Reaching the Unreached – 3. Churches, Charities and Serving the Poor

Equipping
[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="221"] Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] David Lyall of Action Foundation, Newcastle, concludes this three-part series demonstrating the relationship between church and charity in serving the poor. I love Jesus’ parables about seeds because they remind me that changing the world often starts with small and seemingly insignificant acts of obedience. At City Church, Newcastle, as we look back with thankfulness on the 10th anniversary of our refugee charity, Action Foundation – now housing over 50 people and teaching language to hundreds from 50+ nations each week – it’s easy to forget how unobtrusively it all began. It was nearly 20 years ago that the Government decided to disperse asylum seekers away from the South East. We prayed that God would send them to us and that we would have…
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Reaching the Unreached – 2. Bridging the Language Barrier

Equipping
[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="263"]Catalyst Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] Who is my neighbour Continuing this short series, Cassie Roberts of ODILS Learning Foundation (Open Doors International Language School) asks two questions: ‘Who is my neighbour’ (Lk 10:25 - 29), and ‘How do I love them as myself?’, particularly if they do not speak your own language, English in the case of ODILS. This is one of the many challenges we face as Christians. ‘How can I really love and serve them Lord?’ In this contribution to the series we look at one particular and practical way God has given to love and reach our neighbours. God's plans not ours God had always laid on our hearts a desire to serve the poor and for the gospel to reach the nations. We assumed this…
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Reaching the unreached – 1. Love your Neighbour

Equipping
[caption id="attachment_7608" align="alignright" width="220"] Courtesy: https://www.clipart.email/[/caption] It is a pleasure to have three contributors to this short series ‘Reaching the Unreached’ from Hope Church, Luton, ODILS (Open Doors International Language School), Plymouth and Action Foundation, Newcastle, each considering a different aspect of the topic. Tony Thompson, from Hope Church, begins by thinking about how to love our neighbours, a timely word. Love your Neighbour Jesus has called us all to love our neighbours, but what does that really mean? And who is our neighbour? With the continually changing demographics in the UK, oftentimes our 'neighbour', the one who crosses our path, may be someone from an entirely different culture from our own. The Lord is bringing unreached people to our doorstep and is asking us to show them love. We…
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A time to reset? ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry’

News
Your response to the enforced Lockdown? How are you getting on in this period of enforced lockdown? Are you frustrated, longing to get back on the treadmill of life, or – dare I whisper it – enjoying this period of enforced slowing down, even finding it gives ‘rest to your soul’? ‘What planet are you on, Nigel?’ I can sense some of you saying. ‘Don’t you know that I am cooped up indoors with screaming children, home-educating, trying to keep a job going?’ My heart goes out to you. But for others this is a period of helpful enforced slowing down. Here I want to urge all of you to make it count and suggest that this time gives an opportunity to reset your life-style and values. Something positive to…
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Remember those in the majority world

Poor
Project Gateway Those who have been part of the Newfrontiers Family for many years will be familiar with Project Gateway. From a recent email I have received I have learned that they are still very active in South Africa, and in this crisis they are regularly providing food to needy families including Child Headed Households, typically where parents and grandparents have died from HIV/Aids, as shown on their website.   The wider sceneBut Project Gateway and their response to the crisis is just one of countless initiatives to meet a need at this time. It is clear that the next few weeks will be very challenging for millions of people in the majority (developing) world. Personally I have on-going contact with Burundi, Guinea, Kenya and India to name a few;…
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Where is God in a Coronavirus world?

Equipping, News
Recently I was talking with a friend who is a Buddhist. He asked how I interpreted what is going on (meaning ‘where is your God in all this?’). I am sure that many are asking this question in various forms. My wife had just received this book Where is God in a Coronavirus world? by John Lennox, professor of mathematics at Oxford University. I was also told by a friend about a YouTube interview where Michael Ramsden of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries talks with John Lennox. Both the book and interview are very helpful. I commend them to you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvLfuMlAi18&feature=emb_title
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