas and inspire one another.

Toddler Rocks!

Making the most of your toddler group’s mission opportunities.

A day to encourage & equip Toddler Group & Church Leaders to integrate their group into the church’s strategy for mission.

Speakers:

Bring 4 save £20!

Fiona Burt (1277 Group) Richard Hardy (Baptist Minister and Director of the Entheos Trust) Cost: £25 per person, including lunch Special Offer: book four people for £80 Download further information and booking form from: www.baptist.org.uk/component/ docman/doc_download/1207-toddlergroup-rocks-2012.html?amp=

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“Come prepared to be encouraged, inspired and equipped!”

Bristol - Sat 29th September 2012 Taunton - Sat 17th November 2012 Email: mail@theentheostrust.org Web: www.theentheostrust.org

Playtime Conference

e National m ti y la P 6 October 2012 2012 Conference in Northamptonshire Stor ytell g

‘A very refreshing day, I feel re-energised’

Play time

‘It has been an inspiring and reassuring day’

6th Oct 2012

ps ddler grou g church to Resourcin

Venue: The Aviator Hotel, Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire. NN6 0BN.

Time: 10.00am –support 4.30pm Playtime is a Care for the Family project that provides and (Registration from 9.00am – Tea/coffee and Danish pastries on arrival) Please bring your own lunch. resources for anyone interested in engaging with young families in a Signing up to the Playtime newsletter for free at www.careforthefamily.org.uk/playtime. You will receive: Bookone-day tickets now to qualify for early bird discount church-based toddler group setting. This national conference Stories to inspire you and ideas to resource your toddler group. is a great opportunity for leaders to meet, be equipped and inspired Access to a treasure trove of crafts, recipes and special events.

‘Smalltalk’ articles to give outto to families within your their groups. as they seek develop toddler group ministry. The day is jampacked with new ideas, resources, and an opportunity to share and Join us on Facebook at network with others. www.facebook.com/cffplaytime Book Today

Be a part of the story of Playtime by:

Number of Tickets

Early Bird Price Per Person (applies before 10 August 2012)

Regular Price Per Person

7 or More

£16.50

£18.50

4-6

£19.00

£21.50

1-3

£23.00

£26.50

029 2081 0800

The conference this year is based on the theme of ‘Storytelling’. We www.careforthefamily.org.uk/playtime Playtime is a Hartman, Mark Chester, Rob Parsons and are delighted to have Bob constant source of support to me and of speakers. Each of them will bring Claire Wells among our list my team. engaging talks relevant to the ministry of toddler groups.

Contact us: Care for the Family, Garth House, Leon Avenue, Cardiff. CF15 7RG

For venue information and directions please visit www.careforthefamily.org.uk/events Disclaimer: We regret that event fees cannot be refunded. However, if you are unable to attend, you may pass this registration ticket on to someone you feel may benefit from this event. Please note we do not have the facilities to accommodate babies and young children at this event.

Care for the Family - A Christian response to a world of need.

A Registered Charity (England and Wales: 1066905; Scotland SCO 38497) Care for the Family, Garth House, Leon Avenue, Cardiff CF15 7RG Ticket hotline (029) 2081 0800 www.careforthefamily.org.uk

For full details, and booking, see: www.engagetoday.org.uk/playtime/ events/playtime-national-conference-2012

132-12 Playtime Confernce Brochure dev1-3.indd 1-3

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Tel:

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Northamptonshire

The Aviator Hotel, Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire. NN6 0BN 06/06/2012 09:31

Youthwork the conference: 23-25 November 2012

If you do any type of youth work, we think you’re amazing!

This November, leave the youth at home and join 1000 youth workers at Youthwork the conference for a weekend full of great teaching, resources and space to hear what God is saying to you.

LUMEN: Shine Brighter “You are the light of the world”. Not you ought to be, or try harder to be…but you are the light of the world. People will see what the kingdom of God is like is by looking at us and our young people are often the ones looking in up close!

Special offer for Baptist Youth Specialists: We have 40 tickets available at £70 (normally £90) for Baptist Youth Specialists. Please book through the BUGB Mission Department at mission@baptist.org.uk to claim one of these special offer places.

For more details on the programme and speakers, see www.youthworkconference.co.uk

A life-changing experience. Youth strengthened . . . encouraged . . . emboldened

Meet, fellowship & worship with Baptist youth from around the world.

Singapore 17-21 July 2013 Baptist World Alliance www.bwanet.org This is an exciting event aimed at those between the ages of 18 – 25. We are working on a package for groups attending the conference, and will have prices available soon.

If your group is interested in finding out more, please contact mission@baptist.org.uk

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Children’s exhibition gets a new lease of life A popular children’s exhibition about the life of Jesus has been given a revamp for the start of the new school term – complete with new state-of-the-art touch screen tablets.

The exhibit, run by Christian charity Counties, features the interactive tablets, as well as graphic panels, films and songs to teach children about the story of Jesus.

Martin Buckley, LIFE exhibition co-ordinator, said: “We are very excited by the changes we have made to the exhibition. The new tablets will enable pupils to really engage with the story of Jesus in a fun and relevant way.”

The makeover includes freshly printed panels and materials, as well as new tablets to replace handheld PDAs for the children.

Since it was launched in 2006, more than 56,000 primary school children and 12,000 adults across the country have visited the LIFE exhibition to learn all about Jesus – his birth, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection.

The tablets were trialled at a recent LIFE expo in Neath, South Wales. Hundreds of pupils from schools in the local area visited the exhibition over a week-long period.

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Local co-ordinator Carolyn Patterson commented: “We’ve had an excellent response. The displays are really colourful and hands-on, so it makes it exciting to learn for pupils. I think the children have really enjoyed getting out of the classroom and doing something different.

“The majority of the children don’t go to church, so it’s a great opportunity for them to hear about Jesus and what he did for them. I think the whole thing is amazing - the new tablets add an extra dimension!”

11-year-old Megan Chambers from Alderman Davies Church of Wales School, Neath, added: “It was such fun! I didn’t know a lot about Jesus but now I know quite a bit. I loved the tablets – it made the whole experience fun and different!”

The exhibition is usually funded and run by a group of local churches in a central building in a town or city. It is then offered as a resource to schools in the local area for free and provides a great way for churches to connect with their local communities. It also covers an area of the RE syllabus, making it a popular choice for teachers.

Sue Thompson, a teacher at Quilters Junior School in Billericay, was really impressed with the LIFE expo when she took a class to visit earlier this year.

Sue commented: “I think the whole thing is amazing. The children have really enjoyed it because it is so interactive. There are loads of different bits of information for them to absorb and lots of stuff they’ve never come across before.

“It’s had positive feedback from everyone, children and teachers alike.”

To watch a short film on a typical LIFE exhibition visit: www.lifeexpo.co.uk/hosts-intro-video.html To find out more about the LIFE exhibition call Martin on 07968 705623 or visit lifeexpo.co.uk.

Pictures taken at a recent LIFE Exhibition in Neath, South Wales. Pupils are from Alderman Davies Church of Wales Primary School.

Counties is a Christian charity, established in 1899, with a vision to share the Gospel with the counties of the UK. We do this through the work of evangelists, exhibitions, training events and resources. www.countiesuk.org

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I am grateful to the many contributors to this edition of missionscene. The breath of engagement that is happening within our Baptist family is mind-blowing. We could have mentioned so much more. The exciting story of Kahaila Cafe on Brick Lane, in London where Paul Unsworth and his team are planning a new expression of church in a multicultural setting is the sort of creative mission we need to be doing more of, see www.kahaila.com for more details.

Sharing our faith with people of other faiths

May I call you friend?

A resource for individuals and groups

There are also a number of great resources out there to help us engage in a multi faith world. One that was written a few years ago, as a series of studies is May I Call you Friend. You can download a copy from: www.methodist.org.uk/downloads/ if-mayicallyoufriend-0110.pdf Later this year we are going to be publishing a new resource, The 12 Myths of Inter Faith Engagement, which is designed to help us overcome our fears and see that we can all engage in this world, in our workplace, communities and daily living, without compromise, and in so doing our own faith will be strengthened.

I hope that this edition of missionscene has inspired you and helped you.

We are always delighted to receive feedback to missionscene@fbbi.eu Ian Bunce BUGB Mission Department

We’ve been producing missionscene in its current format since August 2011 and would love to have your feedback on it as we make plans for the future.

Please take a few minutes to answer our simple survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/missionscene

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Fellowship of Baptists in Britain and Ireland Baptist Union of Scotland Alan Donaldson 0141 423 6169 alan@scottishbaptist.org.uk Scottish Baptist College Principal - Jim Gordon 0141 848 3988 scottishbaptistcollege@uws.ac.uk

1 Shetland Islands

1

Northern John Singleton 2 01642 655551 johnsingleton@thenba.org.uk

1

North Western Sandra Crawford 01942 221595 sandra@nwba.org.uk

3

Northern Community Learning Network

Glen Marshall 0161 249 2520 glen.marshall@bigfoot.com Yorkshire Jane Day 0113 278 4954 jane.day@yba.org.uk

3 2 4 4

3

Baptist Union of Wales Simeon Baker 5 01267 245660 simeon@bedyddwyrcymru.co.uk

7

Y Coleg Gwyn (North Wales Baptist College) Elfryn Jones 5 01248 362608 coleg-gwyn@hotmail.co.uk

7

South Wales Andy Hughes 029 2049 1366

8

andy@southwalesbaptistassociation.org.uk

Bristol Baptist College Principal - Stephen Finamore 0117 946 7050 admin@bristol-baptist.ac.uk

9

9

11

richard.lewis@easternbaptist.org.uk

12 14

13

15

Channel Islands

London David Shosanya 0208 543 6447

12

Spurgeon’s Baptist College Roger Standing 12 020 8653 0850 ex228 r.standing@spurgeons.ac.uk South West Barbara Carpenter 01823 490195

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barbara@heurisco.globalnet.co.uk

Central Helen Wordsworth 10 01788 817292 rev.h@rhwordsworth.plus.com Eastern Richard Lewis 01842 754953

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Peter Dunn (Director for Mission) 01235 517648 pdunn@bmsworldmission.org

david.shosanya@londonbaptist.org.uk

South Wales Baptist College Principal - Peter Stevenson 8 029 2025 6066 pks@swbc.org.uk West of England Alisdair Longwill 01453 883308 awlongwill@googlemail.com

11 10

8

Heart of England Adrian Argile 6 0121 472 4986 adrian.argile@blueyonder.co.uk East Midland Mike Fegredo 07972 350242 mfegredo.emba@gmail.com

6

5

Southern Counties Colin Norris 07725 039943 c.norris@scba.org.uk Regent’s Park Baptist College Nick Wood 01865 288129 nicholas.wood@regents.ox.ac.uk South Eastern Stuart Davison 01444 253163 stuart@seba-baptist.org.uk

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Mat Wilson (IMC Team Leader) 0121 683 7948

mwilson@bmsworldmission.org

www.bmsworldmission.org Irish Baptist Networks Stephen Adams stephen.adams@ibnetworks.org www.ibnetworks.org

14

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BUGB Mission Department Ian Bunce 01235 517716 mission@baptist.org.uk

15 October 2012