Recasting the Vision

Recasting The Vision

Gospel Literature Outreach

GLO Europe

Stephen McQuoid

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The Vision of GLO Europe

“Without a Vision...”

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Stephen McQuoid

A Vision for France

A Vision for Italy

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Mike Packer & Philippe Perrilliat

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Patrizio Zucchetto

A Vision for A Vision for the Lost Training - GLO India Mark Davies

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Stories that Envision

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to promote mission interest. There is no subscription rate but readers are welcome to send gifts towards postage and production.

If you would like to contribute financially to the work of GLO this can be done directly using the bank details below or by contacting our Finance Director Ian Smith (ismith@glo-europe.org).

BANK OF SCOTLAND, 72 BRANDON PARADE, MOTHERWELL ML1 1UW ACCOUNT NAME – GLO TRUST SCOTLAND, SORT CODE – 800915 ACCOUNT NUMBER – 00400636

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A Vision for Leadership

Andrew Lacey

This magazine is published twice yearly to report on the work of GLO in Europe and around the world and

John Speirs

David Clarkson

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Leaving a lasting legacy M

any people have a concern about what the long term impact of their lives will be on others. As Christians this is a big issue because the Bible encourages us to live our lives in view of eternity. GLO,

along with many 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 pamphlet on the use of legacies and if you would like to have one then contact Stephen McQuoid (smcquoid@glo-europe.org)

GLO Europe

Without a Vision People Perish F

or those of you who are regular readers of GLO’s magazine we have produced this special edition which highlights the issue of vision. The lead article (pages 4& 5) tells the story of a process we have been going through in GLO Europe over the past few months where we have been trying to recast our vision. Thinking about vision does not mean that we forget what has gone on in the past so that we can do something new. Rather we celebrate the past and thank God for it, but also ask what it is that really motivates us. What do we have a passion for? What is GLO Europe all about and what do we want to do?

Having asked those questions we then began to think about how we could organise ourselves so that we could really focus our efforts on the ministry and think strategically so that we can be effective.

A great deal of time, energy and prayer has gone into this process but we feel it was time well spent.

Europe has enormous spiritual needs and we have a conviction that God can use the work of GLO to do something about those needs. Proverbs 29:18 says that ‘where there is no vision the people perish’. We believe that if, within the work of GLO, we do not have a vision to reach lost people with the gospel and support them in their new

found spiritual lives then the consequences will be significant. Our hope is that as you read this special edition you will sense our excitement about the future and you will share our desire to impact the continent of Europe for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

We have been doing some specific thinking about the countries where we are operating.

Ministry in Europe is tough and we need not only to work hard and pray lots, but also reflect on how we work and what our strategy and priorities should be. On pages 6 & 7 Mike Packer writes about the spiritual needs in France and Philippe Perrilliat has written an article about a new church planting project that he will be involved in. Patrizio Zucchetto also gives an insight into some of the needs in Italy and what GLO could do to address those needs.

Training has always been a key component of GLO’s strategy. In recent years Tilsley College has launched some new initiatives to help prepare people for Christian service. Mark Davies describes our vision for training on pages 10& 11and encourages us to think about the vital role training plays in the life of the church.

GLO Europe is just one part of the wider GLO family. We have colleagues serving in as diverse locations as Australia, Korea, Malaysia, Peru,

India, Zambia, the Philippians and Mongolia. In that sense GLO is a global movement. Those of us who serve in Europe want to be supportive of our colleagues around the world, especially those who are based in the Developing World because they greatly lack the necessary resources for their ministries. On page 12 we have a report of the GLO work in India and also some information on how you can give practically to help GLO projects in the Developing World.

We have a book shop and a coffee shop in our Motherwell Centre and have been involved in offering resources to churches and Christians. On page 14 David Clarkson tells the story of Learning to Lead, a leadership training resource that we have been using for the past 20 years. In its latest manifestation it comes in the form of a stand-alone book which can also be used as a text book for a leadership course which is available on CD-ROM. There will be details as to how you can get hold of this useful resource.

We hope that you will enjoy this special edition and that you too will catch a vision for Europe.

Please pray for us as we seek to extend God’s Kingdom. We would also value you support and involvement as well as your prayers.

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GLO Europe

A Vision for GLO Europe

By Stephen McQuoid

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ny organisation that has been running for the greater part of 40 years needs from time to time to assess what it is doing and where it is going. This is exactly the place that GLO Europe found itself in a couple of years ago. This necessitated a proactive attempt to recast our vision and state it in a fresh and clear way.

We began the process, not by looking for some catchy strapline, but by asking ourselves what we really believe in. Vision must come from the heart if we are to commit our lives to it. As we reflected on this it became clear that there were several things that we had been doing throughout our history that we still felt a deep conviction about and that these things were at the very centre of our vision. They can be summarised by using a number of key words, the first of which is the word evangelise.

GLO Europe

Mission Statement “ We exist to grow mission focused churches by mobilising, training and resourcing Christians to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Europe. As a key part of this process we endeavour to work with existing churches and help to establish new church-planting churches using a team ethos and in partnership with national structures that share our ecclesiology and values.”

GLO exists to evangelise people who do not know Jesus personally. As an organisation we have a deep commitment to evangelism and to sharing the good news about Jesus to everyone. We have always been and continue to be unapologetic about this because we believe that the gospel is the only hope for humankind. If you believe that the world is truly lost, that individual men and women are alienated from God because of their behaviour and if you believe that the death of Christ is the only remedy, then evangelism is an imperative.

A huge responsibility rests on the shoulders of every Christian to be a witness for Christ. It is this recognition that drives us in GLO to be evangelists, taking the gospel to people wherever they are.

Evangelism in Europe today demands creativity and flexibility. Such is the diversity of people it will require a range of methods in order to be effective.

Like Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:22, our goal is to use every possible method so that we can reach people with the gospel. We will use direct proclamation, literature, a variety of media, the arts, social action and anything else that will enable us to convey the message.

Implicit in our evangelism strategy is the use of both long term residential teams and also short term mission teams. Both are essential and work together to accomplish our goals. Long term missionaries are able to learn language, imbibe the culture, establish strong relationships and disciple people who come to faith in Christ. Short term teams can distribute huge volumes of literature, participate in a variety of evangelistic events, encourage missionaries and national Christians alike, and encourage prayer for the work of mission.

A second word that defines our vision is the word establish. It is not enough that people hear about Jesus and put their faith in him. There is a need for new Christians to grow in their faith and to become vibrant witnesses so that they can also engage in Christian service. The best environment for this to happen is in the local church. The church is at the heart of God’s plan for the world and therefore local churches are at the heart of GLO’s vision also. Our desire is to encourage the growth of churches so that they become dynamic communities of faith where Christians are taught, discipled and encouraged. We remember that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Eph.5:25).

Church planting is one of the most effective ways of doing evangelism and it is needed all over Europe.

In most situations we will plant churches using a

GLO’s Strapline “Growing mission-focused churches in Europe.”

GLO resident team but are a willing to partner with other organisations, local churches or individuals to achieve a church plant in a particular area.

When it comes to encouraging and helping existing churches our desire is always to make them more effective in their witness. However we recognise that there needs to be willingness on the part of the church and its leadership to be biblically literate, culturally relevant and outward looking because these are the components that enable churches to grow.

All of that brings us to the third word which articulates our vision, the word train. We live in an ever changing world where churches have to declare truth to a post-Christian culture. Our culture is saturated with a range of worldviews and competing voices and if we are to make an impact we need to be able to articulate the gospel in a relevant and understandable way. Many churches have not been able to do this and have struggled to make an impact.

What is more, many aspects of mission activity such as church planting, social action and cross cultural communication and this require training.

GLO is committed to training - we want to see a new generation of church leaders rise to the challenges faced by their churches and lead with confidence and a sense of reliance on God. We also want to thoroughly prepare potential missionaries so that when they get to their fields of service they will embark on effective ministries that will make a profound impact in a fallen world. Jesus himself dedicated the bulk of his public ministry to training his team of raw but dedicated disciples and we wish to follow in his footsteps so that those we train will achieve their potential as servants of Jesus Christ.

The training wing of GLO is Tilsley College which provides short and longer term residential courses as well as ministry based apprenticeships. We also do extension training in the UK and Europe and produce training resources as well as on-going professional development.

A fourth word that describes our vision is the word resource. Serving God is never easy and we want to give our own missionaries and the churches that we work with all the help we can.

One of the ways in which we do this is to provide a variety of resources which will help individuals and churches to be more effective. We provide a range of literature from tracts to books and also media.

We are involved in mentoring church leaders, helping churches with their strategy and facilitating networking between churches and Christian workers. We support our own missionaries by providing finance for their ministries, offering pastoral care and some strategic input.

One last word that sums up our vision is the word Europe. GLO is a global organisation with a significant presence in countries such as Peru, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Korea and India. We have a heart for the whole world. However GLO Europe does have a particular burden and passion for Europe. We feel this burden because of the immense need that we see. Europe is spiritually one of the neediest places in the world. Indeed there are 10 times more evangelical Christians in Africa than there are in Europe. Not only does Europe have comparatively few Christians but it is one of the most difficult places to do evangelism. Our desire is to rise to the challenge of reaching Europeans with the gospel.

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GLO Europe

A Vision for France

by Mike Packer

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rance is one of the world’s wealthiest nations and is currently ranked fifth largest and wealthiest economy in the world. The World Health Organisation recently classed France as having the world’s best health system. The economy is supported by France’s nuclear energy sector, which accounts for 78% of the French electricity supply. The agricultural sector of the economy is the largest in the European Union, with regions in France exporting different products internationally. Northern France is renowned for its wheat farms, with dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production in the west of France. Fruits, vegetables, meat and wine are produced and exported all over the world.

But where is France spiritually? What has been achieved and what can be done for the Lord in the UK’s nearest neighbour?

Statistics published in the Depeche magazine in February of this year show that 69% of French

people have some religious belief, 1 in 3 people believe in God but only a very small percentage practice their religion. In another magazine La Vie, 64% feel close to Catholicism, 2.1% to Protestantism, 3% to Islam and 0.6% to Judaism.

However the picture of the evangelical world in France is encouraging. Since 1970 more than 1500 local churches of all denominations have been started and in 2013 they number about 2350. A great deal of work has been done to see new churches planted but as you look at the different counties all over France there is a great difference in the number of churches per head of population. In a largely Catholic country it is estimated that there are about 1,700 000 Protestants of which 460,000 are evangelicals. Over the last half century there has been a substantial growth in the number of evangelical Christians as in 1950 they numbered only about 50 000. (Source CNEF D Liechti).

GLO France is an integral part of the CAEF movement (French Brethren churches) and CAEF

The next few years will see a real impetus in training 25-35 year olds, early retirees and students to be involved in church planting

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are committed to seeing new churches planted throughout France. GLO is committed to partnering with CAEF to see this vision fulfilled. The next few years will see a real impetus in training 25-35 year olds, early retirees and students to be involved in church planting. Different methods and means are being looked at to adapt the church planting strategy to the region targeted. After consultation and much prayer new projects are now on the horizon (see article by Philippe Perrilliat). The desire to see the gospel preached and accepted and new churches started throughout the land of France is ever present. Pray with us that French people may hear and respond to the good news of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

GLO Europe

A Vision for Aix

by Philippe Perrilliat

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n January of 2001 a group of leaders from all the evangelical denominations in France formed a national council (Counseil National des Evangeliques de France) to represent evangelical churches to the government and also think about how to address the spiritual needs of France. Once formed CNEF decided that the main spiritual needs in France were church planting and training. Less than 1% of the French population are evangelical Christians so the challenge is immense.

The first target agreed by CNEF was that there should be one evangelical church for every 10,000 people in France. At this point a new vision was born, the vision of 1 for 10,000. The CAEF family of churches with whom we work were also part of those meetings and they took this vision to heart. Initially no concrete action was taken and the majority of church planting initiatives were all coming from mission societies sending workers from abroad.

This was, and still is, a huge help and we in France have to be thankful for many the churches that have been planted by foreign missionaries. However a national strategy was still needed.

In the 1980’s, several resident GLO teams were sent to France with the vision of church planting.

One of the locations was Marseille where a team in which both my wife and I worked, did a church plant in the Eastern part of the city. Today our church ‘Le Cep’ (The Vine) is testament to that work. Having

been involved in church planting for the last 22 Aix also has a large university with 35,000 students. years, we felt it was right to begin a new phase in Brad has for many years been involved in student our ministry. evangelism and we felt that this new ministry Using a model that was envisaged by the could also focus on student work. Finding facilities national council we thought we could launch into to do church planting, training and also student a new church planting project in the town of Aix ministries is not easy in such an expensive city. en Provence, half an hour north of Marseille with The challenge is great but we must have courage to a population of 140,000. As we reflected on this move forward with much prayer. possibility we received a ‘phone call from Brad Aix is a strategic place. It is not far from Dickson who along with his wife Catherine had Marseille with a population of 1,000,000 or towns participated in several church planting projects in like Salon, Cavaillon, Avignon, Manosque and Grenoble. They were open to joining us in his new Toulon. The work in Aix could therefore be at the initiative. Brad and I had been working for the last heart of a regional strategy for church planting. In eight years among young adults in Bible camps and nearby Manosque there is also the possibility of we both teach at the Bible School in Geneva so we developing an international church as there are know each other well. Given our experience we felt plans to build a huge research centre for the nuclear we could not only do church planting, but also be energy industry staffed by scientists and engineers involved in training church planters. The church from around the world. This is a truly exciting plant would essentially be a church planting hub vision and I ask you to pray for us so that it can where students work with us for two years and then become a reality. go on to plant other churches in the vicinity. All of this would be done, not only in association with GLO but also with CAEF and the national council.

Brad and Catherine have been living in Grenoble for the Finding facilities to do church planting, last 20 years but now plan to move to Aix en Provence in training and also student ministries is not September 2013 and Marie and easy in such an expensive city.

I will follow in September 2014.

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GLO Europe

A Vision for Italy

by Patrizio Zucchetto

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he phrase that has been used more often than not in Italy by journalists, politicians, business men, social workers and people on the street is ‘to have a sense of civic responsibility’. I believe that when we speak of a missionary vision and GLO’s vision for Italy we need to ask ‘what is our responsibility?’

Many today have lost their faith and hope, partly due to the current economic crisis. People are encouraged to take responsibility on a national level, but what about on a spiritual level? As Christians we need to take spiritual responsibility and proclaim the gospel with coherence.

Italy’s 58 million people are divided into 20 regions, each one with many cities, towns and villages without an evangelical witness. It is estimated that there are still around 8100 communities that have not been reached with the gospel, and less than 1% of the population is born again. Like many European countries Italy has a growing international community, primarily from Albania, Africa, China, the Philippines, South America, and Arab countries, bringing with them their culture and religion. Jesus had compassion on the crowd (Matthew 9:36-38) and felt a sense of responsibility for their spiritual lives – this is our calling too.

Jesus exhorts us to pray because the work is great and the laborers are few. This is certainly true for Italy and the vision for mission must start on our knees otherwise it just becomes activism.

The Italian church also needs to invest in mission and in particular it needs to invest in the younger generation so that they can be ready to present the gospel to their peers. As Italian church leaders we need to have a ‘sense of responsibility’ as to how we are to train the new generation so that they are able to give an answer ‘to the hope they have within them’.

In the region of ‘Puglia’ the local churches have a vision to reach out to all the towns and villages

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in each region by 2020 and to plant new churches.

GLO also has the vision to motivate young people into mission and to help churches with evangelism.

I believe we could play our part in the regions where GLO is involved. Then once a work is established in one region we could move on into another one. An example of this is the region of Campania where we have had a resident GLO work for many years. The original focus was in the city of Naples, the largest in the region, but three years ago we began working in an area called Irpinia to the east of Naples with 429,000 inhabitants spread among many towns and villages, but only 21 small evangelical churches.

Regularly we organize ‘days of mission’ when we take a team from our church in Fuorigrotta, Naples to the Irpinia area to spend the day sharing the gospel. We preach in the streets, give out gospels of John, and also have a book table in a local market. It is slow and tiring work but in the long-term we will reap a harvest for eternity.

Part of our vision is to motivate and mobilize young people so that they see mission as a priority.

We want to train them to be effective witnesses and our desire is that they will be willing to move to a new area, find a job, get involved in the community, live out the gospel in daily life, share the good news and plant churches.

The vision for Italy is also to assist the work that can be done through universities. In this context you find young Italians full of ideas and formulating their thinking at this key stage in their life. If we

can reach these young people with the gospel they will have a positive influence on society both now and in the future.

We would like to be involved in universities, either directly or in partnership with other organizations such as IFES (in Italian this is called Gruppi Biblici Universitari). In the future we would hope to see a work established in the larger cities of our region such as Salerno and Avellino. At camps, conferences, weekends and special events we encourage young people to be equipped in their local church, to be theologically informed and to use the training opportunities that are available in Italy for example the theological faculty in Naples (IBC Italia) which I am part of. In this part of the work we present studies, evenings to go deeper into the Word and conferences with the aim to prepare people capable of defending their faith.

GLO short term teams are part of our strategy when people from across Europe join with Italian Christians to do evangelism here in Italy. We need people who are willing to sacrifice their holidays, finance and dedicate time and energy to a week of evangelism contributing to the mission in Italy.

In Jonathan Lamb’s book “Leading with God Watching” he states that ‘our vision of God determines the way we live.’ I believe that if we have a vision of a big God, if we will make a commitment to proclaim the cross, then our lifestyle will be influenced by our sense of responsibility for a country like Italy.

It is estimated that there are still around 8100 communities that have not been reached with the gospel, and less than 1% of the population is born again.

GLO Europe

Part of our vision is to motivate and mobilize young people so that they see mission as a priority.

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GLO Europe

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he paradigm that has most characterised training in our churches is that of ‘Paul and Timothy’ or ‘Moses and Joshua’, the older man taking the younger under his wing in an informal training relationship. When done intentionally it has produced successive generations of church workers and missionaries, and this has not necessitated the student going away for residential studies in some distant college. A quick reality check for the nostalgists among us - when did that last happen, effectively, in your local church? What percentage of the last generation was actually trained the Paul and Timothy way? Are we training at all?

A vision for training starts with the recognition that good Christian workers don’t grow on trees but are the product of deliberate processes of preparation – whether through personal selfdiscipline alone or participation in some systematic training regime. At Tilsley College we have this passion, and along with others in a national training network (see www.nable.info ) are committed to ensuring by God’s grace that we will have leaders to take the church forward. Like most things in the real world, there isn’t just one way, but a range of pathways that we need to have mapped out:

Local and regional training hubs It is probably true, that an average local church with 50 or less in fellowship will not have the necessary personnel skilled in training and mentoring others - perhaps in one or two areas of ministry like children’s work or preaching, but not the full range needed for a healthy local

A Vision for Training church. However within maybe 20 miles or so there will be a number of other local churches.

Planning and working together will make it possible to ensure that a range of children’s workers, youth leaders, pastoral carers, preachers and teachers can be trained using the skills existing in the area. Training schemes like the Joshua Project can provide teaching materials that can be used by local teachers and trainers.

Specialist training workshops Historically our churches were fed with regular teaching through the system of annual teaching conferences and winter Saturday night meetings.

In GLO we have run Mini-Bible Schools for many years as one way of contributing to a level of teaching that isn’t easy to do in regular Sunday services. These could be run at any location around the UK. David Clarkson and Stephen McQuoid have recently revised the “Learning to Lead” course, producing a book and a CD resource that any group of leaders/teachers could use to enhance in-church training of leaders.

Residential Training Courses These provide the opportunity for those who can take time away from studies or career to have some uninterrupted time in God’s Word. It allows them to grasp important aspects of theology, develop skill-sets in biblical interpretation that can then be utilised for a lifetime of personal Bible study, sermon preparation or applying Scripture to problems in 21st century daily life. The benefit of being residential should not be underplayed, because living in a close-knit community can

It allows them to grasp important aspects of theology, develop skillsets in biblical interpretation that can then be utilised for a lifetime of personal Bible study

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by Mark Davies

significantly accelerate personal growth. Our oneyear ‘Training for Service’ course has had a huge impact on many people and has been a key resource for training leaders, full-time Christian workers, and missionaries who have served God around the world. It is also possible to come for shorter periods, ranging from one week upwards, as well as the ‘Stepping Out’ apprenticeship scheme which includes six weeks of classroom teaching based at Tilsley College. These are great opportunities for teachers, the “trainer of trainers” and other church leaders to hone their skills.

Training is an unending task, especially with the degree of mobility in present day church membership. No sooner has one gap been plugged in a leadership team, than another appears. There is always a temptation to look for outsiders to come in and solve our problems. Often however, we ignore people that God has already given us and if we avail ourselves of all the training that is on offer they can be nurtured and developed for service.

Over the years GLO has not only made a significant contribution to training in the UK, but also worldwide. Tilsley College was designed to serve the needs of Europe, but we also have sister colleges in Australia, New Zealand, S Korea, Zambia and more recently in Peru. GLO is partnering with the Bible Institute in Geneva (www.ibg.cc) which serves the needs of the French-speaking world, and Philippe Perrilliat, the president of GLO France is on the Board at Geneva and teaches there.

We believe that training is key to the future of any church, and so part of our role in Europe is to help stimulate and support indigenous training systems. Increasingly this is through forming active partnership with groups serving in those countries such as with Kairos in Romania and with the Philadelphia Trust in Hungary. We would value your prayers for these developments and for key people with a passion and skills in biblical training to join together with us in fulfilling this vision.

GLO Europe

‘Training for Service’ Places are still available for this course commencing in September 2013

2013/14

This one year full-time course combines a biblically based study programme with hands on practical experience. If you would like to:

●◉n Grow in your faith & get to know your Bible better

n Engage in a disciplined study of theology

n Gain a deeper understanding of God’s Mission in the world

n ✪Reflect on religious and philosophical challenges to the gospel

n Experience Christian work first hand & develop ministry skills … then give us a call. It could be the most valuable year of your life!

Part-time, part-year or weekly study periods are also an available option.

Contact: Mark Davies 01698 266776 www.tilsleycollege.com

e-mail: info@tilseycollege.com

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GLO Europe

India: A Vision for the Lost

John & Sundari Pandi

by John Speirs

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ne of the areas of the world that presents a tremendous challenge to the church is the land of India. This great nation has 1.2 billion people: 74% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 1.8% Sikh and 5.8% Christian.

In 1966, the work of GLO began with the vision that Colin Tilsley had to take the gospel to large cities of the world and use literature as a tool. In that same year, a team of ten Australian GLO workers arrived in what was then the city of Madras, now known as Chennai. Today, Chennai has a population of 7.5 million people. For two years, the team distributed Christian literature in this vast city and established an on-going literature ministry using Emmaus courses to follow up those who had expressed an interest in salvation. The work of GLO

in India was led initially by Victor Sunderaj, then Gabriel Devanessan and for the past 35 years by John Pandi. From the beginning, and over all these years, GLO Australia has supported the work in India.

It would be impossible to calculate how many millions of pieces of literature have been distributed over the years. Since 1995, John Pandi has coordinated literature distribution days with believers from approximately 40 churches in Chennai. These distribution days have taken place twice a year on Christmas Day and Good Friday. On these special days, 250–300 believers gather to work together targeting a section of the city and visiting from home to home. This year 16,000 packages of literature were delivered on Good Friday. From this distribution 270 responses were received requesting Emmaus courses. These replies are followed up with Emmaus courses being sent, personal visits being made and in many cases result in people subsequently coming It would be impossible to calculate how to faith in Christ. There is still a many millions of pieces of literature have hunger in the hearts of the people of India to receive literature and to been distributed over the years. read the story of the gospel. Over

Good Friday Outreach

the years, approximately 8,000 Emmaus courses annually are sent out. In India, the fields truly are “white already to harvest” (John 4:35) and it is thrilling to see such a response.

GLO India is indebted to different organisations that have supplied literature. Not only Emmaus but Every Home Crusade in Belfast has given extremely generous supplies of literature which have been of great value in spreading the gospel.

John Pandi has a passionate vision for mission and each year in April/May he organises a small School of Mission for young people. This year 24 students met in Vepery Gospel Hall, Chennai for teaching in biblical studies and training in outreach.

I had the privilege of spending a day with these students and Michael Taylor of GLO Australia also gave considerable time to Bible teaching.

On my recent visit to India, I shared with John Pandi reflections of my first visit in 1977 when I was personally challenged and burdened by the great need in India. I deeply admire the commitment of John & Sundari Pandi serving God faithfully with GLO down through these many years. They are indeed deserving of our prayerful and practical support.

School of Mission Students

GLO is involved in the Developing World doing training, evangelism and church planting.

This includes countries such as India, Madagascar, Peru and Zambia. We have set up an International Fund to enable people to support specific projects and key people in these locations. If you would like to give to our International Fund please contact Stephen McQuoid (smcquoid@glo-europe.org)

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GLO Europe

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any a morning have I stood on the porch of my house, and looking northward, have seen the smoke arise from villages that have never heard of Jesus Christ. I have seen, at different times, the smoke of a thousand villages - villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world.’ Listening to these words of Robert Moffat, missionary pioneer to Africa, was a medical student. That young man left the meeting, struck by the vision of an Africa without Christ, and determined to use his skills as a doctor to bring good news and hope to those thousands of villages. Empowered by this vision, and with clear and remarkable resolve, Dr David Livingstone would work for some forty three years. His contribution to missionary work and exploration would finally be acknowledged by a resting place in Westminster Abbey.

2013 is the bi-centenary of Livingstone’s birth, and we have joined the celebrations at the GLO Bookshop with special displays and various resources available on his life and legacy. His

birthplace is just a few miles down the road from the GLO Centre. The little tenement flat in Blantyre where he was born, and from where he went out to work in the local mill as a ten year old, can still be visited. Each year, Tilsley College students visit the David Livingstone Centre to learn about this great man of God, and crucially, to be touched and fired by that same vision. We recognise that ‘vision’ does not arise in a vacuum – God uses the words of others to enlighten, challenge, encourage and to send.

David Brainerd was a missionary to the Native Americans in the 1740’s. He died at the age of 29.

His ‘Journals’ inspired the missionary endeavours of Henry Martyn, William Carey, Adoniram Judson and Jim Elliot among others. Livingstone’s ‘Missionary Travels in South Africa’ were likewise instrumental in sending many others to the mission field. The story of their endeavours still encourages others to bring that same vision into existence. Importantly, the biographies of Brainerd and Livingstone reminds us that realising vision takes hard work, persistence, determination and personal sacrifice – even ‘unto death’.

John Piper comments, ‘Biographies have served

as much as any other human force in my life to overcome the inertia of mediocrity. Without them, I tend to forget what joy there is in relentless labour and aspiration.’ The Biography sections of our Bookshop are full of exciting, inspiring and challenging stories, in traditional book format, on DVD and audiobook, and also on e-Book through our partnership with HIVE. Visit us online, or call into the store, have a browse and use some of these books to help re-ignite your vision for service and sacrifice. Who knows where that vision, with the help and power of the Risen Lord, might take you in the years ahead?

Stories that Envision

by Andrew Lacey

Bookshop Specials Dr David Livingstone Missionary Explorer to Africa DVD Normally £9.99 Only £8.00 UK post & packing free

Heroes of the Faith – David Livingstone Explorer and Missionary PB Normally £3.99 Only £3.00 UK post & packing free

Please also contact us for information about the ‘Tales of Truth’ PowerPoint presentations on various missionary figures.

Bookshop Contact details Tel: 01698 275343 / 252699 E: books@glo-europe.org

Please quote ‘GLO Magazine Special Prices’ when ordering.

Special prices valid to 31st August 2013. Overseas post & packing co

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GLO Europe

Journey to Next Generation… and beyond

by David Clarkson

M

y third promotion in teaching brought me into the senior management team of a large comprehensive school. None of us had received training for these positions as the idea of management training was quite novel in the early 1970’s. If this was true in education it was even more so in the church.

My interest in leadership training was stirred so that, when I came into full-time Christian service, I had a vision of helping to train leaders for the local church. We began by establishing an Elders’ Forum which met two or three times a year in the GLO Centre, providing one-off seminars on relevant topics. These were well received but we needed to be more systematic in the range of leadership issues explored. It was at this point that the first version of the Learning to Lead course was produced, a course that taught leadership principles to emerging leaders. The material was delivered mostly in Motherwell, but later in various parts of the UK and abroad. Over a period of time there were several major revisions of the course.

more wrong. The church was vibrant with many young people present. At the end of the service I asked one of the elders what had turned the church around. His response took me totally by surprise.

Several of the elders had taken the Learning to Lead course a few years earlier resulting in them recognising that they needed to take drastic action or else the church would die. They came to believe that God had a plan for the church and they committed themselves to taking that plan forward.

This was hugely encouraging for me.

The next major phase in the development was to establish a much stronger link between Tilsley College, the local church and potential leaders.

College staff would teach the principles of biblical leadership, church elders would identify potential leaders and provide them with opportunities to apply the principles in a local context under the supervision of a mentor. Our aim was not to produce people who possess only knowledge about leadership but people who have developed the skills and attitudes of Servant leadership.

This is where Learning to Lead Next Generation comes in. It is a training resource comprising of a stand-alone book which can also be used as a textbook for a course on leadership which is available on CD-ROM. It Our aim was not to produce people who is an easy-to-use guide for busy possess only knowledge about leadership leaders and potential leaders.

Existing leaders can take it “offbut people who have developed the skills the-shelf” and begin to train a new generation of leaders. Leadership and attributes of Servant leadership. teams can also use the material to self-teach. It seeks to encourage On one occasion when delivering the course in the pursuit of excellence and prepare leaders to face the Far East someone said to me, ‘I know the person the challenges of an ever changing world. you based that case study on’. I knew this was not And what of the future? Our vision is to network possible, but it struck me that maybe the problems with others to develop training materials and have of leadership are the same the world over. This a web-based leadership training forum where encouraged me to think that the material might students can to interact with each other and with have wider significance. experienced teachers.

We had been using Learning to Lead for a It has been a wonderful journey. I don’t think we number of years when I accepted an invitation to have yet arrived at our final destination. I think we preach at a church which I thought was in decline. can still do it better.

On arrival I discovered that I could not have been

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PRICES Single book

£6.99

Single CD-ROM

Pack of 5 books

£4.99 £30

Pack of 10 books £50 (First CD-ROM comes FREE)

Extra CD-ROMs £3 (when ordered with pack)

Post & Packing within UK £1.00 for each single book or CD-ROM £5.00 for five pack (includes all CD-ROMs) FREE for ten pack and above Payment will be invoiced to you when books are despatched. Please allow 3-5 working days for delivery to UK addresses.

Order from GLO Bookshop Tel: 01698 275343 / 252699 E: books@glo-europe.org

GLO Europe

O

ver the years GLO has partnered with a number of Christian organisations, one of which is Counties. This article is about two important resources that Counties use to reach people with the gospel.

The Life Exhibition from Counties is an exciting multi-media experience using interactive tablets, graphic panels, films and songs to teach primary school children about the story of Jesus. Since its launch in 2006, more than 60,000 primary school children and 12,500 adults across the country have visited the exhibition where they are guided through the story of Jesus - his birth, teachings, miracles, death and resurrection. The exhibition is split into four zones, each taking a different theme and finishing up in the Life Café where they relax with a drink and snack and take part in an interactive quiz which helps them reflect on their experience of visiting the Life exhibition.

The exhibition is usually funded and run by a group of local churches in a central building in a town or city. It is then offered as a free resource to schools in the local area. The Life Exhibition helps churches to build links with local schools and communities as well as strengthen relationships with other churches as they work together. It also covers a part of the RE syllabus, making it a popular choice for teachers. The children thrive at the exhibition. One 11-year-old, from Neath stated, ‘It was such fun! I didn’t know a lot about Jesus but now I know quite a bit. I loved the tablets – it made the whole experience fun and different!’

A second exhibition run by Counties is ‘GSUS Live’ which is a mobile classroom that visits secondary schools across the UK providing lessons on important issues such as fear, forgiveness and rejection and helps pupils discover how Jesus is relevant to their lives today. Since it was launched

in September 2000, more than 365,000 students have visited GSUS Live.

The GSUS Live classroom is kitted out with a multi-media computer suite complete with motorised touch screen computers which rise out of tables. Just like the Life Exhibition, the GSUS Live Exhibition is run by church volunteers. One such volunteer who helped to man the exhibition said, ‘The opportunity to be involved in local mission with such a fantastic programme was awesome.

The children were amazed at the technology and it was great to show them Christianity is not boring but very much relevant today.’ Churches have also found that hosting GSUS Live strengthens their links with the local schools.

Since it was launched in September 2000, more than 60,000 primary school children and 12,500 adults have visited the exhibition More information on GSUS Live is available at gsuslive.co.uk and information of the Life Exhibition can be found at lifeexpo.co.uk

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Contact Details

GLO Mission Teams 2013

Stephen McQuoid (General Director) smcquoid@glo-europe.org 01698 267298

Places are still available on the following teams:

Mark Davies (Training Director) mdavies@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

Jesenik Sázava

29th June - 7th July 27th July - 3rd August

Sam Gibson (Missions Director) samgibson1980@btinternet.com 02890 777404

Copenhagen

11th – 19th August

Enniscorthy

3rd - 17th August

Talmaciu

4th - 15th July

Ian Smith (Finance Director) ismith@glo-europe.org 01698 263483 Admin office admin@glo-europe.org 01698 263483 College Office college@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

LOCATION DATES CZECH REPUBLIC

DENMARK REPUBLIC OF IRELAND ROMANIA UK

Newcastle, England 30th Aug - 8th Sept Renfrew, Scotland 27th July - 3rd August

For further details contact Allison: t: 01698 263483 e: admin@glo-europe.org w: www.glo-europe.org

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

GLO Bookshop books@glo-europe.org 01698 275343/ 252699

Stepping into Life!

Shaping values, making choices Entering college, university or the workplace for the first time?

Wondering what it means to be a Christian in these places today?

Stepping into Life is a residential study week at Tilsley College for 18-25 year olds. This engaging week will give the opportunity to prepare for life’s big moves and challenges in an interactive and relevant way.

The cost of the week is £150 which includes teaching materials, accommodation and meals.

Come and join us from Sunday 18th August (afternoon) until Saturday 24th August (afternoon) 2013.

Stepping into Life is a new venture jointly organised

by Tilsley College (GLO) and Interlink. For further details contact: Tilsley College Interlink info@tilsleycollege.com office@interlink.org.uk 01698 266776 0141 332 3040