Gavin Calver
Gavin Calver is the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance. He has a burning passion to see the church working together to share the Gospel throughout the UK. Formerly the leader of Youth for Christ and chair of Spring Harvest, he’s an ordained evangelist and regular public speaker, and has authored six books. Married to Anne, they have two children, Amelie and Daniel. He loves new challenges, is a passionate AFC Wimbledon supporter and was part of the team that broke the World Record for the longest 5-a-side football match.
There is power in the tongue!
26 June 2024Though these youth prisons could be intimidating, one of the great advantages of preaching there was that you always got a good crowd, as the lads would get longer out of their cells if they went to chapel. Additionally, if they responded to your message they would get even longer out of their cell whilst they were being prayed with; if you’d gone in thinking that you had lost your evangelistic touch you would leave believing you were the next Billy Graham! Every time I spoke, every young man…
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Praying for peace in the holy land
19 October 2023Earlier this summer, it had been incredible to walk where Jesus walked, and the Bible stories had come alive in a new way as we stood in the same places mentioned in the word, and imagined all that took place: from the resurrection of Lazarus to the Sermon on the Mount. To look up at the desert cliffs by the Dead Sea and know that a piece of every part of the Old Testament has been found on scrolls in those caves was mind-blowing. Our God has marked the world with His presence, and seeing it…
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Growing together and going together
31 March 2023However, as an optimist I can find myself disappointed when things don’t turn out as I’d hoped: despite thinking it might be the year to finally win, England manage to lose on penalties again and the grey clouds never fully moved out of the way for the blue sky on the beach. Despite moments of frustration, I naturally remain hopeful of a different outcome the following day. As I pray about the UK, I find myself believing for a major move of God, and longing for a different tomorrow than some of…
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Bishops' proposals depart from orthodox teaching. The Church of England needs our prayers for courage and conviction
1 February 2023To my evangelical brothers and sisters, I wanted to write to you, as a wider family of evangelicals, in this incredibly important moment that we find ourselves in. Like many of us, the Church of England has had a tremendous influence on my discipleship. It has the potential to shape and model to people well beyond its communion what it means to follow Jesus. Therefore, like thousands of others in the UK and around the world, I find myself saddened, pained and a little shocked at the proposals…
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Why nothing is impossible in 2023 – including reaching the UK with the gospel
5 January 2023I’m an optimistic, hope-filled, good news person and, as such, seeing in the New Year is a time when I look forward to all that lies ahead. A few days into the year and already the singing of 'Auld Lang Syne’ and the London fireworks on the telly are but a memory, but for me, the hope of a move of God in 2023 is as fresh as ever. Many a New Year’s resolution about weight loss, dry January, or superhuman fitness may already be fading, but my steadfast hope for what could happen this year remains…
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Intercession is not complicated
2 July 2022So often we can be praying for something without really believing that the Lord can change the circumstances dramatically. We can easily give up praying because we feel weary, believe it’s never going to happen or even stop caring. Moody loved his friends so much that he kept on praying again and again for their salvation. I’m challenged afresh over my heart response and level of faith in intercession. In Acts 12, James, the brother of John, has just been put to death by Herod, who proceeded…
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Talking Jesus: Are “not-yet Christians” closer to trusting Jesus than we think?
18 May 2022Belief is everywhere, and what we believe as a nation not only matters, but may also surprise us. As the Evangelical Alliance, we have been working with partners to deliver Talking Jesus, research into the state of faith in the UK. The report was released last week and found that 45 per cent of people in the UK think that Jesus rose again from the dead. Let that sink in for a moment. In a “rational” age when many would consign Christianity to the history books, almost half the population…
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Brave and kind
21 April 2022It was 2019 and I had been sensing very profoundly that, if I got the role, I was going to need to be extremely brave to handle the season that lay ahead and to stand firm on God’s word in the face of so much opposition. This was not to be foolhardy bravery in isolation, it had to be coupled with the kindness that can only come from the love of God and the consequential love of His people that flows from this. I wondered at the time quite why bravery and kindness would be so important for the…
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An exciting (re)turn of events...
31 March 2022I have vivid memories of uncomfortably siting on a wooden floor surrounded by my fellow nine-year-olds as if it were yesterday. We were away at a national Christian event and the focus that particular morning was on healing. We all got together in small groups to pray for one another. Immediately my friend James tore his sock off to expose the verruca on his foot: “I’ve had enough of having to swim with a sock on. I want God to heal my verruca!” he declared. Without a moment’s hesitation I…
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Responding to the invasion of Ukraine with prayer and action
1 March 2022Yet we have also witnessed the remarkable resilience and strength of many. The aggression, violence and expansionism of the Russian leadership shows some of the worst traits of humankind, but in the outpouring of kindness, compassion and solidarity we have also witnessed hope in these dark and incredibly difficult days. With such significant geo-political movements it can be easy to feel disempowered and unable to know where to start. And yet as I’ve watched and prayed, I feel there are four…
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Go and make disciples
6 January 2022A short time ago my wife Anne had a vision of fields ripe for harvest. Beyond the fields she could see the sun rising in the morning sky. As she prayed her sense was that the Lord might be saying that He was shining His glory on the landscape and opening our eyes to see the many that are waiting and ready to hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. The call to go and make disciples is the mandate for the church. From the great commission in Matthew 28 onwards, our calling is to make…
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