LIFE IS ON SONG FOR LARA MARTIN Life turns into lyrics for new album PLUS POP STAR BOWS DOWN TO JESUS
Dax O’Callaghan leads worship at Kensington Temple
CELEBRATING SIX ELIM CHAMPIONS
Chris Cartwright puts the spotlight on leading ministers Heavenly Father got me through, says Christine Caine
CHURCH & TOWN BOTH ON THE UP
We visit Elim Christian Centre in Rotherham How to get your church into the news
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MAKING LIFE WORK BETTER
SE P RM ODC GL O A S O B N S T SU AL GO CCES S !
UNWANTED AND ADOPTED AS A BABY
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MAY 2012 Issue 128 £1.70
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CONTENTS 5
EDITORIAL John Glass on the power of forgiveness
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GOD AND LONDON WERE CALLING Dave Langton moved to an Elim church in London and is now building for the future
30 TRAGIC EVENT IS STARK REMINDER Time is the one thing none of us can guarantee, says Pastor Brian Synnott
10 NEWS from Elim and the wider church
32 TALK BOLDLY ABOUT CHURCH Janet Whitehead explains why she’s not embarrassed to tell people about faith
12 OUT AND ABOUT WITH THE GS John Glass opens his diary
33 REACH QUESTIONS Gary Gibbs says religion is more about ‘why’ than ‘how’
14 IT’S A PEARL OF A DEBUT ALBUM Some of Lara Martin’s life-defining moments have been turned into songs for an album
35 KEEPING HOLD OF THE YOUTH Do your own courting, says Mark Pugh
16 WE LIKE TO GIVE THINGS A GO Rotherham’s Paul Folland explains how custard pies help his church reach out
36 PODCASTS REACH THOUSANDS How a group of small churches in Essex is using digital media to spread the message 37 MUSIC REVIEWS with Ian Yates
18 POP STAR SINGING FOR THE LORD Former child prodigy Dax O’Callaghan is now using his talents to lead worship
38 BOW’S ABOUT THAT THEN? How American footballer Tim Tebow has sparked a new prayer phenomenon
22 I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE’S PAIN Conference speaker Christine Caine uses her life experience to help tackle trafficking
40 THE HARVEST IS NOW IN SEASON We must reap harvest previous generations planted, says evangelist Daniel Kolenda
25 RISE UP AND STEP OUT FOR GOD God made us in his image, so get ready to succeed, says Anna Symonds in Aspire
43 FOOD FOR THOUGHT Dr Sharon Kane shares her advice on healthy eating
26 MEET SIX OF THE BEST IN ELIM Chris Cartwright turns the spotlight on six key ministers in the South West and Wales 28 TAKING FAITH IN CHRIST SERIOUSLY No more clowning around for Treflyn Jones
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44 HOW TO MAKE HEADLINES Robbie Lane offers some handy tips to churches 45 BOOK REVIEWS with Richard Dodge 49 ANSWERS with Phil Weaver 50 AND FINALLY with John Lancaster
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Church Direction Representatives: please advise any alterations to your order before the 10th of each month
Direction Magazine is the official publication of the Elim Pentecostal Church @elimpentecostal www.elim.org.uk 0845 302 6750
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Elim Pentecostal Church
Editor-in-Chief: John Glass, General Superintendent Publishers: Elim Pentecostal Church Elim International Centre, De Walden Road, West Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 4DF Charity no. 251549 (England)
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Disclaimer: Views expressed in articles and news reports do not necessarily reflect the view of the Editor or the official position of the Elim Pentecostal Church. The acceptance and publication of advertising does not indicate editorial endorsement. All submitted articles are subject to editing due to space restrictions. By submitting articles, writers accept their articles may be edited.
Publishing agents: New Life Publishing Co, PO Box 777, Nottingham, NG11 6ZZ, England Tel: 0115 824 0777 Website: www.newlifepublishing.co.uk Email: editor@newlife.co.uk or orders@newlife.co.uk Printers: Buxton Press Limited, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AE Back copies: previous issues are available while stocks last, at cover price plus £1.00 handling charge, incl. p&p, per order.
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F I R S T WO R D S
The power of forgiveness Last month I wrote about the positive influences that leave indelible impressions on us. However, who we are today has also been shaped by the destructive tendencies of those who have crossed our paths. What we do with those moments is pivotal in our growth and spiritual development. That is why it is important to keep short accounts with God and with others. During the Communion service the pastor will often read the passage that says that we should ‘examine ourselves before we eat of the bread or drink of the cup’. It is an invitation to a spiritual audit to ensure that we draw a line around anything that, left unchecked, could poison relationships in either a vertical or horizontal direction. Time Magazine revealed recently that, although the war in Vietnam ended 40 years ago, 104,296 people have been killed or injured by land mines after the apparent cessation of hostilities. The conflict had ‘concluded’ but collateral damage was still going on. The spiritual parallel is obvious. Personal conflicts often leave incendiary devices in their wake. That is why we find ourselves tiptoeing around people with unresolved issues. We call it ‘walking on eggshells’. But it is because we are aware of life’s ballistics that we become nervous of the explosive nature of shells of a different calibre. Forgiveness sometimes takes time and always takes courage. It was CS Lewis who said, “We all believe that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it ourselves.” Lewis also wrote, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable in others because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.” Nevertheless, many carry baggage for a lifetime because we forget that forgiveness is not a
feeling; it is a conscious choice that we make with our will. Ernest Hemmingway tells the story of a father who had been alienated from his son for so long he no longer knew his address – only that he lived in Madrid. He decided to put an advertisement in the local paper that read, “Paco, meet me at the hotel Montana at noon next Wednesday, your father.” When the day arrived the civil guard had to disperse a mob of 800 young men, each named Paco, who had come to be reconciled with their father! The aftermath of war is devastation; the consequence of peace is restoration. John Wesley and George Whitefield disagreed vehemently during their lifetime on theological issues. One day a woman asked Whitefield if he expected to see Wesley in heaven, to which he replied, “No.” Thinking she had a morsel of gossip, she asked why. “Because,” said Whitefield, “he will be so near the throne of God I will not get even a glimpse of him.” When Whitefield died it was Wesley he had arranged to speak at his funeral. In 1993, the farsighted decision was taken to convert 500 tons of Russian weapons grade uranium into fuel for American nuclear power plants. When the process is finished in 2013, the equivalent of 20,000 Soviet missiles will have been repurposed to warm and light the very same homes that they were created to destroy. Disarmament of any kind always reaps a harvest of righteousness. John Glass General Superintendent Elim Pentecostal Church
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How faith and fashion are coming together to help one Elim church fund its ambitious new building project
London and God were calling, so I knew it was time to move
Above David Langton who has led Leytonstone Elim for 18 months Opposite page Plans for the church revamp and youth leader Benjy Owusu-Daaku whose fashion and photography show has helped raise money
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David Langton had vowed that he would never lead a church in London. The father-of-two was settled at Beacon Community Church in Burntwood and had no plans to move. But out of the blue a phone call came that changed his family’s life forever. “London was the only place that I said I would never go,” he laughs. “But there was a message left on my phone and I said to my wife, ‘We’re going to go, aren’t we?’ I just knew straight away.” That was 18 months ago and now the Langtons are well established at Leytonstone Elim Church in east London and have already started ambitious building plans. But David admits that he was nervous when it came
to taking over from the previous leader. “Mer vyn Tilley was the original pastor and he’s an amazing man of God,” says David. “He’d done a fantastic job for 26 years so they were big shoes to fill. The legacy left by him and his wife is enormous.” When David took over, the church had about 300 members. But it has now grown to 400. “The church is in an area that’s known as very poor, yet it’s vibrant in culture,” he explains. “It’s quite a strong Muslim area and there are a lot of Eastern European people moving in. It’s a very mixed diverse church, which I absolutely love. I felt at home very quickly. New streams of ministry have started
to emerge. We started to focus on the family – we wanted to create an atmosphere that was based on relationship. We need to understand that church is a big family. It’s not just about coming to a service – it’s a lifestyle. “From that we’re trying to create a vision that is based around families and the community. We’ve set up a crisis team to help in these areas. We have a high influx of people in the area with immigration issues so we run a night shelter. “We want to create for everyone a place that they can come and be loved. As a result we’re looking at installing a launderette and shower block for people who don’t have access to these basic needs. But firstly
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we are looking at redeveloping the existing church building.” This redevelopment comes in two stages. Phase one is a refurbishment of the existing building before the minor hall is demolished in phase two. “Phase one will increase our capacity to 500,” David says. “We will have a new reception centre and entrance, new offices, a coffee and reading area and book shop. When it’s finished we will have changed the whole style of the church. “I was brought up under a pastor at Wirral Christian Centre who believed in big vision and that’s always stuck with me. I want to create a stronger youth driven culture because they are the future.” With this in mind, David is all about releasing and equipping the young people of the church in finding innovative ways of sharing the gospel. “We’ve released our young people into worship which has been fantastic,” he says. “In September we’ll start a music and dance school as a community outreach. We’ll be offering lessons to people to create a church that’s very much about the creative arts. “I’m trying to encourage the church to think outside of the box. We shouldn’t be held back by what we’ve done in the past. I hope it will be a platform for evangelism. I want our guys to be creative in every level whether it’s photography, graphic design, music or dance. We should use these gifts for Jesus so that people will be saved.”
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Fashion and photography has helped Elim Leytonstone raise money for its plans to revamp its building. In March, youth leader Benjy Owusu-Daaku and fashion designer Sarah Yombodjema put on a fashion show and photography auction for the building fund. “We were looking for a creative way to raise money and to get the message out to the community and get them engaged with the church,” Benjy, 27, explains. “After speaking with Pastor David he realised our potential and at first I thought about doing a photographic auction. Then he came up with the idea of doing a big event that combines the talents of different people in the church.” The Urban Couleur Fashion Show was attended by 200 people and £2,700 was raised for the building fund. “It went really well,” Benjy says. “A lot of non-Christians came and were surprised that there was a fashion show in a church. We had comments like, ‘I’ve never seen church like this before.’ It was something that was outside of the box but it was well received.” Benjy’s photographs sparked a bidding war and raised £1,300. “That was pleasantly surprising,” he laughs. “They’re about looking at London in a better way – a reflection of my Christian faith. When I became a Christian I was so excited. When we’re in faith we tend to judge others who aren’t in the faith. “I learned to look beyond faith values. A lot of people wear masks. I’m learning what’s behind the way that people behave. This is reflected in my collection of photographs where I try to look at things from a different perspective. “As Christians, God came to save us and build a relationship with us. God would come down and speak with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden on a one to one level. That’s the
‘My testimony is that you can do all things through Christ, and now I’m working in fashion again and believing that’
Above The Urban Couleur fashion show at Leytonstone Elim. Inset: fashion designer Sarah Yombo-djema, model Sherne Hamilton and youth leader Benjy Owusu-Daaku; some of the designs on show
message we want to send out – that we’re not here to judge people but to love people. “In the Bible, Jesus said, ‘Come as you are.’ God understands that we’re not perfect. What he wants is an honest relationship.” The story behind Sarah’s collection is the struggle between her faith and a career that is often misunderstood within Church circles. The 22-yearold almost gave up on fashion until God showed her that she could educate women through her work. “I struggled in the past with whether I could work in the fashion industry and be a Christian, but God showed me that I had a gift and I should use it,” she explains. “As a Christian people think that we’re boring and when it comes to fashion we don’t really have a place. I wanted to show that you can be a Christian and dress nicely. “There are all these pressures that Christian women put on themselves not to reveal too much and they can get lost in that. I realised that you can still
look glamorous while honouring God. So I came up with the idea of a fashion show but I wasn’t sure how church and a fashion show would work. God started to show me that I could educate women on how to look nice and feel like a woman yet still please the Lord.” The result was an African collection with a Western feel aimed at women aged 18–26. “I’ve been working for a year now on this collection,” Sarah says. “I hope that it will appeal to all women. I’ve been designing since I was seven. I went to college and did my BTEC. When I finished the course I knew that I wanted to study fashion. “I stopped designing for a long time because I was looking for who I was in God. I was looking for my purpose and for what God wanted me to do. “But I realised that I’d been putting off fashion and had stopped designing because I thought that I wasn’t good enough. My testimony is that you can do all things through Christ, and now I’m working in fashion again and believing that.”
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Elim singing sensation BeBe Vox and her dramatic charts entry
Bringing light into the darkness
How Sian Davies helps abused orphans in Uganda
is ch ur e ch IN Mar
says Elim Bible Week speaker Phil Pringle
Radical believers required
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IT rpe G su IN nto EP es E W K E
SERVING GOD? Work is just as important as worship, whoever your employer is PLUS Investing in next generation is vital
We talk to key Bible Week speakers Dave Smith, Malcolm Duncan and Andy Hawthorne
Chaplaincy matters
Man Utd chaplain speaks at Prestatyn
Know what you believe
We need childlike faith, not childish thinking
Time to move to Telford
Brighton Elim gets to work in Haiti
without them hating God – Rob Parsons
Revolutionising our universities
Top tips for helping your school leavers make a great transition to university
IN D O N G IO G AT S IN C RK 6 O U O p3 D ED W See
SEPTEMBER 2011 Issue 120 £1.70
FOLLOWING JESUS – or just playing the part? Hypocrisy is alive and well, warns John Glass
PLUS Hand church over to the young
We must make room for the 20s and 30s to minister, says Graham Hutchinson
Dodging death in Iraq
We talk to the ‘Vicar of Baghdad’
Serving up hope and the gospel
Gill Fowler is cooking up a fuss in Somerset
How two words changed my life
Alex Wilmott and the weird teenage evangelist who led him to Christ
WHY WE MUST FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS Faith demands more than a glance PLUS
Get your
Direction Magazine
BIG SOCIETY AT WORK IN BARKING
How one church is helping rebuild the community
FIND OUT WHAT GOD IS DOING...
Then get involved, says Evangelical Alliance boss
THE ROOTS OF SPIRITUAL DECLINE
ever y mon th
Are we making authentic Christ followers, asks Colin Dye
GENTLEMEN ARE LEAGUES AHEAD
RTC students get serious about being polite
REACHING OUT AT EASTER
Ten great ideas to help you stay fresh
D EE FR
O FR
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Top new location planned for Elim Bible Week 2012
PLUS
Stand up and be counted
Big Society is a great opportunity but also a grave danger, warns Malcolm Duncan
Building hope amid devastation Getting your kids through church
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AUGUST 2011 Issue 119 £1.70
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The Holy Spirit wants to transform cold, inactive believers, says Colin Dye
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Let people know the Church is alive!
GETTING OUT OF THE SALT SHAKER Taking church outside the box
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New Elim album strikes a chord PLUS Vox pop!
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THE SOUND OF A MOVEMENT
JULY 2011 Issue 118 £1.70
APRIL 2012 Issue 127 £1.70
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In our occasional Six Champions series, Chris Cartwright, who leads Elim’s South West and Wales Regions, discusses some of the outstanding churches and leaders there
Meet six of the best in Elim South West Nigel Somers, Keynsham Nigel became the senior pastor of Keynsham Elim in May 2010 but his connections with the church go back over 30 years. He first went there in 1978, and over the years has been involved in almost every aspect of church life, serving as a youth and Sunday school leader, elder and associate pastor under founder, Des Morton. For Nigel and his wife, Carol, Keynsham Elim has been a true spiritual home where they have been nurtured, equipped and encouraged and where they now have the joy and responsibility of developing and releasing others. Nigel’s background is in IT and for many years he has combined a highly successful career in that industry with the growing demands of ministry. Tony Murphy, Newport, Isle of Wight Tony has been leading Church On The Roundabout in Newport, Isle of Wight, for the past 12 years. Until July last year he was juggling the responsibilities of the church with being a science teacher at the local high school. Then he finally took the step to leave teaching to concentrate fully on ministry. With his wife, Sally, he has had the joy of seeing the
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Sunday morning congregation increase from 20 to around 80 with lots of people becoming Christians on the way. The church is full of life, with a great reputation in the community and loads of creative outreach. It’s not surprising that under Tony and Sally’s leadership the church is flourishing. They have even won an award for their involvement in the community.
Above Chris Cartwright
Colin James, Andover Colin has been the pastor of Andover Elim for more than 18 years. Arriving as a single man, he married Angela, a member of the congregation, and they set about leading the church into a time of significant growth and blessing. One of their greatest achievements has been to oversee the demolition of an old one-storey building and the construction of a two-storey multi-purpose church centre that now provides the base for all-age ministry and is a thriving hub of activity. The church runs a highly successful pre-school education centre and has been heavily involved in forming the Street Pastor team which operates in the town centre. This commitment to community involvement is matched by a keen sense of the presence and power of God as the church gathers to worship. I commend Colin and Angela’s faith and faithfulness
in being committed – long-term – to building a strong and fruitful church in Andover. Eric Heylen, Dorset Eric hails from South Africa, and his wife, Emma, is from South Wales. After pastoring our Bognor church, Eric was asked to also take pastoral oversight of the Hayling Island church 20 miles away. For over 18 months, Eric and Emma led both churches, whilst also working to support their family. During this time of tremendous effort and faithfulness they saw God’s provision and blessing. They moved to Wimborne, Dorset, one year ago to take up the challenge of a fresh season of mission and ministry in the town. Already the church is growing and there is an evident sense of God’s hand upon the Fellowship. Eric is a passionate preacher of God’s Word who believes that God has a plan for everyone. I believe this church is in for an exciting time under Eric and Emma’s leadership and that God will reward their hard work and faithfulness. Wales Jason Beynon, Pontarddulais Jason was converted back in 1989 in the Elim church in Pontarddulais, which he has pastored
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Nigel Somers
Tony Murphy
Colin James
Eric Heylen
Jason Beynon
Malcolm Jones
for the last four years. Known affectionately as The Bont, the church has become a beacon of light in this needy community, and Jason and Catherine Beynon have seen God do amazing things as the church has grown from a dozen or so to over 60 people regularly attending and many more being impacted by the church’s growing ministry. This includes a community living project for former addicts. Jason is trained as an accountant, specialising in computerised company systems, and he continues to work in the marketplace as well as leading the church. Jason and Catherine are great leaders who are taking the church forward with plans to purchase a new building (a former school) which will more adequately house the many ministries that are emerging from this vibrant, growing church. Malcolm Jones, Brecon Malcolm has pastored the Brecon Elim church for the past 23 years. Being raised in a rural family, the former sheep farmer and horse breeder (and elder brother of Chris Jones, Elim’s International Missions Director) has led the church through 20 years in rented accommodation and into a brand new £1.5 million multi-purpose church building at the heart of the community. Malcolm and his wife, Evelyne, have an obvious commitment to the people of Brecon and a heart for the surrounding community. Their passion is to see the lives of individuals and families being built in the house of God. As a consequence they have developed a great reputation in the area. The church is poised under their leadership, and with a growing team, to be an influence for fresh mission in this very rural area.
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Making life work
Want to get your church event in the news? Former BBC journalist Robbie Lane explains why it’s a great way to communicate
Your church can make headlines How can I get free publicity for my church? If you were offered 30 seconds to tell a stadium full of people about an event in your church, how would you feel? Once the nerves had subsided and you had checked your teeth for spinach, you would hopefully grab the opportunity with both hands. After all, it would be a much quicker way of getting your message out there than printing 30,000 flyers. The local media offers us such an opportunity, yet it is relatively rare to hear about the positive work that churches up and down the country are doing. Free concerts, soup kitchens and new youth clubs come and go without even a mention in the local rag. The obstacle for many of us is fear. Our perception of the press has sunk to a new low with many assuming that a journalist is either looking to hack our voicemail or photograph our cellulite with a telephoto lens. Whilst it is true that the national media is a pretty cutthroat place, the story in local media is generally very different. Alongside the articles about council squabbles and dog’s mess, the Biggleswickshire Times – or your equivalent – is also looking for positive stories of local life.
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‘Whilst it is true that the national media is a pretty cutthroat place, the story in local media is generally very different’
Above Robbie Lane
Of course, if we put ourselves on a pedestal and start commenting on contentious issues then we will face the same scrutiny that we would expect the paper to give to anyone in a public position. But if we carefully select the things that we are highlighting then it’s an amazing opportunity to reach tens of thousands of people with very little time or cost. As it stands, many churches are working to the local newspaper’s agenda – commenting on contentious things they are asked about, rather than proactively highlighting events. The latter gives much more control about the kind of message that is going out and makes it much less likely that we will find our words twisted or misunderstood. Perhaps you have a celebrity guest speaker, your church is celebrating a milestone, or maybe twins in your congregation are both enjoying their 100th birthday with a party at the church. All of these things are of interest to your local paper and they carry very little risk of a good story being twisted into a bad one. Even if it’s not a big story, it might be something that the paper or local media could put into their ‘What’s On’ guide which is free for good causes.
Elim in Yeovil is one church that has put some extra effort into their media work over the last couple of years. The local paper has covered everything from a charity boxing match in a bouncy castle, to a service celebrating 80 years of the church. On one occasion the overflowing church found itself turning away a queue of visitors for a free stand-up gig which had received coverage in local papers and on the BBC Somerset website. Admittedly, not every event gets such enthusiastic interest but the coverage has undoubtedly had a positive impact. The reporting has all been positive as well, because the leadership team has carefully chosen which things to publicise. If fear or lack of experience is putting you off engaging with the media then I would encourage you to give it a go. Last year, I started a free resource for churches with advice on things like spotting a story, selling a story and being interviewed on the radio. • If you want to know more, please visit www.yourchurchinthenews.org