G O D ’ S W O R D T O G O D ’ S W O R L D

M A G A Z I N EJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

C R O S S L I N K S

‘I WILL BUILD

MY CHURCH

LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME

‘

I N T H I S I S S U E

W I T H C O N T R I B U T I O N S F R O M Penny Northway

Debbie BurtAndy Oatridge

Erin HookerTim Houghton

MARK 10.14

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Published byCrosslinks 251 Lewisham Way, London SE4 1XF

Tel 020 8691 6111Fax 020 8694 8023Prayerline 020 8692 5321www.crosslinks.org

Mission DirectorAndy Lines alines@crosslinks.orgOperations DirectorGiles Rawlinson grawlinson@crosslinks.orgGB & overseas circulationcmt@crosslinks.orgIreland circulationbelfast@crosslinks.org

Crosslinks works with over a thousand churches in Britain and Ireland. Founded in 1922 as BCMS (TheBible Churchmen’s Missionary Society), Crosslinks isan evangelical mission agency facilitating partnerships largely within the Anglican Communion. In fellowship with churches in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, Canada and Australia, it provides personnel, sponsorship for theological students and support for local mission wherever it happens.

Crosslinks policy is to use all funds received for the purpose to which they are designated. Crosslinks retains the right to use any surplus funds at the end of deployment or at the end of a project, at its discretion for gospel purposes.

Registered Charity number 24 99 86.

A simple internet search will tell you that around a quarter of the world’s population is below 15 years of age. Currently, that is almost two billion children. Now if we are to respond to Jesus’ commission to take the gospel to everyone, that represents a serious challenge!

Crosslinks has long sought to reach children with the gospel in many parts of the world and this magazine will outline some of the current work. Summer camps for children and young adults in Ireland feature regularly in these pages and will already be familiar. But how is Crosslinks fulfilling its gospel mandate to pre-teens in Italy? Or to homeless children in South Africa? And what about the responsibility to care for the children of Mission Partners?

Crosslinks is also developing materials for Sunday School leaders keen to teach their young classes about God’s mission. This six-week series will be available free of charge (although you may like to offer a donation towards costs). To pre-order a set, email cmt@crosslinks.org or call 020 8691 6111.

Mark Gillespie Communications Manager

COMMENTJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

I will build my church: Let the children come to me Alan Purser

Torricine Bilingue–tower of strength Penny NorthwayA place in the kingdom Debbie Burt

Mighty oaks from small ACORNS grow Andy OatridgeTeaching Life

All around the world TnT MinistriesDiary of a missionary kid Erin Elizabeth Hooker

How to pray for the children of Mission Partners Ursual Weekes The story of Tailum Jan Tim Houghton

The last word Andy LinesCrosslinks diary

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C O N T E N T S

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Indignation is an extremely powerful human emotion. When Mark describes the Lord Jesus as being “indignant” we may suppose that some controversy of great importance and seriousness confronted him, and that the behaviour of those responsible for whatever had happened was sufficiently reprehensible to induce what the Apostle John would later refer to as “the wrath of the lamb” (see Revelation 6:16). Yet when we turn to Mark’s Gospel, and read in 10:13-16 what actually happened, we discover that it was merely the disciples’ action in obstructing the access of young children to Jesus that roused his indignation.

Jesus and his disciples had been journeying from Caesarea Philippi, in the far north of the country, to Jerusalem in the south and Mark records that along the way Jesus taught them many things. Immediately prior to this he had been extolling marriage as the good gift of God in creation, being the lifelong union of one man and one woman, and inveighing against casual divorce. Soon afterwards he would address the dangers of materialism when a wealthy young man, whose heart was wedded to his many possessions, plied him with ostensibly theological questions. And, in between, Mark gives this account of how small children attracted Jesus’ attention.

In first century Palestine this was a rather surprising and counter-cultural thing for Jesus to do. The NT scholar Paul Barnett writes, “It is known that small children were not permitted to join the Qumran sect and this may reflect a patronising attitude towards children among Jews at large.”

‘I WILL BUILD

MY CHURCH

A L A N P U R S E R

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‘LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME MARK10.14

Regarding the cruelty of Gentile attitudes he comments, “Roman society was noted for its high divorce rate and for its lack of concern for small children... a father was at liberty not to bring up his new-born child, in which case it was ‘exposed’ - left in the open to die or be taken - often for prostitution or begging” (The Servant King - Reading Mark Today, AIO). Thus the second-century Christian author Justin Martyr wrote, “We have been taught that to expose newly born children is the part of wicked men... we see that almost all so exposed (not only girls, but also the males) are brought up to prostitu-tion... some are openly mutilated for the purpose of sodomy.” (First Apology xxvii). We need to reflect on the significance of the fact that Jesus should have taken the trouble to focus on small children, and to ask why was his reaction to the disciples’ supposedly well-meaning behaviour so full of indignation?

The word translated “indignant” denotes anger. “Let the children come to me,” Jesus demands of his disciples “do not hinder them.” The kingdom of God, according to Jesus, was not for adults only - young children were to be welcomed into the kingdom and were capable of enjoying his blessing (This constitutes an important reminder not to lose sight of God’s covenant promises that include children within their scope, nor to allow ourselves to become exclusively focused on gospel work amongst adults - little people are people too, made in the image of God and shepherded by him).

What followed next was an acted parable. Jesus took the little children in his arms, laid his hands on them, and spelled out a lesson for his watching disciples: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Again, Paul Barnett comments succinctly “The disciples were preoccupied with great-ness (see 9:33-37) but, says Jesus, only those who are childlike in dependence upon God can belong to the people ruled by him. Here is a powerful challenge to the wealthy, the highly qualified and the highly accom-plished... unless we admit that we are utterly dependent upon him as small children are on their parents, we will never enter his kingdom.”

...continued

‘I WILL BUILD

MY CHURCH

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LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME

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Alan Purser is Crosslinks Church and Members’ Team Leader

Logically the effectiveness of Jesus’ parable rests on the reality of the welcome of children by Jesus into his kingdom. This passage, therefore, teaches not only the importance of a faith that consists of child-like trust and dependence upon God; it also teaches that, as his disciples, we must be careful not to obstruct or hinder children coming to Christ for his blessing. As Paul Barnett puts it, “One implication is obvious: if God receives children, then a high value must be placed on children by their parents, by their churches and by the community.”

In our contemporary world there are at least as many acts of violence and murders committed against children as against adults, shamefully betraying the trust - and exploiting the dependency - that is characteristic of childhood. So, what would be involved in standing against that, as a Christian community? To begin with this passage encourages the propriety of welcoming to baptism those little people who are “holy” (the Apostle Paul’s description in 1 Corinthians 7:14) by virtue of at least one parent’s faith in Christ. More than that, it makes clear the importance God places on gospel ministry amongst children - for example, the responsibility of providing age related, appropriate bible teaching and activities at church. Thirdly, it highlights our duty to pray for children, to protect them from abuse and nurture them in the faith once and for all delivered to the saints. Fulfilling such obligations conforms to Christ’s example, whereas to spurn children invites his indignation.

One final reflection: the idea that God has feelings too is a central feature of the Bible’s portrait of the LORD. Indeed the source and explanation of human emotion resides in the fact that we are made in his image. Jesus’ indignation, therefore, was not solely a mark of his incarnation; it was a profound sign of his deity. But unlike ours so often, his anger was not sparked by wounded pride or jealous resentment but is rather directed against all behaviour that does not conform to the mind and heart of his Heavenly Father. No wonder he says, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

...continued

‘I WILL BUILD

MY CHURCH

LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME

torricineB I L I N G U ETorricine (“little towers”) Bilingue (bilingual) summer camps started in June 2011 with the aim of winning whole families for the Lord Jesus Christ. Whilst our publicity is designed to be attractive and informative, the work has grown through parental word of mouth. By God’s grace the camps now run Monday to Friday for two weeks and they remain our first point of contact with many families.

We do not want to hinder children, nor their families as they bring them via us to Christ. [Mark 10.13]. So, joint teams from Durham University and Forte Torre meet for a training day before the camp and then twice daily during the camp for prayers and feedback. Our programme is fun-packed! Games, activities and crafts provide a warm and friendly backdrop for the teaching of the Bible and English in creative ways.

Our greatest challenge is to teach the truth about Jesus Christ. Italian parents (even if they are not church goers) will typically send their children to Roman Catholic catechism. We seek to undo the wrong teaching that leads children to recite “Maria (Mary) is the only perfect human being.” We praise God when we hear statements like, “I’m not a good person who sometimes does bad things, but the other way round.”

Whilst we know daily conversations with parents at the door are vital elements in establishing trust, we pray these vital times bear eternal fruit as we speak of what we have taught the children and send them home with a memoryverse. When camp finishes, the children are pre-sented with a Bible folder and an English folder. We inform adults of church events and invite their children to the after-school club which runs from October through to May.

Last summer, the Lord gave us 30 families and we have seen three of those families come to the after-school club which means we have regularcontact with them throughout the year. We remain in contact with the other families as often as we can.

P E N N Y N O R T H W A Y

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C Penny Northway is a Crosslinks Associate Mission Partner working in Italy. You can read more about her at www.crosslinks.org/mission-partners/penny-northway

T O W E R S O F S T R E N G T H

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Italy is a great country to run these camps because: Summer holidays in Italy are three months long. Working parents are ably supported with childcare by grandparents providing access to the older generation. English is the official international language, so those who speak it as their mother-tongue are popular Fathers will often drop-off, or pick-up, their children, giving us access to men.

torricineB I L I N G U ET O W E R S O F S T R E N G T H

Italy is a great country to run these camps because: Summer holidays in Italy are three months long. Working parents are ably supported with childcare by grandparents providing access to the older generation. English is the official international language, so those who speak it as their mother-tongue are popular Fathers will often drop-off, or pick-up, their children, giving us access to men.

‘Make disciples.’ The biblical command gives believers a clear mandate to share the gospel of Christ and to disciple those who come to profess faith. Mark 10:13-16 shows us that Jesus welcomes children and rebukes those who consider them unimportant or too young to warrant his attention. Our work at St. Thomas Church, Heideveld, is centred upon the belief that children and teens have a place in Christ’s kingdom.

Evangelism is central and our context gives us ample opportunity to reach out. Heideveld – an area on the Cape Flats frequently referred to as one of many ‘under-resourced’ communities in Cape Town - has no shortage of under-18s. Thousands of these precious people live in single-adult homes (with parents, aunts, friends, foster-cares, or grandmothers); most live in sub-standard housing and attend poorly-resourced schools. Add to the mix rampant unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, gangsterism and crime: Heideveld is broken and its children and teens are in desperate need of knowing the hope of Christ’s redemption.

Our desire is to convey the truth of God’s redemptive love in ways that are comprehen-sible. We became keenly aware that many of the children came from ‘religious’ families and many were even ‘churched’; they were not, however, by and large biblically literate. This led us to develop study materials for them that taught God’s big picture of salvation – sin, covenant, redemption, judgment - and also good bible-handling skills that enable them to read the scriptures and apply them to their lives. Youth studies take the teens systemati-cally through individual books of the Bible. In Sunday School, we are working toward a three year curriculum that takes the younger children through the Bible too; a curriculum that they would go through twice, once in foundation phase (6-9 year-olds) and again in intermediate phase (10-12 year-olds). It has been exciting to see even eight year-olds consistently able to put biblical people and events in order and narrate some of the stories as their understanding increases.

The materials are still unrefined; some studies on books of the Bible are more ‘finished’ than others. Some have worksheets for the two age groups with a teachers’ plan fully typed out, others are more craft based and drama focused. We are about to finish our second year’s worth of material and hope to write the final year’s soon. When the material is re-run we can refine it more. Ultimately, we hope that some of Heideveld’s children and teens will, in God’s mercy, enjoy fellowship in his family because of the gospel that they hear week to week.

A PLACE IN THE

KINGDOM

Debbie Burt works with Arise in Cape Town, South Africa, developing

materials to teach the gospel to young people. Here, she explains why.

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You can find out more about Debbie Burt and the ministry of Arise at www.crosslinks.org/mission-partners/alun-and-debbie-burt

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You can read more about Andy and Zsófi Oatridge and Anna Read at

www.crosslinks.org/mission-partners/current-mission-partnersC

The Hungarian Church had a difficult time under 50 years of communism and opportunities to train up leaders, particularly for youth work, have been few. Now, however, the door is open, the potential huge, but the resources still limited. The vision of ACORNCAMPS is to “help the Hungarian church reach teenagers for Christ.”

We do that by running English-speaking camps across Hungary and beyond. Over the last decade the work has developed as ACORNCAMPS has run more than 75 camps in Hungary and Slovakia with Lutheran, Reformed and Baptist churches. There are currently nine camps every year.

Underlying each ACORNCAMP are 4 key areas: partnership, evangelism, mission and training.Each camp is run by a UK team in partnership with a single gospel-minded Hungarian church.

Central to each camp is evangelism: communicating the gospel through talks, seminars, discussion groups and conversations. Nearly all Hungarian teenagers, exposed daily to Hollywood, MTV and the internet, want to learn English so the English element of the camp provides a tremendous opportunity for the Hungarian church to reach teenagers who never go to church.

Each camp provides an opening for cross-cultural mission for Christians from Hungary and the UK. It’s such a blessing for leaders to work alongside brothers and sisters in another country. As the work develops we hope to run camps with Hungarian-speaking churches in Ukraine, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia and Croatia.

ACORNCAMPS is passionate about training up youth leaders to teach the Bible effectively. A number of Discipleship Training Camps (DTC) have been organised and many more are planned for the future. This really is a great need as so many youth leaders are gospel-centred, servant hearted and love teenagers - but have had little or no formal training.

More Hungarian churches have asked to partner with ACORNCAMPS reaching teenagers for Christ. Andy and Zsófi Oatridge (Associate Mission Partners with Crosslinks) are now working full-time in Hungary and Anna Read (Mission Partner with Crosslinks) is due to join them in early 2014.

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Bence, a teenager at a camp in Tahi said, ‘I’ve found a new life this week; I’ve become a Christian!’.Another Hungarian teenager from Siklos commented: ‘I didn’t realise that one

passage in the Bible could say so much to me!’

Please pray with us for more young people to be touched by God’s gospel like this.

teaching

You can read more about E4L and other Crosslinks Project Partners at www.crosslinks.org/projects

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teachingL I F EDespite the recent boom in India’s economy, many of the population remain poor. They also face huge spiritual poverty. Education for Liberation (E4L) is a Crosslinks Project Partner seeking to help. Managed by Pastor Devender, its focus is on a slum area of New Delhi and its aim is to reach the community with the good news of the gospel explicitly through the spoken word, and implicitly through practical service.

The children who attend E4L live in a slum built on government land where the average size of a house is 10 square metres. The whole family is expected to live in that small space without electricity, running water, sanitary system, or medical facilities. One single room is used for all purposes: study, cooking, eating and sleep-ing. Since the family income is very low, they do not get proper nutrition and this often makes the children weak and prone to disease. “A few years ago one student from our project died of swine flu,” commented Devender, “ She got sick and within three days she passed away.”

The fragility of life in this area of India highlights how important the work of E4L is. In this desperately poor urban community the team seeks to meet two urgent needs from a young age. Firstly, people’s recognised need for education, and second, their unrecognised need for the gospel. They do this through literacy, nu-meracy and skills classes. Alongside this they explain the gospel to women and children as relationships are built and through bible clubs. Each year they reach many families with the best news in the world.

Devender says, “We teach biblical values and the gospel, and hope that the children accept Jesus into their lives. We have seen many young boys and girls from this area coming to the church activities. But we cannot measure how much time it will take to bring all of them to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and this is something we can only pray for.” Please join Devender in this prayer and ask God to have mercy on these children.

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Teaching and Training (TnT) Ministries has been resourcing and equipping people to teach the Bible to children for over 20 years. They have an extensive range of printed resources which have been translated into 12 languages. Their new range of downloadable ‘Mustard Seeds’ resources seek to engage teachers with God’s word so that they can teach children with clarity and conviction rather than simply reciting from a script. TnT Ministries conducts regular training events throughout the UK and has also run training courses in Dubai, Germany, Hong Kong, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, USA and Zimbabwe.

TnT Ministries has regular contact with people worldwide who are working hard to teach the Bible to children in many different contexts. We asked them for a flavour of the different challenges they face and this is a summary of what they had to say:

The United Kingdom is sometimes described as ‘post-Christian’. In recent years, out of a desire to accommodate a multicultural society, Christian influence has waned and Christian believers struggle to gain a voice on the public stage. When the Bible is taught, it is not always treated as reliable and is rarely handled in a way that enables children to grasp its relevance to their lives.

U N I T E D K I N G D O M

Continental Europe is, for the most part, thoroughly secular in practice. This not only affects how people view the church, but also how they view themselves: society generally portrays people as intrinsically good. In Norway, for example, there are relatively few churches who teach children that they are sinners in need of rescue. Add to this the cultural diversity in much of Europe together with the massive influx of immigrants from other parts of the world and you have a rich and complex context in which to operate. Some children are well-versed in the Bible whereas others have never even heard the basic stories.

E U R O P E

The Middle East has no established culture of teaching the Bible to children at all. Materialism, coupled with a parenting style that seeks to appease rather than disciple children, has produced a generation of children who are difficult to reach with gospel truth.

M I D D L E E A S T

A R O U N D T H E

11You can find out more about Teaching and Training Ministries at www.tntministries.org.uk

North America still has a strong church-going culture. Most denominations produce their own children’s ministry resources and children are generally well catered for, but this too often follows an entertainment, rather than discipleship, model. Another weakness is focusing on teaching bible facts without necessarily appealing to the heart. This results in a strong ‘head knowledge’ of the Bible, but with insufficient attention given to spiritual awakening and character development.

N O R T H A M E R I C A

The challenges in Africa are characteristic of developing countries. The ravages of poverty and war result in a general lack of resources either to teach children or to train people to teach children. Whilst Islam continues to dominate North Africa, many churches are growing strongly in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless African Traditional Religion remains common, and this can sometimes mean that a Christian veneer conceals what is essentially animism and ancestor worship. There is a serious lack of culturally-relevant resources challenging these particular issues from a biblical perspective. Southern Africa shares many of the problems of the rest of the continent, despite a good deal of western influence and material wealth. Challenges to ministry in suburban South Africa include helping children to see that when, for example, they sing ‘Jesus is number one’ in church on a Sunday it needs to be true of every aspect of their lives throughout the week. Much of what they see in the lives of adults seems to teach that Jesus can take second, third or even fourth place.

A F R I C A

Australia and New Zealand enjoy the trappings of prosperous nations whilst people mostly don’t see the need for God. Engaging their children can therefore be very difficult. Within the church, parents are generally reticent to take seriously their roles as the spiritual heads of the home and this reinforces the children’s misconception that faith is an ‘add-on’ to life. The challenge is to help them understand that the Christian faith is not an optional extra, but integral to true life.

A U S T R A L I A & N Z

Singapore is to the East what London is to the West – a melting pot of diverse cultures and religions. Within the churches many people are first generation believers who have received little modelling in Christian parenting. They are often more concerned about their children’s academic achievements than their spiritual well-being. Parents are typically frenetically busy with work and push their children to be just as busy with their studies. Hong Kong is much the same and provides similar challenges.

S I N G A P O R E

W O R L D

Today I went to school. My best friend is Marleen. She is Afrikaans. I played with her. I had a swimming lesson in the afternoon.

D I A RY O FAG E D 7 ½

e r i n e l i z a b e t h h o o k e r

It is Book Week at school. We are learning about Namibia. A long time ago in Namibia we had a type of zebra that only had a stripy head and not a stripy body. There was a book sale and I bought a book. Conor, my friend, he’s a boy, bought me some stickers!

More school! After school I played tennis and my big brother watched me! It was more than 30 degrees – very hot! I went home and I went to swim with my big brother Benjamin. And after Matthew went to bed we sneaked outside and played on the trampoline.

T H U R S D A Y

It’s dress-up day today! I went as a Oshi Wambo lady and Benjamin went as a Boercans Afrikaans farmer. After school Benjamin went away. He went to Oanob dam.

F R I D A Y

Mum came to school and listened to the boys read. I got a certificate for the recorder. I got silver – 75%! I played with Milan and Winnieth and Chandré and Noran at first break at school. After second break we walked to the museum. We looked at statues of different people who live in Namibia. And we saw stuffed animals like a leopard who got run over by a car while he was hunting bush babies by the side of the road. They were being fed there. In the touching room there were animals in bottles and a there was a feel and guess and take out game!

W E D N E S D A Y

We watched Buck Denver. It was about the book of Esther. Our friends came over and we did a show for the grown-ups. It was about Abraham, Isaac and Sarah. I was Sarah.

S U N D A Y

M O N D A Y

T U E S D A Y

Today we are going to the Windhoek Show, but first, shopping.... We saw five beggars, some with children, all on one street. There was a Hereo lady out shopping. They have horns inside their hats to make them look pretty! Their dresses are exactly the same as the first missionaries who came to Namibia. Dad went to three ATM machines before he could get money. Mum says that’s quite usual. Eventually we did get to the show and I got a bubble-blowing gun and a panda made from painted stones. We had soooo much fun!

S A T U R D A Y

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Erin Elizabeth Hooker and her brothers Benjamin and Mathew live in Windhoek, Namibia with their parents John and Cathy. You can find out more at

www.crosslinks.org/mission-partners/josh-and-cathy-hooker

D I A RY O F

1SPIRITUAL GROWTHAsk God to nurture a listening and responsive heart to Jesus. If missionary children are aware of others praying for them and the work their family is engaged in, it validates it as something meaningful which will encourage their own walk with God.

CULTURAL IDENTITYThis is especially important for older children who face many issues living in a hybrid “third culture,” neither belonging fully to the culture of their passport country, nor to that of the country their parents work in. Praying for a good peer group in both countries is key.

TRANSITIONS Missionary children are frequently faced with saying goodbye to friends before long periods of home assignment, short-term relocations within the field, and permanent relocations elsewhere.

TIME BACK IN THE UK Often missionary families find these very stressful times. They are away from their normal home, routines and possessions, often staying with family, friends or strangers , and frequently travelling. Parents are busy trying to catch up with church partners and find it hard to make time for their children, who have to deal with new schools, unfamiliar churches, and many different expectations from other children and adults.

GOOD PARENTING Pray for parents to be wise and to have friends who can give good counsel. Often missionary parents are not part of a community of families bringing up children with the same spiritual and cultural values. There simply isn’t the same opportunity to watch and learn from good (and bad) examples in the playground, at school or at church.

HEALTH AND SAFETY In many countries where Crosslinks Mission Partners serve, diseases like rabies and malaria have at times taken the lives of missionary children. So while there are risks everywhere, the risks are greater in some places.

Ursula Weekes is a former Crosslinks Mission Partner with three children of her own.

HOW TO P R A Y F O R T H E C H I L D R E N O F M I S S I O N P A R T N E R S

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Missionary children are ordinary children in an extraordinary situation. They face all the normal issues of being young but the cross-cultural circumstances in which they live can be far more demanding that the steady familiarity of growing up in one’s passport country. It is important to pray meaningfully for children whose parents are seeking to serve Christ overseas. When the Apostle Paul was in Asia, “under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure”, he tells the church at Corinth that their prayers played a vital role in his survival: “on Him [God] we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.” (2 Cor 1v10).

Here are a few areas that may need special prayer:

A G R E AT C L O U D O FW I T N E S S E S

The book Tailum Jan has captivated young readers for generations. Tim Houghton reflects on how it shaped his love for God’s people in Burma, and how his grandfather came to write it.

For the first time in her life Ma Roi (Tailum Jan) lifted up her heart to Kărai Kăsang (God the Creator) in prayer. Her prayer was simply, “Myit san seng măyu ai” (“I want a clean heart”) and so she gave her life to the Lord Jesus.

How well I remember having the story of Tailum Jan read to me as a child and hearing how God called this simple woman of a little known tribe (the Jinghpaws, or Kachins) in the wilds of Upper Burma. It had added interest for me because the story also talks about the Du Kăba (Big Chief ) and Zau Gam (the first son of a Duwa or Chief ) – my grandfather and father (himself just a small boy) respectively. Dad, aged three, became great friends with Tailum Jan and “could prattle away in Jinghpaw and tell her: Yēsu ngai hpe tsaw ra ai (“Jesus loves me”).”

As the story unfolded I was captivated by the way God worked in harsh and trying conditions to bring people in this far off land to a saving faith in Christ. It is a true story and one that is shot through with conflict, danger, and prayer. It is an account of God’s wonderful grace in enabling a faithful and bold witness by missionary pioneers and indigenous new converts alike.

Tailum Jan was written in 1930 by my grandfather, AT Houghton, “to recount God’s wonderful grace

in dealing with an individual soul, and in order to arouse prayer-interest on behalf of this little known tribe, fast bound by the chains of devil worship and tribal custom, and others as yet unreached on the mountain frontiers of Burma.” He goes on to comment: “If any are led to ‘effectual fervent prayer’ for Burma as the result, the purpose of the book will have been accomplished.”

As a result, all my life I have prayed for Christians in Burma and for people there to hear the good news of Jesus. Of course it helped that there were family connections: it was wonderful to sit with Grandpa and listen to his experiences of walking through the jungle and climbing the steep hills. Grandpa’s recollections echoed what I read in Tailum Jan. His account of how God saved her from the clutches of an angry bear has stuck with me all my life, and I delight in retelling the story to children as I visit churches!

It has been my privilege since to serve God’s people in Burma (now Myanmar) through Crosslinks Schools of Biblical Training. I very quickly came to love the country and its people… but I think God gave me a wonderful head start through the remarkable tale of Tailum Jan and her faith!

T A I L U M J A N

A copy of ‘Tailum Jan’ will be available on the Crosslinks website soon.

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Crosslinks people are building churches all over the world www.crosslinks.org

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LASTWORD

WE MUST NOT FORGET THE ‘LOST’-THOSE WHO FACE AN ETERNITY WITHOUT CHRIST UNLESS THEY RESPOND

TO THE GOSPEL PROCLAIMED

It is said that the Lord has no grandchildren, with each generation responsible for their own response to the gospel of Christ in repentance and faith. It is also clear that even the godliest parents cannot guarantee that their offspring will follow Christ as they have done. Having said that, it is still remarkable how the history of BCMS and Crosslinks is marked by Christian ‘dynasties’, the Gurneys/Farrant-Russells and Houghtons/Thompsons to name just two!

Harry Stileman was born to ‘great supporters of the Evangelical cause’ in 1860. “It was the father’s consistent life and the effectual fervent prayers of his brother Charles (later Bishop of Persia) and his sister, which resulted in his conversion on 28 December 1881, DL Moody being the means used.” Harry was Senior Naval Officer of the Port of Liverpool in the First World War and in 1923 became Lay-Deputation Secretary of the BCMS for 15 years. He served on the council of the new BCMS training colleges in Bristol, and led the society’s party at the Keswick Convention for many years. Two of his children served with BCMS in Burma: Mary (May) amongst the Shan peoples of Bilumyo in Kachin State from 1926-1960 and Fred who went with others to claim the notorious Hukawng Valley “for the gospel” from 1928-1940. Of course, there are Stilemans serving the same Master in different capacities to this day showing, as Paul explained to Timothy, the value of a godly family where the Scriptures are opened and explained.

All this might lead some who do not share that wonderful heritage to wonder at their “disadvantage”. Note however that when Harry was born again “DL Moody (was) the means used”, and there were no human ties between Moody and Harry. No, under God it was the message declared by Moody by which Harry was brought into the Kingdom. It was through Stilemans - but several generations on from Sir Harry - that I heard and responded to that same gospel message.

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LASTWORDA N D Y L I N E S

“I [Paul] am reminded of your [Timothy’s] sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well... continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writ-ings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim 1:5 and 3:14-15

Paul explained to Timothy OF the value of a godly family where the Scriptures are opened

and explained

15

Andy Lines is Crosslinks Mission Director

M E E T I N G SP R A Y E R

BELFAST4 February, 6 May, 5 August, 4 November at 8pm Crosslinks Office, 32 Montgomery Rd, Belfast. Contact Val Ellis on 028 90796028

BOURNEMOUTHSecond Tuesday of each month at 10.30am St Paul’s Church, Throop, Bournemouth. Contact Douglas Newport on 01202 397342.

CHORLEYSt Paul’s Church, Bury Lane, Withnell PR6 8SDContact Sue Farnsworth atsfarnsworth@crosslinks.org or 020 8691 6111.

DUBLINSecond Monday of each month at 8pm. Contact 01 872 9508 for details.

FRINTON-ON-SEAFirst Thursday of each month at 3pm 6 Holmbrook Way, Frinton-on-Sea.Contact Mr C Clift on 01255 674937.

OXFORDSt Ebbe’s Church, OxfordContact Sue Farnsworth atsfarnsworth@crosslinks.org or 020 8691 6111.

RIPONFirst Saturday of each month at 1.30pm 2 All Saints Square, Ripon.Contact William and Ruth Deeth on 01765 690366.

WARINGSTOWN10 March, 9 June, 8 September, 10 November at 8pm Rev J & Mrs D McMaster, 78 Murray Wood, WaringstownContact Val Ellis on 028 90796028

WEYMOUTHSecond Monday of each month 7.30-9pm.Contact Derek Saunders on 01305 779510

ARCTIC FELLOWSHIP – OADBYContact John Tonkin on 0116 281 2517.

If you can start a prayer meeting in your region, contact Sue at sfarnsworth@crosslinks.org or 020 86916111

31 JANUARY – 1 FEBRUARY 2014‘Exclusive: The Uniqueness of Christ and His Mission.’ A weekend conference with Dr. Don Carson.Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The conference will explore our conviction that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation in the context of a religiously pluralistic society and will renew our confidence in Christ as the only Saviour and Lord.Our hope is that this conference will rekindle a passion to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Contact Val Ellis, 028 9079 6028 vellis@crosslinks.org www.crosslinks.org/events/exclusive

E V E N T S

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