;ifo O

^piBtk from iEnglani . . . report ^om leant mtnUiriei

cltailen^in^ a poil-dkriiiian nation with the ciainU
Vol. 7 No. 5 February, 1980
. . . rs r-T

^Itriit

ST. ANN'S REPORT

R/fa
Ide

THE CHRISTMAS WEEK

"Whew! What a week of programs." Christmas gave us the opportunity to plan and present programs sharing our joy at knowing how very exciting
Christmas is for those of us who
know God.

Lindi Nordhle

Curt Nordhielm
Qall Burns

We had a special program and party with the residents of the Long Hedge Retirement Home, a family service in which the Sunday School children par

ticipated, a midnight Christmas Eve birthday party (we took our birthday
gifts to a terminally ill woman and her family), and a New Year's Eve com
munion meal which focused on the Passover and the significance of what
Jesus Christ did at His last Passover meal.

It was a tiring, enjoyable, learning week. Our greatest disappoint ment was that no parents came to the family service to see their children. But we do not despair. . . . Through God anything is possible, and we know that someday the parents will be there. GAIL
BEINGSINGL E...AND A COMPLETE PERSON IN CHRIST
How is one to overcome the idea that it is God's ruling that everyone

should be married in order to be counted as a full person? In many churches in many areas of the world, those who have chosen to remain single or have not yet found the right partner are often relegated to second-class citizen ship or incomplete people. The needs of singles are very different from the needs of married couples, and the need to minister to singles is everywhere. Singles make

up a quarter of the active membership of the St. Ann's Church, so a singles Bible study and fellowship was started in which these specific needs could
be met.

The Bible study in itself is good, but it is the fellowship between singles which is needed. We need a time to speak of the problems which beset us because we are single. This is not a match-making fellowship, but rather a fellowship for encouraging one another to live useful and
successful lives for the Lord.

It is easy for a single person in a marriage-oriented society to feel that he is a failure because he is not married. But a single person c^ be a complete person, having his needs met by intimate friendship even without sexual satisfaction. We are on our way to completeness. RITA

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete
Bowen

YOUTH FOR CHRIST

In the August issue, we mentioned
a Christian teacher at a local

Janet Balnes
Jan

school who has had quite an effect for Christ on his junior high pupils.
Before he left the school to teach

Bowen

in another part of the country, the Calvert Lord did some wonderful things. In December an evening of Christian music was held at a local college where quite a number of young people from this teacher's school attended. The evening was rounded off by a challenging message from a well-known youth evangelist. After the message about thirty of these young people made various kinds of responses to follow Christ. We were able to speak with the Christian teacher about following up on those who were interested in Christ. We hope to start something at the school--possibly a Christian group to meet weekly at lunchtimesto give further help and encouragement to the young people. This possibility and
Tony

other openings with young people in this town need your prayers.
PETE

HEATHER

IT ISN^T EASY
Christmas has always been a time when teams have tried to make good use of the seasonal opportunity to share Jesus. This year we have felt restricted in doing this.

We met thirteen-year-old Heather in one evening's calling. When we explained to her motiier what we were doing, she called Heather to listen while she took our survey. When we discussed a Bible study, Heather nodded her head eagerlyl She had a religious education
instructor who was a Christian

Our problem was (and indeed has been with other events) that the
church has been bound by tradition. In the face of decline, tradition often brings a sense of security.
It's not that we wanted to come

(same as above), and he taught very

appealing Bible lessons. "He gets so much from the Bible," she said. That was the beginning of several months of study. Heather believed the gospel was truth, but actually making a commitment was a difficult step for her. However, the time came when she said, "I want to be baptized." On January 6th, the Lord added another sister to our community of
believers.
JANET

in and take over everything. Rather these events often had very little gospel content. Where there was content, it was not made relevant to those listening. Unfortunately, we have had virtually no opportunity to suggest improvements to the traditions Our packed out Christmas Carol
Service included the children's tra

ditional nativity play with carols sung by the congregation between the acts. (continued on back page)

ERDINGTON REPORT

The local Salvation Army Band pro

Penny
Creasey

Roger Erdlnglon

vided the accompaniment for the carols We hoped that those words, still well known from school days, would somehow be taken by the Holy Spirit and be given convicting power. We wanted a sweet little story turned into a powerful message of the Saviour.
The Jesus Centre Singers provided four special carols and a short play. The play contrasted useless presents

GOD, HEARTS, & DONKEYS

300 people formed the crowd which experienced our COMMUNITY CAROL FESTIVAL. A large oarking lot just across the fence from our church building provided the perfect setting

(like ugly ties) with the real pre

sent of Jesus, who teaches us to give in response to others' needs. After the Festival, one young man said to me, "The fellow in the play

to erect a huge wooden stable (never mind that the original was probably a cave). Men from our church played
the traditional shepherds and wisemen. With all the pushing and pull ing possible, Mary and Joseph again failed to get their not-so-trusty steed (our local donkey) into the stable. At least last year, we thought our donkey didn't like the goat which was tethered inside. This year's donkey had little excuse. The local newspaper's headline, "Realism The Theme" captured our goal--to get people in our community to see the reality of God becoming
man for us. It is difficult to even come in contact with the true

was speaking about giving your heart to God. How do you give your heart to God?" We will report this man giving his life in next month's
Epistle. ROGER

A MINNOW OF A DIFFERENCE

Christmas in England has all of the usual commercial trappings of any Western country, but there are variations. The average Englishman sees Christmas entirely in terms of merrymaking. Houses are decorated
with balloons and streamers as well

as Christmas trees. Some people save all year to buy the booze they drink at Christmas. Often people go
from house to house on Christmas Day

meaning of Christmas in this coun-

try--much less have it explained. (See box.) The event was co-sponsored with
a local residents' association

and Boxing Day (the day after) guzz

ling drinks with friends and rela

tives. Every group and office has its party or dinner-dance, which is
irrelevant to the celebration of the

which helped to build community relations and also got the people
there. Churches do not have a very good drawing card in this country. We are trying to remould an image in which Christ is drawing all men
to Himself.

coming of the CHILD. The neo-paganism of post-Christiar Britain is only slightly different from the neo-paganism of culturally
Christian America. ROGER

lOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM VIA ERDINGTON

The theme of journeying brings together strands of thought in the happenings around
the incarnation of Jesus. Performed by adults

and children of the Erdington church and written by two Erdington Christians, "The Shadowed Highway" unveiled the jeopardy and
joy of any man's journey to Jesus. Here are
some excerpts:

Cold King: A King! In the stars I have seen a king being born. One so special that even the planets and galaxies themselves have made way for Him. His kingdom is much greater than
the earth itself.

Frankincense King: Yet He is a Priest. The Priest! The Highest Priest. One who will stand
between Cod and man.

Joseph: "It's a pity there is no shortcut. I really wish it was all over-for your sake Mary.
Or that we'd never started this journey. It's

been so hard on you. Haven't you ever wanted to go back, change your mind about this whole thing? Mary: Shhhh Joseph. Everything He has said

to both of us has happened to us exactly as he

said. I am the Lord's servant and He has not

taken me on a journey which 1 cannot bear or which has no purpose. And we have come to
Bethlehem.

About the Shepherds. Rachael: Stupid sheepkeepers! I wonder why Cod chose them? Because he chooses the foolish things to con
found the wise? But what an incredible way to

Myrrh King: He is the Messiah and His glory is above earth and heaven because He alone is able to save and give life. The ancient prophets have seen His suffering; they have seen him as a servant giving his life in grief. Thpris a picture of Him as a lamb being slaughtered in meekness, as a drink of water poured out on a thirsty land This birth is for Cold King: But we have been for this Birth to the palace of King Herod. We have been to the place where a king should be born but. . . Myrrh King: But we did not follow the Star to this Herod. My fellow travellers, we left the path of the star to visit the palace and we lost its light. We were perhaps a bit foolish to turn
aside. But look! Now we have returned to the

learn--given a revelation of Cod just like that. And then given directions ahd a road! They
knew the way!

highway, the Star goes before us again

(continued from Hini:ki?vl
We were thankful to be able to inlrodiici' a nt-w

The Kings after complaining about the difficulties of the journey. Myrrh King: But we have the Star! That was our beginning! That was the reason for our journey. Each of us has seen it's light, and each of us has known that in the heavens something of the greatest im portance is about to happen. . a birth. . .
EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND East Side Christian Church
1714 Madison

itfm--<i five-minutf message to opplv the kos[)cI message to thv lives of those who came Please pray for us and for our church. For iis, that we will be patient and move forward in God's timing as we sceic to bring needed change And for the chutch as it learns that growth must inevitably mean
some change |AN & PETt

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lEpiHtlc from lEnglatiii

report ^rom team minlilriei cltaiien^in^ a poii-C^kristian nation witk the cfatttts o^ (^(triit
Vol. 7
ST. ANN'S REPORT
Rila Ide Llndi Nordhie

No. 6

March, 1980

MEETING THE WHOLE PERSON

One of the findings of the surveys which we have taken is that most peo ple who live in St, Ann's are lonely
and do not even know their next door

Curt Nordhlelm
Gail Burns

neighbor. They live in isolation. To help meet this need, the Open

Door Friendship Club (ODFC) opened

its door at our church building. The club will meet every other week at
present.

SHARING EVANGELISM Of tlie n churches in St. Ann's, a good number of then; are evangel istic. Each year these churches get together to share their partic ular methods of evangelism. Despite bad winter weather, about 100 people attended this year's forum.
Of course, all of the churches

We encourage people (both men and women) to bring their handwork with
them. If they do not have anything on which to work, we invite them to share in a number of games provided for them to play. The goal of the UDFC is to get people talking together so that they might get to know one another. We close each meeting with a devotional

do not agree with us on how one be comes a Christian, but they are all agreed that the Good News of Jesus

must be taken to the people.

outreach.

Each

and try during the meeting to share

our relationship with our friend,
Jesus Christ. Since Christ is concerned about

of us learned something about evan gelism which will help us in our One of the more interesting mo ments came when the Baptist minister asked us to share with the person
next to us how we became a Christian,

the whole person, we hope this club is meeting both a social and spirit
ual need. GAIL

Then we were told that we had just

engaged in.evangelism (though there is certainly more to it than that).

Later we learned that 98 out of 100

became Christians through a Chris

tian friend or relative.

"Your worship is a sweet incense to me." Certainly God could not be speaking of a particular Sunday morn ing here because the aroma which wafted through the service was not sweet.
Two local children had thrown two

Maybe if more Christians were sharing with more friends about Christ, there would be a revival.
CURT

seven-inch, dead fish into our build ing. RITA

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete
Bowen

WITLESS OR WITNESS?
"What do we mean by 'witnessing'?
Spouting alot of Bible verses to

Janet Baines
Jan Bowen

a non-Christian?

Not quite.

'Wit

nessing' involves all that we are

Tony
Calvert

Li -

and therefore do; it goes far beyond what we say at certain inspired mo-

ments. So the witness? When

question is not win we witness (speak) , but how will we

we're trusting Jesus Christ as Lord as well as Savior, He enables us to live and speak as faithful witnesses." (Paul E. Little in

How to Give Away Your Faith)

Three of our newly converted Christian ladies are witnessing: with many people through her job. So she uses the opportunities given to her and hands out copies of John's gospel, In particular, she has been able to share Jesus with Bernadette, a young woman with an alcohol problem. Lynne has also been sharing her faith with a young Jewish girl with whom she works. Lynne's sister, Julie Swann, has been able to share what Jesus is doing in her life with a neighbor who is lonely, afraid, and trying to bring up a child on her own. These three are trusting Jesus as their Savior and Lord so that they can be faithful witnesses. How about you? JAN
Julie Salter comes into contact

TEST YOUR WORD POWER

Every month we deliver a fourpage evangelistic magazine called Good News to 1,600 houses in Hinckley. At Christmas time, we received a card signed, "Thank youfrom one to whom you so assiduously deliver
the Good News."

THE TRUTH IS GEHING THROUGH

A few months ago I mentioned a lady who for a long time could not see any problem with believing in

Jesus and reincarnation at the same time. I also mentioned tnat after

We got out our dictionary and decided that it was a compliment.

six months of patient and loving visits, she was beginning to under stand what we were trying to say.
Last month almost a year after we met KIT PARKER, she came to see Jesus
for who he is. She now understnads

What would you have thought?

TONY

His unique claims. She was baptized into Christ and has begun a new life with her Lord. Please pray for her--especially that she will be able to express that new life to her husband and two boys who need to know the love
of God.

It is exciting to watch the Lord at work in people's lives. As the months go by, we are seeing changes in people who seemed so closed when we

first met them.

Seeing these changes assures us that the gospel is truly

PETE

the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.

ERDINGTON REPORT

Penny Creasey Roger Erdington

SENT BY GOD
He came to me nervously, wanting
to speak to the minister. "I don't

know how to say it," his dry mouth

finally got out. I was afraid he was

another traveller wanting money.

BEING OR DOING?
To be active is perhaps the easiest
thing to do as a Christian. There are

Since I never know how to handle those

situationsholding the tensions be tween genuine care and firmness--my

standoffishness did not make the

always plenty of meetings to attend, and most people seem to equate involve ment in church programs as the sign of
life within the Christian. I believe

first moments any easier for him. Soon, however, I found ALAN HARRIS

(27) to be one of the most sincere,

that many times over-activity, often

seen as real commitment, is a sign of problems or emptiness within. Too often we keep busy in order to avoid facing ourselves as we are in relationship to Jesus. It is vitally
important as church leaders to be on

kind-hearted people I had ever met. (I wondered whether God had sent me an angel in disguise.) He was already
a person who believed in God and was

worried over some personal problems, but he had never given his life to the Lord. He was one of those vague
"believers". I talked to him later about his own

the alert for signs of this in our own lives. It is vitally important as pas tors to be alert for signs of this in

sin, and he honestly couldn't think of much. The next time I saw him, he
shared his experience of realization. He was walking his dog, and all of a

the lives of members in the congrega

tion. Often such activity is mistaken
for eagerness in the believer when it

is really the avoidance of be-ing.

we avoid being, we miss God. The Father said He was, "I AM".

If

sudden, he remembered loads of past sins. God was revealing his sins to him. When we spoke again of forgive
ness, Alan was sure of his need.

So did Jesus. Who are you? Are you the things you do or are you an "I am" created and redeemed in the image of
the "I AM"?

And when he accepted the challenge

to step over the line and receive God's

grace, he was beginning a new stage in

his life.

None of us could take any

Alan was sent!

Several people in our congregation are seeking to balance their be-ing with their doing. Once they know who they are in relation to Jesus, they will know why they do the things they do.
Their activities will be the results

credit for going.

He is often impatient now, wanting

to be further in his walk with God

than he is, but he is definitely grow ing. Giving up smoking, wanting (but of Jesus to his friends, and learning
to forgive workmates of past hurts are all results of Alan's deepening relationship with the Lord. ROGER

not yet having the courage) to speak

of who they are and not the results

of who they fear they are.

After all,

Christianity is a state of be-ina as well as doing. PENNY

THE CHALLENGE OF THE EIGHTIES

The signs of death are all around us-not physical, but spiritual death. The problem is that people do not know they are dead. Violence, hatred, and apathy are a part of every day life in St. Ann's. Trying to minister to peo ple who just do not care makes evangel ism very difficult. APATHY. When apathy sets in so deeply, it is hard to shake people out of it. When people have been taught to "Look out for number one", it is hard to break through with the message that their priorities are all wrong. And when children have only the pat terns of parents who are apathetic and selfishly consider themselves in everything, how can the children grow up to be any different?
CHILDREN. Some children are locked resettled. All of a sudden each

family has new neighbors, and it will

take years for them to get to know
one another. Other factors seem to bear on the conclusion that these

are stiff-necked people. This is not to say that God has not given us people with whom we can

share the gospel. But even some of these after hearing the demands of Christ, ask us not to see them again.
MISCONCEPTIONS. Others see ChrisIt

tianity as a lifeless religion with

a bundle of "do's and don't's".

out of their houses in the morning when their parents go to work. They are to make their own way to school

(if they want to go). After school they are to play outside (no matter what the weather) until their parents arrive home. The parents are not
concerned enough about their own
children to come to a service even

when their child is participating. HOUSING. Why the people are

like this 1s difficult to understand.

Is very difficult to show these peo ple that the demands of Christ are not burdensome, but freeing. Instead of being lifeless, Christ actually brings life. LIFESTYLE. We are constantly seeking God's help in finding new, creative and effective ways to reach the working class with the life-giving, hope-giving, and love-giving message of Jesus Christ. It is going to take much long, hard work, for it is a situation hardened by years of wrong lifestyle. God has given us a tremendous challenge for the eighties. With His strength and His vision, it will be exciting to see how the challenge
is met. GAIL & CURT
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EpiHtlc frnm lEnglani report ^ront team tninisiriei

cLaiien^in^ a poii'(^Lristian nation with the ciaims of ^Itrbt

Vol. 7 No. 7
THE WHOLE THING!
Nothing means -much in itself. Words, sentences, and paragraphs all make up a book. But in order for them to mean anything significant to us, we have
to read the whole book.

April, 1980
iz
.18

/
A MAN'S GOTTA FEEL LIKE A MAN!
Since last September we

have b^^ptized^J^_people at Hinckley. Oniy"crne^"of" these has

been a man. We're very happy that women are coming to Christ but why aren't men responding? We are puzzled. We are not absolutely sure of the reason for

We team ministers want you to understand the significance

of our work. That's what this newsletter is all about. The

articles we write every month

this apathy. Perhaps there is some thing wrong with our approach to evangelism. Or perhaps we have only
met the men who are closed to Christ.

help you (we hopel) under

stand part of what we are doing. But understanding our
work is like understanding a book. We think you need to see the whole thing in order to see

We have, however, noticed one

reason men don't seem to be interested

in Christ:
a man."

"A man's gotta feel like

The common attitude seems

the meaning of the parts.

Soin this issue we have tried

/^Jesus.

Vto be that It is not "manly" to follow

Being a Christian is only for

The measure of a man

''women, children, and men who can't

think for themselves or stand on their
own two feet.

to give you a summary of our re spective ministries during the

past year.
We have seen that God is able

is likely to be how many pints of beer

TONY

to do something with, through, and

for us.

he can drink in one evening at the pub than whether or not he has the courage to follow Jesus. In England we face a powerful

cultural prejudice against the real

SPRING REVIEW

Jesus. We know Jesus wants men to follow H1m--but how do we show them

of the
YEAR

the way to true manhood? We're not sure of the right method, but we're talking to a very wise Man about it.
TONY

COVENTRY REPORT

VIEWPOINT
Helen

Cranfield
Debbie
Harris

AN EX-TEAM MINISTER Coventry has seen major leadership changes this past year or so. After sixj'ears of a ministerina teani, Jan-

AN INTERN
As Steve was concluding his min istry in Coventry, I was just begin ning mine. I was very familiar with the area (I lived there for seven

TOry^l979 saw the last of her teams dissolve, as three moved to new work.

,Steve and I continued the ministry until he and his family returned to

the States in September. During those eight months, we saw people taking on
more responsibilitygrowing and struggling. My personal struggles and growth centered around these changes. It was most difficult to say good-bye, not only to my work mates, but my

years), and fairly familiar with the

work that needed to be done. So I

settled down to it quite quickly.

Christmas soon came, and I found
out that there was an awful lot I

did not know about careful organiza tion and planning. I was put in charge of all the Christmas activi ties, and despite my misgivings, it all went fairly smoothly--but not

friends.

control has given me great encourage- b

and frustrated.

Knowing God was and is 1n \

ment when I have felt a bit lonely

organizational experts in our con /four months. gregation, I might add. (^being a full We've managed not to lose any of the fellowship since I've been back-'
but I'm sure that is due to God's resourcefulness and not mine. We

without alot of help from several

I enjoyed working with Helen forN

DEBBIE HARRIS '

time Christian at home, y

And now I am enjoying )

A NEW MINISTER
Joy, Jesse, and I moved into a

have several new faces--a 19-year-

old (Julie) who came directly as a

result of our monthly evangelistic paper and an elderly lady who at tended our church some time ago. We almost lost three, but God most definitely wants them in His church at Coventry. They have
learned some valuable lessons as

able to begin the New Year with the ^

Church here. There is a thawing pro
cess going on here as the friendly Church gets to know us and plans un

house near the church building re cently. We are happy that we were

a result of their struggles. After the Church. The Church realizes it many prayers, letters, visits, and /is finding a new identity as it builds the conviction of the Holy Spirit, they have all returned and are now (' on the work of the teams and .n}D;y,&s \ toward full self-responsibility. even more actively involved in our RICK BLAZEK fellowship. HELEN CRANFIELD

fold for maturity and evangelism. Pray now as we search out the pos sibilities for formal leadership in

ERDINGTON REPORT

Penny Creasey Roger

"Loving, interdependent relations were much slower to follow, and per haps has been one of the greatest
struggles.
cept.

In moving towards closer

Brdington

fellowship, we uncover things in one another which are not so easy to ac

Commitment has often meant

painful surgery.
This fourth year of team ministry
has been one of consolidation.
FISHING: CATCHES & LOSSES

We are very much

in the process of finding out what comprises our individual needs."

Prayer and worship have also been

a growing area. There is a renewed

Since last spring, there have been five new Christians: a strong-willed lady who finally learned God's will and brought her husband to the Lord

interest in taking all things to the Lord privately, and recently, several prayer groups have sprung up. Growth at the grass roots 1
TOTAL MINISTRY

(see next month), a nearly blind for

mer antagonist of Christianity, the 73 year-old mother of a new Christian and a 27 year-old bus mechanic. Not many, but all are becoming firmly
rooted in Jesus Christ.

This was also the year when Bev

and Michelle left the official team

ministry, although both have stayed

in our church. There are now more

Two or three people have fallen away from their previous commitment to Jesus. This was usually caused by intense personal problems result ing in rejecting God or the church or both. (We still have some con

people in the church involving them selves in ministry and there should

be many more as people grow.

The

team ministry of specialists is growing into the normal model of a total ministry.
But it has also been a year of growing for the team. We have had
to face sections in our lives which are not like the God we know. We have had to admit that we do not have

tact with these people.)

This was also a year when other Christians came to us, something we did not expect, since our ministry is mainly among non-Christians. At least ten Christians regularly wor ship with us, some of whom have not yet transferred their fellowship. Some of these people have brought maturity which a church of young

all the answers--nor are we expected

to. We have also admitted that we needed to be ministered to as well

as to minister.

God has taken, is

taking, and will take us to new places. ROGER

Christians desperately needs. see it as God's provision.

GROWING

We

Mainly it has been a year of growth, both for new and for older
Christians. Michelle wrote about

this growth for another magazine.

GRACE FOR GROWTH

(continued from Nottingham)

Thus, niy

It is my general impression that most people in Britain (including

Christians) think that just doing good makes one a Christian.

preaching has been attempting to explain grace. Our good deeds do not pro duce grace, rather come out of the grace God has given us.
To some in the church this was a completely new concept--one that has

taken some time to digest. (Sometimes it is difficult to see how God can be involved in change--even this change.) But some of the fruits of this
change are beginning to appear.

One example - several weeks ago, I went to visit a non-Christian husband

of one of our members. He is one who believes that just doing good makes

^/than I could.

/%fe joined in the conversation and explained the gift of grace far better
Ayear ago I do not think she would have been able to share

//

him a Christian.

As I was sharing with him that being good is not what saves us, his

/in this way.

beginning to" grow^pixituaLly.-

Even though the church has not grown nur\erican^ very much, She is now
It has been well over a generation since ^

they have been challenged" to grow. But now they are being cballenged, and the pains of growth are being felt. ,CURT,_
(continued from Hinckley)

exhausted. So we hope that we are growing better as well as "bigger".

It has not all been easy.
has not all been fun.

ROGER & MICHELLE EDRINGTON

It

We have found

that God's rule in people's lives sometimes grows with suffering and pain. But it has been good. God surprised us last year. He did more than we thought He could.
Share the wonder with us as we won

plan to be in the U.S.A. from around July to October this year. If you are interested in having them speak about the work in England, please indicate your interest as soon as possible.

der what He will do nextl

TONY

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND

East Side Christian Church
1714 Madison

Non-Profil Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Council Bluffs. lA 51501

Permit No. 26

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

ERDINGTON TEAM

144 Gravelly Lane

Birmingham 823 6LT

England OS.
HINCKLEY TEAM
8 Trevor Road

ST. ANN'S TEAM

HincMey LE10 1JD England

43 Edglnton Street Nottlngnam NG3 3EV England

Horizons Missions Services Assoc.

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENTS^

Tim & Nancy Barber

605 Arnold

Research Dept.
Box 177

Council Bluffs, lA
51501 U.S.A.

KeaptOHf IN

46049

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete Bo wen Jan Bowen Janet

Working

I V
,;
p

Balnes

Tony
Calvert

During the past year we have been doing door-to-door calling on the housing estate adjacent to the church building. Over 450 houses were visited; 110 people responded by answering the questions on our survey. The answers we received to our questions

revealed that most people in the area do believe in a God (71%).

There was a

variety of ideas about Jesus and about what "being a Christian" means. Only a third of the people believed Jesus to be the Son of God, and tne largest percentage saw a Christian as merely "someone who does good things." Most

believed that death was definitely the end.

activity.

people were very unsure when asked what happens after death--though only 12%

The misunderstandings people

have about the Christian faith make us very aware of Satan's deceitful

The visits we had on doorsteps gave us many opportunities to share the

gospel--but when it comes right down to it, very few are prepared to commit their liyes-to Jesus. Three people from this housing area have become Chris tians arid'another family (already Christians) are in fellowship with us. We still have contact with a number of people and pray that they, too, will
come to Christ. PETE

I have found with each year that

Learning

Growing ^ The past year has been a big one

passes, my God (perhaps I should say my view of God) comes more and more into focus. The clearer the picture, the bigger He gets.
As my picture of God gets bigger, I find He becomes more personal. God
is big enough to love and be interested in me, my family, my friends, you,

for our little church--primarily because its not so little any more. Last year the membership rose from 16 to 26, seven of those by baptism.

Average attendance at morning ser

vices has doubled; evening services
now have four times the number of

people attending.

This Is mor,e

and each person who exists. And I find that God is changing me so that
I can be involved in the lives of

numerical growth than our church ;j /

has seen in the pas^.30 years.
Our church is becoming "bigger" in another way: most of us are getting to know God better. That makes us "bigger". Group Bible study is helping us share the life

some of those people He loves. As I talk with Him, and am honest with Him about my feelings and sins

--in other words, when I put my trust

1n the love I believe He has for me-I discover the reality of His love
and care.

God has for us. Worship is (gradu ally) becoming a heartfelt expres
sion of love for Jesus and His Father. Some of us who have been

As I see His love re-expressed in His answered prayers, it brings home to me His initial expression of love
in Jesus' death and resurrection.
JB

Christians for years are finding

that the life God wants to share

with us has depths which cannot be

(continued on back page)

ST. ANN'S REPORT

Rita Ide Gail Burns Linde Nordhie

because of the church not putting on a false image. The coimunity does not

like "super Christians" who constantly

and love. I don't blame them. Our^''^*^

outreach has shown most effect when \\)

talk Jesus. It overwhelms them. They reject Christians who only talk care

we do not try to be what we are not-- I

super Christians.

Nordhielm

even though we are sinner?, they listen

them that we love and^car^ for them,*'^

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF KIDS
Consistent? Our kids? Last year

When we can show

POWER OF LOVE
Many questions have been raised
as to how the church can reach out

into our community most effectively.

There are many ways outreach has
been done, and each has its own re

you could not use the two terms to

gether in the same breath where Sunday

School was concerned. I came to

sults. Therefore, looking back over the past year's experience, where should we now put our em
phasis? I admit I came to England with

England with my ideas of how to work

in SS (ideas proven by experience). This year I have thrown out practically all of those ideas because they failed
miserably. Attendance would fluctuate
It was a bit dis between 20 and 0. concerting. After a couple of meetings, we decided to split

the idea that just presenting God's salvation to people would bring them
into the body of Christ. "Great!" you say. But, simply presenting the Gospel is not enough. Last Easter, if you remember,
the church delivered flowers around

our SS into two

sessions--the younger ones

j[j-^

\ m>m

the community, and our stolen bushes returned. All through the year we
received comments on this kindness.

directly after morning worship,

and older ones

The flowers have long since died,

but our love remains.

These people

have seen and known too many people

and churches calling themselves Christians, but who show little re
semblance to the likeness of Christ.

before the evening worship. We incorporated crafts and

projects into the lessons, and we've found that it has helped stabilize
attendance.

We have gone door-to door with

the Gospel.

We have invited people

They still argue and shove, but the children do have a certain respect for

to share in our worship services,

coffee mornings, sharing groups and fellowship. Where, then, is
growth?

the church building they did not have a year ago. And they certainly have a
greater respect for God, even if they are not to the point of accepting His

Relationships between the church

and the community are opening

we do 7^va_J;hem.

love in their lives yet. But, they are headed in the right direction, and

GAIL

epistle from lEnglaniJ

. . . report ^rom team miniitriei ckaiien^in^ a post-(^lirUlian nation with the ciaim6 o >fCkrisl
Vol. 7 No. 8

AY 1 9 1950

May, 1980

ERDINGTON REPORT
Penny
Creasey

mt

MEN WILL BE MEN

Roger Edringtor

TREVOR (28) is a bit of a loner, like many men who were raised in a family where there was constant quar reling. He loves peace and will rarely get involved in anything.
When his wife, Ana Maria became ex tremely interested in Jesus, and then gave her life to Him, Trevor was, not surprisingly, uninterested. Men do not involve themselves in such tripel
Occasionally, however, he would

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Almost every Sunday evening they walk into the service, always a bit late and usually looking very untidy.
The shorter one seems to be the

have late-night discussions with some

of Ana's Christian friends and seemed

leader. He has a butch style hair cut and a gold stud in his left ear. The taller one is your basic follow er. There is nothing too noticeable about him except his mischievous
smile.

to find less and less objections in

his own mind.

They aren't ashamed to sit on the front row. I think they plan it that
way, so they can be seen looking around at the people when they sing or pray. They almost always end up having a good snicker or even the giggles. And they always walk out of the service and come back, usually
in the middle of the sermon.

One evening, he was persuaded to go to a large Christian meeting in the center of Birmingham. "The preach er spoke for nearly 1% hours," the Christians complained. But Trevor was soaking in every word; God Him self was convicting him. In the next few days, Trevor was going over his liferepenting, pray ing, and reading the Bible. It took
him a week to tell Ana what he had

Why do they come? It's just some thing to do. They are always on the street. The little one Is Gary, age 9. His folks are usually at the lo cal pub. His mother told me that her husband is an alcoholic, and all she wants to do is to go back home to
Ireland. Paul is 10. I don't know

already decided.

He wanted to fol

low the Lord. When he discussed the matter with me, I saw no reason for him to wait.

It was clear that he was ready to be come a disciple of Jesus. From his

too much about him. Please pray for these boys that Jesus will be able
to catch hold of them. PENNY

Bible reading, he was clear that bap tism was the next step and the cul
mination of the initiation into sal

vation and discipleship.

ROGER

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete
Bowen Jan Bowen Janet Baines

A Matter of Death and Life

6od has a way of taking our tragedies and making some good out of them. He specializes in bringing
order out of the chaos man has

Tony
Calvert

created. The Lord can bring some good out of even the greatest personal tragedy--the death of someone we love. When Jan Tandy's father died a few days before last Christmas, she began to ask "Why?" Although she never got a satisfactory answer to her question

(does anyone?), she soon forgot her query. She began to see that God was bringing some good out of her personal tragedy. In the midst of her deep
pain, the God who loved her was showing her how much she needed Him. Jan, a young housewife with two children, had always considered herself a believer. Because of her father's death, she began to understand what believing really meant. The conviction that God really cared for her, and she really needed Him led her to Bible study. Step by step she approached the self-death that gives life: " . . . whoever loses his life for my sake will find it". On March 9 she was buried with Christ in baptism and rose to
a new life.

Who but the Lord of life could bring new life out of the chaos of death?
TONY

Prayer, Please
**When churches begin to grow and
become effective in their wit

Slowly but Surely

We have been in Hinckley just over a year now and have seen many

ness and service for Christ, it

changes take place.

Some people have

isn't long before the devil tries to upset things. Please pray
against Satan's attempts to disrupt the progress of God's Kingdom. **We need to see some response to the Gospel among the men of Hinckley. Many women are show ing an interest in Christ but few men. Please pray for a breakthrough among men. **Pray that God will guide and empower us to present Christ to larger numbers of people.
PETE

committed their lives to Jesus;

others are still searching. Through out this year three women have stood out in our prayers--our non-Christian Sunday School teachers. (See Epistle for October, 1979.) Our greatest concern for them is that they come to
know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

We believe a breakthrough has come:

When SUZETTE's class became too

large for her to handle, J.B. was called in to help. They now meet once a week to prepare for their lessons. Friendship is developing and Suzette is sharing some deep feelings with J.B.

(continued on back page)

ST. ANN'S
REPORT
Rita
Ida Linda

CHALLENGING
THE YOUNG
The Nottingham District Churches of Christ hold an annual competition among the Sunday School children
called the Arts Festival. The com

Nordhie Curt Nordhieim

Gail

Bums

petition is not pushed, nor is it the highest priority. The categories range from Bible reading and poetry recitation to singing and playing musical in struments to baking and drawing. We took four children from our Sunday Schoolthree in the baking and one in Bible reading. They were very nervous, and the one in the Bible reading

had reservations about standing in front of people and ended up not entering.
However, she and the other children saw the kids from the other Sunday Schools stand up and present their pieces and are now eager to participate

in next year's Festival. Helping our children to see and understand that there are other children their age also involved in Sunday Schools, and having
more time to spend with the children so they can get to know their Sunday School teachers better, makes these experiences well worth the while.
GAIL

A DIFFERENT WAY
Every once and awhile a new and

refreshing way of presenting the Gos

pel comes as a welcome relief from the normal routine of evangelism. One such change each year is the Christian Book Fortnight. This is an attempt by the publishers of Chris tian books to present Christ to people through their books. Our church helped sponsor a book stall this year on a very busy street in the city center. The stall was open for a total of eight hours on two Saturday mornings. We had several displays of books and live singers to help bring the crowds
to the books.

worth of books we sold, most went to Christians, though one or two went to people who had serious questions
about the Christian faith.

Such an event takes many hours of

planning and preparation.

But the

church needs to find ever new and

creative ways of presenting the Gospel. CURT PLEASE PRAY Great is the power of prayer; so, join with us in prayer that these people will see God and that we can
be God's instrument.

We estimated that roughly 1,000 people an hour passed the display. Many of these slowed down enough to read the titles, and a few even stopped and bought. Of the $50

-Mr. & Mrs. C1arke--seeking God even when suffering is present. -Les $harpe--husband of one of the members; he is not far from the Kingdom. -Mr. Richardsonintellectually try ing to understand. RITA

April 10. 1980 Dear Friends,

SLOWLY BUT SURELY

(continued from Hinckley)

In the past few months,
JUDITH has felt she needed to

Over the past year it has become increasingly obvious that God is calling for change in the Erdington Church. One major change is that it seems no longer necessary to have a team ministry. This is a moment for which we have all been praying and working; God has answered our prayers. Therefore, I am resigning from that position effective in May.
It leads me to ask God, "What next?" Since January, it has seemed that God has been ad vising me to take a break of some duration.
There are several reasons for this.

live what she was teaching the

children. Recently, she came to the morning service, and the message really spoke to
her. She realized that she needed more. Now I have a

weekly Bible study with her.

PAM is probably the furthest away from faith in Christ, but occasionally we have opportun ity to share with her. Steps In the right directionl
JAN

I need some time to stop "doing" and to "be".

It is so easy to be so active that we become

positions rather than persons. I feel that this is a condition which has been building up within me for the past ten years.
I also need some time to reassess the direc

NEW BRITISH CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE

The Fellowship of Churches

of Christ in Britain have a

new monthly magazine.

Chris

This is a definite time for me to ask God to confirm the type of work He wants me to be doing.
Lastly, I need some time to sort out some

tion of my life work.

tian Fellowship is edited by ftlchard Swain, a member of the Erdington Church. If you
would like to subscribe ($8 per year) or receive a free sample copy, please write to one of the team mernbers, who will forward your request.
Be much In Prayer for

personal things which have surfaced over the past three years. I continue thanking God for what He has done here and for what He is doing as people move and grow, expanding themselves in Him. I

theConsullalion on World Evangelization

June 1S-27.1980

also thank Him for what He is doing with and for mealthough at the moment all is not clear. I thank Him for you wonderful people without whom the work might not have been.
May God bless us as we continue in our
faithfulness to Him.

THAILAND

P8"a)fa,

iPPtS

Hnr:

Roger has been invited to

attend as one of the 650

Faithfully yours.
Penny Creasey

participants.

He will

specialize in the "Reaching

Secularists" unreached

peoples study group.

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND East Side Christian Church

1714 Madison

Non-Prolil Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

Permit No. 36

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

ERDINGTON TEAM 144 Gravelly Lane Blfmingham B23 6LT England HINCKLEY TEAM
8 Trevor Hoad

Hinckley LE10 1J0 England

ST. ANN'S TEAM 43 Edglnton Street Nottingham NG3 3EV England

Horizons Missions Services Assoc.

Editorial Dept.
BOX 177

Kempton, IN

46049

lEjJtHtU from lEnnland ... report ^rom team ntintilrieA

ERDINGTON REPORT

cliaiien^in^ a poii-dkrUtian nation with the ciainu of C^lirht Vnl. 7 No. 9 June, 1980 0 ^Q90
her life. That evening was no longer boring. She can't explain it, but she is sure that something happened. God had gotten through to her. Even so, Elspeth was against bap
tism. "I just don't like it," she

Penny Creasey Roger

Edringlon

would say, wrinkling up her nose.

But our Lord also convinced her of

FROM BOREDOM TO BELIEF A quite mature 14-year-old qirl,

that need. She wanted a private bap tism, but ended up inviting 20 people,
including some of her school friends.

FLSPFTH (an unusual Scottish name]

always seemed bored and at times, could be spiteful. Anaela, her

^ then, she was already showing an eleven-year-old neighbor what differ

ence it made to believe in Jesus.

hairdresser, and Flspeth had a

runninn feud; they stronqly dis
liked each other,

One evening she followed a strong urge to pray with her mother; now

her mother is much more open to the

Lord. Her Scottish, nominal Catholic

When :^5-year-old Annela became

a Christian a couple of years ago, somethinp different developed. They

benan to like each other--enouah

father may not follow so easily, but her 28-year-old brother is extremely
interested in Jesus now.

that Elspeth beqan comina to Sunday

eveninn services with Anqela and to for children. Elspeth's

One day Elspeth called a school

teacher out of the teacher's room to tell him about her decision to follow

mother had been partially paralyzed

durinn a stroke, and Elsneth wanted to learn how to Dray for her.
No surnrisel She ms bored with

Jesus.

Her friend deserted her, not

The teacher

to be made a fool of.

the meetings as well. She could see what people were talkina about, but couldn't see any real relevance to her. "It doesn't mean anything," she would say, but kept coming. Elspeth desperately wanted her situation to change. She could see the change in Angela and others, but
it never seemed to work for her. One

was left speechless. Elspeth may go back into boredom at times, but her life is changing, and the new meaning in Jesus is knock
ing out the boredom. ROGER
ROAMING THROUGH ROMANS AT ROMA'S

evening she was praying, as she had

often done, for Christ to come into

Six new and not-yet Christians spent nine two-hour sessions looking at the gospel according to Paul as recorded in Romans. Roma Mansell, at whose house we met, could hardly
listen the first few weeks. She had

bad memories of school, being caught

HINCKLEY REPORT

LOUDER, I CANT HEAR!

by Janet

"Laura is having difficulty look ing after the pig while Colonel Fernsby is away."
"The Archers", a famous BBC Radio

DESPITE DECLINE
On the whole the church in Britain

family are having a difficult time of it as we sit sweetly by listening, completely detached from the situa
tion.

is still in decline. Despite this there are some real signs that some thing is happeninn amonq the "rem
nant". There is a new awareness of

Unfortunately, we also detach our selves from what is really going on

in the world. But I believe God is

trying to tell Christians that now

is the time to unite and stand for

our need, a new desire to go forward, a new desire to see this land brought
to Christ.

truth. "Speak out to the v/orld, and speak with the voice of love I"

Recently, Jan and I attended the National Conoress on Evangelism in

which Christians from all over the

Lately, I have become alarmingly aware of the breakdown of society when man says, "There is no God."
In the midst of violence and des

country got toaether for a series

of studies, sermons, and workshops

on themes related to evangelism.
''e looked at LIFESTYLEthe kind

pair, where is the voice of Chris

tians speaking hope and peace? In the midst of rising crime, the cheap
view of human life, the abuse of

of lives we are to live to truly

support the gospel message: CULTUREthe need to see others in a cultural

wealth, and oppression of poorer

nations, where is the voice of

setting so that we can be culturally

relevant in our presentation; RE

NEWALthe need of the church to be

Christians speaking justice, pur pose, the value of human life, and our responsibility for the riches
God has given?

overflowing with the life of Christ in order to effectively witness and to be a prepared place for new con
verts; and STRATFGY--how we are to 00 about getting the message out to
our land.

The challenge before us is that

the words which were heard will be turned to action in order that this nation will indeed hear of Jesus and His love. PETER
NEXT MONTH

If we sit back to do and say nothing, who will hear what God has to say? We are not to turn away our eyes; we are not to clump together in isolated oroups; we are not to compromise the truth so that the life of the Christian is barely
distinguishable from the rest of
the world.

We are to permeate the world, taking the truth with us in love.

People are supposed to know what a

Hinckley reports four new members.

Praise our Godl

(continued on back page)

ST. ANN'S

REPORT

REFRESHMENT FROM GOD

People who are involved in fulltime Christian work can be giving so Linda much and seeing so many problems and Nordhielm needs that they find it difficult to Curt receive the spiritual growth and Nordhielm renewal they so desperately need. We found that we were beginning to feel this spiritual anemia. The result was that Gail and Rita, along with two other single team minis ters, arranged a retreat in Wales. Due to schedules, not all sinqle ministers were able to share in it. In the little time we had, we found a renewing

from our Lord. We spent half of our time in study of the relation of the Church to our particular ministries. We were able to encourage each other

and find enlightenment from God through the discussion. The rest of our time was spent in fun and fellowship with each other and
personal quiet time with God.
ened and given a new vision.

As a result, we were all spiritually strength

Curt and Linda had an opportunity to attend a large Christian congress in Wales. The theme of the conference was renewing the local church. We re ceived very qood teaching from some outstanding British Christian leaders,

as well as much practical help for implementing the principles at home. There was nothing quite as exciting, however, as being part of a 7,000
voice choir singing praises to God for what He has done and who He is. Linda

and Curt left the conference revived and ready to minister to people with
the refreshment they had received from God. RITA & CURT

Good Friday presented the local Ministerial Fraternal with an oppor tunity for an open-air evanaelistic service in a small shopping area.

One side of a bus covered with paper, paint applied to it by the shoppers, and a Christian man pulling all the blobs and splotches of paint together into the story of Christ's sacrifice provided a center of interest for many shoppers and passersby to stop and really listen to the gospel mes sage. It was a unique way to witness to the people of the area, without it appearing as a "religious" service. That evening most of the churches of St. Ann's came together for a powerful service of praise to the Lord who loved us enough to die
for us. GAIL

LOUDER!

(con't from Hinckley)

nhristian is and stands for." The

early church was noticed, respected

but it is certainly still true that England is a nation of tea drinkers.

by manv, and threatened by many more. Why would anyone be threatened un

less it was obvious that the Christian lifestyle was a dramatic alternative

ROAMING (con't from Erdington) unable tn do the work. By the time we finished, she was asking ques
tions just like all the others.

to the one which peonle lived?

If we are to have an active hand

We didn't try to look at all the

in the future of mankind, vie are

noinq to have to make some radical

chanoes in our spiritual lives.

We

details, nor was it mainly academic. Our goal was to get the messagel When we did the section pointing out
that every man is condemned before

are ooinn to have to be livina and

speakina the truth of Jesus Christ

as the alternative choice to life-

God and no one is righteous. Ken felt the reality so strong that he wanted the next week to hurry on. Paul was
pointing this out, so that he could

stvles today.
If you add it all

/ j

up, every man, wochild in the United Kinadom

drinks about 4^ cups of hot tea

be put right with God is by trusting

Jesus Christ. Neither Law nor good
works nor religion will do; faith is the only way. When we finished the book, Alan

reveal that the only way anyone can

per day. Only Ire- told me he felt sad.

si iqhtly more.

He had gained
ROGER

. 1

consumes

so much he didn't want it to end. I always feel the same at the end of
Romans.

^ Tea benan being drunk with a spot of milk in it--as

almost everyone drinks it--in 1750. It is not uncommon to see a child with tea in his bottle, and tea is a nor mal drink for children.

CURT & LINDA NORDHIELM olan to be in the U.S.A. from October 3 to November

12.

Curt will be available to speak

The Enqlish, of course, drink alot

of co'l^-'^ee and other drinks as well,

to a few more churches. Contact him as soon as possible at the address

below.

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND East Side Christian Church

1714 Madison

Non-ProMI Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Council Bluffs, IAS1501

Permit No. 2B

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

ERDINGTON TEAM

144 Gravelly Lane Birmingfiam B23 6LT

England
HINCKLEYTEAM
B Trevor Road

ST. ANN'S TEAM 43 Edglnton Street

Notttngfiam NG3 3EV

HlneKley LE10 1J0 England

England

Missions Services
Box 177

Kempton, IN

46049

AUG 1 1 1980

iEpiatk from lEnglatiii ...y) report ^rom (earn ntiniilriei

cltaiienQirtQ len^tn^ apodl-^Lriitian a nation uiltli tfte ciaimS ofCkrht
Vol. 7 No. n

August, 1980
HOW SHALL THEY HEAR?

Eight-hundred and fifty evangelical Christians from 88 countries gathered in Pattaya, Thailand, to consider the unfinished task of world evangeli
zation. One billion in the world are said to be Christians (although many are only nominal), which still leaves over three billion yet to be evan gelized. Many of these have not yet had the opportunity of hearing the
Good News of Christ and are lost without Him.

The CONSULTATION ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION was a working conference designed to come to grips with a strategy for reaching the world's peoples. Dividing
into seventeen mini-consultations, each group worked for the sake of a seg
ment of the world

example: large city, ists, nominal and urban poor. A paper was group at the end
conference. The

to be reached, for Muslims, secularChristians, refugees,

TkE ChuRch EXISTS

cities, led by input from over tation study

be a real con-

by iviissioN
AS A Fire exists

produced by each of the ten-day group on the large

Raymond Bakke, had 100 pre-Consulgroups, and so may

tribution to evan-

cities. My own gelizing the secularist was very group on the disappointing, Very few had adeand there was such quately prepared, EmiI Brunmir we did not come to diversity that decisions. very significant Near us in Thailand were hundreds of thousands of refugees from neigh boring countries. They symbolize the tragic suffering of millions of human beings. We were pleased to note, however, that Christians are among the first to go to the aid of these refugees. As a result, in the largest camp, which holds 140,000 people in eight square miles, nearly one-fifth of the refugees are now Christians. There are more Cambodian Christians in this one camp than there were in the whole of Cambodia in 1975. The Lord can use many evil things for His good. ROGER
*************************************

by buRNiNq.

There ls no report from Erdington as Roger has been attending

the Consultation mentioned above.
he is in America.

He will be back to minister

with the Erdington people in November.

As you read this,

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pefe
Bowen Jan

YOUTH
FOR CHRIST?

Bowen Janet
Baines

Tony
Calvert

We hope sol For several months now we have been looking for a way to follow up on the work of a
Christian teacher who has influenced
many young

MAINLY STUDENTS
For the first time in several

years we have had a group from the States (mainly students) come to
Britain for the summer. They were

people for Christ during his three years

at a local school. We tried to see if
we could start a Cnristian

with us in Hinckley for two weeks, during which time they received
some orientation to British culture.

We tried to acquaint them with

the methods of door-to-door cal

group at the

ling, visiting, and other activi ties that make up our ministry. Several evangelistic contacts were
made that we have been able to

school (to meet during lunch break), but this

did not work out. Our only other alternative was some sort of meeting at the church. Because Sunday
School here in Britain is considered

follow up.
Some of the students are inter

ested in mission work, and this summer is giving them some first

hand experience working on a field.

They have moved on now and will be working with several other churches before returning to the United
States. JAN
CHRISTIAN COPING

to be for "children" only, we decided it would not be the best way to reach these 14 year-olds.
So we decided to meet at the

church every other Friday night. Our first Youth Night was attended by 11 young people. We chatted over a cup of coffee, played records,
and finished with a discussion about Jesus and rock music. The

Imagine a two-month-old child given the responsibilities of an adult: living away from home, coping with the needs of a family, helping the neighbors, and strug gling with personal problems. Sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? Yet Jan Tandy, one of our church members, finds herself in a similar situation. Jan had only

next meeting ended in a very good discussion, which led us into a Bible study. Many of these teenagers have a
real desire to learn more about what i t means to follow Jesus.

During the coming weeks we are going to look together at what it means to be a Christian. We hope to help them understand tne commit
ment that is involved. PETE

(continued on back page)

ST. ANN'S REPORT

A PARADE OF

Gail Burns

WITNESS

Linda
Nordhielm Curt

Nordhielm

4
THE 8

The Nottingham Evening Post said there were over 2,000 people in the

parade that marched from the park to Old Market Square 1n celebration
of the 200th anniversary of Sunday Schools (otherwise called the

PUPPETEERS
People waiting in eager antici pation. The stage is set. But for whom or what are they waiting? Maybe it's for Kermit, or Gonzo, or even Miss Piggy 1 No. It can't be them. It's grandma, Chris, and
all the rest.

Robert Raikes parade).

The march lasted for about half

an hour, and when all had arrived in the City centre, we had a really good sing and listened to an ex cellently illustrated lesson on the
love of God and a short skit about Robert Raikes' work with the Sunday
School.

Now, who are they? I'll tell you where you can find out-Milligan College, Tennessee. But you could have found them here
in June.

Not many of our children pulled

themselves out of bed to come and

participate in the march, but the few who did quite enjoyed the ex
perience. The 2,000 who did participate believe that Sunday School is a

I think you may have already guessed they are puppets. Now you might wonder why puppets were here. The eight college students who operate these puppets had a desire
to use their talents to share the

vital tool in the on-going teaching

ministry of the Church.

The Sunday

Gospel, so they acquired the needed financial support to enable them to do this in England. For ten days they were with us.
The children of several churches

School is not dead or dying, but is alive, well and thriving. GAIL

INTERNSHIP
Until the end of August, Scott and Cindy Schade, both graduates of Milligan College, will be doing an internship here as they prepare for their ministry with the Selston Church of Christ, which is just outside of Nottingham. They will be a great encouragement to us as
a team and to the other Christians

followed them from place to place

to hear the Gospel through the puppets. The adults enjoyed the change and a chance for the fel lowship.

The puppets presented the Good

News through songs and plays in many different settings and to all age groups. The best part is that many more doors for growth have been opened, RITA

in the Nottingham area.

CURT

CHRISTIAN COPING (continued from Hinckley Report) been a Christian two months when she had to move to Belgium because of

her husband's work. Now she finds herself without Christian fellowship, coping with the needs of her family in a strange land, and trying to show her husband and neighbors Jesus' love. She has not found it easy,
but she has found it possible.

It is ridiculous to think of a two-month-old child coping with the responsibilities of adulthood. Babies can't do that. Jan is a very young Christian, yet has found that she can manage in very difficult

situations even without the fellowship she wants and needs.

She writes,

"I have no Christian contacts here, so the Lord and I are even closer

than before." Even though God's people are not available, God is. In her relationship with the living God who is really there, Jan finds her
strength to cope.

I wonder--can you learn a lesson from a Christian so young?

TONY
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT....
"Evangelism in the Acts of the Apostles begins with Pentecost, and it is this Pentecost which prompted the question: What meaneth this? (Acts 2:12). And to that question Peter directs his answer. There is little point
in evangelizing before anybody asks you: What meaneth this? That is, of course, if there is a 'this' which

prompts that kind of question."--Walter Hollenweger Is there a 'this' in your life? In the life of your church?

EPtSTLE FROM ENGLAND

East Side Christian Churcti
1714 Madison

Non-Profil Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

Permit No. 26

Councii Bluffs. lA 51501

ERDINGTON TEAM

144 Gravelly Lane

Birmingham B23 6LT

England
HINCKLEY TEAM
8 Trevor Road

ST. ANN'S TEAM

Hinckley LE101JD

England

43 EOginion Street Noltingnam NG3 3EV England

Missions Services Box 177

Kerapton, IN

46049

,.< / O o

lEttiatlc fram iEnglanii Fepori ^rom leant miniitriei

ckaiien^in^ apoAi'^krUtian nation witk ike ciainti
Vol. 8 No. 1

^krUt

September, 1980

Signs of the Times

Coventry's Quarterly Report
\ %

Signs of the team's good work: The team ministry has completed its work among us, and the evidences of good work abound. Fore most in my mind are the people I meet each week who know of the church through team contact. Our calling often finds some who have thought about the gospel because of them. In the church there are many who
trace their introduction to Christ back to the

team's ministry and who are continuing to grow in discipleship.

Signs of changing attitudes: The increasing deterioration of social adhesion is having its effects. Many of the older people we meet have lost hope, and many of the younger are throwing themselves at life. Some, however, are looking for a ground of optimism. Some are attempting to find stable lives and are interested in seeing if

the church has anything to offer. We have done a great deal of calling this year--seven of us have worked at it off and on. Although we have little tangible fruit, we can speak of a good number of opportunities for sharing our faith. We are still hopeful as we water. Response has been better this summer with a couple of new friends visiting the church.
Signs of maturing: We're a fairly young and troubled church. We know it. However, we see God maturing some of us. We are carefully making plans to ordain two more elders this year. Recurring problems there are; at times they threaten to swamp us, but God stills the storms. Signs of friendship: sends his greetings. I have particularly enjoyed getting to know the
pastor's heart of elder Withnall. He has shown great wisdom and proper reserve. His friendship and stability are invaluable at this time. He

You could write him a note of encouragement.

RICK BLAZEK

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete

Reaching
the

Bowen
Jan

Bowen
Janet Baines

Family

Tony
Calvert

When their youngest son came to

Sunday School, it gave me an op

portunity to visit FRANK and KAY
and talk with them about Jesus.

Absence Makes the Heart grow Fonder. . , God has very real ways of teaching His love and personal
care for each one of us.

Of the two, Kay was more eager to

talk, and this led to a regular discussion with her. She had many
questions as a result of her Bible

Just recently returned from a four-week trip to the States, I

reading and was anxious to learn. Meanwhile their eldest son (16) had been attending a youth meeting
at another church in town and had

find myself looking back and re membering little events - things

like a meal with friends, taking

my nephew to work, sitting with family around the pool, going to the movies, talking with my aunt, running into an old school friend, lunch with an uncle, phone calls, sending a sister off on her honey
moon - these events and many more. With these memories, those at

become interested in Christ through those meetings. Satan, desiring to lead him away from God, recently provided an alternative, and he got into trouble over some drugs. Yet, God has used even that, and as a result, I had opportunity to share
with Frank when he came for advice

home become more precious to me. With time being so short there is no chance to spend chunks of it with everyone; no real chance to let people know fully that I see
their sacrifices and know their

with his son. They need to see Jesus as the only real answer to their problems. It is exciting to see the way God is at work to draw this family to Himself. Please join us in praying for them, that they will all come
to Christ. PETE

prayers on my behalf.
God knows we need roots, ties
so He invented families in the narrowest and broadest sense of the term. He knows our need for

relationships, and when we realize all He has given us, we are richly
blessed.

Praise God for my family, my friendsrelationships 1 And thank all of you at home who made my trip
so special to me. J.B.

ST. ANN'S REPORT

Rita Ide

Riot Control for J e s u s

If you take one weekend, 29 seven to ten-year-olds, and eight inexper ienced adults, you have the ingredi

Gall Burns
Linda Nordhielm

Curl
Nordhielm

ents for an interesting little kids campl "Knowing Jesus" was the theme for the camp, and we tried to stress that we could know God in every part of our lives--there is no part in which He isn't interested. The lessons, projects, crafts, outings and games all pointed to the fact that Jesus wants to be involved, too. Those of us who organized the camp had never done one before. Was it ever a learning experience! The first night was long on wakefulness, but short on sleep (2:00 A.M. - 5:30 A.M.) because the children were all keyed up. We slept on the floor of the Sunday School room of a nearby Church of Christ with the boys on one side of a curtain and girls on the other. We

had our lessons, story time, and crafts in the church and entryway.

One

afternoon we had an outing to a nearby beauty spot. Seven of our own Sunday School children were able to attend and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I believe they even learned about Jesus as they made new friends. We eight "experienced" planners, teachers, cooks, and riot controllers learned quite a bit, tool We are already making plans for next year's little kids camp with eager anticipation! (Honestl) GAIL

ADDICTED
The phone rang at 11:30 P.M. It was Rita, the ex-Mormon we had just bap tized. Her husband from whom she was separated had just called her. He was

in a drunken rage, and he wanted help. Unfortunately I was out of town, but Scott Schade (the intern we mentioned last month) was here, and he was able to find a member of the church, and with Rita they went to Brian's house. He said he wanted to change and that he wanted to be admitted to the local hospital to dry out. That was four weeks ago. Brian has since been released, and he has not

had any alcohol since. Also, Brian, Rita, and I have been getting together almost daily for Bible study. Each morning now, Brian wakes up and admits he is both an alcoholic and a sinner. Pray that he will learn that it is only God that will be able to change his desire to drink and that it is only God who can make him righteous. He has started his long trip toward being a whole person, but he has far to go. CURT

Erdington Report

gives us a brief description of what is happening since Roger has left.)

Burton of Kentucky are serving as interns at the Erdington Church. Sam

(While Roger and Michelle are on furlough in the U.S., Sam and Altheia

On Filing Bia S h o e s
There's an American adaptation of an old Indian proverb that says, "Don't judge a man until you've walked for a day in his shoes." Having walked for a while now in Roger's shoes, I can truthfully say he has big

shoesi

The people here at Erdington really love Roger and Michelle and

look forward to their return.

i i

Meanwhile, we're trying to keep things running as smoothly as possible, If you know me, you would know what a challenge that is. There are two people that we at Erdington would like you to pray for. The first is TERRY FOX We baptized Terry into the Lord on August 4th. Because of his past, he has some emotional and physical scars, but he knows his future in the Lord is bright. He is a young Irishman who has lived in Birmingham approximately one year. We would also like you to pray for SALLY. One of the young men of the

congregation has been teaching her for some time, and she has asked to be
immersed Sunday morning, August 10th. She is very excited about the new life she will be living in the Lord. We are tool Please pray for us as well. Besides wading through the stacks of Roger's mail (which continues to grow every day), there is much work to be
done. We want to be faithful. SAM BURTON, Interim Minister

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND

East Side Christian Church
1714 Madison

Non-Piollt Sulk Rale

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Councii Bluffs. IA 51501

Permit No. 26

Councii Biuffs, iA 51501

ERDINQTON TEAM
144 Gravelly Lane

BIrmlnQham B23 SLT

England H1NCKLEYTEAM
8 Trevor Road

ST. ANN'S TEAM

Hinckley LE10 1JD England

43 Edglnton Street Nottingham NG3 3EV

England

FJorlzons Missions Services Assoc. Editorial Dept.

BOx 177

Kempton, IN

46049

P./oo

IE}ii0tIe from lEnglanii . , . report ^rom team miniilrieS

ckaiien^in^ apoil-C^ltriitian nation with the dainu
Vol. 8 No. 2

C^Lrht
0

October, 1980

Time to say THANK YOU

Once a year--and only once a year--we report to you our income. We begin this year by saying thank you

and by praising God for your giving.

We are constantly

amazed at the way our God is taking care of us through your sacrificial giving. We are sure that the recession has caused you to tighten your belts, and surely inflation has made your money of less value. But despite the recession and inflation, in both America and England, our God is supplying
our needs through you.

That is not to say that it has been an easy year financially.

honest the dollar has suffered tremendously because of a very strong

To be

pound (now considered a petrol-currency). Since Easter, the pound has become 10% more valuable against the dollar. That means we buy less with
the same amount of dollars you send us. And when you add that to in flation (which peaked at just under 22% two months ago), you will see
that we have much less purchasing power than a year ago.

The figures of your giving are on the back. These figures, however, do not tell the whole story. God deals with each one of us in very dif ferent ways and encourages us to trust Him supplying our daily bread in different ways. Some of us have retirement funds, field expenses, savings for a return trip home; some of our supporting churches pay our Social Security. Some of us live 'hand to mouth' and hope that Jesus comes before
we have to retire! But all of us are confident that we are in God's hands,

and we have His promise that He will take care of us.

So please take a look at the figures and allow God to speak to you
about our needs. He has done it before, and He will do it again,
CURT

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete
Bowen

WHODUNIT?
Who shot J.R.? It's an important question in Britain today for the British public takes the American TV serial Dallas very seriously. Millions of people sit glued in
front of the "tube" to watch i t

Jan Bowen
Janet Baines

Tony
Calvert

HINCKLEY PRAYER REQUESTS

The Church of Christ at Hinckley experienced some extraordinary

growth from September, 1979 through April, 1980. That growth period
ended during the summer, and some of the effects of that surge for

every week. It is so popular that one of the major networks just did a re-run of al1 the episodes--one every night. Yes, "Who shot J.R.?" is a big question in England today. More than $600,000 has been placed in
bets on who committed the heinous

ward surfaced as problems. We would like you to help us by talking to

the Father about:

--the level of commitment to

the Body of Christ among our

fellow Christians here at

Hinckley. --greater effectiveness in evangelism for the whole

church.

crime. In any local market you can buy shirts or cups which proclaim "I love J.R." or "I hate J.R.", or even "I shot J.R."1 His nasty little personality has taken the British Isles by storm. Humorous? Yes, in a way. But it is also sad. From a Christian per spective, Dallas is no more than a
mirror for a sin-sick and rebellious

--God's wisdom for the ministry

team as we build on what God
has done.

society.

It is all the sin, sickness,

and God-ward rebellion of a decadent

society reflected back at that same

society.
ERDINGTON UPDATE Roger is still in the States, although Michelle is now home, and Roger is expected to return early
in October. In the meantime God

And Britain (ditto America)

enjoys it? To at least one Christian mind, the popularity of Dallas is a sad commentary on the state of Western European society. Why should con densed iniquity be enjoyable?
TONY

carries on His work at Erdington.

============================5=======

Three people have been baptized into Christ in the past few months.
was mentioned in last month's Epistle.

Terry

Sally also mentioned last month,

has also been baptized.

She has quite a background.

Her father was an

alcoholic and was murdered when she was young. She was raised in a convent, but was never really interested in the Lord. She lived a very sinful life

and had to spend time in prison.

Her life was very empty.

Through the
SAM

efforts of Richard Swain, one of our members, she decided to give her life to the Lord and was baptized on August 10. She will need your prayers.

ST. ANN'S REPORT

CHALLENGING
THE CHILDREN

Qall Burns

Oh, for a three-month school

vacationl Then we would have more

Linda Nordhielm

time to have special activities with the children. But, since they only
get six weeks, there isn't much time

Nordhieim

CAMP THE MODERN (?) WAY

to schedule camps and Vacation Bible School between the trips they have
with their families.

An important part of the work among the young people in this country is the suimier camp. We have had them in the past on a small district scale, but this year
all of the Churches of Christ were

We finally scheduled VBS the last

week of their vacation. We were able

to rent a nearby hall for the older

(8-12) group and left the younger

one in our one-room church. Those children who were able to

asked to send their young people.

Twenty-three campers assembled

on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a large cow pasture near Hinckley. We erected tents, and bales of straw
were seats for the week. The

come seemed to enjoy themselves. They listened to the lessons, but, of

course, their favorite time was crafts.

Gail learned how honest (and mixed-

up) the older boys were when during

one lesson one said, "I'm a Christian." But soon afterward he stated, "Be

cooking facilities left alot to be desired,and most of the food had to be cooked elsewhere and brought in.
But God blessed the week with

lieving in God is silly."

Saturday, the fifth day of VBS, we took them to a park for the afternoon. They did their best in trying to wear out the adults. I began to feel like they were winning! To end the week we had a family service on Sunday evening. We invited the parents of the children hoping to
see some interest from them. Most all

perfect weather and a beautiful spirit among the campers. It was a week full of excitement and learning. When it was all over,the campers did not want to go home. I was the camp director and had asked a young woman from the south of the country to join us as a helper in the kitchen. She was not a Christian, but I thought the con
tact she would have with the rest

of the children came, but not one of

their parents.

We did have, however,

This was

two visitors from the area.

of the staff would help her make

some type of decision for Christ. It did. She was baptized in early September, and the camp was the
reason she made her decision.

great, because they came as a result of a lady who attends but who is not
yet a member.

Several people from the church are now working with the children on Tues

day nights hoping to keep them inter

ested. Pray with us that the children
will find concerned interest from the church members. RITA

She came expecting to help, but she was helped more than she thought. CURT

YOUR MONEY TO US
FISCAL YEAR - SEPTEMBER 1979 TO AUGUST 1980 RECEIPTS

Erdington

Roger Edrington
Special Gifts:

$11,253.68
$ 593.00
$2,739.77 $ 325.00
$11,630.00 $ 5,200.00 $ 4,200.00

Typewriter
and Furlough Michelle Edrington
St. Ann's Curt & Linda Nordhielm Gail Burns Rita Ide

Hinckley Tony & Angie Calvert Salary Field expenses

Pete & Jan Bowen Janet Baines

Thailand Consultation

$11,550.00 $ 750.00 $ 9,900.00 $ 4,734.00

Coventry
Debbie Harris

Sept. to Dec. only

U.K. TEAM FUND

$ 1,400.00

This fund Is used for expenses

U.S.A. TEAM FUNDS (Epistle)

Balance Sept. 1, 1979 Receipts $1 ,239.05 Expenses $1,953.51 $ 858.45

that relate to the teams

but

not directly to the churches here,

Balance Sept. 1, 1979 $ Receipts $ 96.80

Expenses $125.58

188.22 159.44

Balance Aug. 31, 1980

143,99

Balance

Aug. 31, 1980 $

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND

East Side Christian Church 1714 Madison

Non-profit Bulk Rate U.S. POSTAGE PAID

Council Blufls. lA S1M1

Permit No. 26

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

ERDINGTON TEAM

144 Gravelly Lane Birmingnam 823 6LT England

HINCKLEY TEAM
8 Trevor Road

Hinckley LE10 1J0 England

ST. ANN'S TEAM 43 Edglnton Street Nolttngliam NG3 3EV England

Horizons Missions Services Assoc

Research Dept.
Box 177

Kempton, IN

46049

DEC

iEpistk from lEngland rsffort ^om team minUtnei

ekaiien^in^ apoii'^kridtian nation u/ilft t/ie ciaimi
Vol. 8 No. 3 November, 1980

Cfwiit

A COMMENT ON COMPENSATION
After nearly four months away from England, reality came home again.
England isn't really my cup of tea. Not that I'm not content here. I am. But if I were doing the

St. Louis at 89 and landing in London at 34 reminded me that England's

weather is a far cry from paradise. Back in the crowded streets where 960 people per square mile live, I am not drawn to the environment. Finding prices twice as high as in the USA in many cases is not very
enticing.

choosing about where I would live, I wouldn't choose England.

Leaving

Many people assume that because someone lives here for a long time,
it must be because he loves the place. Although this is true for some of us (Anglophiles), it has never been true for me. If it was up to me, I would probably be a missionary to Hawaii. Her warm temperatures, exotic flora, gentle trade winds, beautiful blend of cultures, and thought-provoking surf all make it the "right" place for me.
But I would rather be where God chooses than find all the lost

paradises in the world. Being in the place where He is teaching me to love Him more than the things which surround me is a more than fair exchange for good weather. Existing in a culture where people must live very close together has helped me to ask many questions about God's type of living relationships. Working with a people not in my

class background has taught me more of what it is to love with Christ's

type of love.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a martyr. There are lots of reasonable compensations. England's grass is surely unrivalled in the world for its greenness. Her rich history makes one realize one's own insigni ficance in the pale of the millenia of human happenings. Her people know

the art of conserving natural resources (they walk alotl).

where God wants me.
that compensation.
ROGER

And more. . .
He

But the only compensation which tips the balance for me is being
My Father always knows what is best for me.
never fails to take care of me. And he never lets me lie lethargically

in lessons of the past.

He is ever taking me on. . . I am content with

HINCKLEY REPORT
Bowen

Bowen

Janet Balnes

Tony
Calvert

Can't Keep Quiet About It!

Remember Lynne Whitfield who was baptized last September and was so excited that she told her sister, Julie Swann, about Jesus immediately? Julie was baptized in October, 1979 .
Then both sisters went and told

TWO KINDS OF FOOD TOGETHER

During the past six months or sc our Tuesday night Bible study group has been working on a study course called "Expressing His Life" The study involved us in personal
study at home followed by group discussion at our meeting as we
learned from God's word how we

their sister Pauline Burgess who lives in Bristol. In September, 1980,

Pauline and Geoff(her husband) ac

cepted Christ into their lives and were baptized at a church in Bristol.
JAN

could express His life in us. Some aspects of the study were beneficial; others we were not too excited about. But one thing that has emerged is a desire to spend more time together, so that
our love for one another can

^ fWLate One Night...

Angle saw our neighbor Marie running toward our house at 12:30 A.M. and wondered if there was something

develop, and so we can be more effective as the functioning Body

of Christ.

seriously wrong.

(She knew Marie was

in the middle of divorce proceedings,

and it was not unknown for her husband

So It is that we now meet to

gether earlier on Tuesday to share a meal together. We hope this will help us get to know one another better and to encourage one another In the Lord, We also hope that a time of prayer will become part of our evening together. PETE

to hit her) When Angle opened the door, Marie blurted out, "I want to pray but don't know howl Can you tell me?" Angle was so surprised that all she could do was blink and say yesi
Our first contact with Marie came

one Tuesday night just as we were returning home from Bible study. She
stood at our door so drunk she could

hardly stay upright. Her marriage was a disaster, and her guilt and pain
had driven her to alcohol--it was the

(continued on back page)

ST. ANN'S

REPORT

Gall
Burns Linda Nordhiel Curt Nordhiel,

Encouragement
You know how it goes sometimes . . . you feel drained, and seem to

have given all you have to give of yourselfbut still you have to give
some more. And then, just at the

A HARVEST FESTIVAL Famine.

Disease.

right time, God puts you in a place to get filled up, ministered to and
revitalized in mind and soull is what the NIE was for me.
The Nationwide Iniative in

Death by starvation.
Malnutrition. It is a

That

grim picture of human life. "How can I help overcome such a devastating problem? I have so little. It would not even begin
to touch their starvation. So

Evangelism was held at the University

r n pray for them, but somebody with money will have to help them.' This may have to be true. But often we fall into the trap of thinking this of our neighbors
as well,

of Nottingham, and anyone who was interested in evangelism was invited to come to the week-long assembly. The morning and evening worship sessions
were uplifting as everyone was free to express their praise to God in

whatever way they were comfortable; the workshops and special Interest
groups were designed to cover a wide range of issues, and I came away
refreshed and renewed.

"If one of you says to him,

'Go, I wish you well; keep warm

and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:16) The church in England has a festival to remind people that God has provided for them and, no matter

how meager our attempts, we can

share our wealth with people.
Our Harvest Festival did just

Insights and answers were given that helped to relieve the "up against a brick wall" feeling I was experiencing. NIE pointed out some solutions to problems in the local church and gave practical advice as to how to put them into use. The week was just what the doctor (God) ordered for this patient. GAIL

that. We brought from what God had provided for us, and we shared it with the elderly in need. It did not alleviate all famine, but it made some very lonely, needy people happy. RITA
***********

We would like to ask you to pray for Brian, an alcoholic

who needs Jesus.

jiitinued from Hinckley Report) .<jhly way she knew to cope with
her misery. She wanted to change; she knaw she needed to change. She was hoping God could help
her find a new life.

Prospects For the Eighties

. . . is the title of a recent

report of a census taken among English churches in 1979. According to its publishers, the data this book records
demonstrates:

That night we just put her to bed and let her sleep it off. But later we read the Bible together. Then she began to read it on her own. Through Bible study, dis cussion, and Christian literature she is beginning to see Jesus as the True Way to Life. We hope, for Marie's sake, it won't be long until she sees clearly. TONY
++++++++++++

There are over 39,000 Christian

churches in England today.

Adult church attendance is 11% of

the total population.

--The rate of decline in church

membership in the late 70's is slower than in the early 70's.

--Overall church attendance is

slightly increasing.

Did you Know?

That Pete and Jan Bowen are ex

Peter Brierley, who is Program Director for the British and Foreign

pecting their first child in February? That Tony, Angie, and Justin
Calvert have moved from rented accomodation to a house of their

Bible Society (the publishers of the report) has this to say of the signi
ficance of the data:

'Whilst this report just gives a numerical snapshot of the

churches, it also shows by implication how much of our society is outside the regular
influence of the churches. It

own in the immediate neighborhood

of the church? Their new address

is 1 Chessher Street, Hinckley, Leics., ENGLAND.

shows however an improving

situation rather than a deter

iorating one.'
EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND
Easi Side Christian Churcli
1714 Madison
Non-Pro'll Bulk Rale
US. POSTAGE PAID

Council Bluffs. lA S1U1

Permit No. i t

Council Bluffs, lA 51501

EROiNQTON TEAM t44 Gravelly Lane

Birmingham B23 6LT England

HINCKLEYTEAM
6 Trevor Road

ST. ANN'S TEAM

*3 Edginton Street
Nottlnpham NQ3 3EV England

Hinckley LE101JD

England

Mission
AMERICAN CORRESPONDENTS Tim & Nancy Barber
eOS Arnold

Services

Box 177

Council Bluffs, lA
StSOl u.s>.

Kempton, IN

46049

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Vol.8 No.4 December, 1980
o /I

ERDINGTON REPOBT
(Birmingham)
Roger Edrington

municating to the people through the evidence of what I M what I say. For meand this is no general
ruleI need to take the step to trust

that even though every word is not cal

culated in the study, His Word can be

communicated through m^. This takes another plank out of my human {dare I say, worldly) support and makes me of necessity, more firmly reinforced by
Whether a minister or missionary
God alone. ROGER

ever steps out in faith, I suppose,

is an open question. We preach about it from the pulpit, encourage people privately, and somehow give the im

YOUR PRAYERS PLEASE

Our COMMUNITY CAROL FESTIVAL is to be held on December 23 when we hope
to show that God loves the world as

pression that we are trusting in God

and not ourselves.

But this is not necessarily true

in every area of our lives. Even in my own preaching, I found that I was holding back in security. In the week I struggled with the text until I had it in a manageable package which I could carefully present to the hearers of the Word, hoping that they might also be doers. I was diligent, and my intensity often wore me down. Lately, I have found God urging me away from my methodological secur itybecause the price was too great.
It cost my hearers me. I could some times speak sterile words without a

much now as He did in that more than

impressive display on that first

Christmas.

We are moving toward a wider leadership in our church. We now have no elders and only three deacons,

aged 81, 74, and 44.

We want to be

sure to use God's wisdom, neither

"laying on hands too quickly" nor quenching the Spirit from doing His job of maturing and setting apart people for specific functions.

fully human container which God could

use. And sometimes my methods of care

Two small groups of new Christians

and "almost Christians" are now study

produced words without the Word.

I am not condoning lacadasical at titudes in the study. But just as

ing the book of Acts here.

People who

have never looked at Luke's record of

the Holy Spirit's continuing action

the Spirit is working in the study,

He must also work in the pulpit, com

give older Christians new perspective

to be open to Him.

HINCKLEY REPORT
Pete Bowen Jan Bowen Janet Baines

A NEW COLLEGE

Several years ago due to finan cial problems and lack of students,

Tony
Calvert

with reoard

the Churches of Christ training college in this country had to close its doors. The possibilities to training leadership looked bleak. However, the God who said

from the dead was

to Ezekiel , "Can these bones live?" and the God who raised the Lord Jesus still working out His purposes. He has guided, led, and provided until we have seen the opening of a new and significant training institution in Birmingham. The Christian Center for Study and Growth, whose director is Dr. C.

Robert Wetzel (formerly of Milligan College, Tennessee), opened this fall. It began with 24 students (6 full-time, 18 part-time) and a staff of four.
I am one of the part-time students and can say that I am very impressed with what is happening. The seriousness of all concerned to see British Christians equipped for service is exciting to watch, I have already learned alot through my studies, whjch are in "Apologetics" and "The Restoration Movement". Having been involved in ministry for a couple of years and now doing more training, I have found my practical knowledge in valuable in more fully understanding my studies. After just a few months, I feel my faith has been deepened by my experiences at the Center. This is just the beginning of a venture which we pray God will use for the extension of His Kingdom in this country and further afield. And we are confident this will happen, for we have seen that "with the Lora nothing is impossible". PETE

"We Spoke to the Women Who Had Gathered" -Acts le

One of the ways in which I feel God has used me during the past seven years has been in working with ladies. Many times I have had opportunity to have Bible studies in their homes, and later some of these ladies have been brought to Jesus. Recently I started a study with two ladies. We met Chris during our calling and since that time she has been visited occasionally. On one such occasion her sister-in-law Ann was at her house. They were both asking questions about Christianity, and this led to a weekly Bible study. We have now started studying the book of John in which Ann seems to be most interested, In September a weekly ladies luncheon and Bible study group was started. It is working out quite well with a time of fellowship over a meal and a study of the gospel of Luke. Several non-Christian ladies attend this group, and it is exciting to be a part of leading them to Christ. JAN

ST. ANN'S REPORT

{Nottingham)
Bowen Jan Bowen Janet
Barnes

A Personal Letter
Dear Friends,

Tony
Calvert

NEW FACES
. . .all with a different story
ELAINEa mother under stress

It was long and exhausting. And yet our six-week furlough was very refreshing. We travelled many miles, spoke many times about the work and what God has done and saw many old friends and met many new ones. It was good to be at our 'first' home. As you have probably gleaned from this section of the Epistle, the work is very difficult and often discour

with two children; an alcoholic who is attending AA; she is not sure of her relationship with God, but she

aging.

It has forced us (and Rita

is attempting to do something about

the situation.

and Gail) to depend upon God for wisdom, strength, and encouragement. But the refreshing inspiration and
reassurance we received during our

ERIC--29-year-old bachelor who is out of work. He is looking very

hard for another job. He knows nothing about Jesus Christ because he has not been to church or Sunday

short stay in America will always

be remembered.

Everywhere we went Christians were willing to listen, suggest new di

rections for the ministry, and sup port us. There was a genuine concern
for us and God's work.
of the Christian faith.

School with any kind of regularity. He is, however, very interested.

DOREEN--needs a home and friends.
Her education was cut short because

To show that

type of concern is an important part

We thank each and every one of you who ministered to us. We pray that our ministry here will encourage you.

of the war, but wants to learn how

to share her faith. At the moment

she mixes up her facts a bit.

GEORGEanother man who is out of work and in his forties. He has

grown children and a two-year-old

son. His wife is not interested in

God.

He is very friendly and willing

He has been

to do whatever he can.

For those of you we did not have an opportunity to see, please accept our love and concern for you now.
In Christ's love,
CURT & LINDA

an Anglican all of his life, but he is still searching for something.

Neither he, nor I, know for what. May we ask your prayers for these four who need strength and encourage
ment from God. GAIL

Sr.'

GOD
STILL LOVES THE WORLD
In this special season we remember_
that the celebration of Christmas is more about God's love than with cuddly

this joy together, we shall be partly

sad to be away from you for another Christmas. But our joy together is
that God came in one location so that

babies.

The angels and jubilation ex

press the victory that God's love is

certainly not silent. As Christmas is a time for families
and communities of believers to express

He (and we) might transcend all

locations.

May you have an extremely joyous

and meaningful Christmas.
ALL THE TEAMS

EPISTLE FROM ENGLAND

East Side Christian Church
1714 MadXon

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