England Epistle

Reaching the world God has brought to us! May 2010

Greetings! We live in England - a country with centuries of amazing history. We also live in a modern England which is now multicultural. You can look at this in two ways. One is that Great Britain is becoming less British. This is certainly true. People from countries comprising the former British Empire have come to Britain. This seems to threaten the culture as many have known it. On the other hand, most who have come to Britain are working hard and supporting their families and the new society. However you view it, they are people the Lord loves and is seeking to draw to Himself. Due to the sensitive nature of some of this material, please do not publish this on any websites as we have recently encountered a problem with this. Together In His Grip! Bill & Beckie

Grace Church Shirley & Grace Community Church (Frankley) We shared Easter together and it was a real joy. There is always special excitement when we come together to worship, but Easter made it a very special occasion. Grace Church Shirley:We had another great Quiz Night and the community were invited. We had over 60 in attendance on the night. Andy & Cathy Pollard did another great job as our quiz masters.Please continue to pray that though all of our outreach activities we might attract some to come hear more about Jesus. Pray also for Malcolm & Tina as they have been through some tough times lately particularly with the loss of Tina's mom. Recently a couple and a single lady have decided to leave Grace Church, Shirley. This has been difficult for everyone in the church family. Grace Community Church Frankley:The Church services are now being held in a new location. It is great to meet in a local school. Everyone is excited about the potential. Please Pray for Archie Grayin his search for a teaching job.

Internship with Tim Hartman Tim Hartman and Bill had a great three months of ministry among people from many nations. We had opportunities to meet people from Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Eritrea, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We are working in conjunction with an infant Iranian Church and an Arabic speaking Church as well as a Baptist Church in a very ethnically diverse community. Tim certainly had a great chance to put his cultural studies to work. Not only did we teach English in our 'Speaking Allowed' clubs, but we also had what we named 'Meet me at the Bull' in the Bull Ring Market on Saturdays. These were less formal lessons at the market often going out for coffee or a meal after. Personal sharing was at the center of these times together. Tim was also able to work with the Schwans in an area wide evangelistic Alpha Course which proved a great outreach. He even spent some time in London with the Barlows getting a good idea about what church planting is like in the big city. Tim was joined by his wife Meaghan for the last 3 weeks of his time with us. They were planning to visit Dublin, Ireland, but that was cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud that stopped all flights. They were, though, able to fly home on time which was an answer to prayer. Thanks for praying with us for good ministry during these months! Please pray as Tim & Meaghan look for the Lord's direction to minister in the States. Tim will graduate with a Master's degree in Cultural Studies from Liberty University this month. Picnic at a park: About 15 days after the Iranian New Year (in April) Iranians generally go to the mountains and have a picnic. So Tim, Meaghan, Beckie and Bill went to a park outside Coventry to share in the festivities with our friends at the Iranian Church. We had amazingly good weather and were certainly not the only ones at the park. Other groups gathered all day and by mid-afternoon we noticed that as far as we could see we were the only westerners. There were picnics, barbecues, games and fun for young and old. We felt privileged to be part of it all. Please continue to pray with us for the Iranian Church and Arabic speaking Church we are working with. Bill also had a chance to preach at the Iranian church. The key to these two churches is Najib, from Tunisia, who pastors both these infant churches. He is a great partner in ministry as we seek to reach our world in Birmingham. Joys of Spring: Beckie, Bill, Laura, Lynn and Dave had a great break for a week in the southwest of England. The county of Devon has beautiful countryside and rugged sea coast. Winston never tired of chasing sticks into the sea. Leslie could not be with us as she was studying for her final exams at University College London. She is now in the midst of those exams. Thanks for your prayers for her as she looks to life after university. A big thank you to all of you who continue to pray for our family. Speaking Allowed: Update Edgbaston: (working with Najib and the Iranian Church and an Arabic Speaking Church) - This past week we had a new person join us. He is here to do a degree in Industrial Engineering at Warwick University. He needs to pass a test in English first. He and his wife are here (with their 5 children) on a full scholarship awarded by his country. It looks like they will be here for 2 years. Please continue to pray for our contact with M. Stechford; (working with George King and Stechford Baptist Church) - It is getting close to summer and we will be looking to make some of our contacts with this club more personal. George has begun teaching one of the guys how to play the guitar. We got a great question at one of our clubs. 'Why do they call it 'Good Friday?' We had a good time sharing the gospel, speaking about Christ's death for us and also the resurrection that made it good news! Handsworth: (working with John Mall and Handsworth Baptist Church) - This new club will be starting with a few from northern India helping this church to reach out among that community. John is from northern India and we will join forces to share Christ's love. John attended a theology school started by William Carey - talk about full circle! Adult Education in Northfield: (working with Jag in an ESOL course) - This past week I was working with a man who is from Sri Lanka. He works two part-time jobs to support the family. He and his wife attend the class. The course will finish for the summer in a few weeks time. Please pray that we will be able to see some of the students over the summer.

Is Britain Finished?

A praying friend sent me an article that asked the question, ‘Is Britain Finished?’ The author certainly has a point in that the Church continues to decline and its message is muddied by many in what is called ‘the Church’.

It is true that Islam has been targeting the United Kingdom for a long time. The population of Islamic people here has been steadily growing for the last 30 years. The Church, on the other hand, has been dying for 50 years. The article is right.

In the midst of this decline, though, comes a reawakening of new parts of the Church. While the dross of the dead institution is washed away more and more, the evangelical living church is getting stronger. Many small house churches have begun and some of them have grown to be leaders in the Christian community. There are strong brothers and sisters here having gone through the pain of loss. Perhaps we have something to share with our brothers and sisters in the United States.

Years ago as the British Empire expanded across the world the gospel went with it. The great missionary force brought the church to India, China, Africa, Australia and many corners of the world. While it makes sad reading that the empire crumbled and the powerful British force of missions also crumbled it left its mark all around the world.

Now the world comes to the United Kingdom. We here in Birmingham are in the most ethnically diverse city in the country. The challenge is to bring the gospel to the world at our door. Now that we have transitioned out of the leadership of our first church plant and our team-mates have established a second the other side of town we are looking to see what the Lord has for us next.

The question we should be asking is, how do we reach the many people groups that need the gospel right here on our door step? The Lord loves those who we see as a threat to our culture and society. How can we reach the world starting here at home in the United Kingdom?

As Beckie and I have been stepping back from the leadership of Grace Church in Shirley we have been asking the Lord to show us our next steps. (We will continue to be a part of this wonderful church, and we want to see it flourish reaching the world around it.)

Here is what we see on the horizon. We have been reaching out for the last 20 years through a group of Speakers Clubs. I was a member at one then started another. It is still a great outreach point for Malcolm and me. This past experience has prepared me to take the next step. We really want to share the gospel widely and see what the Lord does in establishing new points of light (infant churches). Our question has been, how can we meet the most people in a natural way in order to share the gospel in a meaningful way?

We are making plans to start English as a second language clubs. I will be taking a course in teaching English as a second language when I get back from ‘home ministries’. The teachers of this course and wider in the language school, ‘The Brass House’, can put us in contact with many in our city who wish to work on their English. We already have plans to start a club with some Iranian friends. Many have basic vocabulary and are able to get what the want, but struggle with fluency. We would take up where the introductory courses leave off. We would love to see many such groups started in the Birmingham area. We would hope to use Church buildings in which to meet and involve some of the church people in reaching out with the gospel with us. We have learned that it takes relationship building to bring opportunities to share the gospel in a meaningful way.

Britian is not finished. While there is still a lot of bad news coming from this place, the Lord has not quit! With your help, together will share the gospel to the world come to us in Birmingham.

The Christian Institute: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/

Latest UK Church Survey: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/03_04_07_tearfundchurch.pdf

Who are Birmingham’s contemporary refugees?

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