Daniel writes ... The older I get, the more convinced I am that Christ is the only Hope for our world

My dear Prayer Partners, and that we, as ordinary Christians, must spend more time alone with the Lord, On a beautiful, bright, cold morning up in listening to His voice and receiving His the mountains, where the prayer meeting power. I read recently that we would fear was being held, I cannot recall having the face of man less, if we feared God received a clearer or more urgent sense of more. How true this is. “Come over and help us” as I did during the

Walk Saint David preparation tour to many Furthermore, TFM has always fielded parts of the coastal path this April. hundreds of missions, but it so happens

that, for the early part of next year, we are To qualify this, the call was from a group of in need of more invitations. I almost think Christians, representing churches to be this is the first time I have said this in my visited in the middle week. It was such a recorded history. So I would ask you to clear call, that I know now that I shall never pray for your area and possibly step out in forget it. I was moved by the passion and faith to invite us. the urgency of the people. I experienced

what I perceived as a collective expectancy, Gillie and I are making real progress in based on a past history and a peculiar settling in to our new home. Without Welsh identity. It has caused me to rethink doubt it is proving to be a period of my entire plans for the Walk. strategies to emerge. The Church of readjustment. Personally speaking, I'm

England is well organised, but it is such a trying to wrestle with the urgency of 'the I would take this opportunity also of asking large ship and we all know that large ships call of an Evangelist' and yet making up for you if you are able to spare us a week to take a long time to turn, but I believe the my enormous absence in the years past. come and help us in this God-given situation is becoming dire. Clergy are Please pray that I'll have wisdom in opportunity. overworked. Evangelism, it seems, must creating a balance. I'm enjoying God's

Another great concern that I am feeling necessarily fall behind maintenance and as peace here, but there has not been a more and more, is for the dear Church of a consequence, the situation described great deal of time for recreational pursuits England. It seems to me now, after a very above, will become inevitable unless there when there are boxes to unpack and long ministry of preaching and working in is a spiritual awakening, which will only various domestic decisions to be made on practically every Diocese, that 'lone' clergy, come when we repent and feel God's a daily basis. I know some of you will running multiple benefices away from enormous concern for the lost. sympathise with this. town and city centres, face a near

Talk about life abundant, as Jesus promised impossible task. A vast proportion of in John 10 v.10. I wish I had a thousand people in these parishes are without a

years here on earth to shout hope of being visited, let the truth of this promise.alone being spoken to of

salvation. Numbers are I must end now, but I am dwindling, costs are soaring. thankful of your ongoing

and faithful support for the The Church of England ministry, for the team, for must, I think, reorder its the changes in the office and priorities. Those in for our own domestic leadership should spend situation. days alone bringing the

situation before the Lord May I put to you, at this and then, with Bishops particular junction, a clear taking the initiative, should call to our next PRAYER call for prayer vigils in every PARTNERS' CONFERENCE

THDiocese - a sort of 72 hour ON THE 18 JUNE 2011 waiting on God for Him to here in Cambridge. It will

thshow His hand and for new be our 20 anniversary of

We must act in faith.

newsJULY 2010

Continued on p2

Pictures: Daniel speaking at the Preseli Hills prayer event for Walk Saint David

John writes ...

EWD I SH AT NI TAT

W DIA VLK A D SA TIN

Jonathan writes ...

Bicester Lifeline Mission - Akeman Benefice

“Did you enjoy the mission?” someone asked me. I have to say, “Yes, I did”. It was a delight to lead an excellent team under glorious blue skies in a cluster of beautiful villages with fantastic hospitality. At the same time it was a challenging week. Rural church life means small and aging congregations and a surprising amount of travelling (I covered more miles within the mission area than I did to get there!). People can also be timid to share their faith or to respond to the gospel.

We managed to knock on almost every door in the 6 main villages. As ever this uncovered both those searching for faith and others with deep pastoral needs. Several times team members were greeted with “You were meant to visit me”. We even had someone log on to the

TFM website to commend a visit! Schools work was good and particularly significant I believe in one of the villages. There were some high quality events, including Riding Lights and a choir called Adoramus whom I hope we shall see again on missions within reach of London. A personal highlight was a Village Lunch in Weston with about 40 present, many non-church, and people clearly moved by the gospel talk.

One thing we have come to recognise of great value in missions is the effect on local Christians. On the final Sunday a lady in church shared how her atheist son said he felt he'd defeated our team at the door. For the first time she took the opportunity to say to him why she believes. It was great to have locals on the Any Questions panel too. The final event was a taster for the Going Bananas holiday club with over 40 children present; this has the potential to transform the life and the age range of this group of parishes and was a first step into this kind of ministry for many of the helpers.

In at the deep end

Tom is 10 years old and he's invited to a friend's party at the local swimming pool. His mother rings to say she's sorry Tom can't come along. "We never let him anywhere near water", she explains. "He can't swim." With parenting like that, the chances of Tom learning anytime soon aren't great.

Jesus goes to the opposite end of the spectrum as far as his teaching method is concerned. His followers get thrown in at the deep end. It's 'full immersion', without a life-jacket in sight. The disciples have only just begun to listen and learn before they're enlisted as assistants in some miracles, then they're sent out to preach and to heal as Jesus has showed them. Their discipleship training programme is the ultimate in 'learning by doing'.

TFM missions over the years have followed the same principles. Before going on our first one, some of us listened to (maybe even preached) many sermons on faith; some read books on 'getting out of the boat to walk on water'; a few had degrees in theology. All of us have found there's no substitute for actually going where the Holy Spirit of Jesus says, 'Follow me'.

Doing so, we've found ourselves in places where we needed amazing grace. Which is different from singing about it.

Too few theological books, sermons, essays and degrees is not the chief problem afflicting the Church in Britain today. Lack of knowledge is not the major problem, rather a lack of going. 'Twas not ever thus. The first ever evangelist is commissioned after one conversation with Jesus next to a well. She seems to have been pretty effective. So was a former lunatic who, the moment he's healed, goes off to tell the whole region about Jesus. A tax collector called Levi throws an evangelistic coffee morning for his friends the day after he's been called to be a disciple, a long time before he begins work on his Gospel. Saul starts evangelising as soon as he's back from the Damascus road. They all got on with it.

We could do worse than follow their example.

the first walk. This is a significant day with a specific agenda and I would ask that hundreds of you come.

The Prayer Partners' Conference is a time when we can see your faces, at least for one day, and recount the goodness of God.

Upwards and onwards, dear friends. The harvest is ripe, the labourers are few.

Your friend as ever,

Daniel

Our special guest, will be the Bishop of Lancaster, Geoff Pearson. Geoff and I go back many years and he's been on mission with me a good few times. His last mission was Walk Cumbria. He's a man with his finger on the pulse and a man who must be heard. After my conversation with him, he said that we should never stop this work and that our gifts are needed more than ever in this country. Please make every endeavour to come and hear him.

Continued from p1

Akeman Benefice TFM team

Healing On The Streets

Jesus did it. He healed the ten lepers in a village between Samaria and Galilee; he healed the two blind men sitting by the roadside outside Jericho; he healed the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years who just managed to touch the hem of his garment on the shores of Lake Galilee; he delivered the man who was possessed with a legion of demons who existed among the tombs in Gerasea; and in the evening, after a hard day's work, after sunset, the whole town gathered at the door of Simon Peter's mother-in-law's house at Capernaum and he healed many who had various diseases. If he was in Colchester now he would be outside Tesco's doing the business!

On the front of the previous TFM introductory leaflet, there is a picture of Daniel laying healing hands on the head of a small boy accompanied by his father outside the walls of Chepstow Castle. This was at the finale of the Offa's Dyke Walk. We have I have had the privilege of introducing it to a small group of always believed that healing is part of the Gospel. We have always TFM'ers at Mossley and Stalybridge, headed up by Ken Tonge, who believed that as Jesus sent out the 72 to proclaim the kingdom and also operate outside Tesco's; and this is in the hope that it will lead to heal the sick, so he sends out our mission teams with the same onto a full-scale TFM mission there next year on the twentieth commission and authority. anniversary of their first one.

We have arranged to do it at the “Ultimate Goal” mission in multi-cultural, multi-faith Stratford, East London in June. This will undoubtedly produce fascinating encounters with people of all colours, of all faiths, and of no faith, in the churchyard “park” outside St John's Church and maybe outside Morrison's Super Store too. People queue up for healing but they don't queue up to

Our tendency, though, has been to offer healing ministry indoors - repent and believe. But healing by the Holy Spirit prepares the

in church services, in healing meetings, in healing cafes. Nothing human heart for Christ.

wrong with that. Jesus did it indoors too - in homes, in synagogues and in the temple. But since Mark Marx, from Coleraine, Northern Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”.Ireland, has specifically challenged us to take it out on the streets

All grace to you,we have done so. Here in Colchester, for the last twelve months, we have been outside Tesco's every Saturday morning, non-stop, come rain or shine, and people have been healed, converted,

Peterrededicated and have started coming to church in one's and two's.

Making your donations go 28% further

As a supporter of TFM, you may well know how hard we work to ensure that every penny donated goes as far as it can to reach more people with the Gospel. If you are a UK tax payer, Gift Aid enables you to boost the value of your donation by 28p for every £1 you give. Last year TFM received over £30,000 as a result of supporters adding Gift Aid to their donations.

Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you”.

Teams pray outside Tesco's

Maasai Medical Mission

This was a new approach to mission in Kenya, working again with Pastor David Ole Kereto. Richard Scott (SCE graduate and GP), who led the team, writes:

We treated 3,500 patients over

8 days in 4 separate clinics with

hundreds of teeth extracted and

spectacles dispensed Postnatal .

ladies and a suicidal woman were

visited at home along with a

Maasai evangelist who'd just lost his son .

2,640 attended evening films with 737 responses for Christ Seven of the team preached and 2 CCI churches .

were opened during the month of March, including one in Ilbaoi where we planted a new congregation in the

2004 TFM Maasai Walk mission .

Unused medicines and equipment were distributed between 2 health centres, one thriving, another struggling .

Funds were allocated to medical projects (including a bursary for a future volunteer doctor) and evangelism

(providing a laptop/video projector for schools work plus contributions to pastors' vehicles and an Evangelists'

Training School) .

What a wonderful mission! The combination of spiritual and medical good news is much needed. Richard is considering another such mission in 2012 and another GP in the team is exploring a similar approach in India. Another evangelistic team is planned for next year. Richard meanwhile will be scouting an area in Tanzania with David Kereto to see if a mission might be possible among the many Maasai who live there.

Maasai Mission January 2011

Rev David Rhodes from Sheffield will be leading a team to work somewhere in Maasailand 5-23 January 2011. If you are interested please contact John Hibberd

or David Rhodes

(john@through-faith-missions.org)

(drhodes@toucansurf.com).

Richard Scott with a Maasai lady

A welcome in the valley "This week is proving to be an amazing journey of faith

with such wonderful people in the team, surrounding us Few places in Britain can be quite as beautiful as the Mid Churnet

all with their love and prayers " valley east of Stoke, even fewer can be as hospitable to visitors. .That's not the blurb from the Staffordshire tourist office, but the

The concluding service on the final Sunday had the largest experience of the team of eight of us working with churches led by

audience, probably numbering thousands as it was transmitted by the Reverend Anne Hindle in May. 'Come and see' was their first

Radio Stoke. There's no record of exactly how many heard the Gospel during the whole week, but we do know that over 300 asked for a Knowing God Personally booklet - a few of those prayed its prayer of commitment to Christ.

ever mission as a united benefice, no doubt embarked upon with As Anne says, "I'm sure this is the beginning of something fear and trembling. Come the end, it had clearly been a week

very remarkable in this Benefice Our Bishop said, 'You .when God was touching hearts.ain't seen nothing yet' when he spoke at my induction

"We said that if one person comes to the Lord then recently I take those in faith as prophetic words!”.

that is a success, but there were many more than

that", Anne says. "It certainly stirred those who were

happy in their comfort zones I hope and pray that .

the Spirit will continue to move them I was .

delighted to see others enthused in their faith and

eager to explore further " .

There were countless Christ-filled conversations on door-steps, in homes and local pubs, but many of the most significant responses came from church members, for example at the Ascension Day service and the 'Grace night' of healing, as well as at services on the last Sunday.

One of those listening to Daniel's sermon on Ascension Day was Sarah Burgess-Parker, churchwarden at St. Mark's church

in Foxt. "I was mesmerised, filled with love, hope and

joy", she wrote in a blog describing the mission week (you can

find it on the internet at midchurnetparishes.blogspot.com).

News from Nebraska USA

Our friend John Lilleyman in Nebraska has recently led another TFM style mission. He writes:

Our team of 12 men have returned with much joy. We walked and talked through some beautiful rolling green countryside with very pleasant weather. Once again God had surprises in store that enriched and blessed our time. I am intrigued by the balance of organising but not over organising and allowing room for heavenly interventions - e.g. we were fed at a Danish bakery in Dannebrog for lunch on Saturday and surprised when the Christian owner came out and played guitar and sang some great gospel songs to us and everyone else in the shop that he had written. What a testimony! Many good conversations with folk in the three towns and so many memories from our time. As a leader I was thrilled to see the men so dedicated to the task and so thoughtful toward strangers and folks from different church backgrounds.

Again, I thank you all for your encouragement in leading out in this form of New Testament mission work. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Tony Cook, 1966 - 2010

On 12 March the Woking EA participated in the Service of Celebration for the life of Tony Cook. Tony was a keen evangelist, expressing this ministry in various Walk missions including Isle of Wight, Wessex, Battle & Bexhill and Cumbria.

He was keen to engage with whatever evangelistic opportunities were available and was a natural at the 'bold but gentle' approach, concerned to respect each person's dignity, whoever they were.

We thank the Lord for Tony and would value prayers for Margaret and two very young sons, Matthew and Samuel.

“if one person….then that is a success..”

The Mid Churnet TFM team

Roger writes ...

I had a really good mission in Tempo and Clabby, near Enniskillen, NI. It was a very rural setting in two villages but the weather was tremendous - well over 100 adult responses, especially men.

Some highlights

• There was a real sense of God at work in many of the meetings and people responding to faith.

• There was a sense of spiritual attack and also God breaking in, in some remarkable ways. One particular lady had an experience of God herself and prayed for her husband who came to faith during the week.

• The dads' and lads' night was particularly good as a sense of the Spirit of the Lord descended on the men and many eagerly accepted Christ.

• The men's breakfast was particularly good as a local TV presenter, Paul Clarke, came and shared how he became a Christian from a Catholic background so that was really good to hear and again there was a good response to the Lord.

• Once again, the final healing service was very special and we had opportunities to pray with people and many gave testimony as to having received healing during the week.

• It was good to hear some people sharing how they had come to faith in the week during the final weekend services.

• The Rector, Maurice, had a car accident two days after the mission, then there was heavy snow which put the follow-up back, but an Alpha course is now up and running with around 20 people attending.

I also led the 'Lifeline' mission in the Cherwell Valley near • There were a group of young couples who responded to the Lord Bicester with a team of ten reaching out to 7 village churches and and some BBQ outreaches on the estate touched many friends an estate on an ex-Air Force base with many families. It was a and neighbours. very mixed mission in so far as we were reaching many in small

• The men's night at the local pub saw 6 men respond to Christ. village communities as well as sharing with those on a very

• The healing service was well attended with God breaking through needy estate.

in some miraculous situations, especially those following Some highlights: alternative lifestyles and others involved in the occult.

• A good number of events were put on by the Eve Project for • There were around 70 adults and 20 young people women with various needs, many responding to Christ's message responding to the Lord at the various events.of love. • An excellent quiz night had more people turn up than

• At one of the services on Pentecost Sunday almost the whole expected. congregation came forward in pairs and families for an hour after the service to receive the filling of God's Spirit.

• Follow-up visiting and Start courses across the villages began in June.

The Ultimate Goal mission in Stratford has now taken place and I have been preparing this with Peter Adams, and I am also involved in the planning of Walk St David in September.

My daughter Carol in New Zealand is now recovering well from her hysterectomy operation. Chris my son and Abbi my daughter-in-law will now be joining Young Life in Toronto, Canada probably leaving in August/September.

My wife Jill and myself are well and enjoying our local ministry together. I am still receiving physio to my hip which is causing some discomfort.

It was wonderful to see my football club, Chelsea, winning the double - the Premier League and FA cup this last season.

Top - Cherwell Valley family fun dayMiddle Door to door visiting in the Cherwell ValleyBottom A team member shares the gospel.

Down to the wire

Mission always requires steps of faith and waiting on God. ‘Walk Saint David' is no exception. Throughout the last year of preparation there have been great answers to prayer, but there are still equally great needs going down to the proverbial wire. The most obvious of these is for more missioners. 110 churches have so far made the call to 'come over here and help us', and at the time of writing we are still waiting for at least 29 more to respond for week 2 (in Pembrokeshire) and 65 for week 3 (Ceredigion).

Mission momentum has been on the increase since the Welsh tours made by Daniel and Roger at the end of April. Both met church leaders across all three counties involved in the Walk, and led prayer meetings at two high spots overlooking swathes of rolling landscape in the Preseli Hills a few miles from Haverfordwest, and on Constitution Hill above Aberystwyth in the north. Local leaders in both towns have been meeting to plan for 'Walk Saint David' since, as well as in other places, sometimes drawing in churches that have never worked together before.

At the same time in April, TFM missioner Chris Cobbold and his wife Jeannie, were hosting a week of prayer walking from St. Davids, along the coastal footpath. "We had a sense of God leading us to meet many key people and of Him preparing the way, both for us and for the mission in September", says Chris.

A recent encouragement has been the offer from Mary Campbell in Broadhaven and Lindy Morgan in Aberystwyth to co-ordinate prayer before and during 'Walk Saint David'. Regular prayer events are now being held for the mission, "not that we're organising them all", says Mary, "because they are happening in different ways across the far-flung mission area. It's good to see how some people are taking the initiative to get together."

That's a sentiment echoed by the chair of the local Task Force, Canon Stuart Bell, Rector of St. Michael's church in Aberystwyth. "We are seeing an exceptional mobilisation of congregations in all kinds of creative ways and not just amongst the evangelical constituency", he says. "There are going to be literally hundreds and hundreds of different ventures taking place in the hamlets and towns right across South West Wales during the three weeks of the mission."

Hopes are high, faith is expectant and prayers are fervent. As so often before a Walk mission, the workers are few, but God is great and the signs of Him at work are everywhere.

EWD I SH AT NI TAT

W DIA VLK A D SA TIN

Walk Saint David -Taith Dewi Sant18 Sept - 6 Oct 2010

Will you come?

th20 Anniversary st

of the 1 Walk

Annual Prayer Partners’

Conference

Saturday 18 June 2011

Venue tbc

Prayer Partners’ Conference quotes from 2010

“It really feels like being part

of a family.” Dave Cooke

“A real joy to be there,

sheer joy!” Bill Getty

CONTACT US?

Please tick a box below andcomplete your address details.

I wish to become a Prayer Partner……………………………...

Please note my address change or email address below………………………............

Please remove my name from the mailing list…………...

Please send me the weekly email Prayer News (need email address please)….........

I enclose a gift to support TFM's ministry (Cheques to Through Faith Missions...... or go to www.through-faith-missions.org for online giving options).

Name................................................

Address.............................................

Postcode …………..................

Tel .........................

Email........

I want to gift aid my donation

I would like to remember TFM in my will. Please send details.

THROUGH FAITH MISSIONS58 High Street

Coton CAMBRIDGE

CB23 7PL

Telephone 01954 210239Fax 08707 062062Prayer Line: 01954 210327

E-Mail admin@through-faith-missions.org

Web Pagewww.through-faith-missions.org

Walk web page www.walksaintdavid.org.uk

Through Faith Missions A Company Limited by Guarantee Reg. No. 2350178 Registered Charity No. 801113

North West 200 Motorcycle Event Outreach

This is the third year that the 3 Northern Ireland Evangelist Associations have joined together and organised a mission to this event. Here are just a few comments from those taking part;

Bill “Again having my preconceptions and stereotypical views of people broken down and seeing them as God sees them. Sharing with them and listening to their stories was a real privilege.”

Brian “My highlight of Portrush 2010 was walking along towards the Strand beach, when I noticed a woman walking her dog. In my own mind she would not have the time to stop, because she was walking at a brisk pace. But I said to myself, I will give her a gospel tract anyway. I was wrong to think this way, as we started to chat she broke down crying and told us of a marriage break up and trouble with her son being bullied at school, this woman had real hurt in her life. We promised to pray for her and she thanked us for being willing to take the time to do this.”

Anon “My highlight was pointing a man from the South of Ireland to Christ. Another soul plucked from the jaws of hell. Hallelujah what a Saviour!”

Gerald “I met Bob on Portstewart promenade. He told me that he had just went through heart surgery and had started to go to Church again. I had the pleasure of leading him to the Lord.”

Rodney “I met up with 3 young lads with a ball. After reading Ps. 34 to them and explaining the Gospel, 2 of the boys responded to Christ. After they had prayed and we had prayed for them, we asked the third boy Matthew who was a Christian (17) to pray for us. He thanked God in his prayer and asked God to continue to use us to reach others for Christ.”

We've moved

With the help of a willing team we moved office in early April. We now enjoy lots more light through our big windows and being out in the village. It was touch and go whether the building would be ready; our workers kept stopping 'work' to tell passers by about

God!

We have had a few teething problems with phones, computers and an alarm system with a life of its own but we are gradually getting settled.

Visitors always welcome if you are passing and please note the address is now 58 High Street.

Where did that box go?

The Gospel is shared