Let the Nations be Glad!

Leadership 2005 report

By Wendy Virgo

You know you should always turn off your mobile phone before entering a seminar. Consequently, I was embarrassed when mine began to ring towards the end of David and Philippa Stroud’s excellent morning seminar. I scrabbled around in the depths of my handbag and, failing to find the ringing phone, fled to the exit. The call was from my son, Ben, in London’s East End, a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street Station. ‘We are alright Mum,’ he said reassuringly. ‘Why wouldn’t you be?’ I replied, instantly alarmed.

This was the first I had heard of the terrorist bombs exploding in four locations in London on 7 July. As the morning went on, we received more details and Terry made a statement to the conference. Shock was registering on everyone’s face and many thought anxiously of friends and family in our London churches. Up to now our conference memories have been coloured by the weather, such as last year’s gale force winds. We shall remember this year as the year of the London bombs.

I thought I would have difficulty in wrenching my mind back into conference mode after Terry shared the news. Amazingly, however, I realised at the end of that session that I had been gripped by the worship and David Devenish’s superb preaching from Isaiah 54. Perhaps the tragedy in London made our need to ‘lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes’ even more urgent.

3,500 people had traveled in from 54 nations to be at the four-day conference in Brighton. John Radcliffe from Bexleyheath, London voiced what many of us felt, ‘I am overwhelmed by the size of the thing that we are involved in across the world. It is astounding; we hear it every year and yet are still blown away by it.’ Paul Hayter from Rennes in France added, ‘The Englishness seems to be receding – I like that!’ Many agreed with a Brazilian leader who said, ‘God is moving things on.’ (We were thrilled that over 30 pastors came from Brazil and rejoice in our growing links with them.) ‘The Lord is nudging us to greater steps of faith’ was how Samir Deokuliar from Mumbai, India, summed up his reactions. Matt Hosier from Sidcup, UK said it was like ‘a four-day spiritual spa’!

Comments about the teaching reflected that people are taking seriously the responsibility of being in an international, missional movement. Many we talked to are either in a new church plant or contemplating moving to be involved in one. There is more mobility than ever, not just within our own countries but across the nations.

Choosing from 36 seminars
The phrase that stuck with Simon Elliott from East Grinstead was ‘ordinary people doing extraordinary things’. He had just emerged from Mark Stibbe’s outstanding seminars on Prophetic Evangelism. Others attending these also described them as ‘brilliant and life-changing’.

These were just two of 36 seminars on a huge diversity of topics, making selection difficult. Trevor Payne, leader of the Town Church, Orpington, brought a large number of delegates and said, ‘There is no doubt that our leaders have come back inspired for the push ahead – no matter which seminar they attended they all kept telling me I should have been there!’ He personally was most stimulated by Ian Stackhouse, having just read his book, The Gospel-Driven Church. ‘I was not disappointed by the challenge he brought to reaffirm expository preaching in our churches,’ he said. Others particularly mentioned David Devenish on The Gift of Leadership, and Colin Baron on Motivating a Visionary Church.

David and Philippa Stroud’s candid and practical session on building a healthy marriage while pioneering a ministry struck a chord with a lot of delegates who singled it out as particularly helpful. Lindsey Pettit’s seminar on Training Titus 2 Women was also much appreciated. An intrepid single man accidentally found himself in the seminar entitled ‘Taking the Lid Off’ for leaders’ wives. He found it most enlightening; we look forward to the effects of it in his life!

Worship times are always a highlight and never more so than this year as Kate Simmonds, Stuart Townend, Evan Rogers and Phatfish led us in some beautiful new songs. Worship leaders deserve particular gratitude for the long hours they serve in setting up equipment and checking sound levels, as well as actually standing for long periods of time playing instruments, singing and centering our hearts and minds on God. We were taken to the heights again as we worshipped. Evan Rogers’ unique ability to blend African styles of worship with a more western approach was repeatedly commented on with enthusiasm in many emails that we received after the event. The London bombings were not allowed to dim our exuberance and overflowing joy. Stage diving has somehow become an integral ingredient of his style of worship!

Depth and realism
Interestingly, those who have been suffering most worship the most exuberantly. The Zimbabwean group who are living through times of extreme deprivation and uncertainty were the ones who worshipped most energetically and extravagantly. It was also noticeable that during the prayer evening they did not single out their suffering as a matter for prayer; they were more concerned that we pray for Christ’s kingdom to prevail and increase.

Suffering was a theme that was introduced right at the beginning. This conference, although often characterised by joy and laughter could not in any way be described as shallow or triumphalist. There was depth and realism, and Steve van Rhyn served us superbly as he opened the conference with an outstanding word on risk-taking faith in the face of hostility and opposition.

CJ Mahaney’s two outstanding words expanded and undergirded the theme of suffering, focusing first on Jesus contemplating the cup of anguish at Gethsemane and then, from Habakkuk 3:17, on ‘When Life Doesn’t Make Sense’. Both of these messages were full of pathos, poignancy and insight, and were commented on gratefully both during and after the conference. One lady emailed that she had never before been able to sense God’s love for her personally, although she had received it by faith and ministered blessing to many others. But, as CJ was speaking, God brought fresh revelation to her, and her own heart was opened up and healed from deep long-standing wounds.

Many of the main sessions stirred us toward expectation of growth, with Dave Holden’s practical and insightful word on ‘Be Careful How You Build’ and Dave Devenish speaking on ‘Lengthening Cords, Strengthening Stakes’. P-J Smyth will for ever be associated in our minds with ‘juggernaut’ churches.

Terry’s two sessions on Gideon were key to our progress as a movement, speaking both to the individual, to evaluate himself from God’s perspective as a ‘mighty man’, and to us corporately, to be building an obedient, faith-filled and loyal army. As the Newfrontiers family grows around the world, his words on holding together in the dark when we can’t see each other, being true to the values God has brought to us, and believing His promises, were particularly relevant and poignant.

Though there were not many prophetic words from the platform this year, there was an outstanding prophetic song brought by Reuben Lyons emphasising God’s delight in His people. Other words reinforced the need to cling closely to the Lord and each other as the days grow more turbulent and fresh ground is taken. There was also an increased urgency for young leaders from the next generation to lay hold of responsibility in the kingdom of God.

In the broader sense, the whole conference was prophetic, inasmuch as we are a prophetic people. We are seeking to walk in works appointed by God to bring the gospel of grace to the nations and plant churches in them; communities expressing His love, holiness and power. Once again, the work we are undertaking in many nations was powerfully illustrated by videos shown each evening. It was moving to see Edward Buria preaching to crowds in Kenya; Mbulelo saved when Lex Loizides preached the gospel in Cape Town, South Africa; old people being compassionately cared for in India; Stuart and Livy Gibbs moving to an estate in Bristol, England, to help the poor – in fact teams, outreach, church plants, baptisms, healings, hope and help to the poor all over the world in the 34 countries we work in. So much is happening that it is difficult to give a comprehensive picture. As we watched the blur of images rushing before us, my only regret was that we could not linger for longer on each and savour the stories of salvation that they represented. One came away from the conference overwhelmed by the greatness of God, the power of the gospel and the glorious task we are participating in; also the sense of urgency and increased momentum, both of our own activity and that of the forces of darkness in the days we live in.

The world needs the gospel and strong churches. We have put our hands to the plough and there is no turning back.

Let the Nations be Glad!

Leadership 2005 report

By Wendy Virgo

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