Category: Equipping

‘Reset’ and ‘Reboot’ are words we hear frequently these days as we move through the covid pandemic and its consequences. We recognise there will be a ‘new normal’. Such terminology could well be applied to the content we were exposed to at the excellent Unreached Network ’21 Conference held online at the end of June. The conference was privileged to have as its keynote speaker Dr Harvey Kwiyani from Liverpool University. Harvey has a special interest in contemporary mission in Europe and North America, including intercultural theology, migrations, and African Christians in the diaspora. Decolonising mission Harvey opened our eyes to the rapidly changing profiles of Christianity and the church across the world today, and the urgent need in mission to be aware of the different cultural expectations and interpretations…

[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="221"] Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] David Lyall of Action Foundation, Newcastle, concludes this three-part series demonstrating the relationship between church and charity in serving the poor. I love Jesus’ parables about seeds because they remind me that changing the world often starts with small and seemingly insignificant acts of obedience. At City Church, Newcastle, as we look back with thankfulness on the 10th anniversary of our refugee charity, Action Foundation – now housing over 50 people and teaching language to hundreds from 50+ nations each week – it’s easy to forget how unobtrusively it all began. It was nearly 20 years ago that the Government decided to disperse asylum seekers away from the South East. We prayed that God would send them to us and that we would have…

[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="263"]Catalyst Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] Who is my neighbour Continuing this short series, Cassie Roberts of ODILS Learning Foundation (Open Doors International Language School) asks two questions: ‘Who is my neighbour’ (Lk 10:25 - 29), and ‘How do I love them as myself?’, particularly if they do not speak your own language, English in the case of ODILS. This is one of the many challenges we face as Christians. ‘How can I really love and serve them Lord?’ In this contribution to the series we look at one particular and practical way God has given to love and reach our neighbours. God's plans not ours God had always laid on our hearts a desire to serve the poor and for the gospel to reach the nations. We assumed this…

[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="220"] Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] It is a pleasure to have three contributors to this short series ‘Reaching the Unreached’ from Hope Church, Luton, ODILS (Open Doors International Language School), Plymouth and Action Foundation, Newcastle, each considering a different aspect of the topic. Tony Thompson, from Hope Church, begins by thinking about how to love our neighbours, a timely word. Love your Neighbour Jesus has called us all to love our neighbours, but what does that really mean? And who is our neighbour? With the continually changing demographics in the UK, oftentimes our 'neighbour', the one who crosses our path, may be someone from an entirely different culture from our own. The Lord is bringing unreached people to our doorstep and is asking us to show them love. We…