27Nov 2018 by Nigel Ring

Churches that change Communities – part 2. The party is saved by the poor!

Poor
Last time I started to report on the recently held Jubilee+ Conference ‘Churches that change Communities’. I gave the whole post to the opening key-note contribution by Martin Charlesworth, a call for the church to recover the influence we once had in shaping communities, particularly touching those in need. The bulk of this post will be given to the second main contribution, complementary in many ways to Martin’s. The party is saved by the poor! Guest speaker Philip North, Bishop of Burnley, took us to the parable of the banquet in Luke’s gospel (Lk 14:15-24). Reminding us that those initially invited gave excuses he showed us that those who are marginalised were the ones who ‘made the party go’. The majority of U.K. churches are white middle class. The bishop…
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14Nov 2018 by Nigel Ring

Churches that change Communities – part 1

Poor, Uncategorized
Jubilee+ gives a lead Every year Jubilee+, which has a vision ‘to see the church in the UK be a champion of the poor and a means to healthy communities across the nation’, holds a conference to envision, commission, support and equip those who have a calling to live out the gospel of Jesus through ministry with the poor. Last Saturday this annual conference was held in Wimbledon, London. After a wonderful time of extended worship which exalted the Lord, Martin Charlesworth, who leads the Jubilee+ initiative, served us superbly with his opening message, one that has the potential to change the way we function as churches if we understand the commission God has given us to influence our communities. The church and the welfare state First Martin reminded us,…
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24Oct 2018 by Nigel Ring

Attending School: A Death Trap?

Poor
Recently I published a blog about the Thebault family who have just returned from Guinea in West Africa after 15 years. I then asked Maina to write about a typical day in the life of the school for which she is the Principal. What she has written makes sober reading. How would your children get on in this sort of environment? Once you have read this you may feel you would like to help. It costs £10 ($14) per month to fully educate a child. If you would like to become a supporter please write to me. The details are at the end of the posting. Maina writes: The school environment: frightful or happy place? The answer to the above question for many will absolutely be a ‘happy place’ which,…
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11Oct 2018 by Nigel Ring

Return from Guinea

News, Poor
Where did it all start? Ministry in another nation carries significant opportunities and challenges. 15 years ago Nicolas and Elaine Thebault moved to Guinea with their young family to support the local leadership of a church planted there with refugees from the Sierra Leonean civil war of the '90s. But it became necessary to replant the church and to start a new school to cope with the demands of that migrant population. Since then the initial church of ten people (plus seven of the Thebault family!) has grown to over 200, predominantly of people who have become followers of Jesus under their ministry. There have been well over 100 baptisms. Local leaders have been trained and built up. The school, which now numbers well over 300, covers the full educational…
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27Sep 2018 by Nigel Ring

Jubilee+ Strategy Day – Part 2

Poor
In the first part of this report I shared how I had been invited with about 20 others to join the Jubilee+ core team for a day of prayer, Prophecy and Discussion. The day had started with an overview by Martin Charlesworth when he highlighted some of the activities and events that had taken place over the previous year in fulfilment of the prophetic mandate Jubilee+ operates under. Particularly: Book – A church for the Poor Capacity building networks – particularly Refugee Resource Centre for Churches. Resources planned or in development to help: - Church planting in deprived communities - Churches engaged with addiction issues - Care for the elderly - Personal indebtedness Round table discussions The bulk of the day was spent in small groups addressing three topics: What…
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19Sep 2018 by Nigel Ring

Jubilee+ Conference and Strategy Day – Part 1

Poor
Conference – November 10th, Wimbledon, London One of the highlights of my year is the annual conference organised by Jubilee+. Not only is it practical and equipping but plenty of time is provided for Prayer, Prophetic release and Networking. These makes the conference particularly special. Who is it for? Anyone is welcome to attend but I would particularly urge those who have a heart for the poor or who are actively involved in ministry with the poor to prioritise this in their diaries. I also urge church leaders to attend with their ministry teams. The conference will not only help you to understand more about God’s heart for the poor but will enable you to support your ministry teams even more effectively. It will also encourage them that you have…
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