Newfrontiers : Pushing Open the Door at Front Edge

Pushing Open the Door at Front Edge

Over the past few years Newfrontiers churches both in the UK and abroad have been running regional evangelistic events known as Front Edge. Having initially attended one of the first Front Edge conferences, Chris Kilby (Life Church, Southampton) now shares his experience organising the recent South West event

As part of his opening session at Front Edge Lex Loizides (Jubilee Community Church, South Africa) said that coming to God for healing is not forcing His hand, rather ‘when you pray for the sick you are leaning on an open door.’ This was certainly my experience when I attended the conference, as I witnessed the healing power of God in a new way.

As I look back on that initial conference, I am thrilled as I see all that God has done during the intervening years. As I write this I am pleased to say there have now been 17 Front Edge events around the world. This most recent one was held in Winchester, with the conference delegates coming from Newfrontiers churches in and around the south west of the UK.

When I was first on staff at Winchester Family Church as a trainee evangelist, I was satisfied to labour away. My heart beat faster on Tuesday evenings when my wife and I hosted the Alpha Course. I was also very happy arranging a few social events to which church members could bring their friends. I hadn’t really envisaged more than that. Then, just a few years later, I attended a Front Edge conference, and things started to change.

Something deep happened at that conference, and I found fresh faith to expect God to save and heal people. I was also sent back to scripture, where I discovered that this has always been part of God’s plan.

This year’s conference was very well attended, and full of new and challenging content. Both Lex Loizides and Adrian Holloway (ChristChurch London) spoke in the main sessions. Lex taught on faith for the miraculous, and from the delegates’ feedback it seems clear that there was a great deal of impartation as well as insightful teaching.

Adrian’s main session gave us confidence that God has it in mind to save many. He laid out systematically, and from scripture, the reasons why this is true. This had such clarity that it stirred us to reach out with confidence, knowing that we are acting with and for our victorious king and his mission.

Clive Thorne (Lighthouse International Church, Southampton) hosted a very clear and helpful seminar on sharing our faith with people from other belief systems, and Steve Hurd (Huddersfield church plant) and I held the other two seminars. Steve gave excellent practical teaching on leading people to Christ, whilst I encouraged folk who had a desire to move on in healing ministry.

Then came the Sunday on which we hosted 19 guest services in our churches. The churches had done incredibly well at inviting friends that morning, and there were over 500 people across the region who would not normally be there. Of those guests, 92 responded to the gospel appeals at the end of the meeting.

Each life touched carries a unique story, and even at this early stage it is thrilling to begin to hear of individuals and families finding faith, and the kingdom advancing with such vigour.

Truly God was with us, both Henson

to save and heal, and the stories of healing are already beginning to liven up my inbox!

One of these testimonies was from John who was at the CityGate Church in Bournemouth.

‘“When John came to worship on the morning of Front Edge he only had about 10% vision. He had recently had an operation for a cataract to be removed. However, his sight had not been restored. As a result of Adrian Holloway’s prayer he could found he could see again and was able to say ‘Once I was blind now I can see!”’