My Easter Experience

People often comment on how significant or timely the reflections in the Praise & Prayer News seem to be.  It is an encouragement to know this. I hesitated before writing this week, as a topic had not presented itself to my mind.  Then I wondered whether you would mind if I used this occasion to share something of my personal Easter experience, way back in 1963.

It really began several months before.  I had started attending a young people’s Bible study at a Baptist church (I was then 17) largely because I was strongly attracted to a very attractive girl who attended.  After going to this for a couple of weeks, the Minister of the church announced that the following week I would speak on my favourite psalm.  He had not asked me, and I wonder how he thought I would respond.  I had engaged in a debating society at school so thought I could manage it.  But the real decider was that this gave me an opportunity to impress Rosemary, so I agreed.

I was determined not to speak on Psalm 23 as that would have been too easy.  But as I sat in my bedroom trying to get my head around Psalm 121 I noticed a postcard I had purchased on a school trip to the Tate Gallery.  It was a picture of scattered sheep.  I picked it up and saw that it was a painting by W Holman Hunt (of Light of the World fame).  It was entitled, Strayed Sheep.  I was using an old study Bible that had belonged to an uncle who had been an evangelist with the Salvation Army. The uncle had died but his Bible had been passed on to me.  So I turned the pages back to Psalm 23 and started to read the notes.

The following week I spoke on Psalm 23 making reference to Isaiah 53:6 and confessing myself as a strayed sheep; and to John10 that speaks of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.  The only disappointment was that Rosemary wasn’t present to be impressed!  Afterwards, the Minister singled me out and said that now he knew where I stood when could he baptise me.  I wasn’t keen to be baptised but couldn’t come up with an excuse.  So began a series of preparation meetings on which I was joined by two of Rosemary’s brothers.

The date for the baptism was the evening service on Easter Day 1963.  The evening before an inter-church event was to be held on Hastings Pier with a guest speaker called Sylvia Smith.  She was described as an evangelist working with strippers and prostitutes in London.  As a young man with rampant hormones it sounded an attractive topic so I and several other young men went along. Sylvia gave an interesting talk about her work but slipped seamlessly into a message based on the words of Jesus from the cross, “Father, forgivethem, for they know not what they do” (The Authorised Version was commonly used back then).

While it could be argued that these words related to the soldiers who had hammered the nails through his hands and feet, Sylvia suggested that they included all who had been party to his crucifixion.  She proceeded to describe the role of Judas, Pilate, Herod and the soldiers; but also included Peter who denied knowing Jesus.  In each of her descriptions of them and their motives, I saw something of myself.  After each character she requoted that words of forgiveness.  As she did so, the gospel I knew ell from Sunday School days, slowly spread from my head into my heart.

As we stood to sing the closing hymn I felt the love of God as I could never have imagined it. The hymn was one I knew ell.  It was Isaac Watts’ “When I survey the wondrous cross”.  As I sang the first three verses my mind struggled over that last verse.  Silently I told God that I would not sing it unless he helped me to mean the words of surrender.  The third verse ended and I found myself singing wholeheartedly, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life my all.”

What a prelude to the event the following evening when, before a packed church, I professed myself a disciple of Jesus and walked into the baptismal pool and the arms of that tricky Minister who got me to speak about my favourite Psalm.  I am indebted to the Rev Gordon Hunt, to Sylvia Smith, (and I guess to Rosemary), to my parents and many in the church who never gave up praying for me through several years of abandoning church and living an extremely ungodly life.

As the waters closed over my head they symbolised what had already taken place as the old Barry Osborne sought to die to self and sin.  Then Gordon’s arms raised me up, symbolising the new life that had begun.  How we sang, “My chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose went forth and followed thee”

This Easter, a great-niece will be baptised.  If her Easter experience is half as significant as mine, and if it leads, as mine has done, to a life of joyful service for Jesus, she will be blessed indeed.

Well, that’s my personal Easter.  I hope you have your own personal Easter, though it will probably differ from mine as the Easter experience for Peter differed a little from that of the two who walked to Emmaus.  But may the love from the cross and the power of the empty tomb excite you afresh this year.  Sing the hymns and make the acclamation as loud as you can, for he is risen indeed!

Praise & Prayer

Please keep praying for the post of Anglican Chaplain to be filled at the prison where I work on Tuesday afternoons.  Two candidates have come forward and interviews are taking place.

I am working in the prison on Good Friday morning and taking the Easter Sunday service before travelling to Yelvertoft for the service there.  Palm Sunday is a joint service in the village with a procession of witness through the village.

Monday 21^st – taking part in a funeral service in Rugby for a great saint called home.  Alan was part of the church at Yelvertoft.

Tuesday 22^nd – taking part in an accreditation review process for the Congregational Federation in Nottingham.

Wednesday 23^rd – taking part in the Free Churches Group Meeting in London.

Good Friday and Easter Sunday (see above).  On Saturday we will hold “Get Messy” which is our children and family event at Yelvertoft.  Please pray that this Easter will see many new people attending our churches and coming to faith.

Thank you.

Barry

Mission Lessons from DIY-SOS

I often find myself sitting in tears at the end of a DIY SOS programme on television when one of their epic activities has transformed a home to better serve the needs of a family struggling with disability. What moves me is not the entertaining personalities and interactions of Nick Knowles and team, nor even the pace and skill of the work they undertake; it is the emotional response of both the beneficiaries and the emotional response from the large crowd of volunteers, many of whom are also moved to tears.

For any that are unfamiliar with this BBC programme, it features a team of four craftsmen in the building trade plus Nick Knowles who somehow holds it all together, provides motivation and functions as the presenter.  He is also ready to get his hands dirty.  They offer their services to people who have a major domestic building task they cannot manage themselves, often featuring people with disabilities.  Nick Knowles and the team issue a ‘call to arms’ and recruit friends, family and local trades to help transform the homes of families across Britain. This usually results in an enormous sized team who somehow manages to work together and around one another and achieve in just a few days something that would normally take months to complete.  It is the crowd of volunteers and generosity involved that creates the wow factor.

The biblical equivalent is the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem achieved in only 52 days (See the story of Nehemiah)

Not far from my home a commercial building has been under construction for many months.  Clearly the task of building it will take a set amount of people hours, specific material and skills.  I found myself wondering what it might have looked like if the contractors had approached the task using the DIY SOS method.  The building would have been completed far more quickly and put to use generating employment and income. 

If it works in one context, why is it not being used in another?  Perhaps there is an economic factor I haven’t fully considered.  Similar approaches have been taken for crowd funding (raising money for projects by smaller amounts from a large number of people), and crowd research programmes using the internet.

Much of my Christian ministry has been spent trying to motivate people, who claim to follow Jesus, to share their story of faith.  One of the ways I do this (often in family services) is by suggesting that I might be a very wealthy relative who would like to offer pocket money each week for one year.  There are two options: either £50 each week or start with 1p and double it each week.  Week one is 1p, week two is 2p, week three is 4p and so one.  Many suspect a catch so I steadily increase the fixed sum offer up to £50,000 per week.  By then most seem to want the £2,600,000 that would achieve.  But what would the 1p deal have produced?

£180,143,985,094,820

  

And it all started with 1p.  So, if next week one person told someone about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought that person to faith; and the following week both told people about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought two more to faith; and the week after that all four told people about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought four more to faith; and this continued for a year….. wow!  Not all will believe but all would have heard the gospel.

In the Bible people who had just met with Jesus were keen to tell others and so the news spread.  Not all were gifted evangelists.  Some had doubts or uncertainties but they shared what they did know and told what had happened to them.  So is “crowd evangelism” just a dream or might it be possible?

Praise & Prayer Items from the Diary

We give God praise and thanks for blessing on Bible teaching ministry over the past week.  It is encouraging to get positive feedback.

The visit to Kent was productive.  A key part of this was meeting with fellow trustees of Action for Christ (formerly Mission for Christ).  This is a ministry devastated by criminal and other inappropriate action by a former trustee.  We are now re-building and have a vision for the future.  We would value your prayers as we seek to transfer trusteeship of a small rural church in Kent to the members of the church.  This will enable them to take better ‘ownership’ of the work which has been growing through the past year.  It was good to see evidence of outreach.

Gordon Bank’s webinar presentation went well and we both enjoyed the teamwork.  One participant described it as “Hugely helpful and interesting”. The next webinar will be after Easter, date to be confirmed.  Please drop me an email if you want to suggest any rural mission topic we could cover.

It was a joy to have Doreen’s company at Leeds where I was providing sessions for the Salvation Army’s Safeguarding programme.  Once again several expressed appreciation for the helpfulness of the sessions.  I discovered one of the 20 who attended receives and appreciates Praise & Prayer News.  Other Christian leaders have also been commenting on their relevance and helpfulness.  Please pray that God will continue to use them to encourage and bless the readers.

I would value your prayers for a personal situation in which I and a good friend act as trustees for a Will. Under the Will (left in 1979) we have an immediate duty towards the, now elderly, daughter as well as safeguarding the capital which ultimately must be used for rural evangelism. We have reached a critical point and need wisdom to take the right actions in the best interest of the beneficiaries.

This week I shall meet with other Christian leaders at the Churches Together in England Enabling Group meeting at High Leigh, Hoddesdon on Thursday and Friday, 10^th and 11^th March.

Your prayers for the church at Yelvertoft, Northants, which I have served as Minister for the past 10 years, will be appreciated.  I am looking to conclude this ministry and the church members are seeking God’s guidance regarding future ministry as I seek to reduce my commitment there.  They and I need God’s guidance.

Please pray for Katrina who will be taking up Children and Family Ministry with Rural Mission Solutions in May alongside other ministry.  Katrina and her family move to a new home and a new church in mid-March.

Thank you for praying.  John Wesley one said, “God does nothing but in answer to prayer”.  I believe he was talking in the context of the effectiveness of Christian ministry.  It is a bold and challenging comment, which should make us pray and then pray more.

I pray that the Lord will abundantly bless you and make you fruitful in his service.

Barry                            

The Power of Influence

The Power of Influence
                                    “… and Geshem says it is true.” (Nehemiah 6:6)
Back in the nineteen eighties when I did my Management Studies one of the University tutors took a tutorial on the subject of power, authority and influence.  To illustrate the subject, he told a story about a company that was going through an important change.  The company directors had made careful plans so that no one would lose their job.  They published the information ahead of time so that no one would be caused unnecessary anxiety.  However, a shop steward (Union representative) suggested that you could not trust the directors, and this led to panic and industrial unrest.  Some left the company and moved to other companies.  The directors’ plans for a smooth transition were ruined.

Now the authority in this situation belonged to the directors, but because of his close working relationship with other employees the shop steward hadinfluence.  Clearly, the outcome showed that it was he who also had thepower!  Not necessarily what you might expect.

I went through a similar situation when working as a CEO of a charity.  Many of the key staff members, including the former CEO lived in community.  He regularly contradicted information I provided and made my life unbearable. No matter what I tried, his influence proved greater than my authority and I quit after three years.

In the UK we are being faced with making an important decision in a referendum in June.  Over the last few weeks I have been wondering whether the outcome on that day will come from informed knowledge or biased influence.  I fear that many will make the decision based on the editorial position of their daily newspaper. Day after day they will be deliberately steered in one direction.

As Christians, we too are easily swayed by popular opinion rather than taking the trouble to check it out for ourselves.  This even affects how we understand doctrine and interpret Bible passages.  If you hear enough of the same message Sunday after Sunday, you might easily think it must be true.  Sadly, I recently came across two churches where Christians have been affected by unbalanced teaching which seemed to have biblical authority because it was being taught with strong conviction.  There used to be a TV comedy programme entitled “Never mind the quality; feel the width”.  I sometimes think that some churches and preachers operate on the basis of “Never mind the truth; feel the passion!”

The book of Nehemiah tells us how Nehemiah led those who rebuilt the walls of the formerly devastated city of Jerusalem.  It was an important task but also symbolised hope for the People of Israel.  He met with opposition that used many tactics to wear down poor Nehemiah.  The quotation at the top of this article comes from a tactic in which Sanballat accuses Nehemiah of rebellion and the intention of setting himself up as a king.  This is of course not true.  So to add weight to the pressure he is putting on Nehemiah, he adds “Geshem says it is true”.

Fortunately, Nehemiah does not allow himself to be influenced by this tactic.  He knows the truth.

This Sunday many good Christian men and women will seek to open God’s word for a congregation aware that some who do not like what they teach will seek to influence them.  Some will hear those dreadful words “People have been saying…”  I have heard that just a few times and always respond by asking the bearer of the influence to ask any complainers to speak with me.  They have never materialised.

So, where am I going with this.  Firstly, I would urge you to be on your guard.  Don’t be influenced by the prejudices of others.  Study to learn the facts. Secondly, never do the cowardly thing of hiding behind alleged gossip.  Express your own opinion openly, honestly and always graciously.  Avoid using the “other people have been saying” approach.  Thirdly, if you are the one under pressure don’t play the enemies game.  Know the truth and gently declare.  That is what Nehemiah did, refusing to be knocked of course.  But first be sure you are on solid ground in the position you are adopting.

GREAT IDEAS FOR SEASONAL MISSION
The next webinar by Rural Mission Solutions will be led by Gordon Banks, one of our trustees.  He will explain how we can make mission more effective if we take advantage of seasonal changes both in church life and the communities in which our churches are set.  There are bound to be some good ideas for Spring. This is a great session and I urge you to register now to book your place.  Benefit for this 45-minute presentation on Wednesday 2^nd March at 7.30pm.  All you need is an internet connection.

Register now athttps://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2501067168754428930

Praise & Prayer from the Diary
Our Lent programme at Yelvertoft has got off to a good start.  We are discussing the letters to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.  I hope to put a short video comment on these passages on the Yelvertoft Church website.  Keep a note of the link and come back to it from time to time.

Please keep praying for the Chaplaincy Department of HMP Gartree.  Prison chaplaincies provide a vital service and we have been short one full time Anglican chaplain for almost a year.  Another good friend and colleague is off sick and another will probably cease his role in the summer.  Meanwhile, extra work comes my way.  While I value this ministry and derive pleasure from this service I want to see these men on life sentences being best served.  Advertisements have gone out.  Somewhere God has the right man or woman for this important post. Please join your prayers with ours.

Yelvertoft Congregational Church meets on Monday 29^th February for the next important meeting as they seek God’s guidance for the future as I step aside as their Minister. This is an important moment in the life of the church.  I plan to use released time to invest more in rural mission and evangelism.

Katrina Thomas has been offered a part-time position with Rural Mission Solutions to help renew our work with children and families.  Katrina and her family have just moved into the South East from the East Midlands.  She will be working with a rural Parish Church and has another commitment.  We are encouraged by her appointment and hope to see this aspect grow – possibly through a network of part time ministries around the country.

Last Week. It was good to catch up with friends at Herstmonceux Free Church (a former pastorate) on Sunday evening and I spent a difficult 24 hours tackling a complicated situation in East Sussex where I am a co-trustee of a Will left in 1979.  We have had to take a tough decision which may well create challenges over coming weeks.  Unfortunately, my visit to the property left under the will was followed by two days of illness!  We had a great Get Messyat Yelvertoft this Saturday morning.

Coming Up.  This Sunday (21^st) HMP Gartree and Yelvertoft Congregational Church in the morning.  On Tuesday (23^rd) School Assembly in the morning and HMP Gartree in the afternoon.  Thursday (25^th) Early morning Communion at HMP Gartree followed by Lent Bible Discussion in Yelvertoft. Thursday afternoon I travel to Kent and will be working for Action for Christ for a couple of days returning to home for Sunday ministry.

Remember to register for the webinar on Seasonal Mission and Spring Outreach Ideas

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2501067168754428930

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Yours in His service,

Barry
Barry Osborne

The Missing Peace

Many of you will have grieved as I have grieved over the breakdown in the peace talks in Geneva.  Yet I was not surprised by the tactics of the government supported as it is by Russia.  Going into peace talks while launching violent attacks on those who oppose them is not new; it is just tragic.  It brought to my mind the verses in Jeremiah 6 and again in chapter 8 where false prophets are condemned for proclaiming, “Peace, peace when there is no peace”.  In that situation God, through Jeremiah complained against the practice of putting sticking plaster on a wound that needed serious attention (symbolically).

I try to avoid political comment in these letters and the blog.  My situation is somewhat compromised by the fact that I have Armenian Christian friends in the city of Aleppo in Syria – the one in the news at this time.  They are biased towards the government which, for many years, protected the Christians in Syria.  For them, against that background, the alternative must look bleak indeed.  I wonder how many of them might be among the tens of thousands fleeing the city as the government forces supported by the Russians press their attack.

It is only a few years ago that there seemed to be peace in Syria.  In the main the government and the President were popular.  Investment in hospitals and education seemed to be a priority.  All seemed well.  Even the impact of the “Arab Spring” was fairly modest, and I was encouraged by President Assad’s immediate offer to moderate the work of internal security forces and move towards democracy.  But that lasted only a few hours and was replaced by the warning of extreme bloodshed if those who opposed him failed to back down.  How dreadfully his prophecy has been fulfilled.

The presence of IS and various violent forces that have since mingled with the more moderate opposition has brought carnage.  Clearly, terrible things have been done by both sides and the cost of Russia’s intervention seems to be unspeakably dreadful.  There seems little prospect of peace.  The action on the ground (especially in Aleppo) while envoys talked peace is a cruel jest.

As always, there is more than one opinion in such situations.  My Armenian Christian friends in Syria might not agree with my view of the matter; I do not know.  But the clock cannot be turned back and nothing will ever be the same again in that country.  I wonder how similar the situation there has been to what happened in Jerusalem when a sticking plaster was offered to cover up a deep and festering wound.  Perhaps, after the conflict that Jeremiah foretold, Jerusalem looked much as Aleppo does today.

And does God weep? Weeping over the hatred and the carnage.  Weeping over the thousands that flee the country, leaving all that was once precious to them? I believe the heart of God must be deeply moved.  Oh, for a revolution of love and real lasting peace!  May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven!

Jesus shows that the pathway to peace is not violence but loving sacrifice, commending his love to us in that while we were his enemies he gave his life for us (Romans 5: 6-8).  A Hindu friend witnessed some unloving behaviour between professing Christians recently and, genuinely perplexed, asked me to explain how that could be.  It made me think of Ghandi’s famous comment, “I’d be a Christian if it were not for Christians”.

While there is much that divides Christians, there is much more that makes us one.  My own Christian tradition has no bishops but I rejoice over the planned meeting between the Pope and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.  It’s a great symbol.   I rejoice more that, in the town where I live, Christian leaders and people express their appreciation and love for one another by working together for the glory of God.  We are not seeking uniformity, but are living out the unity that is God’s gift and the consequence of receiving the same Spirit.

Against the background of Christ’s example and such practical fellowship as I have just described the failure of some Christians to live in peace hurts me when I see it.  Jesus allowed for our fallen human nature when he said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:24-3,24).

If my life were the only ‘book on Christianity’ I wonder how many might be attracted to Jesus, and how many might have been discouraged?
 
A missing piece
In my last letter I encouraged people to click a link to send an email so that I would know that you had read it.  But there was no such link!  Many sent an email anyway, so thank you.  Here is the link this time. This will open an email and all you need to do is send it.  Thanks.
 
Seeking a new Children and Families Worker
Rural Mission Solutions is currently in discussion with someone and believe that she might be the right person to enable us to start re-building our work to encourage and enable rural churches to establish and maintain programmes for children where they can come to know Jesus and grow in faith.  Please pray for guidance.
 
A Missing Chaplain
We are short one full time Anglican Chaplain at HMP Gartree where I also work as a part time voluntary chaplain.  I work with a choir most Tuesday afternoons and lead some services occasionally on Sunday and Thursday mornings.  This summer we shall also be losing our sessional Methodist Chaplain.  My forthcoming retirement for the ministry at Yelvertoft was not so that I could do more at prison, but so I could do more in rural mission.  However, we are facing a crisis.  The post has been advertised several times.  Please pray that whoever is God’s chosen person will hear the call!
 
Yelvertoft faces up to my departure
The church at Yelvertoft is currently considering a possible way forward.  This looks very interesting and I ask your prayers please over the next three weeks.

Reminder of Seminar on Personal Evangelism
Online Seminar on personal evangelism is repeated this coming Monday evening (8th).  If you missed the last one, click here to register.  It will take place at 7.30pm and you can attend from the comfort of your home and for free.  If you are not already confident in sharing your faith with others please book in.  Please also encourage others to register.

From the diary
Sunday 7^th Feb - 10.45 Yelvertoft; 6.00 Newton, near Rugby
Monday 8^th Feb - sharing in the Fresh Expressions Rural Round Table in London.  In the evening I will be running the presentation on personal evangelism.
Tuesday 9^th Feb – HMP Gartree in the afternoon.
Thursday 11^th Feb – Start of Lent study series on the letters to the churches in Revelation.
Saturday 13^th Feb – sharing in an East Midlands Area Executive meeting with several mission projects on the agenda.
Sunday 14^th Feb – 9.15 HMP Gartree; 10.45 Yelvertoft.

Final Reflection
Could you be a missing piece in God’s plan somewhere?  When did you last offer yourself to God’s purposes?  Is there a missing peace in your relations somewhere?  What do you need to do about that?

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.

Barry          

The Cost to the Butterfly

Do you know what imaginal discs are?

In 1 Corinthians 15: 35-58 the apostle Paul seeks to explain the difference between our earthly bodies and our post-resurrection being.  He uses planted seed as an illustration.  What goes into the ground is not the same as that which later emerges.  I wonder what he might have written to those who have some idea of cell development and DNA.  Obviously, Paul drew on material with which they were familiar.  

Recently I found myself pondering on the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  The cartoon is used under a licence and should not be copied please.

During its life cycle as a caterpillar, it will gorge itself on leaves with a voracious appetite.  It has only that one driving force until the time comes when it starts to weave and becomes a chrysalis.  Then something truly amazing takes place. The body of the caterpillar dissolves into a kind of soup.  But this contains ‘imaginal discs’ which are the basis from which other cells develop producing eyes, wings and everything else a butterfly will need.  Then one day, out of the soup of what was something new and splendid emerges.

The cost to the butterfly is virtually losing its old identity and structure.  While this might be a helpful illustration of life beyond this life when we shall be changed and made like our Saviour, it also speaks to me about how we should be progressing in our Christian lives here and now.  I began 2016 reflecting on God’s call to Abram (see Genesis 12: 1-3).  This is Abram’s first encounter with God and is the foundation for all that will follow in his life, in the lives of the People of Israel, and all that follows to us today.  It starts with the call to leave. God has things to show him and wonderful promises to give him but the first step is leaving where he is.

During the years in which I have sought to walk with God he has periodically called me to let go of what I treasured and to leave the comfort of the place to which he has brought me.  It has never been easy.  But each time, leaving what was created the opportunity to experience what could be.

I wonder how much is missed of the blessing of God because of Christians attachment to what is and the refusal to let go.  I wonder how much blessing has been missed in churches that cling to the comfort of the past. Perhaps if a caterpillar knew that he would basically have to digest itself and dissolve it might not be too keen to start weaving that cocoon.  Change is usually very costly in one way or another, but if God is calling you to let things go, take care that you do not miss what could be in the future. What might be the imaginal discs that help build the future?

Do you have friends who are not Christians?

Do you wish your friends shared your faith or that you could share your faith with them?  Most UK Christians value their faith but talking about it is a different matter.  If this is true of you, please do not miss the opportunity to join me in a free online seminar on Friendship Evangelism.  It is being held at 7.30pm next Wednesday 27^th January and repeated on Monday 8^th at 7.30pm.  It lasts just 45 minutes.  You can simply watch and listen or ask questions.

To ‘attend’ the seminar from the comfort of your home you need to book in advance.  It will cost you nothing.  You will be asked for your name and email address but you are not joining anything and will not suddenly find yourself receiving unsolicited emails.  You provide this information so that you can receive the special link.  Use that link a few minutes before the scheduled start of the seminar and follow the instructions on screen.  This might involve downloading a ‘launch programme’.  This is perfectly safe.

People who previously attended this particular online seminar said that it was very interesting and helpful.  People who have learned to share their faith always talk about how it has also helped their faith to grow.  I would love to help you to confidently share your faith in a way that would not be embarrassing.  So please sign up to attend today (spaces are limited) and spread the word to other Christian friends who might find this helpful.

Click this link to register your place for the seminar

For Praise and Prayer

I have appreciated prayers for the three occasions this month when I have attended funerals.  The latest one was this week for an aged aunt in Hastings. Our thoughts and prayers are for those who heel the loss most keenly.

Deep appreciation was expressed by the 30 Salvation Army Cadets (officers in training) at the William Booth College on Wednesday where I had taken part in the Safeguarding training.  I teach three sessions exploring how and why sexual abuse can happen in a Christian context, and how to support those who have been victims.  Understanding enables us to have safer churches. I continue to be impressed with the high standards of the Salvation Army.  I also give thanks that one larger denomination has increased its safeguarding team from one part-time person to seven full time people.  Bad practise in the past leaves much still to be done in this area of pastoral acre and action.

I have been having some useful pastoral conversations with some of the men at HMP Gartree where I work most Tuesday afternoons.  I shall be taking the Sunday Service for them on 31^st January.

Please keep Yelvertoft Congregational Church in your prayers as we process through various stages that will enable me to retire from that aspect of ministry in the very near future.

Give thanks that important work I have been doing for Action for Christ (Rural Evangelism) has been successful.  Pray for the trustees as we seek God’s guidance for the future of this organisation that has an exciting history but now faces changes.

Please pray that many will avail themselves of the opportunity to attend the online seminar on Friendship Evangelism next Wednesday.  Imagine what might happen if only more had the understanding, confidence and courage to share their faith with others. I would love to tell you that we had so many requests to attend this seminar that we have to repeat it through the year.

Please pray for my wider work within the Congregational Federation.  Currently I chair the Inter-Church Board and am a member of the Pastoral Care Board.  I am also part of the Mission Support Group for the East Midlands Area.  I need to review how much time I can commit to these roles and value prayers for wisdom so that I focus on what God wants me to do.  Sometimes it is better to do less and do it better!  There are some encouraging opportunities to help the churches in the East Midlands Area.

Please give thanks for the faithfulness of friends who though their prayers and practical support keep us serving the Lord.

Thank you for your friendship and prayers.

Barry

Microsoft Backs Evangelists

Microsoft Promotes Evangelism

If this is something new to you then you are likely to be surprised as much as I was when I heard this.  However, before you get too excited, please read on. Like other biblical terms the word “evangelist” has been hijacked to describe a secular activity.  Here is a description of this kind of role from Wikipedia:

“A [technology] evangelist promotes the use of a particular product  or technology through talks, articles, blogging, user demonstrations, recorded demonstrations, or the creation of sample projects. The word evangelism is taken from the context of religious evangelism due to the similarity of relaying information about a particularset of beliefs with the intention of converting the recipient.”

So how do you feel about the use of the word being adapted in this way.  Personally, I am wondering whether it could prove positive.  The “E-word” began to become unpopular in many churches at the start of the 1980s.  For this reason, the last major Billy Graham Mission in the UK was called Mission England avoiding terms like evangelism, crusade or campaign.  Could the term now become rehabilitated by its use in a secular context?

The word, evangelist, simply means someone who has good news to share.  It is not the word that is the problem but the image.  Take this cartoon, for example, which I use in order to help people articulate negative feelings about evangelism (I own the rights to the cartoon).  Certain TV evangelists have also helped to create a poor and unhelpful image of what evangelism is really about.  My opinion is that if something labelled evangelism does not come across as good news then it cannot be evangelism.

The secular word has been misusing the term evangelical for some time, in my opinion.  They have used it to describe someone who is passionate about something, so perhaps they would have done better to have said, evangelistic.  Again, sadly, the term evangelical has sometimes been used negatively as defining a rather extreme and unattractive kind of Christian.  For me, and evangelical is someone whose faith has the good news or gospel at its heart, and who has particular respect for scripture. 19^th Century evangelicals were world-changers campaigning against slavery and promoting much social good.  They were not aggressive bigots.

While I am happy for biblical terms to be used appropriately in a secular context, and am excited by the use of evangelist by Microsoft, I don’t wish to give away the use of these words within a Christian context.  I want to see them recovered correctly.  Perhaps what we need to do is to take a hard look at who we are, what we believe, how we live and what we say and ask, “Is all of this GOOD News?” But the adjective, good, should be from the perspective of those observing or hearing us, rather than how we define ourselves.

Last year I began running a programme entitled “Friendship Evangelism”. An introduction to the programme is one of our free online seminars (webinars) and it is also available as a one-day course for churches.  The aim is to encourage ordinary Christians to be good news and confidently and lovingly seek to help those they care about to come to know Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour.  Please note that we are running the introductory online seminar again later this month.  Whether or not you are comfortable about sharing your faith the opportunity to watch this on your computer could prove a valuable investment of 45 minutes.

If the term evangelist is not to be lost to the world we need many more ordinary Christians who can become comfortable sharing the good news in gentle and winsome ways.  Do you need to become one of these?  If so, please sign up for the free webinar.  Or you might be a church leader with people who are less than confident in sharing their faith; then you too should find this webinar helpful

Click here for more details.

Click here now to register for either seminar.

For praise and prayer this week

We thank God for his blessing at the burial and subsequent Thanksgiving Service for the life of John Bradley, a former trustee and long-term supporter of Rural Mission Solutions.  John was a greatly loved Methodist Minister with a heart of the wider church.  He wrote his own “last words” which were read at the Thanksgiving Service.  Do please read them.

Over recent months I have lost three former colleagues who have gone to be with the Lord.  Please remember those closest to them at this time.

This Saturday, 9^th January, members of Yelvertoft Congregational Church meet to reflect on the implications from my plan to retire as their Minister later this year.  Join me in thanking God for this church and its work in the village and surrounding area.  Pray for wisdom.

Please pray for Doreen (my wife) as she undergoes further tests this weekend to discover the cause for chronic gastric problems.

Please pray for the work on Obambo, Kenya and for Nigel Lindsay who will be travelling to there on 13^th January.  The loss of my colleague, Monica Cook, is keenly felt both in Kenya and in the UK Friends of Obambo team.

Give thanks for continued prayer and financial support for the Children’s Department of Sunrise Ministries and put your prayers behind finding a competent person with a heart for rural ministry to head up this work.

Give thanks for the completion of important work required for Action for Christ.  This took up much time during December and we now await an important communication from a government department.  Once this has been received, the trustees of AFC (which includes me) will start to take prayerful steps regarding the future of that rural ministry.

Tuesday 12^th January I will take a school assembly followed by regular ministry at HMP Gartree.

Saturday 16^th January “Get Messy” (Messy Church) at Yelvertoft with an all-age service on the following day.

Give thanks for the encouragement from those who attended the online seminars in 2015.  These were held on Saturday morning and we are experimenting to find the day and time most suitable for those who could benefit from these webinars.  Please pray as these need to be scheduled throughout 2016.

Thank you for your friendship, fellowship and support.

Barry

Change is here to stay

Some years ago, as part of my Open University Management Studies, one of the modules dealt with the management of change.  A catch phrase in those days was “Change is here to stay”.  I thought then, and have done since, that this ought to be a banner or poster put up inside every church.  As we enter into this New Year I find myself reflecting on the topic once again, most importantly as far as it relates to my own life.

New Year has traditionally been a time for making resolutions.  Most of these express aspirations for personal change.  I could think of dozens of changes that that are needed in my life but, knowing how hard it is to maintain such needed changes I plan to keep them all in mind and do the best I can through the year without actually encapsulating them into a resolution.  I certainly do not intend to bore you with a long list of things in my life that need improvement!

Something I read recently did make me think about the fact that some Christians will have resolved to do more for God or make more time for in 2015.  It was, “We are not saved by the promises we make to God, but by trusting the promises he has made to us”. Sometimes we try too hard to make ourselves more spiritual or holy, when the desired outcome cannot be achieved by self-effort.  

I remember at a time as a teenager, vexed by what I saw as besetting sin, I was sitting on Hastings’ sea front watching the incoming waves.  There are a number of granite groins along the beach that stretch into the sea functioning as breakwaters.  As I prayed I seemed to hear God say,” Watch the waves.” As watched I noticed that as the wave first encountered the breakwater it washed over to the other side.  But as the wave got further up the beach it was no longer washing over but had become separated from the other side.  I then felt God saying that sanctification was achieved not by self-effort to change but by pressing ever closer into union with God.  This wave (me) is still pressing forward with some way to go!

We have an unchanging and unchangeable God who is in the business of changing people.  In our relationship with God change will always be here to stay until that ultimate moment when we shall be so changed that we find ourselves in his presence and like our wonderful Saviour.  Doreen, my wife, reflects that, prior to her responding to Gods offer of forgiveness and salvation, her speech was marked by constant swearing which had given her notoriety.   After some time, she suddenly realised she no longer swore.  In 40 years of marriage I have never heard her swear. It was a token of the change God brings when we open ourselves up to him.

Sometimes we get worked up by the lack of change within the organisational life of our churches where, far too often, things have to be done the way they have ‘always been done’.  Doubtless we all know that the last words of a dying church were “We have always done it this way!”.  When responding to a request to serve what became our second church, I asked the small congregation whether they were open to change.  I was immediately asked in what way I wanted them to change, and had to point out that was not the issue.  What mattered was whether the congregation was open to hear from God and act in obedience as that always brings change.  Happily, they assured Doreen and me that they were and so began one of the most exciting phases in 50 years of Christian ministry.

So my New Year’s challenge (to myself and to you) is to start now by opening ourselves up more and more to God, enjoying sharing his life and his sharing in ours.  A man stood watching a sculptor as he worked away on a large block of stone to produce a statue of a horse. The man watched fascinated as the sculptor seemed to chip away bits of stone slowly revealing the form of the horse.  “How do you do that?” he asked in wonder.  The sculptor replied, I just remove anything that doesn’t look like a horse!”

Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet!

Items for Praise

• Give thanks for God graciously using a still imperfect servant through the past year.  Give thanks for all who have found salvation or moved closer to God.
• Give thanks for God’s faithfulness in providing for our needs and keeping us safe in our journeys.
• Give thanks for the band of good friends who care about us and pray for us.
• Give thanks for blessings received personally while serving in four pastorates in Hastings, Herstmonceux, Theddingworth, and Yelvertoft, and for the good folk that continue the work in those churches.

Items for prayer

• That I will be so filled with the Holy Spirit that wherever I go something of God spills from my life to bless others.
• That I will always be open to God and able to hear his voice.
• For guidance in Sunrise Ministries as we seek to fill staff gaps and look to God that the vision he gave might yet become reality, which might not be in my lifetime, of course.
• For guidance in the trusteeship of Action for Christ (formerly Mission for Christ) as we continue on the pathway of recovering from the deep crisis into which it was plunged by earlier mismanagement.  2016 will be an important year of decision for this organisation.
• For wisdom in time management.  During 2016 I expect to lay down some responsibilities as I wish to focus on fewer things but do them better.  This includes being a better husband to Doreen and a better friend to others.
• For yourself as I depend on you in the Lord.  We are partners in the mission of God.  Serving God is an enormous privilege and we cannot do it alone.

And coming up in January…

• Regular ministry in Yelvertoft including facilitating a process of seeking God’s purposes for the church after my upcoming retirement.
• Schools ministry never fails to bless me as I seek to share God’s truth in creative and effective ways.
• My work in HMP Gartree and the men serving life sentences with whom I work.  We are still looking for another full time Christian chaplain on the team.
• My work with the Salvation Army and elsewhere helping make churches safer places for the vulnerable and better carers both for victims and perpetrators.
• The networking with rural church leaders and others engaged in rural mission, especially through the Rural Evangelism Network.  There is room for improvement in this area of ministry and aspects of service that depend upon this.

Yours in his service,

Barry