Winter
Walk Good Does ‘walk humbly’ mean ‘crawl like a worm’? Joel Edwards puts us back on our feet
p.18
Teaching
Stories
Culture
Naturally Supernatural: exposing the lies Gifts for all or optional extras? p.14
A Holy Alliance Working with Let’s End It It’s time to the police to confront crime in eradicate a practice that our communities p.28 mutilates young girls p.40
Looking for something more than your average family summer holiday? Come and travel with Tearfund
CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE THE WORLD YOUR FAITH YOUR CULTURE YOUR SELF
www.tearfund.org/transform Registered Charity No. 265464 (England and Wales). Registered Charity No. SC037624 (Scotland).
Want FREE copies of the New Wine Magazine for your church? Email us at: info@new-wine.org
News Teaching Stories Culture
Winter 12 Issue 54
Would you like to advertise? 0208 799 3777 advertising@new-wine.org The next edition will be published in April 2012. The advert booking deadline is 16 February 2012. Editor Mark Melluish Magazine Manager Lucy Williams Commissioning Editor Clare Rogers Advertising & Classifieds Jeremy Geake Creative Tom Morton Print Halcyon Get In Touch Find us: 4a Ridley Avenue Ealing London W13 9XW Phone us: 0845 437 8656 Email us: mag@new-wine.org Visit our website: www.new-wine.org facebook.com/newwineuk youtube.com/newwinetube twitter.com/newwineuk
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 three 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. 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
What’s happening.
Learn together.
Our God at work.
Looking at our world.
04
14
28
40
A policeman’s take on confronting crime in our communities
Eradicating a practice that mutilates young girls
A note from John Coles Being optimistic when the world’s on a downer
06
Editor’s Letter Give this magazine away!
08
Naturally Supernatural: Exposing the Lies Are we opting out of God’s presence and power?
A Holy Alliance
18
32
What does it actually mean to walk humbly with your God?
The exhilarating and challenging life of a Deputy Head Teacher
Walk Good
Faith at Work
Event Highlights Your feedback on some recent New Wine events
10
Bits & Pieces
Prayer Ministry in Your Church Need some help getting started?
42
Tough Questions Why does God allow people to do evil?
44
Kingdom Catalyst
22
Prayer: 24/7, Now and Then, or Never? Making prayer a priority
Stories, news, a sports quiz and more
13
Let’s End It
24
Messed Up? Letting God get his hands dirty in your life
34
Abandoned. Addicted. Imprisoned. Redeemed. A gradual transformation of a life on the edge
38
‘Jesus became my husband, provider, refuge and strength’ A life rebuilt after 9/11
Make the most of the Olympics, even if you hate sport
48
Looking at Porn An issue we can no longer ignore
51
Recommended Resources Helpful material for you, your small group or church
NEWS
A note from John Coles Dear Friends In every generation there seems to be a time when the whole of society, not just individuals, goes through a ‘downer’. Right now it seems as if it’s not just the UK, nor Europe, but most of the world that is trapped in one. In the last six months we’ve had riots in London, rising unemployment in the UK, prime ministers forced out of office in Europe, and protests over crooked capitalism around the world. In the natural world we’ve had earthquakes in Europe and extraordinary floods as far apart as Colombia and Thailand; between my writing and your reading there may be much more. But I woke up recently to hear the Lord remind me of Jesus’ words: ‘Be of good cheer.’ I wondered if I had been affected by the optimism I found when visiting Bill Johnson’s church in the USA; I would happily trade their national characteristic of optimism for ours of pessimism and cynicism. So I checked the context to discover something even better: ‘ I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death, and the victory of his resurrection. The trouble they would experience is what lies in store for all of us between the first and second coming of Jesus. Sometimes we will be caught up with the groaning of the whole of creation as we weep with those who weep, and sometimes we ourselves will be groaning as we wait for our full redemption (see Romans 8:22-23). But whatever the trouble, if we are prepared to listen to Jesus speaking to us about who he is and what he has done for us, then we will know that he has truly overcome all the work of the enemy and nothing in this world will ever separate us from his love. Our circumstances may be dire, we may be in all sorts of trouble, but the Spirit of God is still able to give us both peace, and a cheerful outlook. This is not just American optimism – it is a God-inspired hope! This magazine is full of stories either about ordinary people who have found themselves in trouble, and discovered God has given them hope, or about people who are bringing God’s hope to others who are in trouble. I pray that you will find them inspiring, and that through them God will give you hope in whatever trouble you find yourself, whether personal or familial, physical or emotional, short or long term. And I pray that as God restores hope and gives you inner peace and cheerfulness, you will find the right place and the right people to pass it on to. With every blessing
John Coles Director of New Wine 4
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. 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 gracefilled 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.
An interActive dAy focussing on the needs And requirements of ministering to young people in todAy’s culture
Jus
per pter£10 son
saturday 28 January 2012: Cheltenham hosted by Gavin Calver & Jon tattersall
Family time Conference
Hosted by
Family Time products
Mark & Lindsay Melluish
Paul & Christine Perkin
Saturday 25 FEBRUARY 2012 St Paul’s, Ealing 10AM - 4Pm Only
Book online at www.new-wine.org
A conference for all who want to build family life
£20 including lunch
• Practical teaching on how to enhance your family life • Sessions on how to run both the courses • Sample sessions from the ‘Parenting Teenagers’ and the ‘Parenting Children’ courses For further information please contact us
020 8579 9370
info@family-time.co.uk
All Family Time books, DVDs and other resources are available to buy from New Wine Direct at www.newwinedirect.co.uk
NEWS
EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcome to the Winter 2012 edition of New Wine magazine, and thank you to all those who have written to us with encouraging feedback and comments about last year’s editions. We love hearing from our readers, so please continue to give us your views on the content, style, or anything else that may help the magazine to be the best it can be; email us at mag@new-wine.org Life is all about story. I could tell you the story of my parents, about my brothers and sister, of meeting my wife or about my children. I could tell you the story of my church, my friends and of what God has done, and is doing, with me. I never get tired of telling stories. But the greatest story ever told is that of God’s kingdom coming and of lives being changed, communities being impacted and people finding new hope in Jesus Christ. This is what you will find within the pages of this magazine; stories of churches and individuals and of God’s goodness and grace. I hope and pray that, through reading this magazine and then passing it on to others, we will be able to multiply this story out to as many people as possible. Too many people are yet to hear the story of how good God is. He’s still perceived as simply a judge in the sky, and the Church as dead, old and boring. But it’s not, he isn’t and God is great; we just need to say so! If you are reading this magazine because someone has given it to you, we pray that you might be inspired by the story of God that you’ll find in these pages. If you want to know more, then ask the friend who gave you this magazine if you can go to their church. We hope you will find it to be a place that is full of life and people who want to share the goodness and grace of a generous and wonderful God.
UPCOMING EVENTS January 2012 Women & Leadership Conferences 13-15 January Bristol 19-21 January Rotherham Men’s Day 21 January Manchester Third Person Prayer Day 21 January London Youth Work Training Day 28 January Cheltenham Learning to Heal Training Day 28 January Aylesbury, Essex & Guildford Rural & Village Church Leaders’ Forum 31 January – 1 February Leicestershire
February 2012 Women & Leadership Conference 2-4 February Windsor HeartHeadHands Worship Conference 4 February London Family Time Conference 25 February London Inner City & Estates (UPA) Church Leaders’ Forum 28-29 February Leicestershire
MARCH 2012 Women’s Days 3 March Harrogate 10 March London 17 March Poole Learning to Heal Training Day 3 March London 24 March Liverpool
With every blessing as ever.
Also in 2012: Mark Melluish Editor mag@new-wine.org
6
@markmelluish
Additional Men’s Days, HeartHeadHands Worship Conference and Learning to Heal Training Days, plus the National Leadership Conference in May! To find out more about all our events and to book, go to www.new-wine.org/events
Iron SharpenS Iron A day for men who want to make a difference
‘Join us for a day of learning, inspiration, encouragement and friendship.’
Saturday 21 January 2012 The Forum Hall, Wythenshawe, Manchester With Carl Beech, Mark Melluish, & Anthony Delaney Furthur dates TBC in 2012; see website for details
Find out more and book online at www.new-wine.org
God of the Poor UPA (Inner City & Estates) Church Leaders’ Forum
£115
Per Person Book your place today!
28-29 February 2012 Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire
For those living and proclaiming the Kingdom in a tough environment who are committed to ministry for the long-haul
Previous feedback ‘I realised I’m not alone in my experiences. I’ve been strengthened by the teaching and encouraged to continue working in these important areas for the Kingdom.’
NEWS
My event highlights: New Wine events are happening across the nation throughout the year, but WHAT difference are they making to people’s lives? Find out what God’s been up to OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS
God is bigger than I can begin to imagine
‘ I was extremely blessed by the conference. I have never felt such a strong move of God in a place and in me before. All the speakers were amazing – they managed to keep and maintain my attention for the whole time they were speaking, which is amazing for me and not the norm. I left knowing that God is far bigger and greater than I can ever begin to imagine. He is in charge, and it is not possible to achieve major things in my own strength, but I can if I depend on God. Hard for a person who loves to control. I took a friend who wasn’t even a kids’ worker so she took a load of work to do. She didn’t even touch it and said it was the best conference she had ever been to.’ Jackie Faerber, St Peters Church Kids Leaders Conference, Swanwick
A deeper passion for kids
‘ Had a powerful time of ministry on the first night. I was released from fear and people-pleasing to step out and be the kids’ leader God wants me to be. I now have a deeper passion for kids’ ministry than before – I want to see kids fall in love with Jesus for themselves and then encourage their friends to do the same. It was fantastic!’ Carol Atkins, Children’s Worker, Greyfriars Church Kids Leaders Conference, Swanwick
Access to God
‘ I went with little expectation as it was my first kids’ leaders conference. But I was completely blown away and blessed by it. I have come back feeling refreshed, empowered, encouraged, and equipped for not only children’s ministry, but in my relationship with God, as his presence was tangible and easily accessible at the conference.’ Alex Potts, St Chads, Romiley Kids Leaders Conference, Swanwick
Empowered
‘ I just felt truly blessed and empowered by the Holy Spirit and still feel so. A wonderful day.’ Madeleine Kolorz, St Paul’s, Ealing Kingdom Training Day, London
8
Spiritual food
‘The prayer ministry was such a blessing and spoke directly into our situation in a remarkable way. We left feeling spiritually fed and uplifted.’ Carol Avery, St Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth
Kingdom Training Day, London
A significant moment
‘ On the way with my new vicar I told him I hadn’t had any significant spiritual moments for some time. Then I had an amazing time and went up for ministry for the first time for ages. Not quite sure what God did yet – but something broke and was made new.’ Andy, Bristol Kingdom Training Day, Cheltenham
Quality time
‘ I was very blessed to have the day to spend some quality time with God, particularly in worship – space to listen and engage with him rather than too much being ‘taught at’! I came away completely filled and refreshed to get out there again, praise God!’ Wendy Ruffle, Curate & Pioneer Minister, Tewkesbury Abbey Kingdom Training Day, Cheltenham
Renewed
‘ I felt renewed in my personal relationship with God, and my faith and hope in Jesus Christ.’ Leslie Newton, Bramhall Methodist Church Kingdom Training Day, Stockport
Encouraged
‘ Thank you so much for providing much needed encouragement and sound teaching plus amazing worship.’ Sue Stewart, St Mark’s Church, Mosborough, Sheffield Kingdom Training Day, Stockport
NEWS
Men just wanna have fun
‘ Future men’s work at our church will involve having fun together – ‘Shooting, setting fire to things and breaking stuff’, to quote Carl Beech! Thanks for a great day. One of the men who came with me said it was the best event he’d ever been to!’ Geoff Felton, Plume Avenue Church, Colchester Men’s Day, Watford
No other gospel Men’s Day, Watford
Prepared
‘ I left so encouraged and prepared to implement what I had learnt.’ John Brian, Holy Trinity Ripon Kingdom Training Day, Stockport
An ordinary, middle-aged bumbler
‘ I’d come with a number of doubts and misgivings about my own role and the way I handle the work I do. During the session on ‘Keeping the Gospel at the heart of youth’, every point made was either affirming what I was doing or answering a doubt I had. It was amazing – it felt like it was specifically aimed at me! I shall carry on being an ordinary, middle-aged bumbler who makes mistakes and admits to them, feeds teenagers and lets them make a mess of my house, teaches them what I know and tells them when I don’t; and I’ll love them even when I’d happily bang their heads together.’ Julia Chantrell, St John the Evangelist, Yeadon, Leeds Youth Work Training Day, Stockport
I’m not the only one
‘ It just showed me that my struggles are shared with many other men and that Jesus understands.’ Terry Hoar, Gunville Methodist Church, Newport Men’s Day, Watford
‘ I was particularly touched by Anthony’s (almost throw away) comment about ‘Substitutionary atonement – there is no other gospel’. As someone who is studying theology and having to think, debate and write about all sorts of teaching, it touched me deeply and reminded me why we do what we do.’ Andy Bond, Cambridge Men’s Day, Watford
Switched on!
‘ A switch was flicked to really crack on and get the men of our home church praying and sharing fellowship together to enable us to bring new men in.’ Tim Stride, Holy Trinity Richmond, London Men’s Day, Watford
Inspired and blessed
‘ I work with children and young people with disabilities both professionally and in a voluntary capacity through my local church. The opportunity to meet other people with a similar passion was such an encouragement. The teaching throughout the conference was great and I came away inspired and refreshed. There were lots of practical ideas which I have been able to bring back and use in my work. The workshop I went to about equipping volunteers helped me to reflect on how I can best support the people working alongside me, and how to recruit more people to this ministry. Working with disabled children and young people can be quite isolating at times, which is why I so value being able to spend a day alongside people who have shared similar experiences.’ Melody Cobb, Westwood Church, Coventry Special Needs, Special Ministry Training Day, Cheltenham
Beyond breakfast
‘ Very uplifting and re-energising. It’s been frustrating trying to reach out to men in our community but I’ve come away with some positive ideas and strategies: we’ll continue with the Men’s Breakfast and start thinking about a Men’s Alpha!’ Diarmid MacKenzie, St Andrew’s Church, Impington Men’s Day, Watford
In the bullring
‘ This conference, particularly a description of a bull in the bullring, affirmed how I have been feeling lately – and then I experienced Jesus picking me up. Awesome! A vital time for all the men in church – more please.’ Ian Mole, St Georges, Tolworth, Surrey Men’s Day, Watford
In triplicate
‘ Three things to say about the day... Brilliant! Brilliant! And Brilliant!’ Mike Sweet, St Pauls, Isle of Wight Men’s Day, Watford
y Ca rl Beech, Men’s Da
9
NEWS
Bits AND pieces ‘If I hadn’t come to know the Lord... I would have disowned my son’ ‘I have just read the Let’s Stick Together article [New Wine Magazine, Autumn 11, p.44] in bed with a steaming coffee and some marmite on toast: brilliant! It got me thinking about my own family. I became a single mum at the age of 29. My son began taking cannabis at the age of 12. Life at home was horrendous. He dabbled with heroin and became an addict soon after his first hit. He continues to use cannabis which has damaged his brain and he is now extremely aggressive and at times violent. He’s been on methadone for over seven years. When I came to faith on 6 April 2004 it was simply the best day of my life, and if I hadn’t come to know the Lord when I did I would
have disowned my son. But God has done incredible things for me and has given me the patience to persevere and, when confronted with so much verbal abuse and blasphemy, I can calmly tell him I love him. The Prodigal Son always comes to mind and I do whatever I can to make sure that when my son hits rock bottom he can return to my open arms and in the knowledge that he is forgiven, from the past present and the future. My son and his wife, despite their problems, are trying really hard to make their marriage work. I know deep down inside my son there is a soft part of his heart.’ Patricia, Southampton
Jon Burns, UK Director of the organisation More Than Gold, who are inspiring and resourcing thousands of churches and communities to engage with the 2012 Games, said about the resources, ‘When I first heard about Café in a Box I was convinced that a tailor-made version for the summer of 2012 would be perfect for engaging with young people across the UK. I would love to see hundreds of communities giving it a go and reaching young people in a way that clearly works.’ Youth cafés have already been set up in 19 locations in Buckinghamshire through the charity Aylesbury Vale YFC (who produced the online resource and have run youth cafés 10
On Tuesday 11 October 2011, New Wine together with Tearfund sent a clear message to the Chancellor, calling for the UK Government to tackle global corruption. Representing all of the New Wine and Tearfund supporters who had signed up to Unearth the Truth, Directors John and Anne Coles delivered over 10,000 action cards to the Treasury where, with Tearfund Chief Executive Matthew Frost, they met with Treasury Minister David Gauke MP. ‘We told the Treasury that this strong response simply reflects the fact that Christians are committed to reversing social injustice and are tired of business as usual’, said John Coles. ‘Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, nothing hidden that will not be made known.’”
Café in a Box: reaching young people in your area Café in a Box is a new website that gives you everything you need to set up a youth café – from case studies to videos, advice, templates and downloadable resources.
10,000 Christians call on Treasury to unearth the truth
at the New Wine and Soul Survivor summer events since 2010), and many more areas across the UK are now following the model. Whether you want to run a café for a few sessions during the Olympics, or set up a long-term youth café project, the online resources will equip you to make a difference for young people in your area. For more information visit www.cafeinabox.info
Unearth the Truth is urging the UK Government and the European Union to bring in robust legislation that requires extractive companies to publish what they pay to poorer country governments and – thanks to the campaigning of Christians up and down the country – a light is beginning to be shone into this often murky world. A great start has been made to the campaign. There is still much more to be done – please take action now at www.tearfund.org/unearth
Turning the church inside out
Three years ago debt-counselling charity Christians Against Poverty introduced CAP Money, a management course to help people with debt.
The Church should be a ‘city on a hill’ or a ‘lamp on a stand’, shining with good deeds in the local community. Yet it can often feel more like an inward-looking, members-only club. A new course, Inside Out, aims to help churches integrate words and actions to transform their communities. A six-session DVD provides teaching and inspiration from well known Christian leaders, including Mark Melluish, to encourage participants to think, talk and turn that theology into plans to serve outside the church. ‘The course showed us the gospel in its fullness. There should be no divide between the spiritual and the practical – we should be the hands and feet of Jesus’, says Angela Price, who ran a previous version of the course in Llandrindod Wells. ‘The penny really dropped that faith without works is dead.’ All you need to run the course is the DVD (£12.99), which contains all the teaching, films and case studies for the six sessions. Find out more at www.communitymission.org.uk/ insideout
‘In CAP Money’s short history, around 20,000 people have been on this free course and overhauled their personal finances’, said CAP’s Chief Executive Matt Barlow. ‘They now know how to prioritise their spending, budget, save and avoid debt. It sounds simple, but if no-one’s taught you, you need to learn.’ All denominations of the church are getting involved in response to the
stresses of the economic downturn. St John’s in Greenside, Newcastle, was the 1,000th to sign up. Margaret Butler, a church member, said she was increasingly aware of the need for better advice and wanted to learn how to help her community. ‘I read about CAP Money in the New Wine Magazine and thought, “This is wonderful, we need to get this underway.”’ There are now 1,010 churches offering the course across the UK, as well as 190 CAP centres offering debt counselling. Find out more at www.capmoney.org
ONE TO WATCH Go to YouTube and search for ‘Ku Klux Klan interview’. It’s an inspiring story of a former Ku Klux Klan member who was taught a lesson by a courageous local church leader.
NEWS
1,000 churches help prevent debt
A few quick quiz questions to get you in the swing for this year’s Olympic Games 1 T he official Olympic flag was created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1912. It contains five interconnected rings on a white background. What do they symbolise? 2 T o date, Great Britain have won a total of 715 medals at Summer Olympics. Can you name the three other countries that have won more than this? 1st with 2,296 medals: 2nd with 1010 medals: 3rd with 851 medals: 3 These images are associated with which Olympic sports? A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
4 During the first modern Olympics, the marathon was an approximate distance. For the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, the British royal family requested that the marathon start at Windsor Castle and finish at the Olympic stadium. This distance later became the standardised length of a marathon. What is it, in miles?
6 M atch these five Winter Olympic years with the city in which they were held.
5 Match these five Summer Olympic years with the city in which they were held. Games City A 1988 A Barcelona B 1992 B Athens C 2000 C Rio de Janeiro D 2004 D Sydney E 2016 E Seoul
Games City A 1968 A Sarajevo B 1980 B Salt Lake City C 1984 C Grenoble D 2002 D Vancouver E 2010 E Lake Placid
7 M atch these 12 British Olympic Gold medallists with their sport. (Years achieved are in brackets.) Athlete A James DeGale B Christine Ohurugu C Kelly Holmes D Matthew Pinsent E Jonathan Edwards F Sally Gunnell G Tessa Sanderson H Mary Peters
Sport A 800m & 1500m (2004) B 400m hurdles (1992) C Middleweight boxing (2008) D Triple jump (2000) E Javelin (1984) F Coxless Four (2000, 2004) G Pentathlon (1972) H 400m (2008)
(Answers available at www.new-wine.org/mag) 11
Rural & Village Church Leaders’ Forum
£115
Per Person Book your place today!
31 January - 1 February 2012 Hothorpe Hall, Leicestershire Hosted and led by experienced rural leaders, this two-day forum will feature inspiring talks by Graham Dow, practical seminars, workshops, worship and ministry.
Previous feedback ‘The forum was a real oasis. It was very refreshing to go to a conference where rural issues were appreciated and addressed. I came away challenged and re-inspired in our work’
Walk Where Jesus Walked Ads_135x186 (NW) 18/10/2011 09:13 Page 1
To find out more about organising an individual or group trip to Israel, please visit
www.WalkWhereJesusWalked.com
sponsored by Israel Government Tourist Office, UK
Walk Where Jesus Walked
NEWS
Would you like some help in introducing or developing prayer ministry in your church? New Wine Training Days are intended to do just that; an opportunity for one of our trainers to lead training for your church family (and others) to build their experience of and confidence in praying for healing. ‘ A great day of practical teaching and training that encouraged the church to have a go and step out in faith. As a result we have established a prayer ministry team to encourage expectation that God will work and bring healing and restoration into people’s lives.’ ‘ Fantastic day – I was petrified about the practice but it was excellent!’ ‘ It consolidated my existing knowledge and inspired me to continue praying for people. I have realised that the trembling I often feel is not me, but the Holy Spirit!’
Course content: • Rediscovering the ministry of Jesus: healing and wholeness • Rediscovering the Kingdom • Every member ministry • Power and authority • How we minister: an integrated five-step model • Foundational values in the healing ministry • Specific types of healing prayer Training is also available on developing prophetic gifting and pastoral prayer ministry. Please see our website for further details. There is a step-by-step guide on how to organise the day, publicity materials for you to adapt, and an online form to request training all available at www.new-wine.org/healing
New Wine will agree a date with you and give you details of trainers you can invite to lead the day. All we ask is that you cover the cost of the speaker’s expenses and take an offering during the day for the wider work of New Wine. You may want to set an appropriate booking fee to cover these costs. We encourage delegates to buy John Coles’ book Learning to Heal, which could be a gift covered by your booking fees, or you can have them available for sale on the day (copies can be purchased from www.newwinedirect.co.uk). 13
TEACHING
Are we sacrificing God’s power and grace to be seeker friendly? Mike Pilavachi urges us to unpack our spiritual toolkit
I
became a Christian 37 years ago. I was quickly introduced to the idea that the healings and miracles that characterised the life of Jesus and the early Church were still available today. I just as quickly discovered how controversial this notion was, and became aware of the battles about cessationalism (the idea that the gifts of the Spirit have now ceased) and emotionalism (the idea that spiritual gifts are just emotional manifestations). Now, there seems to be an acceptance in many churches that charismatic gifts like prophecy and speaking in other languages in the Spirit, or ‘tongues’, are for today. But are we actually seeing the eager desire to exercise them, as urged by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1? How many of those who believe in the gift of tongues actually pray in tongues every day? How many prophesy? And how many exercise the ministry of healing? I want to suggest that there’s a discrepancy between the New Testament Church and the Church of today, and I believe the reason is we’ve subconsciously believed certain lies.
Optional presence?
The first lie is that the manifest presence of God is an optional extra for the people of God. Moses 14
said to the Lord, ‘If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here… What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?’ (Ex 33:15-16). The people of Israel regularly experienced the presence of God. They called this ‘the glory’. 2 Chronicles 6 and 7 recount how the glory of the Lord filled the temple. God’s presence kept the priests from entering the temple, and the people knelt, faces to the ground, worshipping and thanking God. To the Israelites the glory was not a theological proposition, it was a happening. They even knew when the glory of the Lord had departed – would we? Of course the gospels make clear that Jesus is the manifest presence of God. He is the glory, and on the day of Pentecost, he filled his disciples again by his Spirit. All the way through the book of Acts we observe the Holy Spirit falling on people and each time it is a ‘happening’, an experiential event. In Acts 4:31 we read how the meeting room was shaken as people were filled with the Spirit. In Acts 8:17 Peter and John placed their hands on new believers so they would receive the Holy Spirit. This
‘ We are meant to be the trailer that makes people want to watch the whole film’ was seen by others – Peter and John were even offered money to ‘impart the Spirit’. The great promise for the end of the age is that God will make his dwelling with us (Rev 21:3); one day the Kingdom will come in all its fullness. In the meantime we are meant to be the trailer that makes people want to watch the whole film! So we pray, ‘Your Kingdom come!’ This includes praying, ‘Your manifest presence come.’ The power is in the presence.
Optional gifts?
The second lie is that the gifts of the Spirit are optional extras for God’s people. Again we go to Scripture to refute this. The early Church clearly moved in the power and gifts of the Spirit; it was indispensable to their life and witness. They healed crippled beggars (Acts 3), Peter moved in the gift of discernment as he exposed the deceitfulness in Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5), and the apostles performed many miraculous signs among the people
TEACHING
exposing the lies (Acts 5:12). This caught people’s attention and even people from outside the area brought their sick and ‘those tormented by evil spirits’, looking for healing (Acts 5:15-16). All of them were healed. Crowds gathered because of these miracles. CROWDS GATHERED! We have tried everything to bring crowds to our meetings. We’ve tried everything to get people to listen to us too, but in Acts 8:6-8 we’re told: ‘When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.’ It was when the crowds saw the miraculous signs that they started paying attention. I suspect that when people see miraculous signs today they will listen harder to our words. The Church today cannot fulfil its mission without the gifts and power of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit are not badges that we wear or trophies we display, they are tools that we use. They are vital to our mission and we must eagerly desire them.
Now, and not yet
I have met a number of people who once used the gifts of the Spirit but have stopped because they have
felt burned by some of the excesses and exaggerated claims they have witnessed. Many have become tired with endless renewal meetings that generate more excitement in strange manifestations than in salvation and, in some cases, have proved a distraction from the task of sharing the gospel. There certainly have been excesses, and some unbiblical and therefore unhelpful theology on the Kingdom has been quite destructive. For example, when we start believing a theology that says all of eternity is to be expected in all its fullness now, we move from trusting in his leading, presence and provision to a humancentred, works-based, successdriven Christianity that exaggerates healings and deliverances and creates a fantasy faith where those who can’t keep up are left by the wayside. The Bible tells us that the Kingdom is ‘here and now’ but also that it is ‘not yet’. We see that we are meant to pray ‘Your Kingdom come’ and expect our prayer to be answered. And yet we are told to eagerly await his coming in glory, when he will ‘wipe every tear’ from our eyes and make everything new (Rev 21:4-5). Our lives, our prayers, our worship and our witness are to usher in more and more of the
Kingdom. This side of eternity we will still only see a reflection. But this doesn’t mean that we should settle for ‘charismatic lite’, where we sing modern songs, lift up our hands and have altar calls but ensure everything is carefully scripted so that we can be ‘seeker friendly’. By doing this we throw the baby out with the bathwater. Surely the burden of Paul’s message to the Corinthians is that the corrective for misuse is not disuse but proper use. The most excellent thing that could happen in any church service is for the glory to fall on us and for the Spirit to do what he always does: point us to Jesus, convict us of sin, give us power to be witnesses, form us into the image of Christ, illuminate the truth of God’s word and bestow upon us gifts of grace. There is nothing more seeker friendly than this!
Religion is the enemy
So we need to learn again that the whole ministry of Jesus is for the whole Church of Jesus. We are all anointed. ‘In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on ALL flesh’, says the Lord in Joel 2:28. We need to find models that are not weird and inaccessible to non believers. In short, we need to cut 15
TEACHING
the religion. Religion is the enemy of mission. God can be as weird as he wants; he’s allowed – after all, he’s God. We need to be normal. Then we need to learn to ‘see what the Father is doing’ and join in. The term ‘naturally supernatural’ is the perfect description. I know a few young people who are seeing incredible things happen simply because they are trying to listen to God in their everyday lives. Here’s one example. A guy was having a drink in the pub and felt like he was supposed to pray for a woman there. He asked God what to pray for, closed his eyes and tapped randomly on his phone. When he looked it said ‘toes’, so he approached the woman and asked if there was something wrong with her toes that he could pray for. She
‘ The gifts of the Spirit are not badges that we wear or trophies we display, they are tools that we use’ gasped and showed him her feet – they looked terrible! As he prayed, the blood started coming back into her toes and she could feel them getting better. One of her friends asked for prayer for his arm which had just come out of a cast – God healed that too. The group said, ‘We were all atheists, but we don’t think we’re atheists anymore.’
to our Father to lead us, and then we imitate him. I wasted too many years of my life telling God what I was going to do and asking him to bless it. It is so much more fun – and effective – to find out what he is doing and bless that! We need to be constant learners in the things of the Spirit. And finally, we need to persevere, to keep going and not to give up. We need to stay hungry and eager for his presence and his power. Our world is crying out for it.
Being naturally supernatural means we have the humility to give up control of the situation. We look
Mike Pilavachi Mike is the founder of Soul Survivor, which runs events to empower young people all over the world. He is also the Senior Pastor of Soul Survivor Church in Watford.
FOUR days Learning to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. Mike Pilavachi Andy Croft Christy Wimber (USA)
15th-18th February 2012 Eastbourne Congress Theatre
More info and online booking is at:
www.naturallysupernatural.co.uk 16
Support families Make links with local families – and you could also earn £10 Jacky Clark attends a rural parish church and is using Families First to make links with families. Jacky bought a Take Ten order – three copies of Families First went to neighbours with children; seven copies went to families she knows through church. It costs £15 to Take Ten. You can give copies away like Jacky, to encourage families you know – or you can earn £10.
Step 1 You – or your playgroup, school PTA, parenting group, Mothers’ Union branch or other group – order 10 copies of Families First by returning the completed order form with £15.
Step 2 We send you 10 copies of the most recent issue at the special bulk order discount price of £1.50 per copy, including p&p in the UK (phone 020 7222 5533 for prices outside the UK).
Subscribe A year’s subscription costs just £15 for six issues (phone 020 7227 5533 for prices outside the UK). To subscribe, or to place a Take Ten bulk order, complete this form and return it to Families First, Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3RB or order on line at www.familiesfirstmagazine.com
Your details Name Address Postcode Email
Telephone
Where did you hear about Families First? Subscribe: Send me the latest issue. I enclose £15 for the next six issues. Take 10: Send me 10 copies of the latest issue. I enclose £15.
Step 3 You sell each of your 10 copies of Families First at the cover price of £2.50 and make a £10 profit – or, of course, you can give Families First away as part of your work in your community.
Payments I enclose a cheque/postal order for £ made payable to MU Enterprises Ltd.
Please charge my credit/debit card £ SWITCH:
SWITCH ISSUE NO:
VISA:
MASTERCARD:
CARD SECURITY CODE: (this is the last three digits printed on the back of the card on the signature strip)
Mothers’ Union member?
For a members’ discount subscribe to Families First through your branch or diocese. Data Protection: MU Enterprises Ltd and Mothers’ Union hold names and addresses on computer for the purposes of keeping subscribers up to date with news from Mothers’ Union and offers from MU Enterprises Ltd. This information is not passed on to third parties. Mothers’ Union is a registered charity, number 240531.
CARD NO: START DATE:
-
EXPIRY DATE:
-
NAME AS IT APPEARS ON CARD: SIGNATURE: DATE: Billing Address (if different from above) Postcode
18
TEACHING
TEACHING
‘ It wasn’t me – it was all the Lord’. International Director of Micah Challenge Joel Edwards ASKS whether we’re misunderstanding humility The golden text for us at Micah Challenge are these words from the prophet Micah: He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy And to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8) About 700 years before Jesus, God spoke through Micah to call the nation of Israel back to its ‘contract’ with him. That contract, or covenant, was intended to make Israel a community of light to the rest of the world. After all, none of the prophets addressed their words entirely to a private club called ‘the people of Israel’. Everything God says to Israel, in the context of that contract, is said through a megaphone to the whole world. So what Micah said then was God’s vision for us now in the 21st century. If we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly, we are walking down the main street of God’s purposes.
Prioritise
These verses can sound like they are in order of priority: first, do some justice; secondly, have a bash at mercy; thirdly, if you have any time left over, try humility on a Wednesday afternoon over a cup of coffee… But that’s not really how it is at all. Humility is foundational to being a Christian. We can’t do justice or mercy unless we are already walking humbly with God. When the Bible says ‘walking’ it’s describing the way in which we live, or our lifestyle. Enoch ‘walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away’ (Gen 5:24). I was born in Jamaica, and I love the Jamaican equivalent of ‘Have a nice day’: ‘Walk good!’ It can mean
‘walk upright’ or ‘have a good lifestyle’. A Jamaican Micah might have said, ‘Act justly, love mercy – and walk good!’ The challenge to live humbly is not an easy one, and it can be confusing. On the one hand, we’re called to be the head, not the tail; the victors, not the vanquished. So how do you carry out a disposition of victory, and still be humble? Just say you’re the boss of a company with a thousand employees. You want the best for your business, you want to be competitive, but as a Christian you want to show humility too. How do you hold these two things in tension?
‘ How do any of us live with true, biblical humility, but also assertively?’ Manage the tension
The apostle Paul somehow navigated between those two extremes. He asserted himself aggressively, almost arrogantly: ‘Am I not an apostle? Have I not met Jesus?’ (paraphrasing 2 Cor 12), and yet the same Paul describes himself as ‘less than the least of all the Lord’s people’ (Eph 3:8). How did he deal with the tension? How do any of us live with true, biblical humility, but also assertively? We can have a perverse kind of humility. We can take the view that compared to God’s holiness we are mere worms; therefore, the more worm-like and disgusted we feel with ourselves, the more holy we must be. I don’t think that’s biblical humility. Or we can struggle with how to appreciate the gifts that we have. Imagine a woman who gets up to sing in church, and she’s so anointed that people fall under the power of God and angelic beings appear – all 19
TEACHING
in the first verse! Afterwards, people say, ‘Your singing is such a blessing’ but she just says, ‘Oh no, it wasn’t me – it was all the Lord.’ Is humility about denying your gifts?
Acknowledge your talents
Biblical humility is not about putting ourselves down, denying our gifts, or measuring ourselves against others. It’s about recognising that all the gifts and resources I have are there for others. You can’t really be humble unless you’ve got something to brag about. You need resources or talents at your disposal that could crush somebody, but instead you use them to help. Humility is a conscious, negotiated position of servanthood to those around you. Humility is bending down to lift others up. Here’s an example. Nebuchadnezzar was the Obama of his day – the king of Babylon, the world superpower. God gave him a dream in which he was an enormous tree, but he was about to be cut down. Daniel warned him, ‘Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue’ (Dan 4:27). Nebuchadnezzar’s problem was that he assumed he had reached his position of power under his own steam. If he had shown humility by helping the poor, ‘being kind to the oppressed’, God may have allowed him to continue reigning.
Lift others up
Humility is a daily walk – a lifestyle that infiltrates the workplace. If you are the boss, don’t lord it over others. Consider yourself a servant. You are there to run an efficient business, to be profitable – of course. But you are also there to make sure that the people you employ are lifted up. Assessments and evaluations are not to tell people how bad they are and how good they should be, but how much better your company can make them become. In-service opportunities are the outflow of a good employer who is committed to bending down to lift people up. The great thing about the New Testament books, especially Colossians, Philippians and Ephesians, is that they start with a glorified and exalted 20
image of Jesus – and come straight down to employment and relationships. Humility in the workplace has been enshrined in these books. If we are employees of God, we do the will of God with all of our hearts. We are humble whether we are the boss or an employee.
‘ We can’t be a teacher, politician or a parent without understanding that God has put us in positions of power and influence to lift others up’ We can’t have a proper marriage without understanding biblical humility. Biblical marriage is a man and woman mutually willing to bend down to enhance the other person. The concept of headship is not about one person exercising power over another – being the head means everyone in your family is better off than you, because you are serving them. The wife of a famous Jamaican bishop, Bishop Bell, once said, ‘Yes, Bishop Bell is the head of our household, but I am the neck that turns the head’!
Spend yourself
We can’t be a teacher, politician or a parent without understanding that God has put us in positions of power and influence to lift others up. The playground bully and the abusive dictator share the same characteristic: a chronic lack of humility. If we say to governments, ‘God expects you to remember the poor’, we’re not being mini-politicians – we’re being prophets. Leaders must lift up those who are suffering. That’s why we vote and lobby, and pray for political leaders to understand the concept of biblical leadership, to lift up those locally, nationally and internationally. The charity
Compassion has a new initiative called 58: to respond to the issue of poverty (www.live58.co.uk). It’s worth looking into. The name is a reference to Isaiah 58, where verse 10 says: ‘If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.’ That, right there, is humility – bending down to lift others up. What does it mean to you, to spend yourself on behalf of the hungry? Is it time? Money? Is it looking at the people displayed on the church missions board and asking, ‘How can I support them?’ Is it that total career change that God has been speaking to you about for the last two or three years, but you’ve been more interested in power posturing than bending down to help others? Is it about parenting with humility, rather than pushing your own agenda on your children?
Follow the example
We should walk humbly, if for no other reason than this: we have such an amazing example. Philippians says: ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others…Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross (Phil 2:3-8). Whatever you do today – at work, at home, as a parent, as you spend time with others – this is what God is saying to you: Act justly. Love mercy. And walk good.
Joel Edwards Joel is International Director of Micah Challenge, a global campaign to mobilise Christians against poverty, and to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfil their promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
TEACHING
COMPASSION
BELIEVES:
WHEN YOU TRANSFORM A CHILD’S LIFE IN JESUS’ NAME YOU BEGIN TO CHANGE THE WORLD
SPONSOR A CHILD
Become part of this unique ministry by visiting www.compassionuk.org or calling 01932 836490. Registered Charity Number 1077216
800058
Sponsoring a child through Compassion is a powerful and enduring way to tackle world poverty. Compassion supports the most vulnerable children and, through individual sponsors, helps them break the cycle of poverty, replacing it with hope for the future. For just 70p a day, you can ensure a child in desperate need has access to education, healthcare, food and clothing. Working exclusively through local churches in 26 developing countries, Compassion also provides the opportunity for every child to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
TEACHING
Prayer: 24/7, now and then, or never? Ian Nicholson from 24/7 Prayer gives some simple steps to help push prayer back up our list of priorities
W
hat do Christ’s Soldiers in Kenya have in common with Churches Together in Ilkley or the Millersville Intercessors of Pennsylvania? Is there a link between Elhogar Cristiano in Madrid, Crash Japan and the Generating Station in Malta? What could connect a caravan in Guildford, with a hotel room in Turkey, a school classroom in Uganda or a tin shack in a South African township? The answer is that they have all participated in an unprecedented movement of continual 24-7 prayer, which is expressed through various networks, and is building in momentum year by year. All boundaries of class, culture and style are being crossed as the global church prays continually, night and day, as never before. In my hometown, Guildford, we have now hosted about 50 weeks of 24-7 prayer during the last decade in many churches, but also shops, cafés and schools. Within 24-7 Prayer in the UK and Ireland there has been a rapid growth in the number of prayer rooms in the last two years, partly triggered by years of continuous prayer in Scotland and Ireland. During 2012, as the Olympics and Paralympics bring the nations to our door, thousands of churches will be uniting in a giant, unbroken year-long prayer meeting, Kingdom Come UK (KC:UK/KC:IRL). As we embark on this exciting and unpredictable journey, I want to highlight three keys for keeping our personal prayer lives fresh and alive.
‘ I am both aware of the power and necessity of prayer but also how fallible and ordinary our prayer lives can seem’ 1. Keep it simple
As a leader in a prayer movement I am both aware of the power and necessity of prayer but also how fallible and ordinary our prayer lives can seem. Life is frantic, work is relentless and it can be frequently disheartening when Sunday morning’s good intentions seem to dissipate by Monday! 22
We should not be discouraged that it is frequently a struggle to maintain a regular prayer life; in fact, perhaps we should take it as an encouragement that small steps in prayer can bring extraordinary changes to our relationship with God. The most common barrier to ‘ordinary’ believers participating in a 24-7 prayer room is that they have never prayed for a whole hour and don’t think they could ever last that long – it seems too daunting! The reality is that prayer is the simplest, most accessible and life-giving activity known to humankind – you are ready and equipped! Prayer can be a few minutes on the train to work, a regular walk in the park at lunchtime or a few minutes of quiet at home once the children are asleep. A growing number of friends set their alarms for midday in order to take a few moments to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Bob from Northampton emailed recently to say, ‘I had recently taken up the idea of programming in the Lord’s Prayer at 12 every day on my phone, when I found myself talking to a street fundraiser outside Marks and Spencer. She was a student and mentioned that she used to be a Christian before going to university. We started chatting about Jesus and prayer and the problem of evil, when the alarm on my phone beeped. I explained what it was and suggested we could pray together. So we prayed for God’s kingdom to come. Celia now wants to return to God and she will let me know what happens!’ • Don’t be daunted or discouraged by the demands of prayer – see it as a journey of discovery and keep it as simple as possible. Small steps will make a significant difference.
2. Seek friendship
‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us’ AW Tozer. How we view somebody determines our relationship with them. No-one wants to spend an hour with a
hypercritical tyrant, or a patronising and self-centred bore. When I was a new Christian, God usually felt distant and impersonal. However, after a time of seeking God and encountering his Spirit, I found my prayer times transformed; they became times of friendship with my Father, who loved me just as I was, not how I thought I should be. As I considered Jesus’ teaching and parables relating to prayer it became clear that his priority was relationship. He took time to be alone with his Father and only did what he saw his Father doing. He commanded would-be pray-ers not to babble with many words or put their religious credentials on public display (Matt 6: 5-13). In response to the disciples’ request to ‘teach us to pray’ (Luke 11:1), Jesus’ first word of instruction was simple: Father.
‘ The reality is that prayer is the simplest, most accessible and life-giving activity known to humankind’ Prayer is, first and foremost, an encounter with our Father. In Finland recently someone commented that ‘The presence of God was so intense that I almost couldn’t keep away from the prayer room.’ A young person in the UK made a simple but life-changing discovery: ‘I am seeking God and he is speaking to me!’ The most common stories from 24-7 prayer rooms around the world are simply that people have felt God close to them, and been changed as a result. • Recognise that God’s priority for you is to be friends with him; ask him to reveal more of himself to you.
3. Express yourself
One of the most encouraging discoveries about prayer for me over recent years has been an appreciation that different personality types can express their prayer life in different
ways. Some people respond well to having a very fixed and solitary routine while others prefer variety and creative stimulus. 24-7 prayer rooms often have zones with different emphases such as minimalist and simple areas, or a paint-strewn and messy creative space.
TEACHING
Jesus recognised this struggle in warning his disciples that ‘the spirit is willing but the body is weak’ (Matt 26:41) – but they still failed to stay awake to pray for the critical hour in Gethsemane, as the future of humankind hung in the balance.
The New Testament has examples of prayer alone and in groups, loud and bold as well as quiet and reflective. There are daily prayer disciplines and patterns, spontaneous prayer encounters, prayer in rooms, on streets and roof tops, in prisons and in the marketplace. Being a fairly spontaneous person, I find I need variety and stimulus as I pray, but also benefit from the constraint and commitment to pray regularly as part of a prayer room. • Prayer is about relationship and it is also about expressing who you are. Think of fresh ways to pray that fit with your lifestyle and personality.
Encounters and adventures
‘This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven…’ (Matt 6: 9,10). If we are honest we all struggle at times to pray, but as we spend time together with the Father his kingdom will come, as seeds of faith, compassion, mission, justice and renewal are planted in our lives. You can spend an hour in prayer, pray the Lord’s Prayer, prayer walk, get students praying, unite prayer across cities or plant a prayer stake – the opportunities are endless. As we embark on KC:UK/IRL there are a host of online resources available to help you get started: www.247prayer. co.uk/kingdomcome. The Father is ready and waiting – keep it simple and enjoy yourself! For further information email kingdomcome@24-7prayer.com. You can also Tweet about your experiences using #KingdomCome2012, @KingdomCome2012, or find us on facebook: KingdomCome2012 Ian Nicholson Ian has been a church leader in Guildford for many years, where he founded youth and community charity The Matrix Trust. He is now the UK and European director for the 24-7 prayer movement. He is also the chaplain for Woking Football Club.
23
TEACHING
Nikki Groarke shows us a God who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty – in our mess
24
TEACHING
I
don’t like mess. Any sort of mess. I am tidy by nature. I’m ordered, structured – some might even say an obsessive-compulsive control freak! My instinct is generally to either avoid mess, or to sort it out.
But that’s often not possible, and I’ve increasingly found that it’s in the most messy, out-of-control situations in life that I see God most at work. Somehow, it’s in those places where I can’t do the sorting out and tidying up, where I am totally out of my depth and beyond my resources, that God steps in and does the most amazing things.
Order out of chaos
In the beginning...was a formless, chaotic mess; then God made something beautiful from it, something that was good (Gen 1). And he’s been taking messy situations and transforming them into beauty in one way or another ever since. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He’s done it in many of our lives personally. He’s done it in the lives of people and communities collectively. He is doing it in many ways now, and involving us – his people made in his image – in the restorative process. He will do it, ultimately, when his Kingdom comes on Earth, as it is in Heaven. American pastor Tim Keller, in his book Generous Justice, says: ‘God turned a chaos into a cosmos, and a tangle into a tapestry... God created all things to be in a beautiful, harmonious, interdependent, knitted, webbed relationship to one another. Just as rightly related physical elements form a cosmos or a tapestry, so rightly related human beings form a community. This interwovenness is what the Bible calls ‘shalom’, or harmonious peace.’
‘ Suddenly, a man who had been abusive and threatening was sitting next to me, weeping, as he talked about the still-birth of his twins’ There is a way from chaos to shalom, and to get there, we first need to engage with the mess! We need to know it’s okay to acknowledge when life is a mess, to ask the hard questions, and to trust that – if God is involved – there will be answers.
Messy Bible
There’s a lot of mess in the Bible, and there’s a lot of mess in the world. Perhaps we can relate to feelings expressed by Job: ‘Thrown face down in the muck, I’m a muddy mess, inside and out’ ( Job 30:19, The Message). Job says it how it is, as do many of the prophets and psalmists. There’s been many a time when I’ve felt that life is pretty messy, and I’ve read a psalm that seems to express how I’m feeling: frustrated, angry, hurt or in the depths of despair. But some of the psalms include hope along with lament, a plea to God to do what he promises, an undercurrent of faith that resolution may come: ‘ I run for dear life to God, I’ll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up on my feet. Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation. Be a guest room where I can retreat; you said your door was always open! You’re my salvation – my vast, granite fortress’ (Ps 71:1-3, The Message). Somehow, there is a way through the mess. I love that verse in Ecclesiastes that says, ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end’ (Ecc 3:11). Everything is made beautiful in its time. Everything has that potential. The whole of the Bible is the ongoing story of God attempting to restore beauty in the mess of his people’s lives, as they move away from him, get into bigger and bigger messes, and then get drawn back as God invites them into restorative relationship. Our individual stories fit into this bigger story, when we respond to God’s invitation.
Beauty out of tragedy
My life probably felt most messy when my husband died when I was 30. That didn’t fit with the scheme of things. My life was one of pain and devastation at that point, and I actually wanted to die. Just doing the normal day-to-day stuff felt such an effort, almost impossible. But God promises ‘to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who grieve, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair’ (Isa 61:2-3). And over time, that was my experience. God made something
25
TEACHING
beautiful out of the mess. He brought a richness into my life through that experience which has given me endless opportunities to draw alongside others with empathy and understanding, sometimes in quite unexpected ways. I remember, for example, a conversation with an angry homeless guy at our church’s drop-in session when I felt hopelessly out of my depth with nothing to offer – how could I relate to him, and reach him in his pain and bitterness? Breakthrough came when I was prompted to share with him my own experience of loss. Suddenly, a man who had been abusive and threatening was sitting next to me, weeping, as he talked about the still-birth of twins he and his former partner had experienced only months earlier. We were able to share, to find common ground. He let me pray with him, and has been coming back ever since (in between stays in prison!).
‘ When a lonely or marginalised person gets drawn into community, or realises his value and worth, or encounters God in some tangible way, something very beautiful begins to happen’ The drop-in sessions have generally been a place of beauty for me. So many of the people who come have messed up lives, through substance abuse, poverty or mental illness. So often they are in that place through relationship breakdowns, physical or sexual abuse as children, job losses, or tragic mistakes. Some of their messiness and the chaos of their lives is perhaps more obvious than yours or mine, but often it’s just a stage further on. I so often think, ‘If I had lived through what they have, I would very possibly be in the same desperate place, but for the grace of God.’ And yet, when glimpses of transformation come, when a lonely or marginalised person gets drawn into community, or realises his value and worth, or encounters God in some tangible way – perhaps at our fortnightly healing service – something very beautiful begins to happen.
An invitation
Beauty, or redemption, is a process: in us, in others, in the world. It’s a process of healing and restoration in which we can choose to engage, as we embrace what the Holy Spirit
26
is doing. Beauty, shalom or wholeness are not things we can bring about unaided, but as we join in with what God is doing in his world, we can add to the beauty. There is a wonderful song by Sara Groves which speaks of this: We come with beautiful secrets We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls We come to every new morning With possibilities only we can hold Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces Calling out the best of who we are And I want to add to the beauty To tell a better story. Add to the Beauty, Matt Bronlewee & Sara Groves. © 2005 Sara Groves Music There is something about engaging in the process of turning our messy lives into beautiful ones which hinges around being ourselves, not being someone else. When our life is a muddy mess, it’s very tempting to look at someone else and think that if only we were like them, life would be okay. We look at life’s so-called ‘beautiful people’, who are young, attractive, healthy, wealthy, married, whatever – and think that’s what beauty is. But it’s when we discover the hidden beauty within us that we can add to the beauty in God’s world by forming loving community, by helping others find their worth and value. And the invitation comes from God. When we feel we’re a mess, inside or out, we’re given the chance to receive his healing and liberating touch as the Holy Spirit turns tangles into tapestries and redeems and restores us. He invites us too to share with him in bringing his Kingdom beauty on Earth as it is in Heaven. It’s part of the purpose he has written on our hearts: to make everything beautiful in its time.
Nikki Groarke Nikki is Vicar of St Stephen’s Canonbury – a very mixed church in North London with some vibrant community projects. She is passionate about enabling people to reach their potential, live life to the full, and play their part in building God’s kingdom.
Women & Leadership Conference 2012 Central & South West
Friday 13 – Sunday 15 January 2012 Holiday Inn Bristol With Anne Coles, Karen Bailey, Fi Perry and special guests Sarah Richards & Karen Jones
North & East
An event for women leading churches and organisations in their own right, in partnership with their husbands, and women supporting their husbands as they lead churches. Feedback from 2011 ‘God was moving and blessing right from the start. The speakers were excellent and our leadership was recognised and affirmed.’ ‘I arrived at the conference feeling battle worn and weary, but went home feeling refreshed, renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ready to face the challenges ahead.’
Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 January 2012 Hellaby Hall, Yorkshire With Anne Coles, Nadine Parkinson, Penny Andrews and special guests Ness Wilson & Marjorie Allan
London & South East
Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 February 2012 Holiday Inn, Maidenhead/Windsor With Anne Coles, Lindsay Melluish, Nikki Groarke and special guests Elaine Storkey, Jane Morris & Kate Patterson
FRIENDS • FAMILIES • KIDS • SINGLES • COUPLES • GROUPS • MINISTRY • YOUNG & OLD
Richmond World Holidays QUALITY CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS
SUMMER 2012
BROCHURE OUT NOW!
“We have just got back from our Richmond Holiday and I would like to say how specially blessed I felt by all the love and care lavished on us by the Richmond staff. They were all so cheerful and willing to meet the needs of the moment that it surely was a taste of heaven.” N King, Samos, 2011
020 3004 2661 info@richmond-holidays.com www.richmond-holidays.com
100% FINANCIAL PROTECTION
SUMMER • SAILING • BIBLE LAND TOURS • WINTERSUN • SKI
As seen at New Wine
STORIES
Most of us are not police officers – so what can we do to confront crime in our neighbourhoods? Roger Bartlett describes a partnership between the Church and the police force
28
I have spent my career seeking to bring offenders to justice, but Ephesians 6:12 tells us that actually: ‘Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against…the spiritual forces of evil.’ Behind every crime is an individual in whose life the enemy is at work. In John 10:10 we read that the enemy comes to rob people of the fullness of life that God intended. He does this by keeping them in prisons of despair and hopelessness, or hatred and bitterness; often because of pain they may have experienced in their lives, which frequently leads to addiction and crime.
Citizen’s arrest
Along with every sworn police officer, I have been given special powers intended to curtail criminal activities. These powers come from the Crown – the Queen – and include authority to enter premises, stop, search and arrest people, and to use force if necessary. But on their own, the police will never be able to eradicate crime and its causes. Actually, I believe it is the Church that holds the key. Isaiah 61 and Matthew 16:18 tell us that like police officers, the Church has also been given powers from the heavenly Crown, to ‘arrest’ the activities of the evil one, and so rescue individuals and communities from his grip.
‘ Like police officers, the Church has also been given powers...to ‘arrest’ the activities of the evil one’ I am convinced that the unrest we saw last summer ref lects the extent to which so many of our young people are held in the grip of despair, feeling that their lives have little worth. In Joshua 6, God’s people were faced with the enemy stronghold of Jericho. It was when they cried out to God with one voice that the walls of that stronghold crumbled, allowing the city to be dedicated to the Lord. I believe it is time for the Church to unite, to pray as we read in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and to use the authority God has given it to see our nation healed and redeemed.
Working together for transformation
In Romans 13 we read about the police being God’s agents for peace. My colleagues and I in the Christian Police Association (CPA) believe there is real significance in a partnership between Church and police; our vision is to work together in every single community in the UK to reduce crime and transform communities. We have seen a fantastic example of this in Street Pastors: God’s people uniting in prayer and action to bring his light to our streets. Where there is light, darkness always retreats; and so it is no surprise that we see crime rates falling where Street Pastors patrol. With funding from the Home Office, CPA have developed the CoAct website (www.coact.org.uk), where individual Christians and churches can find out exactly how they can pray for and link with their local policing teams to help transform communities. In my town, Churches Together in Barnstaple invited members of
the local police force to a buffet and service of thanks at which the local commander was presented with a plaque that now hangs in the station, reminding all officers that local Christians are praying for them. In a world where public servants often feel crushed under the weight of public scrutiny and criticism, you cannot imagine how much that is appreciated.
STORIES
I
have worked as a police officer for the last 25 years; a job that I believe God called me to. In that time, I have witnessed a great deal of injustice, tragedy and evil. Last summer I was as disturbed as most will have been by the extent of the unrest witnessed in some of our cities. But what is our response to the violence and injustice that we see or hear of on a daily basis? Do we join with the majority in throwing our arms up in fear and despair and say ‘What is the world coming to?’ I don’t believe that is what God intends for his Church. Rather, he wants a people of hope who will unite, pray and then act to help rescue individuals and communities.
But there are so many other ways that Christians can make a difference in supporting the police. I have found a career serving as a Christian in the police immensely rewarding in seeking to bring even the smallest glimmer of light to the darkest of situations. How about becoming a member of the Special Constabulary, a Police Volunteer or a Police Chaplain? There are many great examples of the Church working with those struggling with addiction, providing drop-in facilities or supporting those being released from prison to help prevent them falling back into the cycle of crime. How about approaching the local police or council as a church to offer to help the clean-up of a local estate or maybe adopting a local area prone to antisocial behaviour? Providing youth clubs, parenting support and debt advice all have a positive impact. Working with agencies such as Victim Support or the Court Service can also offer precious support to those struggling to come to terms with crime they have suffered or the ordeal of court.
Prayer changes lives
A local pastor and friend of mine in Barnstaple helps to run a well respected drop-in centre for those with chaotic lives. Some time back, that pastor committed himself to pray for the three most problematic visitors to the centre. All were heroin addicts and dealers and two of the highest causers of harm in the area. Two of them had more than 130 convictions each for theft, burglary and other offences including firearms.
29
The common factor in the story of both men is that they say their lives changed following a personal encounter with Jesus. One tells how he sank to his knees in prison after hearing of the death of his best friend. The other prayed, ‘God, I don’t even know if you are there, but if you are, you have to take this addiction away from me’, and when he stood up he says he knew his addiction had gone. These men are no longer creating more victims of crime, but making a positive contribution to life in Barnstaple. Our communities would be so much safer if the story of these two individuals was repeated.
Just a coincidence?
Roger Bartlett
Just a coincidence?
Christians in Barnstaple, Devon, meet quarterly to pray for local policing issues. Roger Bartlett reports on some specific answers to their prayers: • On one unprecedented Halloween, the police did not have to attend a single incident of disorder. • A prolific serial dwelling burglar was apprehended in very unusual circumstances within three days of the group praying that he would trip up and be caught.
30
So, if you do nothing else, please pray! You can do this as a part of a Street Pastor team; with a group of like-minded people from different congregations who have a heart for the police and their local communities; prayer walking the streets of your town; or merely praying for your local officers by name whenever you hear a siren or read an article about crime. I truly believe that every single prayer makes a difference in seeing the forces of evil retreat and God’s kingdom come ‘on Earth as it is in Heaven’.
Roger is a police inspector with 25 years’ experience. He is also the national co-ordinator for the CPA’s work to link the police and Christian community, and has been the focus of national press coverage over his views on the impact of prayer in tackling policing issues.
Just a coincidence
100 No. killed or seriously injured
STORIES
Now, the lives of those two have changed beyond recognition. One is employed by the local statutory drug support agency (EDP) as a harm reduction officer, having been interviewed for the job by police officers. He has since married, has two young children and has become a trusted friend of mine. The other appeared on ITV’s Pride of Britain Awards where he was presented with the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever award. This man now runs a local drug rehabilitation centre which has a very high long-term success rate; dozens of men have seen their lives transformed and have stopped offending. He too is now married with children and is also a trusted friend of mine. He and his wife are volunteer presenters of a course aimed at equipping parents to steer their kids away from the harmful use of drugs and I have presented with him to 300 school children about the dangers of drug use and consequences of a criminal lifestyle.
80 60 40
• In 2007, I asked the group to pray for the local detection rate, particularly in the Barnstaple sector, which was at about 26% of total crime and one of the poorest in the force. The figure has increased every quarter since, despite reductions in the overall crime rate; Barnstaple now has one of the highest detection rates in the country, at just over 40% of total crime.
20
• In 2008 I asked the group to pray that the number of casualties killed or seriously injured on the roads would come down. This graph shows the dramatic decline.
Many who do not have the faith I have would say that this is just coincidence. But from my experience, the more I pray, the more ‘coincidences’ I seem to see!
2003/04 2004/05 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 Year
Not only was the 08/09 figure a 67% reduction on the previous year, and a far greater fall than any other area of the force, it was also more than 50% lower than the next lowest annual figure locally (66).
TEACHING
o g
l e p s go
e share th
orld w e h t with
coincidence?
to people h every obilise it m w to e v is lo h is c r lives hu dH in the C e of Jesus an k to transform r le o r ’s g e led OM n ou e se e know tion. W untries and o o share th n in every na c 0 1 er 1 tio genera munities in ov w.uk.om.org w w m . o e c p and os Ho g o L e ship th
ction a o t n i r faith u o y t u p
action
ar gap ye
ser vice e
ic l serv
Globa
our to use y r desire and u o y it Is ills ge ional sk erve God? challen profess to s sion s s i n o ti u rs m orking a e o rm univ qualific considered w aps Ever th or after er break u ong-te re erh o to L fo y P s e e ? b v th re s t Ha n t ou me for that ca t of?! six mon h ur office missio u have e then why no ne of o is to serve wit ti m o o a m it y r in re o Is e d D t to giv ing always h to take assion port ction’ g rs p p e Shortn A a r u l ri ’v e s u a b y u o b o lf ld y o y e is tw r ‘Glo ourse rve r you w our on-fi a wide range ion e of ou s to u see y one of Whethe s or less to se join on hare our pass have Can yo news of Jesu e W e th r you to s ? w n S s ie d team 12 mo roles fo od at nfident teams? rm communit d o kraine? the goo e c U d n e re , a y G -e th , e all fo n in short out to of open m to support sional God w to trans e world materi childre riching l aching n o a s s e fr n re fe t ie e e n io th it u s s a ro B n o o s d . p cho have aroun r profe iritually od’s g your How ab tribal commu re and sp by usin administration a r-term o unity for you o G y e a u ll rk g g g o o ia n n u y c ri w If lo If o b s to the es? opport UK or cluding man n one rld hilippin f a team skills, in tancy, IT to hu s to mission in the P serve betwee our part o arts of the wo e in the n e re on u e ti th o h a v n p c e r to a e ic c to a mun eithe o mak love to olated and h looking six months th ou. es, com now! Look afield. T year look is rc r in y d u e r n re o s h a a s u fo rt t t k re a in c p is fu a th wee . Jo ge’ l care. A rvice f your g p ristians llenging and Challen , learn new pastora k.om.org/se most o k.om.org/ga few Ch ‘Global ha ds c . n , e g .u ie .u .org ic fr w in it w rv m w w e up w k@o . at ww this exc rewarding se Meet n rg ested.u ut more , r e God. o ll .o r rv a te e d m e e n g ts in s o v r fi n : , o o E to ab .uk@ skills rg/lo rg/sh rg rested k.om.o k.om.o @om.org E: inte www.u ted.uk@om.o www.u k .u m s r e rtte E: inter E: sho
sions ar mis e Y p year Ga king a y? it ght of ta
Operation Mobilisation. Registered office: The Quinta, Weston Rhyn Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 7LT Registered as a limited company by guarantee no. 2564320 and charity no.1008196 (England and Wales), and SCO40988 (Scotland)
transforming lives and communities
31
STORIES
What do you do?
I am the Deputy Head Teacher of a large secondary school in the east of England. Some of our students are from wealthy areas, but many are from some of the most disadvantaged places in Europe. It is an improving school, but despite making more progress than would be expected, our students still fall below the national averages. For a year, I was the Acting Head Teacher and experienced the most exhilarating and challenging year of my life.
What’s a typical day like for you?
There’s no such thing! Even fixed events such as assemblies can be sidelined if something more critical comes up. My day usually involves teaching classes, monitoring and supporting the quality of teaching – and dealing with students with so much going on in their lives that a maths lesson seems irrelevant!
What do you most enjoy about your work?
That’s easy – making a difference to young people. We have a window of opportunity to prepare them for the future, not just exam results, but developing both the learning and social skills they need. Young people are amazingly hungry to learn, just not always what we think they should be learning! The rewards come in glimpses of changed attitudes, like at the Year 11 prom, seeing the child who nervously came into the school transformed into a confident young adult.
What are some of the challenges and how do you deal with them?
Every school has its fair share of damaged and disaffected children and they often reach the end of the line with the Deputy Head. A colleague asks me to go and collect a Year 11 girl who should be in detention. ‘She’ll refuse!’ he said, ‘And you’ll have to exclude her.’ And so begins a time-consuming battle of wills. Push her too hard and she could snap, saying something that will get her into deeper trouble, or run away, putting herself at risk. However, give way too much and it will reinforce her feeling that she’s immune to the boundaries set. It’s not that she’s a bad person, but she has so much pent up anger that she doesn’t know how to deal with it. If I get it right, she’ll begin to understand that there is someone who cares for her deeply, wants her to succeed and sees the potential in her – lessons she should have learnt as a toddler. This time it worked. There was a meaningful conversation and reluctant acceptance that the discipline was fair – but it could so easily have gone the other way.
From dealing with disaffected children to dangerous dogs, David Park describes some of the opportunities, challenges and heartbreaks of being a Deputy Head Teacher
32
There can also be challenges with staff. For example, I have been called into a lesson where a young, inexperienced teacher had been pushed almost to the end of his tether by a Year 11 class, who were convinced they would fail and that their teacher was useless. Over the next few weeks I worked closely with the teacher, supporting him in lessons and challenging poor behaviour. I was delighted that one child who in that first lesson
How do you try to live out your faith through your work?
As a young Christian I was given good advice – whenever you start a new job, it’s really important that you tell people that you are a Christian. It makes it so much easier to live out your faith if you know that people are watching to see if you live with integrity. One of the hardest stereotypes to overcome is that Christians are weak – schools are places where you are tested, and being seen as weak is not a good start. However, when we model our lives on Jesus, the reality is very different. This was a man who faced opposition, long hours and unpopularity – a list that sounds quite familiar! He showed not weakness but strength. In my role, however inadequate I feel, I’m the one called in to sort out bullying, stroppy parents and, on one occasion recently, a pit bull terrier who was running
round the site! I have to walk into situations with confidence and it’s much easier knowing that Jesus is alongside you every step of the way.
STORIES
had put her head on the table and said, ‘What’s the point? I’m useless at German’, bounced up to me and said, ‘If I keep working like this, I’m going to get a really good grade.’ So often the battle for education is not in the intellect, it’s in the emotions.
Can you think of a particular time when you’ve experienced God with you in your work? The hardest thing for any school to deal with is the death of a student. This happened the year I was Acting Head when a student died of a brain tumour within a few months of diagnosis. It is only a few years since my own son died in an accident at the age of 11 and emotionally I was taken right back to that time, but on this occasion there was nowhere to hide. I had to call the school together to break the dreadful news, deal with the press, and support the students, staff, parents, and the student’s closest friends. I was also asked to speak on behalf of the school at the funeral service. I did not have the resources, struggling as I was with my own personal loss; I needed to rely on God for strength, and he was there. I experienced the reality of God’s promise in Isaiah that we would rise up on wings like eagles, that we would run and not grow weary, that we would walk and not be faint (Isa 40:31). We serve a God who is true to his word.
33
STORIES
Abandoned.
Addicted.
Jesus can and does heal and liberate immediately, but change can also take years. Bob Ekblad describes the gradual transformation of one young man on the margins of society
Imprisoned.
J
essie grew up on the road, from California, to Oregon and Washington State. The child of immigrant farm labourers from Mexico, he followed the strawberry and cucumber harvests with his family, working in the fields, helping his parents pick fruit and vegetables. Jessie’s dad regularly binged on alcohol, and the rest of the family used to hide in fear of his violent anger. He often beat Jessie’s mother. He left the family when Jessie was 13, and died five years later of alcoholism. At the age of 14, Jessie began drinking and using drugs. Soon he was getting arrested for assaulting or breaking restraining orders with his girlfriends. Jessie’s violence was linked directly to his drinking, fuelled by anger and resentment over his father that gnawed at his core. Eventually a crack cocaine addiction led to stealing and drug dealing.
Freedom in jail
I first met Jessie in 1997 in Skagit County Jail. My wife Gracie and I founded Tierra Nueva (New Earth) in Burlington, Washington, 17 years ago as an outreach to Mexican migrant farm workers. Our ministry included chaplaincy in the labour camps scattered throughout the Skagit River’s
34
fertile farming valley, and in our local jail, where I first met Jessie in one of my weekly Spanish–English Bible studies. Regular stays in jail gave Jessie periods of valuable sobriety, and through attending Bible study, Jessie came to faith and began studying Scripture. Two of his brothers, Juan and Jose, were also regular attendees in jail Bible studies, and I got to know their mother, Epifania, when I visited the brothers after their release. They responded to the many biblical accounts of God’s loving pursuit of violent offenders, from Cain, to Moses, to Paul. For years I’ve preached on Jesus being the friend of sinners, and his parable of the lost sheep (Matt 18:12-14) inspired our ministry to people on the margins. Although Jessie came to faith then, this is not a story of overnight transformation. Outside the jail his faith was overpowered by substance abuse and gang involvement, though each time he was re-imprisoned I saw him grow in his love for Jesus and the Bible. I’ve discovered that with people on the margins of society, lasting liberation takes many years, a holistic approach, and their active and ongoing agreement. Jessie’s older brother Juan was one of our valley’s Sureno gang members
STORIES
Redeemed.
‘ In jail, the brothers responded to the many biblical accounts of God’s loving pursuit of violent offenders, from Cain, to Moses, to Paul’ and regular jail inmates. He died of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 28. His mother Epifania turned to drug dealing and landed in jail after Juan’s death. There the Border Patrol apprehended her and put her in deportation proceedings. She was transferred to immigration detention. By then Tierra Nueva’s Family Support Center was in full swing and provided legal advocacy and spiritual support to the family. Through these trials Epifania came to faith, and a legal miracle led to her surprising acquittal. She subsequently became active in our Spanish worshipping community.
Power and potency
Juan’s death, which happened despite my best efforts to counsel, love and lead him to Jesus, sent me into a crisis. But in 2004, I had a dramatic encounter with the Holy Spirit, after which signs of God’s presence started to become part of my work, such as healing and prophecy. I had become increasingly desperate for a gospel with greater potency, and my
expectations were high that more of God’s power could shift things for Jessie, Jose and Epifania. We invited Jessie to come and live in the Tierra Nueva building with a growing core group of young workers. The building was formerly a bank, and Jessie chose to make the old bank vault adjacent to our worship space his bedroom. He participated in our worship and we called him the special treasure that God had given us to cherish. We prayed that Jessie would come to know God as his father, and that he would be healed of his addictions, and we supported him to the best of our ability. He worked off required community service hours in our Family Support Center in lieu of court-imposed fines. He began engaging with our Underground Coffee Project, which provides skills training and income to ex-offenders who came to faith in the jail. Yet Jessie continued to struggle with addiction, which worsened after his mother reoffended and was deported to Mexico, and his brother Jose was arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison. After two years of ups and downs, with many prayers and warnings from our increasingly weary team, we finally had to ask him to leave our building. ‘I was using Tierra Nueva like it was my mother’s place’, recounts Jessie.
‘Maybe I needed to get out there and face the real world.’ Once out on the street Jessie spiralled down into a life of drinking, smoking crack and meth amphetamines, and eventually shooting up heroin. Jessie’s other brother Gabe died of cancer, pushing him deeper into his addiction. Jessie re-offended and was sentenced to a year in prison – just after his girlfriend Carrie became pregnant.
New commitment
Before going off to prison Jessie spent time in Skagit County Jail, where we reconnected. Quickly he was back to his strongest place of faith. Once in prison our team regularly wrote to him. Sobered by his first experience of ‘hard time’, Jessie expressed a commitment to turn away from alcohol and drugs and be a committed partner to his girlfriend and father to his soon-to-be-born son. Meanwhile Tierra Nueva staff workers had been training up volunteers from supporting churches as advocates. This training includes biblical perspectives on social advocacy, overviews of how the US legal and social systems work, prophetic ministry, healing prayer and how to accompany people struggling with addictions. All of us at Tierra Nueva have learned over and over
35
STORIES
again that effective pastoral care of people on the margins is very labour intensive, requiring many workers with diverse gifts and callings. One lady in her early 60s who had been through our training, Linda, began taking Jessie’s pregnant girlfriend Carrie to court and doctor’s appointments. Linda helped her get into a home for pregnant women that provided antenatal care, counselling and case management. Carrie had already had several children (from other relationships) taken by Child Protective Services.
Linda befriended her, inviting her to her home, accompanying her during the birth of Jasper, their baby boy, and hosting a baby shower. Around the time of Jessie’s release from prison, Phyllis and Curtis, a couple who themselves were recovering addicts now working with our ministry, returned from two years of Bible school in California. As soon as Jessie rejoined his girlfriend and son, Phyllis and Curtis began visiting them, bringing them to a local recovery-oriented church and to our Sunday worship services at Tierra Nueva. Phyllis and Curtis started a Heroin Anonymous meeting in our building, which Jessie attended.
36
This August, Jessie asked to be baptised. We baptised him and two other men in the frigid waters of the Skagit River. When he came up from the water I was so aware of God’s Spirit that I could barely stand. ‘It was a good experience’, says Jessie. ‘I went home feeling really good; being baptised felt like being a baby receiving the Holy Spirit. My girlfriend was really excited for me.’ While our family has just moved to Paris for a year-long ministry assignment, I happily report that
Jessie, Carrie and their baby are flourishing, held tightly by a community of Jesus followers. Tierra Nueva worker Chris also visits Jessie’s brother Jose in prison, preparing him for a role as gang pastor after his release.
The cost of transformation
I am increasingly seeing that human transformation requires a holistic approach that includes conversion, healing, prayer and discipleship from a large group of Christ followers.
Tierra Nueva has started two microbusinesses, Underground Coffee Project and New Earth Farm, and has recently opened New Earth Recovery, a live-in recovery house for women who learn to bake and sell sourdough bread. There are also plans for a men’s recovery house. Another advocacy training course recently graduated new volunteers. We long to see increasing numbers of our ‘found sheep’ safely within carefully crafted Kingdom sheep pens that will provide environments for people to grow and flourish. There are so many men and women on the margins of our society who are in desperate need of transformation that only God can bring about. There’s a need for teams of believers to be gathered and equipped to seek and find these people in our jails, prisons, estates – wherever the Lord indicates. As we step into relationships with people across the lines of class, race and nationality, our world enlarges. As we listen to people’s stories our compassion grows and we feel inspired to respond. There’s room for people with many gifts, both specialist and generalist, to participate in any one person’s redemption. While this process may take time and involve many concrete acts of kindness and miracles big and small, we can enter into Jesus’ joy at the disciples’ success (Luke 10:21) and the heavenly celebration over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7, 10, 32). I encourage you to pray that the Lord will include you as one of his willing agents; so prepare yourself for an exciting journey of faith! Bob Ekblad Bob is co-founder Tierra Nueva with his wife Gracie. He is currently on special assignment with Tierra Nueva in France, and serves as a lecturer with Westminster Theological Centre.
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 summer conferences, delivering training events and providing resources. 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.
I
NW
The new studio album from New Wine. ‘Lord Of The Breakthrough’, ‘Your Love Never Fails’, ‘Our God’, ‘Far Greater’ and ‘Counting On Your Name’.
www.new-wine.org/friends
Available from the New Wine Direct shop in The Marketplace or www.newwinedirect.co.uk
NewWine_Advert_Resize.indd 1
05/12/2011 15:07
37
STORIES
provider, refuge and strength
Jesus became my husband,
Cheryl McGuinness is the widow of American Airline pilot Tom McGuinness, whose plane was the first to crash into the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. She shares some of her journey since that day How did you cope with the initial shock of losing your husband?
In the early days it was very painful. I felt like I was broken physically, mentally and spiritually. Each day was a struggle not only for me, but for my children Jennifer and Tommy. They were 14 and 16 years old at the time and were obviously devastated when I told them. I went to their school and they knew by the look on my face that I had terrible news. All I could utter was, ‘Jesus called Daddy home.’
What has been the impact on your faith?
I have had to put my faith to work as I was tested and tried in ways I never imagined. God showed me the truth of his promises as he healed my broken heart. He showed me treasures in my days of darkness and over the years has brought a new depth to my faith. And many blessings have emerged from the ashes of my life; a heart of compassion and a love and trust in God that nobody or no circumstance can take from me. It is sewn into the fabric of my being.
In your journey through bereavement, what has helped you the most?
Knowing deep in my heart that God would care for me and my children in ways that I didn’t or couldn’t even express. Jesus became my husband, provider, refuge and strength in my time of suffering. He heard every single prayer that was prayed around the world, and he answered.
How did you then, and how do you now, feel about the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks?
The day my husband’s airplane was hijacked was the worst day of my life. It demonstrated the worst of what man is capable of, and it is ugly and evil – very evil! The people who did this terrorist activity will
pay for what they did. That is not up to me to take into my own hands. My Lord Jesus will fight my battles – and justice will be done. I don’t need my life to be bound up with negative emotions, feelings and attitudes. I am responsible to live my life in a way that honours God. As I do that according to his commands in Scripture, Christ blesses my life. And that means working through forgiveness.
Do you have any advice for anyone who might be struggling to forgive?
Forgiveness for me was a process. As I prayed, God gave me the strength and eventually he took away the pain and anger and filled me with his peace that passes our understanding. So keep praying for those who have trespassed against you. It is a prayer the Lord will answer. It’s a promise!
You’ve founded a ministry called Beauty Beyond the Ashes. Tell us more…
Beauty Beyond the Ashes (www. beautybeyondtheashes.com) serves to encourage and inspire people, especially women, to rise up to the challenges and struggles that we face by trusting in the love and power of Jesus Christ. We all will face struggles at some point in our lives and we need to know that we are not alone in them. We can go way beyond what we ever thought possible if we trust what God says and take him at his word. I did, and today I am a new woman. My journey continues as I grow, reach and strive to be the woman God created me to be.
Cheryl will be speaking at the New Wine Women’s Day in Harrogate on Saturday 3 March 2012
Cheryl McGuinness Cheryl speaks internationally on her experience of faith, renewal and recovery. She has appeared on CNN and the BBC, on programmes such as Life Today, Good Morning America and Fox News.
38
International Conference Centre, Harrogate Saturday 3 March 2012
With Cheryl McGuinness, who will be sharing her remarkable story of hope following the tragic loss of her husband – co-pilot of the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001.
Emmanuel Centre, London Saturday 10 March 2012 With Lin Button, who has more than 30 years’ experience in healing prayer and will be teaching on the journey to wholeness through Jesus.
Lighthouse, Poole Saturday 17 March 2012
With Julie Sheldon, a powerful and passionate communicator on perseverance and faith who has experienced a miraculous recovery from a crippling disease.
0 ON £2PERS
Anne Coles, Nadine Parkinson, Lindsay Melluish and Fi Perry invite you to a day of worship, teaching and ministry especially for women
R PE
Women’s Days 2012
3 EVENTS IN
3 REGIONS
Feedback from 2011 ‘It was one of the most amazing days ever. To see so many women together in one place showing their love for the Lord was so inspiring, and I spent most of the day in tears.’ ‘As a first timer I was very impressed. I went by myself, but made new friends on the day. The speakers were engaging and the theme was excellent: spiritual, inspiring and very moving. An emotional rollercoaster of a day – it certainly won’t be my last.’
CULTURE
Let’s end it.
Ann-Marie Wilson is dedicated to ending violence against women, especially female genital mutilation. In an interview with Clare Rogers, she reveals how and why it happens, and how it can be stopped (PLEASE NOTE: some may find the content of this article disturbing)
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I used to run a successful business consultancy with a turnover of £150,000, but around 10 years ago I began to get restless. I had a large house, a sports car and lots of savings, but I wanted my life to be about more than making money. My mother’s death triggered a bout of clinical depression and then my marriage broke down. I wanted to discover what really matters, so I gave a six-month period each to researching four different religions. Finally, as an afterthought, I did an Alpha course. I was dramatically healed of my depression through prayer, and after seeing a vision of Jesus, I decided to follow him. To me, being a Christian is to look after the widows, orphans and the poor, and to be a voice for the voiceless. I left my business in the hands of a partner for five months every year to see what I could give as a volunteer. That led to working with the homeless, anorexic girls, and 40
Medair, a charity that brings medical relief to war zones. Then seven years ago I closed down my business altogether to start up a new antifemale genital mutilation (FGM) charity, called 28 Too Many, which launched last year.
What is FGM?
FGM is practised in 40 countries worldwide, and notably 28 in Africa, to around three million girls every year; some as young as eight days old. The practice ranges from a symbolic nick on the clitoris with a razor, to ‘infibulation’, where the clitoris and labia are cut away completely and the vagina edges are sewn together, leaving an opening the size of a grain of rice for menstrual blood and urine to pass through. Local anaesthetic or sterile instruments are rarely used. The pain and trauma caused to the child are unimaginable; sometimes infection or blood loss cause the victim’s death. The opening is then widened slightly on the wedding night (often by the groom, with a knife) to allow intercourse, and again for childbirth. However, scar tissue frequently obstructs the birth canal, so where mothers have had the severest kind of FGM, the risk of babies dying during or after labour is 55% higher. Frequently the mother is left with double incontinence. The resulting stigma can ostracise the mother from her husband, who divorces her, and from the community, which abandons her.
‘ Foot binding in China was once the social norm, with a 1,000-year history, but it was ended in a single generation’ Why is FGM practised?
FGM predates the Koran and the Bible, and is not mentioned in either, but many parents have their daughters ‘cut’ in the mistaken belief that they are obeying a religious command. It is also seen in many communities to be desirable, a proof of chastity, and a prerequisite for marriage. Talking to men in Somalia, I encountered beliefs about women who are not cut becoming sexually rampant or their genitals growing to the floor!
Tell us about your charity, 28 Too Many
28 countries in Africa practise FGM; that’s 28 too many. Our aim is to contribute to ending it by 2023. There’s already a lot of anti-FGM work going on in Africa; for instance, there are 60 organisations in Ethiopia alone. I want 28 Too Many to provide what’s missing: something to link them up, to give them a combined, powerful voice, to research best practice, and to provide anti-FGM leaders with the best possible training and shared knowledge. As part of my preparation, I completed
Do you feel hopeful about FGM ending?
Yes. Foot binding in China was once the social norm, with a 1,000year history, but it was ended in a single generation. I can see it taking three generations to end FGM – for an uncut girl to become a mother who doesn’t have her daughter cut, and then a grandmother who doesn’t become a ‘circumciser’. Anti-FGM campaigning works. In Gambia’s upper river region, girls, women, men, chiefs and Imams were encouraged to spread the message of FGM’s health risks across neighbouring villages. As a result, in 2010, 24 community
representatives signed a public declaration abandoning FGM, which affected 90% of local girls.
New Wine’s strapline is ‘Local churches changing nations’. How can local churches help to end violence against women? In Africa, I work with the permission of local bishops and CMS Africa to help end FGM, including getting the anti-FGM message across in local churches. I’ve just returned from a memorable trip to Kenya where I spoke in a Masaai church and a ‘slum’ church. Here in the UK, eight local churches including my home church are linked to my cause; they pray for me, give financially and keep up to date with my news. I’m about to produce a pack for local churches on what they can do to combat FGM.
How can an individual join your cause?
There are several ways you can help: signing up for my quarterly prayer points and praying individually or in a group, inviting me to give a talk at a church or elsewhere, fundraising, donating or volunteering with research, advocacy, writing, social media or IT. Please visit the website to find out more and to get involved: www.28toomany.org.
CULTURE
a Cross-Cultural Studies degree at All Nations Christian College, and I’ve just formally joined the Church Mission Society (CMS) as a mission partner. They have seconded me long term to Restored, an international Christian alliance working to transform relationships and end violence against women; 28 Too Many was a founding member in their global alliance.
FGM, like any violence against women, is unacceptable. Let’s end it.
Ann-Marie will be speaking at the New Wine Women’s Day in London on Saturday 10 March 2012
Ann-Marie Wilson Ann-Marie attends St Barnabas Church in North London, and is a CMS Mission Partner seconded to Restored, a Christian alliance working to end violence against women. She sits on the Bishop of London’s Global Development Group and the Steering Group for Fresh Expressions.
Lose your life that you may find it
www.cms-uk.org
If, like Ann-Marie Wilson, you want your life to “be about more”, CMS has several opportunities, from a few weeks to a lifetime. Contact us and we will help you explore your calling. Call Kathryn on 01865 787416 or e-mail vro@cms-uk.org CMS mission partner Ann-Marie Wilson
135x186.indd 1
23/11/11 11:43:11
41
CULTURE
TOUGH QUESTIONS
‘ Why does God allow people to do evil?’ God seems to tolerate long-lasting dictatorships that cause misery to millions. Why? Ian PAUL invites us to re-focus We are confronted almost daily with the reality of evil people at large in our world. Robert Mugabe is the latest in the long line of villainous leaders to dominate headlines. President of Zimbabwe since 1980, he has inflicted untold misery on his people – so why has he been allowed to continue? It is striking that Western policy in recent years has often appeared to be shaped by a response to individual evil leaders. The second Gulf War in Iraq was directed specifically against the regime of Saddam Hussein, and it was seen to be a triumph of Western action that Gaddafi was deposed as leader of Libya. However evil certain systems or cultures appear to be, it is evil people that we feel the need to focus on.
Evil in Scripture
Scripture similarly appears to be concerned with evil individuals and the challenge they offer to our understanding of God’s love and power. What will God’s response be to evil and obstinate Pharoah, oppressing and enslaving God’s people? asks the writer of Exodus. What will God do about a succession of kings of Israel and Judah who ‘do evil in the sight of the Lord’? asks the writer of Kings. How can God not only allow the foreign leader Cyrus to flourish, but actually make use of him in liberating his people? asks Isaiah. What sense can we make of the tyrannical kings Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius as we face tyranny in our own day? asks Daniel. The questions continue to haunt us. In an extended reflection on this question, the Davidic Psalm 37 starts with the injunction, ‘Do not fret because of the wicked’; a call to let go of the anxiety we feel at the evil we see around us. But perhaps in the West that is not our real problem. Our challenge is to feel concern about evil more deeply; most of our experience is at arm’s length, presented on television or the internet as bite-sized packages of evil, often simplified and made neat and tidy. This edited evil is easy to boo, and it is also clear who we ought to cheer on as the champions of goodness and freedom. This touches on a key issue.
42
CULTURE
Evil within
issues. But the image I will remember most is that of the homeless, begging on almost every street corner, often representing lives wrecked by poverty, drink and drugs. One woman, her face covered with sores, was simply unable to take part in any kind of coherent conversation. I was challenged about my immediate response to the plight of such people – but I was even more challenged by the bigger question: was I prepared to give up all the things I enjoy from the systems we live by which creates these problems? The ‘free market’ system which has left these people destitute is also the system which allowed me to travel half way around the world and stay in a fabulous hotel. Am I prepared to protest against the evils of this system?
‘ Our challenge is to feel concern about evil more deeply; most of our experience is at arm’s length’
From my study in college I have a view of a beautiful blue cedar tree. Underneath it is a plaque showing it was planted in memory of Janai Luwum, who trained at St John’s when it was based in London, and eventually became Archbishop of Uganda. He was prepared to speak truth to power, in the form of Idi Amin, and he paid for it with his life. He was ready to oppose the people and systems of evil in his world.
Never mind the figureheads – what about the henchmen? For every Mugabe or Gaddafi there are hundreds, possibly thousands, around them who have supported them and helped them gain and retain the power they now misuse. Hitler was, in the 1930s, regarded as a national hero by many, saving Germany from the ignominy of humiliation by the Allied powers. And those ‘many’ included much of the Church, including at first Dietrich Bonhoeffer, even though he is better known for his later change of mind. The challenge of the evil person is a test of our eyesight; it is easy to see evil at a distance, but how good are we at spotting it close at hand?
One of the most challenging books on my shelves is Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men. It tells the story of a reserve battalion in Poland in World War II, and introduces us to cheerful, friendly, ordinary men who killed without hesitation or apparent remorse for years on end, in docile obedience to an authority they happily accepted as legitimate. It is a chilling reminder of what we as humans are capable of when we insulate ourselves from the reality of evil on our doorstep. If we are expecting God to stop the ‘big people’ doing evil, why don’t we want him to stop the ‘small people’ doing evil? How evil do we need to be for God to intervene? What would life look like if God prevented all my evil thoughts and actions? There is a cartoon doing the rounds on the internet at the moment with the following saying: ‘I wanted to ask God why there was so much evil in the world, when he could do something to prevent it. But I was afraid that he would ask me the same question.’
Speaking truth to power
Last week I attended a conference on biblical studies in San Francisco. It is an annual gathering of the world’s leading scholars, and there were some fascinating papers on a whole range of important
Final victory
Psalm 37 ends on a note of hope. The psalmist returns to see what has happened to the wicked, and they have been swept away in God’s judgement. ‘I have seen the wicked and ruthless flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but they soon passed away and were no more; though I looked for them, they could not be found’ (v 35–36). This phrase is picked up in Revelation 12:8, where Satan and his angels no longer have a place ‘because of the blood of the lamb’ (v 11). It is Jesus’ death and resurrection which marks victory over all forces of evil. It is a victory which we begin to know now, in our own lives, in our world as we follow his example of faithful witness, but which in the end we will only see when he comes again. Why does God allow people to do evil? In the end it is a mystery. But it is a mystery that calls us to respond by self examination, by courageous action, and by hopeful anticipation that one day ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’ (Rev 21:4).
Ian Paul Ian is Dean of Studies and teaches New Testament and Practical Theology at St John’s, Nottingham. Previously he was in local church leadership for ten years.
43
CULTURE
A Kingdom catalyst Paul Bowtell encourages us to get set if we want to make the most of the Games – even if we don’t like sport The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April this year was watched by two billion people around the world and brought the country to a halt; yet it will not match the numbers expected to watch the Olympic Games when they finally arrive next summer. Transport for London has been running its biggest ever advertising campaign to try to prevent gridlock on the transport systems of the capital. Londoners have been warned about the potential disruption from the three million extra journeys per day on public transport. Tube bosses put it this way: ‘It will be like the royal wedding every day.’ And that’s a lot of royal weddings – the Olympic Games last for 17 days, closely followed by the Paralympic Games for a further 12 days. It sounds like preparations for war, and indeed this will be the biggest logistical exercise we will ever see in peace time. Like it or not, the Olympics will have an enormous impact on the nation, and not just on London. There are Olympic venues across the UK from Weymouth to Glasgow, 44
‘ It sounds like preparations for war, and indeed this will be the biggest logistical exercise we will ever see in peace time’ and Olympic teams from all over the world will be preparing at a multitude of venues all over the country. The torch relay will come within an hour of 95% of the UK’s population during the 70 days prior to the Games.
A catalyst to connect
We shouldn’t need a catalyst to encourage us in mission – we already have the commission to go – but a catalyst can serve to galvanise us, drawing us together for a Kingdom-focussed purpose. For you and your church, the Olympics could be that catalyst. It could be an opportunity to explore something new, like a new partnership with another church or with the council; or to take the church outside the walls of the building, offering prayer on the streets or hospitality to visitors and residents alike. Or this could be a personal challenge to connect with your neighbours, perhaps by organising a street party around the
CULTURE
opening ceremony. Villages in Essex are organising an ‘Inter Village Olympics’ starting on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and concluding on the day of the opening ceremony. Woodford Churches are organising a Woodford Olympic Village, with each church organising a particular event. The children and young people get a passport stamped at each church as they take part, and medals will be awarded at their closing ceremony.
Impacting the community
Capturing the excitement leading up to the Games, St John’s in Walthamstow is using sport to make a lasting impact on the community. Every Saturday morning since the summer of 2010, between 40 and 60 primary school children have come to St John’s to play football and other team games, increasing their skills and having fun in the process. With widespread decreases in affordable sporting opportunities for children, the church recognised an area of need and interest in its community and responded by meeting people where they wanted to be. In this case, it happened to be on a football pitch.
One third of the population plays a sport and even more watch or follow a favourite team. Reaching this part of the community during the year leading to the Games may be as simple as doing what we do best in mission, with the addition of an Olympic or sports theme.
But I hate sport!
Of course there may be some of you that want to run and hide from the Olympics. So why not gather a group of like-minded people and provide an alternative to the Olympics? How about a ‘Not the Olympic Games’ programme with entertainment and a challenge, or an ‘Olympic Board Games’ event for those who are less active? Christ Church in Leyton, East London, are planning jazz evenings for those who want to get away from it all, alongside their Olympic-themed outreach. And whether you’re sporty or not, we can all pray. The Olympics is a thoroughly secular movement with pagan roots, so let’s pray for a spiritual shift – that the people coming will find it easy to embrace Christ. You can join the Cascade of Prayer planned by the More than
The children aren’t the only ones being positively impacted by the club. Vicar Alan Comfort says, ‘In Walthamstow, where finances are very tight, this club has both surprised and thrilled many who can see the church doing something that ‘connects’ without any obvious gain to itself.’ Alan is seeing the parents of some children begin to show interest in knowing God and becoming more involved in the church community at St John’s. According to Alan, ‘A recent Alpha course had a few parents of children from the sports club attending, which thrilled us. We also had several families and a number of kids at a recent guest service in church, when the young Tottenham player Paul-Jose Mpoku spoke of his passion for Jesus.’
‘ The church responded by meeting the community where it wanted to be...on a football pitch’ Gold Prayer Team, or the regular prayer walks around the Olympic Park in East London. Let’s also pray for the nations taking part – perhaps your church already has links with a particular nation? We also need to pray for us as host nation, for safety and security, and that it will be a joyful experience for everyone visiting the UK next summer. So whether in London or further afield, my hope and prayer is that as Church in the UK we will be inspired to seize this great opportunity. It could galvanise us to expand our mission, to engage with sport in a new way, or be stirred to intensify our prayers, but let it also be the catalyst for unity, to be the answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-25 that we might be one.
Paul Bowtell Paul is Chaplain to the Bishop of Barking and is Olympics Adviser to the Barking Area of the Chelmsford Diocese. He and his wife Chris have lived and ministered in East London for over 26 years. He is active today in encouraging the church in East London to seize the opportunity the Olympics afford.
T GE
LV o IN V
TO P : ED
45
CULTURE
GET Involved: There are many individuals, groups and organisations offering to serve and support you and your church in the run-up to, during and even following the 2012 Games. Find out who your Olympic Champion, Adviser or Mobiliser is for your stream or denomination. You may even have a More than Gold ‘Gold Champion’ in
0 12 Key Dates in 2
June d Jubilee 2-5 Queen’s Diamon s End 19 May in Land’ ay el R h rc o T st London – 27 July in Ea ugust 27 July – 12 A Olympic Games es Paralympic Gam eptember S 9 – 29 August
46
your church, or someone dedicated to sports ministry in your network. Agencies such as Time for God, YWAM Forever and Megacities all have volunteers ready to work with you. So if you haven’t done so already, start preparing now! Here are some key dates and websites to help you get stated:
More than Gold
www.morethangold.org.uk
London 2012
www.london2012.com
Church in Weymouth www.weymouthandportlandchurch.org Oxford Diocese
www.racebeforeus.org.uk
Chelmsford Diocese
www.runtherace.biz
Time for God
www.timeforgod.org
YWAM Forever
www.forever2012.com
Ambassadors in Sport www.ais-uk.org Christians in Sport
www.christiansinsport.org.uk
Church of England
www.olympics.churchofengland.org
London’s Burning
www.londonsburning2012.org.uk
£3,000 available for new outreach initiative 50 years of Rural Ministries 1962 – 2012
During 2012 Rural Ministries are celebrating 50 years of encouraging churches in the countryside. Grants will be available to help your local outreach and the competition is open to all rural churches. Have you always wanted to commence an activity to spread and share the gospel but funds have been a problem? Up to three grants with a maximum of £3000 each are available to support the most enterprising applications. We are looking for imagination and the ability to see the gospel impact your community. The awards will be presented at a lunch being held in June 2012 to celebrate the work and vision of Rural Ministries. More information and competition rules can be found on the Rural Ministries website: www.ruralministries.org.uk Closing date for entries is the 1st March 2012 and they are to be sent to Rural Ministries, Wellingborough Innovation Centre, Church Street, Wellingborough NN8 4PD
RM5953- Competition Adverts- New Wine 135x186 V1 REPRO.indd 1
Conference
22 - 24 February 2012
Swanwick, Derbyshire
God is doing something special All over the UK in over 50 towns and cities Christian leaders are praying together, forming close friendships with a passion to see social and spiritual transformation in their local area. This is a startling new expression of local unity for a new day. The Gather Conference will for the first time bring together these stories of the Spirits movement, encouraging those involved, inspiring those who want to see something in their town or city. If you have a heart for mission through the unity of God’s people please join us at the Gather Conference. For more details go to wegather.co.uk
28/09/2011 14:16
CULTURE
Young people are under more pressure than ever to be sexually active – and to use pornography. Has the Church got any answers? Andre Radmall thinks so
A
popular image of the Church is of an organisation which is out of touch with sex, and the world often watches it tear itself apart over the subject of sexuality. The message seems to be that the Church is uncomfortable, if not extremely anxious, about addressing issues relating to sexuality. Therefore, pornography is not something you’re likely to hear discussed at church, but it’s an issue that we simply can’t ignore. In our society, young people are under enormous pressure within their peer groups to have sex, and to look at pornography. They swim in a world of online pornography, with pornographic images on their phones and distributed via online media, and there has been a proliferation of soft-core pornographic images in popular music culture. For some, this is a problem – for others, it’s just the way life is.
48
There are a number of reasons why watching pornography can be considered unhealthy, even destructive. Firstly, as with all forms of idolatry, the person using pornography can become increasingly detached from their own emotions and from any sense that they are loved by God. This can cause feelings of disappointment and emptiness.
No sex please, we’re Christian
Secondly, in the context of relationships, the unreality of pornography can become a replacement for the reality of relationship with a person rather than an image. This can leave their partner feeling betrayed, demoralised and even depressed by their partner’s apparent desire to choose the fantasy of pornographic images over them.
‘ I think God created sex for our enjoyment, not to be a shameful secret’
Finally, watching pornography can often be accompanied by a profound sense of shame and guilt that becomes increasingly destructive and, at its worst, turns to depression and suicidal despair.
Firstly, let’s focus on the positive. What does sex give us that’s good? Well, we can say that sex expressed in the context of a loving and covenanted marriage is a wonderful, holy and life-giving gift. I think
So how are we to respond? And, in particular, how are we to help young people who are bombarded with the heady cocktail of hormonal change as well as the availability of pornography like never before? One thing is for certain – just saying ‘No’ or ‘Wait till you’re married’ isn’t enough.
So before I go on to look at how young people – or anyone for that matter – can be helped with things like getting mired in pornography, I think a couple of points need making.
CULTURE
God created sex for our enjoyment, not to be a shameful secret. I think sexual feelings are part of our God-given humanity. This doesn’t however mean that we have to be defined by these feelings or define others by them. In our culture both women and men have become objectified, sexualised and packaged as consumer products, sometimes even before puberty. So sex is not a guilty secret; it’s meant to be a glorious expression of embodied love. This is a key point to make, particularly in discussions with young people: God loves sex. After all, he created it. Desire is not wrong. Simply providing people with a safe forum in which to discuss these feelings can also be very helpful, such as in mentoring relationships or small groups.
Grace, not shame
Another crucial point is to consider how we respond when a person tells us they have done something they feel ashamed of, such as looking at pornography. When Jesus encountered things deemed unclean, his life-affirming holiness did not bring condemnation, but healing, freedom and peace. This should be our example as we encounter these issues. The last thing people need who already feel guilty is someone confirming that yes, they are a useless worm who yet again has done that thing. The extent to which we offer love, acceptance and grace to others defines how much we afford ourselves that same grace. If we condemn others, we condemn ourselves. I am not saying we should treat sin lightly, or fudge the issue that wrong is wrong. But let’s not get this out of perspective. The darkness of sexual sin will always be overcome by the light of Christ’s unsurpassable presence. This means we do not need to make too much of it. What does need our attention is the question: what causes a person to turn to sexual sin in the first place?
Why are we so sexually broken?
For people who are desperately lonely and isolated, pornography gives the opportunity for sexual release and voyeuristic connection outside of a real relationship. In our culture healthy relationships are not always easy to find. Divorce rates are high, ruptured and broken relationships are everywhere, and the truth is that for many young people looking at this landscape, a real relationship seems risky. But given that we are created in the image of a relational God, we can never extinguish this desire for relationship; sex addiction, promiscuity and pornography become ways of connecting but never relating. People make idols out of other people, or their own sexual feelings, because it makes them feel good. These feelings help them forget their problems and blank out their anxieties. When people watch pornography, they lose all track of time and go into a kind of trance state. In this way pornography can become a ‘process’ addiction (as opposed to a substance addiction) with very similar effects to taking narcotics.
Halting temptation
Surprisingly, perhaps, this is where the Church comes into its own. If the Church provides real community in which people are genuinely known, these needs for relationship can start to be met. Like a lot of activities that can be addictive, using pornography is like white sugar – it’s a quick energy hit. Someone described internet
‘ We can never extinguish the desire for relationship; sex addiction, promiscuity and pornography become ways of connecting, but never relating’ pornography as the crack cocaine of sex addiction. How can we help ourselves, and each other, to resist such a powerful temptation? Here are some tips: • Remember the acronym HALT: if you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired, you are vulnerable to temptation. This is when people reach for their false comforts. • Make a plan or exit strategy. What are you going to do next time you are slipping into a vulnerable state of mind or situation? You may want to have an accountability partner to text or phone who could be available to pray. • Finally, if a person is energised by the Holy Spirit, by physical exercise, by relationships with people who know them and by a compassionate attitude towards their own weakness, they will have less need to look to the dark and deadening comfort of pornography. Andre has written a book called Insight into Addiction published by CWR. For your chance to win a free copy, simply email the title to mag@new-wine.org before 28 February 2012 (one entry per person).
Andre Radmall Andre works for CWR as a lecturer on their BA in Counselling and Theology course. He is also a freelance business and leadership coach and psychotherapist.
49
Shop.
Buy online.
For more new products, best sellers and a full range of Christian resources, visit New Wine Direct.
www.new-wine.org/shop
CDs.
£
BOOKS.
9
Bigger Than Big A groove-along worship album for preschool kids
£
9
Amazing 11 great live worship songs for kids
4
University The Big Challenge
£
6
.99
There is Still More Mary Pytches
www.pilgrimsfriend.org.uk
john coles
learning to heal £ A practical guide for every christian
8
.99
Learning to Heal John Coles
Haven of Peace Academy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Are you a qualified teacher or school administrator? Are you flexible and teachable, and willing to let God use you in new ways? Do you have a desire to play a vital role in African missions and in shaping future African leaders? Do you have a heart for missionary kids and a vision to see Hindu and Muslim kids and their families come to know Christ? Then we would love to hear from you! Haven of Peace Academy (HOPAC), an international Christian K-12 school overlooking the Indian Ocean in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is recruiting experienced, Christian teachers and administrators. Contact the Personnel Coordinator at personnel@hopac.net for more information or visit www.hopac.net.
Send for our new leaflet, showing types and locations.
Tel: 0300 303 1400 Email: info@pilgrimsfriend.org.uk
Teaching from all our recent events, as well as our full back catalogue, is available to buy from www.essentialchristian. com/new-wine
Imagine how God could use you at
All you need to know about short breaks (respite care) for caregivers and individuals, to residential and nursing care, dementia care, types of sheltered housing, extra care housing, holiday homes and retirement flats for missionaries.
Contact us at Pilgrims’ Friend Society 175 Tower Bridge Road London SE1 2AL
12
.99
Only One Name The new studio worship album from New Wine
NEW
.97
£
.99
How can older Christians feel at home in a world that is opposed to their values and beliefs?
50
NEW
NEW
.99
TEACHING.
NEW
£
SEND L FOR FUL INFO
CULTURE
Recommended Resources All available to buy from www.newwinedirect.co.uk
Right Here, Right Now: Every Day Mission for Every Day People Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford
This book is refreshing! Often as Christians we can get too caught up in big issues like creation and predestination – or smaller issues, like what we do in our Sunday services. This book, on the other hand, gets to the heart of what we all ultimately care about most: what it is to live for Jesus right here, right now, whatever our situation, vocation or location. Hirsch and Ford are not trying to create an Utopian vision of what a missional church looks like. Instead they offer a picture of the energy and life that we are all called to. The inspirational core message of this book is that God is already at work in your workplace, and you have already been sent by God into this world. It’s already started – the Kingdom is advancing in so many ways and in so many places – so get involved! Jon Tearne is Worship Pastor at All Saints, Peckham.
Word and Spirit: The Vital Partnership in Christian Leadership Will Donaldson
In Word and Spirit, Will Donaldson argues that an effective Christian leader must consider the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit to be equal partners in developing our understanding of God and living out a life in Christ. This is a worthwhile read, so long as you have a good understanding of the evangelical and charismatic traditions. I wanted Donaldson to offer a better definition of his terms, as Christians from most traditions would believe that they are already operating in both Word and Spirit. I’d also have liked more on leadership in a secular workplace; but I’d recommend this book for anyone in a leadership role in the Church, not just the clergy. Lizzie Feltoe is a member of St Barnabas Church in North Finchley.
Storylines: Your Map to Understanding the Bible Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft
Making sense of the Bible as a whole is complicated, so I was excited to stumble across Storylines. For a small group leader, light but thought-provoking reads of serious subjects are invaluable. As well as helping new Christians to grasp the bigger picture, Storylines provides challenge and insight for more mature believers. It includes a ‘paperchase’ of verses for those who want to go deeper, and discussion starter questions to help leaders. Despite many years as a Christian, I have never understood the seemingly abhorrent story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac – this book has helped me see it in a new light and so increased my appreciation of God’s love for us. Mike and Andy present six themes drawing together Old and New Testaments – Jesus, Covenant, Presence, Kingdom, Salvation and Worship. They also offer helpful overviews, ‘The Bible in 20 pages’ and ‘The What, How and Why of the Bible’, with suggestions of how best to read it for ourselves. Sarah Gough is a member of St Stephens, Twickenham, where she and her husband Richard lead a life group.
Spirit Break Out Worship Central
Spirit Break Out is the latest live album from Worship Central, a training school of worship led by Tim Hughes and based at Holy Trinity Brompton, London. It presents exceptional worship songs; well produced, sung with passion, and played with outstanding musicianship. A resounding drum march opens the album with lyrics calling upon the Holy Spirit, building anticipation for what is to come – and we are not disappointed. Tracks include New Day, Saviour of the World and At Your Name by Tim Hughes, powerful in both words and melody, and Wait for You by Nikki Fletcher, a sensitive and beautiful song, almost a ballad. The title track, Spirit Break Out, featuring Luke Hellebronth and Myles Dhillon, gently draws you in with a heartbeat rhythm and synth track. It’s lyrically simple but profound; this is going be a very popular and effective song for welcoming the Holy Spirit. This album has a fantastic variety of songs that lead you deeper into relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jude Swailes is a member of St Barnabas Church in North Finchley, where she is part of the worship team.
Mud, Sweat and Tears: The Autobiography Bear Grylls
His name is a byword for adventure and excitement, and Bear’s autobiography certainly delivers on adrenalin. Bear (not his real name) tells his life story through four page-turning episodes – his youth (climbing and sailing); his education (escapades); his SAS training (exhaustion); and his ascent of Everest (icy). He pushes his body, spirit and will to the limit, in extreme circumstances. Bear writes very modestly about his achievements, sharing his experiences with the reader as though with a friend. He is honest about times when he feels he has let others down and generous about times when others have helped. He never portrays himself as a superhero. His strong and real Christian faith comes through, whether he’s quoting from the Bible on the summit of Everest or muttering them doggedly on tough SAS exercises. I’m giving this book to my nephew, a keen Scout, at the first opportunity; and to any man who wants to know how real men march with God. And if you want to find out Bear’s real name, you’ll have to read it yourself! James Riddiough is a member of St Dunstan’s, East Acton.
RESOURCES GIVEAWAY! Simply email the title of one of the above resources to mag@new-wine.org for your chance to win a copy. One entry per person. Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email by the end of February 2012. 51
classifieds HOLIDAYS ALTEA, COSTA BLANCA Modern, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment; heating, pool, tennis, garden, garage. Shops, restaurants, beach close. Golf, hill-walking, watersports. Warm winter area. Discounts. 029 20759314; dee.jones@virgin.net CALAHONDA, COSTA DEL SOL Three-bedroom villa, south facing pool, secluded garden, glorious ocean views. Geofft101@btinternet.com
PERSONAL SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS, ARGYLL, near Loch Awe, 3 bedroom self-catering cottage with spectacular views of Ben Cruachan and surrounding hills. 2 hours drive from Glasgow Airport. Sleeps 6. Woodburning stove. Dogs welcome. www.kilchrenan-self-catering.co.uk LOVELY COTTAGES ON A DEVON FARM, sleeping 2-14. Tranquil yet central base. Short break deals available. Village pub serves meals and takeaways. Cozy wood burner. Family or couples. Freshly baked cream tea. Contact Lynda 01271 346566 www.bampfieldfarmcottages.co.uk PLEASANT HOLIDAY BY THE POOL THIS SUMMER! Or making a difference in the third world? 2-3 weeks serving the poor in Africa, Asia & S. America. Well organised small teams. 01227 373 870 www.soapboxtrust.com LONDON, B&B in comfortable quiet family homes centrally located in London. Direct lines to all attractions and airports. Double £54pn, Single £42pn, children’s reduction. Tel 020 7385 4904 www.thewaytostay.co.uk
TOPSHAM, DEVON 2-bedroom maisonette overlooking Exe estuary and hills. Local shops, inns, teashops, walks. Coast, moors, Exeter nearby. Tel 029 20759314; dee.jones@virgin.net
EAST DEVON FARM, SELF CATERING 3 cottages on family farm sleeping 5 to 15. Can accommodate groups of up to 33. Games room, trampolines & climbing frames. Easy reach of sea, moors & many local attractions. 01404 841238 www.westcottfarm.co.uk
PORT ISAAC, N. CORNWALL 2-bedroom character cottage, ideal for surfing beaches and coastal walks. Check out www.catscottage.info. Email archie@stpetersbrighton.org. Tel 07887 522402
Please mention New Wine Magazine when responding to an advert NORTHUMBERLAND Cottage, sleeps 4. Peaceful with amazing views. Visit Holy Island, Alnwick Castle etc. Further Details: www.cottageguide.co.uk/kypieview Phone: 0191 281 2309 BEER, EAST DEVON 3 bedroom cottage 5 minutes walk from beach, central village location. Ideal for coastal walking and family seaside holidays. From £200 per week. wilsonjj@onetel.com
CHRISTIAN? Hope to meet someone NEW? Call New Day Introductions on 01706 224049 (Est. 22 yrs) Send for our book ‘Starting Over?’ www.newdaydating.co.uk
GIFTS CHRISTIAN GIFTS AND NOVELTIES – Crosses, jewellery, wristbands, badges etc. Also Sunday School supplies. giftsandnoveltiesonline.co.uk and giftsandnoveltiesonline.com
Advertise here.
Reach a readership of 45,000* people!
Contact us today for a detailed Rate Card. E advertising@new-wine.org T 0208 799 3765 * New
Wine distributes 35,000 magazines. An estimated 45,000 get their hands on it!
Conditions If you wish to advertise in our April Issue, bookings must reach us by 16 February 2012. Please submit text in clear type. Copy will be set to our specifications. Tel/ fax numbers count as two words; websites, postcodes and PO Boxes as one. Contact advertising@new-wine.org or 020 8799 3765. Semi-display ads should be supplied on disc as a hi-res PDF or in Quark Express for PC, or Illustrator/Freehand for Apple Mac - accompanied by a hard copy proof. Ads supplied in any other manner will be reformatted, in which case exact matching cannot be guaranteed and an extra cost may be incurred. New Wine does not necessarily agree with all the views and practices of advertisers. Rates £1.75 per word or £16 per column cm. All bookings are subject to VAT. Contact advertising@new-wine.org or call 020 8799 3765 for more information.
in ks For everyon e wh o th ea th at m arriage is a gr eat id www.marriage-week.org.uk
7th – 14th February 2012 Marriage Week UK is affiliated to Marriage Week International www.marriage-weekinternational.com National Marriage Week is a Registered Charity 1086147. Tel 0207 227 4713. 51 Romney Street, London SW1P 3RF
52
RIBA chartered practice . RIBA conservation award 2008 . RIBA design award 2010
DAVID GRINDLEY ARCHITECTS
listed buildings & conservation areas town centres industrial sites (change of use) feasibility studies full architectural services
a family practice since 1992 call 01908 668919 for a free consultation
Creative building solutions for the growth of your church
www.davidgrindleyarchitects.co.uk
DAVID GRINDLEY ARCHITECTS 7 Lissel Road
Simpson
Milton Keynes
MK6 3AX
Client: Name
t: 01908 668919
f: 01908 673803
e: info@davidgrindleyarchitects.co.uk
DO YOU HAVE a job vacancy to fill?
Date:
Oct 2011
Project No.
Scale:
1:1 @ A4
Title:
00-00
Drawing No.
DGA / EA / 54
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.
The New Wine Find A Job service is simple to use and is in the top three most popular pages on our website, with over 55,000 hits in 2011! Post and search jobs at www.new-wine.org/jobs
And if you’re a member of our Church Leaders’ Network, you’ll receive a 50% discount on each advertisement.
1
SUMMER 2012: UNLEASHED Join us for an unforgettable week to get inspired, empowered and fired up to change lives, communities and the nation!
Conference speakers include:
Francis Chan
Shane Claiborne
Mike Pilavachi
A Sneak Preview: For the SPortS FAnS:
UNLEASHED
Don’t worry, you don’t need to miss out on the Games as we’ll be bringing you live, large-screen action in our dedicated venues.
London & South east Main Bible readings will be led by Francis Chan (Author of Crazy Love and former pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, California). Other confirmed speakers include Shane Claiborne (Founding Member of ‘The Simple Way’ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Mike Pilavachi (Associate Director, Soul Survivor), Anthony Delaney (Ivy Manchester), Steve Clifford (Evangelical Alliance), James Lawrence (Director of Development Team, CPAS) and Carl Beech (Christian Vision for Men UK). New for 2012 is Venue 3 – a dedicated venue for more interactive and raw Bible reading led by Andy hawthorne (The Message), with drama, testimonies and passionate worship. We will also be running a tough questions forum aimed at those wanting to get better equipped for sharing their faith, as well as seminars on faith at work, relationships, health, drama and more.
London & South east
Saturday 21 – Friday 27 July 2012 Royal Bath and West Showground, Somerset
north & east
Saturday 28 July – Friday 3 August 2012 Newark and Nottinghamshire County Showground, Newark
Central & South West
Sunday 29 July – Saturday 4 August 2012 Royal Bath and West Showground, Somerset
www.new-wine.org/summer 54
Gary Best
Kenny Borthwick
Mark Greene
David Parker
J John
Danielle Strickland
north & east Main Bible readings will be led by Gary Best (National Team Leader, Vineyard Churches Canada) and Kenny Borthwick (Leader, CLAN: New Wine Scotland). Returning in 2012 are the School of Evangelism led by Andy hawthorne & roger Simpson; the School of Prophecy led by rosie & tim Bunn; and a dedicated seminar stream for worship led by our onsite worship leaders. NEW for 2012 is the School of Workplace Ministry led by Mark Greene (Executive Director, LICC), along with a wide range of work-related seminars. There will also be a brand new evening celebration venue dedicated to Young Adults led by Luke Smith (Leader at G2 in York and on the staff of Fusion).
Central & South West Main Bible readings will be led by David Parker (Lead Pastor of Desert Vineyard, Southern California) and Alan Scott (Leader of Causeway Coast Vineyard, Northern Ireland). Other confirmed speakers include J John (Director of The Philo Trust), Danielle Strickland (Officer in The Salvation Army, Canada & Bermuda Territory, and social justice campaigner), Pete Greig (Founding Champion of the 24-7 Prayer movement and Director of Prayer for Holy Trinity Brompton, London), Agu Irukwu (Senior Pastor of Jesus House, London) and Mike Pilavachi (Associate Director, Soul Survivor). Back by popular demand in 2012 will be dedicated seminar streams for worship (led by our onsite worship teams) and theology (led by top scholars from the WTC teaching faculty), as well as the Hungry prayer venue.
NatioNal leadership CoNfereNCe REACTIVATING THE MISSIONAL CHURCH
harrogate InternatIonal conference centre Monday 28 - Wednesday 30 May 2012 For anyone involved in leadership in the local church If you are wrestlIng wIth how to be mIssIonal as a church In the 21st century, don’t mIss thIs opportunIty! Guest speakers: alan & deb hirsch
Bible reader: anne Maclaurin
book before 28 february for best rates!
Over 40% discOunt fOr under 30s
‘Alan Hirsch is a prophet to the Western Church. He is faithful to Scripture, open to the Spirit and passionate about mission’ Mike Pilavachi ‘Alan is a profound theologian and experienced local church practitioner – his unpacking of the relationship between discipleship and mission in the New Testament is exciting, compelling and enabling.’ Ian Parkinson