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Notable Reversals
Where does a real movement for Christ begin? Is it at the grassroots
with ordinary people, hopefully beginning like a wild grass fire? Or is it at the top with the conversion of influential people who speak the message of Christ from respectable - though radically changed - voices? John was
the former while Paul was the latter.
It appears that the American Christian scene has had a good number of in fluential people in high places both become Christians and remain Christian.
For instance, President Carter - whether or not one agrees with his political or doctrinal stance - has surely stood up for some strongly Christian issues. And dramatic conversions have been in the news in very prominent ways. Who would have believed a born again Charles Colson or an Eldridge Cleaver with a soul full of Spirit Fire? And the most shocking to me was when I read about chief of pornographers Larry Flynt. Time magazine billed the new man as a "Hustler for the Lord." Astonishing!
Later Time (my only touch with the American press) published a cover ar
ticle on "The Evangelicals," including full colour pictures of baptisms. Whether one agrees with all the theology is not the point, at least real,
meaningful Christianity is in people's lives and the news. The British press only deals with religion when there is something scandalous, sensational, or boringly intellectual. (This is probably only slightly overstated.)
And there are almost no big name people in Britain who make radical changes in their lives and speak to the world about it. Christ just isn't a national issue here. He's a religious issue. The Church is mainly kno;-m for death and dying and very few people in the news are known Christians. Top pop singer Cliff Richard and eccentric, aging journalist Malcolm Muggeridge are welcome exceptions. But howwill a mass movement for Christ begin? Will some highly influen tial people be won for Christ here? Or will some ordinary people called by God to be his people become influential, listening to his will, following his steps, becoming a light to the nations? Not many men in the New Testament were great men either, but God takes ordinary people and does great things with them. However, a few notable re versals might give new credence to God's power in England.
Roger
Christmas Review
** Each Christmas we make
On Ground
A team of Christians went out to
sus Christ.
Once again we
sow seeds (the Word of God) , . . Some seed fell by the wayside. Many people have listened to our message but have not applied it to
their lives. They are hardened by their own selfishness and apathy. Some seed fell on rocky ground.
Fred, Christo and others seemed to
hear the truth and received i t with
** Our Sunday School children pre sented a play about a rehersal of a Christmas play showing the relevance of Jesus today. Many of their par
ents and friends were in attendance.
joy.
things.
was a
shallow faith.
Another Christmas event was the Fourth Annual Hillfields Carol Fes
Other seeds have fallen among weeds and thorns. John believes, but goes on living among people and temptations that are choking
Robin,
so enthusias
** Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. Several brothers and sisters pooled their money and made up six food parcels. After a bit of decorating, these parcels were given to families and elderly mem
bers of the Church.
rocky ground, a person who will eventually die. Rather I see him in a weed patch and cling to the hope that one day he will allovr him
self to be freed of the weeds.
Seeds have fallen on good ground. Small plants have grown into strong fruit-bearing plants. Dave has be come a church leader and lay preach er; Steve B. is soon to be working in Zambia and helping a missionary there; Helen is studying at Lincoln Christian College in the U.S.A.;
Pete's close walk with God is evi
sister for whom we were to be pray ing - secretly. Many people gave and received encouraging notes, cards, and gifts. We revealed our hidden identities at our special
Christmas communion service.
Jan
dent to all; and others are more quiet in their expression of bearing
fruit for God.
Re
and her family live over 100 miles away and are awaiting a probable move
to Montreal following her husband's job.
she had some relationship with God. Lyn began reading her New Testa ment and that's when things started
changing. The more she read and
Jenny is a close friend of Monica, who has recently joined our body of believers after becoming a Christian in Zambia. Jenny had been following Christ in many ways for a long time,
My Friend
to move Jenny to a place where bap tism was the exact place in which to
follow Christ.
He gave me
Bap-
I asked Him for many things and He gave them unconditionally. I shunned
Him but He loved me still.
tle in common to many that Christmas is often a painful time for me. When
for the tenth time, someone says, "Christmas is for children anyway,"
real weariness comes on me. A couple of weeks before Christ mas, we had another bookstall - this
in.
ness.
He came.
He gave it.
stay forever.
He agreed,
I love my
friend, Jesus Christ. Lynda Longbottom Lyn let Jesus into her life on December 1, 1977. Penny
Bev Mullins will be in the U.S.A.
gifts, we passed out leaflets to pass ers-by. The written word is very pow
erful and people went home with tracts about God's light.
Personal Epistle
Dear Friends, Greetings in the New Year. One can't help reflecting on the past at this time of the year and remember ing many incidents affecting our lives Things in England can be fairly de pressing when one thinks of the po litical, economic and social problems
heard on the news. Yet i t makes me
The. Lord has offered us many chalenges for the new year and I'm look ing forward to some of them. I must admit that I ' l l have to work on my
attitude about others 1
you in many ways. The Lord is truly good and loving and personal. I thank the Lord for you all. In Him, Janet(JB)
the life of a Christian compared with others. I can have hope. I know that no matter what the future brings, I am assured of the Lord's knowledge of it and the .promises he has given. I know that Christ is coming again and that brings a real peace for today. Should I die before His return, I know where I'm going because 'the
Bible tells me sol'
required 757c. majority was not reached, 587o for, 427o against. Please pray that people will listen to God NOW as satan tries to dig, divide, and
devour.
ER0IH6T0N TEAM
COVENTRY TEAM
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M C. L. Davis 1010 N. Monroe St.
feeder
nu/ins
Pann^
Tfhcfteffe Jrinflon
Kempton^ IM 46049
Address Correction Requested
. . . Import from a dual team ministry cltafftnginf a poit-Cliriiiian nation wilk lite rfaimi of Ckrisl
Vol. 5
No. 6
March
1978
American Correspondents, they have gone far and beyond the call of duty with much toil, tears, sweat, sore fingers, droopy eyelids, and more.
Earlene and Bus came with the exact qualifications that we needed and quickly volunteered for the work, Earlene is an executive secretary and has access to all the needed equipment as well as her excellent skills, Bus is a mail carrier in their hometown, Lincoln, Illinois, so his know
ledge of the postal system has saved \is many heartaches as well as trips to the post office. Their personal interest is obvious. Their daughter, Debbie, is one of the Coventry team, which gives them inside information quickly and easily. And most of all, their commitment to Christ and His
Church has been essential to taking on the task as a ministry. They have worked out of love, willingly sacrificing much of their spare time, some thing not many people in our self centered age would do. Many times they have dipped into their own pockets when our ailing U.S.A. fund totalled
zero or below.
But now, it is time for them to move on to other things. Sending out 1500 copies of the Epistle each month, keeping the address labels up to date, answering letters for us, and all the miscellaneous jobs take up a lot of time. They have done it all for ministry to you and
to us for Him.
So, as Shakespeare has said, what else can we say but THANKS AND THANKS AND EVER THANKS. Or in the words of the Apostle Paul, "I thank
my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy because of the way in which you have helped me in the work of the gospel from the very first day until now." (Philippians
1:3-5)
-are we without American Correspondents? No, the Davises wouldn't allow that. Although they had given us a year's notice of their decision
to give up the position, they kept going for six months longer to make
sure our Epistle came out.
Our new correspondents are Nancy and Tim Barber of Council Bluffs,
Iowa. We will introduce them to you properly next month.
her home, answered the sur vey questions, and even agreed to a return visit.
That was last June. By autumn the three of them were meeting
studies.
regularly to study. After several months of talking, reading, and vis iting services, Sylvia made her de cision to accept Jesus as her Savior. Sylvia's confession of faith and baptism were witnessed by broth
ers and sisters from several church
TR able to minister is by helping the local Cyrennians, who give help to alcoholics and drug
<] users.
After some study and discussion
Pete saw a need to make a fuller
es who had come together for the monthly "Teach-In" in Erdington, (Our baptistry is being remodeled.) "Life in the Spirit" was the subject of the "Teach-In" and Sylvia has plunged into all aspects of that life as she seeks ways to use her
gifts to serve in our Body. Her en
commitment personally and publically. He began to attend our morning ser vices but realized that wasn't enough. He was baptized at the Great Francis Street Church in Birmingham during
one of our "Teach-ins".
Pete feels a real burden to wit
ness where he works and at home, to his wife. We continue to pray for
our brother Pete.
thusiasm has encouraged many in our fellowship, and also affected Jim her husband. He sees the change in her life and is himself open to in vestigating Christianity. Pray for Sylvia: for her witness to Jim, for
wisdom in raising their three year-
In middle February, the Coventry team begins a new phase in their task of equipping the Coventry church for indigenous ministry. With this in mind, we have eagerly watched Pete
We have
But it wasn't
seen definite gifts of spiritual leadership, preaching, and outreach emerge in him in the last few years. With the blessing of church lead ers here and the eldership of the
until he accepted his single status that God did provide a wife in Pam
Thornton.
Dave joyfully gives the familiar warning, "Be careful what you ask God
for." Pam has four sons so Dave has
DEB
perience. Watch for news of Pete's developing ministry and pray for the Spirit's guidance.
f e(ujS at ^rljool
Last month, I was in
vited to teach a "Liberal
Coffee Cljcnins?
(Laughter) You remember what hap pened at, the last one." No one came, "Yeh, but this time we've got
three ladies who have said they
members teaches.
They
"Well, we can only try. Will you be hostess? I'll help you," "Alright, but if no one comes
this time . . . "
is Spirit be a man?" they expressed it. They needed to know what this strange Christian conception of the Trinity is. The only other Asian, a Sikh by religion, wanted to know
how God could sacrifice himself on
the cross.
It shakes your confidence when you make big plans and invite many and no one comes. That's how Audrey (see Oct. 77) felt. But she said, "yes" and God blessed her faithful
ness to Him. The three non-Christians came
students took the answers seriously. The question of openness, however, came out sharply, I openly stated, "If Christianity is not true, I'll give it all upmy faith, job, every thing." I asked a Muslin pupil if he would be willing to do the same with his religion. Without hesita tion, he answered, "No." With just three minutes of our
ren, Lyn started the ball rolling by asking if their children talked with them about what they learned in J.A.M. "Do they talk to you about
Jesus?"
"Do they?
Solid conversation about God, His existence, creation, who Jesus is,
and (the joy for Audrey), "What's it been like for you since you've
become a Christian?"
becoming a Christian.
with them. Pray for them and pray for more evening of opportunity for natural sharing about Jesus.
Penny
'
Roger
^triSonal Cpistlt
Dear Friends, It's nice to have a small space to express something of my personal life as well as of my ministry. One of the most interesting, or maybe I should say catastropic, events for me during the last year has been my marriage to Roger. We started off with a highly un conventional wedding and the rest seems to be following in the same pattern. Having spent the first two months sleeping in a tiny, single room and living the rest of the time in the church building, we were su premely grateful finally to move in to our own house. Roger had great fun slapping up a poster wall in our kitchen, and I had great fun watch ing, and all the people who visit
have great fun trying to think of something to say about it. I have experienced such human and divine generosity in the last few monthsit really is quite difficult
I'm
sure you know that feeling. God has given to me liberally in many areas, some of which I don't even recognize. Our marriage is one area where He has shown me something new of His nature. His essential unity is be ginning to find a small expression
Erdington team in mid-March, pro viding their support is promised. After nine months, they will move to a fresh team ministry.
ERDtNGTON TEAM ^
144 Gravelly Lane
Birmingham B23 6LT
ENGLAND
v f
^ 49 Huntingdon Rd.
T Coventry CV5 6PT
ENGLAND
COVENTRY TEAM
P.nn^ jrinflon
nufins
t^s
Howtn
WicUf, dJirin^lon
'
from the secular-agnostic-humanistic view of life in mid-England. Our Hillfields working class society sees the church mainly as a middle class phenomenon. So we carry on to redefine 'the church' in hopes
we can make it work for these people. Only when the body of Christ is receptive to real needs of its community can it serve and witness. Only when the church can express its worship and testimony in the forms of the people, will the people ever listen to her message.
What does a working class church look like? I don't know, but I think I'm seeing it materialize before my eyes.
Also, I'm reminded that preaching the gospel is never enough. To know the plan of salvation is only the most basic, elementary
thing (Heb. 6:1-3). We must also live the good news. Here is the crucial question still: Is the quality of our lives any better than
If it is not,
then our gospel is only 'pie in the sky by and by.' It has not changed our living in the now and our witness power is destroyed. Can not our neighbors then honestly say, "You're no different than I, so who needs your gospel?" And the staggering incidence of Christian
divorce, disunity, and worldly values is evidence that all too often
we're not practicing what we preach. However, praise God that there are many notable exceptions where I have seen radical, biblical Christianity indeed change the quality of individual and group life 'from the roots up.' As one American friend so rightly reminded me, how can we effectively witness to groups like the Mormons about their faulty doctrines of the family when our true doctrine has not yet produced
effective, loving family units of Christians? Or as another modern
sage has put it, "We've got to out think, out love, and out live those lost in the world if our witness is to have any real impact."
I have observed some of the rich variety of Christian experience on both sides of the Atlantic. It is the same gospel in differing forms of expression. But wherever the good news of Jesus is really heard and lived out, the effect on the world must be the same as it
was when His l i f e was f i r s t lived.
STEVE
Re-New Goals
A few weeks ago we took a day out to examine our ministry before the
Lord and ask Him to di
Fanatical punks have safety pins through their lips, ears, or cheeks. They, too, have their own music, 'Punk Rock', which reflects their notion that life is void of meaning.
Our task is to relate Jesus to
these people. We must remind our selves continually that Christ loves
'Teds* and 'Punkers' with the same
we are placing greater emphasis on evangelism, particularly door-todoor calling. Also, we restated what are maybe obvious but important goals:
1) To bring the gospel of Jesus to as many as possible. 2) To lead those in Christ to maturity. 3) To bring the Coventry fellowship to
stand, in Christ,, on its own feet.
4)
by God to lead in British Churches. We need constantly to set God be fore us and look to Him for ways to
Lost Youth
Many people here are far from God, Young people, in particular, seem
lost.
and their strange search for identity One group brings a revival of the 'Teddy-Boy' fad which goes back to
fellowship was all about. His questions led him to see the reason
able nature of Christian belief.
We watched him move toward faith
50's. You can identify the 'Teds' by their appearance: long drape coats, drain pipe trousers, greased back hair, and shoe-string ties.
of life and death to a
as the Spirit convicted him. A month after his friend Pete, Nick was bap
tized into Christ at our district
'Teach-In'.
repulse others. You can usually identify them by their appearance as well. Their hair, which is often dyed bizarre colors, sticks up.
at this Birmingham church in 5 years.) After seeing the changes in new Christian Sylvia, her husband JIM has come regularly to our meetings to see for himself. Now, he too wants the life-changing power of
Jesus. After more counselling this week, he plans to be baptized.
STEVE
we learn in them. Pray that we will get down to real needs that God
wants to f i l l .
It IV<3S Good. - I came back from my three weeks in the U. S. A. very much encouraged and refreshed. Thank you all so much for the encouragement and love.
Love, Bev
who has become quite interested in Jesus. Pray for personal acceptance of Jesus and getting their living
situation sorted out.
Introducing
We want to 'pinch' a few lines from Erdington to keep our promise of introducing our new American correspondents. TIM & NANCY BARBER live in Council Bluffs, Iowa with their two young men, John Paul (3) and
Michael (1). All four are learning together how to give and receive
East Side Christian Church in Council Bluffs, and Nancy works as a secretary for a local gas company.
In working with us, they are learning what it is to work for nothing with 100% pay increases each year. Yet their continued generos ity is seen in a recent statement about their Datsun which is a lemon, "Looking for some nice missionaries to England who could use one."
Their lives are not as boring as this introduction, which I have
proved in several never-a-dull-moment years with them at Lincoln Christian College. I introduce you to Nancy and Tim as personal friends, who are very interested in following God's way for their lives. They have a great commitment to Christ's work wherever it is.
ROGER
Personal Epistle
Dear Friends,
Last month Michelle shared some of
better through sharing with his fam ily and working on the old house we
are buying.
her first year of marriage in this section. Now I'm taking us back a step and sharing my engagement peri od with you. For at the present, my personal life is wrapped up with Richard Harris as we are busy plan ning our July wedding. Richard and I met when he began to come to services, searching for
Truth. He found Jesus and became
I've discovered that being 'in love' brings many joys as well as difficulties. It's not easy for me to make the adjustments necessary in changing from a rather selfish, in dependent person to an 'equal part ner' . I'm grateful for a long en
gagement period to work on this I
a Christian in August 1976. Our dating relationship began in Jan uary 1977. Being convinced that God
can use us as a team, we announced our engagement in October 1977.
Since then we have spent our spare time getting to know each other
In His love,
DEBBIE
AlUIERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
WuUi,
reaie^ ^Jringlo
tU
^tpoA from a Jua/ . f^rnoti Jua/ Iram minlilru
cUf, e n^in^ Vol. 5
a po
No.
May
1978
Word wasunderstandable! And he and his wife had thumbed through the Bible and read a few isolated passages, like Paul's advice about marriage (I Cor. 7) and his word about the obligation to work even though Christ might come any day (II Thess.3). Ralph was out of work, and Ray thought
that anyone who would say, "Whoever refuses to work is not allowed to
than one for which he was willing to listen to an answer. But then again, Ralph certainly did have his own views.
terrestrial creatures.
aldt of serious (not just Von Daniken) study of astronomy and extra
He certainly believed that there were close en
counters of the third kind, and maybe even Jesus was a spaceman. For the moment at least, the Good News of Jesus was rejected for myths and vain speculationshowever serious. But my task is to tell even though their minds are dull, ears stopped up, and eyes closed.
Otherwise, they would see, hear, understand, turn to God, and He would heal (Acts 28:26-27). ROGER
* Two months overdue in England,
Curt and Lynda Nordhielm have decided
to leave for England during early May even though they do not yet have the necessary financial support promised.
They are confident that God wants
TV programs called "Simple Faith?" One flustered young lady was in line for Jesus Christ Superstar when asked,
COULD YOU PLEASE PAUSE FOR A MOMENT RIGHT NOW AND PRAY FOR US
day? Could they share their faith with family, friends, and work
mates? This was the situation a
dustry).
ial Family Communion Service, every one had opportunity to visit over
Lincoln Christian College professor and minister with the church there, had invited us to come. They had been conducting a series of Investi gation Sessions with several nonChristians. Sadly feeling the ex isting congregation there could not help in this area, he asked us to
share how Christians in normal work
vices. Because of this, special care was taken to explain why we do the things we do in our services. Perhaps this can be the beginning of integrating the whole family in
the whole of Church life.
DEBBIE
And NowJim
Last month Steve wrote of one who
was considering baptism. This month I write that JIM BURNS, a 24 year old coal miner, is your new brother.
Jim witnessed the life of his wife,
indeed difficult, but through the Lord we can live life that is pleas ing to Him. They were very open and honest with us and freely shared their worries and doubts, yet through it all I know that God was working. They are now more convinced that He is able to carry them through. The latest report received from them is that they are all still very
much on the brink of commitment.
Spirit of God.
Faith Lift
Our church has been ex
WliolsThis IMan
that even the winds and waves obey
never have the opportunity to be a plump married woman. Not as long as she had to work so hard every Sunday
lessons. We have progressively un covered Jesus' identity as Teacher, Healer, Miracle-Worker, Prophet; his power over nature, Satan, and circumstances. He gives hope where there is no hope, life where there is no life, and wholeness where there is only partial health. We climaxed on Palm Sunday with an attempt to demonstrate the pro
found answer of Jesus' God/Man iden
chapel organ for sale at an auction. After some bargaining the price was
lowered, but still it was a rather large amount for our church. We had
made some major and necessary pur
chases and our funds looked rather
provide the money. But why would God lead us to such a bargain, nothing more and nothing less than we needed,
i f He did not intend for us to have
it?
outfit'.). We had the usual hitches. People had to sit in the aisle, so
our kids were unable to roll out the carpet for Jesus to enter onmost
The matter was put before the church. Immediately people began volunteering various financial gifts.
disconcerting I Later, to witness the reality of Christ's life-changing power today, we had four British Christians (aged 23 to 70) give testimonies about who
this man was and how He related to
them.
"Truly
Personal Epistle
Dear Friends,
Give me a very good and loving God, a cup of tea in the morning, a trip home to see my sister get married, and you have a very grateful
when He's walking right next to me, able to be talked to and listened to.
That cup of tea I mentioned? It really is a reflection of the contentment I have living in the right place at the right time with my
God.
get a chance to see certain people or even phone some of my friends. Time escaped me and my good intentions fell flat. Thank you everyone for letting me share a part of your life. Oh by the way. Skip, Cathy, and Carl, the gazebo in Howarth is gone.
COVENTRY TEAM
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
I
niuUf.
(CJrinflo
Missions services Box 177
Kempton, IN 46049
Images
"Do not make for yourselves images of anything . . . " (Exodus
20:4). Whenever we read this verse, we tend to think of idols or things carved out of wood or stone, which people worship. There is another kind of image that often hinders true worship - the image we often make of other people. We all have an image of the people we know which we keep tucked away in our minds. Whenever someone men
tions his name, our minds compute, "John Doe; click, click, click,"
and out comes the image we have of that person which makes him John Doe to us. We all do it, even with ourselves.
The problem comes when we let that image keep John from being
the person God is making him to be or when John perceives how we see
him and thinks^ "Now I must not let them know what I*m really like
or they won't like me." So John keeps living in our image of him
It
rather than God's view of him.
question that person is struggling with is, "Will you (and God)
still like me if you really know me?"
PENNY
PRAY ABOUT IT
What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new or
warfare on you.
shoulders.
The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does
not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men
men of prayer.
Silver Jubilee
8
GROWTH
Two young Christian mothers recent
Grand Opening
Almost 150 Christians and friends from all across the Midlands shared
months, has discovered something that I*m afraid takes years to sink
into some of us. She writes: "I am
Church of Christ, but it also marked the completion of our two year exten sion and remodeling project.
Every part of our building has
beginning to understand how much God will help and guide us even in the
smallest of things. . .
Recently I
health. Only when I held them up to the Lord did things fall into place. How much easier is my life now that I acknowledge God*s workings, and I trust that we all have enough faith to let the Lord work through us and
not try to work without IUjii."
friends who shared with us through out the day. We spoke together of
press herself. The poem expresses the "feeling of oneness, of peacefulness I get when I walk along quiet country lanes, listening to the bird song, and looking at the trees. It
future.
makes me say, *Thank you. Lord, for the beauty of it allfor being alive
and for being able to appreciate it.*"
DEB
mission of no return. Certainly we can testify to our own struggles of faith as we sought to fulfill the vision which God had given to us con cerning the building extension.
NOTE: Since May 3, Jan and Pete have been enjoying a six week furlough in Canada and the U.S.A. They will be travelling with family in the western states, and then working for a few
weeks with the First Christian Church
i BeingRight
I want to become a
Looking Perfect
Chris
tian."
"Oh Karen. . . but why do you want to?" "Because I know I'm not complete
, . . because I want to be made com
. . because I know He can
support outside the church. She knows already some of the struggle it means at home and school, so she needs your prayers as much as ours. But as we see God totally remaking people, we have that assured hope that he is making something beauti
ful out of Karen. MICHELLE
No Lonely Fight
On March 16^ JEAN WHITE, a di
vorcee and unwed mother wrote; "I
Well. What can you say to that? A few weeks ago, 14 year-old
KAREN PILLSBURY made these astound
must be baptized.
I know Jesus.
Yet she
comes from a non-Christian family where mother tells her to keep her
beliefs private, father is not in terested, and one older sister in sists she will grow out of it. I have been excited again and again during my studies with her by her comprehension of Scripturenot just intellectually^ but for her own life. I listened, amazed, as she explained righteousness to her 13 year old friend, "You don't get right with God by keeping all the rules . . . but if you've got Jesus,
it's like he stands in front of you, so that when God looks at you he
Once that step was taken, she could clearly obey God's wishes, and her heart's desire. On April 23, she
was baptized into Christ. And God is at work, putting her
just sees Jesus'. And that makes you look perfect to God."
Karen has little or no Christian
marry him, and he is perhaps near to committing himself to Christ. All is not always rosey - old prob lems raise their ugly heads, but she doesn't fight alone any more.
BEV
Personal Epistle
Dear American Friends,
I never wanted to be British. Nor did I necessarily want to stay in America. I don't feel like a 'foreigner' just because I live in a different
Nor did I choose to live in the style of the 'working-class', yet that's
And in your absence I imagine you to say, 'Where and how you live and what
you have don't matter because home is where the heart is.' I've learned here that my heart needs to be only with the Master and with my brothers.
And because they are everywhere, home can be anywhere. Do I miss you in America? Yes. Will I miss England?
Yes.
Pray
for me here.
'at home',
I pray for you far away and wonder where we really feel
Love,
STEVE
P.S.
Nathan has his first tooth and is crawling into and through everything.
ICOVENTRY TEAM
Coventry CV5 6PT
ENGLAND M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
49 Huntingdon Rd.
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
Janrf
Sainti
U.S.A.
nuiins
Kempton, 1^
46049
.,tU from
. . . f^tpori from a dual Uam miniilr^ ^ ^
'
pulsive.
How,
how, HOW? While on a three day retreat a few weeks ago, we discovered in .new
depth what God's grace is actually doing in our lives. The Lord is patiently eliminating even the possibility of 'trying' to serve Him in our own
strength, because He has faced us with problems and situations for which we have no answer. We have people whose spiritual battles have presented us with an apparent impasse. Frustrated, we look here and there; we look
We demand:
Finally when we have hit rock bottom and are forced to stop trying, do you know what happens? The Spirit moves tremendously beyond all we
we have no love.
is the HOW'.
And we fall on our knees with fresh wonder and thankfulness to hear the
Faithful One say: "My grace is totally, absolutely, unconditionally sufficient for you."
MICHELLE
The implications of this fact include the church's ministry to help all seekers to find God's best in every area of life. For a long time we have shied away from fulfilling this ministry in the areas of physical and emo tional illness. Out of a fear of failure, we have hesitated to pray for healing. Because of a lack of sensitivity to the Spirit, we don't seem to know whether or not it even might be God's will to heal, despite the prom ises in Scripture that God does make His will known to us. (John 16:13-15; I Cor. 2:10-16) (thoughts continued on pages 2 & 3) STEVE
As a growing Church we are becoming more and more aware of the power of pray Through a very timely series of er. We ask. you as broth events, the Coventry Church has moved ers and sisters to join in faith to a new understanding and us in prayer for the fol practice of Christ's ministry of lowing concerns: healing. We claim no special revela tion nor do we wish to 'specialize' * Our CHILDREN'S CAMP held August in the spectacular. All we know is 14-25. We are busy recruiting camp what God has done among us. ers and preparing materials and First, over the years we have seen staff. This is our fifth year of Mrs. Withnall find strength and con camp, and we anticipate youth fidence after 20 years of physical attending from five different and emotional handicap. Now she is Churches of Christ. able to do the shopping and house * Our NEWER CHRISTIANS, and our not- keeping, impossible a few years ago. so-new ones, who are struggling as During these long years, Mr. With they give up more of their lives to nall 's constant prayer has been for the Lord. Remember especially Jim & his wife's recovery and the church's
Healing (cont.)
Sylvia, Pete I., and Nick. * ROB & JUDY, two new faces at our
services, are deeply searching and counting the cost of discipleship. Also, FRANCIS, the mother of one of our Christian teens, has seen a change in some of her friends who
have become Christians and now is
open to look.
recovered completely after suffering for years with bleeding. Her doc tor's words, at her "examination a week after special prayer for her health, were, "l don't know what's happened. All I can say is you're healing." It was her healing that convinced her husband, Jim, of God's power. The following week he was baptized. We have now begun praying for the sick one evening each month. We have a unique sense that this is a work God has given us to do. Workmates ask our members to pray
for them and their sick friends. We
They are seeking ways of ministry. * Mr. & Mrs. Withnall, our elder and
his wife who have been faithful mem bers of the Church here from its be
ginning 25 years ago, are celebrating their Ruby (40th) Wedding Anniversary, We pray for God's blessing on them as they continue their service for the Lord together.
JANET
Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom, helped the poor and healed the sick - so, too, the proper place for a ministry of healing is within
the total ministry of the Church -
Many were skeptical of this heal ing - including his wife and myself but no one can deny what has happen
ed. The doctor has released him
Bill Muller (57) was an unbeliever two years ago, and you would have nev er found him talking to Christians at the door. Yet when Penny and Michelle were trying to look up a lapsed church member next door, they met Bill and his wife, Winnie. Soon a Bible study began. In their year of study, they
have looked at Mark and Acts. Bill and Winnie absorbed Biblical
and says he can go back to work. After his healing. Bill began putting Biblical truth together very quickly. He reads his Bible every day - and other Christian books.
Bill determined to follow God's will
for him and receive His salvation.
Bill
in God."
the name
Henry Drunimond
'Christian' and come to our
years.
and moved very slowly. It took him a couple of hours just to get dressed in the morning. Baptism was a phys
ical block for him.
rest.
ing. After a thoroughly Christian evangelistic message, the evangelist prayed for the sick to receive Jesus' care. Bill stood with many others for
prayer. He felt a warming sensation
Irene Goode
Oliver Hodges
but did not believe anything happened. The next morning he got up and was in the living room dressed by 9 a.m.
He never appeared before 11 a.m.
was f i t as a
"If any man comes to the claims of Christ wanting to know if they are true, willing to follow His teachings if they are true. He will know. But one cannot come unwilling
He
to accept and expect to find out." Josh McDowell, compare John 7:17
Pray that these people who are asking questions will see the truth
of Jesus:
since. He mows lawns, skips rope with children, and runs his wife rag ged with his new steam. God has healed his bodyI (Re cares that
Eddie Orchard
John Hurdman
Betty Stanyer
Steve Humphries
BEV
Personal Epistle
Dear Christian Friends,
I thought I might give you some of my impressions of England. These are not my first impressions, as I have spent four summers doing intern ships within the Churches of Christ here. The last summer was 1975. In those three years a number of things have changed. The inflation that was present in the U.S. plagued England. Two years ago, it was 25%.
That has been cut to 9%. But as a result, both wages and prices rose
drastically. Three years ago, the average wage was about $80 per week. Today it is $140 with at least one industry wanting $190. However, there is one thing that has not seemed to change - the quality of church life. England has been described as a "tired country with a
tired church" and in my limited experience, that is true. That is not to say that there are not bright spots in the church life scene. For in
That
tells me that there can be a growing, living church even if the country
My first impressions of Britain are not centered or the rise in affluency of the people here. It is erty of the British citizens. They are gasping for is often too tired to respond. Will you join me in on the inflation rate on the spiritual pov help, but the church prayer for revival.
CURT
i
%
atnes
COVENTRY TEAM
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
^Jrin^lon
yijuffins
Editorial Department
Box 177
Kempton, IN
46049
.,Ut
from a dual tram miniilr^ I
Starting Again
My first impressions of Britain and Erdington are hard to explain.
new to me.
new land.
had been in Britain in the suinmer of 1974, so the culture was not totally
But visiting for a summer is not like learning to live in a
I am a bit like a child in a grown up world. Things that one takes for granted, that one does without thinking, I have to learn. Being like a child, but still being an adult makes doing things even more frus
trating .
Initially I had to learn where I was in relation to everything else. I had to learn where shops and streets were, how to get there without getting lost in the process. We take language and conversation for granted. Now I have to think more about what I am saying, I have to use different words to describe things I used every day in the U.S.A. For instance, one day with some English friends, I said that I was going
underwear and "dress" is only a garment for women, you can imagine what As I think about it, it is something like being a Christian. Jesus asks us to become like little children. The hard thing is that we come to Christ as an adult child. We want to trust the Holy Spirit to guide our lives, and teach us how to live. The problem is that we have been adults too long, so we try to do everything ourselves, and we fall
on our faces.
Holy Spirit,
Steve taught about finding the treasure of God's Kingdom (Matt, 13:44). It was a good, interest arousing
approach; the club was a success,
DEBBIE
E.E.C. Day
E N 0 R
Kerens an idea that has worked in our situation that may help
in yours. We call it E.E.C. Day, The initials stand for Economic
Exchange Collection.
looking for items which they aren't wearing or using. The assump tion is that if you're not using something, perhaps you don't need it and someone else might. So we all bring in our surplus possessions to make one big collection. Then anyone is welcome to look through and find what they can put to good use. In this way we hope to make better
use of God's resources and rid ourselves of useless possessions. It's a real freedom to know that you don't have to accumulate any more things
than what you need right now. others to meet their need, And it's freedom to be able to share with STEVE
U.S.A.
with what our English family and friends expect is an interesting challenge.
I will have a chief bridesmaid
(maid of honor in USA) and Richard will have groomsmen rather than just
a best man as is the custom here.
Through the whole trip we had a real sense that the Lord was leading
us and working out His will in our
official registera state req^uired document. The wedding cake, a tra ditional English fruit cake, will be served after a buffet reception in Richard's family's English garden
(weather permitting!). I'm sure this wedding will be an
interesting experience for all usto say the least I
DEBBIE
own lives. There were many blessings and surprises, not least of which was my ordination to the ministry. This took place at the Boulevard
Please pray that the Lord will continue to guide and equip us in
the work He has called us to do.
of
Thank you for your love shown to us. May He strengthen you for service.
PETE BOWEN
investigation group where all the participants are very differ ent from one another. One young man had been in an investiga tion group before and intellectually knows that the claims of
For him, it is a matter of the will. Another member of the group, an older gentleman, came with notes
that he was beginning to question all that he was taught in school. The rest are, I believe, honest seekers. Whether they accept or reject Christ is yet to be seen. But whatever they do, it will be after they have looked at the claims of Christ honestly. Pray that God's truth
will be made manifest to them.
CURT NORDHIELM
will bedone
^^^eartn as it is in heaven
We are glad that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us to the Father, in terpreting our needs and desires when we cannot articulate them. But we ask that you seriously take these things yourself to the Father in prayer on our behalf as part of your ministry to us. BRIAN - husband of a Christian lady here who can accept Christianity
intellectually but whose nerve has not yet been touched by the reality
of God.
WINNIE - middle-aged lady whose husband has just become a Christian and is considering commitment to Jesus for herself. THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN BRITAIN - who are in the process of making
tllCHELLE
Personal Epistle
Dear Friends, It's so good to be a Christian, and alive in a country that has the freedom to worship God and to open
ious freedom that I often take for
granted.
In studying the book of Acts, I'm reminded once again of the per secution among the early Christians. A few weeks ago I heard of the thir
teen missionaries who were killed in
in prison. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mis treated, for you know what they are
going through."
- Hebrews 13:3
JAN
Love,
Rhodesia.
I
"Such a
rifices well. After a
as I"
lesson on
Eight year old Vanda from Erdington seemed to learn her Sunday School
lessons from the Old Testament sac
Why?
Because
Abraham and Isaac, Vanda was seen making her own dramatic sacrifices. The objects of sacrifice - worms!'.
CURT
COVENTRY TEAM
^Jrin^lon
Ed. Depatm.
Box 177
wjfL
rtiuUie
aie^
^Jringlon
Kempton, IN
46049
Our ministry involves much door-to-door survey work. Our survey is interested in people's beliefs and opinions. We feel that we should give the people a chance to explain how they think and feel before we have said
have a number of strange and funny answers to our questions. At times, we find that these experiences help ease the pain of doors being slammed in
*One man said that he was a practicing Roman Catholic, but he had not been to church in 18 years.
*Another, when asked who Jesus was, said, "He certainly wasn't Pontius
Pilate, was he?"
*Another strange response came from an elderly man who said, "if it
does not exist now, it never has." *Perhaps the most difficult to accept is the response that we get about
Saturday Fellowship
Recently some of the ladies in the Coventry Church felt a need for more social fellowship. So various activities have been organized monthly
during the summer.
Last month we had a BAR-B-Q at the Tate's. A few games of charades had all of us laughing. This month's event took us on a bus trip to Billing Aquadrome, an amusement park for the whole family. One feature
was the Astroglide (a huge slide) . Nearly all of us had to try this and think of daring ways to get to the bottom of it all. Although these times of fellowship are social, they give us opportunity
to know each other better. We are able to share with one another on all levels. Next month we will share in an all-church weekend camp out.
JAN
WE ASK YOUR PRAYERS FOR GOD'S WORKING IN THE FOLLOWING THREE AREAS:
Deb Weds
There is something moving and special about watching a relation ship between two people grow. Having
roomed with Debbie for four years,
Recently we received
notification of a brother
in Hungary, PASTOR JANOS BERES, who has been fined approximately $7,500
I've watched her grow close and 'fall deeply in love' with Richard. It
was a blessing to me. Another blessing was to see them
ment. We were encouraged to write letters and pray so that the situation might be changed, particularly as Hungary is supposed to have religious
freedom unlike some of their Eastern
July. I had seen plenty of their ups and downs,,their times of smooth ing off the rough edges, the 'giving
up of self. This wedding ceremony was the culmination of that process. For all who attended, the day was very special. There were many friends and family including some who
had travelled from America.
European counterparts.
Several people
from our church responded in writing letters expressing concern for Janos and the maintaining of freedom to follow and share Christ in Hungary.
Two things forthcoming on our calendar for which we are feeling God's direction and blessing. We are soon to have a five week emphasis
on Christian STEWARDSHIP. The
meetings will cover stewardship on all levels and we want our people to be challenged and led on in more and more Christ-like living as a result.
We also have several people inter
The reception was a time for fel lowship and chatting in the garden of Richard's parent's 18th century farm house. The day was beautiful, and it
was sad to see i t end. We waved and
tear as we cheered and shed one more
pray that these people may be shown Jesus through this group and be brought to see their need to come*to
Him. Thank you for sharing in our ministry by your prayers.
PETE BOWEN
Supposing To Be
I wasn't supposed to
anywhere.
with a potential university student who had serious and honest questions, I shared with him what I knew of my God and freely admitted what I did not know, maintaining that God is
able to be known. I invited him to
wick Convention, but the night be fore we were to leave, it was im pressed upon me that someone should
stay. That someone seemed to be me.
our investigation group, and he has been coming ever since. He spent four hours researching the implica tions of the high priest tearing his robes. "Did it mean blasphemy?
Does that mean that Jesus' claim was
the Jesus Center to help out. tfy job at the Center that night was to welcome people. I distinctly remem ber Phil coming in,because he said
he hadn't been there before.
stairs he went.
to be God?"
We ex
I am finding it
what was going on in his mind,or that within an hour I'd be in deep conver
sation with him about God.
A girl brought coffee to me with the report that there was a young guy upstairs asking some pretty tough questions. "He seems to be a
gave it little thought, finished my duty on the door and went upstairs. I sat down and surveyed the busy center. I guessed that over in the corner was the 'poor' fellow who was
asking questions.
I thought 'poor'
because he was virtually surrounded by people talking to him. I had no intention of going over - one more
person was certainly one too many.
peace to permeate their lives. Please be in prayer for: ***Lucy and Steve Shaw ***Phil Bell (above article) ***Roger King ***Lynda Vipond
Then one of the girls who was talk ing to him got up and mentioned to me that they just weren't getting
PEPSOndl
EpfSflB
sometimes I wish that I had more time to do the things that I really enjoy -
like playing tennis and squash, travelling, and learning to do more things with my hands. But God is faithful to give me contentment in what I do. A lot of my spare time - at least in thought - has been in a new educational
venture. I am attempting to do research for a thesis that may eventually
The project is a very result in a Ph.D. at the University of Birmingham.
practical one for our work here - I am not interested in just getting a degree for its own sake. I am working on "Varieties of Popular Unbelief in Erdington," which I hope will give us an even more sure foundation in our evangelism.
My thinking is that we must know for sure who we are talking to so that we will reach his thinking and acting where he is. There has been very little serious work on this subject, so this pioneer venture is a bit tough. And
just when I should have had more time to work on this project, it seems that
the demands of the ministry have become stronger. But I am sure that since
I wish you God's joy and love in your own personal lives, and may the Spirit
ROGER
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
h
ainrj
U.S.A.
WlcUfe
nutin.
Crtau^ ^Jrinfton
Kempton, IN 46049
a HI
. . . ^pqdilfKom a: c/wa/ ham miniitrf
xkaf/liiti/inf a
Vol. 5 No. 13
WIttt does it meto tp he M0n il^' s Squad"? thdt'a I tb hel|^ pur ybung Idis^o^^
iw ma^ reaspxts.
kiit easi say.
I&rt le^t
api^a^ing me saya, **Will yott^e ^ sl^^ if I tiBll jm ti^ jjolii for ea^ sitoer"
Ht^t^i^-^ld Mary f r^
Gc^l^ into the l^chra tent ^t
iig^^ear^oiM SMtti^
^ pixr
ti^e her nightie ^bn her^'idfethes, "It % &bid tohight--3Mn our te^l" Jason trying tp= fs^
'^|i|dre% Pf vlAt
^xe
li]^: '%e's gpt hp|^ taily " '^e'a gpt a red clpiflfe,,:''itti#
iac^
tested tp dp wrpn^i, ^
dpn*t aptiit^^
ilMliii
hattie: 'we
'fitfee'.heav^ iej|isp^
a^nted in sin^le.^ayi^s a^eda planted in ypy^ tP put
LovefDiscipime
^cPuih the icamp thia year 1
Ip^^ia. Ifieu^ P0 tM ph^ attended tl^e ep^ #i^evfi^ hpm^:^ it waa x>fti^ iiecesas^ to diaci^lj^ th^ ggfc thiy Ifeid ||at
pi Pur fiitl^r |Q|d ^l^e fov ua > ao mitt lreai<^
gic^
in diac^lixdstg th^ 1 #>vM weelf atill lon^Uig UMid w^i^ to aSbi^ th^ that dP^ite th^ fnrpnj^i^ th^^i^ aliM liKvit.
tum aiiy Ib^e pf
l^en tdUa.
e little tcMen^tp ^t
led
Xw^
thet
;ne^r atio^^
IGM^
they could have a deep, safe^ loving, triMting relationship with God. As
There were 22 campers and 15 st^f and helpers who travelled to Wales
and jammed into recently renovated* "The Mill," a vintage miller's house complete with millstones, granary,
and at le^t a hole for the wate^r wheel. Ail the large rooms were used for many pui^oses from sleeping
and eating to holding classes and Viewing drama. But with plenty of td^lling hands, the rooms could be
converted qsUite nicely. Even then, Mchelle and Rog^ slept in the hall
two pairs when the followers were led to fall into the nearliy sllream. And trust nearly broke one fepy when
the leader said, "Tak^ a step toward me." the boy stepped the ot^her way
to fall down a six foot wall. But
And
.
The Bible lessons were the cprnerstone to building pur theme. A Bible teacher gives her susmiavy: "After an intrpductipn tp the met
ples, we moved into specific re^latipnships. The children talked freely about their relationships with friends
and families . The girls were ei^hatic that they needed relationships \^th
boyfriends tp develop only from strpng friendships and were relieved tp see
that Gpd understood that.
yPu had a boyfriend ^ ^^rlfri^nd. For Instance, if you found put that
a bpy or girl liked you. What wpuld
you feel?
"Th@ir grasp of relationships as a God-given prpvisipn for growth in Ipve was evidenced when they exclaimed With delight , "He's put a detep dpwn want inside us, like fpr fppd."
the climx of the week's class came
11-16Years
Head>" we threw the water bcmbs into the granary window where the boys
were standing and smiling. Well, you could hardly call this a case of
It
bers to be ready. Others tteeded to work things out with parents, etc.
"Besides making the boys wringing wet, this year's camp was a great
e3q>erience for me, especially seeing four people getting baptized in a
river!"
discipleship, she was reminded of the very cold river water. "I don't
Decisions
Karen hit the priorities right on
the head. As the staff saw the move
ment of God in the young people, we talked gbout having a decision time. But we wanted to safeguard against decision that might iwt lead to
^ Younfg people and staff were talk ing about Jesus and praying all over the campsite during free time. One young girl confessed her sin to anoth er, and was afraid that no one would
love her. But she followed the ad-
teenage fellows were crying^ We sang, prayed with the four in groups, a:nd went on our way knowing that (Sod was moving among us .
Vice that was given, and found to her joy that she was forgiven. When she
saw that the person to whom she con fessed her sin still loved her, she realized what God was like. And she went away rejoicing, ready to give her life to that forgiving God, TEtSE, f 17 year old helper from
than the words were out of his mouth, they came ruxmihg. Ten of them no hesitation, no waiting to see if their friextds were coming. NADINE, from Great Fr^cis Street Church in Birmingham^i wasi baptized in
to Jesus two weel^ later. Some are
people.
on new meaning.- When you consMer 2i2 camp.ers, 4 were already Christians,
3 were baptized at camp, and ten made decisions to follow up laHer^
i t was almost a whole PEOPLE
The camper soon returned again in quiring if he had finally arrived at the right tent. Upon receiving the
"Help*.
cried one camper in the middle of the night. The shouts awakened a
The boy left, and the faculty member in much thought and wakefulness came
to the conclusion that the camper
was not who he thought him to be. Therefore, he had been in the right
tent.
COVENTRY TEAM
I 49 Huntingdon Rd.
' Coventry CV5 6PT
ENGLAND
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
nuiin,
Jringlon
.Kemptoix, IM 46049
irom
. . . Import from a Juaf tram miniilr^ tkaiitn^in^ a poil-Ckriitian nation wilk ike t/aimi of Chris!
Vol. 6 No. 3 November, 1978
ur Bailp preai
THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
And then,
the only time we talk about finance. Just like you, we need our daily bread to keep us going. But our policy is to talk mainly to our Father
Of course, we*re never secretive and will explain anything to anyone x^ho asks, but we don*t want to push finance on you. If you know God and we know God, He will work out both our needs as He promised. Our ministry is a testimony to that fact that for five years God has provided our finance for these team ministries. Sometimes we must pray "hard", some times we must do without something we would like, but always God has provided our needsjust like He promised. The rate of exchange has beat away at the dollar to a tune of 12.9% this yearnot as bad as in Switzerland, Japan, and Germany, but still a
we can spend here I/m afraid. There was also a 12% rise in the consumer price index in Britain versus a 6J<% rise in the U.S.A. Adding inflation and exchange rate, there is a 25% drop in our buying power between our financial report last year and this year. Most of us are on the same money as last year. But we think you*11 agree that your value for money in us is pretty reasonableeleven full time workers (two for only four months) in two team ministries for about $44,000. Our U.S.A. Team funds carry our Epistle expenses mainly, which will be much more next year with the increase in postage. Most of this money was provided by students and faculty of Lincoln Christian College plus
two faithful churches. It's nice to have our funds well in the black for
a change. Our U.K. (United Kingdom) funds allow us to do some extra projects that the churches may not be prepared to finance. But mainly we believe that the church here should pay its own way when it canon the
way to being completely indigenous.
T^E SAY blt: thanks and thanks and ever thanks for the wonderful care that
So not another word about money again until next year, but if you
keep talking to God, and we keep talking to God, our ministry together
will be provided for.
ROGER
3ntje!tigation
Heart-Cljansing
I Many months of study, thinking,
and hard choices under the Spirit's
conviction brought ROB DURBIDGE and
JUDY MILLINGTON to commit their lives
ularly encouraging has been the attendance of a couple of 17-year-olds who used
to the Lord. Being friends from the tax office where both are employed,
they were introduced to our fellow
Tlie discussions have been lively and a good opportunity to share the gosDel. This kind of group is a good
wav tOishare with manv who would not attend church services but are will
ship by our own Phil Walker, who has known Rob since school days.
Both Rob and Judy have taken their new faith very seriously. Both hav ing recently suffered broken marriages,
ing to discuss issues relating to faith in Christ. Please prav that the seeds sown will find good soil.
PETE BOWEN
Cljanfesi (gibing
"Harvest, the season of reaping
and gathering in crops and fruits. Thanksgiving, the act of giving thanks. An acknowledgement of God's goodness and mercy."
Each year we celebrate Harvest
sort out the consequences. So before their public commitments, they sought reconciliation repeatedly with their estranged partners. Unfortunately
their partners have both responded by seeking divorce. But through it all,
Rob and Judy know that the Lord has proved faithful to meet their needs
Thanksgiving bv bringing fruit and vegetables to display in the building. Our Harvest Sunday services were fol lowed on Monday by our Harvest Supper. At this time we shared a meal together
and further shared some things we
and they have proven their serious ness to "Seek first the Kingdom." With the assurance of receiving
the forgiveness of past mistakes and
the heart-changing power of the Holy Spirit, Rob was immersed in Christ, and Judy rededicated her life. (She had been immersed several years ago
but had fallen from her commitment.)
Another phrase, "Live SimplySo Others Can Simply Live" refers to our neighbors in the Third World who have so many desperate needs. J^unday
School lessons, sermons, films, readings and statistics were all effective in informing us and indeed moving many to action. DEBBIE
^bout JfatE
I "God does not exist. Worship,
any type, develops out of a basic frailty in man which causes him to personify his problems and to wor
next. Philip tells his own story on the right and Michelle lets you know
about Winnie,
j2
Then we talked about grace, how Jesus in fact does things for us
which we cannot do for ourselves. I
shared a little about how I experi ence God working through me on days when I am physically unwell, about how I know His strength in practical
ways, and the real excitement of
sparked off a need in me to "put these poor demented Christians straight." After running time and time again
into the immovable fact of the res
knowing that it wasn't me doing it. Winnie's husband had been telling her, "The Lord will privde," but it didn't mean anything. But something 'clicked' inside Winnie, and she saw
that i t was God who had worked that
took the plunge (in both senses of the word) and was baptized. Many people have asked what fin
ally decided it; ultimately i t was
same day in their property tax bill. The bill was late and half what they expected; they had enough to meet it. The phrase, "The Lord will provide"
became real to her I Knowing she could trust God for
her future, her finance, and her retirement, she willingly stepped
over the line into His way and be
came our newest s i s t e r . MICHELLE
and that He was sent by God to save mankind. In accepting this I must intellectually and emotionally either follow his teaching, let Him rule my life every second of the day or become a hypocrite. PHILIP BELL (18)
Coventry
Erdlngton
Janet Baines Jan & Pete Bowen Debbie (Davis) Harris (Special for car $2,000) Steve & Lee Tate
U.S.A.
TEAM FUNDS
3.26
Receipts Expenses
Balance Sept. 1, 1977 Receipts $329.11 Expenses $349.57 Balance Aug. 31, 1978
$433.70
$413.24
, COVENTRY TEAM
Coventry CV5 6PT
ENGLAND
I 49 Huntingdon Rd.
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber
.1
^an
iSowtn
605 Arnold
nUtins
Horizons Missions Services Assoc.
Research Department
Box 177
Kenqpton, IN
^^
...
' '
Vol. 6 No, A
December, 1978
We have always felt that the work of the team here in Coventry, and indeed tKis type of team ministry generally, was to work our selves out of a job. By that I mean that the team's job to build up the particular church to a point where it can stand on its own, leaving the team to move on as the Lord leads. In trying to build up an indigenous church here in Coventry, i/e have sought God's leading as to the right tiine to move. We neither wanted to leave
too soon for the church to continue growing in the Lord nor leave after we should, using our time babying and stifling the readiness of the church to develop on its own. After over five years of team ministry, we at Coventry are now approadiing the time when we feel God is leading us to finish the team work. Tliis does not mean we are all leaving for indeed, Steve V7il] stay here as pastor and Debbie is going to continue with par ticular emphasis on youth and women. Janet, Jan, and I will be moving from Cov^.ntry so the team as such will cease to exist. Having shared with the church about future plans over a period of tine, we have recently seen new people come to Christ as well as a new awareness of responsibility among the existing members,
all pointing to confirm that this is God's timing. Wliere are Janet, Jan and I going? The Church of Christ at Hinckley, a town of about 50,000 people, has asked for the help of a team ministry. The church has been established there about fifty years but is at present in a difficult period. There are only twelve members, the majority of whom are retired or close to it. There is no leadership, neither official elders and deacons nor a strong natural type. The town itself, situated about 15 miles from Coventry, is growing, and there is certainly need in
the area for work to be done.
The three of us will be joined by Tony and Angie Calvert, who both attended Lincoln Christian College and now live in Indianapolis. We plan to begin the work in mid-January and seek your prayers that our lives and the work may be in God's hands and His Kingdom be
advanced to His honor and glory.
PETE BOWEN
The Future
of a
Mission Church
In mid-October, we shared in a very important congregational meeting. Tiie discussion was espec ially planned to help us prepare for
the move of three of the five team
became Christians two years ago, their son Carl, who was nine, wanted to be baptized as well. At that
time, we didn't think Carl was ready and asked him to study with Janet. He began weekly classes, doing all the homework she assigned. It was slow, but gradually we could see
changes.
ministers to Hinckley (see front page). Though the Bowens and Janet will be greatly missed, the Church
sees this move as a real challenge to carry on and expand the work the team is doing. Several of our newer members have brought in an enthusiasm which will help this transition.
The church also looks forward to
In these two years, Carl has grown both emotionally and spiritually.
He loves Jesus even more. Carl made
a deeper commitment to follow Jesus at the camp in Wales. After study ing with Steve for several weeks, he was baptized. Eleven is very young, but old enough to know that you want
Jesus as your Savior.
will take over all financial respon sibilities for literature and sup plies which team funds have helped supply in the past. We do see, however, that because
of the transient nature of our com
Darion Smethurst (now 13) was away at boarding school when his parents accepted Jesus. "Home on vacations, he could see changes in his parents
and knew that his brothers were now
attending Sunday School. He did not return to boarding school the follow ing year and of course, joined his family in church life. Like Carl, he slowly began to change and realize that he, too,
wanted Jesus as his Savior. He made his decision to follow Jesus and was
Because we feel a great opportunity to live out and proclaim the gospel in a "seedbed" like our community, the
church unanimously desires the contin
STEVE
erything."
Some people
might have reacted that way to the bookmarkers announcing Christian Book
mitment to a group of believers nor had she been baptized. She was love
starved and she was afraid.
which was one of water.
She
building. Christian records were played and at lunchtime, a Christ ian musician sang and played. Several people from the Church helped
to s e l l books and a
ra 35
full
ways available for the penniless. It was a good oppor tunity to meet people and very interesting to
watch their reactions.
Sig*
that she was preventing Him from working through His most natural
channel the church?
^99
She agreed that the God she be lieved in was "great and - yes, of course. He could do great things."
Some hurried by, some stopped and looked at the books, and a few even asked to buy the
flowers used to enhance
"Well, you don't live like you ex pect Him to give you anything great!" said I, hoping I hadn't put my foot
in i t .
Apparently not. Two weeks later Angela was baptized into Jesus, her fear of water gone, her fear of re
jection lessening, and her heart
opening hungrily to all of us for the love and friendship and close sharing she has been starving for
all her life. She is finding the bread that gives life. . .
MICHELLE
to get to know God, His Word, and each other. We're quite a mixture when we're together; an 80 year old widow, young mothers, college stu dents, a teacher, a carpenter, re tired couples, a hairdresser, house
wives , and the team.
I would like to thank everyone for the generosity, prayers, concern, and friendship shown to me while I was at home in the U.S.A. My only regret was that I never had enough time to really share and talk with those of you whom I saw. I pray that next time we can all make up lost time and tell how the Lord is working in our
lives.
NO EPISTLE NEXT MONTH. We publish eleven times yearly with a January break. We will join you again in February where you read us - over breakfast, in bed, even in the bath
room.
We will miss you, but we know that Jesus is taking good care of you.
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT
M/M Tim Barber 605 Arnold
3ever(y
f-^enn^
fihckefie
a^avis
owen
aines
Crtait^ iCJrirtffon
Horizons Missions Services Assoc.
Research Department
Box 177
Kempton, IN
46049