Example Given
No. 40 Nov 2015
’Tis the season to be...
a messenger of the gospel? Mark Greene looks at the wonder of Christmas and the joy of the message we are privileged to bring. 8 stories of sharing faith even when it goes wrong. The Servant Queen – a little-known fact about our well-known monarch.
PEOPLE In the UK, there are about 63 million of them. Around 59 million of them don’t know Jesus. But most of them know someone who does.
in this
…
p4
Wondering about Christmas
p6
Stories of sharing faith – the good, the bad and the ugly
p9
Being a messenger of the gospel
Rediscover the joy of the message we’re privileged to bring
8 real-life evangelism experiences and their decidedly mixed results
Some seasonal suggestions of helpful articles, videos and prompts for prayer
p10
The Servant Queen
p12
Resources, reviews and recommendations
p14
A look at the year
A well-known monarch who’s a little-known whole-life disciple
Some things to give away, to keep, to read and to watch
LICC’s highlights from the year just gone and a sneak preview of what’s ahead
About the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity The vast majority of Christians (around 98%) spend the vast majority of their waking time (around 95%) in non-church related activities. So just imagine what the impact might be on our neighbourhoods, on our schools and clubs and workplaces, on our whole nation if all of us were really able to help one another to make a difference for Christ right where we are, out on our daily frontlines? That’s LICC’s focus: empowering Christians to make a difference in God’s world, and envisioning and equipping church leaders to help them do it.
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Discover Christmas Wondering about
a richer way of working
“Christmas is coming,” someone says. Too often it feels like a threat, as if we’re being warned about a Martian invasion, or a 14-wheel truck hurtling towards us, or, heaven forfend, another reality TV programme about cooking – The Eggs Factor, Celebrity Cereals or maybe Britain’s Got Tortillas. Oh, all those gifts to be bought and wrapped and hidden, all those cards to be written and posted, all that work to get done before the break, all those clients to entertain, family gatherings to negotiate, parties to attend, nativity plays to watch, ginger bread houses to make, stockings to fill, decorations to find and hang... And of course there are all those opportunities to invite our friends/family/colleagues/hairdresser/mechanic/ postwoman to carol services or midnight masses or just a friendly glass of mulled wine around the tree – now where did I put the lights? There are all those opportunities to find a card with an image and a verse and a message on it that the Spirit can use to break through all the clutter and busyness that besets us all and write the truth about Christ on a heart so far hardened to its Saviour...
But Christmas was made for man, not man for Christmas. And so we pause, breathe in, and remember that it’s Jesus’ birthday we celebrate, Jesus’ return we anticipate and Jesus’ gospel of salvation – not by works but by grace and faith alone – that we gratefully rejoice in. eg 40 | page 4
It can be a wonder-filled season. Because it is after all the season where we celebrate the mystery that is the beating heart of all that Christians believe. It is a mystery that is simple to state but cannot really be comprehended by our finite human minds. This baby whom the angels announce, the magi worship, the shepherds rush to see, whom Anna celebrates, is not just a special child with a special future. This is not just the baby who will become an anointed king in the line of David. No, this baby in the feeding trough with his village mother and carpenter father, this baby is... God. He is already God, in the manger, thirty years before he stills the storm, walks on water, feeds the five thousand, or raises the dead. This baby, before he can speak, before he can walk, before he can even feed himself never mind five thousand people, this baby is God. Yet none of the people who see him in the manger or in the temple know that or see that. This baby is not differentiated from other babies by wings or flaming eyes or fluency in Aramaic at birth. No one, not mother nor father nor magi nor shepherds, looks at this baby and says, “He is God.”
But God he was – in the flesh. Matthew, however, doesn’t begin his Gospel with this gargantuan revelation but rather with Jesus’ very human genealogy. Similarly Luke, for all the miracles recorded and prophetic words spoken, doesn’t assert Jesus’ deity in the birth narratives. Mark too waits, though he opens up the possibility as early as chapter 2 when he reports Jesus forgiving sins which pointedly raises the issue of divinity – because only God can forgive sins. No, of the Gospel writers it is left to John, the “one whom Jesus loved” and who seemed most physically close to Jesus, to clarify his deity at the outset. “And the Word was God... the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1 & 14) Fully God. Fully human. It is a logical impossibility, like light being both a particle and a wave. And yet it is logically incontrovertible, like light being both a particle and a wave. “How can this be?” – we, like Mary, might ask in awe. And once we begin to grasp the unfathomable truth that the immortal God becomes mortal then it brings perspective to other aspects of Jesus’ life. If God becomes human, is the virgin conception really so difficult to believe? If God becomes human are the miracles he performs so difficult to fathom? If God becomes human, well, it is perhaps harder to believe that he dies than that he rises again. As J I Packer puts it in the treasury that is Knowing God: “The incarnation is, in itself, an unfathomable mystery, but it makes sense of everything else that the New Testament contains.” Furthermore, if God becomes human, does it not raise the question of ‘why’ so much more sharply? What is so important that God the Son, the eternal Word, co-creator of the universe, should come to earth as a human? What problem is so intransigent that it can only be addressed in this way? My sin and yours.
What good is so precious that it can only be realised in this way? The salvation of the world. The impossible made possible by God becoming flesh.
Christmas begins then in wonder. And so perhaps one of the things I might do for those around me, who don’t know Jesus, is to recover my own sense of wonder at the infinitely lavish generosity of God coming to us as a human being. I can therefore ask to be filled with the peace that he came to bring, the joy that is the hallmark of his Spirit and the love that makes a safe and tranquil space for others – even when they are overbusy, exhausted, anxious, fractious... even when they feel that life, not just Christmas, is hurtling towards them like a 14-wheel truck. And so yes, there are opportunities I can prayerfully take to deepen my relationship with family and friends and those on my frontline. For at Christmas, we do still have a certain freedom. We can send a colleague a card, we can express some personal appreciation for how they’ve lead us or served us or helped us in the past year, we can give them a small gift without creating a sense of obligation, we can invite them to the kind of traditional events that still have a natural, and for most people unthreatening, role in our culture... a carol service, a glass of mulled wine around the tree – with or without the lights. Ideas abound. And in this edition of eg we’ve put together just a few that will perhaps go some way towards eradicating any wearied sense of ‘seasonal evangelistic obligation disorder’ and instead free you to find genuine pleasure and fulfilment in being a messenger of this remarkable, life-giving gospel. So may your own Christmas be filled with wonder. And may that spill over into your daily frontlines, into opportunities to bless someone and help them a step closer to the joy of knowing Jesus for themselves: God, the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. Mark Greene, Executive Director of LICC
eg 40 | page 5
Stories of sharing faith: the good, the bad and the ugly There are many ways we can demonstrate the difference Jesus makes in our lives and many ways we can serve people through our actions. But people also need to hear that it was Jesus that made the difference to us and that Jesus is the only one who can make an eternal difference to them. We know it can seem like a daunting task – what if people think we’re weird, what if it ruins a friendship, what if the person is offended? So here are some stories from LICC supporters who are working out what it looks like to be messengers of the gospel on their daily frontlines, both when things go well and when they don’t…
When I was just an Associate at my company I once went with my Director to an external meeting – it was quite far away so we had a long time on the train to chat. As we were talking, she suddenly exclaimed “you remind me so much of Nina, my friend from university”. Surprised, I asked her what she meant – what was it about me that reminded her of this friend? She said “your faith”. Her friend Nina was a Christian too. Wow, what an opportunity. So I silently shot up a prayer to God – “please don’t let me mess this up!” – and I began to talk to her about what it meant to be a Christian, and pretty much just gave her the full message of the gospel. I was really on a roll and she didn’t seem fazed by it – it felt like such a God-moment and I was sure by the end she was just going to drop to her knees and give her life to Christ right there on the train. But she didn’t. She was perfectly polite, but not particularly moved, and in fact I never had the opportunity to talk with her about faith again. But you know what? I spoke up. I gave a reason for the hope that I have, the hope she saw in me that reminded her of another follower of Jesus. That’s all I can do really. And who knows what might happen if she meets yet another person down the track in whom she recognises that same hope… Rachel, 27 eg 40 | page 6
A few months ago I was with a friend in the pub, we were catching up after having not seen each other for awhile. I had recently gone through some difficult personal circumstances and I was telling him a bit about it. My faith had been a huge help to me during the crisis and I mentioned something about that but, assuming he wouldn’t want to hear more, I moved on. But then later he pulled me back to it, asking me what I had meant about God helping me in the tough times. I was really flustered by the question and was just very aware of not wanting to sound weird, and I got quite tongue-tied and really just did a terrible job of explaining it all. But then he said something funny, he said “You seem a little nervous – this must be pretty important to you if it’s making you stress this much!” And right then, just like that, I stopped feeling so nervous. I knew he was right, that this was really important. So I proceeded to tell him just how much Jesus meant to me and what he had done in my life in very straightforward terms, not worrying so much about how I sounded. And we ended up staying and talking until last orders. I’m meeting up with this friend much more often now and at some point the conversation almost always turns to faith. He’s not there yet, but I know he’s on a good journey. Michael, 34
I’ve had my hair cut by the same hairdresser for about the last 15 years. He’s a very quiet, softly-spoken man, but kind-hearted, and I’ve always been very open with him about my faith, praying for him and with him on more than one occasion. But for the longest time he never moved further into any kind of commitment. Then one day I heard from a friend who also attends my church, who very rarely gets his hair cut by this hairdresser but had just made a one-off appointment, that during the haircut they got talking and the hairdresser just broke down in tears, and they prayed together and he gave his life to the Lord. Now, honestly, the first emotion I felt was annoyance! All those haircuts, all those conversations – 15 years and someone else had got to walk him through the door to the Kingdom, not me. But thankfully my second emotion, and the one that has lingered, was real joy. I knew that God had used my words through the years as well as my friend’s words on that one day – and I knew that the real power at work was God anyway. I might not have been there for the moment he first saw the light, but I now get to walk alongside him as he continues in the light. Hallelujah. Ron, 61
There was a guy at my gym who I was starting to build a friendship with – it began as just fitness-related chat, pretty casual, but then we talked more about our jobs, our lives, etc. I started praying for an opportunity to talk about faith, but I just felt quite nervous about bringing it up. I didn’t want it to seem awkward. Finally, after a few weeks of working up the courage, I finally managed to throw something about church into the conversation. He seemed surprised and said, “Really? You’re a Christian?” I thought he meant it negatively, so I kind of shrugged it off and tried to move the conversation on. But it turned out that he was actually a Christian too! Later I learned that he had also been trying to find a way to mention faith, but was too scared. It was a pretty good lesson for us both, to realise that it had taken so long for us each to mention something that is a big deal in both our lives. Plus it showed me that you never know where the other person is at with God, so you might as well find out. Saves a lot of worrying. Anyway it’s actually great to have someone else in that context who shares my faith, and now together we’re trying to get to know more of the guys we see in the gym regularly and start inviting them to some stuff at church. Dave, 29
At my previous job I had a Muslim colleague, Aiza, who I got along well with. She was very open to chatting about faith, but as a fairly committed Muslim she didn’t really seem to be searching at all. Then recently, almost a year after I left that job, out of the blue she got in touch with me – her mother had just had a breakdown and was in the hospital, Aiza was scared and upset and she wanted to know if I would come and pray with her and her family. I was totally blown away. I was nervous but I went and it was such a privilege to be asked to support her in this way. We’ve kept in touch a little through text, but she hasn’t miraculously become a Christian or anything. At least not yet. But it’s amazing that despite her Muslim faith it was my God she wanted to call on in a difficult time and it just really encouraged me that although I had not felt like I had made any progress, still God was at work through me the whole time. Leoni, 44 eg 40 | page 7
One week after a particularly great Sunday service I was feeling really pumped up for God and was keen to talk about it. So when I walked into work Monday morning and went to the coffee station to make a drink, and my atheist colleague Dan asked me about my weekend, I decided to just take the plunge – I jumped right in with a long monologue about how great Jesus is and how good church had been the day before. Dan nodded politely, but as soon as he’d finished making his gunpowder tea (a little more hurried than usual) he made his excuses and ran off to his desk. Despite our normally friendly working relationship, for the next few weeks after that he avoided me – he stopped smiling at me when I passed his desk and barely mumbled a response to my cheerful ‘morning’ when we saw each other in the cafe area. I felt really bad and was praying “God I’m sorry, that didn’t go well, how can I fix it?” And I just kept having the image of this gunpowder tea coming to my mind. So I bought a packet and I left it on his desk, with a note saying ‘a present from the tea fairy’. The next day Dan came up to me and said “Were you the tea fairy? Thanks”. And slowly but surely we began to repair our friendship. And, more recently, he’s actually beginning to ask me questions about faith. I’m pretty cautious in how I answer, but the questions are still coming. So I guess the moral of this story is to just keep going! Even when we muck things up a bit, God can still do great stuff. Ros, 31
I got to know Dani first because we do music GCSE together. It’s our favourite subject and we get a lot of time to talk and we’re super close friends. But Dani’s family is a bit messed up, her parents fight all the time and her brother gets in trouble with the police and it’s just really hard for her at home. I tried to talk to her a bit about God sometimes, but she always said she was already a Christian because her family went to church at Christmas. So I didn’t want to push it. But then one day I was taking my dog for a walk and I felt that I should take a Bible with me – one of those little New Testaments that fits in your pocket. And I’d just been reading Romans 10:9 about confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart and that was really on my mind. Then as I walked past the park I saw Dani sitting on one of the swings, crying. I went up to talk to her and she was really upset, she said it wasn’t fair that my family was all sorted and happy and her family was so horrible. So I said to her that maybe she could be part of a new family – God’s family. Then I asked her if she really knew what it meant to be a Christian, besides just going to church at Christmas. She said no. So I told her about Romans, and some other stuff too about what it means to follow Jesus. And she cried some more and said she really wanted to know him properly and be loved by him. That night she went home and prayed and gave her life to Jesus. So that’s pretty cool. She comes to youth group with me now and it’s so exciting to see her so much happier. Chloe, 15
What will your story be? eg 40 | page 8
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eg 40 | page 9
eg 40 | page 10
The Servant Queen The Queen became queen three years before I was born. She’s always been part of my life – the head on the stamp, the crest on the post box, the pictures in the paper, the outfits at Ascot, the speech on Christmas day – but it took me until last year to recognise something that’s as obvious as the tiara on a princess. Queen Elizabeth is an extraordinary example of a whole-life disciple of Christ. She has faithfully lived out her Christian life under the most intense media scrutiny for nine decades. She has demonstrated a consistency of character, a commitment to service, a concern for others and a clear dependence on Christ that is all the more remarkable because it is at once ever-present but never domineering. She is, after all, known for many other things: for being the Head of State, confidante to 12 prime ministers, mother, grandmother, wife of the refreshingly direct Prince Philip, formidable rider, unexpectedly handy car mechanic, senior citizen who works 50 hours per week… But trying to understand the Queen without understanding her Christian faith is like trying to make bread without yeast. Yeast is not the only ingredient in bread but it’s the one that makes all the difference.
Brilliantly, in an age that is on the one hand increasingly secular and, on the other, fraught by religious conflicts, her approach is winsomely inclusive. She is the head of the church but in her speeches never tells anyone that they must attend. Rather she points to Jesus and how he expands her capacity to love people: “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role-model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people of whatever faith or none.” Indeed, her overall approach has been testimonial, not argumentative. She tells the world the inspiration that Jesus has been in her own life and leaves the world to decide if they are interested in being inspired themselves:
“She has demonstrated consistency of character, commitment to service, concern for others and a clear dependence on Christ”
When it comes to the sincerity of her own faith, there is no doubt. Most commentators acknowledge it, though few explore it. But we can see it in her words, her priorities, her posture towards others and her patterns of living. She doesn’t have to invite a different pastor every weekend of her six-week Balmoral holiday to spend time with her family, but she does. She doesn’t have to raise the subject of the Sunday sermon at lunch, but she often does. She doesn’t have to invite her personal chaplain regularly to the Palace for spiritual fellowship, but she does. She doesn’t have to go to church almost every week, but she does. And she doesn’t actually have to mention Jesus in her Christmas addresses, but she does. Always. And always as the climax of her address. A messenger of the gospel indeed.
“I hope that, like me, you will be comforted by the example of Jesus of Nazareth who, often in circumstances of great adversity, managed to live an outgoing, unselfish and sacrificial life. Countless millions of people around the world continue to celebrate his birthday at Christmas, inspired by his teaching. He makes it clear that genuine human happiness and satisfaction lie more in giving than receiving; more in serving than in being served. We can surely be grateful that, two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, so many of us are able to draw inspiration from his life and message, and to find in him a source of strength and courage.”
There’s certainly no doubt about the identity of the King our Queen serves. Nor is there any doubt that the prayer that her people have so often prayed (perhaps without fully realising that it was a prayer) has been answered. God has saved our Queen. Our Queen has been “gracious” and “noble” and “victorious” in the things that really matter – hope and faith in Christ, love of God and of the people she’s been graced to serve. May our nation see her for the godly woman she is, see Christ in her and come to know the Christ she points to and honours in all she does. Mark Greene, Executive Director of LICC
Keep your eye out for our upcoming book The Servant Queen, developed in partnership with Hope and the Bible Society and available from LICC in early 2016. Turn to p15 to find out more. eg 40 | page 11
Resources, reviews Billington’s book shelf Antony Billington, LICC’s Head of Theology, gets through more books in a year than hot dinners (well, judging by the Amazon arrivals at the office). So we got him to think back through his year’s reading and recommend three of the best books he devoured in 2015…
Mission Matters: Love Says Go Tim Chester (IVP, 2015) Tim Chester has written very helpfully, in several places, on the significance of everyday mission – God’s people reaching out to others, in word and deed, in the rhythm of their daily life. The focus here is on world mission. It’s a timely prod to those of us who bang the drum for mission in our everyday arenas but who might be in danger of disregarding the larger, global picture. We should do the former whilst not neglecting the latter: the gospel really is to be taken to all nations. The book unfolds in four parts, looking at: the God of mission, the story of mission, the scope of mission and the challenges of mission. As with Tim’s other books, this one is well written, rooted in Scripture, theologically rich and illustrated with helpful examples and pointers for ongoing practice.
A Doubter’s Guide to the Bible: Inside History’s Bestseller for Believers and Skeptics John Dickson (Zondervan, 2015) Like many books published in recent years, this one provides a bird’s-eye view of the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. But there is something distinctive and refreshing about Dickson’s approach. It’s brief and accessible. It’s also intelligent and tonally engaging. Reading it is like having a conversation with a smart friend, someone who not only tells the biblical story really well, but who responds to the questions you might have about the ‘controversial’ bits – Genesis 1, Adam and Eve, the land, the law, the violence, issues of archaeology and history. It would be a great book to give to friends who are exploring the Christian faith – the ‘doubters’ or ‘sceptics’ referred to in the title. But it would also serve as a valuable primer for those who’d like an opportunity to take in again what Dickson refers to as the ‘story we recognise as true’ and the God who calls us to himself through it.
Becoming Worldly Saints: Can You Serve Jesus and Still Enjoy Your Life? Michael Wittmer (Zondervan, 2015) Grounded firmly in Scripture, and written with verve and wit, here’s a book that offers a powerful vision of the Christian life that embraces the whole of life. ‘Worldly Saints’ might seem like a contradiction in terms, but it’s what we’re called to be. As God’s holy people, we must also be ‘worldly’ – enjoying creation, looking after our family, loving friends, working hard, resting well and excelling in our cultural tasks. If being a Christian becomes an obstacle to being human, then something has gone wrong. Tracing the story of salvation through the Bible, the book provides an engaging and compelling reminder of the deep and wide nature of the gospel. The God who created all things is the God who will restore all things, and who calls us to flourish under his liberating lordship in every aspect of life.
eg 40 | page 12
& recommendations Since ’tis the season to be a (hopefully quite jolly) messenger of the gospel, here’s some stocking fillers to help you along the way… > TO GIVE AWAY
The Atheist Who Didn’t Exist Andy Bannister (Monarch Books, 2015) Andy is the Canadian Director for RZIM and he speaks regularly to audiences of all faiths or none on issues of philosophy, faith and scepticism, and his joyously breezy approach is wonderfully captured in this book. He pricks the bubble that atheism has recently become, with its assumption that it’s the most ‘reasonable’ position to be adopted by contemporary urbanites. He’s adept at exposing the holes in poor arguments, but does so with a cheeky winsomeness. It’s in a similar vein to Francis Spufford’s Unapologetic, (also a great read and a sure conversation-starter) but from a slightly more evangelical perspective and with even greater doses of humour. This is a book to read for yourself if you’re nervous about atheism’s apparent success, but it can also be given with confidence to your sceptical-but-interested friends. As Andy points out, arguments don’t win someone for Christ, but they might help remove the obstacles that prevent them from seeing Jesus clearly in the first place.
> TO KEEP
Becoming a Contagious Christian Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg (Zondervan, 1994) Readable, relatable and doable, this book is far and away the best and most thorough ‘how-to’ for evangelism we’ve found. Readers are not treated as God’s salespeople, in need of training to deliver some prepackaged message, but as normal everyday Christians, each with a slightly different experience of the same wonderful truth and in need of encouragement and confidence in their ability to share it. The book focuses on helping you discover your own natural style of communicating your faith, with an interesting breakdown of different personalities and evangelising styles – testimonial, interpersonal, invitational, etc – and plenty of practical ideas for how to develop a contagious Christian character. The authors’ desire is for “a spiritual epidemic of hope and enthusiasm for spreading the gospel” and it would be a challenge to read this book and not catch the bug.
> TO W ATCH
Captive Released September 2015, DVD now available for pre-order Captive is a thriller based on the true story of Ashley Smith (Kate Mara), a waitress and single mother struggling with drug addiction, and escaped murderer Brian Nichols (Christian actor David Oyelowo) who held Smith hostage in her own apartment after breaking out of a courthouse jail. The movie covers the brief hours they spend together, focusing on Smith’s sharing of her journey out of addiction – inspired by Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life. Sound like it has the potential to be preachy? Entertainment magazine Variety suggests not: “Somehow Captive dodges the proselytising of so many faith-based films to tell a more nuanced and universal story of two broken people forming an unlikely connection. Emphasising qualities like compassion, hope, grace and spiritual introspection, rather than depicting a hero selfrighteously correcting the wrongs of others, the film offers up a more inspired alternative in the burgeoning faith genre.” It’s not often that a compelling and brilliantly-acted story so naturally opens the door to meaningful conversations about life, purpose and faith – so the next time movie night with a friend rolls around, why not give this one a watch? Don’t miss our upcoming interview with David Oyelowo, as part of a mini-series of blogs on sharing faith. Get it straight to your inbox by signing up at licc.org.uk/signup
eg 40 | page 13
A look at
2015
e n o e h T e n o g t s ju
New partnerships This year has seen us begin some exciting new partnerships with organisations and church groups who share our vision.
National conferences We were involved in either mainstage speaking or running seminars at almost all of the major Christian festivals and conferences this year, getting our message and materials out to a wide range of people at Spring Harvest, Keswick, New Horizon, Soul Survivor and New Wine. We also developed this year’s Keswick Bible study resource, The Whole of Life for Christ (see licc.org.uk/ keswick to get your copy) and are thrilled to hear that almost 8,000 copies have been sold/distributed already.
ew Win e me to ou r N ca o h w n o On e pers ve them e content ga h t t a h t id sem inars sa w o rk se” in their o p r u p f o se er said “a fresh sen ”. And an oth e r ve e rs e p o to and “h ope t cou raged me n e d n a d e less “It hu gely b n, n ot just of God’s pla t r pa s a k r see m y wo ens.” chu rch happ il t n u o d o t someth in g
Frontline reach
With upwards of 17,000 copies of Life on the Frontline distributed and more than 8,000 copies of Fruitfulness on the Frontline, an estimated 165,000 people have now been reached – and, we pray, equipped and encouraged – by those DVD resources. Fin d ou t mo re at
lic c.o rg. uk/ tw
Transforming Work This summer saw the launch of our new workplace discipleship journey Transforming Work. A small group of working Christians meet for eight sessions over a year to tackle vital issues like how to influence workplace culture, apply biblical principles to work-related dilemmas and help colleagues get closer to Christ, being equipped to grow as confident, fruitful disciples in their daily work. We know of a good number of groups that have already started up and with 250 leader’s guides already sold we anticipate many more in the coming months. eg 40 | page 14
The EA’s Gather initiative, which networks local church unity projects across the country, has provided great opportunities to embed the whole-life discipleship message in the consciousness of the national church. Mark Greene spoke at one of their inaugural events earlier this year and both Mark and our Imagine Project Director Neil Hudson have been invited to speak at their upcoming regional events in the south and the north. Also one of our Imagine team has received a number of invitations over the year to speak in RCCG churches (Redeemed Christian Church of God) leading to an ‘Imagine on the Road’ day organised by and aimed at leaders of black and ethnic minority churches. This has already begun to open up relationships with a key section of the UK church.
International influence It’s been such an encouragement this year to see the whole-life discipleship message gaining momentum across the ocean. A small group leader in a church in central Boston, USA, engaged with our materials a while back and inspired another leader to come to an ‘Imagine on the Road’ day, and their enthusiasm just grew and grew. As a result, Neil Hudson was invited to speak at a large denominational church conference in July in Rochester, New York. Now whole groups of churches are in the process of forming a learning hub there, keen to go further in creating whole-life disciplemaking communities.
the year The Servant Queen
2016
the o comin ne g up
check out ou r article on page 11
There is much to be appreciated and learned from our monarch’s character and commitment to Christ. So we’re partnering with Hope and the Bible Society to publish a short illustrated book on the topic to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday next April. The book celebrates the Queen’s faith and makes it accessible to those who share it and those who don’t. We believe this has great potential as an evangelistic resource and it will be distributed through Dioceses and denominations and at the many celebratory lunches churches will be organising. It will also be available to individuals to share with friends, family and colleagues. We hope it will spark positive conversations not only about the Queen but about the King she serves.
A new website With advances in technology, change in how community is formed and shifts in people’s modes of communication, being able to clearly and compellingly demonstrate our vision online has never been more vital. We need a web presence that is much more innovative, interactive and flexible to help us reach and resource more UK Christians with the message of whole-life discipleship. So plans for creating a new-and-improved website are already underway and we expect to have it live by late 2016.
Young adults retreat Many 20-somethings are graduating university, where a host of great churches and student ministries supported them, and suddenly finding themselves struggling with the next steps of life and how their faith fits with the busyness of work and the new realities of adulthood. So we’re partnering with apologetics ministry OCCA and The Minster, a young-adult church community, to host a young adults retreat weekend in the summer of 2016, aimed at young graduates or those who have started full-time work in the last two years. The primary focus will be on how to start work well, within the framework of whole-life discipleship, and we’ll be inviting a range of expert speakers and experienced working Christians to host seminars, Q&A panels, networking sessions and small group discussions. We hope and pray that this event will help young adults and graduates to be confident in who God is calling them to be and to discover where their new frontlines might be as they start out in the workplace.
Dates for your diary Right to Die?
Executive Toolbox
Imagine on the Road
7 December
Are you a high-level leader in your workplace, or do you know someone who is? Our next Executive Toolbox course, designed to equip leaders to be effective disciples in the workplace, is taking place over 6 months in 2016 with key weekends in January, March and June.
Join members of the LICC team as we share what we’ve learnt about creating a whole-life disciplemaking church. Upcoming workshop locations include Birmingham (21 Nov), Manchester (5 Dec), Warwick (30 Jan) and Preston (8 Feb).
Can suicide – in any form and for whatever reason – ever be a Christian option? Professor John Wyatt will be exploring biblical, medical and pastoral responses to the challenges raised at the end of life.
For more information see licc.org.uk/events eg 40 | page 15
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb Luke 1:41
First John John was the fırst to know, Tucked up in the womb, No bigger than an avocado, When Mary entered the room. He, having no breath to call ‘Attention’, To the High King of all creation, Small as a mustard seed in the virgin’s belly, Leapt like a gazelle against the soft insides, A wordless halleluiah of delighted surprise. And heard his mother’s booming reply, And Mary’s words soaring like starlings to the sky. That was where he learned That the darkness Cannot keep out the light; That faith comes by spirit And not by sight; That a son can be ahead Of his mother; That one testimony Can lead to another. Later people would ask him when it began. The truth is: he was always Jesus’ man. Mark Greene
From the collection of poems, Adventure