07Mar 2017 by Nigel Ring

The roots of Newfrontiers – a personal reflection pt 4. House Church

Church Planting, Newfrontiers, News
Change and Growth Having moved on from our Anglican church we started travelling to Seaford on Sundays to meet with Terry’s church. We continued to meet in our home on Wednesday evenings and became like a railway junction with scores of people coming and going. Many came to hear Terry’s teaching when he visited on alternate weeks. He would bring a carload with him and they sat together to encourage one another as we traditionalists prayed condemnatory/confessional prayers! (I later learnt that this principle of establishing a ‘hot heart’ to which others can be added was one that Terry wisely used on a number of occasions. Like a bonfire, start praying with a small group to create this 'hot heart' and once the 'prayer culture' is established others can be added.) We…
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01Mar 2017 by Nigel Ring

The roots of Newfrontiers – a personal reflection pt 3. Black and White to Colour

Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo
Body Life The weekend after Terry visited out home and prayed successfully for people to be healed we were to attend a Stewards Trust conference for people at a similar stage of life to ourselves. What a turning point that proved to be. The speaker, Barney Coombs from Sarum Hill Baptist Church in Basingstoke, and founder of the Salt and Light stream of churches, oozed love and a knowledge of the scriptures we had not previously encountered as he ministered on body life, and on the importance of exercising the gifts of the spirit to bless and edify other believers. He also introduced us to scriptures set to music as a vehicle for worship. At that stage our worship experience included singing many of the fine old hymns, and we greatly…
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23Feb 2017 by Nigel Ring

The roots of Newfrontiers – a personal reflection pt 2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit

Baptism of the Spirit, Newfrontiers, News
Speaking in tongues When we first discussed speaking in tongues with our Anglican friends we were advised to steer clear as they could be inspired by the devil. This was to raise an interesting problem for me. My wife was having difficulty conceiving and was invited to attend a meeting in London led by Jean Darnell. When she went forward for prayer at the end of the meeting Jean said to her that ‘her emotions needed releasing’ and, when prayed for, Janita started speaking in tongues. That represented a problem for me: I now had a wife who some would say was behaving in a way that was ‘from the devil’! Shortly after that she conceived and our first child was born in October 1970. Life was busy and we…
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16Feb 2017 by Nigel Ring

The roots of Newfrontiers – a personal reflection pt 1. We meet Terry Virgo

Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo
Increasingly people are joining churches related to Newfrontiers through other apostolic spheres and have no awareness of how it all started. Several have recently asked me for the early history so over the next few weeks I will share my personal story of those early days since I was privileged to be in from the start – indeed, from before the start. A letter One day, on return from our family holiday, I found a letter awaiting me. “Will you be my administrator? I don’t know what an administrator does but I know I need one”. I picked up the phone. “I also don’t know what an administrator does” was my reply, “but yes!” On that somewhat precarious basis a special friendship turned into an employed relationship with Terry Virgo. The continuing deep…
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08Feb 2017 by Nigel Ring

Around the Newfrontiers apostolic spheres – Relational Mission

Edward Buria, Kenya, Mike Betts, Newfrontiers, News, Relational Mission
From time to time I have published interviews with the various men leading the new apostolic spheres following the transition of the Newfrontiers family of churches in 2011 from one to multiple spheres. Here I talk with Mike Betts who leads the sphere ‘Relational Mission’. We were able to have a discussion about what his vision is and how the sphere has developed since the transition. Relational Mission – meaning and outworking Having given insight to the name ‘Relational Mission’ Mike shares some of the ways in which his vision and values are being outworked: a Leadership Conference, Clustering churches for local fellowship, Church Planting, Leadership Training and ‘extraordinary’ Prayer. Book Many of the values and practices of Newfrontiers have been updated and redefined in the book ‘Relational Mission – A Way…
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01Feb 2017 by Nigel Ring

Pathways Care Farm

Agriculture, Farming, News, Poor
I have not met many alpacas – in fact I had not met any before I met Boris. But he was a good representative of his species and quickly made me feel at home. I was visiting Pathways Care Farm in Lowestoft, UK, founded by Geoff Stevens. I came to know Geoff when he was exploring an initiative within the Relational Mission sphere of Newfrontiers, Pathways from Poverty, now led by Julia Miller. Geoff knew nothing about farming when the opportunity arose to start a care farm but he and his team have achieved an astonishing amount in just two years. Walking around the farm with him I found he is bubbling with ideas – ‘we’re going to put a bird watching hide here’, ‘we will create an arts and crafts room…
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