The Stoneleigh Bible Week grew from 8,500 in 1991 to 28,000 in 2001. What was it that drew increasing numbers of people, families and churches to an agricultural showground in the heart of the UK? There were, I hope, many ‘takeaways’ from each Bible Week, but I am sure the primary reason people came was to hear from God and to encounter the Holy Spirit.
There were many different facets to the Bible Weeks – camping (some loved it others hated it), the community life within each church camp site, recreation programmes each afternoon, activities for the children, and so on. But these were the sideshows. At the very heart of each Week was the platform ministry, the worship and the prayer times, each giving a context that was conducive to hearing God speak.
Our speakers
Throughout the eleven years we were very blessed by the speakers who came to serve us both on the main platform and in the seminars. Terry Virgo was, of course, leading the line-up and his sermons always set the key-note for the Week. Each person will have different memories but for me two messages particularly come to mind. First his ‘Arrow’ sermon from Is 49:2 in 1994 about being sharpened and prepared, then hidden in the quiver until the time was right to be used. Second, the series from Deuteronomy in 2001 as we were commissioned to leave Stoneleigh and GO. The second message from Deut 15 about the poor was especially memorable for me.
In addition to the powerful ministry brought by other speakers from the Newfrontiers family, such as David Devenish, Simon Pettit and Dave Holden, to name but three, we were privileged to host faithful men from across the globe who each had some distinctive from which we could learn and which they could perhaps impart to us to build us up as a people.
CJ Mahaney and Larry Tomczak from the USA were our most frequent ‘outside’ speakers – so frequent that we embraced them as dear friends. ‘CJ’ had an amazing ability to have us ‘rolling in the aisles’ with his illustrations one moment and then scarcely daring to breathe the next, such was the presence of God. Larry was a phenomenal evangelist and imparted much to us over both the Downs and Stoneleigh years.
Other speakers included Kriengsak Chareonwongsak (Thailand) and Mahesh Chavda (USA) in 1992, and Michael Eaton (Kenya), Mike Bickle (USA) and Dennis Balcombe (Hong Kong and China) in 1993. Some of these returned in subsequent years but in 1997 we had three ‘first-timers’ from the UK: Ken Gott, Stuart Bell and Paul Reid.
Space does not permit enlargement on the ministry each brought to us, but I hope their names and faces will bring to mind many happy memories and, more important, reminders of ways in which God may have spoken to you under their ministries.