CLC W RLD clc.org.uk/clcworld
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CLC’s book van ministry in the Scottish Highlands Bringing glory to God by making evangelical Christian literature available to all nations so that people may come to faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
* Photo of CLC Leicester
3-5 CLC News
11-22
Amanda Lutes, CLC World Editor at:
291 Abbeydale Rd. Sheffield S7 1FJ
clcworld@clcbookshops.com Personnel Enquiries:
personnel@clcbookshops.com Tel: 0114 2812136
Finance Office:
For Overseas Opportunities:
office@clcinternational.org
Registered as a charity in England & Wales (1015793) and in Scotland (SC037939)
19-20
27-28 Interview
financeuk@clcbookshops.com 51 The Dean, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 9BJ Tel: 01962 733342
Book Excerpt
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30-31 Review/ Excerpt
Amanda Lutes, CLC World Editor
For magazine feedback or to SUBSCRIBE to CLC World (Single or Bulk) contact
Moving Mission
10 CLC Caribbean
Mission Website: www.clc.org.uk Retail Website: www.clcbookshops.com
26 Join CLC!
291 Abbeydale Rd, Sheffield, S7 1FJ Tel: 0114 2812136
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CLC International (UK)
Getting involved
Because we know our Bibles and believe in taking the time to help you find just the right one !
23 Partnership
around the world!
Why should you still visit and support your local Christian bookshop?
29 Reviews
50 countries
Japan Antigua & Barbuda Austria Kenya Bangladesh Mexico Barbados Mozambique Belarus Myanmar Benin Netherlands Bolivia Pakistan Bulgaria Panama Burkina Faso Papua New Guinea Canada Philippines Central Asia (3) Poland Chile Portugal Colombia Romania Cyprus Russia Dominica Sierra Leone Ecuador South Korea France (including Spain Martinique & Swaziland Guadaloupe) Switzerland Germany Thailand Hungary Trinidad and Tobago India United Kingdom Indonesia United States Italy Uruguay Côte d’Ivoire Venezuela
10 Internship
We’re impacting thousands of lives daily in over
TIONAL
INTERNA
CLC NEWS!
If you see this logo, then that CLC country is on Facebook.
CLC Sierra Leone:
Please join with us in prayer for our team in Sierra Leone as the Ebola virus continues to spread throughout this beautiful country and its people. The photo above is of three members of the team, George Kapindi, Alfred Kaikai and Donald John (National Director) as they spend time together praying for this situation and for their plans for a plot of land that CLC owns there. They are calling this plan the Pipeline Project as they hope to build a ‘Dwelling House’, that we would call an apartment complex, on this property. This will be a great source of support as it will bring in extra income to help their ministry when there are difficult times, such as now. To learn more about what’s happening with CLC Sierra Leone please visit their Facebook page. As you can imagine, during this difficult time many are seeking for comfort and encouragement through Bibles and other Christian resources. A recent shipment of affordable stock was sent from the CLC USA team; please pray that the books imported into the country are not held up for long periods of time in customs.
CLC Venezuela: ,
What a great photo of those who attended a recent Thompson Chain Bible Seminar held by our team in Puerto Ordaz! May God continue to bless this training ministry!
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CLC México: After many months and more than a few challenges we are finally open in México! On the left is a photo of our new warehouse. Please continue to pray for this new team and their ministry.
CLC Braşov, Romania: Exciting News! The team has just finished translating and publishing the first of three books by Corrie ten Boom! Pictured on the left is the Romanian book cover for Not Good if Detached which has been renamed to Nothing without Jesus in Romanian (The English title does not make sense when translated directly into Romanian.) Please remember them as they now work on Tramp for the Lord and Amazing Love. How’s your Romanian? CLC Romania is on Facebook
CLC Amsterdam, Netherlands:
Due to all the tourists and foreigners living in Amsterdam, our CLC bookshop there has a really good selection of Bibles and other Christian books in English, French and Spanish (among others).
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Twitter: @CLC_Dundee Facebook: CLC Bookshops-Dundee
CLC Dundee’s ‘Engaging’ Event: Many Christians are fearful of engaging in conversation with atheists - believing that they will be hostile to Christian beliefs and conversations about the Bible. Engaging with Atheists, a short book by local Dundee author John Robertson, is designed to help both Christians and whole churches understand more about the questions and issues that atheists of various kinds have about Christian faith, and to reach out to them with the good news of the Gospel. Our CLC Dundee team were pleased to work with Solas-CPC, a local Christian ministry, who hosted this book launch at our bookshop in Scotland. Philip Dickson, an intern for Solas-CPC, had this to say about the event; ‘Through their lively discussion, David Robertson (Pastor and Author) and Gary McLelland (Humanist Society Scotland), reminded all who were in attendance of the importance of a respectful and focused dialogue between Christians and their friends, as well as the society in which they are placed. David clearly highlighted the opportunity it presents to truthfully speak the Gospel.’ It was believed to be a great evening filled with open and honest discussion by all who attended.
ISBN: 9781909919099 Price £6.99
Why not follow along with your local CLC bookshop on Facebook & Twitter? Search: ‘CLC Bookshops’ 55
CLC World Mission Updates: Twitter: @CLCWorld_Mag Facebook: CLC World Magazine (UK)
New Cover to Cover Bible Studies Gain a deeper understanding of God and His Word through these unique resources for group and individual study.
Abraham
Luke
1 Peter
The Creed
– Adventures of faith
– A Prescription for l iving
– Good reasons for hope
– Belief in action
by Dave Edwins
by John Houghton
by Dave Edwins
by Phin Hall
ISBN: 9781782590897
ISBN: 9781782592709
ISBN: 9781782590880
ISBN: 9781782592020
£3.99
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Available at your local CLC Bookshop or online at www.clcbookshops.com
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Rev Dr Martin Robinson is a well-known author and speaker. His books include The Faith of the Unbeliever and Metavista (with Colin Green). He is also Principal of Springdale College. In this article Martin reflects on current challenges in mission.
Moving Mission
‌
that requires Adaption & Change! Across the world there are more people becoming Christians now than at any time in human history. This amazing movement of God has developed a huge momentum in the last 30 years and has been made possible by the vision of those with a passion for and a commitment to mission. The explosion in the growth of the number of believers around the world has meant that the shape of the missionary movement is rapidly changing. It used to be the case that mission was from the west to the rest. Today, partly because of the decline of the church in the western world, missionaries are coming to the west from South America, Africa and Asia. Mission is moving from these lands to our lands in increasing numbers. In addition to these intentional mission movements coming to us from other lands, there are movements of migrants across our world on an unprecedented scale. People are on the move because of persecution, poverty, war and even disease. Desperation drives these vast movements of people many of whom risk their very lives to move to other lands.
As migrants land on our shores two wonderful opportunities present themselves. First, more than 50% of those who arrive in the UK are already Christians. Many see themselves as missionaries to the un-evangelized British. Thousands of churches have been opened in recent years by Christians from Africa, South America and Asia. The desire of the leaders of these churches is to reach beyond their own people groups but they need training and support to achieve this task. Second, many, (though not all) of those who arrive as non-Christians are open to hearing the gospel. The training of Christian leaders who can reach these people, and the building of friendship and trust with them, is an urgent task if they are to be reached in significant numbers. As well as mission moving from other lands to our land there is another sense in which mission is making a crucial move. It used to be the case that evangelism was largely conducted in our church buildings. Occasionally some organizations engage in public evangelism in the streets but mostly we have been used to the process of inviting people to church. Today evangelism and the broader task of mission is moving from our church buildings towards all kinds of other initiatives – street pastors, food banks, help to the homeless and the addicted. 7
Training needs to change... All these moves in mission demand that we seriously rethink how we are training people for leadership and mission. We still train people to go overseas to engage in mission and there are many wonderful opportunities for such mission to take place. But alongside these openings we also need to raise up a huge missionary enterprise for our own land. We need training in leadership and mission that is biblical, practical, local and flexible. The way in which people now study needs to reflect the complexity and demands of a busy family and working life. The college that I lead, Springdale College, along with a number of other colleges, has picked up this challenge.
Rather than have a single residential campus Springdale is now located in a series of regional campuses and local hubs. That helps to make training accessible so that students no longer need to leave their church situation in order to train. In fact many students take a placement in their home church. In 2015 Springdale will launch the Forge church planter training, again offered through a series of regional centres, with practical placement as part of the design. With such initiatives we look forward to the day when those of us labouring in the harvest fields of the west can rejoice with others in seeing a huge number of souls brought into the Kingdom of God.
Our BA programme is no longer just a theology degree but is entitled, “Theology and Mission�. That means that theology and the Bible are taught entirely through the lens of mission. The undergraduate programme, whether full or part time, requires a practical mission placement as part of the course. The MA programme is called an MA in Missional Leadership and is designed as a part time course for those who are already in leadership. Both programmes are intended for
Springdale College continues to change and adapt to new opportunities. Presently we are establishing a mutually beneficial partnership with CLC Bookshops UK. Together we will endeavour to reach the wider Christian Community with our complementary range of services & resources and so help better equip those who want to be part of this movement in mission. We trust this will prove an exciting opportunity for both our organisations.
www.springdaleweb.sdcol.org.uk 8
practitioners with the aim that students put into practice what they are learning.
Twitter: @Springdale_Col Facebook: Springdale College
ISBN: 9780281073474 Price: £12.99
Book Review by Rev. Dr. Andy R. Hardy, Springdale College: Together in Mission
Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen in their book ‘The Drama of Scripture’, have taken a very fresh approach in treating the Bible as a book based on six key dramatic Acts of God in history to restore his created world back into right relationship with him. Act 1 begins the drama with the creation of God’s kingdom in the framing of the world to be stewarded by humankind made in his image, who rebelled thus distorting a perfect creation because humanity had decided to go their own way without trusting their Creator. The six acts move on to demonstrate how the drama includes ancient Israel as God’s special people who are to represent Yahweh to the other nations, as part of God’s purpose being worked out in history to bring all peoples back into a trusting relationship with him. The context of the New Testament era is viewed through the framework that God was now seeking to restore Israel through the coming of the Messiah. Jesus developed a community of believers who through faith in him would become part of the kingdom of God. The Church also joins in with the mission of Jesus to bring all nations to faith in Christ. Act 6 of this drama is that Christ the king will return to restore all things fully and finally at the climax of salvation history. By taking this dramatic approach to the story of Scripture the authors seek to help their readers to put themselves into their place in the biblical story of redemption history. The people of Christ need to
The DRAMA of
SCRIPTURE Finding our place in the biblical story Second Edition
place themselves in God’s story today, whether they work in universities, the business world or in the ways they seek to care for the world God has created them in part to steward. Faithfulness to following God in Christ, means being congruent to the calls of Scripture to place ourselves through our faith into our own special part in the drama of salvation. The church is called to be faithful to the Christ they follow so that all peoples may have opportunities to follow him. The drama will not end until everyone’s story in the bigger picture of God’s plan to restore creation is completed, with everyone being part of the new eternal created order — where all peoples will once more live in right relationship with God, each other and the world he has placed them in to care for. This book offers a wonderfully straightforward approach to understanding Scripture and each of our parts in the grand drama of salvation history. Too often it is easy to lose the big picture and the place each of us has in it. The writers’ approach to the Bible as a story and drama of God’s love to save all peoples of the earth, forms a clear understanding of the mission of God to have all peoples live under his loving care and participation in his future eternal kingdom. This book is well worth buying and reading carefully as it offers a clear and concise approach to understanding the main themes of the biblical literature.
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More from the Caribbean...
Francisca Henry
Marlene Ramroop is the National Director for CLC Trinidad and also has responsibilities for CLC in Antigua and Dominica. She is based in the CLC offices and bookshop in Port of Spain. Her commitment goes back a long way as she was a teenage customer and volunteer at CLC Arima! She has been a member of CLC for over 33 years. The supervisors of the other shops have also had a long-term involvement in the ministry: Helen Cooper has served in the San Fernando shop for 19 years; Alice Riley has worked in the Point Fortin branch for the past 7 years and Delrine Francis has been working in CLC Arima for 19 years. Delrine is moving on to a new vocation and her assistant for the past 15 years, Francisca Henry, will be taking over as supervisor from February 2015. Praise the Lord for the faithful service of these ladies!
Marlene Ramroop
CLC Trinidad
CLC Barbados
CLC early days: Marion Manning, John and Ethel Davey and Phyllis Trim
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In 1957, CLC Barbados started in a corner of a large shop on the main street in Bridgetown. It was staffed by an Australian missionary, his Canadian wife and a missionary from New Zealand. Marion Manning, the current CLC Director for Barbados, was involved in helping CLC (including sweeping the street outside the shop) in those early days! Today, the staff, most of whom have been with CLC for many years, are all from Barbados.
Join us in this work. Lend us a hand through prayer so that many will give thanks for the gift that comes to us when God answers the prayers of so many. 2 Corinthians 1:11 (VOICE)
December 29th - January 4th
Week 1: The Caribbean
CLC Guadeloupe
Monday (29th) - Guadeloupe:
Joel Bores, the manager, writes: “The CLC bookshop in Pointe-à-Pitre has been operating from the same address for 16 years. We have seen God’s blessing all this time. However, 2009 was a very difficult time of strikes and economic problems on this island. In the years since then, the situation has not really changed and now our bookshop is also facing financial difficulties. Sales have fallen significantly and we need to relocate the bookshop. Pray that God will guide us as we need a building that is cheaper to rent, but in a good location for customers.”
Tuesday (30th) - Antigua:
Arah Martin, the manager of the bookshop in St. John’s, was unwell last year and needed surgery. Praise the Lord she has been pain-free since the operation and was able to take time to recover and recuperate before returning to work for the weeks immediately before Christmas. In Arah’s absence, Eurel Hodge, the former manager, was happy to be back helping in the shop. Please pray for Arah and her assistant, Cecilia Ferrance.
Wednesday (31st) - Martinique:
Dany Manikon is the manager of the bookshop in Fort de France and his co-worker is Joceline Bapin. The bookshop has been in the same location for 30 years but, due to three years distruption in the city centre (tramlines are being installed) and fewer people visiting the area around our shop, the decision has been taken by CLC France to sell the shop property and find new premises in a better location. Please pray for God’s guidance in these matters.
CLC Martinique
Thursday (1st) - Trindad:
Our bookshops on this island are located in Port of Spain, Arima, San Fernando, and Point Fortin. The crime situation in Trinidad has spiralled out of control; people no longer value life, the majority of people involved in crime are the young people, 14-35 years old, and most of the murders are drug and gang related. We are grateful for God’s daily protection and deliverance and, as we are a business with a mission, we make use of every opportunity to minister to the customers. Our main objective is to be a lighthouse in Trinidad and Tobago.
Friday (2nd) - Dominica:
CLC has had a bookshop in Roseau since 1947. Currently it is managed by Davis Laudat (who has been with CLC for the past 23 years) with help from co-worker Janet Davis. The shop team praise God for a recent agreement with CLC USA to receive shipments, twice a year, of second hand Christian books and Bibles through their BookLink programme. This will allow the shop to stock and sell good books at low cost which helps us with our finances and helps customers who can’t afford books at the full price.
The Weekend (3rd/4th) - Barbados:
Sales have been in decline recently, as is the case in so many bookshops. In addition, many government buildings have moved from the city centre and there is less footfall past our bookshop. For some years now, the team have prayed about the possibility of buying the empty plot of land next to our bookshop property to use for customer parking and possibly as a source of revenue from charging for public use. We continue to pray for a miracle, and better days ahead. 11
January 5th - January 11th
Week 2: Projects in Progress Monday (5th) - Ecuador:
CLC in Latin America is increasingly reaching out beyond their country borders to serve in neighbouring countries. CLC in Ecuador (a ministry initiated by CLC Colombia), in partnership with other organisations, has a project to take the Thompson Bible Seminars to Cuba next month. David Navarrete, from CLC Ecuador, will be one of the Seminar leaders. Praise the Lord for His provision for this and for the possibility of partnering with other Christian organisations. Pray that the pastors and church leaders in Cuba will be truly blessed, encouraged and equipped during these days.
Tuesday (6th) - Paraguay:
We thank the Lord that we are taking the final steps to resolving the legal issues in Paraguay so that CLC can take over the running of a bookshop in Cuidad del Este, on the border with Brazil. This process has taken much longer than anyone anticipated but hopefully by the time you read this, the formation of the CLC legal status will be finalised. We thank God for the faithful service of Sunilda, who has been manager of the shop for a number of years, and we trust that she will soon feel at home in her new CLC ‘family’.
Wednesday (7th) - eBook App:
Please continue to pray for the development and implementation of the eBook App. It has been a long road, but we are convinced that this is a tool that will enable us to connect with a new audience, even in places where we are unable to physically have a bookshop. Pray for those working behind the scenes to make this happen – much time, effort and brain power has been dedicated to this project. Pray too that the publishers will understand the vision for eBooks in countries where they are least available.
Thursday (8th) - Canada:
We are presently working on a new project of establishing CLC ‘Book Counters’ in the lesser populated areas of the immense province of Quebec. Apart from Montreal and Québec City, the population is unable to sustain a bookshop. However, as a response to this challenge, these counters will bring Bibles and books to the churches. Please pray that we can find the right venues for the ‘counters’, and people to take care of them.
Friday (9th) - Myanmar:
Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology which allows books to be printed singly, or in small quantities, as orders come in. CLC Myanmar was recently given a POD machine, and training in how to use it, as a gift. After some initial problems that required replacing a damaged component, the team were able to practice using the machine in preparation for using it to print quality books. This is a wonderful project for CLC in a country where translation and printing has been a significant part of the ministry and has had a real impact in society.
The Weekend (10th/11th) - Thailand:
We praise the Lord for what seems to be an answer to a long standing prayer request to have help with the English book department of CLC Thailand. Don and Betsy Veldboom have responded to God’s call on their lives for service as literature missionaries and are preparing to join the team in Thailand in 2015. Don served for many years as the President of OM Literature in the USA and was also a District Manager for Family Christian Stores prior to that. January 12th - January 18th
Week 3: UK Bookshop News Monday (12th) - Blackpool, UK:
Give thanks for the continued encouraging growth in the sales of CLC Blackpool and in particular a number of good Bible orders toward the end of last year. With a main bus stop outside the shop and a significant number 12
of people passing by, the Blackpool shop has a wide variety of customers - both local and visitors to the town. Please pray for shop manager Sheena Burwell and the team as they meet the needs of all who call in.
Tuesday (13th) - Stockport, UK:
Pray for an increase in customers at the Stockport shop. Since the fire in May 2012 and the next door building collapse in November 2013, trade has been slow to pick up. The town centre can be very quiet on some days which affects our trade as well. Stockport has one of the highest rates of empty shops in the country. Pray for the council as they work on plans to revive the town centre. Give thanks that some new customers and churches are finding and using the shop.
Wednesday (14th) - Bolton, UK:
Give thanks that the Bolton shop is now providing and staffing bookstalls for two local churches a month as well as for one-off events. Pray that they can continue to build good relationships with other local churches. Pray too for stamina and energy for the staff team as a lot of work is involved in providing these stalls.
Thursday (15th) - Welling, UK:
The Welling shop asks for prayer for another volunteer able to do two or three days a week. At present the staff find it difficult to cover holidays. Pray also for more opportunities to link with local churches and extend their ministry in the area.
Friday (16th) - Cambridge, UK:
In Cambridge, prior to Christmas, the CLC shop had two bookings to talk about books on Radio Cambridge at 7.45 on a Sunday morning. In addition they held a couple of events to launch local author Rodney Holder’s advent book entitled ‘Longing, Waiting, Believing’. They ask for prayer that they get more opportunities to link with the local community and that these and other openings result in increased visits to the shop.
The Weekend (17th/18th) - Stocktaking:
CLC Welling, UK
Stocktaking for all the UK shops is at the end of January. Please pray for smooth and accurate counting and a good start to the new financial year in February. Pray also for shops, the leadership team and the trustees as they compile and approve budgets for 2015/2016. January 19th - January 25th
Week 4: Answered Prayer Monday (19th) - USA:
CLC USA
CLC USA has a 22 acre campus in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, with staff housing and the HQ. These buildings were built in the mid-1960s but, unfortunately, funds to keep up with needed maintenance and repair were not always available. To God’s glory, this is beginning to change and several major projects have now been completed. Most of the roads on the campus have been repaved, over 120 windows have just been replaced and new boilers installed. We are praising God for His provision and looking forward to seeing how he will use this campus in the years ahead.
Tuesday (20th) - Colombia:
For over a year now, the bookshop team in Tunja have been praying about the possibility of running a Thompson Bible seminar. They praise God for the answer to their prayers and are looking forward to hosting this special event early in March 2015
CLC Colombia
*CLC work with the Thompson Bible International Institute in a number of countries, organising seminars for teaching pastors, evangelists and local church leaders how to use the Thompson Bible as a study tool for teaching and preaching.
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Wednesday (21st) - Central Asia 2 (CA2):
We often pray for God to send people to us so we can share the hope of the gospel with them. Usually when we pray this, we are expecting the contacts to come to the bookshop. Recently however, the shop manager was reading a CLC book on the train. A girl noticed and asked a question about the book. Through the conversation, the manager was able to share the gospel with her. Although she had an orthodox background, she then went with his family to his church. After a few weeks without further contact, she visited the bookshop not realising the connection with the man she met on the train. She was delighted to find the shop!
Thursday (22nd) - Bolivia:
Recently we needed to pay one of our most important suppliers; this publisher had given us a specific time frame in which to pay the outstanding invoices. Humanly speaking it was impossible for us to get the finances together in time. However, the Lord put it in the heart of CLC in the USA to help us, and we received an offering from them that enabled us to fulfil our obligation. We give God the glory and are very grateful to our co-workers in the USA for their generosity towards the work of the Lord.
Friday (23rd) - Liberia:
This news was written several weeks ago by James Cooper, the bookshop manager:- “We wish to thank God for answered prayers and continual provision for CLC Liberia during the Ebola epidemic. When other businesses are struggling, and some have even shut down, our doors remain open and, best of all, our sales are better than this time last year when things were normal in Liberia. Every day we have customers in the bookshop, some from beyond the city of Monrovia.
The Weekend (24th/25th) - Venezuela:
We praise the Lord for the outcome of CLC’s presence at the International Book Fair in Valencia recently, and for answered prayer in terms of its success. We were the only Christian book stand at the event and we were really well received by the public in general. Not only were we able to introduce many people to the ministry of CLC but we had a lot of opportunities to witness, and share the gospel with passers by. Sales were good as well. January 26th - February 1st
Week 5: Italy Monday (26th) - Naples:
The CLC bookshop in Naples has been operating since 1956! We are located right in the city centre, close to the main train station. Today, the area around the shop is in decline with criminal activity evident in the vicinity. A year ago, thieves broke into the shop and stole several thousand Euros worth of stock. The bookshop manager Pino Perrella and the rest of the CLC team pray that the shop would serve as a testimony of God’s love in this needy area.
Tuesday (27th) - Florence:
“CLC Florence is situated right in front of the Academy Gallery - home of Michelangelo’s famous statue of David. Visitors and tourists crowd the street, and some of them come and look round the bookshop. Our prayer request is that God would lead others to join our shop team as so much more could be done both in terms of evangelism, and in looking after the Christian customers that sometimes ‘get lost’ in the midst of the crowds. CLC has been paying rent since opening in Florence in 1954, but now we are asking God for guidance as we consider the possibility of purchasing the property.” Filippo Pini, Manager
Wednesday (28th) - Palermo:
Milena Paradiso, the manager of CLC Palermo writes:- “We would like to get into contact with, and serve, the non-Italian speaking churches of Palermo. Please pray that we would find the right people to help us with this. We would also love to improve our service to those churches that are not yet open to Christian literature from authors that do not belong to their particular church group or denomination. We sense that 14
Thursday (29th) - Turin:
CLC Turin has been increasingly active with special events. There have been numerous occasions where we have been able to have large book tables at regional conferences - with wonderful results. This has meant that the CLC ministry has been introduced to people who live far from a Christian bookshop, and they appreciated the opportunity to buy books and Bibles. We have also had various special events in our bookshop over the past year. These activities have not only given an increased exposure to our bookshop, but have also helped to stabilize our sales.
Friday (30th) - Rome:
CLC Turin, Italy
our literature ministry has not yet reached its full potential. Prayer that the Lord would open ‘new doors’ for us is appreciated.”
CLC Rome, Italy
CLC Rome opened in the 1970’s and is situated in a central location close to the train station terminus. Currently, the bookshop is managed by Roberta Donia and she writes: - “A number of missionaries have been involved in the shop ministry over the years and we have seen the birth and growth of several evangelical churches in Rome and the surrounding area. The bookshop has always been part of this evangelistic outreach. In recent years we sense an urgency to pray for the younger generation in the churches, that the bookshop may be a blessing for them as well.”
The Weekend (31st/1st) - Milan:
We praise God that the owner of the Milan bookshop, which we have rented for many years, wants to sell the shop to us at a very reasonable price. She is willing to sell, via monthly payments over several years and with no interest. It will be almost as if we were paying the rent. This will help us to stabilize the ministry even further, for which we are thankful. Pray for Daniele Sferlazza and his part-time helper Erika as they serve the customers, many of whom are from Africa and Latin America. February 2nd - February 8th
Week 6: New Bookshops in 2014 Monday (2nd) - Colombia:
Thompson Bible Seminar CLC Ibague, Colombia
Last January, two bookshops in Ibague, the ‘Music City of Colombia’, were taken over by CLC. Enrique Aguirre, the manager of the Ibague Central bookshop, writes: “We give glory to God because we have seen his blessing on the bookshops. Sales are steadily increasing, many previous customers are returning and new customers are discovering the shops. Both bookshops have already started running special events for the local churches. We have also arranged a ‘Thompson Bible Seminar’ which was appreciated by many pastors who have encouraged us to repeat this for other cities in our region.”
Tuesday (3rd) - Indonesia:
Early in 2014, CLC Indonesia took on the lease of a small bookshop in a large shopping centre (The City of Tomorrow Mall) in Surabaya. Praise God for the university students who buy books and daily devotionals from us - for themselves and also to give to friends. In the second half of the year sales were starting to decline. This could be due, in part, to students focusing on paying tuition fees, which have just been increased, rather than buying books.
Wednesday (4th) - Birmingham, UK:
The Carrs Lane bookshop, CLC UK’s second shop in Birmingham, opened in July 2014. Neil Maclennan, the manager, writes: “the bookshop was previously run by Wesley Owen and it is a delight to meet some 15
of the former customers as well as new ones. There are many Christians, from all denominations, in this city and it is a privilege to serve the wider church with good Christian literature. There are also a large number of people from other faiths living here and we are encouraged that there is an interest in buying gospel tracts - and that there are Christians who are prepared to go and share the gospel on the streets.
Thursday (5th) - Mexico:
CLC opened its first bookshop in Mexico, in Mexico City, on November 10th, 2014. Maria del Carmen and Daniel Huertas, from CLC Colombia, are leading the team in Mexico and have applied for work visas. Please pray that Maria’s and Daniel’s visas are approved without problems and that they will settle in well to working in a new country and culture. Pray too that this bookshop, which is a CLC Colombia project, will quickly become established.
Friday (6th) - Miami:
In addition to recently opening in Mexico, CLC Colombia also prepared a bookshop ready for opening in Miami, USA, where they already have a warehouse. Preparations started in March 2014 to remodel the shop and over the following months a POS system was installed, shelving arranged and stock brought in. There were unexpected delays but, at the time of writing, it was anticipated that the shop would be open before Christmas. Jennifer Scalante, a second generation CLC member, is the manager.
The Weekend (7th/8th) - Makeni:
Makeni is Sierra Leone’s fourth largest city and a major commercial, educational and economic centre. The city is predominantly Muslim but has a significant and diverse Christian population. CLC opened a small bookshop on the outskirts of this city in June 2014. The early days have been difficult, mainly due to the unexpected and tragic outbreak of the Ebola virus that has been particularly active in Makeni and the surrounding region. Please pray for Alie Kamara as he moved from CLC in Freetown to pioneer the work in Makeni. February 9th - February 15th
Week 7: Mozambique Monday (9th) - Finance:
We have two bookshops in Mozambique; Maputo (the capital) and Beira. The work is going quite well as we are in the early stages of being debt-free thanks to a combination of being released from a large loan and having worked hard to pay off other, smaller loans. Please pray that we will not only maintain this position but also develop sufficiently to be fully self supporting.
Tuesday (10th) - New Schedules:
Petra, formerly CLC London, UK, now CLC I.O. based in Moambique with Jenny of CLC Maputo, Mozambique
Both of our bookshops in Mozambique are located in Bible Colleges. From January 2015, the Bible College in Maputo will be holding classes in the evenings. We plan, therefore, to have the bookshop open evenings as well as daytime, but this will require some new staff schedules. For some time, we have only had one worker but now we will need at least two. Please pray for suitable people to be involved; possibly even students from the College.
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Wednesday (11th) - Booktables:
We are very aware of the need to reach out beyond the bookshops. Jose (Beira) and Jenny (Maputo) have made a real effort to do this over the past months, with book tables at services, conferences and other events. Please pray that we will continue to find good opportunities to take our Bibles and books out to new markets and especially to secular openings such as book fairs etc.
Guest House, Casa Koinonia, where Petra & Liz will be living and also helping this ministry along with their work with CLC.
Thursday (12th) - Liz Patten & Petra Nemansky:
Last October, Liz Patten and Petra Nemansky moved from London to Maputo with the aim of developing the work of CLC in Mozambique, Swaziland and Kenya. They are living, and also helping, at a guest house for full-time Christian workers. Petra will spend time this year visiting and supporting the ministry in Kenya and Swaziland while Liz, as CLC Regional Director for Africa, will plan visits to other African countries. Please pray for these ladies, that they will be able to balance all their various commitments and still find time for rest and refreshment.
Friday (13th) - New Possibilities:
As we become more stabilised financially, we would like to begin investigating possibilities of opening in a third location in Mozambique. One town we are considering is Xai-Xai (pronounced ‘shy-shy’). We have a couple of contacts to follow up, so please pray with us that the Lord will open the right doors and that we will know God’s timing and wisdom in planning.
The Weekend (14th/15th) - Fixtures and Fittings:
Half way through 2014, we had to remove most of our fixtures and fittings in CLC Maputo due to the destruction caused by termites. However, CLC UK has kindly donated second hand surplus bookshelves and other useful items which will be shipped to Mozambique in the early part of 2015. We are very grateful for this, and for the funds that have been raised to pay for shipping, customs clearance and other associated costs. There are enough donated units to refurbish the bookshop in Beira as well.
Petra & Liz with the shop fixtures (and other goods) that are to be sent to CLC Mozambique from CLC UK.
February 16th - February 22nd
Week 8: International Office Monday (16th) - The Distance Challenge:
The International Office is located in Sheffield, UK, but the IO team is spread around the world. The Regional Directors are based in the USA, Switzerland, Mozambique, and the Philippines. Support staff are based in the Netherlands (evangelism) Chile (website) and Sheffield (the International Director, administration, prayer news and communications, the training project, accounts and the internet – websites and eBooks). Please pray that the International Office team will work together efficiently, despite being physically separated, to provide a range of resources to help our national teams.
Tuesday (17th) - I.O. Focus on Training:
We are currently working on an internet based training platform that we trust will be of benefit to the CLC family. In time we hope to make this available in multiple languages and even to booksellers outside CLC. The intention is to provide training relevant to all levels of experience, both in the technical aspects of the work as well as communicating the vision and mission of CLC. Please pray that this will become an effective training tool.
Wednesday (18th) - I.O. Focus on Publishing:
We are encouraging our national teams to double our overall publishing output. In 2014 two conferences were held to provide training, and efforts are being made to coordinate the translation of material into multiple languages. The International Office is also working to produce evangelistic material that can be produced in many languages. Pray that these publications will bring people ‘to faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ’, as we set out to achieve in our Mission Statement.
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Thursday (19th) - I.O. Focus on Digital Resources :
An ongoing priority for CLC is the development of our digital capacity. In recent years many countries have been able to grow book distribution through websites and in some cases these sales now represent a significant proportion of total sales. A number of our publishing houses are also selling their publications as eBooks. The next stage in the process is to have our own eBook platform and App reader for mobile devices. We believe this will significantly increase the reach of our books as we will not be limited to physical bookshops. Pray that we will help fulfil the Great Commission to take the Gospel ‘to all nations’ with this new technology.
Friday (20th) - Europe Regional Director:
Romualdo Macinas visitng CLC Indonesia
Gary Chamberlin is the CLC Regional Director for Europe and, with 16 countries to oversee, he travels extensively! Gary is working with a number of CLC countries to significantly increase their publishing, helping with the choice of titles and contacts with foreign publishers. He is also preparing the CLC European Leaders’ Conference which will be held in Poland this May. Please pray that Gary will have wisdom, sensitivity and good insight into the various situations that he has to deal with.
The Weekend (21st/22nd) - Asia Regional Director:
Romualdo Macinas is the CLC Philippines National Director and Regional Director for Asia. Not all the CLC countries in this region are directly under his care but Romualdo writes: - “I am glad to be able to support CLC in Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and, of course, the Philippines. There are times when I feel inadequate for the task but time after time I have experienced God’s guidance as I fulfil my responsibilities. There is a phrase‘God does not call the equipped, He equips the called’and, though I don’t totally agree with the first part, I believe firmly in the second bit. God equips me because He called me.” Praise God! February 23rd - March 1st
Week 9: Chile Monday (23rd) - Antofagasta and Temuco :
CLC has 7 bookshops in Chile and the most northerly and most southerly bookshops, in Antofagasta and Temuco, are where we are most involved in mobile work covering hundreds of kilometres taking Bibles and books to villages, churches and into people’s homes. We are grateful for the support of local families who offer us hospitality; they have been a real help for us in our itinerant ministry. We give glory to God for His faithfulness and continue to pray for protection and ‘open doors’ concerning this part of our work.
Tuesday (24th) - Viña del Mar:
CLC Ovalle, Antofagasta Book table
Please join us in prayer for this city, that more people would see the importance of Christian literature. CLC staff members Mauricio and Marcelo are frequently visiting colleges and churches to promote our mission and materials, but we are not seeing the result we anticipate in terms of interest in purchasing from us. In addition, we need to find a new location for the bookshop due to a significant rise in the rental cost recently.
Wednesday (25th) - Valparaíso:
Book Reading Club, CLC Valparaíso
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We praise the Lord for the‘Reading Club’which is an activity that has developed in the Valparaiso bookshop. A practical workshop entitled ‘Knowing the Authors and their Work’ is part of the club and the objective is to make our resources known and encourage people to make the most of them. Because of the size of the shop, this activity is limited to a maximum of ten people at a time.
Thursday (26th) - Santiago:
All through 2014, a course on Hebrew and Greek was held in the Santiago bookshop. It was also run online for a small group of believers. This was led by two of the full time shop personnel, David Diaz and Omar Ramos, who are also both pastors. Praise the Lord for the way we can use our gifts in this ministry.
Friday (27th) - New Bookshop:
We have not succeeded in buying a property in the north of the country where we hoped to open a new bookshop. Please pray with us that God would enable us to continue saving and give us the vision to know when and where we should advance with a new bookshop and also a distribution warehouse.
The Weekend (28th/1st) - Book Projects:
Do Hard Things
by Alex & Brett Haris Our Goal: To distribute 12,500 copies
We are very pleased to be able to distribute around 20,000 Bibles for use in an evangelistic project called ‘Share your Faith, Give a Bible’ We have also been promoting, especially among young people, the book Do Hard Things by the twins Alex and Brett Harris. Our goal is to distribute 12,500 copies. A young man wrote this about the book: “I believe I am part of the most ‘spoiled’ generation that has existed, and that worries me a lot because of the negative consequences that come with it. Through this book the Spirit of God is sounding an alarm bell and a call for reform to the younger generation of the 21st century.” March 2nd - March 8th
Week 10: Customer Testimonies Monday (2nd) - Germany :
There is a young man who was a famous poker player. He went through difficult times, looking for meaning to life, and then became a Christian through reading the Bible. He visited CLC Hamburg last year to buy a Bible and has returned to the shop since then. He has very little in terms of wisdom and knowledge but he is passionate about his faith and has already started preaching on the streets and through social media. Please pray that he will find encouragement, sound advice and good books to help him grow in spiritual maturity when he visits CLC.
Tuesday (3rd) - Papua New Guinea (PNG):
Praise the Lord for opportunities to share the gospel. Recently, two mothers came into the bookshop in Port Moresby, one after the other, looking for Bibles for their sons. The first lady was separated from her husband and family. She wanted to buy a Bible for the son’s birthday and was obviously upset that she could not be with him for this special occasion, but a member of staff was able to encourage her and share something of God’s love for His children. The second lady was not a Christian but her son had been asking repeatedly for a Bible. Again a staff member briefly shared the gospel message with this lady, and she bought a Bible for her son.
Wednesday (4th) - Venezuela:
A member of the shop team in Merida decided to invite some regular customers to his church. These were people who bought books from CLC but did not go to church. Not only have those customers started attending the church but they have invited others along and, at the time of writing, it is estimated that 1520% of the congregation who attend the staff member’s church are there through the encouragement of CLC and, most importantly, the work of the Lord through the CLC ministry.
Thursday (5th) - Venezuela:
In the Maracaibo bookshop, both Christian and non-believing customers have said that entering the CLC bookshop is like entering an ‘oasis of peace and tranquillity’. We praise God for this as it is His presence 19
that makes the difference. A customer has shared with us how the book The Love Dare has made a difference in his failing marriage relationship. He came back to the shop to tell us that his marriage was much more stable. He was thankful to God and to CLC for this change – and had brought a friend with him as he wanted to buy the book for him too.
Friday (6th) - Switzerland:
Carlo, the manager of CLC Lugano, writes: - “One morning I asked God if this bookshop was really serving its purpose. Sales were going down and I didn’t see blessings here as I see in other CLC shops. Then a man, who had not realised we were a Christian bookshop, walked in. As we talked, it became obvious he had been a Christian but was no longer living out his faith or attending church. He himself recognised that the encounter in the shop was no co-incidence and knew that God was prompting him to return to church and, I trust, to a close relationship with Him. That same day, a man with a drug problem came in looking for something to help him overcome his problems and be a stronger person. I pray that the conversation we had, and the book I recommended, will serve to lead this young man to Jesus.”
The Weekend (7th/8th) - UK:
A lady came into the Leicester bookshop looking for resources to help her colleague, who was of a different faith, understand Christianity. We guided her to some English and Persian booklets on basic Christianity. Two weeks later she returned to the shop to ask for some books for a new Christian. A customer who overheard the conversation asked if she could pray for this lady’s colleague. There was such an air of joy in the shop that day! March 9th - March 15th
Week 11: United Kingdom Monday (9th) - UK Trustees:
Continue to pray for the UK trustees as they are carrying a great weight of responsibility at the moment. The warehouse move, the need for new IT systems and changes in the leadership all need a lot of wisdom and prayer. The trustees are Gary Chamberlin (chairman), Bob Clark, William Mackenzie, John Watkins, and Viv Whitton. Eddie Olliffe is standing down as a trustee while he has the short term role of CLC UK General Manager. Please pray also that one or two more wise and godly trustees can be appointed.
Tuesday (10th) - Partnership:
William
Gary
Bob
John
Viv
Pray for the arrangement CLC has made with Eden to fulfil our web site orders for at least the next year giving thanks that it has got off to a good start. Pray for the team at Eden as they take on this extra work on our behalf and also give thanks that this is taking pressure off our warehouse at a time when the wholesale trade is still growing rapidly.
Wednesday (11th) - Bookstalls:
Pray for the advanced planning and preparations for the large events for which we provide bookstalls. This summer we will probably be doing stalls at HTB Focus, North and the One Event as well as providing stock for others. Pray that the right staff and volunteers will be available to staff these events and that the logistics for moving stock and equipment can be put in place. Pray also for smooth co-operation and fellowship with event organisers.
Thursday (12th) - Warehouse Relocation:
The trustees, having made the decision to move the warehouse to a bigger building in a more central location, are in the process of finding a suitable property. Pray for wisdom for the trustees, UK leadership and our property advisors as options are considered. Pray too that the Lord will provide the finance needed for this project as He has for other needs in the past. 20
Friday (13th) - Finance Team:
Pray for the finance team based at the Alresford warehouse. John Auger is the finance director and looks after the support fund, budgets, management accounts, VAT, and payroll payments. Will Cerri deals with phone enquiries, weekly returns from the shops, cash book payments and receipts. Final team member, Clare Smith, is responsible for supplier enquiries and payments. Give thanks for these people who do such a vital backroom job which enables the rest of CLC to function smoothly.
The Weekend (14th/15th) - Retail Management:
With 20 shops, CLC is one of the largest Christian bookshop chains in the UK. With the decrease in high street bookshops, suppliers increasingly look to us as a means of bringing their publications and products to the attention of the public. Pray for wisdom for the retail management team as they talk to suppliers and decide the best way we can help them and ourselves to fulfil our mission objectives. March 16th - March 22nd
Week 12: Answered Prayer Monday (16th) - Portugal:
Although it was not planned, Carlos Cunha, the manager of CLC in Coimbra, received an answer to prayer for a part time volunteer when his wife Lídia started helping in the shop. Lidia had been in employment elsewhere, so the move to being a volunteer was, and still is, a financial challenge for the family! Praise the Lord for His provision, through support from other people, at just the times when extra finance was needed.
Tuesday (17th) - Uruguay:
We have been praying for a long time for someone suitable and committed to join us on our CLC team – thinking of the longer term future of the bookshop. Last year a young man, Daniel Bueno, started working with us. He has just the gifts and characteristics we were looking for and we give thanks to God for the way he is rapidly learning his role and integrating into the team.
Wednesday (18th) - France:
We have been praying for justice in our dealings with the landlord of the Paris bookshop. He was planning to double the rent but we could not afford this. The main problem was being tied to a contract we would struggle to keep. At the time of writing, it seems that God has made a way for us – and it came as a surprise! A large French company wants to take over our current shop premises and we hope to be able to move to a cheaper location without further legal and financial obligations to the landlord.
Thursday (19th) - Cyprus:
Because of the economic situation in Cyprus some shop rents have been reduced, but our landlord was not willing to make a reduction. When we told him that the owner of the vacant shop next door had reduced the rent, he offered us a small reduction or, he said, we could move next door! We prayed and asked the Lord for clear direction. Two days later, just as we had finished praying again about it, our landlord said that after consideration, and as we have been good tenants, he had decided to reduce the rent to the same level as next door. Praise the Lord!
Friday (20th) - Romania:
Despite being very busy, and working with a reduced staff (two members left recently), we praise the Lord for His help and provision in answer to our prayers. At the end of last year, we had some special orders, including some good sales on the website, which encouraged us and increased our sales significantly. We have also been able to translate 7 books which will be printed as and when we have the resources for this.
The Weekend (21st/22nd) - Belarus:
Belarus was the first country from the former Soviet Union where CLC was able to establish a bookshop – in 1994. Since then, the team have been praying for opportunities to collaborate with other Russian speaking 21
countries – including the ones where CLC now works. CLC publishes books and Bibles in Belarus but so far, due to regulations, it is not possible to sell them directly to other countries. A recent visit from Nikita Sapunov, from CLC Moscow, was a huge encouragement to the Belarus team and they have been discussing possibilities of doing joint publication projects in the near future. Praise the Lord for these links. March 23rd - March 29th
Week 13: Bulgaria and the Netherlands Monday (23rd) - Sofia Bookshop, Bulgaria:
Lidia Dimitrova, the current manager of the CLC bookshop in Sofia, joined CLC just three years after the ministry began in Bulgaria (1993). Lidia’s co-worker, Ginka Koeva, was previously helping her husband in the CLC bookshop in Gabrovo until it closed down about 10 years ago. Ginka joined the CLC team in Sofia in 2006. Pray for these two committed ladies as they work in challenging conditions. Praise the Lord for the relocation of the bookshop in 2006 to a building that is now owned by CLC.
Tuesday (24th) - A Heart for Bulgaria’s Ministry :
We need a third person to help in the bookshop on a part time basis. Someone has helped for the past few years, and another young man replaced him last year, until he was accepted onto a University course, and now we are looking again. The situation is complicated! Voluntary work is not a popular practice in Bulgaria, we can’t afford a full time wage and even the half time salary we could offer is not the normal rate for what we need – someone with good computer skills and command of the English language. We need someone who loves the Lord and has a heart for this ministry as well of course. May God give wisdom and guidance in this matter.
Wednesday (25th) - More Opportunities in Sofia, Bulgaria:
Sales improved last year in comparison with the year before, but this is mainly due to the fact that the prices of all goods, including books, have gone up which raises the turnover. Praise the Lord that we are still selling books from the Sofia shop, but we would like more opportunities to sell them elsewhere. Churches would be a good place for our books, but although churches have regular book tables, they tend to sell mostly Bibles which they get directly from publishers.
Thursday (26th) - Apeldoorn, Netherlands:
The bookshop in Apeldoorn is run by Corine Brijs and Magda Hoogerbrugge. They have both served here for about 10 years now and do their work wholeheartedly. The shop, on a main street, has been in operation since 1983. It is quite large and includes offices and a staff room on the second floor. Praise the Lord for the ministry that goes on in this bookshop and for the many book tables that go out to surrounding churches and events from the shop.
Friday (27th) - Publishing in the Netherlands:
Last October, a new Bible translation was published. It is the 9th official Dutch Bible translation. King Willem-Alexander (on the left in the photo) was given the first copy and it became the number one best-selling book in the country for over a month. We are very thankful for this interest in the Word of God. * In 2014, CLC Publications in the Netherlands began by publishing two titles by Randy Alcorn. This year we hope to continue publishing books because we believe it strengthens both our mission and ministry.
The Weekend (28th/29th) - Amsterdam, Netherlands:
The bookshop in Amsterdam is run by Els Oosterhuis and Maarten Frankhuizen and has been located at the city centre since 1991. Recently however, we have decided to close this shop at the end of 2015 because of a dramatic decline in sales. We are now investigating possibilities to either relocate the shop or, if it would be better for the time being, to base all our work in Apeldoorn which will include the internet shop and publications. 22
We need your help in London! • To find an enthusiastic, mission-minded Christian to promote life-changing resources and the ministry of CLC. • Is there someone in your contact circle or your church that would be just right for this post? Or perhaps that person is you?
Serve with us! Address: CLC Bookshop, 3-4 Ave Maria Lane, London, EC4M 7AQ 020 7248 2356 london@clcbookshops.com Please note: Other opportunities are available in our other centres! See below for more details.
• We would be very grateful if you could pass this information on to anyone who you consider might be interested. Thank you. The successful volunteer will be a committed Christian with a passion for the gospel message and customer service. You must be a team player, organised, reliable, good with people, able to use computers and have an eye for detail. Someone with retail experience would be ideal. As a full-time volunteer, you will need to have in place or to raise some level of personal financial support. For more information about CLC: talk with our staff, read CLC World or go to www.clc.org.uk.
WHY NOT JOIN OUR TEAM? CLC International (UK) is a charity whose heart is to keep Christian literature and outreach on the High streets of our nation and around the world. We thank God that in the midst of so many changes, our ministry is growing! Nearly all of our centres need more workers, and no, not all the duties are sales-related. We have plenty of ‘behind-the-scenes’ roles that might be the perfect fit for your skill set, whether that is social media, maintenance, displays, administration, or something else entirely. If you are passionate about the Gospel message and have a desire to reach your community, why not join a ‘family’ that loves serving the Lord, their community and making a lifetransforming impact around the world? Whether you are looking for voluntary or paid work, or even something in between, among the many opportunities we currently have available, CLC needs reliable, diligent, and enthusiastic team members for our busy bookshops, offices, and warehouse. If you enjoy working in a team environment and believe, like we do, that Christian books CHANGE lives,why not visit our website to discover more about the different opportunities available to serve with us?
www.clc.org.uk/clc-uk/vacancies
For enquiries, email us at personnel@clcbookshops.com 23
Let’s make a difference this year
TOGETHER!
International Opportunities: office@clcinternational.org UK Opportunities: personnel@clcinternational.org Financial Giving (UK): financeuk@clcbookshops.com Join our Prayer Focus Team: office@clcinternational.org
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this declaration. We can claim giftaid tax relief of 25p on every £ that you give. Please tick all that apply: I would like to giftaid this donation I would like to giftaid all future donations until further notice I would like to giftaid all previous donations for the charity’s current financial period & the previous 4 years In Association I confirm I have paidwith: or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the Charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 28p of tax on every £1 that I gave up to 5 April 2008 and will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008
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Thank you for your consideration & support of CLC International (UK) CLC Finance Office, 51 The Dean, Alresford, Hampshire, SO24 9BJ Email: financeuk@clcbookshops.com Telephone: 01962 733 342 Online giving can be done quickly and securely through the Stewardship© website listed below: 24
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CLC Projects: Let’s make a difference together! ‘Print-on-Demand’ machines for CLC Kenya and CLC Philippines:
Christian books CHANGE lives, but making sure they are available and affordable is always a challenge! ‘Print on Demand’ systems are key to seeing areas challenged by shipping and publishing costs thrive in the future. As the name suggests, this machine prints, collates, covers, and binds a single book in just a few minutes. (These systems generally cost upwards of £12,000.) Praise Update: Thank God for the donation of a POD (Print on Demand) machine to CLC Myanmar! Praise the Lord for this wonderful gift and pray for the ministry impact it will have across the nation. Printing on demand lowers both the reliance on imports (if you are a wholesaler) and the investment needed to produce and then store traditional print runs (if you are a publisher).
Support a specific CLC country or project:
CLC countries such as Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cyprus, Dominica, Liberia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Spain, and Swaziland are just a few of our ministries that are currently facing what sometimes seem like ‘overwhelming’ challenges or have projects in need of funds.
Portuguese Bibles for Africa:
With every donation of £5, CLC Portugal is able to send a Portuguese Bible to someone desperately in need in Africa. Those who have already received these Bibles include pastors, refugees, children, and theology students. With the help of local African ministries and your support, we’ve already been able to give away hundreds of Bibles to those in communities like Luanda, Angola. Thank you so much!
Support a CLC UK missionary:
Have you ever wondered why CLC does not pay all its workers a salary? Well, the short answer is the fewer funds CLC has to pay out for salaries and other overhead costs, the more we can send to international teams who are desperately in need of our support or we can begin a literature ministry in a new country. In fact, did you know that a certain percentage of our annual sales goes towards this purpose as our way of tithing? For this reason, you’ll find many of our team members are either supported as ‘faith-based’ missionaries or are living on a very low income because they believe so strongly in God’s calling for them with CLC. Supporting your local CLC team really can make all the difference to our ministry in your community and around the world!
Shipping container for CLC Mozambique:
Early this year, our shop in Mozambique was devastated by termites as they ruined the shelving units, office equipment, and the stock! As you can imagine, this has greatly impacted the ministry of our team. CLC UK and some amazing supporters have put together a great selection of books, shelving, and other necessary goods to get them back up and running smoothly! Your kind donations will help us cover the cost of sending this shipping container all the way to Mozambique (approximately £5000).
Russian Bibles for Belarus / Bookshop for Minsk, Belarus:
CLC Belarus is able to publish beautiful Russian Bibles within their own country for approximately £5 each. The availability of these affordable Bibles is making a huge impact on outreach ministries within Belarus and Russia. Did you know that currently there is only one evangelical Christian bookshop in all of Belarus? The profits from the sale of these Bibles is being split between the cost of publishing more of these Bibles, as well as setting funds aside to open a second bookshop in Belarus as one is desperately needed in the capital of Minsk. 25
Are you always buying books for your church, ministry (outreach, UCCF, etc.), or because you are a theology student or church leader?
Then you need to know that CLC has a partnership scheme just for you! For more details, please contact your local CLC Bookshop or email partnership@clcbookshops.com
NEW TRAILBLAZERS – WOMEN OF FAITH
Lottie Moon
Changing China for Christ Nancy Drummond Lottie Moon was a dark eyed, raven haired mischief at school. She lived through the American civil war, taught at school and finally went to China as a missionary to share the good news of Jesus Christ with thousands of people. This is her story, 9781781915240 £5.99
Hannah More
The Woman Who Wouldn’t Stop Writing Sarah Allen Hannah More is best known today for her penmanship but also for her defence of women’s rights and her antislavery stance. Her life of would-be-fame was changed to a life of faith. 9781781915233 £5.99
Frances Ridley Havergal
The Girl Who Loved Mountains Lucille Travis Frances loved to climb trees, enjoy the countryside and to run about with her spaniel. She became a hymn writer and singer, longing to share the love of her Saviour. 9781781915226 £5.99
Alice Buckley, Author of Play through the Bible
Author Interview by Sarah Williams, CLC Wholesale (Follow our blog at clcwholesale.com) We’re really excited about your new book Play through the Bible. Could you tell us what we can expect? Ooh, thanks! It’s a book full of ideas to help parents make the most of telling their kids about Jesus in those tricky pre-school years. It has 20 stories based on the Gospel of Luke, with ideas for interactive storytelling. With each story are lots of play ideas to help you keep thinking about Jesus and to make it easier for chat about God to be a natural part of life. What gave you the initial idea for Play through the Bible and how has it developed since then? It began as a way of sharing Jesus with our eldest son who has Down’s Syndrome and Autism. But it became obvious that it was just a natural way of communicating with all our children. Our kids love the very simple interactive stories. We teach our children so many other things using everyday play, why should their discovery of Jesus be any different or any less fun? It’s changed a little as I’ve tried to make it work for other families – it’s been important to make sure the book appeals to all sorts of ages, stages, and interests. Why did you choose to use Luke’s Gospel in particular? I had been reading it myself and was really excited about it – I tend to find my own enthusiasm is a good place to start! I love what I learn about Jesus through Luke, especially that Jesus is for anyone – including the ones you would least expect. I think that’s a pretty good message for our children to begin to grasp! Readers of your blog will know you’re a busy mum with three small children. How on earth did you find time to work on the book? And do you have a writing routine?
When I started writing the book, my two eldest were at school and I would write like mad during our littlest’s naps! It was great to have that focussed time – I think it helped me to be more productive. I’m now in the exciting season of having all three kids at school, and I’m trying to work out how my writing routine will look now. Why do you think it is important to combine playing with exploring the Bible? Play is such a natural way to engage our children. When we teach our children their numbers, we don’t sit them down with an arithmetic book and get them to memorise times tables! We teach them while we count the steps up to bed, while we play hide and seek, when we’re counting how many grapes they have in their bowl. Using play shows our children that God is part of the whole of our lives and it’s natural to enjoy finding out about Him and getting to know Him. In a post on your blog (playontheword.com), you give a refreshingly honest take on ‘the ideal woman’, a perfect mother who’s got everything under control. Isn’t Bible-based play time only for super-mums like her? Oh absolutely – you should only buy the book if your house is as immaculate as your hair and you never hide in the kitchen to eat a biscuit 30 seconds after telling your children they’ve had enough!! No, really, the idea of the book is to make it as easy as possible for parents to share Jesus with their children. The play ideas are very simple and usually only require things you’ll have in the house already. We play with our kids anyway, so why not make those natural moments of play opportunities to discover more about God? I should make a disclaimer though – we can have such high expectations of ourselves that we perpetually set ourselves up for discouragement. 27
My personal experience of Depression has taught me that there are some times when all we can do is the bare minimum – and that is enough. Have you always been good at thinking up games to play with children, or is this something you’ve learned since becoming a parent? I wouldn’t say I’m a naturally playful person – it is often hard for me to want to play with my kids and to think of things to do. I remember wishing there was something out there with readymade ideas for me to follow and, when I didn’t find anything that was quite right, I decided to create the resource myself. Are the activities in the book based on ideas you’ve had playing with your own children? And were there any you tried out with them that didn’t make it into the book? Yes, most of them are activities we’ve tried or are based on the kinds of things we do together. I suspect parents will be relieved I didn’t include my attempt at a recipe for bath paint – it came off the bath, but the kids were a faint yellow for weeks! One of the exciting things about the book is the broad range of activities that are adaptable for children with different learning styles and
challenges. Do you think we need more Bible teaching resources out there that do this? I feel that we need to ensure we’re being like Jesus in the way we show our children the love of God. Jesus didn’t expect people to conform to a type before they could come to Him – He just invited them to come. I think it’s important we don’t simply favour one ‘type’ of child when we’re teaching about Jesus and make sure we’re making it easy for anyone to come to know Him. Are there any other books about exploring the Bible with children that you’d particularly recommend? Our family love the First Word Bible books from Pupfish and God knows all about me is a firm favourite. I also like listening to audiobooks in the car, and listening to The Jesus Storybook Bible has led to interesting chats with our 6-year-old. How has playing through the Bible with children helped you to learn from the Bible personally? It’s encouraged me to enjoy God and to see that discovering more about Him isn’t just a cerebral activity!
Thank you Alice Buckley for taking the time to answer our questions!
Play through the Bible ISBN: 9781909559196 Price: £7.99
Alice Buckley’s first book, Play through the Bible, is a brilliant new resource to help parents share Jesus with their children through play. From the publishing team behind Bake through the Bible, this is another great activity book for teaching small children from God’s Word. It’s colourful, inventive, and full of fun, and we were delighted when Alice agreed to tell us how she wrote it … Book/Author Video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=adkG5XAW8kQ
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Book Reviews: CLC Recommendations A Few Good Men by Richard Coekin Review by Sarah Williams
ISBN: 9781908762481
Price: £6.99, 208pp
Meet ten good men of the Bible. Some, like Moses, are famous, while others, like Onesiphorus, are not so well known, but they all faced familiar struggles as they tried to live for God. Their lives are not glamorous and their actions are far from perfect, but their courageous examples will inspire many to become true men of God. As Richard Coekin retells their stories, he applies the lessons they learned to modern life and points us to the only perfect Man and Hero of the Bible: Jesus.
Life to the Max by John Cox Review by Andy Hunt
ISBN: 9781780782300
Price: £7.99, 272pp
This honestly written and intriguing autobiography follows Jon Cox, from his twenties as a staff nurse on a mission trip to Sudan, to running a large Christian outdoor centre, changing the lives of thousands of children and teens. Prepare to hear of many lifechanging adventures through three different continents as God provides everything needed to fulfil His mighty plans, told with humour and humility. A great book, especially for men’s ministry, which encourages you to follow and trust God’s call wherever He may be leading, while marvelling at His awesome power.
Patrick of Ireland by Michael A G Haykin Basil of Caesarea by Marvin Jones Review by Rev. Brian Butler
ISBN: 9781781913031 £7.99, 112pp ISBN: 9781781913024 £7.99, 176pp
It is a bold publisher who decides these days to publish a series of books on the early Fathers of the Church. These brief treatments depict the lives and works of these early Christian saints. Patrick is, of course, the patron saint of Ireland, and his life a rather romantic one. Basil of Caesarea (AD 329-379) is not nearly so well known, but was important because of his writings on the Holy Spirit. Important, too, was his defence of Christian orthodoxy at a time when the Christian faith was under attack from various heresies which would have destroyed the Faith. Foundations were laid in Basil’s era which remain until today. Both books are quite brief, but are readable introductions to men who contributed much to the Church at that time, and whose influence persists even today.
Where the Wind Leads by Vinh Chung with Tim Downs Review by Bonnie Brooks
ISBN: 9780529105547
Price: £9.99?, 368pp
It is 1975. In Vietnam, the Chung family, who have worked their way out of poverty, lose their home and business under communist oppression. Along with many others, they become ‘boat people’ desperate to find another country to take them in. As Vinh Chung’s story progresses, the vulnerability of life as a refugee becomes starkly clear, not only during the family’s perilous journey, but also as they face poverty and racism, and struggle with the language barrier while settling in the USA. However, Vinh Chung reveals how God has guided, protected, and provided for his family, blessing them beyond all their expectations. This book allows us into the life of a resourceful, resilient family, their traditions and values, heartbreaks and dreams. It is a fascinating read. 29
An absolute
‘MUST-READ’ for 2015!
Uncover the wondrous things that can happen when you discover your identity and purpose in Christ and find peace and joy in your relationship with Him.
£7.99 ISBN: 9781619581586
Designer Living by Susan Sutton
Review by Sheena Wardrope, CLC International Office Well, before I had come to the end of the introduction, I already knew I would deeply appreciate this beautifully written book. A simple quote — “A product is at its best when it does what it is meant to do. In the same way, we are at our best when we live as we are meant to live” — caught my attention in particular. Who doesn’t want to know how to be at their [God designed] best?! This sets the tone for the rest of the book – a gently phrased but immensely challenging encouragement to live as our Creator God intends us to. Susan weaves personal experience, her own reflections, wise words from others and, most importantly, pertinent verses from scripture to describe, as the book says in its subtitle, ‘what happens when the real you meets the real God’. As Susan puts it, what happens is ‘real change’. Each chapter deals with an aspect of our design and ends with ideas for further study and meditation. This works well for personal use, but would also be a valuable resource for people studying the book in a group. Here are two excerpts from the text; one is also worth using as the basis for a Bible study and the other is a wonderful reminder of what ‘being at our best’ really means! 30
EXCERPT 1: Chapter 1 - Designed to Belong (Pages 21-22) No one is more serious than God about being with us. He declares this time and again to His people: To Isaac: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you” (Gen. 26:3). To Jacob: “I myself will go down with you to Egypt” (Gen. 46:4). To Moses: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exod. 33:14). To Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9). To Gideon: “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (Judg. 6:16). To the people of Israel through Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. . . . Fear not, for I am with you” (Isa. 43:2, 5). To Jeremiah: “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jer. 1:8). None of these conversations were held in a place of worship. Each one took place in the nitty-gritty of life. Isaac was worried about his family’s survival in a time of economic crisis; Jacob was on the verge of a major move; Moses was dealing with intense ministry pressures; Joshua faced a huge military campaign; Gideon felt inadequate to do what God was asking him to do; and Jeremiah faced hostility, slander, and public humiliation from declaring the truth. In each case, God reminded them that they were not alone.
EXCERPT 2: Chapter 3 - Designed to be Image Bearers (Pages 41-42) Significance and security are gifts from God to each one of us. We did nothing to earn them, and they are ours through nothing of our own making. To live in our God-designed place of significance and place of security is to be the real you, the real me. Yet, as good as it is to be significant and secure, there is more to life than feeling good about ourselves and being confident in what we believe. There is something called purpose which takes us outside of ourselves and gives meaning to our lives in a larger context. Discovering this purpose and living by it leads us to our soul’s deepest place of satisfaction. When we go to the Bible, the operating manual of the world, we learn a startling thing. You and I are designed for glory. Not ours, of course, but God’s. Built into our system is the ability to reflect the wonder and glory of the God who made us. It should be automatic; not something we do by effort, but rather something we cannot help but do, simply because this is who we are. God planted such a possibility in us at creation, and He chose, for some reason, to give this possibility only to humans. The animals, insects, reptiles, and plants of the world are amazing, but the human creation is even more so. God’s plan from the beginning was that humans alone are to reflect His likeness in the world. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. . . .so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:26–27). The Hebrew word translated in Genesis as “likeness” comes from a verb which means “to compare. ”The word itself, demuth”, can be translated “likeness, resemblance; image, model, pattern, or shape.” “Let us make man,” God says in effect, “to resemble us, to be modeled after us. When others compare them with us, there will be a likeness. They will be able to say, ‘Yes, I can see the family resemblance.’” Designer Living: What Happens When the Real You Meets the Real God by Susan Sutton, © 2014 by Susan Sutton. Used by permission of CLC Publications. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.
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Celebrating 30 years of singing God’s praises 30th Anniversary Edition — with over 100 new songs
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