Daniel writes ...

The aim, the ache and the Allelujah

And finally ...

AIM

ACHE

'ALLELUJAH'

the splendour of God invests them and ‘pushing back the darkness’ and that is covers them and we, despite the aches, what Paul is referring to in some senses go on from glory to glory. So Paul speaks here. What marvellous opportunities are here in the same passage that remarkable given us and our mission stretches out in saying in verse 10, that through the front of us. Please pray. Please give. church, the 'manifold wisdom of God is Please come with us. Through Faith Missions is an organisation made known to the principalities and created to do what it says on the label. powers.'We are called to evangelise and to

On a domestic note, we have not moved endeavour to bring people to Christ. Notice that it is through the church that yet, but we are hoping to sometime in There are pastoral sides of this mission the manifold wisdom of God is known. April. Thank you for your many prayers. and we well know of the Society of That involves all of us, not just those of us As soon as we are settled, we will make it Contemporary Evangelists and the who go out to do mission, but those who known, hopefully in the next newsletter. education of many people, but our main pray for it, those who give to it, those We are right in the middle of a transitory task is to bring the Gospel of Christ to the who feed people in it etc. The word stage now, but lastly, let me thank all nation. 'manifold' itself is a special greek word those who wrote to me and the many

called 'polypolupekos' which is a In Ephesians 3, Paul spells out very clearly who came to our Thanksgiving Day on reference to the garden of many colours what the of our task is. Verse 8 tells the 21 Nov. We had a houseful. Different and different varieties of plants, or it can us to preach to the Gentiles 'the people came throughout the day and refer to a tapestry, with its many threads, unsearcheable riches of Christ'. We God was praised for all His wonderful colours and patterns. And this is the preach His incarnation, His deity, His provision in the past and there was wonder for us all, that every Christian can miracles, His death and resurrection. As rejoicing in where He is leading us to. be involved in declaring Christ and notice, an old preacher once said, ‘those sermons it says, that this is not just aimed at So, my dears, ever onwards and ever most filled with Christ are most likely to mankind, but to the principalities and upwards and may I add a little P.S.- convert’. Another old preacher said, 'I powers in heavenly places. So when something I've thought for years, but delight to speak well of His Name.' I too Christ is proclaimed, it has a cosmic have never done – would you please echo these sentiments. It is a truly invisible effect. We've often spoken of remember Through Faith Missions in remarkable experience to preach Christ

your will, if at all possible?particularly to those who don't know Him and for many Yours with affection in our Lord centuries now, England has Jesus, never been so ignorant of Him. So for all of us, let us speak of Christ plainly and effectively. That is the aim of our charge.

Secondly, Paul mentions the Daniel H. Cozens of mission. In various

parts of his letters, he speaks about being 'deserted, ignored, The Cozens family: (L to R)persecuted, lonely and at Kate, Beth, Daniel, Gillie, Ben times, unbearably crushed'. The and MaryGospel cost Jesus Christ His life and for those of us involved in this modern age of preaching the Gospel too, we cannot do it without these aches and pains. Paul speaks in Ephesians 3 of how God's grace is all that he needs. See verse 2, verse 8 and verse 12.

Then he mentions the of mission. I'm convinced, more than I've ever been, that these missions work and

newsMARCH 2010

2010 – team members still needed for the following missions!15-23 May Bicester villages I 2 teams in 2 centres5-13 June Aylsham, Norfolk 2-3 teams18 Sep – 10 Oct Walk Saint David Potentially a large Walk mission20-28 Nov Bicester villages II 2 teams in 2 centres

John writes ...

Living hope

What gets you out of bed in the morning? What makes you tick? What makes your day worthwhile? What makes you any different to the people in your road, your workplace or in the queue in front of you at the supermarket? Maybe you are beginning to wonder if there is any difference – or even whether there should be. I would venture to say that there should be a world of difference.

This article began with a service in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Structured around Luke chapter 24 its key words were: “You are witnesses of these things”. What things? Three things come out powerfully.

Firstly Jesus wanted them to know that they were witnesses to world-changing events. Forget the inauguration of President Obama. Forget the Berlin Wall coming down. Forget even the release of Nelson Mandela. A man died, was seen to be dead, and yet now He lives. This was news indeed! It reversed every human expectation – born, live, die by adding … live again. It is news – and hope – of the first importance …

The second thing we need to see is how “these things” can transform people. Jesus' followers were a mess at this point – mourning (understandably), fearful and going nowhere. Yet, within weeks, we see that this hope of a Risen Saviour made them willing to even put their lives on the line. That threat can seem remote to us in the UK but Christians in many parts of the world still make that choice today; embrace Jesus Christ and risk loss of family, even loss of life. Why do it? Because such a hope gives boldness that nothing can touch.

Thirdly my talk was in the context of mission preparation. Really that's the point at the end of the day, isn't it? “You are witnesses,” said Jesus. When He rose again He chose people and personally entrusted them with this message – not to keep but to share. They got it 100%, turning the world upside down with a wave of mission.

What went wrong? Evangelism seems a fringe concern of the Church at times, not quite “kosher”. Many Christians instead seem to obey (out of context) Jesus' command, “See that you tell no one”! Easter is a reminder to us that the gospel is huge news and must be shared; it is the only true and lasting hope. Have you got it? Then share it with someone today!

EWD I SH AT NI TAT

W DIA VLK A D SA TIN

Meet

John Hibberd, Minister of Missions, is married to Sue and they have 2 children, Sarah and Rachel. He is keen on running, music and Indian food. John writes:

Sue is a Teaching Assistant in the village school and handles SCE admin. In our church she leads Monday night club for younger children. Sarah, who assists her, is doing a National Diploma in Childcare and Early Years and now applying to university. Rachel, currently doing GCSEs, has just been on a school trip to California! She takes Grade 8 piano soon and plays in worship group (with Sarah; flute). I passed Grade 5 piano.

Sue Hibberd with Sarah and Rachel

Jonathan writes ...

Following the feet in ancient time ...

Back in the 6th century a Celtic monk was taking the Gospel of Christ to pagan tribes across Wales, England and northern France, planting churches and founding monasteries in many places where he went. Such was his influence that he was made Archbishop of Wales. Although of royal blood he lived a simple life and encouraged others to do the same. His name? David, who became Saint David, Dewi Sant, the patron saint of Wales.

The great man of God lends his name to this autumn's Walk mission, covering western Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. Fifteen centuries after him lesser known saints will be following his footsteps and his example on Taith Dewi Sant, Walk Saint David. The mission may need as many as 400 team members over the course of the three weeks, 17 September – 10 October. Will you be amongst them?

Most of the church leaders across the mission area were visited at the end of last year, responsible for 339 churches. As one of them said to me, “For the last 20 years we've been praying for a mission opportunity like this.” The churches signing up range from small, Welsh-speaking chapels to bustling town-centre churches in places such as Aberystwyth, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke, Tenby and all hamlets, villages and towns between.

Maasai Mission January 2011

Rev David Rhodes from Sheffield will be leading a team to work somewhere in Maasailand in January 2011. If you are interested please contact John Hibberd via the office or David Rhodes.David's e-mail:

drhodes@toucansurf.com

Prayer for Walk Saint David

A prayer walk along sections of the coastal footpath is taking place 25-30 April. All are welcome to join, with accommodation available in the Courthouse, a retreat centre in the heart of St. Davids. Ring or email the TFM office for more details.

Roger Murphy is our Associate Evangelist and is married to Jill. They have 2 grown up children. Roger writes:

“I have personally now recovered from a hernia operation in late October, but it took time to get back to full fitness – must be my age!! We had a great time over Christmas and the New Year as my daughter Carol, Andy and our grandsons Thomas and Matthew came back for a holiday from New Zealand. We were joined by our son, Chris and wife Abbi. Chris finishes his youth and community degree at Moorlands this summer and may be off to Canada as a youth worker with Young Life!”

Roger is a keen sports fan especially playing and watching football (Chelsea Fan) and enjoys reading and walking.

the Missioners ...Jonathan Mortimer, Associate Minister of Missions, is married to Ruthli who is Austrian and they have 2 daughters, Joanna and Rebecca. He is a keen sportsman, representing local clubs in both running and table tennis. Jonathan writes:“January weather underlined the major genetic differences in our household – snowfall cut off everyone on our 1,000-acre country estate where we rent a cottage, everyone that is except those with Austrian genes. They got up early every day to enthusiastically ski to work, to school or Crawley station 5 miles away. Since the thaw I've been on the road to Wales, Oxford and Stoke where missions are happening later this year, sometimes going via Nottingham where Joanna is studying French and English, and staving off student debt with two part-time jobs. Rebecca hopes to join her there to study medicine just as Walk Saint David will be starting. That will be a season of change for Ruthli and myself, left alone at home for the first time in 20 years. It will take some getting used to.“

Jonathan and Ruthli Mortimer with Joanna and Rebecca

Roger and Jill Murphy with Carol and Chris

But mission of this kind is new to so many churches and time for preparation is short. Therefore, we value your prayers for ...

vAll the churches God is calling to join Walk Saint David to sign up.

vFor the Mission Preparers working with them to help everyone make the most of this evangelistic opportunity.

vFor all the team members we need, especially from the Welsh churches themselves so that we have enough Welsh-speakers in the teams.

vFor the visits being made by Daniel around the mission area (22 - 26 April), as well as those of Roger (especially in Pembroke and Aberystwyth), John and Jonathan.

This part of Wales has a great history of God doing works of revival. In some places though – according to church leaders there we have met - it doesn't have a great present. May Walk Saint David be a part of God's plan to change that and to bring His life to all.

Walk Saint David has all the hallmarks of the Walk missions, inspired by Matthew chapter 10: mission outside church walls, TFM teams working with local churches, dependent upon the power of God and therefore upon prayer. 'And that's very exciting' says Rob James, Executive Chair of Evangelical Alliance Wales. 'Most people seemed to have walked away from church. This is a fabulous chance to make a move towards them!'

Rob is one of those on the Walk Saint David Task Force, the organising group made up of church leaders from across the mission area and chaired by the Rector of St. Michael's in Aberystwyth, Canon Stuart Bell. “This initiative has grabbed the imagination of church leaders across south west Wales and a sense of expectation is rising amongst us”, says Stuart. “We feel that Walk Saint David is of God and will have a significant effect on the whole area.”

The momentum behind the mission appears to be growing. Whilst attendance at the first briefing morning in Tenby was small, others in Aberystwyth and Haverfordwest have drawn in really good numbers, and at the time of writing it looks like an equally encouraging picture for the March briefing in Cardigan.

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Roger writes ...

Since the last newsletter I have led 5 missions across Northern Ireland in both town and rural situations, in Saintfield, Cranagill Methodist Circuit, St Mark's Portadown, Lisburn Methodist and St Paul's, Lisburn. All have been very fruitful with many of all ages responding to the Gospel, averaging around 100 per week thus affecting the communities through the network of families and friends.

The follow-up has been generally good with many going on with their faith. A few encouragements:

• Good numbers of dads and lads giving their lives to Christ, and a lot of men responding at events.

• Increasing number of teenagers coming to Christ and lovely to hear some share their stories in public at the final services.

• A man received healing from a severely severed arm accident.

• Having the privilege of leading many to Christ personally including a teenage lad, and a lady who was rejuvenated in her appearance and outlook on life.

• Meeting people around who report that their sister is going on with the Lord, and also a lady who came to faith now heads up the Sunday School, and a man who was on the outside of the church at the mission is now a church warden!

• A lady with a tripod was healed and shared her story in church a week after a mission.

• New initiatives being set up as a result of the outreach, on estates, in schools, and events like messy church.

I have been speaking on average around 40 times per week at these missions and we have seen some good crowds, and we have team members join us for many events to share their stories of faith.

I have also been involved in planning a mission in Stratford, East London with Peter Adams entitled 'The Ultimate Goal' to coincide with the beginning of the World Cup in June (5-13). We have had two training weekends and have got a team of 12 visitors alongside local folk from 15 local churches. At the last weekend in February we had 70 of us out on the doors and streets with the surveys, and later in the pubs.

We look forward to some missions in England now as the Northern Ireland missions come to an end for a while and we have teams joining us in the Bicester villages, Stratford East London, and Walk Saint David in Wales.

Thanks again for your support and prayers and as you can see above, they really do make a difference.

Out with the old – In with the new

Work started in February to convert the Coton Men's Institute into new offices for TFM. Hopefully as you read this we will be in the process of actually moving in.

We are very grateful to Dave Cooke whose building skills will have transformed a derelict

building into useful premises, restoring some of its glory of past days as a feature in the village.

You can follow the progress from start to finish by looking at our blog on the TFM website. Just follow the link from the home page.

The Stables, our current offices

The new offices