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Billy Graham: Live Link Information (February 1989 edition of the magazine) Our motto for the year, "Come and see", fits in very well with the national Mission '89. Dr. Billy Graham is visiting London in June and the meetings at Earl's Court will be transmitted live via satellite across the country. At the last count there were 142 such livelinks, one of which is here in Chesterfield. Livelink Chesterfield will be June 26th to July 1st, with the first three days at Central Methodist and the last three at Queen's Park Sports Centre. Dr. Graham has been given a unique gift by God of helping others to faith, and the week in June provides us with an ideal opportunity to invite friends to "come and see". He is very concerned that each livelink is a local church event, with local counsellors trained at local Lent courses to help those who respond. To this end may I encourage as many as possible to attend the Christian Life and Witness courses in Chesterfield: the course is open to all, but is essential for anyone wanting to-be a counsellor. "One of the greatest contributions we make in any mission is through the Christian Life and Witness classes. No church member should miss the opportunity to take these" - Dr. Billy Graham. Billy Graham: Live Link Update (April 1989 edition of the magazine) Since our February issue, several more livelinks have been set up around the country. When Billy Graham preaches at Earl's Court, London, from June 26th to July 1st, the meetings will be transmitted live via satellite to approx. 200 livelink centres, including ours here in Chesterfield. The local Christian life and witness classes were attended by 230 people from 18 churches in Chesterfield, and it was very encouraging to see so many people keen to learn how to share their faith more effectively with others. In our own churches about 50 people have joined Prayer Triplets to pray for the mission, and for our friends to come to faith in Christ. As it is essential that the mission is undergirded by prayer, may I encourage you to join such a Prayer Triplet and to make use of the special events planned. Further details from the clergy. Billy Graham: Live Link Invitation-Archbishop of Cantebury (June 1989 edition of the magazine) "I am glad to give any support to Billy Graham's 1989 mission. The fruits of his previous visits to this country are found in the thousands of committed members of our congregations for whom his presentation of the Gospel was a turning point. There could be no better way for Anglicans to respond positvely to the call of the Lambeth conference to make the 1990's a Decade of Evangelism". Dr Robert Runcie.- Archbishop Of Cantebury Billy Graham Mission 1989 Report (August 1989 edition of the magazine) When Billy Graham asked people to come to the front at West Ham, one youth pulled out of his clothing a three foot long bullwhip a steel core wrapped in leather and presented it to an alarmed steward. "I don't think I'll be needing this anymore I'm going forward", he declared! Throughout the country similar stories occurred as Dr Graham invited people to commit themselves to Christ, or to rededicate their lives. Such was the response in London that as well as the packed meetings at West Ham, Crystal Palace and Earl's Court, Billy Graham preached at Wembley Stadium on 8th July to a capacity audience. Here in Chesterfield we had one of the 250 Livelinks around the country, and were caught up into the atmosphere of the central meetings. Here too we saw people responding to the gospel some for the first time, others seeking assurance of Christ's love and skill others to reconfirm their confirmation and baptism vows. Michael had been making fun of Christians at school, yet had recently begin to read his Gideon Bible and gave his life to Christ at one of the meetings at Central Methodist. Hilda was an older lady, confined to a wheelchair yet she too responded to God's love and within a few days found herself able to walk again too. She found abundant Life in Christ through the Livelink. For Billy Graham's message of forgiveness and a fresh start through Christ's death on The Cross meant that all are able to start the chris.tian life "Life with a capital L" as he called it, (although, if the publicity campaign is anything to go by, it may as well have been Life with a capital E!) Let us praise God for working in so many people's lives, and for thrilling us afresh that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Let us praise Him too that the budgets have been met: the budgets may have seemed large, but were far less than it cost to save two grey whales at the North Pole! And let us pray that all those whom God drew to himself will soon be integrated into the life of the local churches. Marching in the Strength of the Lord (1992) (August 1992 edition of the magazine) Reporting on the March for Jesus that took place in the cities from London to Edinburgh, Manchester to Cardiff, in Belfast and in mainland Europe on Saturday 23rd May 1992. More than half a million people assembled in Battersea Park. We listened to messages relayed from other countries - a great link up. We stood in groups and prayed for people in those countries suffering hardship and persecution. As we marched through the London streets, banners held high, there was great joy and a sense of spiritual freedom. We sang, lifting Jesus high in songs of worship and praise. The procession was continuous to Hyde Park. We have since had reports from elsewhere. In Belfast security gates were opened by police to allow five thousand believers to march past the Law Courts and through the city centre. At the City Hall, thousands of Protestants and Catholics fell to their knees, weeping and praying for their land. Meanwhile, further afield in Albania, the President asked for the march to pass by his official residence. In Moscow someone said "I had to pinch myself to make sure this was actually happening" and fifteen brave people went forward publicly to give their lives to Christ. A participant in Brussels felt that "when I saw all the people marching, it was as if the love of God was flowing through the streets". Romania has suffered terrible sadness and despair, yet before the March moved off in Bucharest, the people sang for three hours. It was the first opportunity for fifty years that Christians could publicly declare their love and allegiance to the Lord Jesus. They were joined in the March by the Chief of Police for Bucharest, who insisted that they prayed for the government in front of the government building. He also said Bucharest needed more marches like this - there was an enormous sense of unity with the people. Christians from six countries joined together for a prayer - walk from London to Berlin, staying in one thousand homes during the walk! They passed by a Russian army camp in Germany, and the commander came to accept Jesus as his Saviour. Next year more countries will be reached to join in the March for Jesus. A March for Jesus will take place all over the United Kingdom on September 19th 1992. Connie Fogg Millions on the March for Jesus (1994) (June 1994 edition of the magazine) March for Jesus on 25th June is expected to be a truly global event, spanning more than 100 nations and uniting over 10 million Christians in coordinated prayer. Christian leaders in Ghana, Burundi. Guinea, Latvia, Mexico, and Togo, among others, have confirmed interest in holding a March for Jesus, and excitement is growing in places as far apart as Fiji and Sierra Leone, the Philippines and Argentina. On every continent there will be events ranging from quiet prayer walks to huge praise marches. The largest will be in South America and Asia, with both Sao Paulo and Seoul expecting to draw one million. Each nation will be twinned with another to focus their prayers. Britain and Ireland will see marches in London. Cardiff, Edinburgh and Drogeda. "1994 could be a wonderful turning point for the UK, with the three major evangelism projects; JIM, Minus to Plus and On Fire, following on from the special national prayer days sponsored by Prayer for Revival in February. March for Jesus in June will be a real prayer opportunity for British Christians to celebrate all that has happened and pray for continuing fruit." explains Graham Kendrick, gospel songwriter and one of the founders of March for Jesus. March for Jesus (1994) (August 1994 edition of the magazine) On the morning of Saturday 25 June as we drove down the M1 towards London we passed coach after coach full of excited people of all ages. Banners hung in the coach windows proclaiming their support! No, we were not on our way to a Wembley Cup final but all heading towards the embankment for the start of the London March for Jesus which was part of a global march spanning more than 100 nations. In the United Kingdom marches were simultaneously being held in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Drogheda. We met up with our son Robin and travelled the last few miles into London by train. As we arrived at the embankment there were large notices directing people to the start of the march. We were a little disappointed because there did not appear to be many people leaving the station, but after a short walk along the narrow streets behind the embankment our disappointment turned into joy. Not only could we hear the strains of praise and songs on the public address system, but we also got our first glimpse of hundreds of people holding banners aloft "Jesus is Lord", "He is my fortress", "God loves you". We purchased a programme providing the words for the songs and prayers to be used as we marched, and then joined a band of people getting ready for the march. Thousands of people spread along the pavement. The weather was a little dull but everyone was smiling and full of joy and eager anticipation. We met the people around us, a young mum and her son from Edinburgh (living in London), a family from Uttoxeter, a group from Humberside. The public address system announced that we were ready to start and that the traffic had been stopped, so we moved onto the road. We occupied both carriage ways from Charing Cross railway bridge back to Waterloo bridge across the full width of Waterloo bridge and along the South bank to the National Theatre and beyond. There were some 40,000 to 50.000 people with a common purpose to proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, an emotional moment to be in such a gathering. We marched to music and prayers which were relayed over a designated radio wave band (plenty of people were carrying their portable radios). The route took us up to Trafalger Square, down Pall Mall, up St James into Piccadilly, to Hyde Park Corner and along Park Lane to enter Hyde Park via Marble Arch. The whole of the central London traffic had been stilled by a two mile plus snake of people singing the Lords praises, proclaiming their faith and enjoying themselves. It was very exciting, especially being able to briefly tell others you passed about Jesus. We arrived in the Park to be told that the march still stretched back to Waterloo Bridge. The rally in the park emphasised joy and unity as we sang praises with many people dancing, and yet at times of prayer everywhere was still. Each nation had been twinned with another, England with Bangladesh. We got into small groups to pray for the people, Government and needs of Bangladesh, just as they were doing for us. We stood arms aloft and faced east to pray for those countries to the east of us and then turned to the west to pray for those countries, knowing that all over the world Christians in every country were doing the same, it was a wonderful experience just to have been part of it. The Freestone Family Wembley -With No Opposition (August 1997 edition of the magazine) In the middle of what seemed like months of rain, twenty one of us set off on 28th June 1997 to join 50,000 other Christians at Wembley for 'The Champion of the World,' a praise, prayer and proclamation event. It started on time at 4pm, with a reminder that, "We're not here to praise or honour the performing groups" ... and there was very little evidence to suggest that anyone had gone there to do anything but celebrate Jesus. It's also the reason for not including a list of them! The power of prayer was obvious ...I've no doubt that everyone had prayed for the rain to stop ... and although 98% of the UK was still under deluge, Wembley stayed dry!! So what did we all gain from it? ... I asked my fellow celebrants their views and one of the most interesting comments was, "We didn't know what we were going to!" For the benefit of those who might like to go next year -it was a six and a half hour version of a Spring Harvest Big Top celebration. Other views/comments included: "Brill!", "Excellent", "Electric, fantastic!", "A feast of worship", "Glad I was a part of it!", "People were truly free.., uninhibited!", "it was great to see children involved, doing their dance routines on the stage, and hearing what they pray for." The three things which most people commented on were: ¨The up-to-date style of worship ... the range of styles meant there was something for everyone ¨ The atmosphere ... there was a warm, safe feeling, with everyone at peace with each other and no worries about mugging, brawls, and pickpockets, despite the number of people and the venue. ¨ The freedom ... to stay in your seat or move around the stadium, go on the pitch, dance, wave your banner, whatever yon felt comfortable with! It was a very uplifting experience, and the age range was impressive ... babes in buggies to octogenarians, and the number of teenagers was particularly encouraging. Seeing them do the Conga around the pitch was wonderful ... what a way to celebrate knowing Jesus! In fact, the mood of the event makes me wonder whether Dr Harvey Cox of Harvard Divinity School was inspired by God when, talking about. the earliest followers of Jesus, he said, "Their worship services were rather uproarious affairs ... more like the victory celebrations of a football team, than what we usually call worship today." The offering, taken for street children in the UK and Europe, raised an amazing £87,000 ... absolutely brilliant considering that the under 18's wouldn't have had much, if any, cash to spare!! What happened at Wembley certainly reached others too ... the Wembley management said they'd "never seen anything like it!" ... and the stewards and security staff looked somewhat bored with the fact, there was nothing for them to 'deal with'. One disappointing aspect of the day was that, given the capacity of the stadium, the attendance could have been higher. Maybe, as someone suggested, that was down to, "poor advertising ... something in the national press may have helped". Nevertheless, we all came away spiritually refreshed, rather than exhausted! ... and no doubt, many people were contemplating on Matthew 7:7 as they tried to find their coach in the dark! Finally, if you would like a glimpse of the event, there is a I hour video available for loan. Please ask at the church office. The other good news is that we don't have to wait for next year to celebrate Jesus in this way again ... the biggest indoor Christian event outside the US will be happening at Sheffield Arena on Saturday 25th October, 3pm - 10pm, watch out for information on the weekly church newsheet!! Marching -as to War? (April 2007 edition of the magazine) Sue Brown at an anti nuclear weapons march Last Saturday, 24th February, Charles (my husband) and I set off again – to march in London to demonstrate against our government’s plan to spend up to £76 billion on new nuclear weapons to replace Trident. Our current Trident has nearly 200 nuclear warheads – that is a potential killing capacity of 320 million people. Recollections: Travelling up to London this time, my memories went back to that first time (for me) four years ago, on 15 February 2003. That extraordinary day of protest against the Iraq war. Apparently even the most experienced demonstrators never really expected they would see a million people on the streets of London in protest – let alone 2 million – yet it happened. Being one of those 2 million, an experience I’ll never forget – moving slowly up Piccadilly packed from end to end with many like myself who’d never marched before – solidarity literally!! The biggest protest in British history. I remembered it was reported that the Secretary of State for culture, media and sport, Tessa Jowell had a major concern – she was worried that the march could damage the turf in Hyde Park where it was scheduled to conclude with speeches – she ordered that the march should disperse at the gates of Hyde Park without a single speech being delivered. I remembered listening, packed like sardines, standing on that grass – it survived, unscathed (but I’m not sure about the Secretary of State’s reputation!) 70,000 or so this Saturday marched, and we took a shorter route – starting at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park – then past Green Park, Park Lane, down the Haymarket (Pinter showing there, and still “The Phantom” at Her Majesty’s!), down Piccadilly, past St. James’ where some folk came out and waved and gave the thumbs up sign as we passed, which was nice – and so onto Trafalgar Square, our destination point for speeches, music etc. I was amused and cheered on Saturday by encountering a Christian singing group and conductor, singing with huge enthusiasm and arm movements, on our way through Hyde Park to join the march. They then popped up at intervals along the way, bursting repeatedly into “we’re marching in the light of God ….we’re marching in the light of God” over and over – their smiling exuberant faces warming our hearts – lovely, especially as it was in fact raining! When we finally reached Hyde Park it was good to see Tony Benn once again on the platform. Tony Benn along with others who had worked so hard speaking all over the country prior to the 2003 march – as on that occasion, the roar that greeted his introduction was loudest of all. Other speakers we heard this Saturday in Trafalgar Square included Stephen Cottrell (Bishop of Reading – Aldermaston Diocese), Ken Livingston, Bruce Kent (of CND), George Galloway, and that remarkable man Brian Haw who has camped outside the Houses of Parliament for I don’t know how many years (in protest against war). There was also an American activist for the non-proliferation of nuclear arms amongst the speakers, and many others. We listened to Julie Felix singing and playing her guitar – “Blowing in the wind”, and then the refrain altered to “the answer, can’t you see, is up to you and up to me, the answer is up to you and me” …we all joined in – very moving. During these marches one is alongside people from every creed, race, nation under the sun, all with banners and slogans, demanding peace from our government – decisions and policies leading to PEACE. We smiled and chatted to one another because we all knew we came with the same demand. In Tuesday’s copy of The Guardian (27 Feb 2007), was the following report: “The synod, led by its two archbishops, also yesterday came out against government plans to upgrade the Trident nuclear missile system, declaring that it would be contrary to the UK’s obligations in international law and the country’s ethical principles. The move followed a passionate intervention by Dr Williams that Trident was morally unacceptable. ‘I don’t believe that there is a case for the moral acceptability of nuclear weapons that I could with integrity accept’, he said. ‘I believe that the least a Christian body ought to do would be to issue the strongest possible warnings and discouragements to our government.” Once again Julie Felix’s song rang in my ears – “The answer, can’t you see, is up to you and up to me, the answer is up to you and me”. Sue Brown |