This will be my final post. The site will close shortly.
14 years ago I was urged by several people to write a blog. Since then I have written over 500 posts. The primary aim has been to help raise the bar of excellence in church administration and working with the poor, although I have used the site for other topics, particularly related to the history of the Newfrontiers family of churches. I chose Feeding 5000 is no picnic… as a ‘brand’, trying to embrace the combination of both administration and helping those in need.
Much has changed since 2009. Church administration is now widely recognised for its crucial role in helping churches to grow and function healthily, particularly by releasing elders to flow in their gifting rather than being caught up in the day-to-day administration of the church. There are now excellent resources widely available to help this. I would particularly highlight and commend the 
website The Church Office launched by a friend of mine during covid, Gavin Smith, which is packed with excellent material.
In terms of ministry with the poor this is now seen as a central part of most churches’ application of the gospel to their local communities, reflecting the Kingdom mandate in Isaiah 61 and Paul’s apostolic commission to ‘remember the poor’ (Gal 2:10). 
Initiatives such as Jubilee+ in the UK are making a huge contribution to advance the equipping of churches to carry out these ministries to a high standard of excellence, thus setting the example to the world of unconditional love and compassion for people who often face dire needs.
The material from my blog is being downloaded and will be archived, but it will not be searchable on the internet. However, if there are topics you would like to explore please feel free to contact me.
Thank you to all who have travelled with me over these years. I have greatly appreciated your encouragement and input. It has also been a privilege to have guest writers from time to time sharing their expertise. Thank you to those too.
Personally, I remain active and am enjoying ‘retirement’, being involved in a local church plant in Bath and continuing to chair the ministry, Hope for Tomorrow Global, which Donna Bloomfield is carrying out with great effect in Burundi. Do pray for her. Remarkably the president of the nation has recognised the impact that 
Foundations for Farming is making to the community in which Donna is ministering and has now declared it to be the preferred method of farming across the whole nation. Since it is taught in the context of Christian discipleship we believe this is a wonderful God-given opportunity not only to alleviate the hunger needs of Burundi (officially the hungriest nation in the world) but also to share the love of Christ more widely and transformatively.
For those who want to stay in touch I plan to retain the mailing list in order to tell you of items I particularly think you would be interested in, such as good books or pending conferences. You can add your name here if you are not already on it.
For those who are interested in my personal history I still have some copies of 80 Not Out which I wrote for my own family but has now been more widely read by friends in the Newfrontiers family. Please mail me if you would like a copy (£8.99 + postage).
And so I close this chapter. I wonder what will be revealed on the next page! May God bless you in all He has given you to do to advance the Kingdom in our generation.