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No one can escape death. We are all "terminal". But this bad news is what makes the news of God’s provision for us in Christ so good!

We often think of death as natural, and it is to the extent that it is inevitable. But in another very important sense, death is unnatural. Death became a reality for humanity because of sin. “Through one man,” the apostle Paul says, “sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12)… Yet, because of Christ, and in Christ, our terminal condition is overruled. Death, though it remains our last enemy, is defeated. And life beyond death is assured. This is the believer’s hope and confidence.

Celebrate the Reformation today and take the opportunity to learn more about Luther's life with the resources below

On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. According to God’s sovereign will, this act would come to have a seismic impact on the church and would later be seen as one of the main events to have sparked the Reformation. More than five-hundred years later, we still remember and celebrate the Reformation as a time when the gospel was restored to the church and the wonderful Christian doctrine of justification by grace alone was clarified.

Hear recent encouragements from TASTE and learn how you can pray for them

TASTE writes:

“For many of us, getting water is simply turning on one of the many taps in our home. However, for many families in Nigeria, getting water means walking long distances – 5k or more and then carrying the heavy containers on their head back to their community. So, asking someone to ‘put the kettle on for a brew’ is easier said than done. In fact, you wouldn’t say it unless you really want them to spend the rest of the day going to fetch water so you can have that brew. TASTE is working in Nigerian communities to provide them with water so that if they do want a ‘quick brew’ it would indeed be as ‘quick’ as you and I understand it. Thank you for helping us make ‘a quick brew’ possible in many communities, with your continued help we can ensure other communities can ‘put the kettle on.’”

This November, as part of our focus on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), we are excited to welcome our partner Jamal to speak!

Jamal leads a ministry serving displaced communities in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. His work includes providing for both the practical and the spiritual needs of Syrian widows, and the discipling of new believers from a variety of backgrounds.

He distributes thousands of Kurdish Bibles and is passionate about equipping displaced Christians to demonstrate the love of Christ to their fellow refugees.

Jamal will share his story and talk about the powerful ways God is using his ministry. There will be an opportunity to put questions to him and to pick up VoPC resources. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

We’d love you to join us to hear how persecuted Christians are shining the light of Jesus in northern Iraq.

Date: Wednesday the 18th of November at 7:30pm

Location: Trinity Grace Church, 9 Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, BL0 9AB

Against the backdrop of confusion and misunderstanding that often surrounds the doctrine of baptism, Pascal Denault provides a clear and biblically rich exposition of our confession's teaching on the subject.

Whilst baptism is a sign and does not possess salvific power in itself, that does not make it unimportant or merely symbolic. Baptism is a true means of grace that communicates to the repentant believer the reality of their union with and new life in Christ.

A Washington state school district has ditched a policy that forced pupils to hide Christian literature received at a school-hours Bible club.

Everett Public Schools, which serves over 20,000 students, introduced a number of policy changes that LifeWise Academy — a Christian organisation that delivers off-campus Bible classes — said deliberately discriminated against its work.

After the organisation launched legal action, the district agreed to amend its policies, pay $275,000 in legal fees, publicly apologise and undergo religious liberty training.

The Sabbath Day is the feast-day of the soul. It is the day of “rest and gladness” that ought to be the highlight of every believer’s week.

Many Christians today view “Sabbath observance” as unbiblical, outdated, and unnecessary, and are therefore content to abandon it altogether. Oftentimes, insisting that the Lord’s Day should be a day of rest from our ordinary work is seen as legalistic. Yet, God instituted the Sabbath for the good of all creation. His command to rest is not a burden; it is the believer’s greatest delight.

The famine in Pokot continues to cause much distress and fear amongst the families in the region. Pray for the Lord to provide for his people in this troubling situation.

TRAIN Kenya writes:

“In August we launched an appeal in the light of a growing crisis in the Pokot region due to crop failure on a massive scale. Sadly, there has been no help available so far from the government, or even from NGOs, and there is growing fear amongst the people that they will not be able to feed their families. We thank God for the response to the initial appeal, which meant that we were enabled to arrange for two truckloads (21.6 metric tonnes) of grain, which provided for over 500 households for a six-week period. This has meant that all the families connected with the churches grouped around the four main centres (Kamketo, Kasei, Chepkinagh and Wasat) have had sufficient until recently. However, their supplies have now largely run out and they are in great fear and distress.”

Learn more about the work the Lord is doing in Pakistan

MERF writes:

“Praise and thank the Lord for raising up our eighteen pastors and nine evangelists to preach the Gospel in different areas and for establishing faithful congregations. The nine evangelists have graduated from three years of training in our Theological Seminary of Pakistan, but are yet to be ordained. All are committed to preaching the true gospel and reaching out to the surrounding areas. The Lord has blessed us with many opportunities… Praise the Lord that two of our evangelists have started preaching to families who work at brick kilns, usually for long hours at very low wages. Brick kiln worker families in Pakistan are often in bonded service due to being deeply in debt to the brick kiln owners. Pray for the gospel to bear good fruit in these needy communities.”

Ep 51: Thinking through anxiety with Dr J. Ryan Davidson

Can a Christian trust in God and still be anxious? Is anxiety always rooted in sin? In this episode of the Broken Wharfe podcast, Dr J. Ryan Davidson joins John-Mark to discuss what the Bible has to say about anxiety and how the gospel addresses this complex issue.

Dr. Davidson explains that anxiety can sometimes be the result of a lack of trust in God, his sovereignty, his care, and his providential direction. In such cases, Christians are called to repent and to look again to the Lord and his promises. But not every feeling of nervousness or uneasiness is necessarily sinful. Our bodies can experience anxiety-like feelings even when our hearts are resting in the Lord.

Yet the gospel gives every Christian suffering with anxiety wonderful hope. Christ owns the believer body and soul, and has promised to sustain them. The ultimate remedy for anxiety is found in the hope of Christ’s return, when every anxious thought and feeling will finally be gone and every Christian will rejoice in him. Dr Davidson’s treatment of anxiety is sensitive and pastoral, but also practical and direct.

This episode is a must listen for every Christian thinking through anxiety.

A young church in Kyiv continues it's Gospel ministry in spite of the relentless attacks.

Summer coming to an end is not just a change of seasons for those living in Ukraine. In the fifth year of the full-scale Russian invasion, autumn means an intensification of missile and drone attacks against civilian infrastructure. Please pray for suffering believers in Ukraine, and for those seeking to minister the gospel to the lost.

We, Christians, have the best of the best—the good news of a gospel that works! Let’s express it everywhere and always—by our words and by our perspectives.

Our attitudes (or perspectives) are very important ingredients in our Christian walk. They not only affect our own outlook but also those of our families, our co-workers, our friends and neighbors, our fellow church members and the lost whom we hope to evangelize. If our outlook is pessimistic or dismal, people simply do not want to be around us, much less listen to us. If we exhibit a genuine optimism and a joyful spirit, people will be attracted to our testimony.

Is contentment really possible? Amid all of life's ups and downs, it often seems like it is not. Yet, the wonderful message of the gospel is that in Jesus Christ every believer can know and experience true and lasting joy.

Contentment is founded upon God’s sovereign goodness and faithfulness to his people. The Christian can trust God in every circumstance, since he is working all things together for their ultimate good (Rom. 8:28). Nevertheless, in the midst of trials it is hard to take these truths to heart and to trust God. Our emotions and the world can readily convince us that our circumstance cannot be for our good, and we can easily become overwhelmed by bitterness, anxiety, and fear.

Since the implementation of anti-conversion laws in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra States, the risks and requirements of simply attending a church service are rapidly multiplying for believers and seekers in these regions.

“Only Christians are allowed to enter church for prayers. If others come of their own free will, they will be held responsible for their choice.”

Signs bearing this warning have been set up outside over ten churches in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh State, India. In the wake of a recently implemented anti-conversion law, the signs have been placed, perhaps surprisingly, by the churches themselves.

These worrying developments point to the growing pattern of restrictions and suspicion towards believers. This pattern, at present, is affecting our brothers and sisters in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra States – however, it could continue to ripple out to other areas where Christians are already experiencing persecution and discrimination because of anti-conversion laws.

Read about what the Lord is doing in Thailand and how you can pray.

Nico writes:

“Greetings from Thailand in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus told his disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him, and to go therefore and make disciples of all nations. Because Jesus is Lord over sin and death and the universe, we ought to joyfully obey. Birchleigh Baptist Church sent us out as missionaries to Thailand two and a half years ago. We work with Timothy Two Project International, where our focus is on training pastors who have no or minimal theological training, providing basic teaching in systematic theology, Christian living, and church ministry. We conduct this training through workshops. We also focus on building relationships and church planting and evangelism. We all do this to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, as the Westminster Catechism states.”

In the report, it is encouraging to hear that Nico and his co-pastor, Matt, have more opportunities to teach the Gospel than they currently can take up. There is clearly much spiritual hunger in this part of the globe. Let us pray that God would be pleased for us to send Benedict and Isabel in time to aid with this great work, and that he would save many lost needy souls in the country of Thailand.

Read the encouraging reports of the APC runs in Zambia (June) and Northern Nigeria (September).

We thank God for answered prayers in relation to the recent conferences in Northern Nigeria. The whole team was kept safe, and the conferences took place without molestation or interference. The APC team reports:

“Across the five conferences, 1,695 delegates gathered to hear the Word of God and consider how the whole of Scripture reveals Christ and His redemptive purposes. The delegates represented a broad range of backgrounds… One of the most encouraging features was the delegates’ engagement. For many, biblical theology was new and unfamiliar, yet they listened attentively, asked thoughtful questions, and interacted seriously with the teaching.”

We are also thankful for the APC run in Zambia, which took place in June. Praise God for all that has been accomplished, and for the growing impact that APCs are having on hundreds and hundreds of pastors across the continent from Pentecostal and Word of Faith backgrounds.

Read the latest news from IRBS.

Dr Renihan writes:

“October is here and though the world will be taken up with darkness, as servants of the Light we will be focused on advancing the kingdom of God. Many have asked for updates on the remarkable recovery of Dr Dolezal. Here is an update his wife sent me recently:

James is improving every day, thanks much to the outpatient therapy he receives. He has been to church every Sunday and has even braved a few other outings with his family (grocery shopping and dinner out). When he’s not out, he spends most of his days at home, reading, visiting with friends,
or resting. Both his brain and eye injuries keep him from the kind and quantity of reading he was used to, but they’re not keeping him from books.

Please pray for continued healing. We are very thankful for this good news. Please continue to pray for James, Courtney and the family.

Renovations on our new building are continuing and we hope to receive a certificate of occupancy within the next weeks. Our goal is to have everything in place for Dr Riddle’s Gospels class in mid October. That will be a wonderful way to begin life at our new location.

Thank you for your prayers and support. The Lord is doing wonderful things in our midst.”

If providence is the outworking of God’s rule, then our fear reveals whether we truly believe God is holy and righteous in what he appoints.

Providence can be a terrifying subject, not because God is unclear, but because we are. When the Lord appoints circumstances we would never choose, our hearts instinctively rise with questions, fears, and anxieties. Yet Scripture repeatedly presses one great lesson upon us. Do not fear providence, fear God.

Fifteen men have been convicted and sentenced to over 200 years in prison for involvement in the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019 in Sri Lanka.

The devastating attacks targeted three churches and three hotels, killing over 200 people – amongst them, many believers. Now, seven years of pain and grief later, the pursuit of justice is seeing results.

The suspects were prosecuted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Murder, conspiracy and illegal firearms possession are only three of the unprecedented 23,270 charges levied against the suspects, resulting in a sentencing of 220 years.

Praise God for his mercy in hearing the cries of his people in Sri Lanka. Please pray that Christians across the nation would have peace at this time.

EP17 Sam Waldron: Optimistic Eschatology, Biblical Prophecy, and the Age to Come

hat does the Bible teach about the end times, the rapture, Israel and the return of Jesus Christ? Dr. Sam Waldron joins us in the Coffee House to explore optimistic amillennialism, Bible prophecy and the gospel age.

Will Christians be raptured before the tribulation? Are Israel and the church two separate peoples of God? Does Ezekiel predict a rebuilt third temple? How should we understand the millennium, the Antichrist and Satan’s “little season” in Revelation 20?

Drawing on decades of teaching and his book, The Doctrine of Last Things: An Optimistic Amillennial View, Dr. Waldron explains how Jesus’ teaching about this age and the age to come provides a framework for understanding biblical eschatology. He examines dispensationalism and other millennial views while showing why we, as Christians, can have confidence that Christ will build his church throughout the world.

Psalm 3 is a prayer guide for every troubled believer.

Sometimes we feel like almost everyone is against us. Often that’s inaccurate. But David isn’t exaggerating: ‘Many are my foes … Many are rising against me … many’ are saying that God cannot save me (1, 2)… But David didn’t lose hope. He depicts God as if he were his last friend. David knew he was outmatched by his enemies. God is not. He is a protective shield around his children. Truly ‘many thousands of people’ had surrounded David to kill him (6). But by trusting God, David could lay down and sleep without fear.

Ligonier's State of Theology UK survey provides significant supporting evidence that many congregations are seeing an influx of newcomers.

There has been discussion of a ‘quiet revival’ in the UK in recent years, alongside anecdotal accounts of an increase in church attendance. Naturally, this has been contested in some quarters, but Ligonier’s State of Theology UK survey provides significant supporting evidence that many congregations are seeing an influx of newcomers. This strengthens the growing sentiment that churches in the UK have an open door to teach many people who are new to the Christian faith.

Remarkably, 28% of evangelicals surveyed agreed with the statement ‘In the past 1–2 years, I have started attending Sunday church services for the first time as an adult.’ This indicates that nearly one-third of UK evangelicals are newcomers to churches. A closer look at the background of these ‘new evangelicals’ shows that they are more likely to be younger adults aged 25–44, more likely to be male, and more likely to be from ethnic minorities.

Christian missions does not begin with us. It does not begin with the missionary who goes, or even with the church that sends him. Missions begins with the Lord Himself.

The Church is certainly a sent people. Jesus calls us “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and Revelation pictures the churches as lampstands bearing witness to Christ. As the body of Christ, the whole Church has been sent to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations.

At the same time, the Church is the body that sends. From among her members, the Church identifies qualified and called men and women, commissions them, and sends them to make Christ known where He is not yet known. These missionaries do not go as independent religious adventurers. They go on behalf of Christ’s church (Acts 13:1–4).

Sending is not merely “a moment.” The churches that send missionaries remain their co-laborers. We support them, pray for them, care for them, encourage them, and hold them accountable (Acts 14:26–28). They go, and we go with them through our fellowship in the gospel.

The 1,300 population of Glo-Village Rakubeleng are overwhelmed with their new water facilities which were commissioned and handed over to them earlier this month.

There is joy and gratitude because community members can now access clean and safe water on their doorstep. At the same time, the project carries a deep significance as the community decided to dedicate the project to the memory of Zarep Semiah, the 5 month old son of Abigail of one of our volunteers. Zarep was killed in the car accident which happen in March 2025 when our Training team were going out to a community to do some training.
This water facility will continue to impact lives in the community, both in providing safe drinking water and will also be a legacy of Zarep for years to come.
We are also thankful to God that we were also able to comfort the family and the community in their loss and sadness by pointing them to the source of the true comfort and Life changing water – our Lord Jesus Christ.

An encouraging update on MERF's Somali ministry.

For around two decades, twice a week, MERF’s Somali language radio programmes have aired Christ’s good news far and wide in the midst of an overwhelmingly harsh Islamic environment. By God’s grace, many respond to the gospel. Inquirers are carefully followed up. MERF puts Somali Bibles in the hands of hungry souls, and translates, prints and distributes
basic Christian literature to build young believers solidly in the faith. Printed Bibles and Christian literature are very much in demand. The team recently reprinted these translations: Living the Christian Life by Albert Martin, Healthy Christian Growth by Sinclair Ferguson and Coming to Faith in Christ by John Benton.

If God is God, then He is sovereign over all things.

Our world view affirms a divine Providence who governs human history. He doesn’t just govern the orbits of the planets. He is sovereign over everything. That’s the idea that defines our whole understanding of human life, our whole understanding of economics, our whole understanding of government, our whole understanding of education. That concept is on a collision course with every philosophy in human history that would deny the sovereignty of God over human life.

The Protestant Church in Algeria is small and Islamist groups are becoming increasingly intolerant of non-Muslim religion.

Prior to independence Algeria was home to more than a million who would have identified as being from a Christian background (mainly French). The majority were evacuated to France in 1962. Today around 98% of Algeria’s 44 million population would identify as Sunni Muslim. Some would claim there has been a modest rise in Algerians calling themselves non-religious, particularly among younger adults.

Algeria’s constitution declares Islam to be the state religion, but also declares that freedom of “creed and opinion” should be maintained.

The Protestant Church in Algeria is small, and mainly confined to the Kabyle Berber ethnic group in the north of the country. In the past churches have generally been free to meet, although in recent years there have been periodic government crackdowns on Christians. Islamist groups in Algeria are increasingly intolerant of non-Muslim religion.

At Trinity Grace Church, you will always receive the warmest of welcomes!

We love to receive newcomers, and we want to do everything possible to make everyone feel at home amongst us. To help with this, we have a programme of special events that are especially suited to newcomers. Please see the schedule attached. We also seek to offer a friendly welcome to all our mens and ladies meetings, children’s clubs and regular services. Please come along and find out for yourself.

The Assisted Suicide Bill was rejected by 286 votes to 270 on the 11th September.

Ciarán Kelly of the Christian Institute writes: Wonderfully, the House of Commons has rejected the attempt to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales by 286 votes to 270.

Please join us in giving praise and thanks to God for this deliverance for our nation. It is a tremendous result, and we give him the glory.
Thank you for your prayers and your contact with MPs. Under God, this has been a huge team effort, over a long period of time. We’re grateful to you, and also to our many co-workers from across the political and philosophical spectrum who have worked so hard towards this truly vital victory.

I’m relieved that MPs understood that legalising state-sponsored suicide would put tens of thousands of vulnerable people at risk. After years of media coverage favouring the assisted suicide lobby, this is a fantastic outcome. Please join me in praying that it would help start to dismantle the myths that have misled so many into believing that assisted suicide is an act of compassion.

The ladies meeting here at Trinity Grace are a warm, welcoming place where we seek to grow in our faith and in our love for God and each other as we study the word of God together.

We usually have
our meetings once a month on Saturdays from October to June. We have a theme for the year and we have covered subjects from “Women Who Encountered Jesus” and “Contentment”. Sometimes we will study a complete book of the Bible in the year as we did with Ephesians; other times we will focus on specific passages like the ‘Fruit of the Spirit” or “The Beatitudes.” The book we shall be reading and studying through this session is: “The Whole Armour Of God” by Iain Duguid. The next meeting is schedules for 17th October 2026.

Please pray for Oumar in Cameroon. After surviving a Boko Haram attack, a bullet remains dangerously lodged in his leg, prolonging the physical and mental anguish of the brutal attack.

Oumar was left for dead when Boko Haram militants attacked his community in north Cameroon. Incredibly, he survived. However, a bullet remains dangerously lodged in his leg, reminding him of the brutality of what happened.

More than 12 people were killed when the militants attacked on 20 January 2026. Oumar’s neighbour was amongst those who lost their lives.

“After he died, we spent the day digging the grave and buried him,” Oumar recalls. “In the evening, Boko Haram returned. They pulled out Adama, the elder brother of the one who died, and me. After taking me out of the city, I told them I would not go with them. I cried for help, and then they shot me.”

Adama – married and a father of seven – was tragically killed. Oumar was shot in the leg.

We are thankful to God for continuing to keep our team in Nigeria safe as they travel to remote communities to carry out projects.

Please continue to pray for these communities many of which are facing relentless and brutal attacks, which are sadly likely to get worse as the election in early 2027 looms.
One such attack happened on the night of 30 July 2026.
Naridon village in, Kauru Local Government Area (LGA), Kaduna State, was plunged into unimaginable grief when terrorist attacked without warning killing 30 innocent people, including 22 adults and 8 children.
In the midst of the attack, several women sought refuge inside a house they believed would offer them protection. However, the attackers broke into the house and killed them all.

Keith Underhill writes: Thank you for your fellowship in prayer. We so much appreciate that many of you have written especially concerned about Priscilla after her small stroke. By God’s grace she continues to make progress. There do not seem to be any permanent visible effects, but she is not regaining her strength as quickly as she would like, although there is nothing she is not able to do. We are able to participate in all the meetings of the church, and we are profiting from the ministry and the fellowship. We are seeing a few new faces in the church. Last Sunday a Kenyan student came having found us online. We have also had two ladies, former Muslims, and a Chinese mainland Christian. You never know who will be there next time! Such is the providence of God. But we seldom see conversions, or professing Christians willing to put the local church at the centre of their lives.

Dr James Renihan writes: Courtney Dolezal reports that her husband is doing well. He was discharged from the rehabilitation hospital on August 11, and since being home has continued to make progress in his recovery. She writes: "James has been home for a couple of weeks now and is recovering more each day. He is still receiving outpatient therapy (PT, OT, and Speech) at the rehab hospital twice a week. Therapy, combined with regular visitors at our home, has stretched his body and mind in very positive ways. James can walk indoors independently. He can walk outside and up the stairs with someone to assist. He is reading a little and able to follow a train of thought in print and in conversation. He has been to church the past two Sundays. We are glad to have him home and very thankful for the continued support as we step into this next phase of recovery." Please give thanks for the Lord's mercies to the Dolezal family and continue to pray for further recovery.

Prayer is the breath of God in man, Returning whence it came; Love is the sacred fire within, And prayer the rising flame. It gives the burdened spirit ease, And soothes the troubled breast; Yields comfort to the mourners here, And to the weary rest. Prayer is the simplest form of speech that infant lips can try, Prayer the sublimest strains that reach the Majesty on high. Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice, returning from His ways; While angels in their songs rejoice and cry, “Behold, he prays!”

In Episode 50 of the Broken Wharfe Podcast, John-Mark is joined by Oliver Allmand-Smith and Dr Robert Strivens, Director of the Reformed Baptist Study Centre, to discuss Andrew Fuller and the urgent duty of calling sinners to immediate repentance and faith. Drawing on Fuller’s The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, Strivens explains how Fuller answered the hyper-Calvinist denial of the free offer of the gospel. He distinguishes physical inability from the sinner’s guilty moral inability, showing why human inability does not remove the duty to repent—and why God’s sovereignty does not diminish the necessity of preaching as his appointed means of calling sinners to Christ. The conversation explores seven exhortations for gospel preaching: present repentance and faith as duties rather than merely an opportunity; preach to all without discrimination; direct sinners to Christ rather than inward to themselves; exhort, urge, persuade and plead rather than merely explain; call for true conversion rather than outward moral reformation; and insist upon an immediate response to the gospel. Robert also discusses the place of serious study in the Christian life and introduces the work of the Reformed Baptist Study Center.

The Psalmist wrote that the birds of the air “sing among the branches” (Psalm 104:12). Just how well they can sing is becoming increasingly apparent to researchers.

In various bird species,1 pairs (a male and a female) are able to not only sing in tightly synchronized unison but also in antiphonal duets. In songs sung antiphonally, the male and female sing alternating song phrases, frequently in rapid succession and with such precise timing and coordination that people have often mistaken them to be a single bird singing.

Note the second bird to sing in an antiphonal duet must correctly and quickly recognize which song in their musical repertoire the first bird has initiated, in order to correctly contribute the next phrase of the song. Otherwise the duet would end prematurely. Researchers point out that “rapid and precise acoustic interchanges between animals can indicate remarkable perception and information-processing abilities”—and duetting is a particularly striking example of complex acoustic communication.

Nico van Zyl writes: One year ago on the third of August, we officially constituted Sovereign Grace Fellowship with 10 members. We thank God for this privilege, and we have received many visitors. We also started a Thai Bible study initially and now a monthly Thai worship service. We have started small, but few are interested in coming. As the Bible says, "Do not despise the day of small beginnings." By God’s grace our church is doing well; Matt and I have started preaching through Genesis. We also continue teaching through the 1689 Baptist confession, and Roxanne and Danielle are teaching the children. In the last two months I preached twice in Thai. It has been challenging, but I have received good feedback, and it has encouraged me to study Thai more; there is definitely room for improvement. Pray also that our church would be a blessing to all those who come as we reach Thai speakers.

Herman Swart writes: The strange and unexpected providences of our Lord are for the good of His church. Both pastors, Rodney Queen and Wale Akingrunde who were scheduled to minister at the five conference run contacted me while in Kenya in April two days apart and cancelled. They both had medical issues to attend to. Ps Million Kambuli from Silverest Central Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia and myself were in Kenya serving APC, I asked him to join me for Malawi APC. It's a long trek from Joburg to Malawi. Ryno Rademeyer from Durbanville Baptist Church and myself started the trek on 1 July 2026. We made the most of the trip and met on Thursday with our friend and local organizer in Serowe, Botswana, James Clark from the USA. He brought along brothers from Lephalaka, Botswana to speak about an APC conference there next year in February. The following day we met with Ps Gift Musantu from Gospel Reformation church plant of Silverset Central Baptist church in Livingstone, Zambia to speak about the possibility of having an APC there next year in June.

It has been said that “history is written by the victors.” It is true in the context of war, and it is also true in theological controversy. In the context of the Second Great Awakening, the clear winner is Charles Finney, the preacher with unusual giftings in oration and credited with bringing the “new measures” into mainstream evangelicalism, like his protracted meetings or the famous “anxious bench.” The story of this so-called awakening has largely been told from the perspective of the victors. Those days brought challenges to the American church they had never faced before, challenges that still reverberate today. Finney drew a line in the sand for many presbyteries and communities. While many accommodated his innovations or hesitated to oppose them, one minister emerged as a leading critic. One man stood firm in sounding the alarm, refusing to embrace the new measures or remain silent as they spread. That man was Asahel Nettleton. Nettleton helps show us where the line lies between pastoral charity and courage. When ought we to step into controversy in the public? What if truth requires conviction and timely action?

Living as a Christian in North Korea is not only incredibly dangerous – it can be deeply lonely, too. For these believers, knowing that you are praying for them is a precious gift. Here are their messages to you. “I cannot thank you enough for understanding our situation and standing with us in our struggle. Because of your deep concern and care, we are encouraged to serve with responsibility every day,” shares a North Korean believer in a message to you. “Although a vast amount of work lies ahead of us, we will steadily and calmly carry out the responsibilities entrusted to us and serve the Lord. We will press on without wavering toward the goal of truth. Another believer writes, “Because of your warm helping hands, we can endure, believing that we are surrounded by God’s love and care. “I was reminded once again that even when physical strength reaches its limits, strong faith in God knows no limits. We were all strengthened by the conviction that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).”

Insecurity continues to blight vulnerable communities across Nigeria, the sort of communities where we carry out our projects funded by you. On 15 May 2026, in Oyo State, 37 children and 10 adults were abducted from a school. This event was yet another reminder that many innocent families continue to endure unimaginable suffering because of their faith in Christ. The abduction at the time brought the known cases of the number of children from Christian families in captivity over a 2-month period to 190. These abductions underscore the reality that Christian communities continue to be significantly affected by these attacks. The children and adults were rescued on 9 July by the security forces. Please continue to pray for these children and their teachers as they are reunited with their families. May the Lord bring healing, comfort, and restoration to every heart affected by this painful experience. Sadly, the crisis took a tragic turn days after the abduction when one of the kidnapped teachers, was beheaded by the abductors. Let us especially remember the family of the murdered teacher. While many families are rejoicing, the family is grieving this unimaginable loss. Please pray for those who were in captivity that their mental scars would heal quickly. Many children in Nigeria are now refusing to go to school fearing being abducted. Please pray that they would soon feel safe to return to their schooling.

Whilst this has yet to hit the international news in any significant way (the BBC has yet to report on it) there is a very real problem facing our brothers and sisters in Christ in Kenya and particularly in the Pokot region: quite simply this year’s crop has failed. Many of those we support are reliant on their own crops to feed their families, some of the villages are remote, getting to markets to purchase food can be challenging, and the price of maize is already spiralling – in the early part of the year a 90kg bag cost around KES 3.500 (apx £20), in recent days the local markets are selling the same at KES 5,400 (apx £31) and the price is likely to continue to rise. Maize is currently coming into the region from Uganda so there is an opportunity to purchase and store this is the locality to assist our friends over the coming months as their own reserves are depleted, and whilst the Kenyan government are looking into the situation, it may be some time before any governmental support reaches the remote areas of Pokot.

Dr James Renihan writes: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Greetings in the name of the Lord. On July 29, I had the privilege of visiting our brother James Dolezal in his rehab hospital near Philadelphia. It was a wonderful visit. James is making remarkable progress. He walked a short distance without assistance, was cleared for a regular diet, and was able to have good conversations. His body is slowly recovering though there is a long way still to go, especially from the traumatic brain injury. Please continue to bring him and his family before the royal throne. Courtney is doing well, and I also was able to spend a little time with his son Judah. I would say that given the circumstances, James's recovery is progressing nicely. But the best part of the day was listening to James express his deep hope in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He told me that often at night he thinks about the wonder of God's glory expressed in the death and resurrection of our Savior. He knows that even this dark trial has been sent from the hand of a good God. His greatest desire is to be an instrument in the hands of God to teach men to love and serve the Lord. James's faith is very strong! Please pray for James, Courtney, and their children. God is good.

“Despite all the challenges of ministry, the greatest joy for me is seeing lives changed – not loudly or instantly, but gradually, step by step. When a person who was once withdrawn and discouraged begins to trust us. When peace appears in their eyes. When the desire to keep living is restored. For me, these are very real and personal moments. For example, recently, a woman named Tanya began attending our church. She had suffered abuse from her husband, and they later divorced. She is a young and beautiful woman, 35 years old, but when she first came, she looked about 15 years older. Through many conversations, meetings, and prayers, she has become a wonderful sister in Christ – restored and living a joyful life.

Join us for a special service marking the launch of the Reformed Baptist Study Centre. The evening will feature a lecture delivered by Professor Dr Michael A. G. Haykin, alongside a time of gathering as we formally inaugurate the work of the Centre. All are warmly welcome to attend. Date/Time: Tuesday, June 23  •  7:30 PM - 9:15 PM Location: Trinity Grace Church, Ramsbottom

The evening will feature a lecture delivered via Zoom by Professor Dr Michael A. G. Haykin, alongside a time of gathering as we formally inaugurate the work of the Centre. All are warmly welcome to attend.

Additionally, the first twenty people to sign-up for attendance will receive a free copy of Robert Strivens’ new book “The 1689 Handbook: A Chapter by Chapter Introduction to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith” upon arrival.

Please sign-up to attend here: Link to Register

Pastor Simione writes: Dear Sponsors. We would like to share with you something of our journey during the first half of 2026. We began the year full of hopes and expectations of seeing our Casa das Formigas (House of Ants), transformed. At the end of February, we received a very special donation from a Paint Factory named Neuce Tintas – as part of their corporate social responsibility program. In addition to the paint needed to repaint the entire Casa das Formigas the donation included a large quantity of non-perishable food items. I can assure you, CDF has changed; it has been transformed and now offers a clean, beautiful and very welcoming environment for the children. We look after around 300 children every day across our various workshops, not to mention the full-time care we provide for more than 30 resident children on a daily basis.

In this episode, John-Mark is joined by Dr. Robert Strivens to discuss "The 1689 Handbook", a chapter-by-chapter introduction to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith with a foreword by Michael Haykin. Strivens outlines his pastoral background in Bradford-on-Avon, his years at London Seminary, and his earlier career as a solicitor, then explains how he moved from suspicion of confessions to valuing them, especially the 1689 as reflecting Scripture. He describes the book’s origin in Reformation Today articles and its aim to provide a concise, non-polemical entry point alongside larger commentaries. The conversation highlights how confessions and church history help believers see beyond modern cultural assumptions, clarify doctrine on God and human freedom, connect to earlier councils and Reformation confessions, encourage careful understanding of language, and show that theology should serve piety and pastoral Christian living.

An Open Doors expert on Iran shares: “The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marks a significant and sobering moment in Iran’s history. As an Iranian Christian, I cannot ignore that under his leadership the church in Iran lived for decades under intense pressure, facing restrictions, surveillance, arrests and the constant weight of uncertainty. Many faithful believers endured suffering simply for following Christ. Yet even in hardship, the church has remained resilient, prayerful and deeply rooted in hope. This moment is not about revenge or triumph, but about the possibility of a different future. One where freedom of conscience, dignity and justice are extended to all Iranians, regardless of faith or background. My prayer is that this turning point will open the way for peace, reconciliation and genuine freedom for our nation.”

Widespread unrest in Iran has captured headlines worldwide. Thousands have been killed, with Christians among them. The protests were sparked by economic pressures – but they are a reflection of a far deeper crisis. “Our beloved Iran cries out for justice, dignity and a future where every citizen, including Christians, can live in peace and opportunity, free from fear and poverty,” shares an Iranian Christian. “May the bravery of our people be the seed of a renewed and united homeland.” “Whether visible on the streets or standing in prayer and solidarity, Iranian Christians who participate do so first as Iranian citizens, motivated by conscience and a shared hope for a future defined by equality, accountability and respect for human life across all religious and ethnic lines,” shares an Open Doors local source.

The Men’s meeting at Trinity Grace Church Ramsbottom is a welcoming place where we seek to grow in grace and faith, in our love for God and each other, as we study the word of God together. We usually have our meetings on the third or fourth Saturday of January to July and September to November. We study a book written by a trusted Christian author, led by one of our elders or gifted brothers, followed by a time of informal discussion on the issues and prayer. The meeting is preceded by a cooked breakfast with tea, coffee and a chance for informal fellowship before we begin the study. We encourage men to join with us and share in the great blessing of gathering together as men to build one another up in our most holy faith. The meetings last from 9am-10:30am on a Saturday morning.

We are excited to announce next year's conference theme: Christ Revealed in All of Scripture: The Principles and Practice of Biblical Theology. Through these conferences in 2026, we will be equipping African pastors and church leaders to rightly handle the word of truth as Scripture reveals Jesus to us. Here are the topics at each conference: Reading the Bible like Jesus; Reading the Bible like the Apostles; Reading Genesis 1-3; Reading Genesis 4-50; Reading the Pentateuch; Reading the Histories; Reading the Prophets; Reading the Psalms; Reading the Bible for Future Glory. We welcome your prayers for our conference delegates so that they wil read all of God's Word seeing Jesus in its pages!

Les Yates writes: My reason for writing this article is to encourage Christians who, due to changes in circumstances, can no longer actively serve the Lord, particularly the elderly and infirm, from a burning ember among burning embers to an ember that has fallen out of the fire and is losing heat. In 2016, after 48 years of serving as an elder in the same fellowship, I reluctantly retired from the eldership to give more time to caring for my wife, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. From being actively involved in the general organisation of church activities, elders’ meetings, the preaching ministry, counselling, missionary work, etc., to laying aside all these responsibilities was not easy.

Approximately fifty people met at Countesthorpe Baptist Church on Saturday the 27th of September to come together for the Association’s third annual Association Day. Trinity Baptist Church’s newly minted Pastor Benedict Allmand-Smith kicked the day off with a thorough treatment of chapter six of the Second London Baptist Confession, on sin, the fall, and the punishment thereof. Pr. Benedict looked at the state in which man was created, the nature of the covenant of works, before elucidating the consequences for all of humanity of Adam’s failure to keep it. He answered thorny questions such as how it is that we inherit the guilt of Adam’s first sin and the justice of God in doing so. Pr. Benedict is a credit to the International Reformed Baptist Seminary which trained him, and from which he recently graduated with a Masters in Divinity.

Evil is never shy. It loves to parade itself. It delights to raise itself up like a cobra and show off its glories, drawing attention to its venomous power and magnifying its threat. It is proud, impatient and puffed up; it seeks its own; it rejoices in iniquity. Evil gets in your face and declares its superiority, demanding submission and threatening consequences if you refuse. That was certainly the way of things with Pharaoh. Upon entering his throne room, Moses and Aaron would have been dazzled with walls festooned with emblems of the mighty Pharaoh’s power, depictions of his military victories and pictures conveying his god-like authority. The throne itself would have been massive, carved out of ivory and encrusted with gold and gems. But at the centre of that throne sat the great man himself, with the crown upon his head. John Currid explains, “Depicted on the front of the king’s crown was an enraged female cobra, or serpent. This uraeus was thought by the Egyptians to be energised with divine sovereignty and potency.”

The world is full of conflict and warfare – ever since Adam first sinned, and throughout human history, the world has been full of strife. It all started with Adam’s rebellion against God in the garden of Eden. Ever since sin came into the world, humanity has been fighting a long warfare against God, and the conflict has brought much trouble and pain and distress. Of course, we know that humanity cannot possibly win this war. Since the creator is infinite, eternal, unchangeable, sovereign and omnipotent, he must inevitably win the war against his creatures. But we don’t have to wait “until the end” to see God glorified in the conflict – he is praised in all that comes to pass along the way; in every moment of the battle, through every aspect of the warfare, in all that takes place and all that comes to pass, God is honoured. As the Reformers stated, Soli Deo Gloria – glory to God alone.

Genealogies in Scripture must be read in the light of both Gen. 1 and Gen. 3. In Gen. 1:26-28, we’re reminded that it has always been God’s purpose for humanity to multiply and fill the earth. This was the very reason God made the world: so that it might be filled with and ruled by his greatest creation, humanity, made in his own image. The family tree of humanity is, therefore, of immense importance. And in Gen. 3:15, we’re reminded that God’s redeeming grace towards lost humanity comes through humanity itself. It is the seed of the woman, though she fell into sin, who will overcome the enemy and bring redemption. Thus, genealogies that trace this promised child hold great significance. Both of these themes converge in the genealogy found in Ex. 6. Here we see a human family tree, men and women made in God’s image, each with their own stories, yet collectively fulfilling God’s purpose to fill the earth. More than that, this is the family tree of the promised seed: the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are we safe to ignore and disregard and disobey what God says in His word? Can we say God’s word is not very important? Is it true that it often proves false? Are we safe to think there will be no consequences? Isa. 45:18-23 gives a clear answer: every word of God is of utmost importance, in contrast with the words of men and the idols they create, v20-21; all God’s words are truth and righteousness, v18-19; all His words are powerful—it is futile to resist them, v22-23. As Peter quotes from Isa. 40 in 1 Pet. 1:24-25, “the word of the Lord endures forever”. Can you see that hearing and heeding God’s word is the only wise thing to do? These are not words you can afford to ignore or neglect. They are all important. They are all true. They are all powerful. They will all come to pass in their every detail. You cannot resist the words of the Lord. You cannot escape them. The day of reckoning is most surely coming. So, heed the word of the Lord.

What has the LORD God almighty covenanted to do for his people? He has purposed and promised to redeem them. Redemption is a financial term. In the ancient marketplace it described the release of a slave by payment of a ransom. In Scripture, it is almost always performed by a kinsman – it is a buying-back of a loved one. That is what God did for Israel through Moses. And in Ex. 6:6-8 he declares seven “I WILL” statements: I will bring you out; I will rescue you; I will redeem you; I will take you to myself; I will be your God; I will bring you into the land; I will give it to you as a heritage. This is God’s sovereign redemption – certain, powerful, liberating, and intimate. Then He repeats again, “I am the LORD.” This same Lord God Almighty speaks such words of covenant faithfulness to us his people – he will redeem us! Or rather, he HAS redeemed us, not from Egypt, but from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13–14); not from Pharaoh, but from Satan’s dominion (Col. 1:13–14); not from physical slavery, but from spiritual bondage and fear (Heb. 2:14–15). He has redeemed His people unto Himself calling us His children and filling us with His Spirit (Rom. 8:15–17). He purchased all of this with his own precious blood (1 Pet. 1:18–21). This is the glorious liberty of God’s children, as described in 2LCF 21.1

We are excited to announce that we will formally constitute a Reformed Baptist Church on 3 August 2026. Lindo, one of our elders at Birchleigh Baptist Church, Kempton Park, is flying to Chiang Rai for the occasion and Andrew McCaskill, an elder of a Reformed Baptist church in Georgia, USA, that Matt knows will also be joining us. We have completed our membership classes, and Matt and I will conduct membership interviews this month. We are planting an English church but also plan to start a Thai Bible study soon, with services in Thai coming soon. Our church essentially will minister to English speakers and Thai speakers in the future. We currently have about 10 Christians coming to our services and hope to constitute with them.

In the covenant of marriage, there is a promise made unto faithfulness, no matter what the challenges. The historic wedding vows, penned by Thomas Cranmer in 1549, still resonate: “I, [name], take thee, [name]… for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part…” Such promises are godly—reflecting a commitment rooted in love itself, not in attraction or benefit. God’s covenant with His people mirrors this, but with one key difference: God often leads us through worse before we see the better. As seen in Exodus 5, God’s remembrance of His covenant results in worsening conditions for His people before deliverance arrives. That sets the pattern: “For worse, and only then for better; OR, for better, only by means of the worse.” God’s intervention “For the worse”, inciting Pharaoh’s harsh edict, elicits three responses: first from the people, then from Moses, and finally from God himself.

Trinity Grace Church takes very seriously our Lord’s last command which is for the church to make disciples of every nation, of every people (see Matthew 28:19–20; Mark 16:15). We are thus committed to the sending and supporting of obedient, gifted, proven and thus truly called disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who will make disciples of Jesus Christ elsewhere. It is with this in mind that we have formulated the following policy with regards to missionaries that Trinity Grace Church both sends and supports. We recognise that this is a fallible document and thus there will always be the need for periodic review and subsequent necessary changes as the light of Scripture and missions experience fine tune our viewpoints. Nevertheless, it shall serve as a binding document as administered by the elders of Trinity Grace Church.

Moses had been confronted with the powerful presence of the LORD, and he had heard God speak to him in accents loud and clear. Now, he speaks those same words to Pharaoh, “Let my people go” (v1). Moses heard directly from God, and Pharaoh hears the same words, with the same authority, through God’s servant. This remains the essence of preaching today – God himself speaking his word through his servant. We might ask how Moses could be so bold speaking to the most powerful man in the world – especially in light of his former record of insecurity and uncertainty. Moses gives us the answer in v3: it was his encounter with God that changed everything. Now that he knew the greater I AM, he was bold to confront the less-great Pharaoh – the greatness of the human king was as nothing before that of God himself. We are reminded of the encounter between Jesus and Pilate in John 19:8-11 – Pilate thought he had all the power and could frighten Jesus into submission to his authority, but the Saviour knew that his Father in heaven possessed ALL authority, and Pilate’s power was derived and dependent upon him.

Which Bible character has more of their spoken words recorded than any other? The answer might surprise you—it’s Moses! Think about all his words recorded in the first five books of the Bible, as well as elsewhere. According to one word-counter, it’s over 120,000 words. To give you a measure of the number, Jesus has just over 30,000 spoken words recorded in the Gospels. Yet, according to his own testimony before God in Exodus 4:10, he was unable to speak! Despite all the impressive things God had shown him at the burning bush, nothing had changed in that regard—he says so directly to God. But he could not have been more wrong in his assessment, going on to become the most prolific recorded preacher in the Bible. Think of the book of Deuteronomy alone, which is almost entirely the record of Moses’ preaching! What God made known through Moses is the very foundation and ground of all that we need to understand, even today, if we are ever to grasp the Bible’s message as a whole.

Our passage begins with a simple statement: “So Moses went.” He made a start! Though he had spent a long time deferring and deflecting, Moses finally acted—and he never looked back. So many never take that first step. They claim to follow Christ but continually delay their service—whether because of fear, feelings of inadequacy, time pressure, or concern about others’ opinions. But remember: you never reach your destination in 100% of the journeys you never start. The same applies to serving the Lord. How many opportunities are lost forever because we never begin?

It was with great joy that a number of our members, along with a couple from Charlesworth, joined with the folk from Port Erin Church and others from across the Isle of Man on Saturday 10th for the ordination & induction of Enoch Adekoya to the pastorate. The weather was gorgeous and the fellowship was equally warm as we celebrated Christ's goodness to the church in providing them with a minister of the word of God. Please join us in giving thanks for this joyous gift, and praying for both minister and congregation as they begin a new season in the life of the church. As we heard preached on the day, may they become an edification church as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15.

God gives miraculous signs to authenticate messengers who bring fresh revelation. Moses had a new word from God, so God gave him signs to confirm his authority. In Exodus 4:1, Moses asks, “What if they don’t believe me?” God replies with the signs in verses 5, 8, and 9, each confirming that Moses speaks for God. True biblical signs are more than just supernatural. God often acts supernaturally—healing sicknesses, intervening in human affairs, answering prayer—but unless done through a human agent, it's not a biblical miracle or sign. Not all supernatural acts are miracles. A miracle, properly defined, is a visible act that suspends natural laws, performed through a messenger to validate their divine message. That’s why we expect God to intervene supernaturally today in answer to our prayers, but we don’t look for “miracles” in the theological sense of signs and wonders, because revelation is complete with Christ and the apostles (Ephesians 2:20).

A phobia is an extreme, irrational fear of a specific object, place, situation, or feeling. It's an anxiety disorder where the fear is disproportionate to any actual danger and can significantly impact a person's life and well-being. We are more than familiar with a thousand different phobias today: arachnophobia (spiders), claustrophobia (confined spaces), agoraphobia (open spaces), trypanophobia (needles). Then there are socially-constructed phobias focused upon categories of person: transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, lesbophobia, and so on. To be phobic of something, someone, or some situation is to have an irrational, extreme and unjustified fear of it or them, causing the person who has it to avoid certain things or people. That description applies perfectly to the religious leaders in Matthew 27:62–28:20. They had an extreme and unjustified fear of the resurrection. Their anxiety about it caused them to avoid it, deny it, and do all they could to get around it. The religious leaders were resurrection-phobic!

Following the CMI seminars at Trinity Grace this past Saturday, for those who may have been unable to attend, you can see Stuart Burgess' presentation on the incredible design of human hands and feet online by clicking the link below. Leonardo da Vinci famously described the human foot as "a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art". He was right! Like all things in creation, our hands and feet declare the glory of a good, wise, powerful and brilliant God.

The Good News Course is now officially available. It is a completely free, 11-part video series designed to explore the central truths of the Christian faith. Whether you’re exploring Christianity for the first time or looking to refresh your understanding, this course walks through the big questions of life and faith, covering: The Bible; God; Man; Sin; Jesus; The Cross; The Resurrection; Christ’s Return; Salvation; The Church. Each episode is beautifully filmed and presented in an accessible, engaging style—ideal for church outreach, group discussions, or even personal study. Start watching today.

Joao writes, "Grace and peace from our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. Greetings to the saints at TGC-Rambottom. I am thankful to God for your prayers and supporting my studies at IRBS. In December, we were in Angola, specifically in Cuito, visiting family and doing ministry, and we have recently returned to Kitwe, Zambia. Here is the latest update on my family, Studies and ministry. The studies are going well, by God’s grace. Due to the Load shedding that Zambia is currently facing, I have experienced some difficulties in attending the livestream classes, leading to some late submission. I am working on my assignments for the course on worship (PT706: Worship) Despite those challenges, I managed, by God’s grace, to complete four courses. These courses have helped me to appreciate the beauty of confessional Christianity and the wonderful doctrine of God."

When we gather together on a Sunday, we ask a profound question, one that can only be answered through faith and understanding. It’s the question Moses asked in Exodus 3:13, What is his name? For Moses, this question wasn’t just about a name. It was about identity. In Hebrew thought, a person’s name encapsulates their essence, their personhood. Moses wasn’t just curious; he wanted to know who God truly was. Why? Because he needed to know if God could do what He promised. Could He really deliver the Israelites from Egypt? Could He defeat the mighty Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt? And, more personally, could God transform Moses—from a man who had failed monumentally—into a mighty leader? Who was God, really? In Exodus 3:14-15, God reveals Himself to Moses as the I AM. This isn’t a title, but an affirmation of God's eternal existence. He doesn’t say, "I have been" or "I may be," but "I AM." God is perpetual being, with no beginning and no end. He exists by His own power and doesn’t rely on anyone or anything else to sustain Him.

My name is Lesley Olive, I was born in 1964 in Bolton. Our family consisted of dad, mum, and 2 younger sisters. We had a happy family life, supported and loved by our parents. We had no church background at all and “just got on with life”. I was a typical teenager, going out to pubs and clubs, looking for love or that special someone. Mum had started to attend services at a Church of England congregation, so she could get my youngest sister into a church school. In July 1984 they organised a group to see Billy Graham at Anfield in Liverpool. I had just come back from my 1st holiday abroad with a friend and was full of that holiday experience. Mum invited us all to go, which we did. At the end of the meeting, there was an invitation to go forward. Thinking this was the way out of the stadium, me and my sister followed the crowd and ended up on the pitch! A young girl took our names and addresses and posted some leaflets and a little New Testament to us. I put mine in a drawer with no intention of looking at it.

Brett writes: Thank you for your continued prayers and support for the work here in Bozeman, Montana. It is a delight to inform you that on February 23rd Bozeman Reformed Baptist Church was constituted as a confessional church with eighteen members covenanting together with the Lord and one another. We boldly confessed to “willingly consent to walk together, according to the appointment of Christ; giving up themselves to the Lord, and one to another, by the will of God, in professed subjection to the ordinances of the Gospel.” (2LCF 26.6). It was a solemn and joyous occasion as we took vows to uphold our church covenant together.

Peace to You in Christ Jesus, Today, we were invited to Ruby Memorial Church in Sialkot. The people there gave us a very warm welcome. I had the opportunity to teach the Word of God, and they were greatly impressed by our books. A pastor, who has been serving for the past forty years, remarked, "I have not seen such books in Urdu before, and this kind of material is a great need in Pakistan." Fifteen people received the Word of God, and along with it, we also distributed our books. We are receiving requests from various other cities as well. Please pray that we may reach those places too, so that we can continue to serve in God’s work there. May the Lord bless you. In Jesus, Fiaz Masih

The January 2025 trip to Pokot was richly blessed. Keith and Oliver visited many of the 14 churches in the region and enjoyed much sweet fellowship with the believers. There were many encouragements, especially in seeing the commencement of the Bible College (9 men have begun the training), real progress in undermining the practice of polygamy in the churches and the first instance of a church building being erected with local funds. One of the highlights was Keith's opportunity to witness to an elderly man he first met in 2008, who had forgotten the message of the gospel preached then, but now (17 years on), God was bringing that same message back to his ears in lovingkindness. Read the full report to find out more.

The Association of Confessional Baptist Churches in the United Kingdom began the new year by meeting in the historic building of its newest member, Trinity Baptist Church, in the village of Charlesworth in the North Peaks, near Greater Manchester. By now the life of the Association has adopted a familiar rhythm, which was repeated at this latest meeting. The meeting opened with the singing of a Psalm and the moderator’s prayer. Pastor Eddie Roberts of Stanley Park Church, Liverpool, gave a vigorous and spirited defence of the Scripture’s doctrine of creation, as found in our Confession. Pastor Robert’s message was as humorous as it was true, looking at the Trinity in creation, the totality of the creation, and the time of creation.

Enoch Adekoya Appointed Director of IRBS UK

Our Lord Jesus famously commanded His disciples to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:38, NKJV). Almost two millennia have come and gone, and yet the harvest is still plentiful, and the labourers are still few. In mid-2021, for instance, of an estimated 2.5 billion Christians of every denomination living on the earth only 430,000 were serving as cross-cultural missionaries. To put those figures in perspective, this means that only 0.0172% of professing Christians then living were actively serving on the mission field. Clearly, the cause of world missions is not a priority for many modern evangelical churches. Rather than causing us to be critical of the church at large, such statistics should encourage us to examine ourselves. To ask ourselves: am I a part of the solution, or am I contributing to the problem by the apathy of my own sinful heart? It is true that many local churches are currently unable to send out missionaries because of lack in both biblically qualified men fitted for the task and necessary financial resources. But are we, both as individuals and churches, obeying our Lord’s command to pray regularly and fervently for the Holy Spirit to supply these deficiencies? It is obvious that our churches, overall, are falling woefully short in our calling to serve as senders. What can be done to change this? What needs to happen?

In a demonstration of our commitment to national association, a multiplicity of people from each of the churches gathered from as far as Liverpool to the marshes of South Kent for our second annual Association Day at Living Hope Bible Church in Lydd. The morning was inaugurated by Nathan Tarrant’s message on chapter three of the Confession, on God’s Decree, covering God’s sovereignty, divine concurrence with second causes, the origin of evil, and monergistic salvation. This was followed up by Oliver Allmand-Smith’s one hour tour de force on Associationalism, looking at five biblically necessary elements of association from the Confession, Scripture, and Baptist history; highlights were that association increases our peace, love, and mutual edification, as we pray and provide for one another. We also share our gifts and graces, keep each other doctrinally accountable, and we manifest our unity in Christ.

As usual, in the second week of this month, we travelled back to Nairobi for TPC classes. I thank God for the safe journey – TO and FRO. Our lecturer Tom Hicks, took us through Unit F – The Doctrine of Man and Sin. We had a good time together with him, since he was friendly, and patiently answered our many questions. It was interesting to me to notice the creation of man which was very distinct from other creatures, we were also abled to know the different WILLS – of Adam before the fall (innocence), after the fall as our representative (sinful will), and the two wills of Christ – the divine and human will. We considered also, about the total depravity of man, and other many helpful things.

The Broken Wharf Mission in Pakistan began in August 2023. The first project was the translation of the book "Christian Basics." This book was highly appreciated, and several schools and churches acquired it. In many schools, this book is being used as part of the curriculum. After "Christian Basics," the book "Milk for Little Ones" was translated into Urdu. This book was greatly liked in Pakistan, and not only churches and schools but also parents showed their eagerness to obtain it. The representative of the Pakistan mission, Fiaz Masih, has distributed this book in several cities across Pakistan.

José (6 years) and his brother Toni (4 years), started attending House of Ants in May this year. The local government council asked if we could care for them. Their father and mother are separated, and their maternal grandmother is taking care of them, but sadly she is alcoholic and is seen daily at the rubbish dump. As you can imagine, living with their grandmother in this situation is not good. When the neighbours realised that the boys were living in this situation, they contacted the counsel and asked if House of Ants might be able to help support the boys. As they live quite close to House of Ants, every day, (including weekends and holidays), they come and play together with the resident children. We provide meals for them each day, and they return home to sleep. Sadly most mornings they arrive unwashed.

Geoffrey writes: Greetings in the Lord. It is a joy to me to let you know that I am well, pressing on the fight of faith by the gracious power of God. I thank God for the month of August. From the beginning to the end of the month, the Lord reminded me of His precious gift of life, that we deserve nothing other than His grace. I had some sharp pains – since the day I requested your prayers for God’s healing, but with time, especially a week after I completed the oral drugs that I was given, I got better though still the doctor wanted to identify the cause of pain. I ended up doing various blood tests, and the results later showed that the bacteria that was attacking my kidneys are no longer there.

Joao writes: Grace and peace from our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. It is with great joy that we write this newsletter to extend our gratitude to Trinity Grace church family for your prayers and for supporting my studies at IRBS. Please find briefly what the Lord has been doing in our family, studies, and Local church, and the future plans. May this serve as an encouragement to continue praying for us.

Yesterday we went to Dhonkal, Wazirabad to conduct a seminar on ''Christian Basics''. That seminar was very successful. Around fifty people participated in it. All the people who participated in this seminar were very surprised. The pastor who organized the seminar told us that the material was really nice and every boys and girls must read this book. And he also expressed that he is willing to organize such seminars in the future as well. All the participants who attended the seminar which lasted for about two hours were very impressed. At the end, food was served to all who attended the seminar. After that we will conduct seminars in other areas of Wazirabad. Remember us in your prayers.

Peace be with you in Christ Jesus. The Lord used us the whole last week in different cities of His glory. Yesterday we went to Islamabad and preached the word of God there, Islamabad is about four hours away from our city. There we preached the word of God and this word touched many people's hearts. We gave thirty five people the Holy Bible there. Over the years we have given Bibles to thousands of people who express their willingness to receive the Bible. I also shared our books there too. People were really amazed to know about our books. We also distributed books there. That pastor who invited us there asked for seminars on our books too. Soon we will plan to do this. We have to visit some areas in the next week as well. I request you to remember us in your prayers. That our books touched many people's hearts. In Jesus Fiaz

Kitale Ministry: We thank God for the mercies in sustaining us (the church) and still being our refuge and comforter. Teka and I were able to preach to several people in the streets during evangelism, and though some of them were drunkards, a good number of them seemed to have been convicted of their sins. Ministry in Embrace (children home) is also encouraging due to the fact that many children are getting helped in growing and knowing the Person of Christ and his work for sinners. Kasei Women Retreat: Pastor Lokerisa and I had a conversation and he talked about having upcoming women retreat at Kasei (date 21-24 August). He also encouraged me to prepare one lesson and leading in devotions. He promised to send me the topic to prepare. Prayer: 1. Thank God for our previous TPC classes and grace in assignments. 2. That salvation of souls we evangelized. 3. Remember churches in Pokot as they continue to prepare for women retreat. 4. I am also not feeling well, diagnosed with infection in the kidney. I am in Nairobi for further checkup and treatment. Pray for healing, provision for treatment and grace.

Brett Shaw writes: Greetings to you in the name of Christ. We are a new church plant which began this past fall and is being planted from Sycamore Reformed Baptist Church in East Moline, IL. We give thanks to God for how he has blessed the ordinary means of grace and given the growth. We started with six adults meeting in our home for bible study and now have around 32 meeting on the Lord’s Day for worship. The gospel is bearing fruit among us and in us.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr Ryan Davidson coming to teach “Pastoral Counseling” for 5-days to the students here in the UK, and all visitors are welcome to join. This course is a survey and introduction to the role of the pastor as a counselor of God’s people using the Word of God. The course will survey theological, historical, and practical areas related to pastoral counseling and will focus on the use of the Scriptures in the counseling ministry of the church. Spaces are limited in order to facilitate discussion and personal engagement in the classes, so be sure to make your booking as soon as possible to secure your place.

At the recent meeting of the Association of Confessional Baptist Churches, Peter Petra, Pastor of North Church Leicester, gave a helpful message on the biblical and confessional doctrine of divine immutability - the truth that God does not change, ever, in any sense or in any way! He explores immutability in the scriptures, in its historic and confessional formulation, and its deeply pastoral implications. Questions like "why does it matter that God does not change?" and "does the doctrine that God does not change affect the Christian life?" are answered alongside many others. Listen in and be enriched by this glorious confessional doctrine.

Acts 4v36-37 reads, "Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." What a blessing to be named "Son of Encouragement" by your colleagues! That was the experience of Joses. What about us? Our churches desperately need such encouragers, and we must begin with ourselves. Tony Flanders gave a series of three messages on this subject, which you can access on our SermonAudio page by clicking below. There is also a summary of the 19 points that he made. May God bless us all to be encouragers!

This year our 1940s weekend runs from May 26th to 28th. Visit our page to find out more, or click on the link to view the flyer.

Broken Wharfe is working with a local church and devoted indigenous missionary on the front lines of challenging missions in Pakistan. Converted to Christ several years ago, he came to reformed Baptist convictions. A deep conviction drives this missionary to see healthy churches planted and thriving in the faith. However, the context of their mission is challenging, making safety a paramount concern. In September 2023, this missionary reached out to Broken Wharfe with a heartfelt plea for assistance translating reformed Baptist books into Urdu. Their vision was clear - distributing these books throughout Pakistan, touching the lives of churches, ministers, church members, university students and schools. Broken Wharfe, recognising the significance of this endeavour, quickly responded. Together, their first project, Christian Basics, resulted in the printing of 10,000 copies and is currently being distributed, making its way into various corners of Pakistan. Notably, the impact has reached local schools, where the book has been incorporated into the school's curriculum, influencing a younger generation with the basics of confessional Baptist principles. Now there are plans for further materials to be made available and we need your support.

We give thanks to the Lord that He is gathering his people in Bozeman for the purpose of establishing a confessional reformed Baptist church. The harvest is indeed plentiful, and by the Spirit of God we are seeing the gospel bear fruit. God’s wisdom, power and grace are being displayed amongst us, even in the heavenly realms, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:10, that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We began our first services in January. As of right now we are meeting in the afternoons at a local Christian school, but we hope to move to a morning and evening service at some point later this year.

Keith writes: I have developed a relationship with Grace Reformed Baptist Church, and was last here in November 2022 for their 10th anniversary. The connection is through Alan & Kez Kimunguyi who were young people in the church in Nairobi and now live in Dubai. Before they came the church was entirely Filipino and used Tagalog (90% of the UAE population are workers from outside the country). Now they use English and the church is more multi-cultural. Elly at Kasei Primary School Keith at Kamketo Trinity Girls Secondary They wanted me to deal with the problem of legalism. So for the Friday night Bible study I took Matthew 22:34-40, emphasizing that that being anti-legalism does not mean antinomianism. I preached twice Sunday morning, on the Cost and Return of Following Jesus (Matthew 19:27-30), and on being Ready for the Second Coming (Matthew 25:1-13). Being so-called ‘winter’ with temperatures in the lower 20s C. we had food in one of the parks and they requested me to talk about courtship and marriage with many of them unmarried and getting older.

Following Oliver's recent trip to Kenya, you can find out about all the places he visited and the experiences he had in "real time" by reading through his "Diary Of A Pokot Traveller". Here you will discover many things about goats and camels, toilets and bats, chai and honey, churches and schools, ministers and wazee, marriages and families, and many other things! Most of all, we hope that you will be informed and motivated by the diary to praise God for all that has been accomplished in this needy region over the past two decades, AND to pray most earnerstly that the work will be established and progressed in the face of massive challenges and obstacles at so many levels. The honour of Christ and the future of his churches amongst a million needy people is at stake. Brethren, let us pray!

As we prepare to celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st, we remember the life and service of Martin Luther, the man God used to recover the gospel, renew the churches and transform society. Use the resources on our website to explore this man and his vital ministry, as we give thanks to God for all that was accomplished through him.

It was a delight to see members from each of the 5 churches of the Association of Confessional Baptist Churches (UK), as well as the host church, Christ Church, Loughborough, gathering together for our first Association Day on 30th September 2023. The day was aimed at fostering the fellowship between the members of the churches, so that we could grow in love and support for one another. It was a truly blessed day, with over 100 people of all ages and backgrounds from across the country, joining together with one heart and mind.

Keith writes: I am asking you to pray for the following: 1. That I might be an encouragement to Barnabas, Ibrahim and George, and those with them. 2. The work of reformation against the prevailing false teaching will advance. 3. The Lord will give me physical stamina for these many hours of teaching and preaching. The days promise to be sunny with temperatures at night 24oC, and day time 32oC, and humidity over 80%. I have always got on well with such heat, but I am not so used to it now. 4. For Priscilla in my absence. Grand-daughter Carys will be staying with her after work over the nights.

Ruslan is now ministering in Rogatyn, Western Ukraine. He writes about one young man and his family as follows: I spoke with the mother of a boy called Mykyta. Her husband (Mykyta’s father) is at war and when he returns, it is hard for the whole family. Due to lot of stress his father suffered at the front, even when he comes home for a week to see his family, it is difficult for him to return to a normal family lifestyle. This severely affects him, his wife and his son Mykyta. His father now is not as he used to be. It became hard for them to find a common language, and it is hard for them to be together as father and son. Mykyta waits for his father to return, and when his father is home, the boy waits for him to leave again. That is because his father brings the war home with him. Apparently, this is a common problem for many people today. But Mykyta’s mother said that after our Workshop for Boys meetings, her son feels better. According to her, he feels like himself with us.

All are welcome to join us for our fellowship day on September 30th 2023. Even if your church is not yet formally associated with us, please come along to benefit from ministry, fellowship and prayer, as we seek to mutually encourage one another as churches.

Please join us for our association day, to benefit from ministry, fellowship and prayer, as we seek to mutually encourage one another as churches. September 30th 2023.

Many years ago, a man visited our church meeting, claiming to have a special gift of discernment. He was under the impression that discernment was limited to a few who had been given the gift by God, probably through a misguided understanding of 1 Corinthians 12:10 discerning of spirits. In the apostolic age, many pretenders claimed to be divinely inspired, and it was important that the church was able to recognise that which was from God and that which was false. This is pointed out in 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The completion of the canon of scripture made any special gift of discernment redundant. All mature Christians who have been instructed in the scriptures have the ability to discern what is good and evil, what is spurious and what is real seen in the book of Hebrews 5:14: But solid food belongs to those of a full age, that is, those by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good from evil.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr. Richard Barcellos teaching Hermeneutics for us July 10th to 14th 2023. This foundational study treats principles of Reformed hermeneutics so that we might be better interpreters of Scripture for the good of Christ’s Church. Dr. Barcellos, is pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church. Palmdale, CA, and Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology at IRBS. He is also the Managing Editor and Book Review Editor for the Journal of IRBS, and has written on Reformed hermeneutics and biblical theology. All are welcome to attend.

JP Earnest writes: As many of you realise, I have the privilege of leading regular schools assemblies locally. Over the 20+ years I have done these, a good rapport has been developed. At 10:45pm one evening I had an email from a local Head-Teacher, ‘Please, please, please can you come and do another assembly for us. We appreciate you are busy and this is very short-notice, but we are in the middle of an inspection and have been criticised for a recent in-house assembly. The staff have asked me to contact you to see if you could come and show the inspectors what you do regularly’ - How could I refuse? Not only was this another gospel opportunity, it shows that they are not embarrassed to have an evangelical Christian come to the school. Off I went the next morning and did what I always do (teaching and applying a Bible story, praying with them, followed by a quiz). The staff were grateful and the inspectors were impressed by the regular school assemblies. As I walked to the car, the secretary ran after me to give me a box of chocolates as a ‘thank you’!

As a congregation we believe that entry to the membership of the church of Christ Jesus is on the basis of true repentance, real faith and submission to the Lordship of Christ. This is all displayed in baptism, which Christ commanded his apostles to make the sign of real conversion and addition to the church. We see this in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:36-47. At a recent baptismal service of four candidates, we saw this worked out before our eyes, and we were greatly blessed. Four different sinners saved by sovereign grace and added to the church through baptism. Be encouraged as you watch.

One of the great joys of our inaugural assembly of confessional Baptist churches in the UK this week (full report forthcoming),, was to hear about the work of the gospel across the world in places like Poland, Serbia and Portugal. It was greatly encouraging to learn about a confessional Baptist church in Porto, located in the north of Portugal, where evangelical churches are very few and the gospel is largely unknown. By building close connection with such like-minded churches across the world, we can be all the more zealous and sacrificial in our prayers and our giving. Click below to read the latest newsletter.

Here the daffodils are again a cascade of yellow and green. Since I planted mine eighteen years ago they have never failed to bring joy and hope for better days. Despite not paying them much attention and disturbing their winter slumber when digging out the weeds they faithfully appear in all their glory. They even pop their heads up in the depths of winter to give us some encouragement. These lovely flowers herald the good news that Spring is on its way. Most times they get bruised and battered as the remaining barrage of winter hail and snow lay them low, but undeterred they often rise again, stand tall, and tell us that the winter of this fallen world will soon bring forth the spring of perfect heavenly bliss.

Nigeria’s ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of the country’s weekend presidential election. The 70-year-old received 37% of the vote, official results show. However, those statistics suggest voter turn-out was only 27%, one of the lowest since the end of military rule in 1999. In the build-up to the election Release International partners warned that on-going internal security is the number one issue that the new administration would have to face. Over the past two decades Christians in the north of the country and across its central belt have faced horrific, violent persecution at the hands of Islamist militia groups.

Recently we sent two of our young men to the Radius International Campus in Tijuana Mexico for a vitally important part of their training in relation to missions. What did they learn? How can we share in that learning? The two messages available below help to answer that question. The first by Radius President Brooks Buser is titled "Forging a Durable Theology of Suffering." It is well done, using Adoniram Judson as his model throughout to illustrate the point. The second address is given by Brooks' wife, Nina, and is teaching given to women on "5 Things Women in Missions Need to Know." These messages help us to count the cost if we believe we are being called to labour in cross-cultural missions, but they are also helpful for those of us who stay behind and hold the ropes in practical support and prayer. Warmly recommended!

We want to again thank all of our generous supporters in reaching and exceeding our recent special project goal! God has answered our prayers for a reliable vehicle to handle our ministry's regional travels. Our ministry now owns a 2018 Toyota Hilux Raider. As you can see, this truck should serve us well for years to come. We were also able to buy a canopy as well as cover several other related expenses. We have already begun using our new vehicle on this month's conference run in Botswana and Zimbabwe. What a blessing the Lord has provided us with to equip pastors and Bible teachers in Africa!

House of Ants partnership with the Reformed Baptist Church of Sikuama continues. Pastor Baltazar is also a volunteer teacher at House of Ants and offers Pastoral care and youth counselling. The church is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Joining with other local leaders, they give thanks for God’s kindness and provision.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has brought immense suffering to the Ukrainian nation. So many reports have reached us all of the terrible cost of this outrageous and cruel war. But what you might not be fully aware of is the fact that this conflict has led to the persecution and oppression of evangelical leaders and believers in Ukraine by the Russian forces and those supportive of the invasion. During this last year in the occupied areas of Ukraine, evangelical pastors have been arrested, interrogated, tortured and even expelled from their towns. Church buildings have been confiscated and used for purposes that fit the agenda of the occupying forces.

Like many people in the world, I grew up with no faith and no knowledge of God. I walked with no regard for God who created me and I was comfortable with the things of this world. I regarded the things of the Bible foolishness and vain imaginations of people desperate for something to comfort them. I am sure that I would have remained in this state of ignorance without God’s intervention. God opened my eyes to spiritual realities during my last year in Finland before I moved to the UK to study economics. It was at this time that I found myself asking questions that I had never asked before. Providently God brought into my life a Christian classmate who spoke of the things of the Lord to me. I was curious about the things that she shared with me, but I could not just take her word for it.

We thank God for using the gospel of his Son to draw his elect to us and increasing our ranks. While Murungi has been doing an exposition of Romans on Sunday mornings and Micah in the afternoons, Eric has just concluded the Sermon on the Mount, Dominic is preaching through 1 John and 2 Samuel. Kevin has been doing 2 Peter with men fellowship. All the sermons are live-streamed on our You-Tube channel & Facebook page. Major evangelistic events this year were the 10-month Meaty Forum and two Dine & Listen (evangelistic dinner) events. We praise God for his kindness to us this year; From January to December, we admitted about 43 into our membership. This is the highest number ever since the church began in 1978, about half were baptized. We thank God for this is indeed the work of his grace. We have also seen a few members move to different parts of the world.

Something that really happened in the past and has some truth can easily get distorted. In the case of Bishop Nicholas, we have a good example of how a normal benevolent man who lived long ago was given an exalted status by the church, made into a Saint, and finished up as our present-day Father Christmas. We need to be careful to separate legend from fact. In contrast to the legend of Nicholas the record of Jesus Christ has remained the same ever since divinely inspired writers wrote about him in the Bible. The life and record of Jesus Christ, his ministry, atoning death and resurrection is not legend but reliable and dependable truth.

Grab your cuppa and put on your slippers......It's Story Time! Theological confusion abounds amid social and political upheaval in 17th-Century Britain. Persecution, the rise and fall of kings, a maverick minister's shenanigans and long journeys combine to lead a group of churches to confess a common faith in the face of adversity. How will they fare? What will be the outcome? Will they remain faithful to the God of the Scriptures? Doc Renihan sits down with Jonny and John-Mark and tells them a story of confessional adventure and intrigue in this latest podcast from Broken Wharfe.

On Saturday the 30th of October I went through the annual ritual of altering the clocks. I brought to mind the tip given a few years ago of spring forward and fall backward which helps to put an end to the confusion of losing an hour or gaining an hour, I did not realise at the time that by altering the clocks I would fulfil this little adage literally.

On 27th September Trinity Grace Church hosted our sixth and final association discussion meeting. We have held these meetings over the past eighteen months seeking to establish a national association of confessional Baptist churches. We thank our triune God for blessing our meetings and being pleased to unite our churches together for the advancement of our good and his glory among us. At the meeting the messengers were able to finalise a draft constitution in order to take it back to our particular churches for consideration, review and approval. Our first association meeting is planned for 7th March 2023, where we hope to constitute as a national association of confessional Baptist churches. Please join with us in praying for our churches and this future association. We also ask that other confessional Baptist churches prayerfully consider holding communion with us under the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith 1677/89.

Asim is 43 years old. He grew up in a nominally Muslim family in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. His father was a successful and we l l - re sp e c te d b u s i n e s s m a n . Asim is an only son, with both an older and a younger sister. At an early age, he was employed by his father. He went on to get a university degree in business administration which enabled him to excel in his father’s business. At 24 years of age, he married a distant cousin whom he knew and liked since childhood. Their happy marriage is blessed with three children, two sons and a daughter. At 28 years of age, his father made him his sole business partner

50 years. 9 million. 51, 52, 53, 54 years; record highs for three years running. And now 10 million. By our calculations, the 10 millionth child will be killed under the Abortion Act tomorrow, 24 September. Another landmark, the same story. This week, media were reporting that at 14 weeks’ gestation, a child can demonstrate his or her sense of taste. But this child has no meaningful protection in law for another 10 weeks. Babies at 23 weeks, that could be delivered and go on to lead healthy lives, can be killed at the mother’s discretion. Leading abortionists would like this to be offered all the way to birth.

Back in the 1940’s and 50’s the issue of gender was unambiguously described in general terms as man and woman, male and female. Never as school children did we ever think otherwise. How simple and uncomplicated life was then. Today, our children are confronted with gender issues that are very disturbing, confusing, and a threat to the structure and stability of our society.

All are welcome to hear Billy McCurrie speak on the AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE, based on the teaching of the Second London Confession, at Bethany Evangelical Church, Friday September 30th at 7:45pm.

What worries me is the present trend in our society on how life is becoming more and more undervalued. This is seen in legalised abortion, the liberalisation of the justice system, and the high death rate in violent crime, especially among young people. Society is also seeing a breakdown in health facilities and social services due to the economic pressures. How long will it be before old and sick vulnerable people will be looked upon as a drain on national resources, especially those who require special care and financial needs? Will my wife (who suffers from advanced MS) in years to come become too much of a burden on society? It is worth repeating here one of the reasons for opposing euthanasia: ‘Those against euthanasia would argue that euthanasia weakens society’s respect for the sanctity of life. Voluntary euthanasia is the start of the slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought to be undesirable in society.’

We thank God for the association discussion meeting held on June 21st at Countesthorpe Baptist Church. 16 men representing 9 churches attended the meeting in order to discuss the establishment of a confessional association of Baptist churches. We desire an association of churches which fully subscribes to the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith and seek to live out our confession together as churches. We give thanks to God that there was a spirit of unity, and a great desire to see association come to fruition in coming days. The day began with exhortation from the Scriptures by Eddie Roberts, pastor of Stanley Park Church, to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It was also a great blessing to enjoy communion together and to share what the Lord was doing among us and to seek these good and prosperity of all of our churches and her members. The majority of the day was spent in extensive deliberations on the drafting of a constitution. In it we agreed, that: “Churches of the same faith and gospel order, as they all have drunk of the one and same Spirit, are branches of the one and same body and hold to the one and same head, and have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; may and ought to have and enjoy voluntary fellowship and friendly association together, as opportunity may arise. Therefore, in the discharge of those relative duties that may tend to the mutual benefit and edification of all of Christ’s churches (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:5; John 17:20-26), confessional Reformed Baptist churches in the United Kingdom have come together to form a national association of churches.”

Since I was about seven years old, I have been fascinated by my father’s statements about Jesus, made on so many occasions. Once, when I was 14 years old, my other mother, complained at supper time about what she heard from the loudspeakers of the neighbourhood mosque. She was upset about what the imam said about women. I do not remember the details, but it was something about women’s dress and not working outside of their homes. (She and my mother never had jobs outside the home, but they always looked after older women who were sick, lonely or poor.) My father reacted by saying the neighbourhood mosque preacher was ignorant, like the religious teachers in the days of Jesus. He said that unlike them, Jesus cared about women and defended them. As a teenage girl, this got me thinking even more about Jesus.

In this moving and challenging article, former elder of the church Les Yates gives his personal perspective on the subject of abortion. Les brings the light of God's truth to shine on his own experience, which leads to a very profound conclusion.

At the recent Banner of Truth Conference, we met with two men from Agape Church in Poland. It was a joy to share fellowship with them, and to see their zeal for confessional ministry and church life. They are striving to build a biblical church in very difficult circumstances, and they are looking for our support and help to that end. This is the first newsletter we have received since the conference, and in it they state, "We hope all is well with you as you strive to serve the Lord in your places of ministry. We are thankful to God for the encouraging time at the recent “Banner of Truth” conference in the UK. Thank you for your prayers for our church. As you may remember, at the conference we shared about the new situation with many Ukrainians coming to Poland because of the war."

I grew up on the Isle of Man in a non-Christian home. If the things of God were spoken of at all, it would be dismissively and, sometimes, in a hostile way. Over time, God providentially placed a Beach Mission right down the road from my house! It was run every summer for two weeks by a group of Christians from the Wirral. From an early age, I began to regularly attend the Mission. Here, the Bible was taught, and God was talked about openly and positively – which was not something that I had experienced before; it was new to me. Later, through this Mission, and despite only being around Christians for 2 weeks a year, I would come to believe that God exists, and that Jesus had died for my sins, but I really had no idea what that meant.

I was raised in Nigeria by Christian parents. I grew up hearing about Jesus, about his life and death on the cross. I grew up hearing that forgiveness for sin is found by trusting in Jesus and looking to him for salvation. Yet, I was, as a child, apathetic toward him. Christ’s call to obedience in his word was met with indifference. I was raised in a wider culture that saw the gospel as a tool for self-exaltation. Coming to Jesus meant getting my heart’s desires. It meant becoming wealthy, healthy, prosperous. Jesus meant, to me, a way to satisfy my idols. I thought, if I ‘trust’ him, I would never fall ill; I would get whatever I desired in life. I was wrong. I had a convoluted view of God. I saw God, not as my creator, the eternal, holy One through whom I live and move and have my being. I saw him as a distant, cold, detached figure ‘out there’. To me, he demanded obedience, and I would try to give it if I received my idols in response. It was merely a transaction.

We’re living in days of widespread confusion about gender and identity. How should Christians navigate these challenging times? Recently, Dr. Rosaria Butterfield joined the Ligonier team to discuss the Bible’s teaching about our identity in Christ and God’s unchanging design for gender and sexuality. Having been immersed in a world of gender and identity confusion for many years, and now seeing how the Bible speaks to these issues, she has a great gift for clarity and incisiveness, which can help us to gain a good understanding in these confusing days. She also grasps the importance of being theologically robust in approaching these matters, and the role played in this by our confessional commitment. The interview is warmly commended.

In my early teenage years, I started to ponder on many difficult questions about the world and our existence and if there is any God out there who created us. At the time I had never heard the true gospel. I have a Catholic family background and I attended a majority Muslim school and so that influenced me to believe that God is someone we are supposed to win over through our works, I knew nothing of salvation through faith alone. I would have probably described myself as agnostic although I certainly lived my life as if there is no God. I lived solely for my own pleasures and with little regard for others because my heart was not right with God.

Trinity Grace Church is pleased to have Dr Jason Montgomery teach Patristics: The Study of the Church Fathers, in the summer of 2022. IRBS UK will host this course July 11th to 15th in Ramsbottom DV. All are welcome to join us for this important study of the ancient Church. The student will learn of the doctrine and life of the church in this crucial period of her early formation, as we see that our Reformed faith is rooted and grounded in the great tradition. This course is offered for those interested in studying with IRBS UK, as well as for those who desire to grow in their understanding of the faith from a confessional Reformed Baptist position. See the attached flyer for more information and for the application.

We give thanks to God for our fourth association discussion meeting which was hosted by Christ Church Loughborough. On March 29th 15 men representing 9 churches met to continue to discuss the establishment of a national association of confessional reformed Baptist churches. We thank God for the unity that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God, and moreover, the unity which we share in our common confession of faith. Please see the attached report for more information of the day and of the churches involved.

A few years ago, my disabled wife and I moved into a small bungalow. Unfortunately, my wife's front door access proved to be very difficult. As her disability worsened, it became increasingly necessary to arrange for a structure to be added compatible with my wife's needs. There was no porch to the bungalow, which meant access was by a couple of steps leading to the front door. The block paving at the front of the bungalow is on a slope which entailed the need to build a substantial concrete ramp extending along the front of the bungalow leveling out and wide enough and long enough to erect a porch suitable for wheelchair access. Choosing a builder is not an easy process and after consulting the various options decided to use a local builder.

We warmly invite churches to participate in our next discussion meeting, seeking to establish a national association of confessional Baptist Churches. Christ Church Loughborough has graciously offered to host the meeting on Tuesday March 29th. We desire to hold communion together with confessional churches for our increase in love, peace and mutual edification. We will once again work through various topics of discussion, in order to make progress towards constituting as an association and to encourage one another in the faith. Below is attached the schedule and address. If you would like more information please feel free to contact Brett Shaw, at brett.andrew.shaw@gmail.com