Gospel Literature Outreach

Winter 2014

EUROPE:A Changing Continent

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 pamphlet on the use of legacies and if you would like to have one then

contact Stephen McQuoid (smcquoid@glo-europe.org)

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4Stephen McQuoid

Stephen McQuoid

New, Yet Familiar EUROPE:

A Changing ContinentStories From the Frontline

Connecting with GLO

Mission Teams:Looking Back To 2013

Tilsley College

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Mike Packer & George Sortan

Brian Murray & Andy Stewart

PeruvianUpdate

New GLO Workers

14 15Richard Harknett

Luca Illiano & Anne Dryburgh

This magazine is published twice yearly to report on the work of GLO in Europe and around the world and

to promote mission interest. There is no subscription rate but readers are welcome to send gifts towards

postage and production.

If you would like to contribute financially to the work of GLO this can be done directly using the bank

details below or by contacting our Finance Director Ian Smith (ismith@glo-europe.org).

BANK OF SCOTLAND, 72 BRANDON PARADE, MOTHERWELL ML1 1UWACCOUNT NAME – GLO TRUST SCOTLAND, SORT CODE – 800915ACCOUNT NUMBER – 00400636

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Welcome to the new magazine from GLO Europe. Actually it is the same magazine but it used to be called Spearhead and now it is called by a new name e-vision.

This is a name that represents what GLO is all about. We want to be people of vision, people who understand the huge spiritual challenges that face us today and people who respond to those challenges in an effective way. More specifically we have a vision for Europe, one of the world’s great spiritual wildernesses. Our desire is to see Europeans come to know Jesus Christ and live lives dedicated to his service. We want to equip other Christians to meet these challenges and to work strategically so that this continent can be reached.

In this edition we are focussing on some of the significant changes that are taking place in Europe. Those of us who live in this continent are aware of its rich history. However history is still being made and there are spiritual implications to this which is why we in GLO take notice of what is happening throughout Europe.

There is also a focus on some of the exciting ministries being carried out by GLO workers. Mike Packer shares about his prison ministry in Laval while George Sortan talks about the growing church planting work among the gypsies in Romania. There is also some information about the exciting

mission team programme for 2014 as well as reports of what went on last year in the mission team programme. Richard Harknett has included an update of the work in Peru which gives us a reminder that GLO is a global ministry that touches people’s lives right across the world.

One of the thrilling things about our summer team programme is that we can help churches and church leaders, either by sending a team to them or inviting them to join a GLO team. We have brief articles, one by Andy Stewart who has welcomed GLO teams to his city of Barcelona and one by Brian Murray who brings church members with him on summer teams. They share their own story and their experiences of GLO.

It is a great joy to be able to welcome new people into the work of GLO and in this edition we feature four new workers, Jim, Adi, Anne and Luca who are now serving God in the UK, Belgium and also Italy. Our prayer is that God will bless them and use them to further the vision that we have to reach out to needy Europeans and equip the church for service.

There is one significant landmark that should also be mentioned. At the very start of the work of GLO in the UK, John and Cathie Speirs were challenged to get involved. John became the European Coordinator of GLO, a role he fulfilled for nearly 40 years. During this

period he travelled all over the United Kingdom and abroad challenging people to go on GLO teams and encouraging churches to take evangelism seriously. He also led dozens of summer teams, often with Cathie helping by providing hospitality and catering. John’s tireless efforts to promote mission played a significant role in the growth of GLO as an organisation. Three years ago John retired as European Coordinator and took up a position as GLO Ambassador, working with me to promote GLO. During this period we were able to launch new initiatives like a 24 hour men’s teaching event in Scotland as well as continuing to challenge people about mission and the needs of Europe. In September of 2013 John turned 70 and at the end of December 2013 retired from the work of GLO. I would like to express my grateful thanks to John and Cathie for their many years of service and it is my prayer that God will bless them and use them as they look to the future.

New, Yet FamiliarMission Teams:Looking Back To 2013

It is a great joy to be able to welcome

people into the work of GLO and in this

edition we feature four new workers

After nearly 40 years John and Cathie Speirs retire from GLO

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R ecently I had a conversation with a university student who was half-way through a degree on European history. When I asked how the course was going he replied by saying that he was overwhelmed

by the sheer amount of information he had to cope with yet was only scratching the surface of European history. His comments were easy to understand because Europe is a fascinating place where so much has happened over the years. Europe is home to so many of the world’s great empires (Greek, Roman, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, French, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German). It was the birthplace of western philosophy, liberal democracy and the industrial revolution. European ideas such as humanism, secularism, socialism, Marxism, fascism and capitalism have significantly influenced this continent and have also had an impact across the globe.

What we need to grasp, however, is that history is still being made in Europe as this continent continues to change and re-invent itself. Europe’s 730 million citizens with their ethnic diversity, history of conflicts and religious background are in an era that might appear to be stable, but is full of questions and uncertainty. What changes do we see when we look around us at the Europe of today?

EUROPE: A Changing Continent

By Stephen McQuoid

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Political changeThe first thing we observe is the changing shape of European democracy. Holiday makers on Spain’s sunny beaches might easily be forgiven for not realising Spain only became a democracy in 1978. The changes that have taken place since then are truly remarkable as Spain has become a significant player on the wider European stage.

Further east the Balkans have had a recent turbulent history. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire led to tensions in the region and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand by a Serb nationalist which then sparked off World War I. The Treaty of Versailles which followed led to the founding of a kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which King Alexander I began to call Yugoslavia. At the end of World War II Tito turned this state into a federation of republics though this arrangement ultimately proved incapable of holding back the divisive impact of nationalism. The ugly wars that followed resulted in ethnic cleansing and a huge refugee problem with war crimes tribunals still on-going. Neighbouring Greece, meanwhile, is struggling under the weight of economic difficulties and becoming a breeding ground for its own extremist political parties such as Golden Dawn.

Political intrigue is not confined to central

Europe. On November 13th 2013 Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom and Marine Le Pen of Frances’ Front National held a joint press conference at the Hague stating that they will cooperate in elections for the European Parliament to ‘Fight this monster called Europe’. While other European right wing parties have yet to support this alliance they nevertheless share distain for the EU and will champion their own national causes.

Meanwhile internal tensions in the Ukraine continue to hit the headlines as those who are pro-Russian and those pro-The West debate the future of their nation. Within Russia itself president Putin keeps onlookers guessing as to whether his style of government will lead to more freedoms or more political oppression. All of this makes for a continent that can best be described as politically uncertain.

Ethnic changeAs well as the political changes that have taken place, ethnic ones also raise their head. Immigration and transmigration are now an established feature of European life. Statistics for 2011 show that 1.7m people emigrated to the EU from outside, while a further 1.3m migrated from one EU state to another. All this has meant that in absolute terms the largest numbers of foreigners living in the EU on 1 January 2012 were found in Germany (7.4 million persons), Spain (5.5 million), Italy (4.8 million), the United Kingdom (4.8 million) and France (3.8 million). At the same time a high proportion of non-nationals (10 % or more of the resident population) could be found living in Cyprus, Latvia, Estonia, Spain, Austria and Belgium. The largest proportion (38.5 %), were citizens of a European country outside of the EU. However a further 24.5 % came from Africa, 22% from Asia and 14.2% from the Americas. It is not hard to imagine how this changes different parts of Europe.

Religious changeAnother change is that of religious affiliation. For nearly 1000 years Europe was the very centre of Christendom. However the last 250 years has witnessed the rise of Christianity throughout the world and its decline in Europe. The Roman Catholic Church has struggled in many parts of Europe to maintain its traditional foothold. In countries such as Ireland the churches influence is waning rapidly. The churches reputation has not been enhanced by numerous abuse scandals prompting Pope Benedict to write a pastoral letter to the people of Ireland recognising the ‘sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts…’

Likewise in Italy Catholicism ceased to the state

religion in 1984 and only a small percentage of Italians practice their religion faithfully. In reality the north of the country in particular is now largely secular. The family of Orthodox churches in Europe have probably fared a little better, often because of their contribution to national identity, but none the less they too struggle, especially to interest young people.

The spiritual dearth that has been caused by this implosion of Christendom has also contributed to a changing ethical picture. Not only have traditional values regarding the family, marriage, sexuality, community and the sanctity of life disintegrated over the past few decades, but they have also been dismantled legally. A by-product of these changes is that evangelical Christians, by virtue of their Judeo-Christian worldview, have been marginalised and caricatured by the media and in popular culture. Evangelicals are a soft target in a European society that boasts of its tolerance while at the same time being highly intolerant of any belief system that promotes Christian values.

Spiritual changeIt would be easy to conclude that the changes that have occurred within Europe are negative ones and that the continent is on a slippery slope heading to destruction. However, despite the changes for the worse that have undoubtedly occurred, there is also reason for hope and optimism. That is because change is taking place spiritually. The change might be small, but it is there and should be celebrated.

Evangelicalism, once lacking in confidence within Europe, is now becoming more courageous, better organised and better connected. Evangelicals within Europe are now also being greatly assisted by immigrants from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean who are also Christians. Some have claimed that almost 50% of immigrants into the EU are church members. They bring with them vibrancy and a confidence in the gospel that has helped to restore many flagging churches. Also contributing to this renewed spirituality are new church movements which have particularly attracted young people interested in the creativity, compassion and flexibility associated with these movements. It is clear that Europe is a dark place but not a place without hope. The work that God is now doing within Europe has the capacity to bring significant positive change to a culture in decay.

It is to this that GLO wishes to be committed. We have a passion to reach out to the millions of Europeans who don’t have a relationship with Christ and bring them good news and hope. We want to start new churches, revive existing ones and raise up a new generation of leaders and evangelists who can begin to meet the needs of an influential yet changing continent.

“Europe’s 730 million citizens with their ethnic diversity, history of

conflicts and religious background are in an era that might appear to

be stable, but is full of questions and uncertainty. ”

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up to three years’ imprisonment but there are also those awaiting trial (some are still waiting after two, three or four years) which means that I meet prisoners who have committed all sorts of crimes.

I never ask what the inmates have been sentenced for but many will talk about what they have done and it can sometimes be extremely difficult to listen to and difficult to cope with. The challenge for me is understanding and accepting that the gospel is for every man on this planet, that the love of God is extended to all who will turn to Him and not just for people who are socially acceptable to me. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Christ died for men who struggle with addiction to drugs or alcohol, for those who have murdered, for those who have abused children …I often find myself asking God to help me to see the men in prison as He sees them.

Sometimes it is not easy, recently a serious fight broke out just a few feet from where I was in the prison and all the doors were blocked! The Lord enables me to cope with difficult people, difficult crimes and difficult situations. Once a week I go into the prison and have access to all the cells and can visit any inmate. The regular visits mean that I can get to know the inmates and often there is a real desire to talk and be helped. Once a month there is a prison service on a Sunday morning and although numbers vary considerably it is so good to open the Bible with men who would normally have no contact with the gospel.

Prison Ministryby Mike Packer

Life behind the walls of a prison is, for most people, a mystery as access is impossible and probably for a lot of people, criminals should be behind bars and what happens to them is not very

important.My knowledge of prison, inmates and life

behind walls and barbed wire was extremely lacking until two years ago when I was asked to be prison chaplain in the Laval prison. After praying about it I decided to accept the invitation and after a period of training I started in November 2011.

A prison chaplain performs many roles, but the main responsibility is to tend to the spiritual

and emotional needs of prison inmates. How chaplains do that varies depending on the prison

population and the problems those particular inmates face.

The Laval prison is a small prison with an official capacity of 50-60 but because of

overcrowding there are 120-150 inmates. The cells of nine metres square should be for one person, but usually there are two or three inmates to a cell which obviously creates tensions.

It is a real challenge to help inmates tackle their spiritual and emotional concerns by listening, giving advice and praying. My role is not to judge the crime

committed, as the French judicial system has that role, but not to ignore it either.

The Laval prison is for men sentenced to

A serious fight broke out just a few feet

from where I was in the prison and all the

doors where blocked!

Stories From The Frontline...

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The gypsy work has been a real blessing and we are grateful for God’s faithfulness and help. In 2012 we opened a new church in a village called Rachita and this made a total of five

gypsy churches that we are involved in, the others being Gura Raului, Salistea Deal, Turnu Rosu and Geoagiu. 2013 was a good year with three converts being baptised in Salistea Deal and another 15 in Rachita.

Children’s work continues to be an important part of our ministry. In each of the five gypsy churches we run children’s meetings both in the church building and also in the open air. We generally get anything between 20 and 50 children attending in each of these villages and on special occasions we can get up to 100 children.

Another important part of our work is camps. In 2013 we ran two camps each lasting for five days. About 100 children from four of the villages attended the camps. It was a very good opportunity to present Christ to them. It is great to have my son Cristi helping at these camps. The children had a great time with good food to eat, lots of fun and love being shown.

We also like to get involved in humanitarian aid. This is because the gypsies are poor people. With God’s help we built one house in Turnu Rosu and the family who live there let us have children’s meetings in the house. Every year we also organize distribution of about 1000 shoes boxes which are Christmas gifts for each gypsy child. Once a year we also give clothes to poor families, and sometimes help with medicine and food.

We have been involved in helping the gypsy churches get buildings. In Salistea a new church building which can seat 100 people is nearly finished. For Gura Raului we are doing the paper work so that we can add more space to the church building in

2014. In Rachita we have the land and a plan to build a church building which can accommodate 120 people. These buildings are all simple but meet a need. In Turnu Rosu we have located a room which can be used for children’s meetings; it is six metres by four metres. Another thing we try and do is leadership training using the GLO Centre. Once a month from January to April we have between 15 and 20 men for five days of training. These men come from all five gypsy villages.

We praise God for His faithfulness, for protection and for provisions to continue the great work. GLO teams and visitors encourage us in this hard but blessed work. We thank God for new converts. Please pray for the new church planted in Rachita, for new workers to help in adults and children work. Pray for Cristi in the work with children in 3 villages, for each of these churches so their members grow in faith. Pray for us, George, Lidia, Cristi and Sami.

Gypsy Church Plantingby George Sortan

We praise God for His faithfulness,

for protection and for provisions to

continue the great work

Stories From The Frontline...

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Introducing Adi Harris

I am sitting in the office in Motherwell staring at a large wall map of Europe dotted by a forest of red and white map pins, meticulously plotting all the GLO summer team locations over the past ten years – it

was my first job! Each of the 72 pins tells its own unique story of a visiting GLO team, tireless missionary couples, enthusiastic church planters, creative evangelism events, letterboxes and doorsteps, fervent prayer, Bible teaching, good food, fun and laughter and friendships that last a lifetime. More importantly, behind each pin there is a heavenly record of the redemptive work of God in the lives of men and women - forgiving sin, breaking bonds and liberating prisoners from darkness into His kingdom of light.

Looking at this map causes me to consider the great spiritual darkness that holds sway across Europe. It helpfully reminds me that the overwhelming task of world mission is not about who I am, nor my abilities nor what I can do to help, but in fact is all about who God is, His great saving power and the work He is already doing across our dark and needy continent. In His grace He invites us to join Him in His work of mission.

And so here I sit - the newly appointed and very glamorous sounding ‘Short Term Missions Coordinator’, invited and equipped by the Master!

I take a moment to marvel at how God has brought me through to this point after a long recent struggle with ill health and uncertainty.

Leaving school at seventeen, my entire working life has been spent in the construction industry and my wife Ruth, after bringing up our three children, in education.

We both felt a call from God to consider offering ourselves for mission service almost eight years ago after a visit to Tanzania. Despite the support of our local church we were unable to progress that specific call due to an unexpected and unwelcome six year battle with cancer. Thankfully the Lord allowed us to put this waiting time between surgeries and treatment to good use by completing a Theology degree and an HNC in Early Years Education.

And so I am privileged to be able to serve here at GLO, helping with the mission teams and combining these responsibilities with a return to part-time work for the foreseeable future.

I am always encouraged by the words of Hudson Taylor – “God's work, done in God's way will never lack God's supplies.” And so we trust that God will continue equipping us to do the work for which He has called us, wherever and whenever that will be.

Mission Teams: Looking Back to 2013

ALBANIAThe GLO team to Albania was one of the best experiences of last summer. We had opportunities galore to share the good news with all ages. With great team members, good weather, lovely food and local believers getting involved the Lord blessed and all came away encouraged.Ian Smith

ROMANIAWe all had a truly blessed time in Romania. It was hard work, we travelled great distances and the days were long but completely worth it. I cannot commend Dani, Doina, George and Lydia and their families highly enough for all they did for us, really wonderful, passionate and loving Christians. Without God we could have done none of it. He was in everything we did and it was all for His glory and for the furtherance of the Gospel.Ruth Hinshelwood

SÁZAVA“It is amazing! God is doing great things!” This is the response of the team involved in the outreach programme in Sázava. Contact was made with more than 100 young people and we presented the Gospel to them. We ran an English Language programme and organised faith sharing events such as BBQ’s, discussions and a film night. The result was that team members had deep and meaningful conversations with many people. Some of the comments were:‘I thought Christians were “sad” people. Now I know that your faith is joyful and real. I want it!’‘You have really given me something to think about’‘I did not realise Christianity was like this. I want it’Roger Brind

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COPENHAGENVery worthwhile, challenging, gets you out of your comfort zone, helps you realise that you are capable of doing more than you think, helps you realise what your gifts are. Great to meet with other Christians and see how they do things; gives a spiritual boost!Maureen Fletcher

TANZANIAI have gained a new perspective on life, more of an idea what ministry is like on the wider mission field, how the simplicity of life can still bring a new hope and how I can be taught not only by God but by inspiring people who devote their lives to God. I have been truly inspired and encouraged by the compassion of Jesus’ character portrayed in so many ways during my time in Africa!Melissa Masterson

BARCELONAIt’s an amazing experience, go with an open heart and mind; God might show you things you didn't know (what area of ministry you're best suited to). It might surprise you! It doesn't matter what your area of skill is, God has something for all of us to do!Pamela McFadden

RENFREWOne big encouragement was seeing the younger members of our team getting involved in the discussions during the Bible studies; it was evident that God was at work in their lives. We were delighted to have several new children attend the Bible Club daily. Each child was enthusiastic in learning the memory verses. The week was a real encouragement to the Church members, there was a sense of unity and God’s presence. Brian & Liz Hawthorne

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Many reading this may already have been involved in mission in one way or another - most likely on a short term team. It is brilliant to get away, see and experience a new

culture, share with Christians and then come home - hopefully enthused for life back in your home church. That is a model that has encouraged mission for many years and GLO have been very much at the forefront of that.

As individuals, we have our own networks, often through personal connections made through the years. But it is equally important for churches, and not just individuals in those churches, to carefully consider and nurture a network that is focussed on kingdom growth.

In September, I was fortunate to be able to attend the GLO Conference and I was immediately struck by just how many people I knew, or were known of, by people from the church I’m part of at Beacon Heath in Exeter. It was a room full of fantastic people from all over the world, whom I knew I would be happy to stand shoulder to shoulder with for the cause of the gospel. Yes, I want to know people personally, but most importantly, I want our church to partner with the churches these people represent.

But let’s be realistic too. These days there are lots of organisations, and lots of networks to pick and choose from. Churches have a choice that they can either do things on their own, or they can access likeminded organisations to facilitate discipleship and mission opportunities. For us at Beacon Heath we see a greater kingdom benefit from being networked to GLO than from trying to action things on our own or elsewhere. We want to grow and develop our natural network.

We were greatly blessed as a church when Luca Illiano came to us for 3 weeks over Easter 2012 as part of his Tilsley College placement. This included preaching on Easter Sunday. Luca has recently returned to his native Naples to work with the church there which we are very excited about.

We have also committed as a church to supporting GLO summer mission teams. A group of us went to London for the Olympic GLO team, and this summer 7 of us went to Grasse for the GLO team there. At the core, we want to be a church partnering other churches in gospel mission, and GLO has facilitated that, and we are seeking to develop those links.

Yes, as individuals, sign up for short-term teams – they are deeply challenging and encouraging for growth as a Christian - but, the big challenge is to churches, and to church leaders, to take responsibility for mission in your church. Get a vision for mission. Organise for a group from your church to go on a GLO mission – it’s a great experience and it is a priceless discipleship opportunity for your group. Form a link with a church somewhere in the world. Be a church that encourages and builds up other churches!

Connecting with GLO

by Brian Murray

by Brian Murray

Sign up for short-term teams – they are deeply

challenging and encouraging for growth as a

Christian - but, the big challenge is to churches,

and to church leaders, to take responsibility for

mission in your church.

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I was born in Newcastle to Scottish parents and as a child dreamed of being a ski instructor when I grew up. From school I went to college where I studied hotel catering and institutional management with the idea

of working in a hotel on a ski resort. However once in the industry, my focus quickly shifted towards ski instruction, and I began working in Italy and France before ending up in Spain.

I had been brought up in a family which didn't talk about spiritual things but the beauty of the mountains made me think there had to be a God. For a while I got involved in Zen believing it could improve me and this led to yoga and transcendental meditation on a ‘journey’ to the place of inner peace.

While in Spain I met a girl called Sara who worked on our campsite. She began to teach me Spanish while I taught her English. I really liked Sara, however, she was not prepared to go out

with me because she was a Christian. Sara gave me an interlinear Spanish/English Bible and when I returned to the Alps she regularly sent me Bible verses, although I continued in my meditation, Zen teachings and other New Age stuff. Eventually I began reading the Bible and to my astonishment it made a lot of sense. I was encouraged to think about the Bible by both Sara and another two Christians who worked with me. On the 1st May 1986 I repented from my sin and turned to Christ, trusting Him with my life and receiving Him as my Lord.

I am so grateful for what God in His grace has done for me in saving me from my sin. He is more generous in that He has also given me a wonderful wife in Sara and three children, Timothy, Lidia and Pablo. He has even allowed Sara and I to serve Him as missionaries teaching the gospel to children over the last 22 years.

In our work for Christ we teach the Word to

children in outreach programs in the parks and squares of Spain and run weekly Good News Clubs, camps and train leaders to reach children. We are members of the Brethren church in Mollet del Valles near Barcelona where we serve the Lord in the Sunday School, leading the worship band, preaching and I am in eldership.

In our outreach to children we serve many different churches. Our partnership with GLO started two summers ago in 2012, with a team from the UK and the Faroe Islands which came and worked in our church in Mollet del Valles. This continued in the summer of 2013 with another team which had members from the UK, the Faroes and Albania. On this occasion we were working with a church in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a suburb of Barcelona. The summer teams provide the opportunity to reach a greater number of children more effectively with the gospel over the week. This past summer the team was also able to visit three local Old People’s Homes, in two instances this was the first time the local church had gained access to the homes, for which we give thanks.

We thank the Lord for His grace upon us and ask you to pray for us and for the salvation of the lost children of Spain.

A Dream Come Trueby Andy Stewart

The summer teams provide the

opportunity to reach a greater

number of children more effectively

with the gospel over the week.

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‘FirstServe’ Katie, Aline, Fiona, Rachel and Yasmin spent three weeks in September at Tilsley College before heading off to individual UK church placements. Now they are scattered around the world (Lebanon, Bolivia, and India) on their 3-4 months overseas mission experiences. Pray that this will be a very significant gap year for them.

‘Training for Service’Pamela, Lorne, Joshua, Charlene, Anthony, Emily, Stephen, Laura and Rut have joined us for this year’s ‘Training for Service’ course covering biblical studies, personal spiritual growth, ministry and mission.

‘Stepping Out’ Rheagan was still around, waiting for the start of her ministry apprenticeship placement in Burundi! The other five second year students were already away on their church placements: Karen in Finaghy, N Ireland, Tom in Swansea, Jude in Cutsyke, Yorkshire, Ebony in Somerton, Somerset and Emilio in Melksham.

Tilsley College

As a college this year we have welcomed a new part-time staff member. Jim Crooks grew up in Central Scotland and attend Bothwell Evangelical Church. He went to university in Aberdeen to

study Business and after graduation moved to Inverness and began work in various finance and administrative posts. He married Elzbeth Neilly and they set up home in Inverness, where Jim later became an elder at Celt Street Evangelical Church, and where their only son, Andrew was born in 1987.

Jim moved to Dumfries in May 1988 to take up a post as Assistant Principal of Dumfries and Galloway College, a career switch into the world of education. While in Dumfries, Jim also served as an elder at Bethany Evangelical Church and was a Council Member of Tilsley College Council and Interlink. It was during this time that he was engaged in a partnership with Romanian churches that was to last around 20 years and included the formation of small indigenous businesses.

He left Dumfries in July 2004 to go to Northern Ireland as Principal of Upper Bann Institute. On successful merger of that Institute with two other

Colleges he returned to Scotland to take up the role of principal at Elmwood College in Fife. His son Andrew married Susanna Vang of the Faroe Islands having met her at Tilsley College in 2004. On 27 March 2012 Jim’s wife of 31 years died from cancer. One week later Jim’s grandson Benjamin was born.

After helping in a successful merger between Elmwood College and three other organisations he left the college to set up his own consultancy, giving him more flexibility to serve God. In addition to his role as an elder in Hillbank Evangelical Church (Dundee), recently joining the Board of trustees of Echoes and serving as a church advisor for the Church Strengthening Initiative, we are delighted to have Jim join the Tilsley College staff. Serving two days per week, Jim has taken on responsibility for the Joshua Project and its national development. This will include coordination of the

local programme in Dundee and also overseeing delivery in a number of locations in the UK. He will also develop Information and Learning Technology to facilitate access to training opportunities.

A Snapshot of Tilsley College Autumn 2013

Jim Crooks

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T his year we took the students for a week’s mission experience to Vlorë, Albania to work with Juli and Ela Muhameti. They shared with us about their work in student ministry, the church plant in Orikum and

the church in Vlorë. Our students were able to get involved in some activities with the students at the university, and in local church services.

The visit to ‘The Hiding Place’ orphanage in Gjirocastër gave us the opportunity to see the work that Marijan Nijhoff and the team are doing with the children there. This was very emotional for some of us but it was a wonderful experience and we left the place having been blessed by the love and testimony of the people there. Our last stop was in Tirana where we visited the community church where Enris and Silvia Nase are serving.

The different activities and ministries we were able to engage with greatly helped us all by our exposure to a different culture and context. It became evident to us that the church there faces significant economic difficulties. We realised how blessed we are and it made us think about the way we spend our money and how irresponsible we are sometimes. It was also evident that even in those circumstances God can work in people's lives, bringing them closer to Himself.Allan McKinnon and Erika Raigné

In recent years, students on our ‘Training for Service’ course have benefited by input from ‘fellow students’ who themselves are experienced in mission work in other parts of the world. From a designated bursary

fund, GLO has been able to support a training partnership agreement to help give leadership development and international experience to up and coming leaders in mission work within Central Africa. Isaac & Lilian Ngambi, Alfred &

Helen Mpangayonse and Watiyakeni Chibangu from OM Zambia and Maria Mwape and Harry Chinkumbi from GLO Zambia have benefited from this scheme. This year we have Joshua and Anthony with us until February/March 2014.

Anthony is a key leader in ‘GLO Alive’, the youth ministries department of GLO Zambia. His particular passion is the running of outreaches to young people in the area around the training centre in the industrial heartland of Zambia. He also helps

with the six month gap year discipleship training course that has been successfully running for the past two years at the GLO Centre in Zambia.

Joshua, along with Anthony, completed both the GLO Zambia Training course and Pro Christo Cross-Cultural mission preparation course. He has served for four years as a missionary among the Yao people in Malawi and in mission administration support in the OM Area Office in South Africa. His time with us at the college here in UK will give him a broader cross-cultural experience for future service.

Training partnerships with Zambia

A First for Tilsley College in Albania

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Peru has been a place of tremendous change over the past few decades. In the 1960’s evangelical believers made up less than 1% of the population but that figure is now almost 12%. The Brethren

church currently numbers about 230 assemblies. However, the numerical expansion has not been matched by growth in biblical literacy and maturity. Peru needs not only on-going evangelistic work but also energy devoted

to supporting a relatively young church as it develops and looks to stand on its own. The GLO Peru team has been seeking to meet these needs over the past eight years.

Our first project was the establishment of

a training programme designed to build on the foundation of a pre-existing course that had been operating within the Brethren church for about 20 years. The Bible Missionary Training Institute, or IBEM, has had almost 200 students attending, with a dozen completing the full 45-course curriculum. Workshops and practical placements complement the classroom study to develop their ability to apply and use what they have learnt to the benefit of the local church.

IBEM includes not only a full-time programme, but also a well-attended night school option. The next phase is to form satellite institutes in other parts of the country. Several of the current and past students have undertaken to administer IBEM in the key mountain city of Cajamarca and we hope to repeat this in Lima, where another of the students, supported by Peter Grover, will begin an

institute in 2014.A second clear need was for greater support for

Peruvian full-time workers. There are currently 21 individuals and couples, commended by Peruvian churches and whilst some of these had been

faithfully working for years, they also remained virtually unknown. A service agency, SEMIPE, was established in 2009 and publishes a twice-yearly magazine which includes news and prayer items from the Peruvian workers. This aims to encourage the churches to pray and, as a consequence, to provide practical support, which if necessary can be channelled to the workers. We have also been able to host a biennial retreat, attended by at least two thirds of the workers on each occasion.

Thirdly, GLO Peru has developed short term mission teams. Previously, teams came to Peru from overseas. Over the past few years, we have sought to encourage short-term teams of Peruvian young people, travelling to other churches within Peru. The interest has been over and above what we expected and the teams have invariably been filled to capacity. We pray that God will use these to build a generation that not only has a vision for missions, but which doesn’t look to overseas to complete the task.

Only the Lord knows what the future holds, but we hope that the past growth is matched (and even exceeded) in the future. In the meantime, we continue to seek to train, equip and support the Peruvian church to play its part in the Great Commission, to the fullest of its abilities.

by Richard Harknett

Peruvian Update

GLO Peru has developed short term

mission teams... The interest has been over

and above what we expected and the teams

have invariably been filled to capacity.

by Richard Harknett

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New GLO Workers

Anne DryburghDuring the spring of 1990, not long after the Lord had challenged me about serving Him on the mission field, a speaker came to my home church in Dumbarton and spoke about the country of Belgium. It shocked me to hear that only 0.25% of the population claimed to be believers and that people were prevented from reading the Bible up until the 1960’s. That night I sensed a call to go to Belgium.

For two summers I helped with OM summer outreaches in Belgium and then in September 1991 I joined OM full-time. The team I was part of learned Flemish, did numerous evangelistic activities and discipled the new believers. I returned to the UK in 1998, did the GLO course and went back to Belgium in 1999, this time with Interlink.

Since then I have been helping with churches planted by the Canadian missionary, Richard Haverkamp. Over the years I have helped in Ghent, Maldegem and Kuurne, doing women’s work. Most of my time is spent in discipleship. Since the Bible is an unknown book, this means that people’s lives have not been built on biblical principles. When someone becomes a believer, in theory his or her whole life should change. But since the Bible is unknown, many do not know what this change should look like.

A lot of my time is spent with women who are struggling in a variety of areas. The aim is to help them build a biblical foundation for their lives which impacts upon lifestyle, thinking and relationships. Culturally, guilt is used a lot to motivate people and is a major cause of depression. It is a joy to see women come to understand the work of Christ on the cross and their righteous standing in Him.

This kind of work also gives opportunities for evangelism as people are looking for answers in life. There have been many times when non-Christians have gone to a believer they know, when they have been going through difficult times, to find out what it is that gives them such meaning and purpose.

Please pray for people to be reached in this country and that the believers would be strengthened in the Lord to live the life that He has for them.

Luca IllianoCiao, I’m Luca Illiano. I was born 29 years ago in the city of Naples, Italy. At the age of 23 I moved to England. The reason was to become a famous artist. That was my ambition in life: to become an artist like Picasso or Hirst. I wanted to be famous in life, not after death, but that was not the ambition that Lord had for me.

I was in the UK for about five years and I know now that is where God wanted me to be. During the first couple of years I tried to become a famous artist and looked for an art gallery to show my art work, but the Lord was gradually telling me that I was born for a different purpose. To cut a long story short, one day while I was struggling about my future and my goal in life the Lord showed me that He and His Word were much more important than art, and sharing the name of Jesus was more significant than being in an art gallery. From that day on the Word of God became more important in my life than painting and drawing and soon after I

applied to join Tilsley College for the 2011-2012 year. Having given up my career in art, the Lord reminded me that when I last lived in Naples I had a desire to see a new church planted in my local area of Mergellina.

Since this reminder from the Lord I had a new ambition: to go back to Naples where I was born where my friends were, to make known the Name of Christ to people who do not know Him yet and to see a new church planted.

Mergellina is a coastal section of the city of Naples, located in the quartiere of Chiaia. It is known to the Neapolitans as a place where you can get an ice cream and eat good pizza by the sea. The reality, however, is that this one area contains about 80,000 people, most of whom have never heard the gospel. Planting a new church there is the investment of a lifetime and this is the burden which God has placed on my heart.

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Stephen McQuoid (General Director)smcquoid@glo-europe.org 01698 267298

Mark Davies (Training Director) mdavies@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

Sam Gibson (Missions Director) samgibson1980@btinternet.com 02890 479411

Ian Smith (Finance Director) ismith@glo-europe.org 01698 263483

Admin office admin@glo-europe.org 01698 263483

College Office college@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

GLO Bookshopbooks@glo-europe.org01698 275343/ 252699

Contact Details GLO Mission Teams 2014LOCATION DATESALBANIAVlorë 6-14 September CZECH REPUBLICJesenik 18 – 25 JulySázava 26 July – 2 Aug DENMARKCopenhagen 10-17 August FRANCE Laval 5-15 JulyAix-en-Provence 12-17 April ICELANDAkureyri 12-22 September MADAGASCARTana 2-16 August NORWAYSkien 3-10 August REPUBLIC OF IRELANDEnniscorthy 9-23 AugustGreystones 14-22 September

ROMANIA Talmaciu 3-14 July SPAINBarcelona 17-27 July UKGlasgow 26 July – 3 AugJohnstone, Scotland 2-10 AugustNewcastle, England 29 Aug – 7 SeptRenfrew, Scotland 26 July – 1 Aug For further details contact Allison or Jenny:t: 01698 263483 e: admin@glo-europe.org w: www.glo-europe.org

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‘Learning to Lead – Next Generation’A superb new resource from David Clarkson & Stephen McQuoid Comprehensive teaching materials for group and individuals looking to develop their leadership skills.Book £6.99CD-ROM £4.99Contact the GLO Bookshop for discount on multiple copies.