MID NOVEMBER 2019

Dear Friends,

Thanks for those who continue to pray. I arrived safely in Andover in the UK at about midnight on Saturday 26th October. The following day I was heavily involved in church programmes at my home church, the Andover Baptist Church. I have continued to volunteer to fill ‘available roles’ at the church since them. Those roles including doing some pastoral visiting during my UK time.

Saturday 2nd November was the ‘great’ celebration, giving thanks for over 31 years of missionary service in Africa. A crowd of about 50 people included visitors from supporting churches in Germany, and from Wantage in the UK. Give thanks for our pastor here in Andover, who was born and raised in Zimbabwe, so had a good idea of the kinds of questions he should be asking me in the interview that we had. People left challenged and encouraged.

The prior week I went, accompanied by Peter Stagg, to lead a prayer meeting at the headquarters of World Evangelistic Crusade in the UK. The following two days I took part in a conference looking at the topics of language and power in the future of mission. This was held at a conference centre in Hertfordsire. Our main speaker articulated his conviction after 20 years of research, that the way we consider ‘mission’ from the West today is deeply flawed and needed serious attention. We had various encouraging inputs, plus opportunity to get to know one another better in general. Amazingly, our speaker from the USA confided in me, that he has for years been using an article that I wrote back in 2000, in mission courses to students in the USA!

Give thanks that a friend in Kenya has assured me that she has edited the manuscript I gave her in Swahili to look at. I hope this means that once I am back in Kenya we can soon be publishing another Christian book in the Swahili language.

Please pray for the days ahead. I am to be in Andover until the 16th November. From 16th November to 7th December I am to be in Norwich in Norfolk, plus a few trips to London for conferences and visits. Our own conference, in which spaces remain, is to be from 8th to 11th December. Go to this link Jim

Missionaries: aliens, providers, or fellow travellers