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 Due to the sensitive nature of some of this material, please do not publish this on any websites as we have recently encountered a problem with this.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.