Bishop to discuss our concerns for the who have been touched in some way by future. He was very gracious. We asked the ministry of TFM throughout the years

My dear partners in prayer and supporters if the August deadline was set in stone - converted, encouraged, entered the of the ministry of TFM, and he implied that there was a ministry full time or who simply know of

short/medium term pressure but agreed someone near and dear to them who has I begin my letter by saying, that despite that the market would suggest it was a been affected in such a way. It confirms current world circumstances and daily bad time both for the Diocese and us that 'our labour has not been in vain'. reports of businesses going to the wall, personally to sell any property. As you Amongst the thousands who receive our you have once again proved that the may appreciate nothing is definite yet. newsletter I am conscious that I have power of prayer and the generosity of a We found the meeting a comfort and it many friends all over the country and for heart given to the Lord overcomes even gave us a sense that we can 'walk that I am truly grateful to God.the apparently impossible.gracefully' into retirement rather than

God is ever doing a new thing and I feel Gifts large and small - but all entirely being rushed into it. We continue to wait that if I am less on the road in the future welcome, gratefully and humbly received - on the Lord for His provision.I will have time to pray and be guided have consistently arrived in the office

As the Newsletter and Prayer Diary only into new paths of service for Him within since the last Newsletter, which has given lands on your mat three times a year, may the context of TFM. We have a unique us the reassurance of your continuing love we encourage you to sign up for the ministry and as there are far less and been an expression of your backing Weekly Prayer News via email or use the Evangelistic organisations in evidence in and support. You have told us of clear Prayer Line (01954 210327), to keep you the country these days, our endeavour is leading and guidance from the Lord and up to date with developments. to encourage this ministry in others, there have been meetings and collections

perhaps by more training schools and by groups and churches giving sacrificially. It has taken me rather by surprise that I workshops.The 'Appeal' stands at £80k but the have to retire from the Church of England

considerable number of you who have in August but it is not my intention to Yours gratefully in Christbeen able to make promises to support us retire from TFM just yet. Over the next on an on-going, monthly basis has also few years I will gradually 'let out' the thrilled us. We are so grateful to you and ministry more and more to the rest of the to God. team but I will 'keep my face in the frame'

and take on a selection of engagements. Your reward, besides the knowledge that I find the constant travelling more you honour God, is in knowing that you exhausting now and so I am being more have enabled us to continue planning and cautious regarding my diary.preparing for missions well into 2011. I

can honestly say that as a team we have I must tell you what has been so never had such a full diary for the coming We often receive letters from heartening to me lately. Everywhere I go, years. At a recent staff meeting we African Christians, in prison for to conduct a mission or to speak at a discussed the plans for two-dozen various reasons - sometimes even Night of Colour, I am approached by folk forthcoming missions, plus there are three on Death Row, who are in need of major Walks in the offing and requests pen pals to stand by them and continue to come in! Hallelujah! encourage them in the Lord whilst

they are in such difficult A recent exciting development has been

circumstances. In the office we just an approach by a couple of Christian

do not have the capacity to keep up businessmen who have expressed a

a correspondence with these desire to help TFM continue its work,

people and so I wonder if any of undisturbed, in its current premises for a

you are able to take on such a while. We hope to be able to share more

responsibility? If you are interested of the details with you as they emerge,

please get in touch with me and I hopefully at the Prayer Partners’

will give you details and advice. Conference on 9 May at Swavesey (see

(Hebrews 13:3 Remember those in advert later).

prison as if you were their fellow Also, Gillie and I spent an hour with the prisoners…”)

Daniel writes ...

Pen Pals

newsAPRIL 2009

Roger writes...

Well we seem to be emerging from a real winter for a change and I have managed to avoid the snow around the country. As ever there has been a mixed response to the Gospel with some glorious moments of seeing lives changed through to some real opposition! During the latter part of last year/early this year I had a run of missions in Ireland and here is some of the feedback;

- After a slow initial follow up over 60 people attended a course, plus around 15 teenagers in a fairly rural setting

- A lady who thought she was a Christian, during the mission realised she was not, but ultimately became a Christian!

- A number of people from different traditions and backgrounds have come to really know the Lord in a personal way

- A boy who I stopped from running into the road turned up at a church outreach event with his family and has now been baptised!!

- Many children responded to the Lord at an activity day

- Many powerful encounters of healing in some outreaches

- A lady who came to Christ was followed by her husband and now the teenage children are beginning to ask questions.

The mission in Millisle, NI in February was a real blessing with a good response to the Gospel. I am looking forward to leading a mission in Mount Merrion in East Belfast with my son Chris who will be leading a team of 10 students from his college at Moorlands in May. There are also missions in Crawley in June and in September we have Walk National Forest.

Thank you for your prayers. Jill is fine but we would value your continuing prayers for protection on our home, especially when I am away, as there have been some sporadic incidents, but on the whole they are largely waning! You may remember that we shared that some monies had been stolen out of our account in 07 - well the bank has finally reinstated the monies in full!

Jill and I have been involved in the Well Christian Healing Centre for over 5 years now and during a recent celebration it was good to look back to see how the Lord has been at work in so many lives. There was one story shared of a young man who we helped from a very rough and drug related background that was a great testimony to the Lord's healing power, as he is now a committed Christian and team member.

Our son Chris and wife Abbi are well and now really seeking what the Lord is calling them to when Chris finishes his degree next year. Our daughter Carol, husband Andy and grandsons Thomas and Matthew are doing well in New Zealand enjoying a good summer having moved locally recently.

The God Confusion

Six students from the Cornhill Training Course joined regular TFM team members under John Hibberd's leadership for a week of mission in the beautiful Cornish seaside town of Fowey. This is the first time we have worked with this group and they did really well. The mission was planned for early in the year so as to reach local people; for 6 months of the year their focus is tourism. The first half of the programme included Hot Potato evening events where John spoke and took questions, the best attended being on the theme of Jesus' unique claims in a multi-faith society. A strong schools programme built on the excellent work being done by ministry trainees, Amy (Primary School) and Jake (College); this included lunchtime grill-a-Christian events that grew in numbers day by day. Daniel joined us on Thursday for a series of main meetings and by the end of the week there was a good clutch of people to be followed up, as well as some significant contacts from door-to-door visiting.

Quotes from the Fowey Mission. “…huge encouragements..” and “…thrilled to hear their reflections (of the missions team).” and “…with immense gratitude…”

Fowey team

Missions, Missions, Missions!

Our calendar is bursting with Mission opportunities. Here are just a few that are planned for your ongoing prayers.

Church at Fowey showing the Mission banner

2009 2010

2011

April Holloway, London Jan Lisburn Methodist, N.I.May Mt Merrion, N.I. Feb St Paul's, Lisburn, N.I.

Hartshill Mar Tempo, N.I.Jun Crawley Tobermore N.I.

Lincoln Spine Walk Apr Holloway Easter missionSt John's Stratford May Bicester villages

Sept Walk National Forest Jun Hook Norton Oct Saintfield & Cranagill, N.I. Sept Walk Wales

Hastings OreWellington SquareHastings Spine Walk tbc Walk Dorset

Nov St Marks, Portadown N.I.

The Gospel in the snow.

Back in February a wonderfully evocative newspaper article appeared. It reported how residents of Primrose Hill in London were out enjoying the snow when 15 police officers appeared at the top of the hill carrying riot shields. This seemed a rather harsh response to a bit of fun, until the officers then sat on their shields to toboggan downhill.

The scene was not so far removed from a hillside in Chelwood Gate, West Sussex, the month before. The snow then was equally deep and crisp and even, but instead of police officers it was youth leaders and instead of riot shields, kitchen trays were the sledges of choice.

It was one of several unlikely activities during an action-packed youth weekend at which Associate Minister of Missions Jonathan Mortimer was speaking along with Jonni Brunton, a team member on Walk East Sussex Coast last year. The weekend's theme was 'Getting real with Jesus', based on the story of the paralysed man in Mark 2. The large youth group from St. Mary's church in Slaugham ranging in age from 11 to 18 were encouraged to identify with his forgiveness and healing by Jesus. Many made a step of faith in response at the Sunday morning communion service.

The weekend was not without cost. Temperatures plummeted in the night to minus 12 whilst noise-levels from the bedrooms remained high. In addition to sleep deprivation, various injuries were suffered during the Saturday wide game, including sprained knee ligaments by Jonathan. In the Accident and Emergency department the following day he was given a pair of crutches, pain-killing tablets and the advice that he should perhaps act his age - tobogganing on kitchen trays and wide games with people 35 years younger may just be things of the past.

Jonathan Mortimer and Jonni Brunton conferring on how to get across the Gospel, and toget through the youth weekend.

Six ladies and four men comprised the Walk team that undertook this year's mission (postponed last January, because of Kenyan political strife). Under the guidance of Pastor David Kereto ( Director of the Maasai Evangelistic Association) we were located in two centres - Olorroito for the first week and Olepariata for the second. Both are rural Maasai communities, where the families are largely herders. In both cases the ongoing drought is a very serious problem, with consequent famine. Olepariata is the worse hit, being in a semi-arid zone to start with.

communities. For that week, we joined The team undertook a mix of home-to- with a team of Maasai evangelists from a home visiting, schools work, preaching in different area and also were part of a very Sunday worship, some open air work in a special bull-roasting festival, which many small town, and a visit to a prison. Whilst of the local men attended (free food is similar to what would be undertaken at good in any country!!). Our prayer is for home, the way it works is rather different. the establishing of a local congregation, Home-to-home usually results in a small and a building to worship in. One team congregation gathering under a tree, with member had come with a financial gift an invitation to give testimony and towards that, so a start was actually made preach. In schools, almost always there while we were there.are committed Christians among the staff,

Team life in a different culture, and where and typically one would be given the the practicalities of life are very different whole school for a whole afternoon. In from normal experience, brings its own the second week, there was a national challenges. However, God is good, and teachers strike under way, and so over the two and a half weeks of the Olepariata school welcomed us with open mission, prayers for a sweet team life arms!were abundantly answered.

Over the two weeks, many made So, at the end of January, ten rather professions of faith (98 in the first week weary TFMers embarked on a journey alone). The local Christians have much to that would take around 36 hours to get follow up. The seriousness of these back home, much enriched by the people was undeniable. The intention in experience, and reassured by local the first week was to contribute to the

establishing of a new church in the village. On arrival, it consisted of a few wooden benches, in the open, in the area of land that has been given for the church building, and a congregation provided by Christians from nearby

Christians that the effort of going and witnessing (albeit always via translation) is more than worth it. “When people see how much effort you have taken to come and share this news, they take it very seriously” was the local leader David Kereto's remark.

Report On Walk Kenya 2009

The Kenya TeamClockwise from top left; David Rhodes, Angie Scott, Philip Tory, Jane Riedel, Hilary Donnelly, Ian Silk, Paula Preston, Richard Scott, Eva McCulloch and Sheila Hughes

Right: The Team at Olorroito Primary schoolBelow: Visiting Narok prison

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st31 Annual Prayer Partners' Conference

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“The Sword and the Trowel”

Walk Wales 2010

Following an invite from Stuart Bell in Aberystwyth, Daniel, Jonathan and David Baslington travelled to Wales in January to meet with over 30 representatives from many Churches in SW Wales. As a result TFM has been invited to lead Walk Wales 2010. The details are still to be worked out but the intention is to go along the new West Wales Coastal path and the Pembrokeshire Coast path a distance of some 300 miles between Aberystwyth and Laugharne.

Urgent Call for Team Members This Year

Will you join us on Mission? The “Forest” takes in parts of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The website gives you all that a visitor needs to know, but what does a mission team member need to know?

q The mission will last 2 weeks: 12-27 September 2009.q The initial invitation came from a group of ministers in the Coalville area. We now

have a good Task Force representing the whole area and different denominations. q The area has many ex-mining communities, the brewery town of Burton-on-Trent,

lots of villages and the National Memorial Arboretum, one of the most visited places in England.

q The need is for hundreds of team members, so please sign up early. q Training will take place at many regional weekends by our Evangelists' Association

groups. The deadline for training and for signing up as a team member will be the end of June.

q There is a Leaders' training event 25-26 April 2009 in Whitwick. We will send personal invites out for this.

is the website address for this walk. Have you registered yet?

http://www.nationalforest.org/visit/

www.walkforest.org.uk

ALK W

N TA ST EIO RN OAL F

Below: Daniel speaking with one of the Welsh representatives at the Walk Wales exploring meeting in Cardigan

School assembly: Walk Kenya 2009