Rain, and my phone forecasts it for the rest of the week. So it looks like the marquee's going up in the wet, and the Bank Holiday weekend will get muddy.
I nipped round the fifty yards from the Farm House to Central Office dodging the showers. In the main reception our African AMEN guys were gathered to be kitted out with warm red fleeces and knitted beanies. The flame patterns suggested these are Jesus Fellowship's equivalent of bishops' mitres.
In the Farm lounge the complement was made up with Mark and Christiaan from Switzerland and Colney from India. Each of the guys gave a review of the last year. Desmond was freshly returned from western Brazil. There, together with Paulo who joined us at last year's conference, he'd commissioned a new Multiply group. We new face the challenge of translating our material into Portuguese. Steven added to Saturday's brief update by mentioning that he'd been contacted from Mozambique, Angola and South Africa. Matthew had similarly been contacted from Togo, Cameroon and Benin, as well as progressing the established group in Ghana.
Colney is quietly unassuming, with a remarkable track record. Last autumn he heard that the Hindu celebrations in Nepal involved sacrificing 250,000 cattle. He'd been gripped with urgency to visit or somehow mobilise prayer. The two recent earthquakes have created an unparallelled opening for the gospel, though pastors are now desperate for even two sheets of corrugated iron to replace roofs. He also said the that our gifts of video cameras and supporting IT kit resulted in his boys at the orphanage in Cuttack getting distinctions in their school certificates.
Pete, head of our pastoral department, spoke at some length about the need for Multiply to show excellence in safeguarding matters. Here's an area where we can help other groups to achieve a balanced practise through accountability in the network and with proper training. Next, Ed encouraged excellence in our practical projects, particularly by better planning and preparation.
By lunchtime the sun had broken through, and woolly hats came off. Relief for the tent team, too.
A bunch of our younger folks assembled to share their experiences of projects connected with the international visits. Claire got excited at the prospect of a 'reverse' internship, where UK folks do six months with the partner churches, rather than us hosting their delegates. It certainly seems that a month is a better timescale for visits.
Mark and Piet rounded off the updates on the last year in Europe. They were passionate for the radicality of brotherhood in the face of one-dimensional church life. Radical sharing of and obedience to the word of God, not 'reason' or disappointments, was a recurring theme during the day. It's remarkable how this AMEN group has come to a place of deep trust, courageous speaking and wise exchange in our varied church-building ministries. God always has more.
I nipped round the fifty yards from the Farm House to Central Office dodging the showers. In the main reception our African AMEN guys were gathered to be kitted out with warm red fleeces and knitted beanies. The flame patterns suggested these are Jesus Fellowship's equivalent of bishops' mitres.
In the Farm lounge the complement was made up with Mark and Christiaan from Switzerland and Colney from India. Each of the guys gave a review of the last year. Desmond was freshly returned from western Brazil. There, together with Paulo who joined us at last year's conference, he'd commissioned a new Multiply group. We new face the challenge of translating our material into Portuguese. Steven added to Saturday's brief update by mentioning that he'd been contacted from Mozambique, Angola and South Africa. Matthew had similarly been contacted from Togo, Cameroon and Benin, as well as progressing the established group in Ghana.
Colney is quietly unassuming, with a remarkable track record. Last autumn he heard that the Hindu celebrations in Nepal involved sacrificing 250,000 cattle. He'd been gripped with urgency to visit or somehow mobilise prayer. The two recent earthquakes have created an unparallelled opening for the gospel, though pastors are now desperate for even two sheets of corrugated iron to replace roofs. He also said the that our gifts of video cameras and supporting IT kit resulted in his boys at the orphanage in Cuttack getting distinctions in their school certificates.
Pete, head of our pastoral department, spoke at some length about the need for Multiply to show excellence in safeguarding matters. Here's an area where we can help other groups to achieve a balanced practise through accountability in the network and with proper training. Next, Ed encouraged excellence in our practical projects, particularly by better planning and preparation.
By lunchtime the sun had broken through, and woolly hats came off. Relief for the tent team, too.
A bunch of our younger folks assembled to share their experiences of projects connected with the international visits. Claire got excited at the prospect of a 'reverse' internship, where UK folks do six months with the partner churches, rather than us hosting their delegates. It certainly seems that a month is a better timescale for visits.
Mark and Piet rounded off the updates on the last year in Europe. They were passionate for the radicality of brotherhood in the face of one-dimensional church life. Radical sharing of and obedience to the word of God, not 'reason' or disappointments, was a recurring theme during the day. It's remarkable how this AMEN group has come to a place of deep trust, courageous speaking and wise exchange in our varied church-building ministries. God always has more.
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