Flow 09

www.message.org.uk

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THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE – FAITH IN YOUNG PEOPLE

THE SPRINGEDITION 2012

PLUS: Amazing testimonies /

Eden – Coast to Coast / Legend: Ash Barker /

Out into the open

BREAKING THE CYCLE OF REOFFENDING AND ADDICTION

MEC: WILL YOU BE PART OF THE ANSWER?

THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE

ISSUE 09Editor:Alistair Metcalfe

Associate Editor:Ian Rowbottom

Senior Art Director & Graphic Design:Dan Hasler: Message:Creative

Contributors:Andy Hawthorne, Matty Hawthorne, KP Yohannan

Advertising: E: [email protected]: 0161 946 2300

Subscription & Supporter Enquiries:E: [email protected]: 0161 946 2300

Contributing Photographers:COVER SHOTLucy West: www.lucywestimages.co.ukINTERNALSLucy Smith: www.smithimaging.co.ukJames Chapman: www.thepaisley.co.uk Flickr 2.0 license (P5)Alex Parks Photos(P19) Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden(P21)Phil ParkerTHE MESSAGE:Dan Hasler, Ian Rowbottom, Joanne Watson, Abi Sewart

Contact:E: [email protected]: 0161 946 2300

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OUR COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTThe paper used for flow is manufactured

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It is 100% TCF (Totally Chlorine Free) and is manufactured to ISO14001 standards.

The Message Enterprise Centre's Matty Hawthorne and Frank Green stand in front of the site soon to be converted into a hub for business and radical discipleship. With them

are three young men with their own amazing stories of conversion and transformation by the power of God.

The full story starts on page 9.

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Page 17 Legend: Ash Barker

Page 19 Guest teaching from KP Yohannan

Page 21 We (heart) the church - Andy H

Page 4 Healed at Prayer Storm

Page 7Eden – coast to coast

Page 14-15 Genetik - it's win/win

//// THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE – ISSUE 09

A couple of months ago, I was travelling with my wife Michele in Australia.We had an afternoon off at the conference I was speaking at and went to hear Mick Duncan, the remarkable New Zealander who spent many years living for Christ sacrificially in the slums of Manila.

As he spoke, he opened up about his struggle with depression during this time, then said, ‘The truth is that some Christians seem to live charmed lives and don’t face the same trials as some of us.’ I looked at Michele and we both agreed ‘that’s us.’ We have a great family, church and we love our jobs. Life is good.

Little did I know that just a few days later, I would be sitting in an Intensive Care Unit in a Bangkok hospital, feeling utterly bereft and isolated; looking at my wife who had multiple fractures to her face and didn’t even know who I was, and seriously thinking she had brain damage. I know Christians suffer far worse trials, but for me, this was about as bad as it’s ever got.

ABOVE: Michele and me outside Buckingham Palace,

the day I received my OBE

What I can say – with Mick Duncan and millions of others – is that the Lord has been with us both in a special way through this

tough time and that the love, support and prayers of his people from every corner of the planet has been humbling and nothing short of astonishing. It would be wrong not to say a massive ‘Thank you’ to so many of you who have been part of that.

I know we can sometimes get a bit strange about these things but I believe that these events were an attack from the Devil and that his idea was to try and take us out. Well, the good news is that he’s definitely lost that one. Michele is making a fantastic recovery and we have both come out of this whole experience fighting and ready for what we believe will be an amazing season of glory to Jesus through The Message.

Thanks once again,

'The Lord has been with us both in a

special way through this tough time. The

love, support and prayers of his people from every corner of

the planet has been humbling'

www.message.org.uk/flow ////

ABOVE: A time of passionate worship at the latest Prayer Storm, The Lighthouse, Manchester.//// THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE – ISSUE 09

‘I CAME TO PRAYER STORM ON CRUTCHES… AND LEFT WITHOUT THEM!’Prayer Storm in March saw hundreds of young people gathering to encounter God and catch a heart for a lifestyle of prayer and intercession. It was a particularly thrilling day for Louise Frood from Southend, Essex – as she saw God healing her in a dramatic way.‘I’d had a knee operation at the end of January which should have been straightforward but there were complications and I had been on crutches for weeks, unable to move my leg,’ Louise explains. ‘I’m a single mum and go everywhere on my bike so that was a real problem for me.’After travelling six hours to get to Manchester, she arrived while Prayer Storm was in full flow. ‘The band were singing, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” but I have to say I didn’t feel very free – I couldn’t move at all! So I went and asked for prayer. I thought I heard God say, “Come to me on your knees” and again, I thought that was a cruel joke. But I managed to get down on my knees and when I got up again, I could feel my leg was back to normal. I started jumping around. I was healed!’Back in Southend, the first thing Louise did was take her bike for a ride along the seafront. ‘Everybody wanted to know what had happened because they’d seen me that Friday on crutches and now here I was, all healed. There were loads of opportunities for me to share my faith in Jesus.’‘Prayer Storm has really impacted my life, and not just because of the healing,’ says Louise. ‘We’ve been to every Prayer Storm since it started, and it’s really encouraged me to press into God and expect so much more.’

'I managed to get down on my knees and when I got up again, I could feel my leg was back to normal. I started jumping around. I was healed!'

ABOVE LEFT: Louise on her bike back home in Southend

TOP: A time of passionate worship at the latest Prayer Storm

THE NEXT PRAYER STORM TAKES PLACE ON JUNE 8TH. VISIT WWW.PRAYERSTORM.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS.

Back in February, we announced our goal to see our bands and theatre company visiting every secondary school in Greater Manchester in the next five years. In the past 20 years we have visited many of the 152 schools, but now we need your church's prayer and support to reach even more. We want every pupil to hear the Christian message in a language they understand, but also to have the opportunity to connect with a local church. So we are asking you to join our vision and to ‘adopt a school’. This simply means you are committing to pray for that school, its teachers and pupils. You can adopt the school that your children attend, or a school close to your home or church building.Your adopted school may be one that historically we have struggled to hear back from or book a week with, and your specific prayer could make all the difference. We will let you know when we are sending a pack, visiting a teacher to discuss a week, or doing a week of lessons.So choose a school and sign up today. Get started at:www.message.org.uk/adopt-a-school

WILL YOU ADOPT A SCHOOL?

Tickets go on sale 9am, June 11 A big anniversary calls for a big celebration and that’s exactly what we’re planning for November 17, 2012 at Audacious Church, Manchester.Joining Andy Hawthorne to celebrate 20 years of changed lives will be international worship leader and songwriter Matt Redman and band, former Tribe vocalist Deronda Lewis, plus contributions from a host of Message friends past and present.We’ll be glancing back at all God has done over the last 20 years and looking ahead to the exciting things we’re dreaming for in Manchester and further afield.Tickets, which are expected to be in hot demand, go on sale at 9am on June 11 on the Message online shop, at:www.message.org.uk/20years, priced just £5.


Listen in to the latest news and testimonies from The Message once a month with the free Flow podcast. Once a month host Ian Henderson is joined by Andy Hawthorne and special guests to take the pulse of life at Message HQ, finding out what’s happening and how you can pray and get involved.You don’t need an iPod to listen, just a PC or Mac with iTunes (search for ‘Flow podcast’).’ Or listen direct via the Media section of our website:www.message.org.uk/media

Straight to your ears!

EDEN BUSMeet Tony Riley, one of the fantastic volunteers from Eden Bus Liverpool’s partner church, St Andrews, Clubmoor. He looks like a gentle giant but his life before he met Jesus included long prison stretches for drug and gang-related crime. He now loves telling lads on the estate how his life has been transformed, and how theirs can too. As a result, behaviours and attitudes are changing – and prompting lots of questions about why knowing God has made all the difference.‘Tony has an amazing personal style – warm, approachable and kind,’ says Eden Bus Project Manager, Julie Mason. ‘If you didn’t know his background, you wouldn’t guess it. But because of it, he has an amazing insight into these kids’ minds and what would help them make better decisions’.

LATEST FROM LIGHTIt’s ‘all systems go’ for Lindz and the Light team. Since branching out as Message Associates, they’ve been inundated with opportunities to perform in the UK and beyond.

A sell-out European tour with Matt Redman has taken the band across northern Europe promoting the 27 Million campaign and recruiting new child sponsors for Compassion. Even better, every gig has seen lots of decisions for Jesus. But the band is never too far from a Manchester school, as Lindz explains: ‘We flew back from a short tour in Germany and Switzerland one weekend straight into a schools week in Bolton. Again, the gig was sold out and we later heard about lots of young people who gave their lives to Christ.’The band are working on an innovative new discipleship resource to be launched later this year in association with THE4POINTS. In a pilot run at a gig, 150 young people took away credit card-sized ‘Access All Areas’ passes and subsequently signed up to Youth Alpha courses.The diary is filling up for 2012-3 with more invitations from Europe and New Zealand. Lindz is also increasingly in demand as a conference speaker and host.To enquire about having Lindz speak or perform, contact him at [email protected]


Meet Tony Riley, one of the fantastic volunteers from Eden Bus Liverpool’s partner church, St Andrews, Clubmoor. He looks like a gentle giant but his life before he met Jesus included long prison stretches for drug and gang-related crime. He now loves telling lads on the estate how his life has been transformed, and how theirs can too. As a result, behaviours and attitudes are changing – and prompting lots of questions about why knowing God has made all the difference.‘Tony has an amazing personal style – warm, approachable and kind,’ says Eden Bus Project Manager, Julie Mason. ‘If you didn’t know his background, you wouldn’t guess it. But because of it, he has an amazing insight into these kids’ minds and what would help them make better decisions’.

GENTLE GIANTON THE BUS

Every new Eden is a partnership between the Eden Network and a visionary local church. We spoke to ‘tent-making’ missionary Anna-Marie, and church leader Mick, to find out more about a brand-new Eden in Hull.

ANNA-MARIE MOORHOUSE –EDEN PRESTON ROAD VOLUNTEER My Eden journey started when I was a teenager. I was really inspired to hear about

these people who were trying to bring Jesus' love and hope to poor communities. There was something about it that just captured my imagination.I knew Hull a little bit and I knew what the area was like. I could see the potential and the hope that this place that has been forgotten about could come back to life. But it was mixed with sorrow because I could see what was right in front of my eyes. It made me think 'OK, God, is this the next place that you want me to be?'A number of young people I've met in my day job in the local school are from broken families, living between different parents or family members. They have no or very few aspirations. I've found the students I work with struggle with a real lack of self-worth – trying to get them to take pride in something they've done is very difficult.One of the things I love about Eden is that it's about being in it for the long haul. I really want to grow old here and invest in this community.

REV MICK FRYAR, VICAR – ST AIDAN'S CHURCHWe've been involved in Preston Road as a church for a long time – we've got members

of our congregation who are from the estate. You just see the broken lives, the number of people who talk about a hopelessness. Your heart goes out because you just want them to know about Jesus.Up till now, it's felt like it's hit and run – like we're trying to do good things and then come away again. Now there is a real desire to make a lasting impact.We're seeing the funding coming together, the people coming together and a belief that this is the moment. This is a time when God wants to bless us and the Preston Road estate with the work of Eden.

EDEN PRESTONROADEDEN

MERSEYSIDE

For more information on how you can support Eden or even join one of the teams up and down and the country, go to www.eden-network.org.uk

www.message.org.uk/flow ////IMAGE CREDIT: www.ianbarnard.co.uk

EDEN COAST TO COAST‘Extending Eden “coast to coast” has long been a goal of ours – sort of a prophetic statement,’ says Eden National Director Matt Wilson.‘With the appointment of regional directors overseeing the development of new Edens in Merseyside and the Humber Region (including Hull’s Preston Road estate), we are now very close to achieving it.’In a beautiful piece of symmetry, regional directors Carl Belcher (Humber) and Dave Nuttall (Merseyside) were both with Matt on the very first Eden team in Wythenshawe, 15 years ago.

By Matty Hawthorne//// THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE – ISSUE 09

ack in August 2000, as a spotty, skinny 17 year old, I made a naïvely bold move

from the safety of my parents’ rural home to a run-down council house in Benchill, Wythenshawe to join an Eden team. At the time, it was famously the poorest council ward in the UK.

The move was the start of what I’ve tried to make the last 12 years of my life all about – working with and loving some of the poorest young people in our nation. Not just poor in a material sense, but poor because they were raised in morally and spiritually bankrupt communities.

The most crazy and destructive kid on the Benchill estate was called Connor. Despite hours of effort, prayer and patience, Connor never softened to the Eden team. He was the one giving the youth workers black eyes, setting fire to our cars, and generally causing chaos.

I remember being bowled over by these words from Isaiah 42, and taking them on board almost as my mission statement: ‘I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, to make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons.’

So maybe it wasn’t surprising that a chance would open up to work with Geoff Baxter, who had a fledgling ministry in young offenders’ institutions. I started running music courses in prisons up and down the country, and then got the privilege of heading up the work of The Message prison’s team in HMP Forest Bank.

There, over the last three years, we’ve worked with over 2,000 prisoners, and seen well over 300 make commitments to Christ. I think the most exciting part of the job has been running a regular

Thursday afternoon Bible study and seeing about 12 guys every week growing in their faith and winning others for Christ.

About two months ago, one prisoner brought along a familiar face to the Bible study – it was Connor, 10 years after I’d last seen him. He’d been put in a cell with a prisoner who was a committed Christian. Since then, Connor has done loads of work with us, coming to chapel, anger management groups, Alpha courses, and throwing himself into whatever he can – a complete transformation!

But what will happen to Connor when it’s time for him to come out? We see loads of prisoners becoming Christians, changing, and developing into strong believers. However, more often than not, they struggle to keep up their faith when they’re released. Unemployment, chaotic home lives and their old friends draw them back into crime, and away from Christ.

What guys like Connor need is a chance – a chance to

have their eyes opened to a different way of living, to be released from the prison of hopelessness, addiction,

debt and unemployment.

So in March this year, after nearly eight years with Reflex,

I started a new role and I’m very excited about the potential. Working with

both the MEC (see next pages) and Ivy Manchester, I’m going to be managing the transition of the guys that Reflex work with from prison, through release and into a new job, house and local church.

We’re aiming to create a network of support around each one of these guys and girls to give them the chance they desperately need, helping bring them ‘into the open’.

And who knows, perhaps people like Connor will be ‘opening blind eyes, and releasing prisoners from dungeons’ in months and years to come.By Matty Hawthorne

CARL37 year old Carl was behind bars for two-and-a-half years for robbery and a separate charge of threats to kill. After finding Christ in prison, he has taken an internship at the Genetik studios using his amazing music and production skills.

JASONWe met 28-year-old Jason last issue following his release after 12 years in prison. He's doing really well and now looking forward to joining the MEC as one of our first business apprentices.

KARLThe Reflex team had been work-ing with 22-year-old Karl for over two years ahead of his release eight months ago. Now plugged into a great local church, Karl is preparing to take on an job at the MEC.

'We see loads of

prisoners becoming Christians. However, more often than not, they struggle to keep up their faith when

they’re released'


: It feels like a very exciting time – like a lot of things are happening all at once…Yes, it’s true. But amidst all the contracts, charts, budgets and fundraising, we’re staying focussed on the fact that it’s all about the people. You mean the ex-offenders you’re going to be working with?Yes. But we’ve been really challenged about how we refer to them. We don’t like ‘ex-offenders’ as a term and we can’t keep referring to them as that. We’re seeing them as Christ sees them – they’re forgiven, they’ve served their time. They’ve got a fresh start, a clean sheet. So they’re ‘apprentices’.Practically, what’s happening to the site?We’ve picked our contractor, TJM Projects, and work began at the end of May. It will be a six-month rebuild costing over a million pounds in total. First the site will be boarded up and sealed off ahead of the demolition – including the existing roof and most of the external walls. Then it’ll be rebuilt inside and out, with a cafe and commercial kitchen, a hair and beauty salon and a design and print shop at the front of the building, and premises for the property and garden maintenance division at the back. Plus a training room and some small offices to sublet.

Will the new building be open to the public?Yes, absolutely. The whole place will be open during the week allowing people to take advantage of the cafe, the hair and beauty salon and the design and print shop. Our hope is that we will serve the local area and strike up lots of new relationships – that it’ll become a real centre for evangelism. We want to serve the whole body of Christ in the region too. During the evenings and weekends, we’re hoping churches will use it for Alpha meetings, leaders’ retreats, prayer meetings – you name it. It’ll be a very attractive place to come.So when can we expect the grand opening?The target date for the centre opening is November – in time for people to enjoy some Christmas festivities in the cafe, perhaps! But the first businesses will be up and running well before then.We’re well on course with a new property development firm which is being overseen by an experienced property developer, Simon Wrigley. Working with a skilled builder, Dominic Mould, they will train and take on MEC recruits to refurbish and add value to houses which will be sold at a profit or rented out. We’ve already got people in mind to be part of that team.

We sat down with Message Enterprise Centre director Frank Green to get the latest news from next door

Changing lives for good

We met Frank on a typically busy day at Message HQ, between welcoming a new staff member on his first day at work and interviewing candidates for the remaining business manager roles. On the walls of his office were architect’s drawings

of the new site and a whiteboard filled with the details of eight young people in line for the first-ever apprenticeships with the Message Enterprise Centre.


What will life be like for a new MEC recruit?They’ll be employees with all the responsibilities and expectations that brings with it. They’ll get paid proper wages with proper bonuses for a job well done. We’ll encourage them to live in Eden areas – Harpurhey and Openshaw would be two obvious choices as they’re on bus routes to the HQ. Being part of Eden areas will mean they can get out-of-hours support, and at evenings and weekends there will be people who will get around them, maybe helping them manage their time and their money. They will also be part of our team life of prayer and worship.We know it won’t be easy for some of these guys to adjust to life on the outside so we’re actively recruiting mentors who will be prepared to spend a couple of hours a week one-on-one with our recruits. Maybe Flow readers will be able to help! How else can people get involved?We still have a massive fundraising target to seed fund the business plan for up to three years and we need people who believe in this project to stand with us while we get this first raft of businesses into profit and self-sustaining (please turn over) .Also, I’d love to have people coming forward as church reps for the MEC. The feedback we’re getting from people is that they love that we’re putting legs on our faith. They understand it quickly and are getting energised about it. Churches and individuals will hopefully be keen to try out our various businesses getting excellent quality services for keen prices and knowing that every penny is being invested in the vision of turning lives around.

Are you still looking for people to contribute business expertise?Yes, we’d like to have a business mentor in place for each of the business managers by launch. They will need to understand what running a business is all about – the pressures of managing people, profit and loss – and be able to give a few hours a week to encourage, pray with, and share the load. It’s a special mix and anyone who thinks they can help should contact me personally to talk about it.Are you hopeful that the MEC is going to change lives for good?Extremely so. When we talked to James Timpson, the remarkable CEO of Timpson’s Shoe Repairs and Key Cutters, who employs dozens of ex-offenders, we were so encouraged to hear that most of them do very, very well – and with the church’s involvement and other support, we can offer them so much more.Most people who have paid their price on the inside want to do well. So if you help them, they will. If on top of that, we can help them grow as Christians, we truly believe we’re going to see amazing results.

Changing lives for good

RIGHT:Frank and future MEC employee, Jason,

look over the proposed interior layout of the building


TO GET THE MEC UP AND RUNNING BEFORE THE BUSINESSES BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT WE NEED 400 MORE REGULAR GIVERS. CAN YOU SUPPORT US FINANCIALLY WITH A MONTHLY DONATION FOR THREE YEARS AT ONE OF THE AMOUNTS LISTED BELOW?

}£2k}£1.5k}£700}£550}£400}£300

}£150

}£100

}£50

}£20

}£10

}£5

1

2 3

4

5

8

10

25

50

75

10

0

125

No of Pledges Pledge amount per month for 36 months

DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE MEC?

TOTAL FUNDING TARGET £827,5OO

OVER 3 YEARS


OVER 3 YEARS


SO WILL YOU STAND WITH THESE

YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN AND

PLAY YOUR PART IN SEEING TRUE

TRANSFORMATION HAPPEN?

TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

We've already raised over a million through gifts and pledges.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far.

That means we still need to raise a further £827,500 to kick start these businesses over the next three years.


OVER 3 YEARS


OVER 3 YEARS

NOT EVERYONE CAN GIVE THE SAME AMOUNT,

BUT EVERYONE CAN CONTRIBUTE EQUAL FAITH.


THIS PAGE: IN MAY 2012 OUR GENETIK STUDENTS PUT ALL THEY'VE

learned ON THE COURSE INTO PRACTICE HITTING THE STREETS, SCHOOLS,

PRISONS AND YOUTH CLUBS AROUND GREATER MANCHESTER.

MANY TOOK PART IN THE 'PRAY LOVE MANCHESTER' EVENT,

PERFORMING AND SHARING THE GOSPEL. THEY SAW A GREAT

RESPONSE FROM LOCAL PEOPLE AND MANY CAME TO FAITH.


hrough carefully chosen placements,

Genetik students help local churches fulfil their mission – and local churches provide places for Genetik students to grow There are lots of things that add together to make Genetik a truly life-changing ten months. There’s world-class Bible teaching from a team of in-house and guest tutors. There’s expert hands-on training in creative arts, worship leading or urban youth work. And there’s being part of the rhythm of life at Message HQ, in an environment of prayer, worship and faith. But another crucial part of what makes Genetik is where the rubber really hits the road and where young evangelists get to put their faith into action – strategic placements in Eden churches and in partner ministries around the city. As the Genetiks bring their gifts and enthusiasm to bear, new ministries are born, existing projects are enriched and more people are reached for Christ. And as churches offer opportunities to serve, supporting and stretching them in equal measure, each Genetik student comes away more mature and hungry for more.It’s truly win/win.

‘Having the Genetiks this year has been a real blessing in a lot of different ways,’ says Harpurhey-based youth leader

Sid Williams (pictured). ‘They’ve made it possible to develop our evening youth work, deepening our relationships with lads and girls. ‘Having them around in the daytime has meant we could do regular family visits and pray with people in the community. Others have gone to help with mums and tots, a food distribution programme to the poorest families and asylum seekers, and a community cafe. Not to mention getting involved with Sunday school and worship leading. ‘There have been other bonuses we could have never foreseen too: we’ve seen how the Genetiks have forged relationships with older teens and young twenties in the church – a really healthy thing because they’ve got Christian peers their age who they are watching on mission, living like Jesus.’ In Harpurhey, two local churches joined forces to host six Genetiks in 2011/12. One of them was 18-year-old Lisa Mason from Solihull (pictured). ‘It has been life-changing. I am not the same person I was seven months ago. God has grown and challenged me. ‘I’ve always been a “behind-the-scenes” girl so getting up and speaking has been something I have been stretched in. I used to struggle to give a 30-second talk but I recently got the chance to do a 30-minute preach in church, which just shows the journey God has taken me on.’

We are NOW recruiting for our next Genetik intake, with the course starting in September 2012 Apply now at: www.message.org.uk/genetik

My Genetik StoryRachel Whitehead trained with The Message in 2005 My time at The Message drew out the heart that God had already put in me, working out what it means to really love people. I really learned how to read the Bible for myself, and grew in confidence speaking in public and sharing Jesus with people from all walks of life. Best of all were my placements with Mustard Tree, in Styal Prison and on Eden. When I first came to Manchester, I was pretty sure I’d stay forever, however only a few months into the course, God clearly led me to go back to Sheffield so after completing a degree course in youth work, that’s what I did. Now I’m a full-time youth worker living in a missional community in a deprived part of the city, doing things a lot like Eden. A few of us have bought houses close to each other and we’ve been running youth work, toddler groups and different community things for a couple of years. Last month we baptised six people, including two girls from the youth group, right in the heart of the community where their families were able to come along. For me, it’s so exciting to see them growing up and living out their faith.

Genetik – it’s win/win!

‘It has been life-changing. I am not the same person I was' -lISA


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Ash Barker


Ash, tell us about Urban Neighbours of Hope…As teenagers Anji and I committed to ‘go anywhere for the cause of Christ’ at a Tony Campolo event. After working with at-risk young people in jails and youth clubs with YFC, we moved into a very multicultural neighbourhood in Melbourne in 1992 called Springvale. Urban Neighbours of Hope grew out of the experience of loving God and neighbours and following through on the implications. So how did you end up in the slums of Bangkok?After eight years in Springvale a friend of mine at the Australian Embassy said, ‘Come to Bangkok. It has great slums. You’ll love it!’ We did, and in 2002, we went to start UNOH there in Bangkok’s largest slum, Klong Toey. We nearly died a few times getting used to the living conditions, but we have not regretted a minute of how God has used us here.How are you following and participating with Jesus there?For over 10 years we have shared our life in Christ as a neighbour in Klong Toey. We need to take ‘place’ seriously. God has always been at work in this place, even before we arrived, but we can play a part in the transformation process that God wants to see happen here. What we especially get to do is focus on building relationships, discipleship, church planting, education, creating employment and recreational options so our urban neighbourhood can be transformed through Christ.

What is a Christian response to urban slums like Klong Toey?The world is changing before our eyes. The majority of people, for the first time in human history, are now urban, with one in six living in urban slums. Hope can rise from within the world’s burgeoning urban slums if the Christian world takes slums seriously and seek to follow, join and participate with the incarnating God there. The only question in my mind is whether God’s people can overcome fear to step out in faith to invest their lives in such a pursuit. Who are your spiritual fathers and role models, and what impresses you most about them?I am inspired by people like Kagawa of Japan, Francis of Assisi, John Wesley, early Celtic missionaries, the early church and Jesus! They found ways to connect with God and, in sustainable ways, really build a radical movement of transformation among the poor. When you think of The Message, what do you think of?I think of passion and faith. What you all do is so inspiring and what the world needs more of right now! I have so much affection and respect for Andy and Michele and are grateful God has brought them into our lives.

What's up ahead for you and Anji and how can we support and pray for you?We’ve been ‘flying under the radar’ these last 20 years, but it seems God is now calling us stick our heads up and look for a new generation of workers to mobilise to go further than we have gone ourselves. We are praying in faith to double our numbers of UNOH workers to see 18 teams in 10 cities by 2018.

FIND OUT MORE Ash’s new book is ‘Slum Life Rising: How to enflesh hope within a new urban world’. Find out more at www.unoh.org

Ash Barker

'During my recent unexpected stay in Bangkok, I met one of the most authentic followers of Jesus, Ash Barker, who with his wife and family live in a slum there. He was a huge blessing and support for me during those difficult times, and to cap it all, he's a fanatical Man U fan!'Andy Hawthorne

We can play a part in the transformation

process that God wants to see happen here...

Vulnerable. Alone. Broken. That was me, Beth.

chool’s always been difficult for me, but a couple of years ago it just got too much. Being singled out and having almost no friends was becoming a daily

routine and my attendance dropped drastically. Having no hope, trying to be one of the popular ones seemed to be the answer. So that’s what I did – smoking, drinking and seeking male attention almost every single night. But life didn’t get any better. In fact, people were telling me I’d changed and so I lost the friends I had. I needed to find another solution and remember the day I thought I’d found it. I took a blade to my arms. I just felt confused and angry. Looking at myself, I couldn’t see the ‘beautiful’ girl everyone talked about. It got to a point where I had to cover up my mirror just because I couldn’t look at myself anymore. I wouldn’t go out in public and began to starve myself to the point where I started to feel ill around food. My anger was expressed daily, verbally abusing my family and wrecking the house, the one place I felt safe. Being brought up in a Christian household since the age of five, I was going to church as a kid but as a family we just couldn’t find the right church. After all this, I had lost all faith in Jesus. Daily I was telling myself how stupid I was and how people were right saying Jesus wasn’t there. Finally came a reason to not be in school. I did my work experience at The Message. I spent the week with people who actually valued me, encouraged my talents and shared Jesus’ love. Through Genetik Sessions, I found out I had a talent I never knew I had – drumming! We finally settled into a good church and my parents took me along to Ivy Manchester where I started to learn about God’s unconditional love. The amount of people that were praying for me was incredible. Where am I now? After prayer, I have been baptised. I am a regular at my church and am a part of the youth. I now have the best friends in the world! I am at a different school which is a centre for the broken and it’s incredible. I prayed with a girl there who then became a Christian. My confidence is greater than ever and I shared my testimony at Prayer Storm in front of hundreds of people. I know Jesus carried me through this to help others when I’m older. It wasn’t a mistake. God is still healing me and on this journey with me. For those of you out there who are going through something similar, trust me, there is hope. It may not feel like it now, but there is. Never ever give up.

So yeah, that’s me! Beth.

But now I’m Hopeful. Surrounded. Together.

SELF-HARMTO SUREHOPE

I know Jesus carried

me through this to help

others when I’m older.


EXPAND

KP Yohannan is the founder of Gospel for Asia, which trains missionaries and plants churches across Asia. Recently Andy spoke at their Bible colleges in India and saw their extraordinary work for himself. We were privileged to then have KP speak at our Prayer Day in April.

Don't cross the lineKeep out’ – ‘Genius at work, don’t disturb’ – ‘Knock before you enter’ – we live in a culture in which we are

taught to be independent, private and protective of our personal rights, space, time and comforts. Others should not cross the line we draw around ourselves or encroach upon our personal world.

The Lord, instead, tells us: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful’ (Luke 6:36) and ‘As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies…’ (Col. 3:12).

Whenever close family members of mine travel to places that could be potentially unsafe, I think about them and pray for their safety with much compassion and deep concern. I am involved in their trip with my whole heart — my thoughts, emotions and imagination. And I am ready to help in any way I can.

Generally, we are prepared to show this type of compassion to our immediate family and close friends when they are sick, hurting or in danger. We take the interruption into our personal life in stride during their time of need. But what about those outside our small circle? When new families join our growing church or ministry, do we expand our feelings of closeness and relationship to include them?


TEACH

EXPANDYO U R B O R D E R S

Ask God to break your heart for others, says KP Yohannan

And what about those farther away?National missionaries who suffer persecution while preaching the Gospel... the Bible school student who was tortured by his relatives and barely escaped with his life... the teenage girl who received Christ and whose parents beat her daily, made her sleep outside the house and told her that she was no longer their daughter? Should we feel compassion toward these as well, even if we have never met them personally?

Speaking of family, Jesus, our brother and Lord, clearly defined for us who our family members are: ‘For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and mother’ (Mark 3:35).

This means that those suffering missionaries are my brothers and sisters; the Bible school student who barely escaped with his life is my son; and the teenage girl living on the street — rejected and forsaken by all — is my daughter.

The Lord wants us to expand our borders. He wants to weep, touch, feel, pray, fast and show compassion through us to more than just our close circle of friends and family.

Change meBefore the inception of Gospel for Asia, my heart had become cold, and I found I was more concerned about the small things in my life than I was about the lost world. That’s when I desperately prayed: ‘God, You have to change me; I cannot change on my own.’ And by his grace, he began to break my heart and make it tender and compassionate toward others.

If you hunger to have the Lord’s compassion flow through your life, I encourage you to ask God to do for you just what He did for me. I am confident he will.

The Lord wants to weep, touch, feel, pray, fast and show compassion through us

FIND OUT MORE Read more of Brother KP's

teaching at www.gfa.org

We often hear that more people are coming to Christ now than in any other time in history. Yet this often doesn’t seem the reality in the

area where we live. So how can this be?

Over 2 billion people are unreached and over 80,000 people are dying every day in Asia without knowing Christ’s love. But God is raising up sowers from these previously unreached areas; he’s also raising up believers from the UK who will reap alongside of them.

You can be part of this move of God by sponsoring a national missionary today. It takes just £20 per month to reach a whole village with the Gospel.

“The & rejoice together ”

sower reaper

:

on our website:

over the phone:

through the post:

Which one areyou?

Reap

We will send you regular updates about the progress

of the Gospel in their region.

100% of your sponsorship money goes to the field.

Nothing is taken out for other expenses.

Each missionary has 3 to 6 sponsors, as it takes £60-£120

per month to support a missionary ministering full-time.

We often hear that more people are coming to Christ now than in any other time in history. Yet this often doesn’t seem the reality in the

area where we live. So how can this be?

Over 2 billion people are unreached and over 80,000 people are dying every day in Asia without knowing Christ’s love. But God is raising up sowers from these previously unreached areas; he’s also raising up believers from the UK who will reap alongside of them.

You can be part of this move of God by sponsoring a national missionary today. It takes just £20 per month to reach a whole village with the Gospel.

“The & rejoice together ”

sower reaper

:

on our website:

over the phone:

through the post:

Which one areyou?

Reap

We will send you regular updates about the progress

of the Gospel in their region.

100% of your sponsorship money goes to the field.

Nothing is taken out for other expenses.

Each missionary has 3 to 6 sponsors, as it takes £60-£120

per month to support a missionary ministering full-time.

We the local churchAndy Hawthorne on the second of four core values supporting the big vision of The Message

n church life, you tend to find two kinds of people. I’ll call them ‘pastors’ and ‘evangelists’. ‘Pastors’

sometimes can come across a little pious. They’re rooted in local church but at their worst they

don’t have many non-Christian friends and their whole life revolves around meetings with the ‘in-crowd’. They love the church, they love meetings and they especially love times of Holy Spirit ministry with their brothers and sisters. Then there are the ‘evangelists’ like me, and if we are not careful we can come across a bit worldly. We like to show non-Christians how ‘right on’ we can be, how far we can go with our language, jokes, clubbing and so on. We don’t tend to have that many Christian friends, and often don’t like church that much. Perhaps you recognise the caricatures and you probably realise that both are powerless. Pastor types who keep their lamp under a bowl can’t be effective for the gospel. Evangelists who are ungodly and disconnected from the church can’t get the job done either. But there is a ‘sweet spot’, a place of real power: where we love the church and we also love the lost. ‘LOVE MY GIRL’ I remember being at one of our prayer days, feeling frustrated with the local church in Manchester. The stories were coming over of people being reached by our bands and Eden and prison teams, but they were struggling so much with local church. I was on my knees, saying, ‘I can’t stand your church, Jesus! What’s it all about? Maybe we need to set up “Planet Life Church”!’ And I felt God say to me in my spirit, ‘Don’t you dare diss my bride. You might think she’s got halitosis and zits, but I love her and if you’re going to love me, you’re going to love my girl.’

From that point on, I made a decision that we’re never going to set up Message churches or a Message denomination. There are enough denominations in the UK – we just need the ones we’ve got to raise their game and get more missional. TOGETHER WE WIN I’ve heard great men I really respect say things like, ‘We wouldn’t need organisations like The Message, if only the church would get its act together.’ I’m not convinced by that. Right from the word go – right from Saul going out on mission from the base of a local church – there’s been local church and mission movements working together in tandem to get the job done. Chick Yuill once called me an irritant to the church in Manchester. At the time I thought, ‘Thanks a lot, Chick!’ But actually, that is our job. We can’t allow the church in this city to sit back; we can’t allow them to become boring. We will always be reaching out and provoking with resources, evangelism, encouragement, unity and prayer. If the church in Manchester wins, we win. If the church in Manchester grows and we don’t, result. If we grow and the church in Manchester doesn’t grow, failure. It really doesn’t matter if The Message gets the credit, as long as the church grows and Jesus gets the credit.

01 PASSION 02 LOCAL CHURCH 03 COMMUNITY 04 INNOVATION

'Here’s the place of power: where we

love the church and we

also love the lost'


ENERGISED BY FLOWDear Message Team,

I received Flow 8. 20 years on… What a read! Like a ball of energy bursting with colour, testimonies, teaching. All thought-provoking and giving us an opportunity to respond and give thanks.

It really has energised me… Thank you all so much for the magazine and for the commitment you all have.

Looking forward to the Zumbathon and other fundraising activities.

To the next 20 years!

Every blessing,

Sheila

Why not pass along your copy of Flow (when you’re finished reading it of course!) to a friend who might like to discover more about The Message?

Hi!

I just wanted to say how great I think The Message 20 Book is. It is absolutely inspiring! It is our youth worker’s birthday today and I have given him the book and the CD.

I have ordered another copy now, which I am passing to my great-nephew… I’m sure he will be inspired too. He’s not a believer – yet!

The Message always inspired me and still does. May God bless you all and continue to make you a blessing amongst our young people!

Love in Jesus,

Meryl

YOUR LETTERSZUMBATHON®

Charity Event Message receptionist Andrea Egan (pictured centre) approached her leisure club to raise a fantastic £710 in one day through a sponsored Zumbathon and BBQ on May 19.

Over 50 people took part in a two-hour (yes, two-hour!) Zumba

led by five instructors from the Galleon Leisure Club, Cheadle, stopping only to raffle off prizes donated by generous local businesses and to talk about The Message's life-changing work with young people.

After catching her breath, Andrea rushed home to cook up a storm with a street-party style barbecue. She packed her home with friends and family, charging £5 each. Auctioning off a fantastic weekend away took the total raised to over £1000.

'It was hard work!' says Andrea, 'But it was all worth it to get so many people involved in raising money for The Message.'

PLUS: / Genetik Sessions

/ Eden: What’s Next?

/ Twenty Legends

www.message.org.u

k/

flow

ISSUE08THE MESSAGE MAGAZINE – FAITH IN YOUNG PEOPLE

THE SPRING

EDITION 2012

INSIDE: HOW YOU CAN HELP

MAKE 2012 OUR BIGGEST YEAR YET

Join our teams in twenty fantastic fundraising ideas

THE MESSAGE 20 BOOK

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

'A stunning record of God's amazing grace and favour to a ministry totally devoted to

spreading the good news of Jesus'Sylvia

'It manages to pack twenty years of mission in Manchester into an

attractive coffee-table book suitable for anybody, Christian or not'

John

'It was phenomenal – inspiring, educational and extremely motivational!'

Nick

'A cracking read. The pictures brought it all back to me – all the ways God has worked faithfully

in the last twenty years'Bruce

ABSOLUTELY INSPIRING!

•ThisGuaranteeisofferedbyallbanksandbuildingsocietiesthatacceptinstructionstopayDirectDebits•Ifthereareanychangestotheamount,dateorfrequencyofyourDirectDebitTheMessageTrustwillnotifyyou10workingdaysinadvanceofyouraccountbeingdebitedorasotherwiseagreed. If you request The Message Trust to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request•IfanerrorismadeinthepaymentofyourDirectDebit,byTheMessageTrustoryourbankorbuildingsocietyyouareentitledtoafullandimmediaterefundoftheamountpaidfromyourbankorbuildingsociety – If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when The Message Trust asks you to•YoucancancelaDirectDebitatanytimebysimplycontactingyourbankorbuildingsociety.Writtenconfirmationmayberequired.Pleasealsonotifyus.

If you’re not already a proud owner of the Message 20 anniversary book

and CD, get yours at the Message Shop (www.message.org.uk/shop) for

just £20. Sign up to support The Message or increase your gift by Direct

Debit and you’ll receive it for free! Turn to page 13 for more details.

The Direct Debit Guarantee

This guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer

YOU'RE INVITED TO OUR

SPECIAL ONE-OFF EVENT

17th NOVEMBER

GET THE MESSAGE 20

BOOK & CD FOR FREE

WHEN YOU SIGN-UP

FOR A REGULAR

MONTHLY DONATION

CALL: 0161 946 2300

www.message.org.uk/shop

VENUE: AUDACIOUS CHURCH MANCHESTER

FOR EVENT INFORMATION AND TICKETS GO TO:

WWW.MESSAGE.ORG.UK/20YEARS

HOSTED BY ANDY HAWTHORNE

& WORSHIP LED BY MATT REDMAN & BAND

FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS

DERONDA K. LEWIS* & MANY MORE

*FORMER MEMBER OF THE WORLD WIDE MESSAGE TRIBE

AND PERFORMANCES FROM TWELVE24

AND LZ7LOOK WHAT YOU MISSEDTwelve24 attempted to live up to their name by performing 12 gigs in 24 hours back in May. They sang, danced and rapped their way across Manchester, taking in schools, churches and youth clubs, as part of our 20th anniversary fundraising drive.Their day started with an appearance at Dial Park School, Stockport on Friday morning and ended in the early hours of Saturday at City Church Preston.

‘It was completely exhausting but loads of fun,’ says singer Christina. Together, the band also played their part in raising much-needed funds for The Message.

‘My passion was drumming but I’ve

been stretched to share Jesus

through it.’ TIM CROSSLEY

GENETIK CREATIVE STREAM 2011-12

FOLLOW THEIR STORIES AND APPLY NOW FOR THE 2012-13 COURSE AT

MESSAGE.ORG.UK/GENETIK TEL: 0161 946 2300

‘I’ve been able to use my story to tell young people Jesus is real.’ PAUL DIXIE GENETIK CREATIVE STREAM 2011-12

Documents

Flow 09