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SpearheadWinter 2011/12
The ManyFaces ofMission
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hristian bookshops across
the country sell armbands
with the words ‘what would
Jesus do?’ emblazoned
on them. These armbands
raise a very important issue,
exactly what did Jesus do
when he came to earth
as God’s answer to the
world’s problems? This is
a key question for mission
organizations because not
only do we understand that
Jesus is the Saviour of the
world, we also believe that he
was the first great missionary sent
from God the Father to impact our world.
Studying the life of Jesus is a
fascinating and worthwhile thing to do. He
was a person of such wonderful grace, yet
determined and strong; someone whose
life was filled with purposeful activity
as he served God in a thoughtful and
deliberate way. Yet, summing up Jesus’
mission activity is not easy because he
was involved in a great variety of things.
In Luke 4:18,19 we are given a résumé or
a purpose statement of Jesus’ missionary
enterprise. Reading from Isaiah, Jesus
declared that he had come to preach
good news to the poor, to proclaim
freedom for prisoners, to bring sight to
the blind, freedom for the oppressed and
to proclaim God’s goodness. All of this
was carried out, and more besides, as
Jesus wandered around the countryside
with his disciples doing good.
Throughout the gospels we see Jesus
perform miracles so that people who
are sick and could not afford or access
medical help could nonetheless find
healing. We also see Jesus spending
time with individuals, sometimes
people who were lonely, rejected and
marginalized by their society. As he
gave them time he was giving them
something of himself, and his obvious
love and care for them impacted and
changed their lives. We also see Jesus
the Evangelist in passages such as
John 3, where he challenges Nicodemus
about his spiritual condition and tells
him firmly but gently that he needs to
be born again. However, Jesus was not
just an evangelist, he was also a great
teacher. The Sermon on the Mount is as
complete and well-rounded a sermon
as anyone could preach. Here in this
sermon Jesus gives his followers a
EuropeanEditionSpearhead is published
twice yearly to report on the
work of GLO in Europe and
around the world and to promote
mission interest. GLO exists to
engage in evangelism, church
planting and training. This is done
in partnership with missionaries and
national leaders in many countries.
There is no subscription rate for
Spearhead but readers are welcome
to send gifts towards postage and
production.
Contents:Spearhead Winter 2011/12 Issue
Editorial
The Many Faces of Mission
by Stephen McQuoid 2
Summer Team Experience
by Stephen McQuoid 4
Reaching the Student World
by Marie-Christine Fave 6
Reaching into Schools
by Brian Hawthorne 7
Partners in Training
by Philippe Perrilliat 8
GLO Bookshop by Andrew Lacey 10
Mission behind the Scenes
by Anna McRobert 11
The Many Faces of Training
by Mark Davies 12
Planting Together by Ian Smith 14
GLO ‘Alive’ in Zambia
by David Lukama 15
C
Faces of The Many
“His obvious love and care for them impacted and changed their lives.”
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worldview and a code of ethics that they
are to apply to their lives. He teaches
them about the values of God’s kingdom
and enables them to see how true faith
should be lived out in practice. All of
this, his teaching, his evangelism, his
social care, and his healing provide
a template for missionaries today as
they go around doing what Jesus did in
obedience to God’s call to mission. It is
this very call that inspires missionaries
today as they respond to the Great
Commission, making disciples of all
nations, baptizing them and teaching all
that Jesus himself taught.
In the work of GLO, Jesus’ model
of mission very much applies. Our
passion and desire as an organization
is to see people throughout Europe
being reached with the gospel and
churches being planted so that they
can be vibrant witnessing communities
in the world around them. We are
unashamedly evangelistic because of our
deep conviction that people throughout
Europe need to know Christ in a
personal way. But while our heartbeat is
evangelism, we also see mission in its
broadest terms, just as Jesus did. Jesus
taught people and trained his disciples,
so we too are involved in teaching and
training. Just as Jesus spent time with
people, caring for them and expressing
God’s love to them, so we too are
involved in people’s lives in a whole
variety of ways so that we can convey
God’s love and encouragement to them.
The range of different ministries
carried out by GLO workers is
encouraging and exciting. In addition
to evangelism and church planting GLO
is involved in theological education,
local church training, schools’ work,
counseling and a full range of other
activities that are intended to meet the
needs of the church and community in
Europe today. This edition of Spearhead
focuses on the many ‘faces’ of GLO
that can be seen across Europe. Our
desire is that as you reflect on the wide
range of ministries that we are involved
with, it will challenge you to pray more
intelligently for the work of GLO and
perhaps even think of ways in which
you can help us as we fulfill the mission
to which God has called us.
Stephen McQuoid
GLO General Director
Facebook: GLO-europe Stephen McQuoid
Mission
Leaving a lasting legacyMany people have a concern about what the long term impact of their
lives will be on others. As Christians this is a big issue because the
Bible encourages us to live our lives in view of eternity. GLO, along
with many other Christian organisations, benefits greatly from legacies
that people leave behind. It is a way of significantly helping the work
of the kingdom by organising your giving after you have gone.
We have produced an information booklet on the use of legacies and if
you would like to have one then write to:
Stephen McQuoid | GLO Centre | 78 Muir Street | Motherwell | ML1 1BN
“You can help us fulfill the mission to which God has
called us.”
Gospel Literature Outreach
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hort term teams have
always been an important
part of the work of GLO.
Not only are they a key
evangelistic tool, they are also a great
spiritual blessing to the people who go
on them. Despite the difficulties in the
current economic climate, we were very
encouraged to have approximately 130
people on the summer team programme
in 2011. These were, in turn, joined
by an equal number of people in host
churches who worked with the summer
team members to spread the gospel.
As usual, team members ranged in
age from 17 – 60+ and proved to be an
exciting mix of experience and energy.
Over the years lasting friendships have
been formed on summer teams and the
feedback suggests that this year was no
exception. It was also thrilling to see
team members from different countries
working together bringing to the team,
not only different gifts, but also different
languages and cultural backgrounds.
Team locations varied. Some were
based in large cities such as Naples
and Marseille, while others took place
in smaller towns. In each location,
however, there was real spiritual need as
there is throughout Europe. Just as the
locations were varied, so too were the
team programmes. Some teams focused
on a wide range of activities to reach
children and young people.
Others put an emphasis on
literature distribution and door-
to-door visitation to impact as
many people as possible. Many
utilized market stands, open
airs, international evenings
and family fun days. These
activities provided team members with
opportunity to develop and use skills
in music, drama, puppetry, art, sport,
conversation, and public speaking. The
‘Music 4 the Soul’ team in Laval was a
specialised team, which put together
a high quality music programme and a
series of concerts. Another specialised
team was the one that went to Prague to
run English language classes as a way of
making contacts.
For some team members this was their
first experience of a GLO summer mission,
others were regular team members. It is
our prayer that some of them will think
seriously about a commitment to long term
mission and will join us in the work of GLO
as we endeavour to plant churches and
reach out to people throughout Europe.
We were very pleased by that fact that
three of the teams were filled by youth
leaders who block-booked teams and
organised for a group of young people to
go from their church. Phil Davies took a
group from Dunvant Christian Fellowship,
S
“I really enjoyed my time in Newcastle, it was fun sharing God’s Word and what he has done in my life with others. ”
Summer TeamExperience
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South Wales to Romania, Andy Hamilton
accompanied a group from Scrabo Hall,
Newtownards, N. Ireland to Avellino,
Italy, and Iain McCallum took a group
from the YF in Cartsbridge Evangelical
Church, Glasgow to the Czech Republic.
Initiatives like this not only help GLO to
reach people with the gospel, they also
help the youth workers as they disciple
their young people. Reflecting on his
experience Iain McCallum writes:
I believe that forming a team of young
people from the Youth Fellowship to
serve in a cross-cultural context is a
very worthy part of the overall ministry
that takes place during the year. The
galvanising effect on the team was also
one of the primary advantages of the
experience. We met many times on the
lead up to the mission to pray and
plan for our time away. There is also no
doubt that the experience of serving in
a cross-cultural context had a profound
effect on the young people.
Lots of team members have been
in touch to express something of what
the summer team programme meant to
them. Niel who went on the Romanian
team wrote, “For me the over-riding
memory for GLO 2011 in Romania was the
village of Merca. The run down group of
Communist era apartment blocks were
depressing and made me wonder who
would want to live here. As we opened
the car doors the kids ran to us, grinning
and smiling and talking excitedly. They
took the leaflets we had so quickly, we
were left standing around wondering
what to do next, so we chatted to them.
In the end we had to force ourselves to
leave. Each subsequent visit was just as
amazing, so much love, community spirit,
yes, rough and tough but I learnt so
much from them.”
On a similar vein Lizzy Conroy wrote,
“I really enjoyed my time in Newcastle, it
was fun sharing God’s Word and what he
has done in my life with others. Really
excited about next year and where God
will send me.” Another team member,
Christina, stated, “‘We had the most
fantastic time away and I feel it has
been truly life changing.”
As we look back to the summer of
2011 we are thrilled that thousands
of tracts and scriptures have been
distributed, thousands of people have
heard the gospel, and that the lives of
many Christians have been impacted for
God. It is now time for prayer. We need
to pray that all of the literature and the
conversations will challenge people to
think and that we will hear of people
coming to faith in Christ. We also need
to pray for the resident missionaries and
national workers who now have the job of
following up contacts from the teams. We
will be praying for team members for next
year, willing to give two weeks of their
lives to reach needy Europeans for Christ.
Stephen McQuoid
Gospel Literature Outreach
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here are about 2.2 million
university students in
France with approximately
67,000 of these in the
University of Aix, Marseille. The student
population is a distinct group that needs
to be reached with the gospel.
Why work among university students?
Several reasons can encourage us to do so:
Students are going through a very
strategic period of their lives. Many
important choices (career, job, marriage...)
are being made. Their ideas and
convictions are still being formulated. As
one student, Dominique, noticed a few
years after her studies: “I realise that now
I am asking myself fewer questions”.
Students spend one of the most
sociable times of their lives mixing with
many people at university or in the
halls of residence, and are looking for a
group with whom they can feel at ease.
Speaking about our Bible study group,
Natana explains: “Here discussions and
activities are contained within a moral
framework. So we can
be more natural and
feel more at ease with
ourselves.”
“For students who
don’t live at home, church
life is complicated” says
Raphaël, because they spend one part of
the week in one town and the weekend
in another. So Christian activities and
groups can be a help to them.
Among the 10 % of foreign students,
some come from countries which are
not very open to the Christian faith.
What an opportunity to meet them and
share the gospel with them!
A challenge
Starting a new ministry among students in
Marseille represented a challenge for me
as it was the first time I had developed a
work from its beginnings. There were very
few students in the church (Le Cep) at
that time. We created an association which
is called: ESPEVIE (Espace Protestant
Evangélique de la Vie Etudiante).
Food for thought
We try to do some distribution of flyers
in the halls of residence and some
surveys at the entrance to the university.
It is a good way to speak with students,
and share the gospel. Some students
don’t ask themselves a lot of questions
about God. This makes me think about
the vast crowd that Jesus saw in Mark
6:34. Jesus “had compassion on them
because they were like sheep without
a shepherd. So he taught them many
things.” Pray that God will give us
compassion for university students and
opportunities to share the gospel.
A further step ... Bible in hand
We have Bible study groups nearly every
week during term time. Christians and
seekers together look at biblical texts
and discuss them. Natana explains: “It
is encouraging for me to know some
Christians on my campus. I meet others
who present me with spiritual challenges.
We have the opportunity to deepen
our knowledge of biblical texts. She
also adds: “the subjects discussed are
relevant to life as a student”.
Local Church link
The link with our church (Le Cep) and
with another church in Marseille helps to
introduce students to church life.
Training
Before returning home to Gabon, Cyril,
told me: “I appreciated how we studied
in-depth biblical texts together. I want to
take that style of learning back home.”
As for Natana, attending the Bible study
group has been a challenge to share
the gospel during his university years.
Working with students is also preparing
church leaders for the future.
Marie-Christine Fave
“Their ideas and convictions are still being formulated”
T
Student WorldReaching the
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ne of the most exciting
aspects of being involved
in Christian ministry is that
sometimes God leads you
down paths where you never thought
you would go. I say this because, if you
had asked me three years ago whether
I would ever have seen myself being
involved in a youth ministry then I would
have probably have had to say, “no”. I
suppose one of the reasons for this was
that I felt that I would have needed a
much cooler image as well as the ability
to speak a different kind of lingo.
So what changed my mind....well it
was primarily related to my concerns
over losing contact with the children
who were moving to high school. I felt
it would be such a shame to relinquish
some of the good relationships I had
established as a result of over two
years of children’s work and this is
really what led me to consider working
with an older age group.
It was a prayerful step into the
unknown and I probably felt a bit
overwhelmed with the thought of
beginning a ministry that I was unfamiliar
with. On my initial approach to our local
High School, I was really encouraged
by the positive response from the Head
of the Junior Department who openly
welcomed the opportunity to begin an
SU group after the summer break.
I didn’t really didn’t know what to
expect for the first few weeks but I
remained hopeful that through time we
would be able to establish a group who
would come on a regular basis. We
advertised the group throughout the
school and were encouraged by the
initial response from some of the pupils
as well as the support of a Christian
teacher who was willing to provide
her classroom facilities for the group.
Over the year, the numbers attending
fluctuated but we were still very happy
with the 7/8 who attended regularly.
We tried, throughout the year, to do
a variety of Bible related topics mixed
with games and challenges and it
appeared to work well.
As we live in an era of high technology
we have found using videos clips and
music downloads to be successful in
keeping the young people interested.
With most of the group having easy
access to the internet we encouraged
them to source Christian songs and video
clips. Our group discussions are often
lively and thought provoking and this
gives us an insight into how they view
and react to various topical issues.
Perhaps, the real success in it all
is that we have established good
relationships with our group and this
has been highlighted by the fact that
they have returned for a second year.
We are praying that the group will
continue to grow and be strengthened
and that soon, our local high school will
be transformed with a new generation
of young people whose desire it is to
live for Christ.
I would encourage anyone, who is
involved in children’s ministry to think
about the value of those relationships
that they have established and consider
seriously the possibility of investing
further into the lives of those who are
about to embark on the challenges of
high school life.
Brian Hawthorne
O
Reaching intoSchools
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or several years Philippe
Perrilliat has been involved
in the ministry of the
Geneva Bible Institute,
helping to train a new generation of French
leaders and missionaries. In this interview
he shares his experience at the Institute.
Philippe, tell us a little about the
background to the Bible Institute?
The IBG (Geneva Bible Institute) is
situated on the hills around Geneva in a
suburb called Coligny. In 1927 the field
of a large property was sold to Hugh
Alexander, a Scottish missionary, for the
price of a potato field. Since then, times
have changed and today the suburb is
a true Swiss “Beverly Hills” and land is
sold at a very expensive price. The Bible
school was first used as a training centre
for students who had become Christians
during the revival that accompanied
Hugh’s ministry. As a result of the revival
a missionary organisation called “Action
Biblique” was founded. A real turn
around; Calvin had instigated the spread
of the Reform from Geneva into Scotland
in the 16th century and then in the 20th
century the Lord had seen fit to send a
Scottish missionary to Calvin’s country
to start a dynamic Christian work and a
Bible school.
Who actually runs the Bible Institute?
This task was too great for one
organisation on its own and Action
Biblique called upon other groups to
help. GLO was one of the first to grasp
the vision and commit itself. We are
grateful to visionaries such as Samuel
Gibson and David Goold who understood
the potential of this school and worked
alongside Mike Evans, the IBG director
at that time. By 2011 there were 17
Christian organisations and different
church groups who were partners with
the IBG. The present director, Pierre
Klipfel, at a recent meeting spoke of GLO
as part of IBG’s history, as one of the
founding organisations.
Is there any sense in which the Bible
Institute offers something distinctive to
the French-speaking world?
There are other Bible schools in France,
which are more academic and which have
longer courses. The IBG’s approach is
different. French society is an elitist world
where diplomas have a great importance
and “apprenticeship” is not very
favourably looked upon. Nevertheless
in the Bible there is only one Greek
word for disciple and apprentice! The
IBG’s idea was to put practical learning
at the heart of their training. The four
year course, which constantly combines
practical and theoretical learning, is made
up of one year spent at the IBG centre
and then two placements of two years
and one year interspersed with several
weeks of lectures.
F
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How did you become involved?
Thirteen years ago when GLO suggested
that I become one of the IBG teachers I
didn’t really feel up to the challenge in
front of me. My apprehension was even
more acute when the IBG committee
asked me to take over the lectures
of John Alexander, the son of Hugh,
the founder of the IBG. John was a
renowned Bible teacher, an author, and
responsible for teaching on the book of
Genesis. Progressively and then entirely,
the 50 chapters were given to me. John
Alexander and I worked together for the
first year and John confided in me that he
felt too old to teach and that his vision
was to pass the baton before entering
into the presence of his Lord. In 2001 I
was officially given the responsibility for
all the lectures. The following year, at the
age of 82, John went into the presence of
his Lord, God knew.
For four weeks (at different times
of the year) I lecture on the book of
Genesis for the first year students,
and also teach on “Discovery groups”
(evangelism) for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th
year students. So over the past 12 years
I have spent 1 year teaching at the IBG!
I have had the privilege of meeting
young people, single people, families,
men and women amongst the 399
students who have completed the 1st
year course, enthusiastic people with
many questions. Some come to the
course to deepen their understanding
of the Bible before returning to secular
employment, with the desire to be
a light in French society and in their
local church. 177 students came with
Christian service in view and now serve
the Lord on a full time basis.
I have also had the joy of mentoring
several students on placement with
me for a period of at least two years,
living our spiritual lives together and
the realities of Christian ministry. One
of them now works in a Christian
bookshop and two have become
pastors. All have remained friends.
I understand your wife is also now
involved in the work of the institute
Just over a year ago the IBG asked Marie,
my wife, to lecture on women’s ministry
which had previously been taught by
Ursula Herrmann. My wife and I will now
be working together at the Institute,
teaching 35 students in our respective
courses. (I think that Marie will come to
my lessons and I will go to hers).
How does the work of the Bible Institute
fit into the ‘big picture’ of life in the
French-speaking world?
Since September 2008 I have been part
of the Bible School council and this helps
me to better understand the challenges
and issues that have to be faced. A large
proportion of existing pastors will soon
retire and many missionaries from the
UK, the States and other countries are
returning to their commending countries
after years of faithful service. Who will
replace them? An additional but good
problem is that the number of churches
in France is increasing. We still need
missionaries to plant new churches, and
trained pastors to take care of existing
ones, working alongside elders. The
challenge that the Master gave is still
valid “The harvest is ripe, but the workers
are few”. This is the reason why we work
freely with 40 other lecturers to train
future leaders who will serve our churches
and, if the Lord hasn’t returned, discern
the French-speaking world’s mission
strategy for the 21st century. The French-
speaking world is made up of France but
also Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg,
many African countries, parts of North
Africa, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Indian
Ocean islands such as Reunion Island,
Madagascar, New Caledonia, Fortuna
Islands, countries with which we have
contact. Please pray for this perhaps
largely unknown part of the work of GLO.
Philippe Perrilliat
“I have had the joy of mentoring several students, living our spiritual lives together and the realities of Christian ministry”
“The idea was to put practical learning at the heart of the training”
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he GLO Workers’
Conference at the end of
August coincided with
the re-dedication of the
GLO Bookshop. This brief service, ably
led by John Speirs, marked a major
re-merchandise of the Bookshop carried
out by the staff over the summer
months. The layout of the store has been
‘reversed’, with Card & Gift products
brought to the front of the store, and
the ‘Printed Page’ product moved to
the back of the store. God’s Word, the
Bible, continues to hold the ‘prime’
trading position in the store, and the
shop holds a vast selection of Bibles in
many different translations and formats,
including overseas languages.
The store has been re-merchandised
to respond to the current difficult trading
conditions in the ‘High Street’ that have
seen many local Christian bookshops forced
to close. We are very blessed by the fact
we own our premises here in Motherwell,
and we pay tribute to those who took this
step of faith almost 30 years ago. This has
enabled the Bookshop to continue to be
successful and financially viable, despite
the current problems in retailing. Our recent
developments reflect changes in the market,
and will also enable us to engage more
effectively with our local community.
Some of the key benefits of the changes:
• By moving Gift and Card products to the
front of the store, we hope to encourage
more friends from the local community
to browse these products.
• The range of DVDs and other media
titles has been significantly increased,
and a wide range of audio-books has
been brought in.
• We continue to carry a huge range
of books. This area of the shop now
includes a coffee machine, reading tables
and comfy chairs. DVD players and
computer systems have been provided
to allow customers to sample some of
the resources on show.
• Space is being created to allow a
relevant range of second hand books to
be sold. We are currently appealing for
donations of books.
• In response to customer requests, we
are developing a suitable selection of
local interest and general books.
• The GLO Bookshop is now part of the
‘HIVE’ network of local independent
bookshops. This gives us the ability to
retail e-Books. The HIVE network also
provides access to over 4.5 million
general book and DVD titles at very
competitive prices. We would encourage
friends of GLO to use this facility if they
require ‘general’ books. If you order
from our ‘HIVE’ shopfront, GLO will
benefit from a commission on each sale.
Andrew Lacey
The New Face of the GLO Bookshop
T
“The store has been re-merchandised to respond to the current difficult trading conditions in the High Street”
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Mission Behind the ScenesFor many people in Scotland, the GLO
Centre has been the ‘public face’ of
GLO since the early days. The tower
dominates the Motherwell skyline, and
visitors affectionately talk about going to
‘the GLO’ for a coffee, although some are
unaware of what ‘G.L.O.’ stands for or of
the work that we are involved in across
the world. This Centre with its bookshop,
coffee shop, conference facilities, college,
and admin offices is, nevertheless, a ‘hub’
for the whole community.
Our customers are vital to the work
of GLO as the profits made from the
Business Ministries are re-invested into
the work. However, this is not the
only objective of the Centre; the coffee
shop, bookshop and conference facilities
become an opportunity for ministry and
mission in themselves.
The coffee shop provides opportunities
to reach out to the community offering
a place where customers can find a
sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of
their lives and have ‘time out’ with a book
over a hot cuppa or meet with friends
for coffee and chat. This, however, is the
goal of most coffee shops, so it would be
our desire to be distinct. We not only offer
a welcome, but also wish to provide an
environment where sharing and praying
together is encouraged and offered when
the need arises.
Alongside the coffee shop there is
a conference centre which also seeks
to serve the local community. This
work has grown massively in recent
years and we are grateful for the many
individuals, churches, community groups
and businesses that it gives us contact
with. It is through these groups who
hire the facilities regularly or require a
conferencing service that we are able
to make relationships and share our
lives. Again, the challenge is to make
the conference centre distinctive. It is
our passion to serve these groups in
a personal way, always going the extra
mile, and praying that this practical
expression of Christian love will draw
attention to the One we ultimately serve.
The GLO Centre was previously the
premises of Dalziel North Church and over
50 years ago a prayer of dedication was
written for the purpose of this building.
Here is just a small extract from the
prayer:
“….That the citizen and stranger, young
and old, may find this a place where they
shall meet with the living Lord…”
It is exciting to see how our faithful
God is still answering that prayer today
through GLO and it would be our prayer,
that through the ordinary events of every
day service, God will continue to meet
personally with those who come in.
Anna McRobert
Anna McRobert moves
into a new role at the GLO
Centre as Conference Hirings
Manager in January 2012
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The Training Dimensions of
Tilsley Collegehile our training base is
the college in Motherwell,
the various dimensions of
training mean our students
may be seen in many different situations.
We’ve asked a prospective student to
give you a first-hand report!
In the Classroom …
“Hi! This is Justin Credible reporting from
Tilsley College: I’m here to check out
the standards of training being offered
because I need a theological education
that will empower me for God’s work in
God’s world. I expect that the teachers
will be academically qualified with
experience in Christian ministry. I would
like to study in a residential college
where the facilities are up to scratch and
where the course can tie in with other
training courses. Personally, I am also
looking for a small college, capable of
delivering the goods at the sharp end
so that I can have a formally recognised
certificate that bears my name – Credible!
Tilsley College has a pedigree proven
by the quality of ministry that many of
its past students are now engaged in;
a pedigree recognised by the European
Evangelical Accrediting Association and
British Accreditation Council. Tilsley is
clearly a place where your knowledge,
skills and character can see incredible
development - looks like it may be the
place for me!”
In local churches …
“As part of the course at Tilsley College,
students undertake a series of practical
assignments alongside their academic
studies. There is a range of opportunities
from youth clubs, school assemblies,
and children’s clubs to various social
outreaches such as soup kitchens and
mobile bus ministries. Each year they try
to add new areas to their ‘portfolio’.
This gives Tilsley students an
opportunity to take part in ventures that
may be new to them and in some cases
to realise gifts in areas that they have
gone on to develop after the course.
That’s exactly what I need. It has been
encouraging to hear feedback from
these places and to realise that they
are of mutual help to placement and
student alike. That’s incredible!”
In a learning community …
“Since church is all about community,
I figure this training will be greatly
enhanced as the Tilsley students learn
to function at close quarters with others.
With 16 students living in limited space,
there will be lots of opportunity for all
of us to learn about living in community!
It will certainly reveal to us the aspects
of the “fruit of the Spirit” that we are
lacking! They tell me this can be a real
challenge, but it must also be a truly
rewarding experience. I mean the upside
is that such close community also
allows people to minister to each other
by sharing “each other’s troubles and
problems, and in this way to obey the
law of Christ,” ...right?!”
In overseas placements …
“Every year a couple of the staff take the
whole group of students on a one-week
mission experience visit to a location in
Europe – incredible! I found the group
was just back from a meaningful time in
Naples seeing the church planting needs
of that region as well as visiting ancient
sites of relevance to understanding New
Testament background. Students also have
the additional option of taking their 4-week
individual field term abroad if they want
further cross-cultural experience in mission.
W
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There is also FIRSTSERVE, a
programme where up to six months can
be spent in a cross-cultural mission.
This follows two-weeks of study
preparations at Tilsley College and 4-6
weeks of church work orientation here
in the UK.”
With “Open Access” students …
“Their Open Access provision allows
interested people to come in and join
their full-time students for as little as
one week or for one or two terms. I’ve
seen that college life is enriched by the
addition of these part-time students. This
avenue is obviously beneficial for people
who are unable to take a whole year out
and may be looking for some study in
a specialist subject area or in relation to
on-going personal development.”
In the evenings …
“Tilsley is a versatile college working
closely with local churches and their
leaders. Over the years they have offered
a range of seminars and consultations
from which emerged the Joshua Project
which is a leadership training course run
jointly by the College and local churches.
The course, while providing instruction in
leadership skills, places a strong emphasis
on biblical and theological studies, the
need for personal spiritual development
and an increasing awareness of the issues
facing churches in the 21st-century. It
seems especially effective at engaging
students with their own church leaders
in the training process. The college is
open to the possibility of helping set up
this evening-based course in any locality!
Well... this is just incredible!”
In teaching conferences …
“The college is also involved in an
annual Mini Bible School. This takes
place at Motherwell in January of each
year and provides an in-depth look at a
topical subject, Bible book or doctrine.
Experienced teachers take up different
aspects of the subject. In more recent
years the Mini Bible School has been
held in other locations within England,
N Ireland and Scotland – Tilsley would
be very keen to talk with church leaders
about helping develop this in your area.”
Well, many thanks to Justin for his
comprehensive reporting. Let us just
finish off by saying that we are also...
On the internet
The Learning to Lead course has been
presented in churches across the UK
and beyond and an internet version
is currently being offered. We have a
conviction that the development of a new
generation of leaders is of paramount
importance. This is an area we will
continue to develop in the years to come.
In the meantime, please visit our website
at www.tilsleycollege.com for details of all
our activities or find us on Facebook.
by Mark Davies
On 4th October 2011 a National Training Consultation was held at
Canley Community Church, Coventry by a mixture of church leaders
and organisations linked with the Brethren Movement. Under the
theme of “Connecting the Grid” the purposes were to
• Celebrate what’s happening: Recognise the value of what each of
us are doing in providing training at local church and regional level..
• Make better training connections: Share information which
can facilitate fellowship, networking and mutual encouragement
between leaders of local churches and service groups concerned
about and engaged in training.
• Explore the gaps: Identify more precisely the educational and
training needs, understand how the existing “systems” are seeking
to meet some of these needs, and identify key gaps that need to
be filled.
• Prepare to grow: Develop an action plan that will link-up training
options that can be made available to local churches.
There was a warm spirit of cooperation which helped progress
the good working relationships that exist between our various
ministries. Full details of the reports and discussions are available.
An agreement was made to progress the following:-
• Central Source for training information: establishing a suitable
way of collating and presenting information of training schemes
with clear links to our spectrum of churches should be pulled
together e.g. a website and brochure.
• Develop a training hub or network: the steering group that put
the consultation together should continue to function, drawing in a
few more key church leaders and organisations in the process.
• Meeting again: There should be future opportunities for growing
relationships among those involved in delivering or using training
and to share further discussions in future developments. God-
willing we are planning to meet again next year.
National Training Consultation -“Connecting the Grid”
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artnership and helping
others is vital in today’s
world and one area that
GLO is passionate about
is church planting here in the UK. In
1999, some 12 years ago, the Church
Planting Initiative (CPI) was set up
to encourage and develop church
planting in the UK. Over these past
years this initial vision has grown,
developed and been used to see many
new independent, evangelical churches
started. CPI is made up of four
partner organisations (GLO, Counties,
Partnership & the Church Growth Trust)
who share the same vision to see new
churches established in the UK. To
date, with God’s help, CPI has been
involved in providing support to a
dozen church planting locations where
local Christians wanted to plant a new
church, to ‘re-plant’ in a new location
or re-launch in the same building with
a renewed vision.
I have served on the CPI Board for
the last three years as a trustee and
treasurer and it is very clear that the
priority is not to invest in buildings
but people. One of the founding
principles of CPI is to financially
support church plant workers and not
to finance buildings. We are currently
concentrating our efforts on building a
network of church planters across the
country and are developing exciting
new plans to plant new churches in
the next year or so. CPI’s role will be
to motivate and support these church
planters so that they can bring these
new churches into being.
Planting new independent,
evangelical churches in the UK is vitally
important. It brings life to people and
communities. If you want to know
more about CPI then don’t hesitate to
contact me for more information. Also
look out for our new book on church
planting called ‘Fresh Shoots on Stony
Ground’.
Ian Smith
Planting Together
P “Planting new independent, evangelical churches in the UK is vitally important.”
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In Zambian 2009 GLO Zambia
launched a programme to
facilitate the development
of children and young
people both in churches and our local
communities. It is called ‘GLO Alive’. Our
vision is to empower children and young
people to fulfil their God-given potential
so that they can become what God
intended them to be, in this world and
the world to come. (John 10:10).
Our strategy is to use every means
possible in facilitating young people’s
learning both from life experiences
and their formal education. It is about
becoming all things, to all men, by all
means, in order to win some. (I Cor.
9:22) We believe that every human
being has something to offer and that
in using our abilities, skills, gifts and
experiences, we can all enrich each
other’s lives.
GLO Alive involves various programmes:
Sports’ Ministry
We have a football team and a volleyball
team of young people aged from 12 – 19
years old. This helps us to engage with
the young people and create meaningful
relationships in order to share the Good
News of the Kingdom with them.
Carpentry and Gardening
Many of the young people in our
communities come from poor families
who are unable to provide for
their needs. With lots of charitable
organizations giving hand outs, in
good faith, many young people have
developed a dependence mind-set. We
therefore try to enable them to learn a
skill that will give them a sense of self-
worth as well as a sustainable way of
life. The Carpentry and Gardening projects
are an attempt to achieve this.
Teen Mums
The education of girls continues to be a
big challenge in Africa, and Zambia is no
exception. We see lots of girls dropping
out of schools and getting married at an
early age. Teenage pregnancy in most of
our communities is high. We have girls as
young as 14 with babies, living in terrible
conditions. We train these teen mums
in parenting, tailoring and other related
skills for the betterment of their lives.
Children’s Clubs
We go in the community to run children’s
clubs, using the small group model to
engage and reach out to kids at their
level, in their environment.
Extra Tuition
We provide extra lessons for young
people and children in our community.
Many of them come to us with difficulties
in their studies. We concentrate on
English as this is the official language
and a requirement for Zambian education.
Youth Leaders’ Training
We have an on campus and off campus
course to train youth leaders, expanding
their biblical knowledge and teaching
them practical ways to engage with
young people in order to reach out to
them for Christ’s sake.
Youth Camps
We run two camps every year – a senior
and junior youth camp.
By David Lukama
I
s
1. Pray for the work of GLO Alive in Zambia
2. Plan to come to Zambia and join us in our work.
Remember there is always something you can offer.
Just come with your skill, talent, gift or experience -
they all can be used
3. You can give towards the work.
4. You can tell someone or your church about this work
and envision them for the work of missions in Zambia
“It is easier to build boys and girls than to repair men and women.”
How can you be a part of this?
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Mark Davies [email protected] 01698 266776
Sam Gibson [email protected] 02890 777404
Stephen McQuoid [email protected] 01698 267298
Ian Smith [email protected] 01698 263483
Admin office [email protected] 01698 263483
College Office [email protected] 01698 266776
Gos
pel Li
tera
ture
Out
reac
h78
Mui
r St
reet
Mot
herw
ell
ML1
1BN
Tel 01
698
2634
83Fa
x 0
1698
275
418
E-m
ail:
adm
in@
glo-
euro
pe.o
rgIn
tern
et: w
ww.g
lo-e
urop
e.or
g
Contact Details
For further information or up-to-date details of team places still available please contact Allison Hill or Jenny Smith: Tel: 01698 263483 Fax: 01698 253942E: [email protected] W: www.glo-europe.org
Glo European Members
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