A safe harbour for seafarers

February - March 2015 / Issue 68
sparking passion for the Gospel across the UK
A safe harbour
for seafarers
4
New evangelists
8
Young@Heart
11
Living the Passion
Jesus looked towards heaven and prayed, “Father.. I have brought you
glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” John 17 v 1-4
What an astounding prayer! What an achievement!
The perfect Son, bringing glory to the Father completing the work assigned to him.
Maybe, like me, you find these words deeply challenging? Am I absorbed with bringing glory
to the Father? Am I really focused on seeing tasks through to completion? Am I confident
about what has been assigned to me?
If we turn these questions around: Could I be seeking glory or approval for myself? Am I too
quick to move on to the next new thing before completing something? Do I pick up tasks that
the Lord has actually assigned to someone else?
As we enter a new year of new opportunities, we all have to make choices about our priorities.
In these pages, Martin Erwin reminds us the priority of listening to people and the Holy
Spirit. New trainee evangelists will be scheduling the use of their time and considering
priorities of life and ministry. Other evangelists will be continuing to develop existing work,
like Will & Lynne’s Young@Heart.
Inevitably, we have to be selective about what we can include in each issue of Ignite. There
are so many stories to tell, but we hope these will encourage you to continue ‘making Jesus
known’ where you are.
During the year, you are warmly invited to two major events in the Counties calendar:
• “Let My People Grow” – our Bristol day conference with Ian & Ruth Coffey plus a range of
seminars from Counties evangelists on Saturday 7th March.
• “Living the Passion” – weekend with Prof John Lennox on the theme of ‘Confidence’ at
Hinckley Island Hotel, Leicestershire (23-25 October).
Why not make it a priority to join us?
With grateful thanks for your continued partnership in the gospel,
Yours in Christ
John Wilkes, Evangelist - CEO
Correction: In our last issue I omitted to include the surnames of our new evangelists, and eagle-eyed readers
asked me about Steve & Dawn Morley. They have recently moved to Basildon and Steve is available for
preaching and evangelistic opportunities via [email protected].
Counties exists to make Jesus known across the UK through our evangelists,
exhibitions and resources, in Biblically faithful and culturally relevant ways.
Address: Counties 30 Haynes Road, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3HD
Telephone: 01373 823 013 Email: [email protected] www.countiesuk.org
Thank you for your valued partnership. We are glad to make Ignite available free of charge.
It costs approximately £5 per year to produce and distribute six editions of this newsletter to you.
Every additional contribution will help us continue in our mission.
Counties (formerly Counties Evangelistic Work) is a Registered Charity No. 264278
and a Company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales No. 1041761
Editor: Stuart Baird [email protected]
Design: www.relevantdesign.co.uk
2 | Ignite
Contents
6: New evangelist Steve Loader, serving Bristol’s dockyards. Pictures courtesy of ‘Image - Release.’
News
4 New evangelists for Essex
5 New year, new priorities
Features
6 A safe harbour for seafarers
8 Young@Heart takes new step
Regulars
10 GSUS Live looks to 2015
11 Living the Passion
12 Faithful friends remembered
14Are you Hungary for mission?
5: Martin Erwin.
Please introduce Counties to your friends
by following us on Facebook and Twitter
Facebook ‘Counties Evangelism Network’
Twitter ‘@countiesuk’
8: Young@Heart.
Ignite | 3
News
New evangelists for Essex
Andrew and Rachel Mugford at their commissioning service in Essex.
Counties welcomes Andrew and
Rachel Mugford from Maldon,
Essex, as trainee evangelists in 2015
– with a mission field in equipping
churches for evangelism, developing
outreach opportunities in schools,
prisons and old people’s homes and
mentoring new believers.
Andrew, who is an elder at Maldon’s
Fullbridge Church, said: “We have been
on a journey over the last five years or
so thinking and praying about full-time
Christian service. This culminated in our
interview in May at the Westbury office and
being accepted into the Counties family. It
was great to be part of the recent Counties
conference in Daventry and a good
opportunity to talk with evangelists from
across the country.”
Rachel and Andrew have four children,
Abigail (23) who works for a small, local
company selling crafts through the internet;
Hannah (21) having graduated in the
summer, is on a six month Discipleship
4 | Ignite
Training School with YWAM and is on
placement in Thailand and Cambodia
coming alongside those caught up in the sex
trafficking industry; Lydia (18) has started
her Child Nursing degree at Nottingham
University and Nathan (16) recently started
his A levels.
The couple already have links with fellow
Counties evangelists Tony and Ruth Hood
and have supported the annual Suffolk
Christian Camps, which have had a great
spiritual impact on attendees particularly
over the last few years.
Andrew said:
“We would really value prayer as we start
out in this new ministry together; for an open
mind as to what areas the Lord has for us
locally and in Essex; as we work with our
fellow church leaders in looking for fresh ways
to reach our local community, to be sensitive
to the opportunities that are right to take up
and for preparation for evangelistic events
throughout the year.”
Contact; [email protected]
News
Listening to people
and the Holy Spirit
Martin Erwin speaking at Counties’ recent supporters weekend.
Hereford evangelist Martin Erwin
says he is looking forward to 2015
but says the year for him and
for others is make time in all the
busyness and priorities for two
things – the Holy Spirit and real
relationships with people.
Martin, with his wife Rachel, established
Challenge Community Church in the
centre of Hereford in 1996 and has been
with Counties since 1991. He says that the
challenge for evangelists, including himself,
is to get clarity around priorities.
He told Ignite: “We can get caught up
in activities and it is fantastic when we
get good numbers of people and see a
real response, but sometimes, that same
busyness can rob you of both your energy
and your time to give to people – people
who may need you the most. To be able
to visit people pastorally and build real
relationships with people – we need to
ensure that in all our activities we don’t lose
sight of that.”
Martin is also involved in the One2Lead
initiative which mentors and develops
young people for leadership roles,
alongside Swansea’s Phil Davies, as well as
being involved in the National Training
Network collaboration between Counties,
Partnership and GLO which aims to
develop training in churches across the UK.
He went on to say: “The other main
challenge, for me and I expect for others as
well, is not to squeeze the Holy Spirit out
through the busyness. I am reading Acts
where Paul spent three years in Ephesus and
we need to allow the Holy Spirit room to
work. He may challenge in some places what
we have planned, or turn our plans on their
head or take us in directions we didn’t even
imagine.” Contact; [email protected]
Ignite | 5
Features
Safe harbour
for seafarers
Steve Loader on his mission field of the Bristol docks.
Bristol docks were once the
powerhouse of the British Empire,
bringing the wealth of the world
into the country. And now seafarers
from all across the globe can
receive a warm Christian welcome
from one of Counties’ new trainee
evangelists, Steve Loader.
A builder by trade, Steve was brought up on
a tough Bristol estate in a church founded
by his own father – and through the Holy
Spirit’s leading has joined Counties to
include the Portbury and Avonmouth docks
as a new mission field.
A father of three, Steve is supported by his
wife Dawn, and his grown up children Natasha works locally in retail, Danielle who
is currently enjoying life in Australia, and
Reuben who still lives at home in Bristol.
6 | Ignite
The journey to full time evangelism has
taken him to Capernwray Bible School, and
10 years in church leadership as well as
an established preaching ministry in local
churches. Then in 2005 Steve prayed that
God would use him more in sharing his
faith with others. God answered through
the Port Chaplain who said Steve would be
suited to ministering to the seafarers who
came into Bristol.
Features
“Through my years of working on building
sites, encountering a negative and
sometimes hostile reception, I can see now
how God had prepared me for a ministry
that has at times, felt like being on the set
of Pirates of the Caribbean!
“The Lord graciously answered my prayer,
and has provided me with opportunities
each week to share God’s love to people
from many nations.
“Since the Port Chaplain retired in 2012,
it became increasingly difficult for me
to balance growing opportunities and
challenges in ministry with life as a builder.
My constant prayer to God over the years
has been ‘Here I am send me’, and the
relationship with Counties is now enabling
more space to develop these areas of
ministry in fulfilment of that prayer.”
With those answers have also come the
tough challenges, with seafarers having one
of the most dangerous jobs on the planet.
Steve said: “There is so much need amongst
the seafarers. Often they are on a ninemonth contract. They are lonely, over
worked, over-stressed and even sometimes
under the threat of pirates. Twice I have
comforted crew who have lost a colleague
through accidents that have occurred whilst
the ship has been in port.
“No matter what is going on in the life of
the men that I meet, I always make it clear
to them, that God has not forgotten them.
Steve delivers Christmas shoeboxes from local churches.
“Over the Christmas period, many seafarers
feel that separation from their families
the most. So with Christmas shoe boxes
given by caring individuals and churches,
I have given in the region of 400 gifts to
the men who have arrived in Portbury and
Avonmouth during this Christmas time.
“For the first time since I have been involved
in ship visiting, the seafarer centre in
Portbury held a Christmas Eve service, which
was attended by about 15 Filipino sailors.”
“I love the diversity of my mission field.
As I climb up another gangway, I meet
seafarers from all across the world. Will
they be Russian, Filipino, Indian, or one of
the many nationalities I meet each week? I
don’t know till I reach the deck of the ship.”
Steve said: “Praying with the men is
important, for the Lord to touch their lives
in a life changing way. There has often been
tears shed when hardened men experience
God’s care and compassion for them.
Nothing thrills me more than to see God’s
light being brought into dark places.”
There has often
been tears shed
when hardened men
experience God’s
care and compassion
for them.
Contact; [email protected]
Ignite | 7
Features
Outreach for senior
folk takes new step
Hertfordshire
evangelists
Will and Lynne
Andrews have
been with
Counties for 22
Will and Lynne Andrews.
years and are
looking forward to the challenges
and opportunities of 2015, following
encouragements in 2014.
One of their initiatives (which has been
replicated in various parts of the country
and even in New Zealand), has now passed
its 10th anniversary. Young@Heart ‘holiday
clubs’ for the early retired age group which
normally run over 10 days will take another
step as it reaches out to those who aren’t
able to commit to 10 days.
Will said: “Young@Heart has proved
to be really effective in taking people
on a journey of faith, and we have seen
a number of people become Christians
through them. Our model is now used by
many churches throughout the
UK, but some churches have
not been able to make that level
of time commitment and have
asked if we can achieve a similar
goal in a shorter timeframe.
“So in 2015 we will pilot some
Young@Heart days, which
will be church based. This will
enable the Young@Heart idea
to be used with less mobile older
people who are unable to attend
the current full weeks, that are
very active.”
8 | Ignite
As well as reaching out to the older
generation, Will has also been actively
involved in the Church Strengthening
Initiative (CSI). Although the initiative is
coming to an end, plans are underway in
order to support churches who want to
develop in order to serve their communities
more effectively.
Will said: “It’s very helpful for churches to
get an outside view to keep them effective
in this day and age. Wymondley Chapel,
Hitchin, used the newly revised J.John
‘Just10’ material and have now extended
that to link 10 months of outreach, followup discussion groups and teaching to take
people on a very effective journey through
the 10 commandments. This has impacted
non-church and established Christians.”
As well as regular ministry, the couple
would also value prayer for ‘Foodie Fridays’
where non-Christians and Christians alike
share a meal and chat about faith, with a
view to leading people to Christ.
Contact; [email protected]
Will Andrews and the Young@Heart group.
Regulars
One day conference
Let me people grow
Counties one
day conference
Saturday 7th of
March at the city’s
Winterbourne
International
Academy, Bristol
Winterbourne International Academy, Bristol
There are still places available for
Counties one day conference to be
held next month in Bristol.
Respected speaker and evangelist Ian Coffey
will lead two keynote sessions on Saturday
7th of March at the city’s Winterbourne
International Academy. Focussing on
leadership, the day provides an opportunity
earlier in the year to feel equipped, inspired
and encouraged in your faith.
It’s also a great time of fellowship, with
additional sessions on initiatives running
across the country and will also include
seminars and children’s and youth
programme, as well prayer times and
worship sessions.
The day is available free – including drinks
and a light lunch. For more information
contact the Counties office on 01373 823 013.
As well as being Vice-Principal at
Moorlands College, Ian is MA Course
Leader and Director of Leadership
Training. Ian has led churches in suburban,
city-centre and
international
contexts. He has
also served as
Director with
the Saltmine
Trust and the
Ian and Ruth Coffey.
Evangelical
Alliance. He
was a member of the leadership team of
Spring Harvest for nine years and continues
that involvement as chair of the Board of
Spring Harvest Holidays. Ian has a strong
interest in writing, and has published
fourteen books, is married to Ruth and
they have four adult sons. Ruth has also
been involved in various roles in different
churches. During their period of leading an
International Church in Geneva, Ruth acted
as Pastoral Co-ordinator for a congregation
with up to 60 nationalities. Ruth now leads
the Foundation Course at Moorlands,
teaches on Pastoral Care and has an active
role as a personal tutor.
Ignite | 9
Regulars
GSUS Live set for fruitful 2015
GSUS Live,
Counties’
interactive
exhibition which
reaches secondary
school students
across the country,
had a packed
Steve Parry.
year in 2014 and
faces another fruitful journey
throughout 2015.
Co-ordinator Steve Parry said that it is
a privilege to be part of it and shared
this encouraging message from one of
the volunteers: “When Birmingham City
Mission was unable to use GSUS Live one
week last half-term, I approached a school
that had seemed to be closed to Christian
visitors for several years.
“At fairly short notice they opened their
doors to GSUS Live for the last week of
the Christmas term Praise the Lord that
He prepared the way for a wonderful week
in the school, with the teaching and non10 | Ignite
teaching staff so helpful and the pupils so
attentive. Staff spoke of a real buzz about
the school because of GSUS Live.”
“The local church has been invited to start
a chaplaincy work in the school next term
and to take some R.E. lessons. The week
began with a conversation about Jesus with
the Eddie Stobart driver who delivered
GSUS Live, who seemed to come close to
committing his life to Christ.”
Steve said: “I am sure that we all pray for
the students that go through the program
but as you can see GSUS Live can have an
effect on others not directly involved in the
project. I once got a ‘Surfers Bible’ for one
of the electricians who was a keen surfer
and regularly works on the units when the
go to Hull for servicing.
“As we go into 2015 lets pray for the
continued effect that GSUS Live can have
on students, teachers, engineers, drivers
and volunteers.”
For more information about GSUS Live
please visit www.gsuslive.co.uk
News
Living the Passion - Conference
The website is already open for advance
bookings at www.livingthepassion.org/bookings
Another highlight of 2015 will be this
year’s Living the Passion weekend.
Living the Passion will see Gospel
Literature Outreach, Partnership, Church
Growth Trust and Church Planting
Initiative team up with Counties as they
have in previous years, to cater for up to
600 people at the conference, which will be
held in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
The weekend is to be held on the 23-25
October, which coincides with half term week
Already lined up is speaker Prof Dr John
Lennox, internationally renowned speaker
on the interface of science, philosophy and
religion; humourist and renowned writer
Adrian Plass and Christian illusionist
Todd Alexander.
Attendees can select from a range of
sessions, broadly grouped into mission,
church growth and pastoral issues. There
will be helpful insights from experienced
practitioners with opportunities to share
and ask questions. In parallel with all
conference sessions, age related groups,
from creche to 18, offer a series of fun,
age relevant activities, organised by
experienced and trusted youth leaders and
children’s workers.
Ignite | 11
News
Faithful partners in glory
John Hall, pictured in Cardiff in 1980.
John Hall, a evangelist who
committed 30 years of work to the
Lord with Counties in Hampshire
has died aged 78.
When Dick Saunders joined Counties in
1960 to work in Hampshire, John Hall was
a school teacher, already leading a local
choir and began supporting Dick’s tent
missions with the choir at weekends.
Within four years, John and Hettie Hall
sensed the Lord’s call to full- time service
with Counties, and so began a 30 year
partnership in the “Way to Life” (WTL)
gospel ministry. Dick says,
“John was a great support and a
most loyal friend through all the
ups and downs. He listened to my
jokes and my repeated sermons in
different venues! He was a great
friend and a great help.”
12 | Ignite
John’s unique keyboard skills, combined
with an amazing ability to conduct a choir
with his ‘nodding head and eyebrows’
encouraged very many people to join the
WTL choirs in every place they visited.
Some of the choirs included up to 700
voices at prestigious locations like the
Empire Pool Wembley and the Royal
Albert Hall. “No man could have had
a more faithful partner. WTL missions
would never have had the same impact,
without John Hall’s unique gifts and
valuable partnership”.
When the WTL tent missions came to a
close in the mid 1990’s John continued an
effective Bible teaching and evangelistic
ministry across Hampshire, for as long as
his health allowed. Please pray for John’s
widow, Hettie in the coming months.
News
Investing
for eternity
Maurice and Elsie Newman pictured in 2002.
Counties widow and faithful
partner, Elsie Newman has died
at home in the UK surrounded
by her family.
Elsie and her husband Maurice, who died
in February 2010, emigrated to Cyprus in
2005 from their home in Devon.
Friend Madelene Bathgate writes “We knew
and loved Elsie from the moment we met
her and Maurice in the 1960s.Elsie was
great fun to be with and had an incorrigible
sense of humour we often shed tears when
laughter overcame us. Elsie had the gift
too of drawing alongside and sharing life s
burdens when tears of a different sort were
shed she was that sort of person.
“Elsie was a great wife and a very
loving Mum. She wrote wonderful
down to earth poetry some of which
we treasure to this day, her personal
gifts which were a blessing to many
are sadly missed by the family
of Christ and missed too by the
Counties family.”
During the month of February,
every Counties evangelist and
senior will be giving thanks to
God for a significant additional
financial gift. As I write this, I
cannot know what unexpected
expense this will meet, or how
it might enable an evangelist’s
family to do something special.
But the Lord knows!
Some years ago a devoted
Christian couple decided that, in
the event of their departure from
this life, they wanted Counties
evangelists to be supported. We
do know that they were both
devoted to the Lord and one
another, and particularly active in
personal evangelism and church
leadership. Now, their Legacy will
enable evangelists to continue
in ministry and could make an
eternal difference for someone.
If you are considering making
or revising your own Will, and
want to include Counties among
the beneficiaries, please contact
Jonathan on 01373 823013 or
email [email protected]
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
Psalm 116:15
Ignite | 13
Features
Hungary for Mission
Youngsters last year at the English language Awesome and Kings camps in Hungary.
Youngsters are being given their
first taste of mission outside of
the UK but are bringing back
home valuable skills thanks to
an enduring partnership with
Hungarian churches.
Mike Thomas has been in full time ministry
since February 2004 and joined the
Counties family in 2009. He and his wife
Jan and their four children live in Rumney,
Cardiff, where he works with various
churches in the city and further afield as
well as running children’s and youth clubs,
among other activities.
But this year, just like fifteen years
previously, he will be taking a small groups
of young people out to Budapest and
elsewhere in Hungary where they will run
‘Awesome Camp’ and ‘King’s Camp’.
He said: “This a long term commitment
which came about through my contact
with Neil Potts through his wife Edina,
there was a real desire to keep up English
language Bible camps. It’s great for the
churches over there but it also allows us
to take youngsters out and help them see
God’s church in another country.
14 | Ignite
“This isn’t about evangelical or Christian
tourism – young people who come along
have their eyes open and often come back
with skills they never knew they had.
Last year we had a young man who had
not really taken any leadership roles, but
following the camps, has come back to the
UK fully equipped to lead sessions. It really
does help at home as well as in Hungary.”
“As we go out and do two
consecutive camps, I’d ask for
prayer we attract the right team.”
For more information;
[email protected]
Regulars
Pray for the
Richards’ family
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James, Naomi and their children Benjamin, Jacob and Isabella.
James Richards (South Wales valleys)
is taking a break from ministry, for the
time being.
Postcode
Telephone
He has had a great impact in his ministry,
taking part in a church plant and drawing on
his experience in the Royal Marines to minister
fearlessly to those around him.
Email:
Please pray for James, Naomi and their children
(Benjamin, Jacob and Isabella) while James
returns to full-time, secular employment. They
are being supported by their home church (Hill
City), Counties and other friends to build a
stronger foundation for future gospel ministry,
in the Lord’s time.
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Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power
that is at work within us, to him
be glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus throughout all generations,
for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3: 20-21
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COUNTIES
30 Haynes Road
Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3HD
Ignite | 15
Please pray for ‘vacant’ Counties
Your local evangelists
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Charles & Elizabeth Addoco
Andrew & Rachel Mugford (ETP)
Will & Lynne Andrews
Kim & Jo Hobbs (ETP)
Tim & Joy Ayrton
Tony & Ruth Hood
Kevin & Anita Baldwin
Jonathan & Heather Brain
David & Lindsey Brown
Andy & Isobel Hodson (CPI)
Paul & Vanessa Willmott
Ian & Sally Carr
Tim & Charissa Cooke
Ivor & Angela Cooper
Bob & Rita Telford
Clive & Fiona Cornish
Mike & Janet Thomas
Tim & Katrina Cracknell
Gordon & Penny Curley
Ray & Carol Dadswell
Phil & Sheila Davies
Martin & Rachel Erwin
John & Rachel Hardwick
Colin & Linda Johnson
Steve & Dawn Loader (ETP)
Mike & Su Strange
Matt & Nicola Rich
Bev & Bryan Bedford (ETP)
David & Katie Symons
Robert & Sarah Watson
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CPI - Church Planting Initiative
ETP- Evangelist Training Programme
Seniors and widows
Grace Anderson
Tom & Madelene Bathgate
Jean Campbell
Geoff & Isobel Carr
Roger & Hazel Chilvers
Lionel & Mavis Clargo
Rose Geary
Stephen & Jean Gillham
Victor Jack
Andy & Miriam Jelfs
Phyllis Jenkins
Hettie Hall
Wendy Iliffe
John & Jane Martin
Dennis Pierce
Ruby Powell
Dick & Betty Saunders
Margaret Stokes
Gladys Whittern
All Counties evangelists are self-employed, receiving support from our funds, as the Lord
provides. We welcome approaches from new evangelists, potential trainees or associates,
particularly in vacant counties. Call John Wilkes on 01373 823013 for an informal discussion.
countiesuk.org
16 | Ignite