NEWS END OF MARCH 2012

Dear Friends,

After speaking at a Baptist church in South Wales near Newport on 27th, I am to share with students at ICC (International Christian College) in Glasgow on 29th March. From 1st to 5th March I am to be at Acomb Baptist Church (York). My lecture in Oxford (10th April) is to be my last formal event before leaving the UK for Kenya on 12th April 2012. Please give thanks for the good outcome of our conferences, wisdom to know 'where to from here', the speaking engagements I remain with in the UK, my time in Acomb, and then to find folks well back in Kenya from mid-April.

See attached for details of my latest (third) book, "Theory to Practice in Vulnerable Mission", that came to press in February. Available from Amazon or from Veronica.

Report on Alliance for Vulnerable Mission conference, Cliff College, Derbyshire, 20th to 21st March 2012.

This 24 hours of conference was packed with presentations and discussions. Even then, the time seemed much too short – especially on the part of some of the young people who had come loaded with numerous questions. Although attendance was low, a total of about 20, it included three folks who had travelled all the way from Germany and Switzerland.

Eight presentations included: Book review (Tim Reeves), Introduction to VM (Jim Harries), Unhealthy Dependency to Faith Reliance (Jean Johnson – video), Roland Allen and Money (Ralph Hanger), William Carey and Missionary Support (Ralph Hanger), VM vis-a-vis Mainstream Mission and Missiology (Stan Nussbaum – video), Vulnerable Mission Presentation (Stephen Skuce), Local languages and Resources in Mission to Africa (Jim Harries).

The relatively low attendance at the conference shows that we still have work to do to get the word about VM further 'out there'. On the other hand, the quality of discussion was often excellent, and demonstrated that we have made progress since the last conference at Cliff College in 2009. Thanks to Stephen Skuce and the community at Cliff college for hosting us, and for Cathy Randle for administering the conference on the side of the AVM. Thanks for TWR (UK) for co-sponsoring.

Jim

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