NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

One year ago we were anticipating asignificant period of change for EMF, whichwas acknowledged in the title of last year’sAnnual Report, ‘Overshadowed by a Senseof Change’. Looking back, I am consciousthat we have very much for which to givethanks to our unchanging God. We arestill passing through changes and facethe future confidently in our unchangingGod. As He has been, so He always will be.Inevitably, space needs to be given over tothe changes at the Mission’s headquartersin Welwyn but there is also plenty ofimportant news from those we support onthe mission field.

THE CHANGES AT HOMEFirst of all, as we have already reportedin the September-December 2011 issueof Vision for Europe, Daniel Webberformally retired from the Mission on 31July. I moved from my position as AssistantDirector to take up the responsibilities ofMission Director on 1 August. Then, on 1September, Jörg Müller assumed his newrole as Assistant Director and Principal ofthe School of Biblical Studies. Although he is based in Germany until the summerof 2012, Jörg has been regularly atGuessens, getting his feet under the tableby working on the detailed plans for the2012 School as well as preparing his ownlectures. He is already bringing energyand vision to developing the curriculumand administration of the School and welook forward to his removal to the UK,along with his wife, Heike, who will also beworking with us in Guessens.

The Executive Committee continuesto play a central part in the oversightand administration of the work of EMF.This year we have welcomed WalterJohnston, pastor of Chorlton EvangelicalChurch, Manchester, to the ranks of theCommittee. Walter’s church has longstandingconnections with EMF and forthe last three years has hosted the NorthWest Missionary Conference. There isboth ‘safety’ and ‘victory’ in an abundanceof counsellors (Prov. 11:14; 24:6, ESV)and the prayerful and pastoral ministry ofthe Executive Committee is crucial to theMission’s over-riding desire to operate faithfully in serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Considerable work has been done onmaking improvements at Guessens bothfor students and staff. This has beenpossible as a result of decisions by theExecutive Committee to invest in thefabric and facilities a portion of the fundsrealised from the sale of part of the garageyard at Guessens in 2010. That land is nowbeing developed and the project, due tobe completed by the autumn of 2012,includes the provision of new parking andgarages for EMF.

SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIESThe 2011 School was the first to run thenew, shorter schedule. Ten students joinedus in January and completed their studiesat the end of June. It is heartening to hearof those who are now involved in churchlife, some have been active in mission workand others are pursuing further studies.One unusual event was the visit of our localMember of Parliament, Grant Shapps, withwhom we have been in correspondenceabout the visa problems. We wanted to highlight the problems and burdens that the regulations posefor small colleges and found him to be both sympathetic andinterested in the work of the School.

EMF has met all the official accreditation requirements for theSchool, yet we still have to report that the process for students toobtain visas is far from straightforward and, at the time of writing,we are unsure quite how many will be able to join us for the2012 course. Unusually, very few applications were received fromcitizens of European Union countries which means that 80% of thestudents will need visas. We understand that our experience isnot unusual among UK-based theological training institutions andcan speculate that the decline in applications from the EU maybe connected to the economic crisis. However, several potentialEU students have deferred their applications until 2013, so thesituation may be different then.

NEW METHOD OF PROVIDING SUPPORT AND FINACIAL POSITIONLast year’s Annual Report introduced the Mission’s new approachto supporting missionaries, which was more fully explained in anarticle in the May-August issue. This policy is now being steadilyimplemented and will form the basis for discussions regardingfinancial support with potential new missionaries. There has beena positive response from those of the existing missionaries withwhom discussions have been held. We are progressing slowly,case-by-case and with full consultation.

Although the 2011 financial position will not be fully known untilafter this report has been published, we can already anticipate thepossibility of a significant deficit. This is, in large part, due to thereinvestment of funds mentioned above. There is no doubt thatcosts continue to increase and will have to be monitored carefullyduring 2012 but, despite the gloomy economic climate, we arethankful that the needs of the Mission have been met.

MISSION FIELDThe regular flow of news from missionaries, their prayer lettersand reports when either they visit on deputation or we makefield visits, continues to give much fuel for praise, thanksgivingand intercession. In some cases, we are simply thankful for themaintenance of regular ministry and outreach during another yearwhere there may, as yet, seem to be little fruit. There is alwayshope in Gospel work though and we are not to despise days ofsmall things. Pray with us that the Lord will not only graciouslysave sinful men and women but also raise up a new generation ofmen who fear God, know and love His Word, and who will be boldevangelists and caring pastors.

A year ago we reported that several of the missionaries werefacing significant changes to their circumstances. A year on andMatt and Judith Hill (Spain) have now settled into life in CiudadReal where they are involvedin the church pastored by LuisCano and in other ministriesas well. In particular, Matt hasbeen working with DemetrioCánovas for Editorial Peregrinoon a part-time basis, as well aspreaching in his home churchand others in the region. Asreported elsewhere in thismagazine, Michael and AriëtteRobinson have moved to DePanne in Belgium followingMichael’s acceptance of a call tothe pastorate in the evangelicalchurch. Likewise, as alsoreported herein, Jan and LucieHábl are now getting used to lifein Usti nad Labem.

In Poland, Henryk Karzełek(Wodzisław) and SławomirRutkowski (Włocławek) havejoined Zbigniew Modnicki(Łodz) in the ranks of the nowretired pastors. All are still actively involved in church life buteach congregation has a new pastor including, in Łodz, WiesławKamyszek supported by EMF, and we should pray for the futureblessing of these congregations. Krzysztof Rutkowski continues tobe involved in church life, preaching regularly in Włocławek, buthis main responsibility is to lead the publishing mission of Legatio.This work has been struggling financially through lack of booksponsorship and is now being reorganised with the appointmentof a new board, made up of Krzysztof together with Dawid Koziołand Elzbieta Modnicki. The Mission is seeking to assist in not onlymaintaining Legatio but also in raising its profile.

It is good to be able to report that we have welcomed some newmissionaries to the ranks of EMF during 2011. Juan and MarianneBascuñana are serving in Churriana, Málaga (Spain) and becameAssociate Members in April. Victor and Gio Defranchi live in Palmade Mallorca where Victor is an elder of the Reformed BaptistChurch alongside Andrew Birch. Following redundancy and aperiod of prayerful reflection with the elders and the church, Victor has been called to serve in a full-time capacity to assist Andrew with the pastoralwork and is taking responsibility for some of their home-group and church plantingactivities. The Defranchis were accepted as members in October and will be partiallysupported by EMF but mainly by the church. We are also happy to say that the Missiongained a new member on October 22 when Vitaliy Maryash (Ternopil, Ukraine) marriedLyudmila.

A number of congregations are facing the ‘nice’ problem of finding their buildings aregetting too small, whereas others have needed to find new premises. During 2011 thecongregation in Patra, Greece (pastor Evangelos Sikoutris), moved into larger and betterlocated rented rooms whilst the church in Ciudad Real (Spain) was able to complete aproject to extend its building to accommodate the growing congregation. In Ternopil,Ukraine, the congregation of Druzhba Baptist Church (pastor Volodymyr Kostyshyn)has at last formally opened and begun to use its new building, which they have called‘House of Grace’. Then there are others who also see a need for more space but, as yet,are not sure of how the need will be met: the churches in Alcázar de San Juan (pastorJosé Moreno) in central Spain and in Carcassonne, France, where Tony and BarbaraHynes continue to work, are among them.

In drawing this report towards a conclusion, it is worth pointing out that the messageof Europe being a needy mission field seems to be finding a hearing in many placesaround the world. There is a momentum building for renewed missionary endeavourin our continent. Significant attention is coming from places as far afield as the UnitedStates and South Korea, as well as from within the UK. There are many initiatives andEMF will at least keep an ear open to what is being said and an eye upon what is beingdone. We are looking to build networks of contacts with those who are theologicallylike-minded, not least to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort but, more positively,to try to offer meaningful input.

Finally, one lesson that I take from looking back over the last year is that whether therehas been growth or no growth in particular congregations cannot be put down to‘method’. Some churches are now growing yet are doing nothing different from timeswhen the going was much slower; other churches are not growing numerically andyet church-life and ministry is very similar to places where growth is seen. Surely, thereason is to be found in the sovereign grace and high purposes of Almighty God. It isboth humbling and encouraging to reflect on this. If a faithful church is growing in sizethen we must say, surely it is the Lord who is doing this. And here is the excitement andhope for us all in whatever may be our own ‘home mission field´.

The Annual Report on the Work of the European Missionary Fellowship for 2011

I have to confess that writing articles for the Vision for Europeis no easy thing for me. In addition to my own natural problemin this area, I find that negativity is all too often too prominentin what I write. Yet in giving an overall and honest report of thecurrent evangelical scene in Northern Ireland I find it difficult tobe otherwise. It seems that, for the most part, “marking time”,“keeping the doors open” and “plodding on” are now fixed termsin our common evangelical language. Now of course faithfulnessis a basic hallmark requirement of any Gospel Church toauthenticate the claim, but there is always a subtle danger ofkeeping faithfulness locked in-house. As most readers will know,scriptural faithfulness is no hothouse principle, but one thatlives and prospers best in the hostile environment of the outsideworld where it has to fight to maintain its very existence.

Media influence on society is certainly rapidly increasing in termsof boldly pushing the atheist agenda and all that it stands for.This is no new phenomenon, but it has certainly taken on a moreaggressive nature in recent years. Matters of morality which inthe past while not heartily endorsed by common media are nowblatantly glamorised. Any objection or resistance to this popularmedia agenda is instantly branded a fundamentalist rant, and assuch readily dismissed.

One reason for the increase in media confidence to speak in sucha derogatory way against Christians/Christianity is the failure toassert our evangelical distinctiveness.

We alone are Christian in the truest sense of the word. We aloneare the true Church of Christ. Roman Catholicism is not Christian,nor is liberalism which denies the very essentials concerning the true nature of Christ; His deity, His perfect humanity andthe way of salvation. We are not part of a broad church body asis propounded by a secular driven media, whose agenda is thetotal removal of God from the minds of our people. Vaguenessand ambiguity are great evils when it comes to the all importantmatter of what it is to be Christian. We need as never beforefor clarity and assertiveness to be at the top of the evangelicalagenda, in order to let the world know that our Gospel alone isthe power of God to save sinners from a certain eternity of Hell.

Representing the European Missionary Fellowship in NorthernIreland, for me, is a privilege, since I know that our core objectiveand that of the men we support is this everlasting Gospel ofChrist. I am personally very much encouraged by EMF policyto support Gospel work in parts of Europe where I have neverbeen, and might never be. To witness first hand, when givinghospitality to visiting missionaries, their desire to take the Gospelto their fellow country men is such a blessing. While many ofthose supported by EMF have difficulties of which we here knowvery little, one problem they do not have is that they are easilyrecognised as distinct from the common religious systems thatsurround them. Our missionaries are very appreciative of theprayers and practical support they receive.

Please make use of the EMF website, the Vision for Europe andprayer letters to keep up to date with this great work. Pleasepray for our missionaries, especially those in Greece, Spain andPortugal at this time of economic difficulty.

NORTHERN IRELAND NOTES

Saturday 5th May 2012

Connsbrook Avenue Congregational Church

10.00am Coffee/Tea10.30am

Manuel Franco (Spain)

This is an opportunity to hear directly from one of EMF’smissionaries.

For further information: Rev. Tom McKendry

Tel: 028 7082 4931 Email: tmcke91591@btinternet.com