Displaying items by tag: Outreach

There are many vicars reaching ‘the unreached people groups’ in the UK. There is Nigel Rostock, a vicar with a Harley-Davidson who says that being a biker makes it easier to minister to people on the edge of society. He is part of the ‘God's Squad’ motorbikes club - touching the lives of addicts and outsiders who would never step inside a church. Another vicar, Gavin Tyte, is called Snoop Doggy Dog Collar because he is a British beatbox vicar. He was chosen to judge the World Beatboxing Championships in Berlin. Also across the nations café-churches are springing up - churches in the community where all are welcome and coffee and cakes are served along with faith-based ad hoc conversations. There are many outreach activities like Street Angels and Street Pastors who do what they can to help and counsel people on the streets after pubs and clubs turn out, or Causeway Prospects who promote and help churches to reach and teach people with learning disabilities. (Linda Digby – Prayer Alert Team)

How do you persuade someone who already thinks they’re a Christian to become one? The largest mission field in Western Europe is not self-identifying atheists or Muslim immigrants; it is people who call themselves Christians but exhibit few, if any, signs of faith. A Pew Research Centre report stated that people who identify with Christianity, but rarely or never attend church services, make up the biggest segment of the region’s population. 46% of Western Europeans are non-practising Christians, 18% are regular church attendees, 24% are religiously unaffiliated, and 5% follow other faiths.

‘Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.’ (Isaiah 45:22) ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ (Acts 3:19) On 23 August hundreds of Christians from a wide variety of churches gathered in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow for the first of the ‘Encounter’ meetings to launch The Turning - Scotland. For ten days (23 August to 3 September), in Edinburgh and Glasgow teams will spread out to share the Gospel in one-to-one conversations. At the time of writing over 250 had signed up to take part in Edinburgh, over 100 in Glasgow, and around 65 in Aberdeen; these numbers may increase as the week goes on and word spreads.

‘Prospects’ groups are based on two main principles. Firstly, that all people should have an opportunity to hear the Christian message including those with learning disabilities, and secondly, all people are capable of responding to the Christian message because it is a matter of belief and trust, not intellect and ability. In the UK one in fifty people have learning disabilities and Prospects seeks to befriend such people, explain the Christian message in a relevant way, and provide a sympathetic environment where people can grow in their understanding and respond to the message. Prospects meetings can be held in church halls, for meeting-centred ministry, or in the home of a helper, or a residential home for friendship-centred ministry. Helpers make home visits, take people out, provide transport and above all engage in personal discipleship in a way that people with special needs can respond to.

In 2016 you prayed for Nurse Sarah Kuteh who was dismissed from her job after talking to patients about her Christian faith and giving a Bible to one patient. After dismissing her, Darent Valley Hospital reported Sarah to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), questioning her 'fitness to practise'. For nearly two years the NMC has held a series of hearings to determine whether Sarah would continue to be able to practise as a nurse. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the NMC panel unanimously ruled that Sarah was fully 'fit to practise' and revoked all restrictions on her nursing practice.

Across the country youth workers and church members will be running holiday clubs this summer. Pray for energy and innovation for all the leaders; for peace to permeate each activity, regardless of any unforeseen pressures; for safety for all and for incredible relationship-building across the age ranges; for all the different holiday club material to be used wisely; and for God to anoint with power those who are gifted in storytelling, leading music, dance, arts, crafts, games and creative teaching. May thousands of young people recognise God's love for them this summer and respond to His call on their lives. Pray for the Church to impact not just the children but whole communities, as families are inspired through outdoor Christian celebrations, church fetes, and parties. Pray also for all the many week-long Christian mission retreats, Bible weeks and camping events. May millions of lives be challenged and changed this summer.

Twelve boys and their coach were rescued from a flooded, dark cave, and we thank God that they were brought out into the light. BUT the people of Thailand remain in spiritual darkness. It is deep and seemingly impenetrable. They know no way of escape. 99% are unreached by the Gospel. Buddhism, folk animism, and occultism hold them captive. Roughly 1 million children are child labourers, while a further 40,000 minors are sold into the sex trade. The HIV/AIDS infection rate is Asia's highest. It wasn't the prayers of the Buddhist monks that delivered these boys from the cave. And we know that it is only Jesus who can rescue the Thai people out of darkness into His marvellous light. Pray for the Holy Spirit to break the hold of Buddhism, spiritism, and the occult. Pray for moral conviction to fall on those who oppress others for profit via the sex trade. Pray for explosive church growth to reach all 80,000 villages.

St Mildred’s in south London has created WOW Church to attract the 13-to-25 age group to faith through a virtual service. The online church runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors can talk to twenty different chat-hosts taking turns answering questions and communicating with people through the website. People watch videos about faith and can submit a short prayer and light a virtual candle. An average of two to three conversations take place each day, and 100-150 people visit it weekly. St Mildred’s said they considered a youth Alpha but didn’t think anyone would come (saying they weren’t good with teens). Most of the people they chat to are lonely or have reservations about church. Pray for the ‘virtual’ community of lonely people to begin to want to actually meet physically in a Christian community. Meanwhile, The Church of England has launched an ‘Alexa skill’ to answer questions about faith and prayer, and help to find a church based on the user’s location. See

‘It is a miracle that there have been no reported injuries caused by the massive fire which has been tearing through Saddleworth moorland in Greater Manchester’, said Rev Chris Viney from St James Millbrook. ‘We could see the fire coming down the hillside, towards the top end of the village. It must have been very, very scary for the people who live in the houses near to where the fire was.’ He believes God has been protecting his community, even though dozens of people needed to be evacuated from their homes. (They have now returned home). The associate minister said that the church gathered together to pray through the night. ‘God was at work because it could have been so much worse than it was.’ Sleeping bags, roll mats, food and drink are stockpiled at the church in the event displaced families or emergency service members need them.

Puna Baptist Church put on a family fun day for families affected by the volcano. One church member wrote on facebook, ‘Puna Baptist Church held a Family Fun Day for the people of Puna. It was a day to just forget about the volcano and have some family fun. It certainly lived up to its name! We had close to 500 people. I was at the registration desk and loved seeing the children’s eyes light up as I told them about all of the things they could do! We were so busy! What a blessing to everyone! I love my church!’ Free hygiene kits were offered by the church and a doctor and a counsellor were also on site. The church members have also been providing a clothes washing service which they've asked members to pray for. Their website reads,’Pray for the Laundry Voucher Ministry to be an effective opportunity to share Jesus with the Puna community’.