25Oct 2016 by Nigel Ring

Heaven is for Real – book recommendation

Books, Heaven, News
Some years ago I read Heaven by Randy Alcorn and was greatly helped by the Biblical handling of this subject. More recently I have read Heaven is for Real. This is very different, being a testimony of a very young child who visited heaven while undergoing surgery. I find the accounts of what he experienced, which emerged only over a protracted time period, very authentic, especially as they were corroborated scripturally by his father, a pastor, who was at first inclined to some disbelief.   Synopsis The family had been going through a testing time. The father, Todd, had had several serious challenges – kidney stones, a compound fracture in his leg playing softball and cancer, accompanied by the associated financial pressures of the American medical system. As they were coming…
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18Oct 2016 by Nigel Ring

Win win – Businesses to improve health and empower entrepreneurs

Africa, Business, Entrepreneur, Equipping, Jibu, News, Poor, Water
Milk for transformation I get excited when I hear of projects that bring a ‘win’ at every level. I have previously reported on the Milk for Transformation enterprise in Burundi. This business provides rural families with milk-producing cattle which both provides income from the surplus which can be sold and also removes the need for children to miss school to tend the less productive local cows as they wander the hills. It also employs young men to transport the milk to the city, others to pasteurise the milk, and yet others to sell the milk at the lowest possible price. Finally good nutritious milk reaches children in the slums: Win… Win … Win … Win … Jibu Water Project I have another friend, Randy Welsch, who, with his son Galen,…
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03Oct 2016 by Nigel Ring

Container arrives at School in Guinea

Africa, Education, Guinea, News, Poor
Jubilee International School On several occasions I have reported on the church and school in Guinea, West Africa. When I last visited to review the progress with the school it was clear that they significantly lacked resources of curricular, laboratory equipment, furniture etc.  So, in recent months I have, with others, been collecting a container-load of school equipment to send to the school. Many people and schools made generous donations in money and finance which has been such a blessing. Thank you! I am delighted to say the container arrived at the school last week and I thought you would like to see some of the joy it has produced. Nicolas Thebault reports that ‘everybody was dancing Monday night in the street when it was opened for the 1st time…
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22Sep 2016 by Nigel Ring

Pathways from Poverty

Africa, Kenya, News, Poor, Poverty Reduction, Relational Mission
Relational Mission Relational Mission is the sphere of churches within the Newfrontiers family led by Mike Betts. It carries Prayer, Mission and God's heart for the poor in its DNA. In this short interview Julia Miller shares on some of these aspects of Mike's sphere of ministry. Prayer Through an exciting initiative, Enough, churches across this international sphere join together through the worldwide web to pray, thus mobilising thousands of people in effectual prayer. It is a very interesting model that others might wish to copy. Mission Everyone a witness is an attempt to help churches engage evangelistically in their local communities in Word, Works and Wonders. God's heart for the Poor Pathways from Poverty is an expression of God's heart for the poor which seeks to help local churches engage with those…
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08Sep 2016 by Nigel Ring

Succession in Newfrontiers and a visit to Westpoint

Church Planting, Commission, Guy Miller, New Ground, Newfrontiers, News, Terry Virgo, Westpoint
What happened when Terry Virgo ‘handed over’ Newfrontiers? Recently I was speaking with someone who had contact with another stream of churches. That person was commending Terry and Newfrontiers for the way in which succession had been handled when Terry handed over the responsibility for the Newfrontiers family of churches in 2011 to about 15 men who had demonstrated apostolic gifting and ministry. He said that, as a result of what they had observed, his stream of churches was adopting a similar philosophy of ‘sons’ growing up to become ‘fathers’ who would lead the next generation. On arriving home I found this interview in my inbox. Terry had been invited by David Holden to speak at the ‘Newground’ Leadership Conference and shares his perspective on the process and developments over…
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20Jul 2016 by Nigel Ring

The Irresistible Revolution – book recommendation

Books, News, Poor
Holiday reading Looking for holiday reading? Recently a friend lent me a copy of Shane Claiborne’s book The Irresistible Revolution, first published in 2006 but which has now been updated and republished. Good move! This is well worth reading if you are prepared to be challenged about how radical you are in your walk with God. Off to India Shane Colborne is no ‘ordinary’ Christian (I wonder what one would look like?). But he does believe that living out the Christian life should be challenging and radical. Having been challenged by some of his college friends who used their spare time visiting people who were homeless in the city he set out to start his exploration of radical Christianity with a visit to Mother Theresa in Calcutta. Living and working…
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