Search results for .ovi
As the seasons change
In my head, it was supposed to work out something like this… “I didn’t believe in Jesus but now you’ve argued with me for an hour, I see I was completely wrong. Can I give my life to Christ?” In the impetuous days of my youth, arguing seemed like a really good evangelism strategy. Seeing that…
Dee Balshaw
Creating a culture of family
A while ago I asked God to show me how we can join him in building our community into a family. I have since discovered that it's a complex process, but at its heart is a simple ethic: one of inviting people inwards. As well as Sunday worship, we have a variety of events that extend that invitation…
Nick Graves
Creative ways to reach the millennial generation
In just two decades the number of 20-somethings in the Church has halved. You were more likely to survive the Titanic than ‘survive’ Church into adulthood. More than 40 per cent of 18 – 24 year olds think “religion is more often the cause of evil in the world”. At the Evangelical Alliance, we…
Amaris Cole
Five secrets to sharing Jesus with elderly parents
David had been raised in a close-knit family with an upper middle class lifestyle and value system. His father was a successful businessman with an international reputation, and his mother a professor of Middle European culture and languages. When he became a Christian at university his parents…
Louise Morse
How to nail Father’s Day at your church
The idea of celebrating Father’s Day in church is one that divides us. Is it an opportunity not to be missed? An irrelevance? A cause for celebration? Commercial exploitation? What are your views? Perhaps you think it’s fine as a secular tradition, but not for the church? Hopefully I can change…
Mark Chester
It may well be later than you think
Four years ago I found a lump on my ribs. I went to hospital and was told that I had a rare type of cancer called liposarcoma. I then went through lots of surgery and chemotherapy, and was told that they’d caught the cancer early. Everything seemed fine. Then, 19 months ago, I went to adjust my…
Jeremy Marshall
Junction moments
Prior to coming to serve at the Evangelical Alliance, I spent 14 years working for Youth for Christ. I loved seeing many young people come to faith and was constantly encouraged by the overwhelming percentage of people in the UK who do so under the age of 25. I was also quite taken with an image…
Gavin Calver
I met Jesus at a toddler group
My story of coming to faith in Jesus is a little unusual. Coming from a Hindu background, I first met Jesus as an adult… at a toddler group! As a child, my belief in God was a big factor in my life. My mother instilled in me the beautiful core beliefs of the Hindu faith and modelled true devotion…
Min Street
Mike Royal - Share his story
I’m convinced the opportunity the church has, to share the message of Jesus, is built on the credibility of the great work the church has done over the last 15 years. As the saying goes:people don't care about what you know, until they know that you care. My own story started in the leafy suburbs…
Mike Royal
More than a playgroup
Childcare facilities are a crucial part of our society. They are places of retreat for parents, where they can seek help, guidance, or just find some time to talk to an adult. They are places where children can grow cognitively, physically, and emotionally. These are hubs; places that communities…
Joel Botham
Ten ways to keep your church focused on evangelism
Evangelism is summarised by Robert Warren as “the processes whereby people become disciples of Jesus Christ.” Those processes are helpfully described by missiologist David Bosch: “evangelism is the core, heart and centre of missions; it consists in the proclamation of salvation in Christ to…
The Great Commission
There are clear instructions from Jesus in the Gospels to spread the good news. Jesus gave his church a mandate to go and make disciples:"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey…
J.John
The great divide
I’ve got a confession: toddler groups have saved my sanity. I’ve got three children and have spent many hours in toddler groups. They are the places where I’ve learnt that it’s okay not to be okay, a place where I’ve discussed my fears, shared my joy, laughed, cried and survived motherhood. But I…
Joe Watson
To the ends of the earth
As a University student, there are so many amazing opportunities to share Jesus with your peers. The Christian Union put on fantastic events that are the culmination of many months of careful planning, and events week, in particular, is often the focus of the Christian Union’s calendar. I think…
John Oliver
Where have all the teenagers gone?
Recent research showed that 86% of those who become Christians in the UK do so under the age of twenty-five (Evangelical Alliance, Time for Discipleship?, 7). This shows the huge need for evangelistic youth ministry and the incredible potential it possesses. The difficult and disengaging teenagers…
Gavin Calver
