e-vision summer 2022

Summer 2022

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WHY?

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THE GOSPEL IN CONTEMPORARY ART

EDITORIAL

NEW FACES AT GLO

SHORT TERM MISSION TEAMS

TILSLEY COLLEGE

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TRAINING IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

12 This magazine is published twice yearly to report on the work of GLO in Europe and around the world and to promote mission interest. There is no subscription rate but readers are welcome to send gifts towards postage and production.

ECHOES INTERNATIONAL

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GLO BOOKSHOP

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CONNECT WITH US!

GLO Europe is on:

GLO is a charity registered in Scotland: SC049681.

or by contacting our Finance Director:

LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY

Ian Smith (ismith@glo-europe.org).

Many people have a concern about what the long-term impact of their lives will be on others. As Christians

If you would like to contribute financially to the work of GLO this can be done directly using the bank details below

this is a big issue because the Bible encourages us to live our lives in view of eternity. GLO, along with many

BANK OF SCOTLAND, 72 BRANDON PARADE, MOTHERWELL ML1 1UW ACCOUNT NAME – GLO EUROPE SORT CODE – 80-22-60 ACCOUNT NUMBER – 22102168

other Christian organisations, benefits greatly from legacies that people leave behind. It is a way of significantly helping the work of the kingdom by organising your giving after you have gone.

We have produced an information booklet on the use of legacies and if you would like to have one then write to: Stephen McQuoid | GLO Centre | 78 Muir Street | Motherwell ML1 1BN | smcquoid@glo-europe.org

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EDITORIAL

by Stephen McQuoid

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elcome to another edition of e-vision. I am sure that like me you realise that we are living in very significant times. The world has begun to emerge from what was a terrible pandemic and now Europe is troubled once more with the reality of war.

Here at the GLO Centre we have been prayerfully following these events and GLO has been working with partner organisations Echoes International, Bible Educational Services, Medical Missionary News and Philadelphia Trust to raise money for the refugee crisis. We are grateful that to date more than £200,000 has been raised which we are distributing among trusted colleagues on the ground in Ukraine and the surrounding countries who are directly involved helping refugees.

In this edition of e-vision we highlight the war in Ukraine and suggest ways in which GLO may be actively involved in the country in the future.

That is followed by an article by Luca Illiano which

describes something of his ministry in art. Luca is a church planter but his background in art gives him some wonderful opportunities to share his faith. Luca also intends to have a shortterm mission team for artists in 2023 so if you are interested in being part of this, please get in touch with Steven Hamilton our short-term mission coordinator: shamilton@glo-europe.org Tilsley College is getting ready for a new intake of students in September, and we have been doing some refurbishing at the centre in readiness for this. You can read all about this and the other developments that have taken place at the college. Several GLO personnel were also in Romania recently for a conference that was organised jointly with our partners in Philadelphia Trust. The event was a great success and you can catch up on what GLO is doing in central and eastern Europe in Richard Hartnett’s report.

Andrew Lacey, the GLO Bookshop manager is always on the lookout for good books and suggests a couple of very relevant ones. We also share some information about events being run by our partners Echoes International who are celebrating 150 years of involvement in mission.

I hope you enjoy reading e-vision and find it stimulating. It is also my prayer that it will challenge you to keep mission in focus and inspire you to pray at this very significant time in our history.

“ The world has begun to emerge from what was a terrible pandemic and now Europe is troubled once more with the reality of war.”

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he recent Russian invasion of Ukraine sent shock waves across the world. In the wake of the many atrocities perpetrated and the huge refugee crisis that ensued, people have been asking all sorts of questions about the situation. Probably the most common type of questions were the “Why” questions. Why did Putin invade? Why were we surprised? Why did the Ukrainians fight back? Also, why has God allowed this carnage?

The latter is an age-old question which has been asked for millennia, which is unsurprising given the Christian belief in a God of love. However, the reality of human evil is not incompatible with biblical Christianity given that the Bible warns us about the reality of human sin. Neither does it contradict the concept of the love of God because God himself responded to human evil by sending Jesus, not just to be a healer and teacher, but also to deal with human sin on the cross. In that sense God is not remote from suffering, he entered into it in the person of Jesus and offers peace and forgiveness.

However, other questions have also been raised, one of which is, what is the church doing in response to this terrible crisis? The answer is that the church is doing a lot. Indeed, the church in Ukraine and in the surrounding countries has become a crucial emergency service.

GLO has been involved in training in Ukraine and Eastern Europe for several years and we therefore have a whole network of contacts, many of whom have been heavily involved in the support of refugees. One church in Ukraine that we work with has a retreat centre not far from the Polish border.

They have welcomed hundreds of refugees there, have fed and clothed them and either helped them to cross the border into Poland or have found homes in Ukraine where they could stay. In addition, they acquired a large coach and have made numerous journeys across the country to besieged areas so that they could collect people and bring them back to the relative safety of the retreat centre.

Christians in countries bordering Ukraine have also worked hard to care for and support refugees.

One of our contacts used a fleet of minibuses to run food and other essential supplies into Ukraine and then bring refugees out of the country. One of the ministries we work with in a neighbouring country turned their ministry centre into a refugee centre and again welcomed hundreds of refugees, giving them food and sanctuary and then helping them on their way. Meanwhile numerous individual Christians in Ukraine, as well as in the surrounding countries, opened up their homes to welcome strangers who were fleeing the conflict. The tragedy of the refugee crisis has actually brought out the best in the many Christians who have responded by offering the love of Christ in the form of practical help.

Here in the UK the picture is much the same.

Christians and churches have given generously to the refugee work. GLO has been working with partner organisations Echoes International, Philadelphia Trust, Medical Missionary News

“ One church in Ukraine that we work with has a retreat centre not far from the Polish border. They have welcomed hundreds of refugees there, have fed and clothed them and either helped them to cross the border into Poland or have found homes in Ukraine where they could stay”

and Bible Educational Services to coordinate our response. To date we have received over £200,000 in donations from individual Christians and churches and have distributed tens of thousands to people directly involved in helping refugees. We have also tried to coordinate connections between people in the UK who want to open their home to Ukrainian refugees and people on the ground who are dealing directly with refugees. It seems as if the love of Christ is truly being expressed practically all over Europe.

Another question that crops up is, what happens next? This question is impossible to answer as the situation is so volatile and fluid. Indeed, by the time you read this article the situation in Ukraine could have changed unrecognisably. The one thing that we can be sure of, however, is that the longer the war goes on, the longer it will take for Ukraine to return to anything that vaguely resembles normality. Even if the war were to end today (I wrote this article mid-April) a city like Mariupol which has been utterly devastated, will take a decade and more to be rebuilt and that is only if the funding is available.

The implications of all of this are vast. At the time of writing it was estimated that over 10 million Ukrainians had fled their homes. Over five million were refugees in neighbouring countries and six million were internally displaced. That is double the population of Scotland! If peace were to resume, many could probably go home fairly quickly, but for others, there is nothing to go home to. The homes, factories and schools where they came from no longer exist as they were bombed into oblivion.

This means that a return is not possible and, in all probability, many eastern Ukrainians will end up settling permanently in the west of Ukraine. That could change the whole dynamics of the country.

This raises questions about long term aid and the impact on mission. Service agencies have necessarily been concentrating their efforts on getting aid quickly into Ukraine. Much of this has been the basics of food, clothing and blankets.

Churches have responded well to the crisis and sacrificial giving has been spontaneous and generous. What tends to happen, however, is that interest in a crisis like this hits fever pitch and six

months down the line compassion fatigue sets in and fewer people will be talking about Ukraine.

That will lead to a practical problem. Many months from now there will be a need to rebuild homes and church buildings, create jobs and help people to settle back into their war-torn communities. By that stage however, much of the giving will have stopped and the focus will have shifted to some new crisis elsewhere. Such is the complexity of relief work.

That said, the situation in Ukraine could impact mission in other ways. The church in Ukraine and the surrounding countries has played such an important role in helping, it would be surprising if there were not some spiritual harvest. One Ukrainian friend told me that people in Ukraine are being drawn to the church in this crisis because Christians have hope. Only time will tell how many people will turn to Christ in this situation.

There is another angle too. In our GLO strategy we have considered Ukraine to be a resource country for mission as there is a thriving church in Ukraine. Traditionally many Ukrainians go to Poland to find work and significantly, Poland has very few evangelical Christians. We had wondered how we could train Ukrainians to be salt and light in Poland when they migrate there. This refugee crisis has greatly increased the number of Ukrainians in Poland and arguably there are now as many Ukrainian Christian living in Poland as there are Polish Christians. One wonders what spiritual fruit this might produce in Poland in the coming years.

A final question that arises is, once churches in Ukraine finally settle back to some kind of normality, how will they manage themselves?

There may be a reactive desire for Ukrainians to look to the rest of Europe for security and friendship which in turn could lead to a desire for connection. Before the war the gospel was flourishing in Ukraine and most of the work that GLO was doing in Ukraine was training. I suspect the need for training, pastoral care and mentoring of leaders, encouragement and even fellowship will be enormous once the crisis is over. If God opens those doors, we need to make sure we are quick to enter.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE UKRAINE CRISIS

by Stephen McQuoid

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THE GOSPEL IN CONCEPTUAL ART

by Luca Illiano

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uernica (see photo) was painted by Picasso in June 1937 at his home in Paris in response to the bombing by the Nazis of a Basque village from which the work would take its name. There is an anecdote that in occupied Paris, a Gestapo officer barged his way into Picasso’s apartment, pointed at a photo of the painting, asking, ‘Did you do that?’ to which Picasso replied, ‘No, you did’!

Picasso saw art as more than decoration. He said that drawing, and colours were his weapons to tell people what he considered true, right and good.

What Picasso had painted were expressive figures depicting the brutal carnage of aerial bombings.

Looking at those figures there is a sense that Picasso was not just painting an episode in history, but the nature of humanity (i.e. evil, corrupt), death and the search for hope. These are biblical ideas, although Picasso was not religious.

A few years ago when seeing Guernica in my art history book, the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount came to mind. Jesus described the qualities of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven stating he or she should be salt and light of the world. These words of Jesus encouraged me to use art as a tool to share the gospel with people around me. Interestingly, Jesus challenged us to be light and salt in ‘the world’ which includes art galleries where artists and people interested in art come and see and hear messages (in our case the gospel) through art.

In the last few years I have visited art galleries, to draw, paint and sculpt. This has led to many conversations about Jesus. Not long ago I went

to the University of Fine Art in Naples where I studied for many years. Some of the janitors remembered me, so I was allowed to draw in one of the classrooms. The drawing was 2.5 x 1.5 metres and I hung it on the classroom wall. It was seen by the students, many of whom were South Korean.

Surprisingly they did not know about the event I was drawing. The event was Jesus hanging on the cross, and through that drawing there was an opportunity for me to share the gospel with them.

A similar thing happened when I visited the famous Museo del Duomo in Florence, visited by thousands every year. I noticed many visitors asking questions of the museum guide about sculptures representing scenes from the life of Christ. Clearly art can be a very good tool to share the gospel, even more so when the message of the gospel is shared in the language of contemporary art.

I do Conceptual art, a form of art born in 1917 where the idea (or concept, message) behind the artwork is more important than the finished art object. I think Conceptual art plays to our advantage as Christians because our message is more important than the art object.

I want my sculptures to be Christocentric. In the photos you see my latest artist research. These artworks are sculptures made of clay, a natural earth material. When clay is wet, it is said to be a ‘living material’, good to model and shape. When clay dries it is hard yet fragile. Clay without water is a dead material: hard to model, yet when water is applied, can become alive again and you can model it again even though it was dry (dead) before.

In my sculptures I work with this material to say

something about life and death, about living water and hard hearts, about human nature, fragility and the need for water, the need of being born again (see photos 1, 2 and 3).

These sculptures tell us that we are alive if we are in a relationship with the Water of life, the Giver of life, but since we prefer broken cisterns, we are broken instead. If Jesus, the water of life, comes into our lives we can live again.

I'm really fascinated by how much God’s Word uses the language of clay and water as illustrations of our relationship with him eg, dry religion, our human condition, death and life. Themes and language have often inspired art in history, such as in a Vanitas (Latin for vanity, Ecclesiastes 12: 8.

A Vanitas is a particular type of still life painting in which objects symbolically refer to a theme such as human achievement or mortality) or the Memento Mori (paintings with skulls and hourglasses reminding us that death is the great leveller).

As you can see in photos 4 and 5, I leave my sculptures in dried clay to emphasise the reality of human beings without Jesus, and the need of the Water of life to live (be born) again. These sculptures tell people we are dead, broken, fragile, we cannot change (be re-modelled), or live without the Water of life - Christ.

I want my art to be Bible-centred: Photos 6, 7 and 8 belong to a series called ‘Prophets’. I hope that I can exhibit this series with another Christian artist Giovanni Pellettieri with whom I would like to begin an art ministry in Italy called Specchio Contemporaneo. This series of Prophets is inspired by the belief that God speaks (Hebrews 1:1)! In our world, we need to know that God speaks. Our world needs a message, it needs Bible prophecies - especially a world affected by Covid-19 and the Ukraine war. People need to know that the world is in God’s hands and not in the hands of the delegates of COP26 held in Glasgow last year.

So the clay sculptures portray the prophets and their message. I made them with only a small part of the nose, the mouth and the chin. The idea is that I want people to focus on the mouth of the prophets. By not sculpting the rest of the face, I want people to think about the Message (God’s

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Word) which is the main idea or concept behind the artwork. These sculptures are made to involve the audience, and each emit a different sound, due to the hole of the mouth. If the observer puts his or her ear near to the prophet’s mouth, the hollowness and shape of each sculpture creates a different sound, just like a seashell against your ear.

The idea follows Hebrews 1:1 where God spoke in different ways. For example, Jeremiah speaks about the heart, Isaiah about the holiness of God, Hosea about the unconditional love of God and so on.

These sculptures are left in dry clay suggesting the fleeting nature of human beings before God, a message shared by all prophets. Hebrews states that Christ is God’s last message, word… this is also our message!

If you are interested in this project Specchio Contemporaneo or in learning more about Christian art and how my artistic research is developing, please follow me on Instagram @illiano-art and follow us on @Specchiocontemporaneo.

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NEW FACES AT GLO ROBERT AND EMESE LEMPERGER

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y wife and I are involved in a Hungarian literature ministry. I am also an elder in our church in Eger.

We have a 15-year-old son. I originally worked as a financial analyst and my wife as a Hungarian literature teacher and later as a finance officer. I left my job ten years ago to serve in the ministry and my wife left her job five months ago, although she has been helping the publishing ministry for years as a proof-reader.

I was brought up in a Christian family, but my wife was not from a Christian background. She was 21 when she was converted. As a teenager I was involved in OM groups sharing the gospel in our town. Later I served as a youth leader and helped the Hungarian University Student Union as well as organising youth camps.

My literature career started in 1998 by editing and publishing a church magazine with my friend.

We then participated in the editing of another magazine from 2000, which still has a circulation of about 40,000 copies and reaches outside Hungary.

Ten years ago I joined the literature work full-time and since 2018 I have been running the publishing house. We publish 20-25 books a year, we provide free tracts for evangelisation and we have a free online magazine. I preach in our church and organise evangelism events such as GLO mission teams in our region.

As a teacher, my wife leads Bible studies for students. We also host evangelism groups at our

DAVID IRVINE

house. She now assists the work of the publishing house as an editor, translator and proof-reader. She is currently planning to join a prison ministry in a women's prison in our town.

In Hungary the number of evangelical believers is below 1% and there are very few Brethren churches. There is a great need to encourage Christians and reach others with the gospel.

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i, my name’s David, I’m married to Rosie and I have taken up the role of Pastoral Lead at Tilsley College. I’m originally a Lanarkshire boy so, naturally, I’ve had contact with GLO for many years through the bookshop. Now I get to support the students through the Pastoral Lead role, which involves teaching and discipleship.

Student ministry has been an exciting area for me since my own student days. While working with my previous church there were always students to meet with, groups to lead and conversations and discipleship opportunities to be embraced. There is something special about the opportunities that arise when people are at this stage of life. When our minds are being stretched and our horizons are

“ We publish 20-25 books a year, we provide free tracts for evangelisation and we have a free online magazine.”

expanding, we ask big questions and set patterns for life that set us up for a long time to follow. Being present and able to speak to students, challenge and disciple them is an incredible privilege that I’m thankful to God for.

Away from the student world, you would find my wife and I involved in our local church in Glasgow.

It’s wonderful to be part of a loving church family and share the joys and challenges that go along with that. We are both involved with the ministry of the church and really enjoy spending time with people, having good food and average banter. Our board game collection isn’t bad either!

I started at Tilsley College in May, giving a few months to prepare for the new intake of students. I’d appreciate your prayers as I settle into this new role.

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SHORT TERM MISSION TEAMS

by Steven Hamilton

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ission is inseparable from Jesus. Understanding the full eternal identity of the second Person of the Trinity is beyond our earthly human ability. This however does not take away from the truth that He can be known. This is especially true since His incarnation. We know Him as the Word that became flesh (John 1:14), the One who was born in the likeness of men and was found in human form (Philippians 2:7-8). In Jesus, God and humanity are closer than ever, even reconciled (Colossians 1:20). This means that humanity is not left hopeless. We do not need to become something other than human to be reconciled to God, because Jesus made a new way, through His human body, that was His mission. This means that wherever there are humans in this world, there is the real potential for God to be known. The whole world now is a potential spiritual temple where people can meet God. Now, these are “temples” that are worth going to see! It’s true, we

Country Location Team Leader(s) Dates Albania Vlorë Stuart Waugh 18 – 26 June Albania Vlorë Ian Smith 9 – 19 September Czechia Prague Roger Brind 16 – 23 July Hungary Eger 8 – 15 August Hungary Domos Roger Brind & Phil Davies 25 June – 2 July Hungary Miskolc Roger Brind 13 - 21 August Italy Rome Steven Hamilton 22-29 October Ireland Enniscorthy Andrew Burt 16 – 24 July Norway Skien Gareth Armstrong 1 – 8 August Romania Talmaciu 8-15 July UK England Birmingham Stephen McQuoid 29 July – 5 August UK, England London Mark Davies & Peter Barker 22 July – 1 August UK, Scotland Greenock Steven Hamilton 2 – 6 July UK, N. Ireland Enniskillen Stephen Scott & Noel Kearney 13 – 19 August UK, N. Ireland Newcastle (Team training week) Sam & Andrea Gibson 3 – 8 July UK, Wales Royal Welsh Show Phil Davies 16 – 22 July UK, Wales Swansea Phil Davies 13 – 21 August

can see these encounters with God locally where we are, but there’s something inspiring about also seeing them elsewhere, and there’s something beautiful about God’s grace when He grants us to be part of them. This is what short-term mission teams (STMT) are about. And it re-energises us, it rebuilds our faith, our spiritual eyes, as we look to be part of what Jesus is doing back where we are.

We need to remember the big story: Jesus, the Wisdom of God, rejoiced in the creation of the whole world and delighted in the human race that would fill it (Proverbs 8:31). Because the act of reconciliation would not only be between human and God, but also between human and human in the whole world with God. The ultimate vision is the reconciliation of the whole global family from every tribe, tongue and nation with God, through the Lamb that was slain but is now glorified (Revelation 7:9).

God has woven right in the fabric of the gospel a thread of global reach. When we apply it to Christians, we find that movement is an automatic reaction. Our nine-month-old daughter Maria is now at the stage where she not only wants to, but actually can wriggle away and move and discover this new world. It’s obvious (and fun!) that she is made for movement. So it is with the church, which is better described as a movement than an institution. Short-term Mission Teams are an amazing opportunity to live it out.

Let me encourage you: go on one or – if you can’t - support somebody who can. Here are some of the benefits: they widen our view of the church; they challenge us to share our faith as a gospel community; they reinvigorate both travelling and local believers in their witness. Ultimately, it’s a gospel move: as we step out, we already practice our faith, because we’re seeing the world as God sees it, full of people who can know Jesus.

Cost £80 150 euros £80 £100 £80 £80 200 euros 80 euros £70 £100 £50 £80 £0 £70

GLO MISSION TEAMS 2022

£125 £70 £25

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BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

by Allan McKinnon

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here have been some exciting developments in the work of Tilsley College that we want you to know about.

In our buildup to a new academic year starting in mid-September 2022, we have been able to see considerable progress in key areas that we identified last year as being significant challenges.

ANOTHER BACCALAUREATE GRADUATE We are delighted that Matteo Garofano will complete his European Baccalaureate in June 2022. It has been a challenging year for Matteo, being the only student studying in our fulltime programmes, but he has applied himself well and successfully completed all the study requirements. We pray for Matteo’s future as he takes the next steps and launches into ministry as a Tilsley graduate.

STUDENT INTAKE FOR SEPTEMBER Looking ahead we are delighted with the uptake so far from students eager to study at Tilsley College.

At the time of writing, we have 12 students likely to be with us for residential training from September 2022. Some of these applicants will be coming from outside of the UK, so please pray for their visa applications to be successful. We are really pleased that some of these prospective students are returning to us after having had a taste of life at Tilsley in the ADVANCE and FirstServe programmes (see e-vision - Winter 2021/22). We still have room for more students, so please promote the College’s

“ Programme development may sound pretty routine to many, but we have been working hard with our staff team to imagine and deliver a menu of practical electives in the coming year”

work with people you think might benefit from being with us.

NEW PROGRAMME CONTENT Programme development may sound pretty routine to many, but we have been working hard with our staff team to imagine and deliver a menu of practical electives in the coming year which help our students to be trained to serve effectively in the contemporary world. Electives we hope to be offering from September will include options in audio and video production, drama and puppetry, music ministry and worship leading, painting and illustration, language exchange, radio ministry, hospitality and catering, and TEFL. We hope this broad range will allow students to explore and develop their own gifts and abilities.

STUDENT FEEDBACK It’s good to hear from some of our alumni when they reflect on the benefit and blessings of their time at Tilsley College. Diane said, ‘Tilsley training is a great opportunity to get to know the Bible well, and to get to know how to study it better.’ Ash told us, ‘Tilsley worked hard to educate me theologically, but every element prepared me for the ministry I now have in Yorkshire.’ Other students note the high value that Tilsley puts upon practical placements, saying, ‘The emphasis on placements and doing ministry outside of college helped me to identify some of my gifts and encouraged me to use and develop them.’ (Ruth).

COLLEGE PRESENCE We have been building our profile as a college in the wider Christian world. We have recently had opportunity to represent Tilsley at some of the Echoes International 150-year anniversary celebration events across the country. We have also had a presence at Word Alive in north Wales, Big Church Day Out in the south of England, and Magnitude, a Scripture Union event in central Scotland. Please pray that this work of making the ministry of the College known more widely will assist us in fulfilling our calling of ‘equipping God’s people for God’s work in God’s world.’

MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES As we anticipate having a full cohort of students enrolled with us for September 2022, the staff team at Tilsley are eager to keep building kingdom values and biblical wisdom into the lives of our students so that they may become ever more effective as disciples of Jesus. We are keen to map out for students a range of pathways that could help take them forward from their time at Tilsley.

Opportunities abound in Christian service locally and globally and GLO Europe is keen to help disciples of Jesus meet their calling to serve the Lord wherever he may call them.

BUILDING OUR STAFF TEAM We have also been building our staff team. We are pleased to introduce David Irvine as the new Pastoral Lead at Tilsley. David is a member of St Silas Church in Glasgow. Married to Rosie, he comes to the College with a long experience of offering pastoral support and discipleship guidance to young people across Scotland. David is completing his Master’s degree this year with Union School of Theology and will write his dissertation over the summer. Please pray for David as he settles into his new role.

BUILDINGS PROGRESS Finally, we are blessed to report that the building works in and around the College are nearing completion. We have been able to re-slate large sections of our roof over the College and attention to external walls and roughcast has given the place a facelift. We have also been able to complete eight new bedrooms with their ensuite bathrooms, provide a new kitchen/dining area for self-catering, and revamp the student lounge.

The building work will be fully complete, carpeted and furnished, for the start of the new academic year. Our thanks go to our Centre Manager, Charlie Deering, who has been our project manager, as well to the volunteers of Brass Tacks, and our contractors who have worked hard to bring the whole project together.

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“Please continue to pray for the spread of the church in these countries and for the training work that will both consolidate and prepare for future expansion”

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TRAINING IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

by Richard Harknett

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n October 2018, 72 delegates from 14 different countries gathered in Hungary for the first Central and Eastern Europe Consultation.

It was a positive experience for all those who attended and there was unanimous agreement that the event should be repeated in two years’ time, autumn 2020. Then the global pandemic struck. An autumn 2020 conference was pushed back to autumn 2021 and then spring 2022. But in March this year, it was finally possible to meet.

When planning for the second consultation began, the intention had been to centre attention on training in central and eastern Europe. By the time it was realistic to organise an event, focus had shifted to church growth post-pandemic.

Then Russia invaded Ukraine and the event took on a new sense of urgency. The five days in Romania proved hugely valuable for listening to delegates from the countries surrounding Ukraine and directly involved in the refugee crisis.

Nevertheless, it was also possible to engage in some important conversations regarding training.

Most encouraging was the development of the Kairos-Polska online programme. This had its origins in the 2018 consultation when Polish delegates were able to hear about the Kairos institute in Romania, who subsequently shared with them detail on their materials and structure.

Over 150 students signed up for the 2021-22 academic year, with over 70 set to continue into the second year. Most of the tutors are Polish, but the online format of the classes allows them to draw from further afield. The Philadelphia Trust have already been supporting the teaching programme and GLO will also do so in the future. Additionally, with the first year of classes all having been recorded, there is even greater flexibility moving

forwards. The Polish church are hopeful that this new initiative will see a new generation of church planters equipped to serve in Poland and, eventually beyond their borders.

Training in Romania is extremely well developed with the Kairos centre focusing on preparation for cross-cultural mission and the Timothy College now offering a four-year programme in biblical studies. Again, GLO and the Philadelphia Trust were able to look at ways in which support could be offered, either through teaching or mentoring. More informally, there are also a significant number of week-long or long-weekend events which take place throughout the year. We pray that the scale of the work taking place there acts as an inspiration to other countries following this consultation in the same way that it did to the church in Poland in 2018.

Aside from these positive reports of training work which is already taking place, there were also some valuable conversations aimed at identifying needs. For some, there is simply a requirement for churches to be more appreciative of the value of training. Others noted specific needs, such as teaching on biblical counselling or the training of youth leaders and children’s workers in their countries. Helpfully, one delegate was also able to share about an excellent training programme for those working with young people and fostering this kind of connection is one of the reasons for the consultation taking place.

In other situations, such as among the Hungarian-Romanian churches, the problem is the absence of places to study or good resources.

This is repeated in Czechia where one of the church leaders noted that there is no systematic

training programme aimed at the Brethren churches. Language was also an issue noted.

One of the Hungarian delegates commented that deeper study is much easier in the country for those who speak English. There are plenty of resources available and systematic training, which is being supported by GLO and Philadelphia Trust, is restarting later this year. Whilst this is positive, there remains a need for teaching in Hungarian which can impact all of the Brethren churches there.

The consultation alone cannot solve these problems, but the conversations and connections made can open up new pathways. GLO workers have both virtual and in-person invites to engage with church leaders in Czechia, to discuss training and give specific teaching on evangelism and church planting. Some of the Living Leadership material will be translated in Hungarian for use in the churches’ magazine. The annual HungarianRomanian elders’ conference will expand to include representatives from Hungarian speaking churches outside of Romania. The Philadelphia Trust will continue to engage in training work across central and eastern Europe.

Please continue to pray for the spread of the church in these countries and for the training work that will both consolidate and prepare for future expansion. The recent consultation showed encouraging growth and revealed needs.

Partnership across countries will continue to be one of the most effective ways of meeting these.

We plan to meet again in two years’ time, and trust that the spirit of cooperation that we experienced in Romania in March 2022 will have born fruit across that time.

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Europe

GLO BOOKSHOP

by Andrew Lacey

I

suppose I am not alone in telling you that I have found it difficult to watch TV news recently. The images from Ukraine fill me with horror. My eyes well up with tears at the sight of so much destruction and deep distress.

The chaos of refugees at border posts and train stations, the despairing children, the injured, the dispossessed, the oppressed and the oppressors.

Images that not only invade my home and encroach on my mind - but also deeply challenge my faith.

Where is God in all of this? Did He know?

And, if so, why didn’t He prevent the tanks from

“ Why are the defenceless suffering and the children dying? Where will it all end?”

rolling and the missiles from streaking across the sky? Why are the defenceless suffering and the children dying? Where will it all end? I’m sure that you, like me, have been drawn back to the Psalms and taken refuge in the cry of the psalmists for meaning, for salvation, for justice.

And, perhaps, for the very first time, I have really understood the uncomfortable ‘imprecatory’ psalms where the psalmist cries to God to act in fierce judgement.

As well as being personally drawn to the Psalms, I’ve had the privilege to help customers who are seeking to understand this latest evil to break out in our world. One helpful title I have been able to suggest is ‘Why? Looking at God, evil and personal suffering’ by Sharon Dirckx. This title was reviewed by Stephen McQuoid in one of his recent ‘Book Notes’* and he commented, “This book is an exploration of the issue of suffering and seeks to reassure the reader that God is love despite all the bad things that seem to happen in the world. It covers topics such as

the problem of evil, divine sovereignty, God’s care for the natural order and the presence of natural disasters…… she writes with an evangelistic heart which makes this a good book both to give to a Christian and to someone who is not. Well worth a read.”

In The GLO Bookshop, we are, of course, at a great distance from the difficult realities that our brothers and sisters face in Ukraine. We all know that we can intercede in prayer, even though that seems inadequate in face of all that we see. So let me recommend another book, this time ‘How to Pray – a Simple Guide for Normal People’ by Pete Greig. This book will encourage you to intercede for His people- and for all those suffering! It will also challenge you to turn back to Him in faith, to recognise that God is God and He is working His purposes out. In the meantime, difficult as it is, we are called to watch and pray - and, as He prompts us, and as we read in this issue of e-vision, to respond by Christ-centred and Spirit-led action.

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Europe

Walk with us on a journey of mission throughout 2022, as we celebrate God’s faithfulness and highlight new opportunities to serve.

Coming Up in 2022 l Touring exhibition and events throughout the UK, telling the story of mission over 150 years. l Footsteps Worth Following, a book featuring 150 photographs and stories from current and past mission partners.

l Children and young people’s resources, including a biography of Ruth Hadley. l Interactive timeline on our website. l Anniversary editions of our magazines and Daily Prayer Guide.

Learn more: www.echoesinternational.org.uk/150

WHY?: Looking at God, Evil & Personal Suffering Sharon Dirckx IVP Books UK 2021 Paperback ISBN 9781789743548 174 pages.

RRP £9.99 e-vision reader price £8.00

HOW TO PRAY: A Simple Guide for Normal People Pete Greig Hodder Faith 2019 Paperback ISBN 9781529374926 240 pages RRP £13.99 e-vision reader price £12.00 Companion book, ‘How to Pray: A Guide for Young Explorers’ (with CBBC presenter Gemma Hunt) just published!

You can order these books at the special prices from The GLO Bookshop – T -01698 275343 | E – books@globookshop.com | website – www.globookshop.com.

Use the discount code ‘evision’ to get the special price. Post & packing prices are as advertised.

Special offer available to 31/07/2022 *If you are interested in receiving emailed copies of Stephen’s ‘Book notes’, please contact Stephen and he will add your name to the circulation list.

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EXECUTIVE TEAM

Stephen McQuoid

Mark Davies

Sam Gibson

smcquoid@glo-europe.org

mdavies@glo-europe.org

sgibson@glo-europe.org

01698 263483

07503 953259

028 9447 9411

Admin Office admin@glo-europe.org

01698 263483 College Office college@glo-europe.org

01698 266776 Allan McKinnon

Ian Smith

GLO Bookshop

amckinnon@glo-europe.org

ismith@glo-europe.org

books@globookshop.com

01698 266776

01698 263483

01698 275343/ 263483

GLO MAIN COMMITTEE Rupert Abbott Stephen Cracknell James Davies Mark Davies Stephen Fairfield

Sam Gibson Karen Macrae Allan McKinnon Stephen McQuoid

Mike Packer Philippe Perrilliat Ian Smith Patrizio Zucchetto

GLO EUROPE VISION STATEMENT Our vision is to grow mission focused churches in Europe.

OUR FOCUS IS TO: EVANGELISE:

to proclaim the gospel to as many people as possible in Europe

e-vision-21-fall.indd 16

Tel 01698 263483 Fax 01698 253942 E-mail: admin@glo-europe.org Internet: www.glo-europe.org

Gospel Literature Outreach 78 Muir Street Motherwell ML1 1BN

using every method available

ESTABLISH: to ensure believers are established in their faith, strengthen existing local churches and plant new mission focused churches in Europe

TRAIN:

to prepare and equip people for mission, to evangelise and church plant and to serve God and his Kingdom with excellence in a wide variety of vocations

RESOURCE:

to provide resources that support mission activity through finance and literature, strategic input and pastoral care

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