Into all the world Stories of Oak Hill students now in ministry Oak Hill College
Theology to do ministry IN THIS BOOKLET, we tell the stories of eight former Oak Hill students, working in incredibly varied settings. Each of them took time while they were in college to study God s word, to grow in faith, to be equipped for ministry, to be rooted in Christ. They took time to ask themselves, how can I become the best possible gift for Christ to give to his church? Robin Ham, working in pioneer ministry at a church in Barrow-in- Furness, uses a striking image to describe the radical flexibility of his theological training in preparing him for ministry in different situations. He says: The training I received at Oak Hill has been completely practical. It s like the difference between a train and a Land Rover. The train is stuck on the tracks. It can t really go anywhere else, but the Land Rover is adaptable. It can drive on any terrain. What I received from my time at Oak Hill is the ability to come to a new place, listen to the community, and serve in a completely new context. I hope you ll enjoy reading these stories of how theology shapes hearts and minds for depth in ministry. But more than that, I hope they ll encourage you to think about your own ministry and how you can become the best possible gift for the people of God. Mike Ovey, Principal, Oak Hill College Mark Selway and Andy Prime in Gracemount, Edinburgh.
Mike Ovey Principal, Oak Hill College In one of the most inspiring passages of the book of Ephesians, we are told that Jesus gives gifts to his church. Surprisingly, these gifts are people: first and foremost the apostles and prophets, but also evangelists, pastors and teachers. Oak Hill trains men and women in the conviction that everyone called to ministry is a gift of Jesus to the church. Read more about our approach to theological training in The Best Possible Gift. Oak Hill College Chase Side Southgate London N14 4PS Tel: 020 8449 0467 Produced for Oak Hill by House Communications Ltd Editing and design: Simon Jenkins Photography: Eleanor Bentall and Ralph Hodgson The Kingham Hill Trust A Registered Charity No. 1076618 oakhill.ac.uk 3
Pioneer ministry in Barrow I M A PIONEER curate in Barrowin-Furness, an industrial town on the south-western edge of Cumbria. When Zoe and I were moving here, people would say, Barrow? Isn t that at the end of the longest cul-de-sac in the country? But we ve loved the town ever since we moved, and it s great to be part of a team. Gary Cregeen is the team rector, Matt Hornby is my fellow curate, and the three of us were at Oak Hill at different times. The church is still held in relatively high esteem in Barrow. I really appreciated how much Oak Hill does to support, train and equip not just students, but their spouses as well. It s especially fantastic that spouses can sit in on lectures for free, which is very unusual. Zoe Ham, St George s, Barrow-in-Furness People see it as having a place in society, but at the same time so many evidently don t think it has any relevance to everyday life. So ministry here isn t just about preaching on a Sunday. It s about getting out there and living the Christian faith, showing people that Jesus Christ has something to say to their lives. An area of work we identified with my pioneer role was a part of town where there s no church. We re living there, and we ve been gathering together Christians who live in the area but go to church elsewhere, and who have a heart for this particular place. We re getting to know each other as we talk and pray, and as we live on mission in the neighbourhood together. Sometimes I run into the opinion that residential training is a bit stuffy, and isn t applicable to everyday ministry. But actually, the training I received at Oak Hill has been completely practical. What I received from my time at Oak Hill is the ability to come to a new place, listen to the community, and serve in a completely new context. My training enables me to work out what it looks like to minister the good news of Jesus Christ here in Barrow. Robin Ham
Robin and Zoe Ham. Robin is a Pioneer Curate in the South Barrow Team, including St George s, Barrow-in-Furness. My training enables me to work out what it looks like to minister the good news of Jesus Christ here in Barrow. oakhill.ac.uk 5
Jon Putt, Assistant Minister, Grace Community Church, Kempston. With our care and serve ministries, we want to see people progress socially and relationally, but most importantly, spiritually.
Serving the people of Kempston I WORK WITH Grace Community Church here in Kempston. This is a very mixed area, with prosperity and wealth alongside areas of real need. We see people with health issues such as diabetes and obesity, or social issues such as isolation, depression, debt and family breakdown. We try to have a really wide funnel. You might come here needing practical help with debt, social skills or isolation, and we meet you there and get you help in all sorts of ways. Ultimately, we want to share the gospel with you and help you see who Jesus is. People often transfer from here to an explore or identity course, or even reading the Bible one-to-one. One of the things Oak Hill has really helped me with is double listening: listening to God s word, to what he has to say to us today; but also listening to the world, to what is going on in people s heads. What we try to do at Grace is exactly that bringing God s word to people where they are. People will always need the verbal communication of the gospel to believe in Jesus. It s a great encouragement to know that Jon has had a thorough theological preparation. We feel, as a church, very confident that he has a clear doctrinal understanding of the great truths of the Christian faith. Ray Evans, Minister, Grace Community Church, Kempston But we are fooling ourselves if we think we are not communicating something very important in everything else we do as well. Jewels is one person we ve been working with, and she has a wonderful story. She came to us 12 months ago at our food bank, and she has a background which is very far away from Jesus. But over the last few months she has come to know him for herself. Jon Putt oakhill.ac.uk 7
Gabrielle Samuel, Youth and Women s Worker, Brixton Local Church. Spending time with women, we often end up addressing issues about identity. Who they feel they are, who they have been made to think they are, and who they can be in Christ.
Growing God s kingdom in Brixton FOR ME, THERE ARE two Brixtons: there is new Brixton, which is young professional, with a lot of disposable income; and there is old Brixton, which is very working class, and mainly black majority. This is quite a religious place, and there s no blank Christian slate here. Everyone has had some degree of exposure to Christianity, for better or for worse. And so you are always battling with what is often a negative experience of faith. We planted a church because we want to see God s kingdom flourish and grow in Brixton. There was recently an event in a local park that gave us the opportunity to be there, to be present and visible, and to have church in the park. We spent time talking to people and inviting them to come and see who we are and what we are about. Most of my time is spent building relationships with women who are not Christians, sharing life and sitting down with them to open God s word. I m also with some of the younger people in our congregation, teaching them the basics of the Christian faith. And I have opportunities to meet with women who are part of the church one to one, reading together in small groups. My time at Oak Hill has been of such benefit to what I do now. Time spent considering the human heart, what it longs for and what it fears, and how the gospel speaks to it; It is so important, I think, to have women who are strong in the knowledge of their theology. It is just such a blessing to have Gabs as someone we can talk to when we re doing our one to one studies, or when we re meeting together as women. Esther Mmbago, Brixton Local Church time spent walking in God s word; time spent thinking about how to walk with others through God s word: all these things I use daily. I use them in one to ones and in small groups, and I use them in my own personal Christian life. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to sit down and think those things through. Gabrielle Samuel oakhill.ac.uk 9
Mission in the Westminster village I AM THE MINISTER of Westminster@One, reaching out to Westminster with the good news of Jesus. In parliament, we run Bible studies every week for MPs and peers, and we meet up with them individually. And at Central Hall Westminster, we have a service once a week for civil servants, Bible studies in the lunchtimes, and we meet up with individuals to encourage them in their faith. Our vision is for people to be encouraged in their own faith, but also equipped as missionaries in their workplaces. We have seen people become Christians. We have seen people better equipped to share the gospel with their friends, where they are. We have seen people grow in courage in being able to invite people along, not just here, I have been going to church for about five years, but Jason brought a completely new perspective to ministry in actually explaining what the Bible is telling us. That is the great thing about Westminster@One. Neil Pirie, civil servant in Westminster but to other events in their local churches and elsewhere. I can t speak highly enough about all I learnt at Oak Hill. I came away with the ability to think theologically, and see quickly how the Bible speaks into people s lives. That makes all the difference, whether I am speaking to someone who is struggling with a policy decision, or to someone who needs an answer to a colleague who has asked them a tough question. Neil has been coming to Westminster@One for about two years, He came not knowing very much and now he would call himself a follower of the Lord Jesus. Jason Roach
Oak Hill gave me the depth of understanding and the ability to communicate it in simple language, and that is daily useful to me in my ministry. Jason Roach, Minister, Westminster@One. oakhill.ac.uk 11
Planting in an Edinburgh scheme GRACEMOUNT IS one of Edinburgh s housing schemes, located on the south side of the city. About 3,000 people live here and according to the government, it is in the most deprived social category, What I am most thankful for is being trained and mentored by Andy. What he offers in his gifts, in the training he has gone through, and the way he now imparts that to me, is just immense. It s so valuable to me where I am now in my Christian walk. Mark Selway. Mark and his wife Fontane are ministry interns at Gracemount and that relates to issues such as housing, addiction, health and crime. However, for us it is home. We re working with 20Schemes to plant a gospel preaching church in Gracemount. 20Schemes believes that building healthy churches in Scotland s poorest communities will help bring sustainable, long term renewal into people s lives. Hopefully, these churches will be led by a future generation of indigenous church leaders. Sarah was 18 when she looked at Gracemount and saw its great sense of community, but also the real-life difficulties people have, and thought, How will they hear the good news? She and her brother started a basketball team and a Friday night club for young people, and then they moved into the scheme. Without her faithful work over 10 years, we would be miles away from the credibility we now have with the community. I am grateful for the depth of theological education I had at Oak Hill. Hostility to the gospel in our nation means a shallow Christianity will not give me the courage to stand in the face of opposition. But also, as I look at myself and the context I am working in, I also see the long-term impact of ingrained sinful behaviour and again, a shallow Christianity will never equip me to apply the gospel to those sins. So I needed a depth of theological education to apply the gospel to myself, and to those I share it with. Andy Prime
Andy and Sarah Prime, church planters with 20Schemes, Gracemount, Edinburgh. I want to be a model of discipleship that perseveres to the very end. That means I not only need to live here in Gracemount, but I may need to be here to the very end of my life. oakhill.ac.uk 13
The gospel in the commuter belt I think what Stuart and Hugh gained at Oak Hill is a depth of understanding in how to handle the Bible. Their preaching is noticeably different, which is exciting and nourishing for people here. James Clark, Vicar of All Saints, Lindfield LINDFIELD IS A Sussex village which is partly a traditional, older community, but it also attracts younger families, because we are only 45 minutes by train to London and half an hour from Brighton. The church has been here, bearing Christian witness, for the best part of 800 years, and we are part of that today. Lindfield is classed as a fairly well-to-do area and the house prices reflect that, with over 50 listed properties in the High Street. But the village has the same issues faced by many communities. In some places, the problems would tumble out onto the streets, but here they re behind big gates and high walls. One of the challenges for us is how do we reach people with the gospel in this situation, when the presenting needs aren t nearly as obvious as in other places? Stuart Silk FOR THE MANY older people in our community, one of the big issues can be loneliness. And so it s really exciting on a Tuesday morning to see over 60 retired people gathering together in the church to meet up, chat over coffee, take part in activities and to hear a thought for the day about the Lord Jesus and what he s done for them. I ve been here for nine months as a curate and the work I m doing is very varied. There are the usual things of Anglican ministry, but all sorts of initiatives, too, such as pioneering work with men. The training I received at Oak Hill has really equipped me for my work here. The depth of teaching has given me the resources and tools to help me answer the questions and think through the problems and issues in parish ministry. Hugh Bourne
The depth of teaching at Oak Hill equipped us to bring the gospel to bear on people s lives. Stuart Silk, Associate Vicar, All Saints, Lindfield. Hugh Bourne, Curate, All Saints, Lindfield. oakhill.ac.uk 15
Oak Hill was where I first started to get interested and excited about church planting, and how it might be brought to Scotland. Athole Rennie, church planter and pastor, Grace Church, Leith.
Church from the ground up in Leith I M A CHURCH PLANTER at Grace Church Leith, in the north part of Edinburgh. Leith has been a port for about 1,000 years, but in the past 50 years the port has gone into decline, along with the heavy industry Leith was built on. Out of the ashes of that decline, a different Leith has risen, with new housing, restaurants and cafés. Our aim when we started the church in Leith was to be a community of people living out our faith in the wider community here. So we encourage people from Grace to get involved in local organisations and clubs. Rather than start our own thing, we want to come alongside the things already running in Leith, so we can meet people, build relationships and, in time, introduce them to Jesus. Oak Hill has given me confidence in the Bible s power to change people s lives. It also gave me confidence apologetically. I can trace my time at Oak Hill as being hugely formative in how I deal with different questions about the Christian faith, and how I respond to them. My training has equipped me to be effective in so many different ways in the ministry I m doing here. Joe arrived at Grace Church Leith as an undergraduate when we were a church plant of about 25 people. He s been a great blessing to the church over the last four For me, one of the defining factors of Athole s ministry here is his interest in people, as well as his teaching of the word. His pastoral heart has been very powerful in my life. Joe Hall, apprentice at Grace Church Leith years while he s been doing his anthropology degree, and it s been wonderful to see the growth in his life and his love for Christ. We re really excited to have him as an apprentice this year and to see his development continue. Athole Rennie oakhill.ac.uk 17
Engaging with Shepherd s Bush I M THE PASTOR of Trinity West Church in Shepherd s Bush, West London. The local community here is very diverse. We have a spectrum all the way from a strong, white, secular community to a strong and Reuben s been phenomenal as a trainer for ministry. Seeing the work of pastoral ministry has shown me what an awesome but also serious thing it is to lead God s people. Getting more training at Oak Hill to be well equipped is only going to be a great thing. Ben Clube, seen here with his wife Sarah defined Islamic community and everything in between. We have rich and poor, young and old, and all kinds of cultural breadth. It s often said that in a big city, people don t talk to their neighbours. While that s true, we ve found that if you do actually talk, people respond. So we ve had plenty of fruitful conversations with people just by engaging in this community. We have some specific ministries, such as teaching English to speakers of different languages, and an outreach to a local old people s home. These have been very fruitful in the life of our church. There are lots of courses that will give you useful skills for ministry. But if you want to do a life s work and be equipped for 10, 20 or 30 years, you need a fully formed theological education. That includes biblical languages, systematic theology, and the ability to bring the gospel to bear into many different contexts. That s what I received at Oak Hill. I ve known Ben for a long time. When we planted the church here, he moved across town and became an intern with us. He wanted to explore routes into full-time pastoral ministry, and this year he s starting as a student at Oak Hill. Sarah became a Christian at university, moved to London to become a policewoman and then joined our church and married Ben! That s been great for us; she s really helped us connect with the community. Reuben Hunter
Reuben Hunter, Pastor, Trinity West Church, Shepherd s Bush We want to invest our lives in this community, meeting needs where we can, and seeking to see the gospel go deeper into the ground here. oakhill.ac.uk 19
Over my forty years of pastoral ministry, I ve come to the conclusion that ministers need more comprehensive and exacting theological education today than when I came into the work. I ve been an admirer and a beneficiary of the ministry of Oak Hill for years, and often cite it as a model for effective and faithful theological education. Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York City www l oakhill.ac.uk l @oakhilllondon f facebook.com/ oakhilllondon Oak Hill College