Intouch News of ministries within the Affinity Family NEWSLETTER ISSUE 14 AUTUMN 2017 Director s Desk Contents 1 Director s Desk 2 Grace Reformed Church, Aberdeen 3&4 Solas Centre for Public Christianity 5 Crossteach: providing a faithful Christian presence in schools 6 News and Reports Affinity is a growing network of 1200 Bible-centred churches and Christian agencies throughout Britain and Ireland. In some parts of the world we have seen the rise of radical religion, particularly Islam. In the West, there is the fear of fundamentalism but at the same time the rise of radical secularism or perhaps, more precisely, the idolatry of the self as the god before which all competing loyalties must give way. For Christians, this is all the more unsettling as the pace of change in laws and policies has caught most of by surprise changes that legitimise behaviour which we view as sinful and which also threaten our religious freedom. Many of us are not quite sure how to react. Should we protest and campaign to turn back the tide or sadly lament, but accept, the end of our Christian heritage? Should we assume that a secular state is more normal and even possibly more desirable? Is freedom to be Christian all that we want, even if it is not a right we deserve? How do we love our neighbour and love our country? What do we campaign for, if our goal is truly the good of other people and the glory of God, not simply the preservation of our comfort? At Affinity, we are discussing how to engage with our society and equip our churches to face these challenges. These are pressing issues for us to grapple with over the coming days and we need God s help and wisdom and we would value your prayerful support. Graham Nicholls
The official opening Grace Reformed Church, Aberdeen Grace Reformed Church, the Aberdeen congregation of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) recently held an official opening for its new building, and with great joy a congregation of 70-80 gathered to give thanks to God. About two years ago the congregation were renting a church hall in Aberdeen, but were informed that there might be the possibility of purchasing another church building. So we decided to sell our manse and it went quickly, at a price higher than anyone had dared to hope. Along with money already gathered things seemed to be progressing well. However, the vendor s local presbytery refused them The new building permission to sell to us; we were back to square one. We had money ready but no church to buy and in previous years those of a suitable size and layout had rarely come on the market. Then we became aware of a former Congregational church being offered for sale by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Scotland. The price, size and location all seemed ideal. After initial talks it became apparent that others were also interested in the property. We put in two bids but the MS Society accepted a higher offer. We were understandably disappointed, but thought the Lord must be preparing something better for us. In summer 2016 we resumed our hunt for a suitable building and my family and I went for a short holiday. On the Monday morning we received messages telling me to contact our lawyers as soon as possible. It transpired that the (Muslim) group who had made the higher bid had withdrawn their offer! Were we still interested? When we indicated we were, agreement was soon reached. We later became aware of a local Christian family who had heard of the attempt to turn the building into an Islamic Centre and had prayed that a church might buy it. They were present at the opening, rejoicing with us over God s answer to their prayers. The sanctuary holds just over 100 people. There are six rooms, three toilets (two disabled), and a glazed reception area adjoining the sanctuary (now a cry room), along with a kitchen and dining area. Outside we have parking for 25-30 vehicles. We are at the heart of a residential area of the city, Mastrick, just off North Anderson Drive. We are most grateful to God for all His help and direction and we continue to look to Him for all that is yet to be done. If you live in the area or are just visiting the city, come along and see for yourself, as we seek to make Jesus known in the city of Aberdeen: www.grcaberdeen.org.uk Rev T J McGlynn (Minister) 2
Solas Centre for Public Christianity My introduction to proclaiming Christianity in the public square was very much a crash course. A friend invited me to Speakers Corner in London s Hyde Park where, every Sunday, dozens of speakers perch precariously on boxes or stepladders to proclaim their views on everything from religion to politics. Andy Bannister My friend had been preaching to the hundreds of Muslims who congregated there. Come and try street preaching; it s not hard! he enthused. Not hard! On a wrongness scale of 1 to 10, that rates a 15. The Muslims I met at Speakers Corner were well practised in the art of heckling and very experienced in asking Christians difficult questions and I left Speakers Corner my head spinning and with the realisation that I had work to do if I was to give a reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15). But, beginning that Sunday and growing each subsequent weekend I returned, God instilled in me a passion: for evangelism, for answering people s tough questions, for seeing my Muslim friends won for Christ, and for learning to think through what I believed. When it comes to publicly proclaiming the gospel, most of us probably don t immediately think of something like Speakers Corner, with its rough and tumble of debate. But that model of public engagement goes right back to the beginning of the Church. Think of Jesus clashes with the Pharisees, or Paul in Ephesus renting a lecture hall and debating daily with the Jews and Greeks in that multicultural city. Christianity was never intended to be a privatised faith, something to mumble about in whispers or believe in private. The gospel is public truth and when it is proclaimed publicly, it s my experience that God shows up. For all the talk of this being a secular age, we live in a time of unprecedented openness to the gospel in the West. Not least because many people have not grown up in Christian homes or know anything of Christianity: they re not rejecting the gospel, they simply don t have a clue what it is. Ravi Zacharias and I were once invited to speak at McGill University in Montreal one of Canada s most secular cities. We were told we d be lucky to get a hundred people out to hear us. But on the night, over 900 showed up. Time and again I ve experienced similar 3
things: when Christians engage honestly with the questions people are really asking (not those we assume they re asking or wish they were asking) and when we avoid obvious pitfalls (such as collapsing faith into politics), there is a willingness to listen. Our secular age is causing ever more people to cry out for meaning, hope, significance questions to which only the gospel has the answers. But at the same time, fear haunts many Christians. We re afraid of causing offence, which often causes us to try and win people through social action alone. Or we yell at the culture for not measuring up: never stopping to ask where the gospel says first clean up the culture, then you ll be shiny enough for Jesus. Thus the paradox: people are more open to the gospel, yet the Church is less prepared and less equipped Andy Bannister to communicate it. That, in a nutshell, is why the Solas Centre for Public Christianity exists: to proclaim the gospel persuasively and winsomely in the public square and to equip, encourage and support churches and Christians to do likewise. It s a thrill to have joined the Solas team as Director a year ago. Before moving to Scotland I led the Canadian branch of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) for six years. RZIM s vision is to help the thinker believe and the believer think and during my time in Canada I had the privilege of seeing God grow us from tiny beginnings to an organisation with national (and international) reach and impact. My prayer is that God will do something similar with Solas as we seek to impact Scotland with the gospel. Over the coming years, I hope we ll see Solas engaging countrywide in persuasive evangelism, reaching out more widely and effectively through digital media and new technologies, training thousands more Christians to share their faith naturally with friends or colleagues, and building networks deep into the worlds of business, media and politics, so that we can truly be a Christian influence and live up to Solas s calling to be a centre for public Christianity. That s a bold vision and we can t do it alone. There are four ways you can help us: Partner with us Consider inviting Solas to come and run an open forum or a Quench event in a coffee shop or pub, or to speak at your church. We want to work through and with local churches. Promote us Circulate this article to friends; share one of our many free digital resources on social media; tell people about Solas Magazine. Pray Do pray for our team. And we d love to pray for you, too: don t hesitate to email us your prayer requests. Provide We cannot do what we do without the many friends of Solas who support us financially every gift makes a difference. We also realise that with your support comes your trust we don t take that lightly. If I can answer any questions about the ministry, please email me personally: andy@solas-cpc.org Andy Bannister 4
Providing a faithful Christian presence in schools If ever we needed a faithful Christian presence in our schools it is now. It seems many orthodox, traditional Christian views are being marginalised and misunderstood and there is a growing suspicion of Christians and what we believe. This is one of the reasons Crossteach was established about 16 years ago. The teaching of Christianity within school RE has been criticised repeatedly by OFSTED and others. Christianity is usually misunderstood, often misrepresented and is becoming something to be feared. Crossteach is a team of Christian workers, partnering with local churches to enable young people in schools to engage critically with the Christian faith in a fun and relevant way. We employ skilled and experienced workers to teach about Christianity in way that is excellent, engaging, faithful and accurate. We are distinctly Christian. We want pupils to know what we really believe and the reasons for the views we have and to be able to challenge, ask questions and dig deeper than they would do in most RE lessons. Schools are still expected to provide RE lessons and daily collective acts of worship. These are areas where we can serve the school and teach young people faithfully. We are also able to provide extracurricular clubs, Christmas and Easter activities, church visits and many other services that are of value to schools and the education of their pupils. There are many aspects to our work: The Bible knowledge of UK citizens is low and is decreasing with each generation. We are working to change this. Only around 3% of young people in the UK have connections with a local church. We are able to provide opportunities for young people to reconnect. Education is a significant part of UK life and Christians have a vital role to play. Schools should be teaching about Christianity, but often this is done poorly or in a way that misinforms young people. We provide excellent teaching that is faithful and engaging. It is hugely rewarding to meet thousands of young people every academic year and share with them something of what the Bible teaches. Our prayer is that we will improve the general understanding and perception of Christianity, support and encourage Christians in schools and equip young people to make an informed decision about the claims of Christianity for themselves. Wayne Harris (National Director) www.crossteach.com wayne.harris@ crossteach.com 5
News and reports Editor of Foundations Affinity is delighted to announce that Martin Salter will become the new editor of Foundations in January. Martin is part Martin of the leadership team at Salter Grace Community Church in Bedford, where he has been for the past seven years. Prior to that he and his wife Sarah studied at Oak Hill College. They have three children between the ages of 11 and 5. Martin has just completed his PhD in Missional Ethics and says he is passionate about combining rigorous theological engagement with practical application to ministry and mission. He is looking forward to his new role as an opportunity to promote British evangelical scholarship. He takes over from Ralph Cunnington who has held the position of editor for the past five years. We are very thankful to Ralph for maintaining Foundations reputation for scholarly reflection that is faithful to the Word of God and for encouraging a new generation of writers. Have you discovered PrayerMate yet? This is a great app for your phone or tablet that can include both your own personal prayer lists alongside daily prayer request feeds from many other churches and organisations - including Affinity! Here is how it works: New Affinity members We are delighted to have welcomed the following new members into the Affinity family in recent weeks: Solas Centre for Public Christianity (See pages 2 & 3) Crossteach (See page 5) Tots2teens Tots2teens run a youth and children s centre in Middlesbrough with the aim of providing on-the-job training for believers aged 17+ in both teaching the Bible for all ages and in running outreach ministries for young people. The aim is to encourage and equip churches, who send volunteers to the centre, to be effective in their youth and children s work. www.tots2teens.org 6 Affinity, PO Box 1311, Cambridge CB1 0HQ t 07989 773043 w affinity.org.uk e office@affinity.org.uk facebook.com/affinity.org.uk Registered charity number: 258924