New Wine Magazine - Issue 62 - July 2015

THE FALSE GOD OF DOING

It’s tempting to define ourselves by what we do. Gabrielle Thomas encourages us to focus on who we’re becoming

p. 16

Teaching

Seeing Earth from Heaven Glenn Packiam reminds us how worship can lead to a divine perspective p.22

Stories

Setting captives free Danielle Strickland is doing some exciting work with vulnerable women p.28

Culture

Who is my neighbour?

Steve Bell draws parallels between first century Palestine and modern Britain p.38

Hear my story at the United National Gathering marketplace Or get your free book to read more amazing stories at:

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Want FREE copies of the New Wine Magazine for your church? Email us at: info@new-wine.org Would you like to advertise?

0208 799 3765 advertising@new-wine.org The next edition will be published in November 2015.

The advert booking deadline is 18 September 2015.

New Wine does not necessarily agree with all the views and practises of advertisers Managing Editor James Dwyer Commissioning Editor Lucy Avery Advertising & Classifieds Nicola Manwaring, Abi Johnson & Amy Tsang Creative Simon Baker www.thirteencreative.co.uk Print Halcyon

News Teaching Stories Culture

Issue 62

Get In Touch Find us: 4a Ridley Avenue Ealing London W13 9XW Phone us: 020 8567 6717

What’s happening.

Learn together.

Our God at work.

Looking at our world.

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Seeking God in times of transition

Why use Christian jargon if it excludes people?

Jon Coutts reminds us of the power in our words

Justyn Rees Larcombe’s story of restoration

A note from Mark Bailey

Email us: mag@new-wine.org Visit our website: www.new-wine.org Cut and Paste You can copy text from the New Wine Magazine into local newsletters, church magazines and similar non-commercial communications provided you put a credit line: ‘This material copyright New Wine Magazine and used with permission’.

(This excludes any material marked ©).

New Wine Magazine is published four times a year by the New Wine Trust as part of our mission. Your feedback is welcomed; letters may be edited and published in future issues.

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News, resources & a little quiz

Gabrielle Thomas reminds us to focus on who we’re becoming rather than what we’re achieving

In Brief

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Upcoming Events

Conferences & events happening soon, including Local Network meetings

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Encounters with God We want to look after our environment so we’ve used a recyclable paper.

Please recycle.

PEFC/16-33-344

Promoting sustainable forest management. www.pefc.co.uk

An ancient conversation

Some mini-testimonies of blessing at our Leadership, Women’s, 20s-30s, Worship and Kids Leaders’ conferences

The false god of doing

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God: A failed hypothesis?

Has science disproved God? James Kennedy encourages us to set the record straight

‘I had one black bin liner of possessions and £70,000 of debt’

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Setting captives free

Danielle Strickland shares about her work with vulnerable women and what gets her excited

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‘It helped me take my relationship with God a step forward’ See the impact of the New Wine bursary

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Politics is for life, not just elections Andy Flannagan challenges us to stop criticizing politics from the side-lines and get in on the action

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Who is my neighbour?

How did Jesus behave towards immigrants?

Steve Bell draws parallels between first century Palestine and modern Britain

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Sharing stories, opening doors

With Simon Ponsonby of St Aldates, Oxford

60-second insight

Find out how a group of volunteers in London are offering extra help to children who are struggling with reading

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Glenn Packiam reminds us of the prophetic nature of leading others in worship

Sexual assault recovery services are hugely oversubscribed.

Hayley Bisofsky suggests how we can help

Seeing Earth from Heaven

Support for survivors

Resources to inspire you and your church

Recommendations for books, worship albums and other resources for you, your small group & church

NEWS

Welcome to this edition of New Wine Magazine. If you have been reading this magazine on a regular basis for many years, welcome back. If you are reading it for the first time, it is wonderful to have you engaging with us. One of the things that I have noticed over the years as I have read and contributed to this magazine is how there are various cycles to life in both the local church and a movement like New Wine. It seems to me there is always change, movement, and transition. In the same way that there are waves of the Spirit, there are waves of movement, some of which are bigger than others.

A note from Mark Bailey

Here at New Wine we’re going through a significant time of transition. And as a nation we are too. All around us we see the world is changing. Weekends are different to what they once were. Our understanding of familial life is adapting and changing. There are seismic changes in and around us in the planet geographically. Weather patterns appear to be different. Demographics are changing, people’s view of institutions has altered profoundly. It feels as though we are in a new era.

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Of course in the midst of all the changes we see similar patterns. Fresh recognition of our dependency on God. The enormous number of opportunities that surround us as God’s people to share good news with those that we live alongside. The need to remember the importance of having a desire to press into God, to one another and to the lost. In The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church Reggie McNeal writes ‘Although the next churches shape is not yet obvious, the forces that give it shape are.’ I found that profoundly impacting.

This magazine is a wonderful encouragement for us all as we celebrate the fact that we belong to the church, that we are part of a movement that wants to see local churches playing their part in changing nations and that we begin to see through the different stories, articles and reflections some of the forces that will give shape to the future of the church. There are articles and stories that celebrate our dependency upon God, that remind us of our commitment to one another to seek, in a united way right across this nation, to play our part in seeing the reevangelisation of the nation, as we seek with grace to pursue those who don’t yet know Jesus. We highlight great resources that are available, and tell stories of lives that are changed again and again. These are wonderful encouragements to keep us going as we seek as a movement to see more of God, more of his presence, more of his power and more of his Kingdom coming.

I pray that this edition of the magazine will bring you hope and encouragement as we seek to take the good news that we carry to an ever changing culture, today as well as in the years ahead.

With my love and prayers as always,

Mark Bailey Leader, New Wine

NEW WINE’S VISION To see the nation changed through Christians experiencing the joy of worshipping God, the freedom of following Jesus, and the power of being filled with the Spirit.

To see churches renewed, strengthened and planted, living out the word of God in every aspect of life, serving God by reaching the lost, broken and poor, and demonstrating the good news of the kingdom of God to all.

NEW WINE’S VALUES Continuity & Change – we want to be faithful guardians of an unchanging message about the person and work of Jesus, and the need for personal salvation and sanctification, while also adapting ways of worship, teaching, being church and doing mission according to culture and context.

Cross & Resurrection – we want to honour all that Jesus has done for us on the cross, and to embrace the way of the cross for ourselves, while also knowing the power of his resurrection to set us free.

Gracious & Truthful – we want to be kind and generous in the way we think and speak about others whether they agree or disagree with us, while also clearly communicating what we believe and why we believe it.

Leadership & Every-member Ministry – we want to train and deploy anointed, courageous and missional church leaders, while also equipping every Christian to serve like Jesus in their home, church, work and life-place.

DO YOU HAVE A JOB VACANCY TO FILL?

THERE’S A SUCCESSFUL ‘FIND A JOB’ SERVICE ON THE NEW WINE WEBSITE.

Mission & Community – we want to see the church become a missionary movement to love and reach the lost, to care for the poor and to bring justice to our homes, neighbourhoods, workplaces and nations, while also being a grace-filled community in which people can find relationship, healing, faith, hope and love.

Natural & Supernatural – we want to see every Christian using all the natural reason, wisdom and skill that they can, while also learning to operate in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit to minister to others in love and power as Jesus did.

Now & Not yet of the Kingdom – we want to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God and to see that confirmed by miraculous signs and wonders, while also ministering grace to all, knowing that suffering will be part of life until Jesus returns and makes all things new.

Transcendence & Presence – we want to live lives that celebrate God’s awesome power, transcendent majesty and sovereign work, while at the same time experiencing his intimate presence as we encounter him in heartfelt worship.

Unity & Diversity – we want to work with everyone who holds these values in open, mutually accountable friendship, while also acknowledging and honouring differences in leadership style, church characteristics and denominational emphasis.

Word & Spirit – we want to derive all we believe, teach and do from the Bible as the written word of God, while also learning to hear and obey the voice of the Spirit speaking to us individually and collectively.

HOW CAN I HELP CHANGE THIS NATION? New Wine is a movement of churches working together to do just that! This includes working with our network of church leaders, hosting national gatherings, delivering training events and providing resources.

Find a Job gives churches (and other organisations) a quick and easy way to advertise jobs, with access to a large target audience.

You can use this service to advertise church leaders’ appointments, as well as all other roles within the church (including worship, youth, children’s and community work, internships, managerial, administrators and other support roles).

And if you’re a member of our Church Leaders’ Network, you’ll receive a 50% discount on each advertisement.

NEWS

OUR VISION AND VALUES

If you would like to help us change our nation - and are prepared to support us financially for as little as £3 per month - we would love you to become a New Wine Friend.

TO SIGN UP, VISIT iends

www.new-wine.org/fr

www.new-wine.org/jobs

To sign up, visit

www.new-wine.org/friends 5

NEWS

IN BRIEF New Heads of Ministry New Wine has appointed two new Heads of Ministry: Chris Fox for the Discipleship Year, and Sam Bailey for Worship.

Chris Fox, Assistant Pastor at St Paul’s Ealing, will take over from Gareth Dickinson, who has led the Discipleship Year since it started in 2012. On his appointment, Chris said: ‘I’m excited to be involved in growing the New Wine Discipleship Year, as I’ve seen firsthand the benefit of intentionally investing in young leaders so they grow as committed followers of Jesus who discover their God-given calling and seek to fulfil the Great Commission to make disciples.’

Gareth Dickinson said: ‘Chris, a young leader himself, fully understands the importance of this vision within New Wine and I know he is passionately committed to raising up young leaders to see generations reached with the good news of the Kingdom. He has a growing vision to expand the course all across England and overseas, and I am delighted to be handing on the baton to him.’

Sam Bailey will take on New Wine’s worship ministry from Neil Bennetts, who is moving on from his role in August. Sam said: ‘I am so looking forward to stepping into this role, and trust that it will be an amazing opportunity to serve, learn and grow along the way.

Moving forward, my heart is to help grow an increasingly creative and innovative environment in which the presence of God remains central.’

On the appointment of Sam, Neil Bennetts said: ‘Sam is a great worship leader with a huge passion for Jesus and the church. He will bring his own unique creativity and voice to New Wine Worship in this role, and it will be hugely exciting to see all that unfolds in the years to come.’

QUICK QUIZ 1. What was the most visited city in 2013? a) London b) Hong Kong c) New York 2. What is the 57th book of the Bible?

NEW WINE TO WORK WITH TBN UK

3. In what year did Andy Murray win Wimbledon?

We are looking forward to working with TBN UK (Trinity Broadcasting Network), and both contributing towards and benefiting from their ministry.

6. Who was the first Twitter user to reach 20 million followers?

TBN UK is the UK’s largest faith and family network, broadcasting on Sky 582 and Freeview 65. It is an exciting premiere Christian television channel, aiming to bring the love of Jesus into every home and facilitate a well-rounded Christian lifestyle, by broadcasting a selection of the best UK and international ministry, music, youth shows, children’s entertainment, documentaries, movies and much more. With a line-up of exciting, up-to-date, wholesome and inspirational programmes, TBN UK says it is ‘redefining Christian television and leading the way into a new exciting era of credible Christian broadcasting’.

TBN film shows in front of a live studio audience in London and invite you to take part! To find out more about the sorts of shows hosted by TBN or to register to be in the audience, visit www.tbnuk.org/live-audience-members

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4. What is the most visited capital city in the world?

5. What is the most spoken language in the world?

7. How many different organisations are exhibiting in the Marketplace at the National Gatherings this year?

8. In 2014 which two songs were the longestrunning number 1 singles in the chart?

9. What popular Disney character makes an appearance as a stuffed animal in the movie Frozen?

10. How many countries beginning with the letter ‘N’ are there in the continent of Africa?

Children’s Ministry leaders in your area

NEWS

NEW CURRICULUM!

NATIONAL TEAM Mark Griffiths oversees this ministry - the National Team, Kids Leaders’ Summit and at the National Gatherings. He leads Warfield Church in Berkshire.

The first in a series of New Wine Kids Curriculum packs for kids’ leaders in churches has just been launched. Aimed at pre-schoolers, it contains 10 sessions packed full of interactive Bible stories, puppet scripts, ideas for worship and response activities, downloadable resources, tips from the Our Place team, activity sheets for families and more!

The Kids Curriculum has been developed by Anna Scott, a trained Primary teacher who works for Kidz Klub in Coventry, reaching unchurched kids and their families.

She has been part of the New Wine family for 25 years, since the age of six, since her parents were asked to lead the 3-4s venue at the Summer Conference back in 1990!

Through her teenage years she realised she had a passion for children’s ministry, and in 2008 she was trained up by her mum, Yvonne, to lead the Pebbles group for 3-4s.

Anna has enjoyed writing the themes for Pebbles each year. She gets to use her creative juices by thinking of puppet scripts; crazy pantomime characters; Bible teaching and prayer activities. But in recent years, Anna has had another dream. Her heart for writing creative curriculum for kids stretches further than Pebbles. ‘I felt God wanted to use my creativity to reach children across the nation and support them in their walk with God,’ she explains.

After a few years of praying and waiting, God set up Anna’s dream job: New Wine Kids Curriculum Developer. As well as writing Curriculum Packs for kids’ leaders to use with their groups Anna’s role includes overseeing the production of New Wine Kids CDs and DVDs and overseeing the Kids Regional Network Leaders. Anna says, ‘We would love to see God do powerful things through the curriculum and, more importantly, through local children changing nations.’

Coming soon will be two new Curriculum packs, the first for primary aged kids, then a seasonal pack focusing on events for a Halloween alternative, Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.

New Wine Kids’ Curriculum!

Take home the teaching from the National Gatherings with our brand new resource books released this summer. Packed full of the teaching you love from New Wine and with lots of tips for adapting for your local church, these resources are a must-have for your ministry!

For more info, see the New Wine website.

Available at the Marketplace bookshop today!

Rick Otto oversees the Children’s Ministry Training Days. He is the Youth and Children’s Co-ordinator for Holy Trinity Church, Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Anna Scott is the Kids Curriculum Developer and oversees the Kids Networks. She works for Kidz Klub Coventry, reaching out to unchurched kids and their families.

REGIONAL CO-ORDINATORS NORTH Tim Coates is a Youth and Schools Work Project Leader at Ykids in Bootle, Merseyside.

Emily Stanford is the Children’s Work Lead at Ykids in Bootle, Merseyside.

MIDLANDS & EAST Alex Scott is an Associate Minister at Holy Trinity Leicester, where he oversees the work with children, youth, schools and students.

Matt Beckett works for Mid Norfolk Kidz Klub and Fountain of Life Church, Ashill where he oversees kids outreach ministry, schools work and youth work.

Maryanne Richardson co-leads Mid Norfolk Kidz Klub, working in primary schools, building community and supporting families.

LONDON & EAST Susie Yeates is the children’s pastor at KXC in Central London.

Naomi Graham is a children’s occupational therapist and part of KXC in Central London.

LONDON & WEST Megan Taylor is the Children’s Worker at St Michael’s Church, Southfields, Wandsworth.

Jo Foster is the Children’s Pastor at Warfield Church in Berkshire.

SOUTH & SOUTH WEST Jo Leighton is a Kids Pastor at Trinity Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Emily Heath is the Children’s Pastor at St Mary’s Longfleet, Poole, Dorset.

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LOCAL EVENTS SEPTEMBER

2015

OCTOBER 2015

Catalyst Men’s Conference 12 September Bristol

New Wine Women: Splendour 9-10 October Trinity Cheltenham

Church Leaders Network Meeting 23 September West London

Kids Leaders Summit 19-21 October Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire

Leaders’ Morning 24 September Liverpool

NOVEMBER 2015 Men’s Days: Confident and Strong 7 November St George’s Leeds 14 November St Barnabas Kensington

JANUARY 2016 INVEST Young Leaders’ Summit 15-17 January 2016 De Vere Hotel, Staverton

FEBRUARY 2016 Face to Face 3-5 February 2016 Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire

MARCH 2016 National Leadership Conference 1-3 March 2016 Harrogate International Centre New Wine Women: Splendour 12 March 2016 Lighthouse, Poole

APRIL 2016 Leaders Time Out 10-14 April 2016 Trinity Cheltenham New Wine Women: Splendour 23 April 2016 Harrogate International Centre

JULY-AUGUST 2016 United National Gatherings Week 1: Saturday 23 - Friday 29 July Week 2: Sunday 31 July - Saturday 6 August Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet

OCTOBER 2015

local events

UPCOMING EVENTS

NEWS

New Wine hosts a range of events and conferences, including local meetings arranged by New Wine network groups, that are held all over the UK

Kingdom Come Women’s Day With Laura McWilliams and Katie Tupling 10 October North East & Yorkshire Learning to Heal With John & Anne Coles 17 October Preston-on-Tees

NOVEMBER 2015 Spiritual Gifts for All 7 November Linthorpe

Reignite: Seeing God Rekindle Life and Purpose in Your Church With Ian Parkinson 9 November St Mark’s Harrogate 10 November Christ the King, Kettering 11 November All Saints’ Church, Woodford Wells 12 November St Andrew’s Chorleywood 18 November All Saints Worcester at St Helen’s Church 19 November Penrith Methodist Church

For further details see our website

www.new-wine.org/events

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NEWS

ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD

WHEN WE MAKE SPACE FOR GOD HE MEETS WITH US! HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE STORIES YOU’VE SHARED WITH US OF EXPERIENCING ENCOURAGEMENT, HEALING AND BLESSING AT OUR EVENTS

LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES ‘It was pure bliss to be able to come and be together as a couple, with friends, to not have to do anything and soak up some great teaching. Much needed after a mad first six months in ministry here.

Thank you Lord!’

‘I was particularly blessed by the seminar led by Jeannie Morgan. It was if it had been written just for me. The prayer ministry afterwards was the most gentle but powerful healing I have ever had from a past traumatic memory. I felt totally found by Jesus in it.’

‘A wonderful window-in-time to encounter God in an authentic way without the concern of managing what is happening in the church out of the corner of my eyes!’

‘The worship was outstanding. Susie Woodbridge sings like an angel! She and the band led the worship with great sensitivity to the Spirit’s promptings. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such beautiful singing in the Spirit: it was a taste of heaven!’

Sara and Alastair Kirk, St Mary’s Burley, Wharfedale

John Huggins

‘The conference came at just the right time. It was so valuable to get away, spend time with great people, and soak in some good teaching and spend time with God uninterrupted by the normal responsibilities. Bliss!’

Rachel Gaunt, South Widnes Team

‘I love being among those who love to sing to God unreservedly, uninhibited and unabashed! For the first time in many years I met with God in a deep intimate way and I am excited to bring this back into my ministry!’

Jonathan Phillips, St Mark’s Church, Saltney

‘The conference was truly a stream in the desert for me, an opportunity to restore hope and vision, and to be assured again that I am loved by God and am part of his good news.’

‘I met God in a very deep way in response to one of the keynote sessions and during prayer ministry.

As church leaders you feel you are constantly on duty so to come to a conference like this and be genuinely fed, inspired, encouraged and prayed for is a very needful and appreciated opportunity.’

Derek Powell, Ebenezer Church, Horfield, Bristol

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WOMEN’S DAYS

Philippa Linton, St. Andrew’s Church, Sidcup, Kent

‘This was my first experience of worship outside of church and the power of being in a room with so many other women was amazing. I knew Jesus loved me, I read it in the Bible and could intellectualize it but I had never actually felt it. During the day this changed and I began to feel his love: gentle yet present, strong and powerful, just amazing. It was a real shift for me from head to heart and I will always remember this special day.’

Nicola, St Margaret’s Church, Colchester

‘I was really touched by the teaching about how God calls our name. I have a name that has many versions, so over the years I have been called many different names. I had a difficult childhood and have had addiction problems. When the speaker said to think of the name that God calls you, I heard God call a name from a long time ago. It was the name my mother called me when I was very little. God has loved me all the way through my life like a mother would have done. I will never forget this, God is my parent who cares for me.’

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

‘We were asked to put a hand up for healing, and I did. I prayed that God would free me from a bladder condition I’ve been struggling with for months. And he did. I am enormously thankful, surprised and moved that he would do this for me.

It was the last thing I thought would happen on this worship day. I came to learn more about worship leading, and I think God taught me something far more valuable. That he is Healer.’

‘This conference was an incredible time. I learned lots but more importantly was deeply changed and healed by God - breaking patterns of thinking that have driven me to act in certain ways. Almost as an outward demonstration of this, he also healed my arthritic toe which has been painful on walking for several years. I am now relearning how to walk without expecting pain at each step, very similar to what is happening on the inside!’

Esther from Bristol

‘God used the worship conference to encourage and equip me for the next stage. The teens I brought were also impacted by different seminars.

Prophetic words were shared which specifically confirmed what God is doing in us right now!’

‘I was so, so blessed, inspired, challenged and encouraged by the quality, depth and breadth of the teaching by Christy Wimber and Nicola Neal.

They were a breath of fresh Holy Spirit air!’

KIDS LEADERS SUMMIT ‘All the speakers were excellent, speaking with relevance, authority and humour. There was an excellent balance between inward and outward focus with a wealth of material that is going to take me some time to process. I enjoyed meeting so many amazing children’s workers and hearing about work in other parts of the country.’

Philippa Maddox, Children & Families Pastor, St Andrew’s Chorleywood

‘I went to the Summit in a real place of unrest and with a lot of questions about what it was God wanted me to do. While I was there I felt like every talk was aimed specifically at me! All were relevant and Spirit-filled and it was wonderful to hear God through the speakers, the worship and the others on the conference. It was a real time of spiritual refreshment and I went home knowing what it was God was asking me to do next and confident in his anointing on me. Being there with so many others in the same role was brilliant to share ideas, challenges and encouragement in a beautiful venue. Will definitely be returning!’

Sarah Bennett, St Jude’s Church, Wolverhampton

NEWS

WORSHIP CONFERENCES

Jo Smith, St Andrews Church, Oxford

‘The conference was a very healing experience for me. I have been struggling with fears of treading on forbidden ground but at the same time trying to respond to God’s call on my life. I arrived feeling drained, disheartened and burdened down but during the sessions Jesus touched me, lifted the weight of me and I feel that he has calmed the storm inside of me and put me on my feet again.’

‘The leaders all led in such a genuine and humble way - making us feel so welcomed and valued. I felt so blessed. The worship was wonderful ministering to my very soul.’

RETREAT TO ADVANCE A truly fantastic, inspirational weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the great teaching and worship! I came away feeling refreshed and reinspired and having explored and connected with issues in my faith which I struggle with.’

Ruth Allen, Christ the King, Kettering

‘I really enjoyed being in God’s presence during the worship, with time to receive and reflect on what had been said and practice resting in God’s presence and experiencing his power. Last year’s RTA had a lasting effect on me, on the way I relate to God and how much I enjoy his presence.’

‘It allowed me to take time out of a very busy schedule to completely focus on God, be refilled with the Spirit and refreshed to carry on. I loved the theme of retreating to advance as it was so appropriate and really practical - I have left with lots of ideas and a renewed realization of the importance of retreating. Also going away as our 18s-30s group allowed us to bond, leaving us in a great place to journey together back at home.’

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INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL CHURCH AND WANT TO SEE IT PLAY ITS PART IN TRANSFORMING THE COMMUNITY? KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: JUSTIN WELBY MARK BATTERSON NICKY GUMBEL

1-3 MARCH 2016

HARROGATE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

#nwlc16 www.new-wine.org

TEACHING

Why do we continue to use Christian jargon when it can exclude and confuse people not ‘in the know’? Jon Coutts helps us to think about how we communicate truth without being tempted to dumb it down

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own at the garage, the man with the wrench says I need a new ‘Fetzer valve’. I have no idea what this is. Over at the hospital, for the patient’s peace of mind, I ask the nurses to explain the technicality we just overheard. It turns out it was another patient’s surname. Around the corner at church, I notice the puzzled face of a newcomer when the leader invites a ‘sacrifice of praise’. I think I glimpsed a look of relief when all we did was sing. These are the moments I remember when I am in my office at the college where I teach and a first-year student talks about feeling lost in theological jargon. My heart sinks a little bit.

Out of the loop We don’t like jargon because it is the specialist language of the insider. The word comes from the Old French for ‘chatter’, indicating what it sounds like to those who feel out of the loop. Like an inside joke, jargon serves

to secure the boundaries of the relationship. Those who get it are in; those who do not are out. Those who use it will often not think of it as jargon; it is simply the accustomed conversational short-hand. Without care, however, it can be painfully marginalizing. At worst it can be purposefully exclusive and manipulative.

Perhaps we do not mean it but, accidental or not, such miscommunication feels horrible for those not in the know. Surely that is not the goal of our God-talk: to manipulate, make anxious, or marginalize. It is certainly not the goal of my theology class.

Using jargon differently The interesting thing about jargon is that it is usually most invisible to those who use it, and most visible to those being excluded. As a matter of fact, that’s how it is with group dynamics in general: Right when we think we are connecting we may well be doing the opposite.

But the truth of the matter is that jargon is not usually

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TEACHING

meant as such. At best, it is meant to communicate; to build community, not to hinder it! So when we use special language – which God-talk is inevitably going to require – how do we use it best? This is something both teachers and learners need to think about. Allow me to suggest some ways that we might look at theological language as a means to connect rather than marginalize; to encourage rather than concern; to build rather than manipulate.

‘If we refuse to use special language at all we may cut off an old conversation that was well worth carrying on’ Creative explanation At church that day, the worship leader meant not to exclude but to invite us in. Ironically, when the newcomer was (inadvertently) made to feel conspicuous and not included, the intent had been to help us focus together on God rather than ourselves. What is a person to do? Is the answer to simply not use the expression anymore? In this case such a move might be rash, since the phrase is straight from the New Testament. Indeed, it is precisely because Jesus is excluded in order to include us that Hebrews says: ‘through him, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God’ (13:15). Perhaps what we can do, in this case as well as many others, is to give a creative extra line of explanation, saying something like ‘Jesus gathers us one and all, so let us give up our elitism and our embarrassment and give praise to God together.’

But why not just say that? Why use the jargon at all?

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Continuing a conversation One important reason we use special language is because when we speak we are not just connecting with the person across from us, but are connecting with conversations ages past. Yes, there is the danger that special language may stop a conversation before it can start – but if we refuse to use special language at all we may cut off an old conversation that was well worth carrying on. In our effort to speak only in novel terms, we may widen the circle in front of us only to close it off tighter behind.

Sometimes this will be fine, but as a habit it could mean trouble – particularly when the faith connects us not only across the aisles and miles but also across generations.

I’m positive that when Jesus suggested new wineskins for new wine he was assuming the people would still drink the old to the dregs (Mark 2:22). When we use the words ‘sacrifice of praise’ and explain them, we connect the crowd in front of us with the cloud of witnesses going all the way back to the early church. We give texture to what we say. We feed opportunities to dig deeper.

Make space for questions It’s a similar thing in theology class when I mention, and explain, ‘theodicy’ or felix culpa. We don’t use these words simply to sound smart, but to connect a contemporary concern with an ancient conversation.

Those vexed by ‘the problem of evil’ (how could a good God allow it?) might be more comforted to learn the old question has a name (theodicy) than to hear whatever feeble answer we might have come up with in the moment. Those who answer the question by saying God planned to use evil for good will do well to know that their answer has long been debated for making it sound like a felix culpa or ‘blessed fall’.

‘If the newcomer to church or small group looks perplexed, take the reminder to watch out for jargon; and to smarten up but maybe not dumb it down’ Two-way communication One of the best preaching books I ever read was subtitled Helping People Listen (Inductive Preaching by Ralph and Gregg Lewis). Those three short words remind me to communicate and not just talk. Especially when we’re in positions of responsibility, we want to be aware when we’ve unwittingly caused anxiety where the situation called for care. When I was in the hospital with my friend, we didn’t need to know what the nurses said, but in that moment we were extra sensitive about being left in the dark. They had no intention of worrying us, but for a few moments that’s what their conversation did.

In my experience doctors and nurses are usually very empathetic – but they can’t be expected never to use jargon in a patient’s hearing. In any case, I refer to this simply to remind us that our words can worry others unwittingly; thus we should think about those in our hearing and handle with care.

What the hospital example reminds us as well, however, is that communication is a two-way street. On another

day I might have been too shy to ask, but that day I cleared up what the nurses had said. This is usually worth it. There are rarely any dumb questions. Sometimes we accuse the speaker of elitism when it is our own pride that is keeping us from asking. Humility will communicate and not just talk. Even before we understand each other we’ll be encouraging true community.

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So if the newcomer to church or small group looks perplexed, take the reminder to watch out for jargon; and to smarten up but maybe not dumb it down. Check your communication. Make space for questions and creative clarifications; make a connection for high definition.

A position of trust Because I trust my mechanic I bought that expensive Fetzer valve, which it turns out is not a thing, it is just what I thought I heard. But I was distinctly aware that these words meant to inform had unintentionally served to confuse and compel me to buy. This is something we need to be extra careful about, especially if we have pulpits or positions of power. There can be a fine line separating a moving sermon and a manipulated audience.

We should ask ourselves: Have we magnified the mystery of God, or used it to cover up careless speech? Have we veiled what might have been made known?

To his credit, rather than call the car part a ‘thingy’ my mechanic respected me enough to tell me what it was. I can appreciate that. Maybe next time I’ll get over my intimidation and ask him to spell it out for me.

‘Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up,’ says 1 Corinthians 8:1. This is a line often quoted and rightly so. It reminds us to be careful about the use of jargon.

The answer, however, is not to hoard knowledge or to shy away from its pursuit, but in faith to seek understanding together. As it is so beautifully put in Ephesians 4:14-15: ‘Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.’

Jon Coutts Jon became the Tutor in Theology at Trinity College Bristol earlier this year. Before making England his home, he earned his PhD in Scotland and learned the ropes as an evangelical pastor in Canada.

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THE THE FALSE FALSE GOD GOD OFDOING DOING OF How do we make sure we’re not defining ourselves by what we do and where we’re going rather than who God wants us to be?

Gabrielle Thomas suggests some practical ways to make sure we’re focused on who we are becoming

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hat do you do?’ is a question we are all familiar with, whether we have asked it ourselves or been asked by others. It might be that someone is genuinely interested in what we do, but sometimes when we are asked this, the person really wants to know whether they are more successful than us.

A busy, 24/7 culture, centered around saving time, means that it is easy to become preoccupied both with our occupation and our direction. The temptation to define ourselves in the way contemporary culture values leads us to focus on the question, ‘What does God want me to do?’

Sometimes, it can be more important to us than asking, ‘Who does God want me to become?’

We become what we worship If we are too absorbed with the issue of what we do or where we should go, it might be that we have made a false god out of ‘doing’. In the ancient world gods were believed to offer a solution to the various struggles of human existence; consequently, worship of them was taken very seriously. In relation to the question of what they do and where they should go, the Romans worshipped the goddess Trivia. If asked the meaning of ‘Trivia’ you might think of the game Trivial Pursuit, which is based on general knowledge and popular culture questions. However, originally Trivia (Latin word meaning literally ‘three ways/roads’) was the goddess of the crossroads. She offered protection and help for those crossing the road, if they offered her appropriate worship.

On the subject of false gods, Psalm 115:8 tells us that we become what we worship. What might inadvertent

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worship of Trivia look like? If we worshipped a goddess of ‘what we do’ and ‘where we go’, our identity would be rooted in achievement and productivity. Consequently, when we stand at the crossroads and make decisions about what job to do next for example, those decisions are motivated by our need to achieve. Over a period of time, this develops into ‘worship’ of both our occupation and direction.

Worshipping Jesus paints a rather different picture. In his letter to the Galatians (especially 4:19), Paul’s greatest desire is that ‘Christ is formed’ in them. The Galatians are worried about what they do, but Paul is concerned about who they are becoming. For Christians, who we are becoming is more important than what we are doing or where we are going.

Becoming like Christ It’s all very well to talk about becoming like Jesus, but how do we actually prioritize becoming over doing or going? While it is the work of the Holy Spirit that transforms us ultimately, Paul tells us that we have a responsibility to cooperate in the process: ‘Train yourself to be godly’ (1 Tim 4:7). Over the centuries, many Christians have offered helpful reflections on how we might approach this; below are five ideas based on their experience.

1 Becoming through community ‘As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him - you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Pet 2:4-5). Community is the place where ‘living stones’ become honed. It is also where we engage in corporate celebration, confession and share the Lord’s Supper together. There is no room to give excessive attention to an individual’s path when we are part of a community.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together is a short book worth reading on this. He was a Lutheran pastor who wrote in prison during the Second World War and valued community highly.

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2 Becoming through holy habits American philosopher and writer on Christian spiritual formation Dallas Willard writes in The Divine Conspiracy about holy habits of engagement (Bible study, worship, prayer and fellowship) and of abstinence (silence, giving, fasting and chastity) that transform us inwardly when practiced regularly. Reading through the whole Bible in a year or committing to memorize a verse of Scripture regularly embeds God’s Word in our lives. These practices of engagement and abstinence take our focus off ourselves and onto Christ and others. However, when considering which of these we might want to incorporate into daily life, remember that the goal here is who we are becoming and not how many ‘holy habits’ we can achieve!

‘There is no room to give excessive attention to an individual’s path when we are part of a community’ 3 Becoming through accountability Accountability is one of the most challenging and yet essential habits of life as a Christian in our highly individualised culture. Building relationships of trust with people who are non-judgemental and caring gives us a place where we can be vulnerable about the behaviour patterns with which we struggle. Shared accountability is richly rewarding; problematic addictions such as watching too much TV, pornography and shopping can be tackled safely, breaking the power of hidden shame.

Great freedom comes when we are accepted for who we are; enabling us to move closer to becoming who God wants us to be.

4 Becoming through forgiveness ‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you’ (Eph 4:32).

While forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith, it is one of the most difficult things for many of us to do.

However, Jesus wants us to be free from our bitterness and pain, which is worth bearing in mind when we

wrestle with letting grudges go. American pastor Debbie Morris has written about her experiences of forgiving two men who raped her and killed her boyfriend. In her book Forgiving the Dead Man Walking she writes: ‘Justice didn’t do a thing to heal me. Forgiveness did.’ Whilst it might be something that takes a long time, forgiveness releases us into healing.

5 Becoming through trials This one might appear less obvious, especially since we don’t always have a choice over whether we go through trials; however, James suggests that we should consider them pure joy! ( James 1:2-4). Whether we delight in them or not, how we respond to trials reveals a lot about who we are becoming. My greatest trial so far occurred when I experienced M.E., through which I was bed-bound for 11 years. While I don’t believe that God caused the illness, nonetheless, he did use it to draw me closer to him in a number of ways. An activist from birth, it took many years of doing nothing for me to realize that who I am is more important to God than what I do.

Pause for thought While this is not a definitive list of ways to become like Jesus, I hope that it has sparked off some ideas to think about. In the theology stream of seminars at Week 1 of the National Gathering we will be delving into a number of ancient ‘gods’ and considering their influence in the contemporary world. We will discuss the various ways in which they work to distort the human being and how a Christian understanding of who we are speaks positively into our humanity.

Gabrielle Thomas Gabrielle begins a curacy in Teddington this summer, having moved from Nottingham where she was engaged in doctoral research.

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How do we answer people who argue that scientific discovery has made faith in God obsolete?

James Kennedy suggests we should have confidence that the two are not only compatible but that science actually points to God

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Setting the record straight The result of all this is that the supposed conflict between God and science has become one of the key barriers to faith in our times, and so it couldn’t be more important to set the record straight. Christians must be able to show simply and straightforwardly that it is utterly false to suggest that ‘faith in God’ and ‘science’ are opposed. Obviously much more can be said on the subject than space here allows, but a few basic observations ought at least to offer us the confidence to challenge and debunk the myth and get people thinking again!

‘The conflict isn’t between science and God at all, but between worldviews, and there are extremely intelligent people including the most capable of scientists on both sides of the fence’

Although Peter Higgs, who won it in 2013, is an atheist; William Phillips, who won it in 1997, is a Christian. It is a plain fact that whatever divides them has nothing to do with intelligence or science.

What distinguishes between these two scientists is their world view. The conflict isn’t between science and God at all, but between world views, and there are extremely intelligent people including the most capable of scientists on both sides of the fence.

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sked by the Emperor Napoleon why, in his book about the universe, he never mentioned its Creator, the French natural scientist and mathematician, Pierre-Simon Laplace replied bluntly, ‘God? I had no need of that hypothesis.’ His views may have been eccentric back then but, today, they would be very much mainstream. The champions of ‘New Atheism’ have worked hard to peddle the myth that ‘faith in God’ and ‘science’ irreconcilably conflict, and many people find this to be a convenient sound-bite. It seems to offer an excuse for people not to think too deeply about God at all any more (with potentially devastating consequences). I know, because that was very much what I thought during my late teens and early twenties as I trained as a surgeon.

Faith redefined Why the confusion, then? One distraction that has stirred things up has been a subtle redefinition of the word ‘faith’ in recent decades. But faith is not peculiar to those who believe in God. It is as necessary for the scientist as it is for anyone else because faith is all about trust: the sort of trust that is based on and follows evidence. The trouble is, when people talk about faith now, they often have in mind something that is far more dangerous; the definition of faith that has crept into the dictionaries as believing where there is no evidence. But that’s not faith – that’s blind faith.

And blind faith has no more place in Christianity than it does in science.

If we look at John’s Gospel, we find that Jesus’ miraculous signs are recorded ‘that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (20:30). Along with his bodily resurrection, those signs form a significant part of the massive body of evidence that gives grounds to my faith.

There is nothing blind about my faith; it’s based on evidence.

The whole issue about God and science, if we take atheism and belief in God as two alternative standpoints, has nothing to do with faith. Faith is common to both. Both are based upon evidence and science is an entirely neutral tool available to each standpoint. So the issue at stake is: which way, if any, does science point?

A question of world view The first question to ask is: Do science and faith in God conflict? There’s a definite perception that intelligent people in this day and age don’t need God. But if you think about it, that perception can’t be correct. If the findings of science conflicted with faith in God, then surely you’d find all scientists gathered on one side of the fence, with all those who believed in God on the other. That’s certainly what a lot of people assume to be the case – but it’s just not what we see.

The limits of science We should be clear that although science certainly helps us to explain things, there are different types of question and different levels of explanation. At a simplistic level, science has a wonderful and ever increasing ability to answer and explain ‘how?’ questions, but isn’t equipped to answer questions of ‘what?’ or ‘why?’. We should celebrate what science can answer, but science self-evidently doesn’t explain everything.

Take the example of a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, which most people will agree to be a reasonable measure of scientific accomplishment.

Let me borrow an illustration from John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, to show what I mean. When a physics teacher asks

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us, ‘Why is the kettle boiling?’ we can start talking about energy input from burning gas agitating water molecules, but then the teacher might well reply, ‘No that’s not why it’s boiling, it’s boiling because I want a cup of tea.’ Now, there’s nothing wrong with either answer, nor do they conflict.

One is the answer offered by science. It gives us part of the answer to our question on one level, but the other is an answer of purpose. They are two different levels of explanation, so the suggestion that because we’ve answered the one kind we somehow don’t need to ask the other kind is frankly absurd.

‘There are hundreds of essential constants of nature, which if any of them was changed by an unbelievably small amount, would result in a universe that was incapable of supporting life at all’ Laws of nature If science is a neutral tool, available to both atheist and Christian alike, which way does science point?

The reality is that many scientists, myself included, would say that science actually points us towards the existence of God rather than away from it.

The historical truth is that faith in God is what gave us science in the first place. The novelist, poet and academic C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘Men became scientific because they expected a law of nature and they expected a law of nature because they believed in a law-giver’. Scripture itself tells us not only that God reveals himself to us through the world around us, but also that he delights in our exploring it: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands’ (Ps 19:1-4) and ‘since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen’ (Rom 1:19-20).

God wants us to explore the universe in order to understand more clearly the immeasurable extent of his power and ability.

A higher explanation If you’re still in doubt, consider this: it would be misrepresenting him to say that he was a believer

in God, but Albert Einstein, the influential physicist who developed the theory of relativity, has been quoted as saying that ‘the only incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible’.

In the view of one of the most intelligent men of recent centuries, the very fact that the universe is describable demands a higher explanation. To put it simply, the fact that we can do science at all is evidence for the existence of God. Lastly then, a piece of evidence from the findings of science comes from what has become commonly known as the fine-tuning of the universe. To quote John Lennox again: ‘The picture that’s emerging from modern physics and cosmology is one of a universe whose fundamental forces are amazingly, intricately and delicately balanced or ‘fine-tuned’ in order for the universe to be able to sustain life.’ There are hundreds of essential constants of nature, which if any of them was changed by an unbelievably small amount, would result in a universe that was incapable of supporting life at all.

Following Einstein’s opinion that the predictability of nature is unreasonable, many scientists conclude that this extraordinary degree of fine-tuning demands some higher explanation.

A new boldness This is an example of science giving evidence in support of faith in an intelligent creator. This is no ‘God of the gaps’ argument, as some atheists try to dismiss faith in God. This isn’t using faith in God to explain the bits that science can’t; this is taking the findings of science and recognising that they point in a particular direction. The God that I believe in is no ‘God of the gaps’ – he’s the God of the whole show!

When we pick up this issue of God and science, far from being made to feel as though our Christian beliefs are in any way irrational or contrary to the evidence of science, we find that science itself – its history, some of its most prominent champions, and its findings – all give us very good reason to believe in the God who, we are told in the Bible, created us.

The God we believe in is very much the God who gave us science, and who gives us reason to trust its findings. Let’s be bold and take every opportunity that we’re given to say so.

James Kennedy James is Team Rector of the Chipping Norton Benefice and Vicar of St Mary’s, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

Before training for ordination he worked as a urological surgeon and clinical lecturer in surgery in Oxford.

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How do we lead worship in a way that allows people to speak to, and hear from, God? Glenn Packiam looks at what we can learn from biblical prophets about leading people to a divine perspective

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ur impression of a prophet is one who predicts the future. But biblically speaking, a prophet is one who sees what God sees, and then speaks to God on the people’s behalf and to the people on God’s behalf. There are two Hebrew words for prophet: one means literally ‘seer’, and the other ‘spokesperson’. To offer a divine perspective on a concrete situation – this is the heart of what a prophet in the Bible does.

In the moment Much of what we call prophetic worship is prophetic not because it is predictive, but because it opens our eyes to see our situation in a fresh way. These songs are often unscripted and spontaneous; they flow out of the worship leader’s heart, putting words to a sense of what the Holy Spirit is doing in the moment.

There is something deeply powerful about such moments.

And yet, if we aren’t careful, we can inadvertently confuse the spontaneous with the prophetic; we can assume that anything planned must not be of the Spirit, or that extemporaneous singing is a mark of truly prophetic worship.

An alternate vision To avoid falling into that trap, we need to examine again what it means to be prophetic, in a biblical sense. The venerable Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, in his classic book The Prophetic Imagination, describes the prophet as

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one who sees an alternate vision of reality. That much we have already established above. But he goes on to say that it is this vision, this new perspective that then leads the prophet to both criticizing and energizing. What does he mean by this? Let’s take each word one at a time.

Criticizing We don’t like this word, but in the prophetic tradition in Scripture, the prophet brings a word of criticism against the rulers and Empire. Moses looms large in Israel’s story as the greatest prophet because he confronted the mighty Pharaoh and led God’s people out of bondage and oppression (Exodus). Following in this great prophetic tradition, many of the prophets to Israel and Judah confront the kings who have, in a shocking turn of events, become just like the Pharaoh they were saved from.

Brueggemann describes them as Empire-building kings who exploited the poor and oppressed the needy for the sake of building an ‘economy of affluence’ and a ‘religion of satiation’.

‘The poet-prophet can be the chief mourner before she becomes the lead worshipper’ How does the prophet bring this word of criticism?

Primarily, Brueggemann says, through the language of grief. Jeremiah is a prime example of this. By refusing to buy the party line: ‘“Peace, peace,” they say, when there

Energizing Here, the prophet is not addressing the powers that be – the rulers and Empires – but the marginalized and the oppressed. In fact, he is often speaking on behalf of them to God, and then on behalf of God to them.

What does he say to energize them? The prophet, based on the alternate vision of reality that he sees, energizes the people of God through the language of hope. The example in the Old Testament that Brueggemann uses is Isaiah, seen most brilliantly in Isaiah 40-66: ‘Comfort, comfort my people, says your God’ the prophet declares.

Jesus does this, famously, in his beatitudes, where he pronounces the poor and powerless to be the ones who are blessed (Matt 5:1-12).

What can all this mean for our understanding of ‘prophetic worship’ in general and for a worship leader in particular?

‘We can awaken people to see something new, that has not yet come to be, so that hope fills their hearts’ The worship leader can be a poet-prophet Art is a prophetic language. The language of grief and the language of hope are languages of poetry not prose.

The prophets are not giving details or writing history books; they use imagery, metaphor and hyperbole to paint a vivid picture of what they see. They walk with the weak and lift up the broken. Or they simply weep.

Through poetic language and symbolic actions, the prophet speaks the language of grief and the language of hope. The poet can be a prophet. It is the non-definite qualities of music that allow worship to engage a person beyond the cognitive. The sounds and progressions, the rhythms and harmonies, can move a person deeply, concentrating and representing the depth of emotion in our hearts that we may not be able to put into words.

The worship leader can give voice to grief Do any of the songs we write or services we lead give room for people to grieve? The Sunday after wildfires destroyed over 300 homes in Colorado Springs, our worship leader gave people space to cry out to God, to place their burdens and

sorrows at his feet. The temptation in the aftermath of loss and tragedy is to try to explain. Sometimes the best thing we can do in church – and worship leaders are particularly equipped to do this – is simply to give voice to grief.

I was at a conference a few years ago where a woman performed a beautiful spoken word piece about the sorrow of losing her mother to cancer. Immediately, it put all of us in touch with our own grief, with the sadness in the world, without resorting to sentimentality. When we give voice to grief, we are protesting the line that those in power feed us, telling us that all is well and all will be well. Grief is permission to say, ‘All is not well!’ The poetprophet can be the chief mourner before she becomes the lead worshipper.

The worship leader can give rise to hope Our role is not simply to be descriptive (saying what God is like) or prescriptive (calling people to respond to him).

We are also to be imaginative: we can awaken people to see something new, something that has not yet come to be, so that hope fills their hearts. The temptation is to try to be precise: Tell me exactly what Heaven is like or what new creation will look like or how God will bring about restoration. But the language of hope is in poetry because it is meant to evoke and inspire not inform.

There are songs that inspire a vision of freedom that is ‘already and not yet’. We look at the hope that is yet to come, and begin to live into it as though it is. We in the Church are the people who sing before the morning comes, who begin to praise before the dawn breaks. It may be midnight in the world around us; but we live in the light of a new day. We sing about resurrection and joy and peace that transcend anything found in this world. If emotion can be understood as feelings directed toward an object, then worship can inspire hope by directing our feelings toward Christ as the centre of our hope, and to the restoration and renewal he is bringing.

May your eyes be opened, so that like John in the Book of Revelation, you might see Earth from Heaven’s perspective. May your mouths be filled with words and melodies to give voice to grief and give rise to hope. May you not only lead worship; may you also prophesy.

Glenn Packiam Glenn is the lead pastor of New Life Downtown, Colorado Springs, USA. He came to speak at our Worship Conference in London in April. He is currently earning a doctorate in Theology and Ministry from Durham University.

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is no peace’ ( Jer 6:14); Jeremiah weeps over the people of God for their sin, for their stubbornness, for their rejection of him as God’s messenger (20). Jesus does a similar thing when, arriving in Jerusalem near his death, he weeps over the city (Luke 19:41). Tears have a long heritage in the Biblical prophetic tradition.

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One weekend, one heart, one vision 25-27 September 2015

We’re asking individuals, churches and communities across the country to join in and pray for their local communities. Central to this whole weekend is a heart to see people know and encounter God as their Father through the power of prayer.

and O CWR is producing a booklet on the Lord’s Prayer, specially written by Rev Canon J.John, inviting people to pray and introducing them to a God who listens. We would encourage you to pre-order and hand Why Pray? out to people in your community.

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‘I HAD ONE BLACK BIN LINER OF POSSESSIONS AND £70,000 OF DEBT...’

According to NHS statistics there may be as many as 450,000 problem gamblers in Britain, the vast majority of whom don’t seek help.

Justyn Rees Larcombe lost his job, family and home following a three year addiction to gambling.

He shares his story of restoration

knew something was different before I opened my eyes. I sat up and slowly allowed myself to come round. It was September 2012 and for nearly three years I’d woken without noticing the sound of birdsong. My first thoughts each morning were usually the sinking realisation of the mess I had made of my life. I’d promise myself I would never gamble again and then, after the briefest moment of sanity, I’d start thinking of how I could get some money to place my first bet of the day. I’d been oblivious to everything except my own selfish addiction.

Today the house was unusually quiet. It was enough to distract my addiction voice. Where was the usual sound of children’s TV programmes?

As I walked downstairs, there was no sound of my two young boys banging the table with their spoons or calling for more scrambled egg. There was no reassuring sight of my wife Emma making packed lunches or brewing coffee. They had gone.

A spiralling addiction Emma was right to leave. I was selfdestructing and, like a whirlpool, I was sucking in everything around me. The day she’d found my bank statement had been awful. Her beautiful smile had gone, but she stood by me. She even stood by me the day I lost my job. You can’t expect to continue as a Director of a Financial Services Company when you run up debts of £27,000 on your corporate expenses card.

But Emma couldn’t watch as I began to sell our possessions to fund my gambling. I sold my wedding ring, a unique gold band inscribed with a message of love from the Old Testament book Song of Solomon.

I sold my city suits for the same price as tea towels. The buyer didn’t even check what was in the plastic bag, he just weighed it and gave me a few pounds. I would put the money on a 10 leg multiplier bet. Impossible odds, but I convinced myself I would win everything back and make things right again.

Hitting rock bottom Over the next few weeks, on my own in a house I couldn’t afford to heat, with five months’ rent owing and living off a sack of mouldy potatoes, I began to consider what it would be like for the boys if I wasn’t around.

We downloaded browser protection onto our computers and I began my journey of recovery. And every day I didn’t bet, things got a little better. My self-esteem was still low.

I knew I was forgiven, but I found it hard to forgive myself. I started swimming each day and set myself the challenge of training for a solo attempt at swimming the Channel.

Facing reality It sounds like a simple choice, but this had been my home. Leaving meant facing up to reality. I had an hour to collect the last of my belongings: a few pictures and some clothing. I looked at the empty mantelpiece where once the Sword of Honour had taken pride of place, a gift from the Queen for passing out of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at the top of my intake.

It should have been a priceless object to be passed down through the generations, but I’d sold it to fuel my habit. I went into the boys’ rooms, their beds still unmade from the morning they left. I cried a lot. I was broken. It was just what I needed.

Pride had prevented me from seeking help for too long.

I started attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings and was surprised to discover I wasn’t the only one to lose everything. But, I couldn’t understand why they kept talking about a ‘higher power’ or a ‘God of my own understanding’.

I wanted to shout out the truth: ‘It’s God!’

‘I sold my city suits for the same price as tea towels. The buyer didn’t even check what was in the plastic bag, he just weighed it and gave me a few pounds’ That night, back in the room I had grown up in, I got down on my knees and prayed a simple prayer. I asked for forgiveness. I asked to be fixed; I invited Christ back into my life. I had enjoyed a close walk with the Lord, but as I had become more successful in the world of finance, my relationship with God had taken second place and as my gambling habit took over, I had no time for him at all. Now I had one black bin liner of possessions and £70,000 of debt. But somewhere deep inside me, I felt a sense of peace.

Starting recovery The next morning I met with a debt adviser and to my relief, we rescheduled the debt. My mother didn’t judge me. She showed me love.

‘I was broken. It was just what I needed. Pride had prevented me from seeking help’ Signs of hope I rediscovered the joy of God’s Word and made time each morning and evening to pray and listen to him.

As the weeks passed some amazing things happened. I was offered a work contract that would allow me to pay off my debt much faster.

I saw my boys as often as I could, sometimes driving the eight hour round trip in a day. Time with them was precious and Emma could see I had changed, but trust is so hard to win back and I accepted that my marriage was probably over. I just didn’t give up hope.

When the last penny had been paid I trained as a debt adviser and now volunteer each month to help people who are experiencing financial hardship.

Freeing others In August 2013 the Daily Mail ran a double page article about me losing everything. I wanted people to understand the dangers, although it was hard sharing my faults so publicly. I needn’t have worried,

I was overwhelmed by the positive response from people who were suffering. That article led to many appearances on national television and radio and ultimately, to my autobiography.

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And then I had a visitor: my Mum, Christian writer and speaker Jennifer Rees Larcombe. I was in Derbyshire, so for Mum to drive up from Kent unannounced was quite a surprise.

I considered hiding at first, but she had come so far. ‘Tomorrow you’re going to be evicted. You have a choice: walk the streets or come back and stay with me’, she said.

In January 2014 I ran The Recovery Course at Tonbridge Baptist Church and 40 people suffering from addictions of all kinds attended. It’s a 14-session programme which, like the Anonymous Fellowships, follows the 12 steps, but puts Christ firmly at the heart of recovery, dealing with the inner pain, not just the symptoms (www.htb.org/recovery). We have now run three courses and seen incredible healing and restoration in people’s lives.

Restored relationships In September 2014 I swam to France, raising money for charity. But best of all, after almost two years apart, Emma and the boys moved back home. Six years after I placed my first ‘free’ £5 bet, we are reunited as a family and the Lord has restored my life. But not just back to where it was, better than that. I now have my priorities in the right order. Relationships and family come before money. I have peace, joy and happiness. Every day I wake up I listen to the birdsong and I don’t ever waste the opportunity to tell everyone I can that in Christ there is hope, restoration and perfect freedom.

On Christmas Eve the doorbell rang and there was a FedEx parcel for me.

It was an odd shape. My Sword of Honour had been found by a military collector who contacted one of the newspapers that had run my story. A number of people from my church covered the cost of buying it back.

What a gift!

For your chance to win a free copy of Justyn’s autobiography Tails I Lose, simply email the title to mag@new-wine.org before 18 Sept 2015.

Justyn Rees Larcombe Justyn is a public speaker and media commentator on the issue of gambling addiction and the founder of Triple R, an evangelistic ministry aimed at helping people break free of addiction. He is a trustee of GamServe, a Christian organisation campaigning for protection of problem gamblers.

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SETTING CAPTIVES FREE Danielle Strickland came to speak at our Leadership Conferences in March and reminded us to be confident in who God says we are rather than caring what other people think. She told Lucy Avery about her own story of meeting Jesus and what gets her excited in her everyday life and work

In your book A Beautiful Mess you write ‘God invaded my life’.

What happened?

As a teenager I was a car thief and a drug addict. I had several times been in and out of custody. I was in a prison cell and had about 12 charges against me when Jesus appeared to me. It was a full body experience. I can’t really explain it. I saw and felt him. I had a tangible experience of his love and acceptance. I often liken it to someone turning the lights on and I could suddenly see. I was still unclear about how to accept and enter into a relationship with him but I did understand for the first time that he loved me.

What led you to The Salvation Army?

I wanted to make my whole life about bringing good news to people. The combination of proclamation and

What does a ‘typical’ day in your life look like?

When I am at home I always wake up to the sound of my youngest son making Tyrannosaurus Rex noises beside my bed. It’s the cutest alarm clock in history. The rest of my day is mostly all about people. I meet with people constantly. A lot of my time these days is spent investing in leaders and discipling women that are growing in their faith and in our community. I also do a lot of networking with likeminded justice types in our city. I try to do this over coffee and food.

What are you most excited about at the moment?

My own family keeps me so filled with joy it’s hard to explain. My eldest son is turning 13 and is on a rite of passage trip with his father right now. I’m so excited I can hardly contain it. My middle son lost his first tooth yesterday and it signals a new season for him. My youngest son just mastered potty training. Who wouldn’t be excited about that?!

My local work is an incredible community of people who are examples of transformed people who are transforming others. It’s really inspiring. It’s hard not to be passionate about our women’s outreach that is out every night of the week from 10pm-3am being Jesus to the most vulnerable sector of society.

I read their reports every night and find myself overwhelmed at their incredible witness and influence.

Stop The Traffik Canada hosted a Freedom Relay in May here in Edmonton in conjunction with a huge youth festival for 12,000 young people. We were marching/prayer walking the strip where we minister every night and speaking up for the young girls who are trafficked into prostitution in our city. I was very

excited about a Christian gathering moving out into the streets with the good news of God’s justice.

Can you tell us more about your work with vulnerable women?

Our women’s outreach is a beautiful ministry that does street level ‘presence’ work. We drive the strip where women are on the streets and invite them into our van for a break, a conversation and a prayer. We then ask if we can drive them somewhere safe (get them into detox or a shelter).

It’s a very grassroots effort. We also do a massage parlour chaplaincy, which is simply being present in the lives of women stuck in the sex industry. We bring baked goods and chat for a while. We’re offering a listening ear, prayer, referrals and ideally a way out. It’s incredible to see the personal growth in the lives of the women we become friends with.

We also do a ‘journey’ retreat four times a year where we take women who have been sexually exploited for a weekend away filled with love, meals and beauty/spa treatments.

It’s hosted by a lovely Christian couple with a great big house and a lot of love. We simply aim to help the women feel loved. It is one of the most beautiful things we do.

You write, ‘Growth can only come as a result of embracing chaos.’

What do you mean and can you give us some examples?

I think whenever true change is about to happen in our lives it starts with chaos. The normal has to be disrupted for the new to have room to grow. Dissatisfaction with status quo is almost always the way the chaos enters our lives. The trouble is that often we see or experience chaos as a problem. I’ve learned to look at chaos as a way of God entering into our lives and bringing his best creation. When chaos presents itself it’s often best to invite God into the midst of it and let him start creating.

Often women who have children experience this kind of chaos.

It’s disorientating but you emerge

better for it, with new eyes and a new life. Becoming a Christian is often this way too. It feels like your life is falling apart rather than coming together but it’s actually a re-establishing of God’s order in your life. Often people who experience Jesus have a chaotic series of events that follow: their job changes, their relationships shift and all sorts of things happen. Sometimes this makes people think something is wrong, but in a spiritual sense it actually means that things are becoming right. God is establishing his right order.

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practical help resonated with me.

Isaiah 58 makes my heart beat faster and I saw that missional emphasis at The Salvation Army. It was also the fastest way to make telling people about Jesus the main point of my life.

There are a few other selling points: they have a tradition of equality for women; they have a social justice history that’s rooted in revival; and my husband looks especially great in a uniform!

Are you working on any resources for the wider church?

I’m writing a book that I’ve been working on for a long time. It doesn’t have a title yet but it’s about the Exodus and the process of slavery and freedom. It’s been such a meaningful study to me personally that it’s been hard to finish but I’ve got a deadline now so it will be coming out later this year.

I also helped with the creation of a new documentary, HardCorps, revealing the connection between porn and trafficking. It’ll be released this year and I’m helping to create a roll-out strategy that will encourage people to move from awareness to action. I’m very excited at its potential to impact a generation with truth and freedom.

At our Leadership Conferences you encouraged us to ‘let people see you bleed’ and show our vulnerability. Are you trying to do this?

To be honest this is an area I struggle with. That’s really what I was sharing about. I am a strong leader and I like being strong. If you ask me if I’m ok I’m always going to answer, ‘Great, thanks!’ Being vulnerable and admitting weakness have never come easy to me. I’m simply convicted by The Holy Spirit about the way Jesus led. He was incredibly vulnerable, real and emotive. He felt and he bled openly. I was really preaching to myself!

Danielle Strickland Danielle serves as a Salvation Army officer in a marginalized community in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada as well as being internationally recognised as a leader, speaker, writer, justice advocate, mission developer and church planter. She also leads the Canadian arm of Stop the Traffik.

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Churches in urban priority areas can benefit from a New Wine bursary to help pay for places for people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to come to a National Gathering.

Olivier Bamanya Bakuru shares his experience of joining his church family in Shepton Mallet

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’ve lived in London since 2004.

I come from the Democratic Republic of Congo. My wife Deborah and I have three children, Ushindi (9), Nehema (7) and Kindja (4). Deborah and I are from a Christian background and we want our kids to know God too.

We were part of the Congolese Church in Hackney until 2007, when my sister in-law Therese invited us to come and worship God with them at Frampton Park Baptist Church.

When I got to Frampton Park I immediately felt at home. I realised that although the Congolese Church helped Deborah and I on our Christian journey; it was not enough to take our kids in that journey too.

There wasn’t a dedicated programme for kids. So we joined Frampton Park and made it our home. The church has become our family. I joined the worship team in 2012.

What led you to coming to the National Gathering?

Each year, Kevin Belcher, the church leader who is responsible for organising our church group trip to

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‘It helped me take my relationship with God a step forward’

‘Every time the church came back from New Wine they brought such a heavenly atmosphere with them’ the National Gathering, would talk about it. I knew I could not afford to go and definitely not my whole family! I was an asylum seeker, studying English at the local college, with no grant to work in the UK. I also couldn’t picture myself camping! I had no idea what it would even look like.

In 2013 Kevin asked, ‘Do you and your family want to go to New Wine this year?’ The church would pay for us to go, which seemed so generous!

I discussed it with Deborah and we agreed that it was important for our children to go as many of the church kids were talking about it as a fantastic experience. The year before, in 2012, when the church group had come back, for the first time they had showed us photos, which gave me a clear idea what it was about.

Olivier, his wife Deborah, and their children Ushindi, Nehema and Kindja

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One thing I had noticed was that every time the church came back from New Wine they brought such a heavenly atmosphere with them.

We decided to go. The kids were so excited!

What did you think of it?

The highlight of the week for me was the time spent every morning and evening in the main venues. The worship and the testimonies were out of this world. I enjoyed seeing people sing, dance and fall in tears in God’s presence; seeing the Holy Spirit at work. I was able to feed myself in God’s presence and learn more about his grace and mercy at work in our lives. It was also a good time for me to socialise with other members of my church community, to get to know the people around me better; something I don’t always have the opportunity to do.

The kids were totally absorbed in their groups: Rock Solid, Ground Breakers and Pebbles. I remember one day my daughter Nehema woke up in tears because she thought her session had already started and she had missed it; because she did not see

any kids around. The session wasn’t starting for an hour!

‘I was able to feed myself in God’s presence and learn more about his grace and mercy at work in our lives’ Did you go back in 2014?

I came with my two eldest children (my wife was unable to come and I wasn’t sure I could cope with all three!). I was excited to visit every single workshop and venue; wanting to take something back that could benefit others.

How has the National Gathering impacted you?

It helped me take my relationship with God a step forward. Being reconnected to God in Spirit,

I’ve been surprised by Ushindi and Nehema’s spiritual growth since coming to New Wine. I discovered they were praying for me to succeed in my studies and to get a job. Kindja has been able to memorize her first Bible verse, ‘…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ ( Josh 24:15). Amazing!

Are you coming this summer?

I’m struggling to find the finances. I graduated in TV Production in July 2014 and I’m still looking for work but I know that God has a plan to bless my family.

BURSARIES FOR CHURCHES IN URBAN AREAS New Wine offers discounts and free places for the National Gatherings to support churches working in the poorest communities.

For more information email cln@new-wine.org

Do you want to see your nation changed?

Join New Wine’s free, dynamic and growing network for all those in leadership.

www.new-wine.org/leaders 32

learning his words and promises; it allowed me to understand my call and communicate it to others. It’s put a seed in my heart, the desire to give the best of me to take the worship experience at Frampton Park to the next level. I believe that God wants me to use the talents he’s given me to bless the people around me.

INSIGHT Simon Ponsonby is Pastor of Theology at St Aldates, Oxford. He’s leading the morning Bible teaching in The Arena during Week 1 of the National Gatherings Q1 Who has had the biggest influence

on your life, and why?

My father. The fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) describe him.

He’s walked closely with God and has read the Bible well over 100 times and framed his life according to it.

Q2 Can you give an example of a prayer time or a

particular prayer that has impacted your life?

Almost 30 years ago a young church planter called Charlie Cleverly, now Rector of St Aldates, prayed for me after I responded to a prophetic word from God. I was a new Christian and had never witnessed such things before. The Spirit of God flooded me and I felt wave after wave of love, grace, healing and tenderness and wept for joy and relief.

After some time I stood up wobbly, and Charlie said ‘God hasn’t finished yet’ and I fell again to the floor. I had a sense of the power of God surging through me. As I lay there Charlie prophesied I would be an itinerant Bible teacher. I often say I went down a butcher (my former trade) and got up a preacher.

Simon Ponsonby

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SECOND

Q3 Can you describe a particular event which

marks a turning point in your life/career?

In 1989 I was serving as an assistant pastor at a new church plant in Nailsea but was making plans to go to America and join the Vineyard movement. However I began to sense God was calling me elsewhere – but I didn’t know where.

As I prayed a distinct image came to mind of David Gillett, the principal at Trinity College Bristol. I sensed God say I needed to go and talk to him. I did so and told him of my vision. I was expecting him to have a prophetic word for me. He simply said that if God showed me his face, it was possibly because I ought to come as a student to his college.

Theological college was the last thing I wanted, or, in my arrogance felt I needed. But I realised it was the Lord’s leading. Just over a year later I began my studies.

Q4 Can you recommend a book that you’ve found helpful?

I have journeyed with and sparred with the Swiss theologian Karl Barth for 25 years. I’d recommend Church Dogmatics 2:1 and 2:2. His presentation of the glory and greatness of God in Jesus has not been surpassed in modern theology. I recommend anything of his even when I disagree with it!

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RT FO O P P R U S

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SURVIVORS Each year, approximately 400,000 females and 72,000 males report having been sexually assaulted in England and Wales. On average that is 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 8 boys who have suffered some form of sexual abuse. Survivors have few places to turn for support.

Hayley Bisofsky suggests how we can step in and meet the needs in our locality

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ntonia has happy memories of her childhood. In the absence of a father, her mother brought her brothers up to protect and look after her. They would take her fishing and spend the weekends roaming through the woods, building dens and having mud fights. When her two brothers both left home within a few months of each other the house suddenly felt empty. Her mother often came home with strange men offering Antonia no explanation of who they were.

She could hear them laughing and giggling in the room next door but she would try to sleep with a pillow over her head so that she couldn’t hear them.

One night her bedroom opened and a man walked in. She had never

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seen him before but she recognised his voice, he’d been over a lot lately.

He was naked. He got into bed with her and started touching her. She didn’t like it and asked where her mother was but he assured her that her mother was in the next room and that he was just being friendly.

Antonia was terrified. A week later he moved into the house and the abuse continued for three years. By the time Antonia was a teenager she was a lifeless shell. She had shut off her ability to feel emotions and barely spoke a word to anyone. Her confidence was rock bottom and she began to self-harm.

Someone to listen Antonina is now a professional in her 40s, married with two children.

In her late teens she managed to

find someone who would listen to her, believed her and helped her to process the memories that she had been fighting all those years. It was all she needed to turn her life around.

Slowly the shame started to lift and her confidence was restored.

Lifecentre Sussex started in 2001 in response to the recognition that there were no specialised services available between Portsmouth and Brighton for people who had been raped and sexually abused. We started small by running a volunteer helpline two nights a week and now have five venues across Sussex and Surrey providing face to face counselling alongside many other specialised services. According to David Augsburger, Senior Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at

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Fuller Seminary, ‘Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.’

Regaining confidence ‘After I was attacked all of my relationships broke down. I was humiliated, living in fear, scared to go out. I was spending all my time at home crying with the curtains closed and doors locked. On my 22nd birthday I took steps to end my own life. Somehow I survived. I realised I needed help. Since Lifecentre, I am able to go out. I’m slowly starting to get my confidence back. I don’t get as many bad dreams or sleep with a baseball bat under my pillows. I can laugh now and six weeks ago I wore a dress.’

- Lifecentre client ‘I feel I have gained more confidence, my self-worth has risen with the help of being believed. I no longer feel guilty and am able to rationalise things better with renewed strength’ - Lifecentre client Reaching further Although our role in South East England is a large and important one, we recognize that our efforts don’t solve the problem nationally or internationally. Existing services are oversubscribed. It is a postcode lottery. For that to happen it requires many other like-minded people to join forces and empower one another. There are many other locations around the world that are crying out for similar services but without the right training and support they rarely get off the ground.

The Lifecentre Network was set up to come alongside people who are passionate about this area of work but are unsure what the practical applications of that passion may be, and help eliminate barriers and provide training and policies, consultancy and support to those working with, or hoping to work with, survivors of sexual violation.

Could you help?

You may have heard the experiences of survivors and wished there was more you can do or maybe there’s people in your church who have come to you for support in this area.

Lifecentre Network can help you make your vision a reality.

We will help you to define your unique skills and understand how they can contribute to furthering the cause in your area. We can connect you to like-minded people, work with you to isolate the current needs where you are and help you to create a package that equips you to meet these needs.

‘She managed to find someone who would listen to her, believed her and helped her to process the memories that she had been fighting’ Antonia has long had a desire to support other survivors but didn’t know where to start. She researched what was available in her area but found that despite there being lots of general support nothing was specialised in dealing with survivors of rape and sexual abuse. She decided she wanted to start something but didn’t know what. She wasn’t a trained counsellor and had never started anything like this before.

She is currently training with us and thinking through setting something up.

How to get started Gather a team of likeminded people. It only needs to be two or three at this stage. Prayer is important but it is also helpful if they can dedicate some time to building this project.

Do thorough research in your area and find out what support is already available.

Build good relationships with counselling services, churches, rape crisis centres, police, councils and other charities in your area and find out what the gaps in provision are in your area.

Speak to survivors and ask them what services they want available. Brainstorm how you might provide these services, plug the gaps in the provision or compliment what is already out there.

Write it down.

Get in touch with the Lifecentre Network.

Whatever your vision, we understand that a lot needs to happen before that vision can become a reality. We’d like to draw alongside you and support you in this process.

The Lifecentre Network offers a variety of services which can be catered towards the specific needs of your project and team. Our online training programmes are easy to access and available immediately and our skype mentor sessions will guide you through the details of setting up a project from scratch or expanding upon an already existing one.

Hayley Bisofsky Hayley is manager of the Lifecentre Network. After setting up a project in London working with women who have been trafficked she became passionate about survivors being able to access the support they need. Email her at hayley@lifecentre.uk.com or visit www.lifecentrenetwork.org

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S C I E T I F I L RL O P FO IS

NOT JUST ELECTIONS Our political system provides us with opportunities to represent ourselves, but we rarely take them, preferring the easier task of blaming others. Andy Flannagan encourages us to stop criticising from the side-lines and get involved in the decision making

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want to take your mind back to a time - you may not thank me for this - when all you heard was talk of hustings and manifestos. A time when the gladiatorial combat of the election was making you simultaneously intrigued and appalled. So the temptation is to thank the Lord that all that stuff is over for another five years. I’m here to challenge that line of thought. I believe, to borrow some language from Battersea Dogs Home, that politics is for life, not just elections.

It is all too easy as believers to think that the sum total of our civic duty is to prayerfully consider who to vote for, then cast our vote. That’s why 40 church networks and Christian agencies came together to create the SHOW UP campaign, which has been encouraging believers to positively engage beyond the ballot box. It has been suggesting that your vote could just be the start

of you making significant decisions, rather than the end, because next time it could be you answering the questions rather than just asking them at a hustings.

Loving our neighbours When somebody says, ‘I don’t care about politics’, I have to ask the question in return, ‘But do you care about your neighbourhood?’. To be honest, if your answer to that question is ‘No’, then put down this magazine. I won’t have the space here to convince you that your neighbours or your neighbourhood may be worth caring about. But if your answer to that question is ‘Yes’, then let me put it to you that you do care about politics. You perhaps just don’t know it yet.

Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matt 22:39). So we need to love others in the way that we love

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ourselves. But how do we do this? We love ourselves by a huge variety of mental, physical and spiritual attitudes and practices that keep the show of life on the road. We feed ourselves. We buy clothes for ourselves.

We communicate with others. We establish our official place in society through things like NHS and National Insurance numbers. We find jobs and somewhere to live.

We organise diaries. We find love. We connect with God. It is worth stopping to remember that for some among us even these basic things may not be true.

‘You simply cannot divorce the personal from the social, economic, cultural and political environments within which we live and move and have our being’ Spiritual and practical Loving our neighbour ‘as ourselves’ must therefore mean caring about all these aspects of other peoples’ lives too.

It doesn’t get much more complicated than that. Our efforts to ‘sort our lives out’ are not solely ‘spiritual’, so why should we shrink our efforts for others to that arena? I genuinely used to hear church leaders say, ‘The government is there to cover the practical. I’ll just cover the spiritual.’ This dualistic theology has sadly had a long-term impact on our thinking. Happily things are changing, but the legacy still lurks. It led the church to build a separate subculture, leaving ‘politics to the politicians’ as if they were a different breed of human, limiting our influence on society. The church’s voice seemed to be based on old privilege rather than our present engagement. We regret that now!

You simply cannot divorce the personal from the social, economic, cultural and political environments within which we live and move and have our being. They have a huge influence on us, and to address personal needs without addressing the context in which a life sits makes little sense and can actually lead to a lot of frustration.

Elderly and isolated There is a 78 year old lady on our block called Marie.

Her life is replicated all over the UK. Visualise an elderly person who you know well and ask yourself these questions, inserting your friend’s name.

Do you care that Marie’s bins are collected? Do you care that her local hospital is well supplied with the drugs she needs? Do you care that her bedroom is damp? Do you care that a GP can see her in her home? Do you care that she is safe from the scam artists who would attempt to snatch her hard-fought-for savings? Do you care about her noisy neighbours? Do you care about her ability to

use public transport? If you care about even one of these things, you care about politics. You care about politics because you care about people.

Being a friend Mick Duncan from Urban Neighbours of Hope, who lived for 12 years in a slum in Manila with his family, explains it like this. He spoke about one of his neighbours for whom simply being a friend meant being involved in her life on many levels. She was in extreme poverty, so there were times when he simply needed to share meals with her, or give gifts of cash and items that would help her survive. He was fighting on a practical front. She was also heavily involved in some of the occult practices that ensnare many people in the Philippines, so Mick had to fight on a spiritual front. There was much prayer and deliverance.

The land on which they lived was not acknowledged as ‘real’ by the government, so she was not an official citizen, with all the benefits like healthcare and education which that would bring. It also meant that the area did not receive proper sanitation or refuse systems. So Mick had to fight for her on a political front for the land and for all of her neighbours to be recognised. The point must be made in the midst of all of this that she was also blessing him, and he was learning huge amounts from her. But you can see that to focus on any one of these areas to the detriment of the other would avoid being the neighbour that she needed.

Taking opportunities That is why it simply isn’t an option for us to opt out of political activity, leaving it to someone else. In 2009, a 27 year old church leader from Luton called Gavin Shuker realised this. The church that he had planted was serving their local community but noted they could be stuck as the town’s paramedic if they did not also get involved in decision making. Gavin joined his local Labour party. The sitting MP then lost her job through the expenses scandal, and Gavin put his name forward for selection. He was elected as the MP for Luton South.

And he has had a phenomenal impact both locally and at Westminster. The glass ceiling that we believe might be there for Christians simply isn’t. The salt and light thing actually works, if only we would let it.

Please join us as we support Christians on this adventure.

Visit www.christiansinpolitics.org.uk/showup to find out more.

Andy Flannagan Andy Flannagan is a London-based, Irish singer-songwriter, previously a hospital doctor. He spends much of his time with his wife Jenny working out how to be downwardly mobile in a South London council estate. He is the Director of www.christiansontheleft.org.uk based in Westminster.

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WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR? The May General Election made much of immigration at a time when a quarter of a billion people worldwide live in a nation other than their birth country. Steve Bell takes us back to first century Palestine to examine Jesus’ behaviour towards immigrants and draws parallels with Britain today

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s a Palestinian Jew, Jesus had social connections with people from at least seven different ethnic groups. This is an example to us in multi-ethnic Britain today. The Samaritans of his day were socially ostracised and his friendships with them were scandalous. As a Rabbi he should have been setting an example of refusing to associate with Samaritans but he seemed to have a default mechanism that drew him into relationship and to invest himself in their lives.

Breaking taboos In John 4 we read about a time when Jesus went out of his way to plonk himself at a well in a Samaritan community. He found a Samaritan woman to chat with. Jesus was single, male, and a Jewish Rabbi, and she was a female of low repute! Not only did he do this in broad daylight, but the chat turned into a two-day stay in that community as their guest.

This was an outrageous thing for Jesus to do.

Remember how Jesus also healed 10 leprosy sufferers but only one came back to say ‘thank you’ – and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17). Best of all for me is the ‘sizzler’ of a parable we call The Good Samaritan (Luke 10). In it the hero is not the Pharisee or Levite – symbols of Jewish religious and social tradition – but

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a Samaritan who did what God requires, according to the maxim of the prophets, ‘to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ (Micah 6:8).

Jesus’ bias towards the Samaritans was so obvious that false rumour had it that he was secretly a Samaritan himself ( John 8:48).

A threat to society Why were the Samaritan people so despised by the Jews? The answer lies in 2 Kings 17:24-34 and 41. They were Iraqi immigrants from Babylon who were forcibly displaced to live in the Israeli region of Samaria. This was a sinister strategy of socialengineering aimed at inter-marriage so they would take-over and weaken the Jewish bloodline by ‘out-birthing’ the locals.

‘The disciples stopped seeing Samaritans as a stumbling block to the gospel and began to see them as a stepping stone for it’ To make matters worse, Samaritans also mixed their pagan practices with Judaism, creating a hybrid version of Judaism. This made

Samaritans a threat at almost every level – ethnic, cultural, religious and political. Now do you see why the social tension existed in which Jews wouldn’t even speak to a Samaritan ( John 4:9)?

Reaching further Despite their fear of ‘outsiders’, Jesus succeeded in bringing the first disciples to an understanding that the gospel must travel to Jerusalem (locally), Samaria (regionally and nationally) and to ‘the ends of the earth’ (globally) (Acts 1:8). Links in each area is a healthy balance for any local church’s mission policy today. Too many churches have reduced The Great Commission to ‘go and make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:16-20) to local and monocultural community action in their ‘Jerusalem’. But Jesus says it must be more than that; the nations are always the end point – particularly when they have come to live in our postcode in the economy of God. Starting a movement The first believers in Jesus understood that he is ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles’, as well as the bit they already knew, that he was ‘the glory of your people Israel’ (Luke 2:32). The Samaritans helped them bring the ‘light to the Gentiles’ as the disciples stopped seeing Samaritans as a stumbling block to the gospel and began to see them as

One example was when the evangelist Philip went down to Samaria to follow up the people who were coming to Christ in a localised people movement (Acts 8:5, 14; 9:31).

This openness to the gospel was the result of ‘the woman at the well’ who had told her community about her encounter with Jesus: “He told me everything I ever did”, as well as Jesus’ stay with them ( John 4:39-42).

The biblical evidence is compelling.

Jesus and the early Christians led the way in cross-cultural witness to ethnic minorities.

Modern day parallels In case you hadn’t spotted the parallel yet, the modern day Samaritans of Britain are the Muslims.

Like the Samaritans, Muslims are immigrants facing everything from polite racism and mistrust to overt hostility.

Like the Samaritans, Muslims can be seen as less than patriotic, ISIS supporters and so a threat to national security (only 500 have ever gone to Syria out of 1.8 million).

Like the Samaritans, Muslims can be seen as a ‘scapegoat’ for national problems such as unemployment, housing shortages and even the sexual grooming of teenagers.

Like Samaritans, Muslims are a ‘settled’ community which is feared will take over.

Like Samaritans, Muslims are seen as adulterating the JudeoChristian heritage.

Like Samaritans, Muslims are suspected of trying to ‘out-birth’ Anglo-Saxons.

Like the Samaritan religion, Islam is (in some respects) a hybrid of Judaism.

Who is my neighbour?

Remember too that Jesus originally told the parable of The Good Samaritan as a way of answering the big question about the Mosaic Law: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ (Lev 19:18; Luke 10:29). This means, who can I ignore as irrelevant to its moral responsibility? To answer the question, Jesus chose the Samaritans as a near neighbour. They were certainly the most obvious, if controversial, example of what the Mosaic Law referred to as ‘the foreigner residing among you’ (Deut 10:17-19). God has always had clear views about our attitude and actions towards such people in society.

‘Too many churches have reduced The Great Commission to local and mono-cultural community action’ This is why I have spent the past 25 years persuading, championing, advocating, writing, speaking, blogging, training and equipping people to adopt a response to Muslims that is characterised by ‘grace and truth’ ( John 1:17), as in a godly attitude and faithfulness to biblical truth.

Resources for groups There are resources available to equip you to draw your boat alongside that of a Muslim and relate the good news about Jesus in a meaningful way, with humility and a quiet confidence.

The Friendship First DVD Course is designed to be experienced in a small-group setting. Friendship First is spread over six sessions and includes vimeo testimonies of believers from Muslim background as well as ‘how to’ teaching from recognised speakers on approaching Muslims, as well as group interaction and discussion. The course is now running in over 500 churches across the UK and in around six nations around the world. The course is available from www.friendshipfirst.org The Jesus through Asian Eyes Course is designed and written by the South Asian Forum. These are believers in Jesus who set out to answer the top 15 most frequently asked questions by Asians about Christian faith. It is a response to people from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist backgrounds. The material is biblically based and attractively presented in a way that is most accessible when used in a small group setting. The course is available from www.kitab.org.uk Regardless of whether migration to this country is an economic ‘gain or drain’, Britain has both a settled immigrant community as well as a transient migrant community, just as in the Palestine of Jesus’ day. We the people of God have a responsibility to them, as much as to indigenous Anglo-Saxons.

Steve Bell Steve is National Director of Interserve. He has 40 years’ experience living in and travelling to the Muslim world; analysing and training people in the issues of the day.

Read his blog at www.graceformuslims.org

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a stepping stone for it. Put another way they stopped seeing them as a hybrid of Judaism and started seeing them as a highway for the crosscultural transmission of the gospel.

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One in four children, particularly those from poor communities, start primary school in England without the necessary language and communication skills, according to the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF). Anna Culwick shares what a group of volunteers in London are doing to offer extra support to schools and families

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magine for one moment not being able to read.

Think how you would have got through today if you couldn’t read the written word. Maybe you have already scanned a letter from your bank, helped your child with their homework, skimmed the jobs section in a newspaper, checked the ingredients on some food packaging and looked up a train timetable online. The ability to read is a life skill most people learn at school – and it is a skill that most of us use every hour of the day without much thought.

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Sharing stories, opening doors

Opening a door Over the past year, I have had the privilege of helping my own son learn to read. It has been an exciting and challenging time for both of us. But the rewards have been immense – it has been wonderful to see how understanding the written word has opened his eyes and imagination to so much more than just what he can read in a book – signs, posters, maps, song words, instructions for how things work – the list is endless. Being able to read simply opens the door to so many opportunities.

‘In hundreds of thousands of homes in the UK there are few, if any, books, and a bedtime story is rarely shared between parent and child’ As my personal involvement in my son’s education grew, I found myself increasingly frustrated that for many children the door to endless opportunities was firmly shut.

In hundreds of thousands of homes in the UK there are few, if any, books, and a bedtime story is rarely shared between parent and child. Research from the National and World Literacy Trusts illustrates what this means in practice – some children are already a year behind before even starting school.

Partnering with schools A friend of mine had been volunteering in one of our local schools and realised that if we could put together a team of volunteers we could help many more children.

Our new literary intervention, ‘learn to love to read’, aims to provide a way for churches, in partnership with a local school, to help to meet this basic need in our community - poor levels of literacy among children. It says in 1 John 4:19 ‘We love because he first loved us’ and this project is a practical expression of God’s love, mercy and justice.

‘Learn to love to read’ aims to provide literacy input and opportunities for children who, for whatever reason, need extra support. We are partnering with two local schools, chosen because they do not have access to a large pool of parental volunteers and have high numbers of disadvantaged children, usually from low income families. They also have a higher than average number of children who do not speak English as their first language.

Trained to support The scheme involves much more than just hearing children read.

Members of our congregation have been specifically trained in early literacy skills to provide really effective oneto-one support for children at the earliest stages of learning to read. This adds significant value to what they can offer the schools and is recognised and appreciated by the teaching staff.

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The project is unique in its focus on building relationships with the whole family. We run free weekly parent and toddler sessions, Sounds, Songs and Stories, to help parents get their child ready for reading. We also run termly after school Story & Craft events for families, to engage with parents and help them encourage a love of reading at home. We are passionate about early intervention before children feel they have ‘failed’ and about equipping parents to be confident to support their children at home.

‘This project is a practical expression of God’s love, mercy and justice’ Exciting journeys We have had extremely positive feedback from teachers and senior staff about the project, but it’s the personal journeys of the children and families you build relationships with which are the most rewarding. The buzz of excitement as children see the volunteers arriving and know it is their turn to read. A mum saying she wants to join the local library because her child is so enthusiastic about reading. The sight of a mother with a toddler in her lap looking at a book for the first time together and realising it can be fun. The change in a child, from hardly being able to recognise letters on a page when you first meet them, to being lit up with sheer joy when they read a sentence without hesitation. The knowledge that by helping improve a child’s literacy you have literally opened up new life opportunities to them.

Building trust The project comes with no strings or expectations. It is available to anyone of any faith and no faith. But it is true to say that through this ongoing relationship we have built up trust with school leaders and teachers. And we are building relationships with families that we certainly wouldn’t have had if it wasn’t for ‘learn to love to read’.

We have been able to launch a monthly Messy Church

A ‘learn to love to read’ volunteer works with a six year old boy. He loves his weekly sessions and is now making excellent progress.

(a form of church for families that involves creativity, celebration and hospitality) in a local community centre near the school which is filled purely by school families.

We have been asked to host the school nativity service and look forward to welcoming staff and families to our church. We have run well-attended Christmas and Easter celebrations on the estate where the school is based.

Templates and materials The project is designed to be easily adopted by other churches, with full volunteer training given and templates for the material freely available online. We are excited that other churches are already showing an interest in adopting the project. Do you know of a school that would benefit from this kind of partnership? Are you frustrated that children are leaving primary school struggling to read? Could your church be a ‘learn to love to read’ church? If so please do get in touch. We would love to tell you more.

Anna Culwick Anna and her family are part of St Michael’s Southfields, London. For more information about ‘learn to love to read’ email anna@learn2love2read.org.uk

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RESOURCES TO INSPIRE YOU We can’t do the Christian life alone and need fresh vision and encouragement in our spiritual lives, church communities, ministry teams and small groups. Members of the New Wine family recommend resources they’ve found helpful Stepping into the Impossible Mark Marx

If you want to understand more about healing on the streets, the remarkable growth of this ministry over the past few years, and the story of the man who the Lord has used to encourage this growth, then this is the book for you.

Mark tells the exciting story of his own life, including how he came to faith in Jesus, grew in evangelistic and healing ministry, the difficult season he experienced following God’s call to move to Northern Ireland and the subsequent development of the healing on the streets model. Along the way there’s plenty of great practical teaching and lots of encouraging stories of God’s activity in healing and bringing people to faith.

Andy Jolley is vicar of Aston & Nechells (Birmingham) and Urban Ministry Leader for New Wine Midlands and East region.

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The Song of Songs - exploring the Divine Romance Charlie Cleverly

This deeply personal book unlocks the secret of one of the most misunderstood and overlooked books in the Bible, drawing on the Church Fathers and other heroes of the faith from Origen (who wrote a 10-volume commentary on the Song of Songs) to that great apostle to China, Hudson Taylor, for whom it was a source of unspeakable delight. I particularly appreciate the balanced way in which Charlie celebrates both the sacred allegory and the earthy, erotic actuality of the text.

As such this book will be an enormous blessing to anyone longing for deeper intimacy with God, to worship leaders looking for fresh inspiration, to pastors who’ve never yet dared preach on the Song of Songs and even to evangelists seeking to convey the passion of Christ to a culture so salted with desire.

Pete Greig and his wife Sammy lead the Emmaus Rd community in Guildford.

He is a pastor, author and one of the founding champions of the 24-7 Prayer movement.

Those Who Show Up Andy Flannagan

Should Christians be involved in politics? Should Christians stand for election? Should Christians speak up?

Andy Flannagan passionately believes the answers are ‘Yes, yes and yes!’ In the American TV drama The West Wing, President Bartlett famously said ‘decisions are made by those who show up’. Andy has taken this as the title of his excellent new book, encouraging Christians to take their faith from church buildings and bring them to the heart of our political system. Andy is right, British politics needs Christians to show up. This great book will persuade you to leave your pew and go change the world!

Mark Russell is Chief Executive of Church Army, leading a society of over 300 fulltime evangelists, and is an advocate for evangelism in the wider church.

Learning to Hear God’s Voice (DVD set)

This DVD course is an excellent resource for groups in an area which can often seem intimidating and even impossible.

Mark Aldridge offers clear biblically grounded teaching and relates his personal journey of learning how to hear God. Refreshingly, he admits to being fearful and unsure enabling people to be honest with each other about their own doubts. This series needs very little leadership and gives practical exercises that are simple to follow. Inspiring stories encourage people to have confidence they can hear God too. I highly recommend this course to everyone longing to hear God’s voice for themselves. It really is possible!

Sheila Anthony is the Rector of St Mary’s Bluntisham, Cambridgeshire.

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We Will Not Be Shaken Bethel Music

Passion: Even So Come [Live] Passion

I’ve always been a fan of the Passion albums and their mix of different worship leaders, often resulting in a much stronger album with the best songs from the likes of Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. The album starts with the epic Even So Come, a song I can imagine many churches using to kick off a service or integrating into their opening set. This rolls into Shout Hosanna, a great song celebrating living in the Resurrection.

Draw Near and My Anchor are other songs you might end up playing on repeat. The rest of the album has a good mix of Passion songs and a few others from around the globe, like Forever and The Way, helping to make a more substantial collection.

Jonny Patton is the Worship Director at St John’s, Colchester

My Hope is in You Anchor Music

While influenced by the Bethel Music sound, My Hope is in You carries a distinct flavour of its own context.

Anchor Music is a worship collective rooted in Manchester Vinelife church, and here they’ve crafted an inspiring album expressing a movement of the Spirit being experienced by a passionate church family.

It’s beautifully contagious! The album was recorded at the 2014 European Leaders Advance, and it’s no wonder Anchor Music were asked to lead worship for the thousands of leaders who attended. Their celebratory music overflows with positivity, hope and upward-looking, scripture-centred praise. In some moments it’s powerful and rousing, in others it leads the listener into contemplation, and – best of all – it doesn’t rush from one song to another. This album creates space and breathes deeply.

Sarah Shore works in the Communications team at New Wine, and is part of the KXC church adventure in Central London.

It’s a wonderful thing when words create anthems that inspire our hearts with rhythms of hope and truth. Recorded on a Californian mountaintop Bethel Music’s We Will Not Be Shaken is filled with declarations of freedom, intimacy and God’s goodness.

The live album offers up worship that shares stories of God’s faithfulness to encourage us in the midst of adversity and confusion. The album introduces several debut artists, who are part of the Bethel music community, all of whom are lifting our eyes towards a God who is victorious and we are invited into their gift of worship.

Tabi Wallington is the Youth Engagement Co-ordinator at Self Harm UK (part of Youthscape) and is a speaker in the youth programme at the National Gatherings this summer.

Morning Star EP Jonny Patton

Jonny Patton was Worship Director at All Saints Woodford Wells at the time of Morning Star’s release (he’s moving on to the equivalent post at St John’s Colchester), and now this five-track EP showcases his songwriting. These are highly accessible worship songs. Listening to them, I found myself imagining how they could be used in church - something I don’t always do! They’re both upliftingly corporate (Morning Star) and intimately personal (Saviour Of My Soul) before addressing the justice that goes hand in hand with our worship (Light Streams).

They’re forward-looking while also acknowledging worship’s heritage (the epic, slowly building reimagining of Come Holy Ghost Our Souls Inspire). Sometimes Jonny’s refreshingly plaintive voice seems a little at odds with the anthemic, Worship Central-esque production he’s been given here - it could be particularly good to hear him in a more intimate setting - but it’s exciting to see a new writer with such a heart for the church, and I’m looking forward to seeing where he goes next.

John Murphy is the Worship Director at St Paul’s Ealing.

www.prospects.org.uk/ churches/being-welcoming-andinclusive#toolkit

Prospects are an organisation that work with people who have learning disabilities across churches in the UK. We think the toolkit resources they have are great for churches thinking about how they can be more inclusive. Their section on being welcoming and inclusive is a great read for everyone. Prospects suggest four ways in which we can make our church a more welcoming place: raise awareness (we think this could emphasise God’s intention to include everybody); train your welcome team; publish a guide (Prospects have some examples); and train your ministry team (provide accessible teaching).

Naomi Graham and Hannah Cribb lead the special needs venue, Our Place, at Week 2 of our National Gatherings.

Prayer Notebook App

I’m always on the lookout for something that will keep things fresh in my prayer and devotional life. Two years ago, after reading Draw the Circle - The 40 day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson (one of the keynote speakers at the New Wine Leadership Conference 2016), I was stirred up to find an App that would help me become more ‘shamelessly persistent’ in my prayer life. I came across the Prayer Notebook and it has revolutionised how I pray. The App sends reminders, categorises prayer concerns, enables you to subscribe to other online devotional prayers and gives you an unreached people group to pray for each day. It’s also help me log answers to prayer, which has been hugely encouraging. Well worth the £1.49 fee.

Gareth Dickinson is the National Gathering Conference Director and a Pastor at Trinity Cheltenham.

RESOURCES GIVEAWAY! Simply email the title of one the above resources to mag@new-wine.org before 30 September 2015 for your chance to win a copy. One entry per person. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by 6 October 2015.

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