jesus life 67

JesusLifeJesusLife#67 Three/2004 FREE

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✚ Jesus Centre opens✚ Multiply International Leaders Conference✚ ‘Loved’ in Liverpool

Life in London

A UK JESUS PEO PLE MAGAZINE from the Multiply Network and Je sus Fel low ship/modern JESUS army (mJa)

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Church Alive

Changed Life

Prophetic Word

Phones

Prison Pages

Changed Life

Spiritual Search

Power Festival

Where Were You...

Revival Fires

Electronic Postbag

Jesus People Shop

The Day I Was...

c o n t e n t s

‘LOVED’ IN LIVERPOOL

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R U UP 4 IT?J generation call

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‘I’M LOVING IT’ Jesus Army London Day

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MULTIPLY INTERNATIONAL LEADERS’ CONFERENCE

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LOVE INJECTIONLate night march

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JESUS CENTRES

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special feature

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THE JESUS FEL LOW SHIP CHURCH, which is also known as the Jesus Army and in cludes the New Cre a tion Chris tian Com mu ni ty, up holds the his tor ic Chris tian faith, be ing re formed, evan gel i cal and char is mat ic. It practises believer’s baptism and the New Tes ta ment reality of Christ’s Church; be liev ing in Al mighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; in the full divinity, aton ing death and bodily res ur rec tion of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the Bible as God’s word, fully in spired by the Holy Spirit. This Church desires to wit ness to the Lord ship of Je sus Christ over and in His Church; and, by holy char ac ter, righteous society and evan gel i cal tes ti mo ny to de clare that Je sus Christ, Son of God, the only Saviour, is the way, the truth and the life, and through Him alone can we find and enter the king dom of God. This church proclaims free grace, jus ti fi ca tion by faith in Christ and the sealing and sanc ti fy ing baptism in the Holy Spir it.

© 2004 Je sus Fel low ship Church, Nether Hey ford, North amp ton NN7 3LB, UK. Reproduction in any form re quires writ ten per mis sion. The Jesus Fel low ship does not nec es sar i ly agree with all the views ex pressed in ar ti cles and in ter views print ed in this mag a zine. Pho to graphs in this mag a zine are cop y right Je sus Fel low ship Church un less oth er wise not ed. The Jesus Fellowship is part of Mul ti ply Christian Net work. Both the Jesus Fellowship and Multiply Christian Network are members of the Evan gel i cal Alliance UK.

New to you? To receive Jesus Life free reg u lar ly, com plete and send in the pre paid re sponse card. If you have received this in the post and would prefer not to receive fur ther cop ies, please in di cate on the pre paid card.

Jesus Life Three/2004

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churchALIVEchurchALIVEComments from Noel Stanton and members of the Apostolic Team, Jesus Fellowship UK/mJa

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I HAVE been hearing the Lord speaking- ‘Esteem My Word and I will entrust more of my Word to you.’ We es-teem or honour His Word by listening deeply to His Word

and applying it. In our own personal read-ing of the scriptures and communing with Him, He will speak to us but, in particular we must listen to Him communicating His Word through the various prophetic minis-tries among us. The earth and planets were created by His Word of power and is being sustained by His Word. The New Creation has been birthed and is being sustained and led by Lord Jesus Christ who is the Word of God. He is always speaking. The Word of God always accomplishes, achieves, cleanses, inspires faith, brings focus, guidance, brings His presence, strengthens us, causes us to succeed and overcome. It will always be opposed by Satan. In our Church Households and Congrega-tions we are beginning to see a new release of prophetic gifts and ministries. The gifts of prophecy, tongues and interpretation, words of knowledge and wisdom are active among us. Let’s believe for more. This is a sign of God presencing among us in greater power.

‘honour my word’Michael Haines

www.jesus.org.ukwww.jesus.org.uk

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life in londonNoel Stanton

with the life they receive and love one another. In recent months London has seen even more spiritual activity. The big “Soul in the City” event has taken place with 10,000 young Christians in-volved, ending with a huge rally in Trafalgar Square. A week later the Jesus Army had it’s annual march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square (see page 1 photo and article on page 6-7) with a 3-hour long festival on the Square during which many people were prayed for. Yes, there is life in London. Through Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God has come and the signs of this in life and power are becoming visible everywhere.

LONDON, like all our large cities, urgently needs the life that Jesus promised. Christians must bring this life. It is Holy Spirit life, the life of God in the human soul. It is spiritual life, bringing wisdom, purity and power. We live in days when a majority of UK people have a desire for spiritual experi-ence. Jesus spoke of spiritual birth, of being “born anew” and also of being baptised with the Holy Spirit. He spoke of coming to help people “pass from death to life” and said that “rivers of life” would fl ow from those who believe in Him and receive the Holy Spirit. Many today are re-ceiving these Jesus experiences. London has many, many church buildings, although in the last 60 years hundreds have closed and been sold because of low attendance. However the impact of Christianity cannot be measured by the number of buildings. It is life-fi lled people that make impact, and increas-ingly large and small groups of Spirit-fi lled Christians are to be found in the UK’s capital city. Black, white, brown – brought up in poverty or wealth – young or old – it makes no difference. All can meet Jesus, have their spiritual lives unlocked, fl ow

second jesus centre opensFIRST COVENTRY, now Northamp-ton. The vision for Centres for worship, care and evange-lism in UK cities and towns, is slowly being fulfi lled. The old Cannon Cinema in the centre of Northampton has at last been renovated and converted to provide a 900-seat

auditorium with smaller halls and various ancillary rooms and a large Day Care Centre. The Jesus Fel-lowship opening and commissioning celebrations are on Saturday 30 October 2004 and our read-ers, many of whom have sent fi nancial gifts, are very wel-come to attend. A

more formal open-ing will take place in early December, with an Open Week for the public. Northampton is now a town of 200,000 people and growing fast. As is sadly normal for the UK, many churches have closed in the last 50 years and their buildings sold off and developed

for other purposes. Jesus Fellowship is among the largest churches in town and we are so glad to have been able to reverse this trend and convert an old cinema for mainly Christian use. In order to pay op-erational and other costs, the audito-rium will be hired out for other uses

during the week, when not in use for Jesus Fellowship purposes. We thank God for the provision of a Jesus Centre in Northampton and now anticipate the provision of funds to provide Jesus Centres in London, Birmingham, Shef-fi eld, Leicester and elsewhere.

Noel Stanton

Jesus Life Two/2004

Jesus Life Three/2004Page 3

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03_4.in

ownership for the common goodOUR COM-MUNITY was recently blamed with becoming a “Nanny state”. Two friends asked

me to explain. Well, what do we take as the opposite of own-ership for personal gain? If we say it’s disownership, then we walk away from biblical responsibil-

Ian Callard

ity and stewardship. “Not my problem” is a devilish cop-out. The more correct term would be ownership for the common good. Beyond each member’s basic view, of course, the Com-munity’s administra-tion and leadership either promotes or obstructs how every-

day life works out. Disownership sits beside another mistaken belief: what’s meant by Christian freedom. The apostle Paul was clear. Christ triumphed over the full impact of sin upon us, includ-ing death and alien powers. He did this not for His own

sake, but ours. This action of libera-tion is the founda-tion of the new creation humanity/community. It defi nes love. We follow Jesus in responsibly con-secrating our lives for the benefi t of others. Self-interest has no place. Our society is

insanely individual-istic. Believers who seek to experience Christ as an indi-vidual affair miss the point. Claims of “freedom” and “liberty” must be matched by lives dedicated to the common welfare. All other messages, attitudes, and aims mutilate the gospel.

Jesus Life Two/2004Jesus Life Three/2004Page 4

dd 2

final mix

Noel Stanton and

Apostolic Team

THE POWER Festival Weekend at end May was well attended with a good response. The Winning Festival Weekend at end August was exceptional. Several hundred people came forward to meet Je-sus, receive the Holy Spirit, speak in tongues, return to “fi rst love”, and for the healing of memories and hurts from the past and the healing of their bodies. Some had demons expelled. Two new Church Households (in Oxford and Croydon) were commis-sioned. Prophecy was brought to leaders and trainee leaders.

Tongues and interpretation were brought from the stage and the Jesus Generation leaders spoke of water baptism to their age group and baptised several immediately. New Creation Christian Community is experiencing a time of “cleansing” with a determination to remove all sin and to ensure we return fully to our radical principles. Jesus Generation (15s-35s) has had exciting late-at-night street wit-ness and spontaneous march events in the centres of London and Birmingham. Some 300

people of all ages came recently to a celibates’ evening when the power of the Holy Spirit was much in evidence. Men Alive For God is at the Jesus Centre, Northampton on Saturday 20 November 2004 and the New Year Jesus Fellowship UK Jesus Celebration is at the same venue on Saturday 1 Janu-ary 2005. We look forward to see-ing some of you at these events. Again our thanks for all your prayers, gifts and interest. Our friends are very precious to us. Yours, because of Jesus.

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12/10/2004, 11:08:09

05

KEV WAS seventeen when an ‘evening out with the boys’ turned into a night of drunken violence and ended with a complete stranger lying kicked to death. Although he hadn’t been one of the instigators, Kev was still in part responsible. In 1975 he started three years in prison for manslaughter. “I came out of prison overwhelmed with remorse,” says Kev. “It was all too easy to use drink to blot out what I’d done.” One evening, an acquaint-ance invited Kev to his house. Kev had no idea he was a sa-tanist until he brought out black magic books and invited Kev to a coven gathering. “I said no but, sadly, my curiosity was aroused and I started collecting my own oc-cult library. One day the books disappeared. Mum - a devout Catholic - had burnt the lot! I was hopping mad but I’ve lived to be really grateful to her.” In 1985 Kev married but within fi ve years his drinking destroyed everything. His wife left in 1987 and he lost his job in 1989. Twelve months later he lost his home. “The following year Mum died and in 1992 tormenting voices started in my head. For the next eleven years, off and

on, the voices dominated my life. My psychiatrist insisted they were simply hallucinations resulting from alcohol psycho-sis. I knew they had a super-natural source and guessed that while alcohol had opened the door to them, they originated in the years I’d fi lled my mind from satanic books. “By millennium year I was homeless. The Salvation Army sent me to the Jesus Army, who took me in as part of the family in a community house. I did well for eight months. I felt full of hope for myself. I found Jesus as my Saviour and received a powerful touch of the Holy Spirit. I started college, although friends at church warned me it was too soon to expose myself to the student drinking culture. Sure enough, what started

Alcoholism and the tormenting Alcoholism and the tormenting psychotic delusions that psychotic delusions that went with it dominated Kevin went with it dominated Kevin Dolman’s life for over ten years. Dolman’s life for over ten years. But they were no match for the But they were no match for the power of Jesus.power of Jesus.

The voices dominated

my life

Kevin has found hope in Jesus after

years of conflict

as light social drinking ended with hard drinking alone. Soon I’d stopped going to church and the horrible, heavy, threatening, demonic voices began again.” Kev’s doctor recommended a move from college to psychi-atric hospital. Kev made good progress but then, in November 2000, went missing into the town. “My muddled psychotic thinking led me to form a plan to go to the top of the multi-storey carpark - which had a drop of 160 feet - and confront the voices. But as I sat in the dark astride the wall, I thought ‘I can’t live like this anymore - I’d be better off dead’. My last

thought as I pushed myself over was ‘It’s up to You now God.’” A car parked in the wrong place broke Kev’s fall and saved his life. He

TUG OF WARTUG OF WAR for my soul! for my soul!had a sensation of intense pain, bright lights and people talking - then nothing until sixteen days later when he woke in Intensive Care with metal plates in both hips, legs and elbows, jaws wired together, his nose broken and his pelvis smashed. “You can imagine my despair as I lay there but I was over-whelmed when Steve, a Jesus Army leader, visited me. “I was so grateful to be alive. I knew God had saved me. After six months rehabilitation Steve lifted me into the minibus so I could go to church.” “When I was smashed to bits and had nothing to give anyone, Jesus and His church were there for me. I’ve put everyone through so much but they’ve stuck with me. At last I believe drink and the voices have lost their power and God really does have a plan for my future.” JL


www.jesus.org.uk

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“I’m lovin loving

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‘IN LONDON’S Trafalgar Square it seemed just an-other summer’s day - pigeons strutting their stuff, children stripping off in the fountains and tour-ists streaming into the galleries. Until just before midday, that is, when the marchers arrived. The Jesus Festival was not the biggest spectacle on the square this summer, but the Holy Spirit was there, and God’s hand was at work, moving people from all over the world to come for a life-changing encounter with Him. One Muslim from Oman was already waiting. “I want to know about Jesus,” he said. So he lis-tened – for the whole

afternoon.Over at Big Ben a group of Hungar-ians out sightseeing spotted a brightly-coloured Jesus Army car and stopped the driver to ask about the local church meeting. “We can feel God’s presence here,” they said next day. At one point on-lookers were invited to walk under col-oured banners for an anointing - blue for the Holy Spirit, green for Holy Warfare and white for Sexual Pu-rity. One man spoke of how he was being freed from the power of pornography. “If he has the guts to stand on stage and

life unlimited

Emma Merry reports on some life-changing encounters during the Jesus Festival in Trafalgar Square

say that, I can ask you to pray with me,” was one response. Even as the re-sources were being packed up and the buses departing, the movement of life continued. Terry, a doorman at a café, was eager to come to church, and Juan from Colombia couldn’t wait for the evening’s baptisms – he jumped in the fountain. Saturday 14 August 2004 was indeed a one-off day – of encounters with the living God that would change lives eternally.


www.jesus.org.uk

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ng it”lovingloving “

www.jesus.org.uk

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Action, colour and joy characterised the Jesus Army march through London’s city centre. Alison Moore reports

HUNDREDS OF Jesus Army members turned out to walk the route from Mar-ble Arch to Trafalgar Square on Saturday 14 August 2004. Dancers danced, banners waved and the beauty of God’s church was made manifest on an equally beautiful day in the heart of London. The march was led from the front by the J Generation of dancers, beating in the passion of the Holy Spirit with a rhythm of life and power, and accom-panied by the voices of worship and life booming through the mobile sound system - “We bring the one who has conquered all sin, we bring the peace of Jesus to this place!” Comments from those taking part included: “excellent, lots of love, lots of joy, bringing the power of God”, “peo-

I’m loving it”ple are very glad to be together, it’s great to be able to walk through the centre of London”, “bubbly, full of faith, loving people”, “bringing the simple power of God’s church and his salvation to a city which so often seems to have no love”, “it’s good, I’m loving it”, “fun, life, laughter, colourful, noisy” and “very anointed, very good”. As the march rounded the corner approaching Tra-falgar Square there was an overwhelm-ing sense of peace and for a while the noise fell to join it – then, as the dancers heralding the march entered the square, the dancing and music erupted into a powerful spectacle of love and praise. All the voices, all the colours, all the people proclaiming

- ‘look, see, look at the Holy One - Jesus Christ is Lord!’

‘Fun, life, laughter, colourful,

noisy’

JL


12/10/2004, 11:13:53

us in breaking taboos should help churches uth culture of today, e, argues Nick Lear

Rev Nick Lear

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“WE’VE GOT nothing to believe in, except having a good time, all the time, and f*** the conse-quences.” (The Face, July 2002). If you can get past the profan-ity, this is a startlingly accurate and concise summary of the beliefs of most young people in Britain today. If humans are in any way con-sistent, our foundational beliefs distil into values by which we live, and these in turn, shape our at-titudes and behaviour. For young people for whom the right to be happy is a core belief, values by which they live include wanting that happiness now, not delayed or deferred; exploring happiness through acceptance of others; and enjoying life most in leisure and by commendations from others for doing something well. These values can be seen in the attitudes and behaviour that young people engage in which

I summarise as: purchasing, watching, drinking, bonking, engaging with music, sport, get-ting high and messing around. All of them are intended to make the young people happy. When we look at almost any aspect of youth culture it seems to be at odds with ‘church.’ Indeed, churches have often said a resounding ‘no’ to all of the activities mentioned above. Young people translate this as churches saying that they are not allowed to enjoy themselves.

Churches will not intentionally communicate to young people that they want nothing to do with them – quite the opposite. Some use activities in these areas as the basis for outreach to young people (particularly music and sport). The problem we have is that our message is essentially the antithesis of theirs and does not sound like good news. So where do we look for an answer? Christians affi rm both Jesus’ divinity and His humanity. However, our view of His human-ity may be distorted by our view of His divinity: we don’t seem to place as much emphasis on some of what we would see as the ‘bas-er’ aspects of humanity as we do on His character, His story-tell-ing ability and His emotions. We are in danger of misrepresenting Jesus if we do not pay attention to His social life as well as the other parts of His life.

Jesus was accused (incorrectly) of be-ing a glutton and a drunkard (Matthew 11:18, 19) because He socialised with others. The shock of Jesus “welcoming sinners and eating

with them” (Luke 15:2) is lost on us today, but He was breaking all sorts of social and religious taboos by doing so – and it didn’t bother Him in the slightest. In-deed, it seems to me that He took the taunt that He was a “friend of sinners” as a commendation! Jesus spent time in the ‘wrong’ places with the ‘wrong’ people and His holiness was not com-promised. I am not suggesting that Christians advocate or condone attitudes and behaviour that are

The example of Jesto reach the peopleidentify with the yowithout compromis

is Mission Adviser, Baptist Union of Great Britain

contradictory to the teaching of Scripture, but how many of them are so bad that we cannot con-template being anywhere near anyone who engages in these ac-tivities? Can’t we risk being called “gluttons and drunkards” and “friends of sinners” for the sake of the Kingdom of God? Religious people hated Jesus for it, but those who needed to encounter Him, loved Him for it. We need to challenge the judgmental and condemna-tory attitudes that we fi nd in our churches and rediscover Jesus’ passion for young people whose lives have not yet been sorted out. This might mean:• Becoming more rebellious against injustice and abuse of power• Being powerless and vulner-able when we might feel safer being in control• Being more humble in our evangelism• Taking some risks in leaving our comfort zones• Discovering new ways to equip, support and encourage Christian young people to be with their friends. ‘Living it large’ is a phrase used by young people to describe a lifestyle that gives them the most enjoyment possible. I believe that our churches need to be far more accept-ing of young people who are doing just that, even if they do things we might con-sider unacceptable, because God loves them as they are and we want them to know that. I also believe that our churches need to learn from young people and be rejuvenated in order to be more authentically the way Jesus intends us to be. JL


This is a shortened version of an article first published in ‘Quadrant’, the magazine of the Christian Research Association, July 2004 and used with permission

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09.

HERE’S a funny

story. A friend of mine called Tim used to love

the football. He’d go everywhere with his mates to see his team playing. One time, when he was about 15, they were on their way to watch a match in Birmingham. Before him and the boys boarded the train, they asked the driver if it stopped at Boardsley. “No”, said the driver, “but we do slow down.” Sussing that it would be okay to do so, Tim and the boys - as the train slowed down - launched themselves at the platform. As I said, this is a funny story, not a tragedy. People jumping from trains tend to get them-selves in serious scrapes. Thank-fully, these guys lived to tell the tale. Two of the lads smacked

R U UP 4 IT?R U UP 4 IT?

into each other, one wrecked his jeans and one smashed up his knee. To add insult to injury, the train not only slowed down at the station, but stopped a few minutes later. The moral of the story - apart from not jumping from moving trains, that is? Be careful who you trust. The sales assistant tells you that you can use that evil smelling liquid to light your barbecue? Read the label. The doctor wants to amputate your arm when you’ve cut your fi nger peeling potatoes? Get a second opinion. There is safety in having lots of advisers. Only Jesus is completely trustworthy. If He says, “Walk on the water”, it’s a safe bet that you can. If He says, “You are healed”, it’s a sure thing that you are. “Everything that He tells you,” said his mother Mary, “do it.” No

• Laurence Cooper is a leader in Jesus Fellowship Coventry and part of the J Gen ‘Cutting Edge’ leadership team

Aged 15 to 35? Fancy a bit of excitement? How about taking a deep breath and chucking yourself into

something?

questions. Just jump. Jesus didn’t call us to tiptoe through life. He calls us to stake our all on one great chance of eternity, letting go of our safeguards and pension plans, insurance policies and safety nets. “Get rid of everything else,” he says, “and come, follow me!” On 16 October in Sheffi eld we are calling young people like you to step into a life of dynamic faith in Jesus. The challenge is: to lose your fear. Live a new way. Believe. And see God achieve the impos-sible in your life. Do you want to die comfort-ably? Or do you want to live powerfully? Then hear the call, count the cost, and come!

JGEN

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www.jesus.org.uk Jesus Life Three/2004Page 9

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UK

In June 2004 over 100 visitors from 23 countries converged on Cornhill Manor, Northamptonshire, for the second Multiply International Leaders’ Conference. Emma Merry reports.

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God×Love×Good friendsDELEGATES to the second Multiply International Lead-ers’ Conference enjoyed a fortnight’s stay in christian community houses across the UK, coupled with varied activity with the Jesus Fe llowship. Saturday’s conference opened with James Treasure, of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, sharing some convictions of church planting, including the pre-eminence of love. “When you get fed up, love even more,” he said. In the afternoon three national representatives, including Matthew Oluwasesin from Nigeria, spoke of how they were seeking to extend the Network. Multiply Nigeria recently hosted a conference for 47 people from 20 churches, and local partners meet every month. “We share, eat together and help one another materially and spiritually,” Matthew explained. Seminars and a question and answer session enabled delegates to discover how the different aspects of Jesus Fellowship work together. In the evening, Jesus Fellowship senior pastor, Noel Stanton, spoke on leadership essentials. Exhorted to examine ourselves, the response time overfl owed with prayers of repentance, deliverance and commitment. Multiply is for the small, the large, the rich and the poor. “What we can offer is not only our advice, time, love and experience, but also that of other partner churches who may understand your culture better,” as Mike Farrant said. Why not jump in and join with God in creating something new where you are?• The next Multiply International Leaders’ Conference is scheduled for May/June 2006.


www.jesus.org.uk

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SUD

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CHARLES JONGO, Africa Inland Church, Juba, Sudan

Seeking peaceCHARLES JONGO is an elder of Africa Inland Church, Su-dan, and ministers mainly out of Khar-toum, where he helps to lead eight church centres. “Sudan is mainly Muslim in the north and Christian in the south. We estimate 20 per cent of peo-ple in the south are Christians,” he says. “Over four mil-lion people have been displaced by the confl icts that have torn Sudan for 35 years. Many are from nomadic tribes, compelled by food shortages to fi nd their way

to Khartoum. More than two million civilians have died in the confl icts and there are at least 300,000 orphans at present in Khar-toum.” Charles’s church in Juba was founded by the Africa Inland Mission. He, him-self, was not born again until 1995: “Once converted, I was zealous to start a prayer centre and my teaching ministry grew until I gave up my government job in meteorology to be a full-time pastor.” Mass displace-ment has brought immense human misery to Sudan. However, it has ena-bled the gospel to

spread and churches have grown and unifi ed under the outside pressure from Islamic fun-damentalism. Since 9/11 it has been easi-er to travel to other countries and there is currently a peace process in Sudan. Charles is, how-ever, keenly aware of the fragility of the peace: “Peace that has come through pressure may not last. It will only be a lasting peace when it comes from the heart.” Christians are being encouraged to leave and Charles has been invited to settle in the US. He has refused: “I feel more needed to serve my fellow sufferers at home. It is good to share diffi culties and carry

burdens together as Christ teaches.” The church helps with schooling, san-itation and health-care in the camps outside Khartoum. Transportation of aid is diffi cult, and much is stolen. “We are trying to create community but few of our people have anything to share,” says Charles. “But we want to show people that Jesus is alive. He cares. He’s a friend,” he continues. “And I want to teach a lov-ing way towards our enemies. “So many aspects in Jesus Army speak of people working together and trusting each other. That’s something I really feel is important. “Please pray for lasting peace and for protection for our churches, our lead-ers, our ministries and our families.”

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REV QUEEN Jothi Lotus (right) is chaplain of Schieffelin Leprosy Research and Training Centre in Karigiri, southern India. “I found

a loving people – all the nation-alities mixing easily, with Jesus

as King among us,” she says.

Bonds of love

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AS ONE might expect, restoration is the emphasis of the Restoration Ministries Church Network, based in Durban, South Africa, but with link churches and branches elsewhere in South Africa, in the Ukraine, and in Hull, north-east Eng-land. Bishop Jan Ellis and Apostle Paul Viljoen attended the conference. For them restora-

Back to basicstion is not just about becoming what you were, but assisting people to be the fullest they can be. “Many Christians suffer from low self-esteem and cannot become that full person,” says Jan. To this end they run a leadership development school in tandem with con-ferences and healing services. Physical and emotional heal-ings are common, and include the doc-umented healing of an AIDS sufferer.

Jan was chal-lenged to see how the Jesus Fellowship runs its ministry, describing it as being brought back to ba-sics: “Church is not about organisation, structures, projects - it is about people, and it doesn’t matter whether you drive a Benz or wear old clothes.” He hopes to make fellowship more prominent in the future. The church runs a pre-school and a graphics studio, which fi nancially support the ministry and enable Jan to

‘sow’ a month every year into the church worldwide. “God has used this time to stir me up to create more job opportuni-ties,” he says. With unemployment cur-rently running at 40 per cent, this will be yet another means of restoration.Jeremiah 29:11 is the foundation of Jan’s life. “For every person God thinks good thoughts,” he says. “My heartbeat is to see as many people as possible coming to the knowledge and the fullness of that good thought and plan.”

s!”

A passion for peopleMULTIPLY NIGERIA partner, evangelist Mrs Elisabeth Ayangbile, invited Rev Dr Francis Olonade to the conference. “Jesus Fellowship is a sign to this generation of what the Kingdom should be,” he says. “The love has been so wonderful and the dedication, especially in celibacy. The humble attitude to one another cannot be quantifi ed.” Francis, a graduate of mechanical engineer-ing, started full-time ministry in 1983. His

father initially opposed his decision to become a pastor. However, in 1986 he was ordained and the ministry, The Jesus Is Lord Foundation International, was commis-sioned. Later, his father was converted, and now his mother, sisters and brothers are all his church members. People are Francis’ passion. “I want to reach 100,000 for Jesu

IGERIGERIGERee/2004 www.jesus.org.uk

13/10/2004, 14:37:31

1

DANIEL CIOBANU came to the Multiply conference with his co-elder Costel Lacatus from a church in Iassy, Romania. “I came to the Conference looking for something deeper from God.” explains Daniel. He was brought up by Christian parents during the communist regime. “The state allowed worship in

New refreshmentthe Orthodox churches authorised by the government, but placed restrictions on Protestant Romani-ans like my parents,” he recalls. “I found church too full of rules and rituals. I knew many things about God but I didn’t meet Him until one day I heard someone preach on Isaiah 43.”Later, after communism fell, in December 1989, Daniel and sev-eral families from his parents’ church started a house church. “I was very fulfi lled in my

ministry as a worship leader and happy that we could tackle some of the poverty around us through the proceeds from a church shop. But I felt I’d stopped growing spiritually. I came to Multiply to fi nd some-thing new - and I found the refreshment I searched for. “The things that most im-pressed me were the joy I could see on people’s faces when they worshipped God, and the sim-plicity, respect and love for one another in people’s lives and in the community. It was like be-ing with a huge family.”

Daniel Ciobanu from Iassy, Romania

www.jesus.org.uk

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Tribal movementIN 1967 a small mission, the Living Room, opened in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district. This was to spawn the Jesus People movement which affected many, including a young Adrian Simila. Thirty years later, Adrian founded World Harvest Mis-sions in Spokane, Washington. It majors on street evangelism and Adrian, his wife and two children live in common-purse community with several single men.

“We are built from what the US calls ‘throwaways’ - runa-ways and homeless people,” says Adrian. “Out of these we’ve had strong leaders develop.” There aren’t many radical communi-ties in the US and their common purse provokes much op-position. Several things helped Adrian to relate to the Jesus Fellowship. “One is longev-ity. Also we share common values such as community, discipleship and

apostolic authority. “I feel secure with your covenant com-mitment to God and to God’s people. We expect that level of commitment if we’re going to live together. I believe Jesus Army is the same tribe.” Adrian loves going out with the Jesus Army evan-gelism team in London’s Leicester Square. “We evan-gelists must stick together!” he says. “I just love people and want to see them saved by God’s grace.”

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Adrian Simila heads up World Harvest Missions, USA

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13/10/2004, 14:37:39

God i s wo r k i n g i n s u r p r i s i n g a n d r e ma r k a b l e ways i n many p r i s o n s a c r o s s t h e U K

ON THE INSIDEON THE INSIDElifelife

14_1

MULTIPLY churches and groups meet in much of the UK. Ring one of the numbers below to fi nd out what’s on in your area! More info can be found in Multiply Infozine Pull-out Supplement.

BELFAST ....................................... 0845 123 5552BOURNEMOUTH ............................ 0845 123 5558BRISTOL ....................................... 0845 123 5339CHESTER/NORTH WALES .............. 0845 123 5561HASTINGS ..................................... 0845 123 5551HUNTINGDON ............................... 0845 166 2697NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE ............... 0845 166 8187PRESTON ...................................... 0845 123 5554SWANSEA ..................................... 0845 123 5556WALSALL/WOLVERHAMPTON ........ 0845 123 5563

Contact: Jesus Fellowship/Multiply Central Offi ces, Nether HeyfordNorthampton NN7 3LB 0845 166 8171www.multiply.org.uk e: [email protected]

Jesus Fellowship groups also meet regularly in:

BIRMINGHAM Jesus Fellowship Church .....................0845 166 8153BLACKBURN Rishton Christian Fellowship .................(01254) 887790BRIDGEND The Bridge Community Church .................(01656) 655635BRIGHTON & HOVE Jesus Fellowship Church..............0845 166 8151CHATHAM House Of Prayer For All Nations..................(01634) 669933CHATHAM King’s Church Medway ..............................(01634) 847477COVENTRY Hillfields Christian Fellowship...................07815 693690COVENTRY Jesus Fellowship Church...........................0845 166 8154DEAL Christchurch.....................................................(01304) 366512HIGH WYCOMBE Church of Shalom............................(01494) 449408HORNCASTLE House Church......................................(01472) 859052 IPSWICH Jesus Fellowship Church .............................0845 166 8156 KETTERING Jesus Fellowship Church ..........................0845 166 8157LEEDS Jesus Fellowship Church .................................0845 166 8167LEICESTER Jesus Fellowship Church ..........................(0116) 254 9233LIVERPOOL Jesus Fellowship Church..........................0845 166 8168LONDON N Glad Tidings Evangelical Church...............(020) 8245 9002LONDON S Bible Life Family Ministries.......................(020) 8689 2244LONDON S Understanding Ministries ........................(020) 7064 1999LONDON SE Ephratah Int’l Gospel Praise Centre ........(020) 8469 0047LONDON SE Flaming Evangelical Ministries ...............(020) 8694 2083LONDON SE Hope of Glory Int’l Ministries...................(020) 8694 6738LONDON SE Mission Together for Christ .....................(020) 7401 2687LONDON SW Philip & Esther Ministries ......................(020) 7771 6059LONDON W Jesus Fellowship Church..........................0845 166 8152MANCHESTER Jesus Fellowship Church .....................0845 166 8169MILTON KEYNES Jesus Fellowship Church ..................0845 166 8159NORTHAMPTON Jesus Fellowship Church ..................0845 166 8161NORWICH Jesus Fellowship Church............................0845 166 8162NOTTINGHAM Jesus Fellowship Church ......................0845 166 8163OXFORD Jesus Fellowship Church ..............................0845 166 8164RAMSEY (Cambs) Christians United ...........................(01487) 815528READING New Life Pentecostal Church ......................(01189) 590001SHEFFIELD Jesus Fellowship Church ..........................0845 166 8183STOKE-ON-TRENT Chenaniah Christian Fellowship .....07950 221304STOKE-ON-TRENT Jesus Fellowship Church ................0845 123 5334WHITCHURCH Christian Fellowship ............................(01948) 665725

(All 0845 numbers are local call rate for BT users)

WHAT’S ON IN YOUR AREA?

5.indd 1

FA C T F I L E

• 4 out of every 5 prisoners released face unemployment

• Half of the prisoners released face homelessness – about 750 people a week

• 60% of short term prisoners (12 months or less) re-offend within 2 years

• On release from prison, people were asked what help they needed:

68% said help funding a job

54% said help finding housing

42% said help with benefits

25% said ‘someone to help sort things out’

“Prisoners who are able to maintain good family ties are almost six times less likely to re-offend than those who do not.”

(Social Exclusion Unit Report, July 2002)

12/10/2004, 11:18:36

Jesus Army former prisoners support one another as they build new lives in JesusON THE INSIDEE

• For more information on the Jesus Fellowship’s Prison Release Programme, write to Phil Ferris, Jesus Fellowship Central Offices, Nether Heyford, Northants NN7 3LB tel: 01327 344533 or e-mail: [email protected]

14

I LEFT prison on parole in May 2002 and came out to live in a hostel at Stratford in East London. I was soon feeling isolated and under pressure and ended up relapsing back into drugs. This had got me into prison in the first place! One Saturday I walked into Stratford and was confronted by a colourful bus! I was handed a Jesus Army Streetpaper which I refused to read. I don’t know why I stopped, but I hung around thinking, ‘Well come on then Christians, help me if you can!’ I must have looked angry, but eventually a man came out and spoke to me. He wasn’t the ‘woolly’ Christian I expected and the next thing was I went on board and ended up in tears telling three strangers what a sinner I’d been. Things got better after that and I started going to meetings and found someone I could confide in. During a festival weekend at

Cornhill Manor I found tears of relief and joy in Jesus. When I saw some baptisms I experienced a real ‘high’ – my heart was racing and I came out of the marquee not being able to walk properly! What a night! I found out soon afterwards that my parole licence had been revoked for moving out of the hostel without getting permission, but I decided to get baptised before handing myself in to the authorities. Being back in prison has not been easy but with the help of my Jesus Army friends I am finding my feet and learning to walk with God. I don’t know when I will be back out, but good things are happening in here and there are a lot of open hearts. I’ve had the chance to share my testimony as well. Even though I’m behind bars and locked up I’ve never felt so free! I just thank Jesus for that!

J.D.F. HMP Norwich NORFOLK

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Lean on meA group of ex-inmates from the Jesus Army regularly meet together to help smooth the transition from prison to freedom

“HERE IN the Jesus Fellowship there are many ex-prisoners,” says Joe Mor-riss, a former prisoner. “These range from folk who have served just a few weeks up to men who have served many years on life sentences. Whatever the sentence though, the feelings produced by impris-onment remain the same: shock, rejection and unworthiness at being considered unfi t to remain in society; anger, often directed inwardly; and with an overriding fear, which lingers in us all if we are honest. “Upon release there are prob-lems to be faced in trying to fi nd meaningful employment and suitable accommodation. There are the pressing practical needs such as making the one-week Jobseeker’s Allowance paid by the prison stretch for the two weeks needed before any pay-ment can be made by the DWP. Then there are questions to do with relationships, whether to be open and honest about the past, and if so, when and in what situations. The sense of rejection can easily lead back to criminal activity and a swift return to the cocoon of a prison cell. “Even as Christians, the transi-tion from prison to freedom very rarely runs smoothly. What is

needed is someone who can lis-ten, support and understand the

realities of what is involved. In fact, someone who has been there.” Joe, released after a 3-year sentence for

a drug-related robbery, has gained a vision for ex-prisoners. It is that of a group of people, all of whom have been in prison, coming together every fortnight for prayer, bible study and fellowship. Welcome to ‘Open Doors’. Here you’ll fi nd a young offender. There a discretionary lifer. Next to him a repeat of-fender. It is a time of supporting and being there for one another. The ability to identify with each oth-er’s needs and feelings on this kind of level is extremely helpful. These people became Christians while serving their sentences, or shortly after release, and so have much in common and much to offer each other. There is no wallowing in self-pity or even a sense of injustice, just an acknowledgement that Jesus has forgiven their pasts, and given them a chance to move on. There is a place in church for all ex-prisoners and offenders. Some are moving in leadership; truly those who are forgiven much, love much.

The sense of rejection can easily lead back to the cocoon of a prison cell

JL

12/10/2004, 11:18:46


Love injectionJ Generation UK made quitean impression on London’s clubland on Friday 23 July.Doris Kahnes was there.

16.indd 1

IT’S WELL after 10pm and Fri-

day’s nightlife is already rolling.

Masses of people are fl ooding

Leicester Square, all dressed up

ready to dive into the ‘pool of

excitement’ – clubs, cinemas,

theatres, restaurants, pubs, you

name it, the heart of London

seems to throb with life.

Yet I’m much more excited

at the sight of young men and

women in a very different

evening-gear - army-like Jesus

Army jackets. They somehow

look out of place but, having

prayed together for God to

anoint their task, they slowly

mix into the vast crowd, each

of them carrying the Spirit of

God to the people around them.

Thea and I speak to two or three

passers-by who recognise their

hunger for God, and are able to

share the message of the love of

Jesus and pray with them. Jake

and Jason pray for a Bermudan

guy who wants to recover his

childhood faith.

Returning to the square full of

joy and gratefulness to God, we

get whooshed right into a crowd

of singing, dancing, jumping

and shouting fanatics who are

heading for Piccadilly Circus,

the home of Eros, to display

their love for Jesus. With drums

and banners they’re a wild-

looking lot yet recognisable as

people like you and me from all

walks of life.

We seem to take London by

surprise to say the least. ‘Shock’

might be a better word.

We’re on the move – to Soho.

‘There is power, power, wonder-

working power in the blood of

the Lamb,’ we sing outside Ray-

mond Revuebar. One guy steps

out of a sex shop and is confront-

ed by this howling mob of Jesus

freaks: Who’s the dummy now?!

Just round the corner the gar-

goyles of rock pub The Intrepid

Fox stare down in amazement.

Loz and friends used to hang

out there, getting drunk and

wasting their lives. Now he’s at

the head of the march brandish-

ing the fl ag: ‘Love, Power and

Sacrifi ce’.

Back on Leicester Square

again we share the bread and

wine. A spiritual searcher comes

over full of questions and confu-

sion. Vanessa gives it to him

straight: ‘Jesus is the only true

way’. Stuart and Carmino pray

for a Muslim to know complete

consecration.

Of course, most of the onlook-

ers are unaware that we’re

not only shaking the ground

beneath our feet but a much

bigger ground in the spiritual

realm. We are praying fervently

for a city and a people around

us who cover up much pain and

misery with glitter, glamour and

lights, make-up and fake laughs,

alcohol, drugs and sex – we

know the score.

Many of us have been there

ourselves, tasted the bitterness

of rejection, felt the sting of

abuse, suffered the cold pain

of loneliness and emptiness.

But transformed and changed,

set free and saved, we are

confi dent in the power of the

blood of Jesus and His love for

everyone around us. So we in-

ject a life-giving and everlasting

medicine of love and salvation

into the heart of London by

praising our King and lifting

His Name above all. JL

www.jesus.org.uk

12/10/2004, 11:19:45

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3RAIN lashed down the Welsh mountainside, as Donna’s group on the school trip climbed up to the entrance that led down into the underground caves. “I was 14 and a real tomboy,” says Donna. “I loved anything to do with sport and outdoor adven-ture. Climbing and caving were just my sort of thing!” Suddenly, Donna slipped on the wet rock. Her horrifi ed schoolmates saw her slide over the edge of a hole that led to a thirty foot drop down into the caves.

“I came round to hear my friends screaming above me. They expected me to be dead or massively injured. Miraculously, I wasn’t – though the huge dent on the back of my helmet showed how hard I’d fallen. “That was miracle number one. But I didn’t think, then, that it was God’s hand on my life – I just thought I was really lucky!” Two years later, Donna began to ask serious questions about faith and whether there was life after death. “As a family we never went to church and it wasn’t until my grandad got ill with cancer that my mother even brought up the subject. She blamed God - who-ever He was - for my grandad’s suffering. I thought I would fi nd out who God was, before I judged Him the same as Mum did. “I must have spent a year talking to all kinds of people - including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and Krishna follow-ers - before deciding to choose a Christian church near school. My new faith was severely tested when grandad died. Soon after-wards, it was tested again when a good friend collapsed and died as we were playing football together - an enormous shock. But, some-

3333333333333333333333333333333how, my belief in God stayed strong.” It wasn’t until God rescued her from death a second time that she became aware just how real Jesus is and that she could have a living,

personal friendship with Him. “I was very fi t and sporty and I’d taken up martial arts in a big way, so I felt I could handle my-self and no-one could touch me. “One day, I was running alone, round a huge lake in a local park when a man attacked me with a knife and pulled me into the bushes. I put up a good fi ght and made a lot of noise, but he overpowered me and squeezed my windpipe till I started to go unconscious. I remember lying in the mud, bleeding, my clothes torn, thinking that it was so unfair I should die so young. “Suddenly, my attacker was dragged off me. A man fi shing in the lake had heard me scream and bravely ran over to save my life. “That night I heard Jesus speaking to me personally, for the fi rst time, telling me to read Psalm 124. ‘We are like a bird escaped from the snare of the fowler – the snare has broken and we have escaped!’ “Those words really brought home to me the fact that God cared about me and that I had a purpose on this earth. That expe-rience seemed to strip away a lot of the old confi dence and cocki-ness and slowly my trust turned

Donna Stockall’s love for danger was nearly the death of her. But instead of being killed she found God!

my miraclemiracle

ember lying in the mud, bleeding, clothes torn, thinking that it was

so unfair I should die so young’

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from myself to trusting Jesus.” Donna was 17 when she fi rst met a group from the Jesus Army. “They brought me into a new kind of family who accepted me and brought me much healing from the many hurts and hang-ups I’d carried with me from a diffi cult childhood. As I found myself in a new way, I began to realise why I’d always been so attracted to danger and to living life on the edge. Deep down, I’d never really felt in control of my own life. So I was always trying to prove that I could make my own choices.” At the age of 26, in 2000, she chose a job as a town centre secu-rity guard. “We were classed as police and treated with the same contempt. An arrest I made on my own turned nasty and I had to restrain the man and keep him on the ground until back-up arrived. It was only afterwards that we found the man – who was mad drunk – had a knife on him! For a third time, God had looked after me!” But her spirit of adventure is still very much alive – and she fi nds plenty of challenge in living as a radical up-front Christian! JL



12/10/2004, 11:20:42

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18_21.indd 1

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It is disturbing how out of touch our Western Christianity has become

WORKING IN the Jesus Centre has brought alive to me that Jesus, dur-ing his active years of ministry, was himself homeless. It is disturbing how out of touch our Western Christianity has be-come. I was so powerfully repulsed by this that I headed to London to experience life within the homeless community. In the midst of the sightseers, shoppers and workers rushing around, my fi rst feeling was one of overwhelming aloneness. I quickly wanted to associate myself with people to learn how to survive. First stop, breakfast at the famous ‘City Mission’ who have been feeding the homeless for 35 years. I joined the shuffl ing queue and after a few moments of self-conscious-ness soon relaxed into a sense of acceptance. I didn’t say too much as I wanted to stay anonymous. I found my awareness of people was being heightened as I sat at the table. I was constantly weighing up those around me to forecast how to handle the next 15 minutes. I can’t imagine the emptiness people must feel when, through no choice of their own, they have lost everything in life. As I walked around I imagined Jesus sharing himself with the homeless folk I encountered, sleeping wherever he could get his head down, and them not feeling patronised or inferior, just sensing instead a powerful conviction and love. A far cry from the pat-on-the-head, “Here, have some free soup”

mentality. From my own miniscule experi-ence I could see how diffi cult it was to achieve the very basics of life: fi nding somewhere to wash, somewhere else for breakfast, and somewhere different again for an evening meal. Even going for a pee in a proper toilet - and that’s if you’ve got 20p. As I sat considering whether I’d use a very murky looking shower which ‘did’ for roughly 40 people (mainly men), I wondered whether Jesus had encountered similar problems. He must not always have been a guest in someone’s home. If Jesus turned up today with dirt under his nails and ponging a bit would we let him into our church? And the friends he and his disciples had met on the way - working girls, junkies, a paedophile on the run - could we stomach them? It’s 9pm and I’m crouching in Trafalgar Square munching on a stale baguette I’ve just blagged from a café owner. I’m feeling very

vulnerable. The dark, harsh vibe of the city was closing in on me. It’s more than a fear; it’s like your soul is getting

messed up. The thought of being alone for the next six hours of dark-ness as well as dodging any physical danger seemed too much. I decided to go home. Was it a lack of trust in God or was it common sense kicking in? I don’t know – but I cried at how beautiful Jesus is who went through so much to bring the kingdom of heaven down to a hole like this.

the ORIGINA Coventry Jesus Centre staff member follows Jesus into the homeless community of London HOMELEJJJJJJJJJ

ree/2004

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THE FACTS

• About 504 people sleep outside every night

• 380,000 ‘hidden homeless’ sleep in squats, hostels, on friends’ floors and in B&Bs

• About 25% of rough sleepers are male

• 86% of young homeless people are forced to leave home

• 85% of homeless people have had paid employment

• Nearly one in 50 suffers from TB

• 81% are addicted to either drugs or drink

• 38% spend their day alone

• 45% of rough sleepers have been assaulted

• Rough sleepers are 35 times more likely to commit suicide

Source: Crisis

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www.jesus.org.uk

15/10/2004, 14:38:28

ntresususKelly Bartholomew is a member of the Jesus Fellowship Apostolic Team

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18_21.indd 2

Kelly Bartholomew describes the prophetic call behind the Jesus Centre vision

OPENING JESUS CENTRES is the riskiest faith venture we’ve ever under-taken. But faith says “God is in this - He wants it. If we all have faith in our hearts He will live in the Jesus Centres and He will bless them!” We are weak people building the kingdom of light in a place of darkness. Behind the vision and strategy of the Jesus Centres is the vision of making people whole - and there’s nothing better than that! Making people whole is what the kingdom of God is all about! And Jesus Cen-tres are an overfl ow of the kingdom of God and an outworking of the kingdom of God. For thirty years we’ve seen the healing

touch of God on the whole person in our shared life as a Chris-tian community with a network of houses across the UK. Now we have a vision to see this extended through Jesus Centres. Jesus Centres will be as much a distinc-tive of Jesus Fellow-ship, Jesus Army as celibacy, community and common purse have been for many years. Restoring broken mankind is what Je-sus does, isn’t it!? It’s what He’s done for us and through the Jesus Centres we see the prospect of helping all kinds of people to be made whole by the same working of the Holy Spirit. Every person is precious. Some will be people with big habits and problems. Others will be ac-complished people who feel their need in

some way - perhaps because they’ve fallen on hard times. The Je-sus Centres will help people from any part of society to become how God intended them to be. Over the years we’ve seen far too many people converted and then go back to their old life. What’s needed is to minister to every part of a person’s need - not just the obvious parts you can see. What’s needed is ‘whole-person mentoring’. That’s something that is going to involve a lot of personal time - but if the whole person is going to be brought into completion that’s beautiful - and worth every minute. Behind the staff and volunteers is a whole church that backs the vision.

We don’t see Jesus Centres as just an-other social project. We’re coming to this with Jesus in our hearts, asking Him for His discernment, wisdom, faith and vision. We want the Cen-tres to go far beyond the narrow cleaning up of people’s lives and we’re already seeing people that have been helped through the early Jesus Centres fi nd-ing the life skills to become contributing members of society. This is the proof that Jesus’ love produces something that’s the very oppo-site of the depend-ency culture and the complete turn around of the nanny state!

Ministry to every part

15/10/2004, 14:39:11

SATURDAY 17 July saw North-ampton town centre erupt with colour and life as a stream of Jesus people marched through singing and dancing. The J Generation motivated march was part of Meet Northampton, a year-long initiative to introduce the Jesus Centre vision to local people. After a countdown to the open-ing was suggested, Paul had an idea: “Why not make a picture of the Centre out of bricks and get different people to build it up?” So his church household got involved in turning oversized cig-arette boxes into a miniature fake façade of the completed Centre and surrounds, culminating with painting them out in the garden on that Saturday afternoon. Twenty-nine separate bricks, each measuring 2 feet x 18 inches, complete the model. It took 12 people to work on the model. Five paid staff and a bank of 200 volunteers per quarter will

a place everyone

be needed to keep the North-ampton Jesus Centre open to all for fi ve-and-a-half days a week, plus three evenings. But staff, visitor or volunteer, old or young, expert in an area or a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is uniquely made in the image of God. Everyone is uniquely gifted. And everyone has a unique part to play in bringing the love of Jesus to life in the old Cannon cinema. The countdown is taking place over 15 weeks; each week someone who has been involved in the Jesus Centre pilot project is selected to place a brick at the Northampton area Heart Sunday evening meeting. Some of these ‘human bricks’ are featured here.

Paul’s original vision for the big Centre is ex-panding all the time: “I want to

see the place buzzing with people - different kinds of people, and all of them fi nding Jesus, calling them out of what they are into the body of Christ.”

Everyone is uniquely made in the image of God

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JeJeeJesuesuusuThe keys to the success of the vision are the human ‘bricks’ who are the regular volunteers in the Jesus Centres. Paul Bainger reports.

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www.jesus.org.uk

18_21.indd 3 15/10/2004, 14:39:27

JANE WARD, VOLUNTEER“There’s not much I can do, but I can cook,” was Jane’s response when volunteers were sought for the pilot project in August 2001. Jane always stood in the shadows. From schooldays on, when other kids mocked her accent, she tried not to stick out. A violent marriage only reinforced this tendency. After six years in the church, at the age of 36, she was desperate for change. “I didn’t know what I was doing here, so I asked for help. Within a week three different people showed me that it was ok to be me and to be welcoming. It amazed me,

that I could be of importance,” she says. “Volunteering at the Jesus Centre has helped me to become a stronger person. It’s an extension of my Christian life.” Three years on, after completing a CLAIT course and being elected chairman of a fundraising committee, Jane is looking forward to cooking for many more people in the big Centre’s café. She’s ready for anything: “Before, if I were asked to do something different, I would have panicked. Now I’ll have a go!”

ANN DIMANANE, ESOL STUDENTThe Jesus Centre aims to bridge all cultural boundaries. Congolese Ann arrived in the UK in 2002 with a serious illness. At the local surgery she had a good feeling inside: ‘This man is a man of God,’ she said to her daughter. ‘Mummy, he’s a doctor,’ was the reply. Next time Ann visited, another doctor discovered she was a Christian and looking for somewhere to pray. He offered to send someone to visit her. “If these women are Christian, I will open the door,” recalls Ann. “From the moment I saw them, I felt love and joy. I glorify the Lord. They pray well!” And so Ann found

her spiritual home in the UK. “One of my new friends suggested that I join a small ESOL class which met once a week for two hours in the pilot project. It helped me because I couldn’t understand English. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t write. Now I can.” Ann has been training to be a volunteer herself, cleaning and serving drinks in the café: “When I was ill, I asked the Lord what I could do. ‘Serve him,’ He said. I pray the Lord gives all the people working in the Centre the Holy Spirit to do a good job.”

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JESUS CENTRE NORTHAMPTON

uusressreuussressreuussressrreuusssuusresssrereus sssuusressussuusressreussJESUS CENTRES WHERE WOULD JESUS BE TODAY? JESUS CENTRES

www.jesus.org.uk

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From the start of their marriage, Len and Ali Kroon have sought to serve in a committed and sacrificial way


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that I was committed most evenings to refur-bishing the church building, so if she wanted to be with me, this was me! She responded by making us all tea, knitting me a big jumper, and helping with some of the work! “Grasping that principle right from the beginning trained us directly for the ministry we now have in Christian community. We climbed the familiar ladder: bed sit to council fl at to council house, trying to keep an open door for others. A turning point for us was the arrival of Billy at our fl at. He was HIV+, and his health deteriorated (though his Glaswegian humour didn’t). Wheelchair-bound by the time he was baptised, his death birthed some-thing new among many of us in the church.” By 1992 Len and Alison knew God was calling them to community. “We had two children,” says Alison, “a newly decorated council house, good friends. As I looked out of the window one evening, thanking God for it all, I felt Him say, ‘I’ve given you all this, now what about what I want?’”. “I knew God was calling us,” says Len. Leaders in the Jesus Fellowship who we’d been visiting for several years, felt we ought to continue to pioneer community, so to our surprise, we ended up in a rented six-bed-room terraced house in Brighton, jam-packed with very colourful characters, took on the name ‘Abundant Grace’ and in April 1993 moved to a large community house.” Over the eleven years that Abundant Grace has been open, several hundred people have been infl uenced by its ministry, with many

baptisms. “As a family, we have benefi tted from community life, from having a team of Spirit-fi lled men and

women around. We have friendship, compan-ionship and support, with many opportuni-ties to be outward looking and serve others. We trust in God’s call to Christian community, having found that the abundant grace that we seek to share with others, is even suffi cient for us! We cannot imagine now not living, sharing with others. We HAVE to do it!”

an open doorRAVELLING home on the bus to Chatham, in May 1986, 19-year-old Alison Churcher discovered the woman

sitting next to her was a Christian. Having recently come back to God, Alison was now looking for a church. So the woman suggested a visit to hers. Details were exchanged, phone calls were made and next day, Alison was waiting for her lift. “I was surprised when the door bell rang to see a young man my own age. From the sound of his voice on the phone, he had seemed much older! As he introduced himself to me, I felt God say ‘This is the man you’re going to marry.’ Within the year, I was mar-ried to Len Kroon!” Len and Alison recently celebrated their seventeenth wedding anniversary and now have four children – Joshua 14, Lizzy 13, Josie 10, and George 6. They live in a large Jesus Fellowship community house near Brighton, called ‘Abundant Grace’ with several other single adults and a married couple from Bei-jing! Although Len wasn’t brought up a Christian he puzzled over the meaning of life from an early age. “I remember, aged seven, a teacher remark-ing, ‘Len, you’re the most serious person I’ve ever met!’ Sadly, I ended up ‘serious’ into the occult and pornography. Of course my dark deeds were hidden by the grammar school veneer of education and competitive sport!” Looking back, Christian teachers at the school were a great help and Len was able to receive prayer for his involvement with the occult and pornography. But when at four-teen he told them of a prophetic dream God gave him, with the words, ‘Len, you can only fi nd freedom in the chains of God’s love,’ they dismissed it as ‘all a bit negative.’ “But I knew it was truth. Two years later, my older brother took me to a Christian meeting. I quickly realised this was real Christianity and not wanting to be a hypocrite, sat through the entire meeting, not joining in. However, toward the end God spoke to my heart: ‘You’ve just been existing; now LIVE!’ It was very clear, just like the dream.” Len poured his

new found faith into Rochester Christian Fel-lowship (now King’s Church, Medway). In the meantime, Alison had reached her late teens in a bit of a mess. “I’d given my heart to Jesus, in a Salvation Army Citadel, when I was eleven. By fourteen I was very involved, but by seventeen a deep emptiness caused me to become insecure and backslidden. College friends invited me to a Bible week run by Roger Forster and David Pytches. A word of knowledge for someone ‘in a dark and fearful state’ stabbed my heart and I went forward. The power of the Holy Spirit was so intense that I shook violently and my t-shirt was soaked with tears! I met Len a couple of weeks later.” From the beginning Len and Alison learnt how to balance their devotion to each other with serving others. “As soon as we met,” says Len, “I told Alison

T

‘I have given you all this, now what about what I want’

JL


www.jesus.org.uk Jesus Life Three/2004Page 23

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Above: A family together for Jesus. Main pic: Len and Ali, with children, outside ‘Abundant Grace’ house in Seaford, near Brighton. Insert (left): Marriage in 1987. Inset (right): 1992 - the year of the call to community.

3.indd 2 12/10/2004, 11:22:02

‘Stop begging and begin to

battle’

A WILD- HEARTED CHURCH!

The Giant Marquee at Cornhill, Northamptonshire in May was the setting for Jesus Fellowship to hear a fresh call to arms at the ‘Power’ Festival Weekend.

2

IN 2003 in the UK, almost six million keys were lost. Some people lost them three times, and women lost them more than men. “What does disturb me is that the church has lost its keys,” commented Noel Stanton on this statistic at the Jesus Fellowship’s ‘Power’ Festival Weekend. “Kingdom churches are created by the Holy Spirit; pseudo Western-style churches are created by the self-will of man.” The keys of the kingdom must be recovered if we are to unlock growth and see more new churches planted. So, how do we get them back? Jesus Christ was an angry young man and is still the angry man of the book of Revelation and to-day - angry at people’s hardness of heart, their mediocrity, their misuse and abuse of the things of God. This is Jesus, not meek and mild, but the wild-hearted man bursting into the temple with a whip and chords. “The trouble with much of Je-sus Fellowship is that we are not angry, yet we are a protest move-ment,” explained Noel. Jesus Fellowship Church was always to be a prophetic church that spoke ke by her different, holy, revolution-n-ary life and her determination to be like the church of Acts 2.

“Our job is not to change Satan’s n’s world; our job is to save souls out of it,” he added. We need our prophets to re-gain a holy anger. We need new leaders with a new authority of the Holy Spirit. We need stable, strong people. We need “tigers, not sheep” - not robotic people without a will but a wild-hearted church. “We must stop begging and begin to battle,” said Noel. And we did. We declared war on the world, on its complica-tions, concerns and cares. We declared war on the fl esh, by saying goodbye to a life of ease and pleasure; to com-promise; to mental reservations. We declared war on the devil, and all his schemes. Provoked to be each, indi-vidually, “agents of change”, our spirits were stirred and the queue to give testimony on Monday morning was long as people came to tell how they had gained victory in different areas over the weekend. JL


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here were youwhen you found Jesus?

2

MY ROUTINE was always the same - collect my pension, pay my bills, then spend the evening in the pub. I enjoyed the company. One night in 1998, two Jesus Army women sat down at my table and told me about Jesus. I was fed up with the brutality, bullying and break-ins where I lived. ‘There must be a good person who can get me out of all this,’ I’d thought, and here they were, saying that Jesus could give me a new life. A few days later I walked into their community house and found family and peace. So I was baptised in the river and moved in - and here I am still, at 79!

Fred Johnson, Brighton

IN THE PUB ON A RAINY NIGHT

W

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FOR WEEKS this Christian girl at the University of Bergen in Norway, had been throw-ing tracts at me and I’d been throwing them straight in the bin. I’d always longed for God, but four years before I’d had a breakdown and ended up in mental hospital. I’d said to God then “if You’re really there, then do something with my life”. Nothing seemed to happen so now, at university, I pushed Christians away. Eventually I accepted the girl’s

invitation to stay in the lecture room, between lectures, to talk about Jesus. As soon as she started, I felt touched by God and she led me in the sinner’s prayer. I knew at once I’d found Jesus and immediately started to pray for my brother, Tor, who was on military service other side of Denmark. To my amazement, my letter to Tor to tell him I’d found Jesus in the lecture hall crossed with his let-ter to me, describing how he’d just found Jesus in his barracks!

Åse Johannessen, Northampton

IN THE LECTURE HALL

I WAS inside the Liscard Shopping Centre in Wallasey, Merseyside, feeling harassed because the police had just been interviewing me and I’d also just broken up with my girlfriend. Behind me a Christian group were per-forming a drama about God for the shoppers. I kept my back to them fi rmly - I did NOT want anything to do with them. But inside something was touching me. Suddenly, one of the group came over to me. ‘I’d like to pray for you, if you’d let me’ he said. I found myself nodding agreement. He led me over to a quiet place outside Little-woods and led me to Jesus! Over twenty years ago, but my life has never been the same since!

Chris Kneidinger, Liverpool

SHOPPING CENTRE

AFTER MY Dad died, life went completely pear-shaped for me. I ended up practically living in the local pub. One day I came out of the pub and there stood a hippy bloke with a huge, black, bushy beard, pointing at me and saying “I know you, mate!” “Well that’s good,” I replied, “because I haven’t got a clue who you are!” Then I recognised my old friend, Mark, who I

hadn’t seen for ten years since he became a traveller. When we were kids we’d been great mates. Mark told me he’d become a Christian and the way he said it really chal-lenged me. For years I’d helped childrens’ charities and that had been my way of believing in God. Meeting Mark outside the pub started me on the path to the reality of what Jesus is all about.

Pete Wood, Northampton

OUTSIDE THE PUB


12/10/2004, 11:24:57


REVIVAL FIRES : The Welsh Revival 1904-5 (Part 2)

“The dynamite

In this second part of an account of the Welsh Revival, Jesus Life looks at the dramatic spiritual and social impact of the Revival throughout Wales – and beyond!

“THANKS BE TO

is working!”

26_27.indd 1

N WALES today all is spon-taneous. The dynamite is working, explosion follows ex-plosion, and already scores of

thousands of rough, hard stones have been loosened from the quarry of corrupt humanity… Is it to be wondered at that there is tumult and confusion? Better the confusion of the city than the order of the cemetery…” This was the assessment of Jessie Penn-Lewis, the well-known writer and speaker who founded the Welsh Keswick Conference and the ‘Overcom-er’ magazine, written in the heat of the Revival. The ‘dynamite’ impacted society in remarkable and far-reaching ways. Judges were presented with white gloves sig-nifying no cases to be tried. The police became ‘unemployed’ in many districts as crime fell drastically. One story is told of policemen who closed their sta-tion and formed a choir to sing at the Revival meetings! Long standing debts were paid, and family feuds were healed. Alcoholism was halved. The bars were deserted; dance halls, theatres and football matches all saw a dramatic decline in attendance. Gamblers and oth-ers normally untouched by the ministry of the church came to Christ. Public confession of sin and stubbornness became

commonplace in meetings as the Spirit of conviction spread through gatherings. In many places, shop keepers closed their businesses in order to hurry to chapel for meetings that might continue for many hours (though some, like miners on shifts, were able to ‘come and go’). “This is the fi nger of God” revivalist speaker, Gipsy Smith, reported: “It is the Acts of the Apostles up to date.” So many miners had been converted that pit ponies stopped work because they could not understand what was being said to them, so used were they to being sworn at and receiving blows! Revival prayer meetings before shifts became commonplace with hymn singing and testimonies, and there were frequent ‘under-ground’ conversions. Remark-ably, industrial production spiralled upwards. “Everything sprang into new life. It was the young people who responded with the greatest alac-rity to the challenge of absolute surrender and consecration to the service of the Lord… With ever-increasing momentum,the movement advanced,

“I

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12/10/2004, 11:26:10

TO GOD FOR REMEMBERING THE DUST OF THE EARTH” (Welsh hymn of the Revival)

(Above, left to right) Evan Roberts, the Revivalist; Jessie Penn-Lewis who documented the Revival in Wales; Annie Davies - one of the singers who accompanied Evan Roberts; Florrie Evans whose simple testimony had an electrifying impact in New Quay, prior to the main Revival; External and internal views of the Moriah Chapel, Loughor.

26

creating unprecedented excite-ment among the churches and the secular institutions outside...” (David Matthews – ‘I saw the Welsh Revival’) National newspapers also reported the events. The Times in London observed that “The whole population had been suddenly stirred by a common impulse. Religion had become the absorbing interest of their lives.” Local newspapers, like the Western Mail, daily carried re-ports of revival happenings and messages, including numbers of converts from different towns and villages! Lloyd George, who later became British Prime Minister, saw one of his political rallies taken over by the Welsh Revival. He was deeply impressed as one girl prayed in the presence of 2,000 people. He became a fi rm supporter of the revival, longing for the effects to reach the political, social and economic life of the nation.

Some of the characteristics of the revival could not have been anticipated - the role of women, for example, who were inspira-tional in the gatherings and tes-timonies and often became the mainstay of the ongoing prayer life of local chapels. Women were also active in outreach, social and pastoral care: “Young women knelt with vagabonds of the road who had casually turned in for a night’s lodging… they visited the homes also and cottage meetings be-came the vogue. In this way the infl uence of the revival was felt in the poorest dwellings… Mon-etary assistance was promptly given to dress neglected children and feed half-starved families… This was not the exclusive infl u-ence of any one locality. Cities, towns and villages throughout Wales felt the same…” (David Matthews). Within the church, many who had counted themselves Christian

knew life-changing experiences. There was also a new unity of purpose felt across the denominational divides. For some years afterwards, throngs of people fi lled all types of churches to capacity. Remarkably, within six months,

an estimated 100,000 souls were converted to Christ. Notable

Within six months, an estimated

100,000 souls were converted

among these converts were George and Stephen Jeffreys, who later went on to found the Elim Movement; and David Powell Williams, the founder of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church. It also had a profound impact on Rees Howells, inter-cessor and founder of the Bible College of Wales. However, the ripples in the pond spread far and wide. Many came from other nations to witness personally what was happening. Some criticised and others scoffed, but the majority were deeply touched and car-ried the Holy Spirit power back with them to their own nations. The Revival was the farthest reaching of all revival move-ments. In time, it affected the whole of the evangelical cause in India, Korea and China, renewed revival in Japan and South Africa and sent a wave of awakening over Russia, Africa, Latin America, parts of Europe and the South Seas. We leave the last word to one reporter on the Revival: “Today the dynamic is work-ing. Is it a marvel that there are explosions? And where there are explosions is it a marvel that there is confusion? Out of the chaos will emerge the cosmos; out of the confusion, order and beauty and life… (S.B.Shaw) JL


www.jesus.org.uk

Sources: www.welshrevival.org; Noel Gibbard: On the Wings of a Dove (Bryntirion Press); Robert Ellis: Living Echoes (Delyn Press); Eifion Evans: The Welsh Revival of 1904 (London: Evangelical Press); David Matthews: I saw the Welsh Revival (Chicago: Moody); Brynmor Jones: Voices from the Welsh Revival (Bryntirion Press); Jessie Penn-Lewis: The Awakening in Wales and Some of the Hidden Springs (1905); James Stewart: Invasion of Wales by the Spirit through Evan Roberts (CLC 1970)

_27.indd 2 12/10/2004, 11:26:32

w w w . j e s u s . o r g . u k e m a i l : i n f o @ j e s u s . o r g . u k

ee l e c t r o n i c p o s t b a g


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Helpful MaterialI am a pastor from Bungoma, western Kenya, who is leading a growing church. I was greatly encouraged by your magazine, Jesus Life, reading of what you are doing. We are working in remote areas where people need the word of God and need to be exposed to the Lord’s teachings. The material from your magazine is helpful for this. Thank you.

F. Wafula Bungoma, KENYA

prayers answeredI am happy to inform you that God has healed me (after your prayers) - He hears and answers our prayers. He has given me a new song and I will worship Him all my life. I am so impressed by your web site and I want God to use me to bless lives as you have blessed me. Keep up the good work.

F. Atanda NIGERIA

Community ChallengeI was very interested to find your web site which talks about the importance of Christians living together in communities in order to live out the gospel and challenge the consumerist lifestyle prevalent here in the western world. I have recently moved to London and am interested in meeting other like-minded Christians. In particular I wondered if community houses of Christians exist.I would be keen to find out about such projects.

J. Osborne London, UK

Spanish VisitWe’re a Christian family with two children. We come from a community lifestyle background (10 years ago). We are now working in a Christian ministry with literature, managing a Christian bookshop, visiting churches and reaching the lost through the literature. We can see deep in us a call to Christian community in our country. We would like to visit you in the summer, living with you in community, working and looking for the Lord for our lives in the future.

J.Veiga Vigo, SPAIN

desperate pleaI am a girl from Egypt. I am celibate and know that God has called me years ago to life in a Christian revival community. I am desperate because I live in isolation after my father’s death. I live with my mother and work as an English teacher. I am disappointed

in the church in my country. I live alone with my faith. When you are celibate in an Arabic country and are isolated even from the church. Help me to find my way to community life to serve God through His body.

(Name withheld) Alexandria, EGYPT

ochpcaffcc ffci

a big thanks!Thank you so much for praying for my brother. Last week he unexpectedly found a job that was almost perfect for him. It was really a miracle, given all the trouble he has been having and the difficult economic situation in the town where he lives.

J. Dziak Pennsylvania, USA

Polish PartnerI am a pastor who has been serving in a small Pentecostal church in Poland, with my wife, Wioletta. Three years ago we finished Theology Seminary in Warsaw. In our church we work with drug addicts and alcoholics. We rganise a summer amp for children; olidays for solitary eople from different hurches; Christmas nd Easter gifts or the poorest amilies and we oach disadvantaged hildren.We are looking

or partners in other ellowships who ould work with us n our vision.

M.Antoszczuk Namyslow, POLAND
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12/10/2004, 11:27:56

When the Jesus Fellowship’s ‘Loved’ Roadshow team came to Liverpool’s Sefton Park and unpacked a bright marquee it impacted hundreds of visitors. Selina Charlton reports.

Lovedgospel roadshow 2004

““””in Liverpool

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“I THOUGHT it was a circus - where are the circus people?” the little girl asked me. She’d seen our bright marquee and was expect-ing acrobats and clowns. All she’d found inside was our evangelism team and visitors - eating lunch! We may not have been the circus but each of the fi ve days of our ‘Loved’ Gospel Roadshow campaign in Liverpool was full of life and colour. Several visitors found faith in Jesus for the fi rst time and dozens asked for prayer and felt that they had experi-enced something real from God. There were also two encoun-ters that only God could have arranged. A local man called Ilan came over to the marquee. We were amazed to fi nd out we’d been part of the same church in Ewell, down south, 33 years before! Ilan explained. “I was sev-enteen and had just become a Christian after meeting Gerald Coates in Kingston-upon-Thames. When I told him I was a Jew, he replied ‘So was Jesus!’ and gave me a New Testament. Through reading it I realised Je-sus was the Messiah and became a Christian. Meeting Selina could only be God! It gave my faith just the boost it needed.” Ilan visited each day and after reading Fire in our Hearts - the story of the Jesus Fellowship - he decided he’d found the church he’d been looking for. Another divinely-organised re-union happened between a

visitor called Katy and Violet, one of the team. “When Katy walked into the marquee we recognised each other straight away, after a gap of twenty years!” says Violet. “The last time I saw Katy we were children in the school playground and Katy had just beaten the liv-ing daylights out of me! As soon as she realised who I was, she came over, gave me a big hug and said ‘I’ve just prayed a prayer to become a Christian - can we be friends and sisters now?’” Liverpool has been designated European City of Culture for 2008 and in 2007 will celebrate the 800th anniversary of its fi rst charter, awarded by King John. But no amount of cosmetic preparations can disguise the great diffi culties many people in Liverpool experience. During

the campaign we prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit to meet the needs of many who were lonely, having a hard time fi nding meaningful work, struggling with the effects of mental illness or desperate to be free of addictions. “This time we live in,” said Dave Brown, who leads the Liver-pool community house, “is a time of fragmentation and loneliness for many. The only solution to man’s personal heartache and so-ciety’s evils is the gospel of Jesus Christ. “It’s been good to have these fi ve days to bring that gospel to people, but when the marquee has gone, we’ll still be offering the same gospel to anyone who will receive it - in our com-munity house in Allerton Road, Liverpool.”

There were encounters

that only God could have arranged

JL


12/10/2004, 11:28:58

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• Visit Jesus People Shop ‘Live’ at Jesus Fellowship Events (see below) • Go online at: www.jesuspeople.biz

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Rev iva l F i res | Stirring ac counts of Chris tian re viv al around the world. 40 pages £2.50

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CHURCH - S teep le or Peop le? | What happens when a group of Christians live together? 26 mins £5.99

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MULTIPLY MULTIPLY LEADERS CONFERENCESaturday 27 November 2004Saturday 27 November 200410:30am & 2:30pm

Cornhill Manor Pattishall

NORTHAMPTON

UK JESUS CELEBRATIONUK JESUS CELEBRATIONSaturday 1 January 2005Saturday 1 January 20051:00pm, 2:00pm, 4:30pm & 6:00pm

Jesus CentreAbington Square

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MEN ALIVE FOR GODMEN ALIVE FOR GODSaturday 20 November 200411:30am, 2:00pm & 6:00pm

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CHURCH GROWTH CHURCH GROWTH CONFERENCECONFERENCESaturday 29 January 2005Jesus CentreAbington Square

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ALIVE FESTIVAL WEEKENDALIVE FESTIVAL WEEKENDFri 25 - Mon 28 March 2005Giant MarqueeCornhill Manor, Pattishall

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n a t i o n a l e v e n t s n a t i o n a l e v e n t s al l f ree all welcome no prejudiceal l f ree all welcome no prejudice

RRt: 0845 123 5550 e: [email protected] www.jesus.org.uk




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.indd 1 15/10/2004, 11:43:48

...released by

the holy spirit

31

pastor’s wife took me to a quiet place away from the others and said gently: ‘Celia, you need the baptism in the Holy Spirit - we’ll pray for you tomorrow night. In the meantime, here’s some scriptures about the Holy Spirit to look at.’” The scripture that most af-fected Celia was Ezekiel 39:14 ‘And I will put My Spirit within you and you shall live!’ “But that’s me! I know I’m not properly alive!” thought Celia. She knew she wanted the gift of the Holy Spirit more than anything else - even more than O and A level qualifi cations! “It’s thirty years since that moment but I’ll never forget the feeling - as if the love and power of Jesus was fi lling me up ! The pastor and his wife prayed in tongues - the fi rst time I’d heard them. I felt like I was in heaven - so happy that laughter came breaking forth out of my spirit - as if it was be-

ing set free from prison. “That night the Holy Spirit broke right through

my self-enclosed sense of failure and inadequacy and lifted my head. I knew for the fi rst time that I was loved by the Father, that Jesus loved me, accepted me and that He had made me on purpose just the way I was, with my limited academic potential. An enormous step forward that released me into my ministry for God.” From that turning point, God brought Celia step by step to live, in 1980, in a Jesus Fellow-ship community house near Northampton. Her spiritual ministries began to show them-selves - among them prophecy, healing and service. She felt so secure in God’s love that in 1984 she decided to stay single for life, to be more available for her calling in the church. More soul-healing and deliv-erance has followed, bringing more freedom to her soul. But Celia will always see that fi rst supernatural experience of God as a specifi c turning point when she found her confi dence in Jesus, started to look UP and not down and vowed that she would never turn back!

By the age of thirteen, Celia Wimble had accepted that she was never going to shine at anything. But God had different ideas.

“ I WAS A shy child, living in the shadow of my clever older sister,” explains Celia. “I never found out exactly what was the matter but I had mild diffi cul-ties which made me slow at learning. “One of my earliest memo-ries of school was our head-master dropping my work on the table and barking ‘This is RUBBISH!’” As time went on, other peo-ple’s comments and expecta-tions were added to the unwise words of the headmaster and Celia’s sense of failure deep-ened. Celia’s father dreamt that his children would excel academically and have the chance he’d missed to become a barrister. “One day, when I was thir-teen, I had a realisation that I just wasn’t academic and never would be. Feeling inadequate became deeply part of me. Then one day in 1974, when I was 24, an event happened that changed my life forever. “Our Young People’s Fellow-ship were staying in Hereford for a week. During this week, the

Laughter came breaking forth!

JL


www.jesus.org.uk

.indd 1 12/10/2004, 11:30:24


Get co32.indd 1

WHEREVER YOU WHEREVER YOU are, whatever are, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing, whoever you’re with whoever you’re with or even when you’re or even when you’re on your own, God on your own, God is waiting to hear is waiting to hear from you. Here Len from you. Here Len prays for a passer prays for a passer by, in the centre of by, in the centre of

London.London.God is the God God is the God of relationship of relationship - Father, Son and - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the Holy Spirit - the triune God. And triune God. And from right back in from right back in the garden of Eden, the garden of Eden, human beings human beings were created for were created for

relationship with relationship with God and with one God and with one another.another.So get connected. So get connected. Talk to Jesus where Talk to Jesus where you are, or call you are, or call 0845 123 5550 0845 123 5550 or text 07969 679 or text 07969 679 501 for a friend to 501 for a friend to pray with you.pray with you.

www.jesus.org.uk

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