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All it takes is a yes from you
The text comes in from the lads – "The wives are away, let’s meet up". Mike and Craig are two great friends who are part of the church I belong to."What are we going to do?" I reply."Indian and a beer" is the answer. We arrange to go to a restaurant near Mike, arrive and order the food. We’re…
Wayne Davies
Angels on our streets
It all started in a stuffy church meeting. We were discussing plans for our church’s 50th birthday. I was 25 years old, idealistic and not particularly designed to sit still in church meetings. Frustrated by the predictable plans for a church birthday celebration involving quiche, a quiz and a few…
Phil Knox
Are all welcome?
I'm passionate about seeing every church welcoming the stranger and discipling the nations. One really effective way of doing that is through Welcome Boxes. This is where trained volunteers deliver a Welcome Box filled with small gifts and local information to refugees who have recently arrived in…
Emily Holden
As the seasons change
In my head, it was supposed to work out something like this… “I didn’t believe in Jesus but now you’ve argued with me for an hour, I see I was completely wrong. Can I give my life to Christ?” In the impetuous days of my youth, arguing seemed like a really good evangelism strategy. Seeing that…
Dee Balshaw
Ashamed of the Gospel?
The UK church can often seem to have lost some of its confidence in the gospel. This is very unlike Paul, who says in Romans 1:14–16:"I'm obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I'm not…
Gavin Calver
Breaking out of the Christian bubble
Christians were never really supposed to only have Christian friends. But how easy it is for us to find ourselves surrounded by other Jesus followers. How easy it is for us to slip into comfortable church life and busy ourselves with all the rotas we’re on – putting the chairs out, Sunday School,…
Chine McDonald
Can I be a scientist and a Christian?
I haven’t always believed in God. From an early age, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. At school, I was naturally drawn to the sciences and mathematics, finding English essays more stressful. My A-level biology teacher recommended I read ‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins, and I remember…
Sharon Dirckx
Catching faith: raised in a Christian home
I grew up in a Christian home. Those of you with that classic testimony-opener will know what I’m talking about. Childhood involved multiple showings of ‘The Miracle Maker’ and tugging on your mum’s sleeve every week after her ‘final’ post-church coffee… Mine was a typical Christian upbringing. My…
Gina Vaughan
Creating a culture of family
A while ago I asked God to show me how we can join him in building our community into a family. I have since discovered that it's a complex process, but at its heart is a simple ethic: one of inviting people inwards. As well as Sunday worship, we have a variety of events that extend that invitation…
Nick Graves
Creating an evangelistic culture
If we are to see our nations changed by local congregations, we must all grow in confidence in sharing our stories of what Jesus has done for us. We must create a culture of confidence in the gospel. We must be disciples who make disciples. And I believe that prayer has a key role in developing…
Fred Drummond
Creative ways to reach the millennial generation
In just two decades the number of 20-somethings in the Church has halved. You were more likely to survive the Titanic than ‘survive’ Church into adulthood. More than 40 per cent of 18 – 24 year olds think “religion is more often the cause of evil in the world”. At the Evangelical Alliance, we…
Amaris Cole
Cultivating a multicultural toddler group
I often hear people complaining that society has changed for the worse, and our young people are growing up in an increasingly dangerous world. The media gives us the impression that crime rates are rising, family values are disappearing, neighbourhoods are fracturing, and every toddler in the…
Chrishanthy Sathyaraj
Do my doubts disqualify me?
I’ve always been someone who asks questions. It's a character trait that's helpful in certain situations, but at other times I’ve just wanted to swallow the blue pill and embrace the phrase “ignorance is bliss” (you can tell my age by this outdated pop-culture reference...!). An area of life where…
Rich Powney
Don't leave Jesus in the manger
I love Christmas. It’s an amazing time of fun, celebration, food and joy. More than anything else it’s the moment when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and it’s been amazing these last few weeks to remember the Saviour of the world being born in Bethlehem. Those around us seem so much more…
Gavin Calver
Evangelism for dummies
The experts give us their advice on how we can all share our faith.Chapter 1 - who should be an evangelist? Some Christians are amazing evangelists, and can reel off amazing stories of bringing people to Jesus. Gavin Calver, the Alliance's director of mission, is one of those people. So we asked…
Amaris Cole
