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One of the most helpful things for any Christian leader, missionary, evangelist or church worker to do is to take note of and learn from the events that

unfolded in the book of Acts. This book which tells us of the beginnings of the Christian church is an exciting account of how God worked through those early Christians to impact their world and it therefore offers us a kind of template for our work today. As we do so, one of the most interesting things we can observe is that the early Christians became adept at seizing opportunities to share their faith with a lost world. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Acts 8.

The background to this chapter is the martyrdom of Stephen which was a devastating blow to the fledgling church. Stephen had been a role model of Christian grace and spirituality and the church deeply mourned his death (8:2). This event opened the floodgates for a brutal and systematic persecution of the church which in turn resulted in the mass exodus of Christians from the city of Jerusalem and their scattering throughout Judea and Samaria. The Jewish religious leaders no doubt thought that with these Christians on the run, Christianity would not be able to spread any further. However, they had not counted on the ability that the Christians had to improvise and seize every opportunity to make their voices and message heard.

When we get to verse 4 of chapter 8, Luke tells us something profoundly important; he states that the Christians who were scattered went about preaching the word. This was an entirely spontaneous act. There was a determination on their part to be witnesses for Christ and they took the opportunity whenever they could to tell others about him. Clearly the

Spiritu al EntrepreneursStephen McQuoid

Stephen McQuoid

Chris Hall

Jacob Fuglø

Mark Davies

Ian Smith

Sam Gibson

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4Opportunities of a Summer

Opportunites to witness

GLO and the Global Vision

Spotting the Opportunities

in France

Country focus –Denmark

A once in a lifetime chance?

GLO BookshopAndrew Lacey

Newsflash: We are changing the name of this magazine. This will be the last time that it will be called ‘Spearhead’. The next edition will carry a new name, but it will still reflect the work of GLO Europe.

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persecution and the resultant scattering of Christians made possible the widespread proclamation of the gospel and the Christians took full advantage of it. It meant that the gospel was not just being heard in Jerusalem but throughout the whole region. This was spontaneous evangelism at its best.

When we get further down the chapter we see another aspect of this at work. Philip, one of the great evangelists of the early church, was on the move looking for ways of sharing his faith. He went to Samaria and there he began to evangelize with great effect. Then in v.26 a new opportunity presented itself. An angel of the Lord visited Philip and told him to go South to a busy road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza. This had not been on Philip’s itinerary, but he was responsive to God speaking to him and so went. While on the road he saw a chariot on the move and an Ethiopian Eunuch riding in it. Once again Philip was responsive to the Spirit’s prompting (v.29) and so drew alongside the chariot. Observing the situation carefully he noted that the Ethiopian was reading from Isaiah. Realizing that this was an opportunity to witness, Philip interrupted the man and asked him if he understood what he was reading. When the man confessed that he did not, Philip got into the chariot and began to explain the passage which led to the

man’s conversion and subsequent baptism.This chapter has much to teach us about mission

and evangelism. The Bible contains many accounts of people working to a plan and strategy and thinking carefully about how they do their ministry. The apostle Paul is an example of a missionary in the New Testament whose work was characterized by strategy. But there are also many examples, like these ones in Acts 8, where Christians responded spontaneously to situations that presented themselves and made an impact as a result. Whether it was spotting an opening for the proclamation of the gospel or listening to the Holy Spirit, these Christians had the courage, commitment and tenacity necessary to seize opportunities when they came along.

In the popular British TV show ‘The Apprentice’, young entrepreneurs are invited to test their skills in finding gaps in the market which they can profitably exploit. There is a need for churches, missionaries, evangelists, indeed all of us to look for ways in which we can share our faith whenever the opportunity presents itself and to be constantly looking for those opportunities. We need to learn to be evangelistic entrepreneurs who proclaim the gospel by all means and in a variety of different contexts.

Learning to seize these opportunities will become increasingly important as our society continues to change. What might work today will not necessarily work tomorrow. The people we can witness to now might not be there next week. The changing nature of our society and everyday lives means that we need to take opportunities whenever we can. We need to learn to think on our feet, to be observant and to respond quickly whenever we can.

As Christians we also believe the God speaks to

us through his Holy Spirit. If this is the case then we need to be open to the possibility that the Holy Spirit will prompt us at any given moment to share our faith and make the circumstances of our lives such that opportunities present themselves to us. We also need to pray intentionally that these opportunities will come our way and then be alert to them. With the skill, determination and courage of the entrepreneur we need to learn to respond, to say what needs to be said and to make the most of each situation that God puts in our path. Not to do so would be to ignore the lessons that those early Christians so heroically taught us.

Of course none of this detracts from the importance of being strategic in the way we do evangelism. Planning and purposeful action is of great value, but so too is the spur of the moment opportunity that we take to make Christ known.

Throughout Europe GLO workers are endeavoring to evangelise and plant churches, taking the gospel to people who have not heard. Much of their activity is methodically planned. However, they are also on the lookout for whatever opportunities come their way. This edition of Spearhead tells some of those stories and is written to inspire and encourage you to pray for the work of GLO Europe.

Spiritu al Entrepreneurs

“ Christians responded spontaneously to situations that presented themselves and made an impact as a result”

“ There is a need for all of us to look for ways in which we can share our faith whenever the opportunity presents itself”

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GLO as an organisation is always looking for the opportunity to share the gospel with people who have never heard. Those opportunities can happen all year round,

but one of the best times of the year is during the summer when many Christians throughout Europe have time off from work, school or university and can be mobilised for mission. It is for this reason that the summer team programme is a vital part of GLO’s evangelism strategy.

One opportunity that we seized upon this summer was the Olympics which were held in London.

We were based in Ilford which was only an eight minute train ride to the Olympic Park was and 25 minutes from central locations such as the Houses of Parliament. As expected, London was crowded with visitors from all over the world as well as the 12 million people who consider London to be their permanent home.

The main focus of the team was to distribute a tract that was specifically written for the occasion. Having an Olympic themed tract certainly did help and we are able to distribute 16,000 of them in 10 days. Perhaps the best opportunities for distribution were the two Sundays during the women’s and men’s marathon when hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the streets to watch. The evenings were occupied distribute tracts to the many thousands who went to the Olympic Park each night.

One of the unexpected opportunities that presented itself was evangelism among Muslims. During the Olympics hundreds of Muslims took to the streets to propagate their faith and inevitably this brought them across our path. We had many good conversations as we shared the reality of our faith. Another summer team that had the opportunity to reach out to Muslims was the Marseille team. The 12 team members from India, China, Argentina, UK, Spain, and Switzerland arrived in Marseille during Ramadan and were able to take part in relationship-building activities in an area of the city with a large Muslim population. An international evening, football tournaments, mass distribution and beach evangelism were all part of the programme. About 15 local people were willing to leave their contact details and receive a further visit.

Romania proved to be another place where opportunities could be taken. This was made possible because young people from both the UK and France wanted to join the two summer teams held there. There were 12 from the UK and a further 17 from France. The UK team were involved in children’s work in two locations and around 200 came to the clubs along with a number of parents and grandparents. It was a

wonderful opportunity to fill young minds with biblical truth and some 53 of the children were awarded prizes for learning memory verses. One of the children, Nicu, aged 11 encouraged the team by telling them that, “I need to ask God to forgive me, so that my name will be written in the Book of Life”. In addition to the children’s work there were also 3 youth evenings which proved successful.

The French team also did children’s work, this time in gypsy villages, with over 90 children attending each day. The French young people organised songs, sketches, lessons as well as testimonies. The evenings were mainly used for events for adults in the various gypsy communities.

Children’s clubs were also held in Enniscorthy in the Republic of Ireland where the four summer team

members helped the church and resident GLO team reach out to the local community. Over 130 children came to the club each day with a significant number of parents coming to a parent’s night at the end of the week. Each child went home with a copy of Mark’s gospel as well as other literature. A “Beautiful Women’s Night” was also held during the week with 80 guests and a number asked for further contact or promised

to attend a ladies’ Bible study. A further 200 came to a Family Fun Day with many of them staying on for an evening concert which included a presentation of the gospel.

During the second week of the team over 50 teenagers attended a youth club where there was a variety of activities as well as the gospel being presented through drama and discussion groups. This was supplemented by a children’s club held on the green outside the house of Andrew and Lorna Burt who lead the resident GLO team. Over 50 children attended and a further 40 guests came to an Over 60’s afternoon tea. In between all these activities the team distributed 4000 magazines around the town.

North of the border there was a summer team in Woodford, County Armagh which also focussed on children’s and youth work. During this team four children became Christians. Children’s work also

played a significant role on the team in Mollet near Barcelona where the 14 team members conducted open air meetings for children in two parks. The theme was “Go for Gold” and the team held a fun Olympics with a couple of sports each day. The church there took the opportunity to rent the old Market Hall for an international night and a music night. Families who had been contacted in the parks attended both evenings and were challenged with the gospel.

Summer teams often provide the opportunity for people from the same church to go as a group and engage in mission. This was the case on the Marsciano team where a group of 13 from Aberdeen came to support this fairly new church. The programme for the team changed quite radically because just a few days beforehand a 14 year old boy from the church in Marsciano had been electrocuted to death. In this situation overt special event type evangelistic evenings would have been culturally out of place. Nevertheless this opened up the opportunity for some very effective house meetings and one-to-one evangelism. The prayer times which the team and local church had were very special and there was real unity within the team itself and with the local church.

A surprising opportunity presented itself this year in Sázava in the Czech Republic. In 2011 a GLO team from a church in Glasgow went to Sázava to support the work of the small church there. Good contacts were made and some of the contacts invited the team to come back. Four did so along with five others which they had recruited. They ran a very similar programme to the previous year using English language classes as a way of developing friendships with people. They also organised five outreach events: two barbeques, a film night, a trip out to a neighbouring village and a meeting in the local church. The barbeques in particular were great opportunity for witness and many good discussions took place. Given that it was an Olympic year ‘Chariots of Fire’ was screened at a film night and this too was impacting.

These were just some insights to the 25 GLO summer teams that took the opportunity to bringing the good news of Jesus to a lost world. Perhaps next summer you will take the opportunity to come with us as we bring the gospel to people who have not heard.

Summer Opportunities

By Stephen McQuoid

“ I need to ask God to forgive me, so that I will be written in the Book of Life” Nicu, 11

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“ The prayer times which the team and local church had were very special and there was real unity”

“ Perhaps next summer you will take the opportunity to come with us as we bring the gospel to people”

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“ It’s important to go with the things we love, because then we are being authentic.”

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In France, Graphic Novels are a big thing. They are called BDs here (Bandes Dessinées) and they cover every style of story from romance or historical fiction, to science fiction, fantasy,

and horror. Festivals to celebrate this element of popular culture take place throughout France.

I have been a Comic Book/Graphic Novel lover since my early teens. I collected Marvel and DC super-hero comics, among others, and still enjoy the films based on them, so this is one aspect of French culture I’ve always been interested in. When I discovered a comic festival in Laval a few years ago, it was with great pleasure that I went along, taking my children, Evelyne & Lucas, to discover the world of the Bandes-Dessinées.

My love of comic books also led me to discovering a wealth of material based on a Christian world-view, or created with the intent of communicating the Gospel, mainly from America, but also from the UK and throughout Europe.

About four years ago a new Graphic Novel came on the market: ‘Manga Messiah’, which is part of a project to present the whole Bible in five Manga Graphic

Novels. In France, someone had the excellent idea of packaging part of the first book into a 64 page extract which could be freely given away, and which clearly presented the Gospel, giving an overview of Jesus’ birth, teachings, miracles, sacrifice and resurrection.

Around the same time, I heard about a Comic Book Festival that was starting up in Château-Gontier, to be held just around the corner from us. I thought it would be great to be able to give away some of these Manga Gospels at this festival, to people who share a similar passion, and would be appreciative of the medium.

That particular year it didn’t work out, but the next year we applied to have a stand presenting not only the

Manga Gospel, but also a whole selection of Christian Comic Books & Graphic Novels, including Graphic Novels by a young Swiss artist, Alain Auderset.

This year we took part in the festival again, and it’s been excellent to make people aware of the Christian Graphic novels that are available in this medium and to see people taking the Manga Gospel and other Christian Comic Books made freely available with the intention of explaining the Gospel to younger readers such as the ‘Powermark Seeker Series’.

Being part of a Comic Festival is a dream come true! It is so natural because of my own love for the medium, and my desire to share my faith with others. This common interest makes it easy to talk with people as I’ve either read or own most of the novels we have at the festival. To parody C.S. Lewis: ‘I’m just a comic lover, showing another comic lover, where to find comics that feed the soul’.

It’s the same with music; Michelle and I love music and have been involved in choirs and groups since our early teens. We’re part of a group called ‘Sola’, along with Catherine Moreau, Alison & Mike Packer, and just recently Michel, on drums. For a number of years

Mike and I played as an acoustic-based duo, ‘Last Chance’. Recently Michelle and I have been performing as a duo ‘Everlight’s Keep’, as well as sometimes performing as a full band under the same name. We have also been involved in running the ‘Music 4 The Soul’ GLO teams, specifically based around using music to share our faith. All

of these activities are a result of our love of music. We play anywhere where we’re invited, to any audience, and we perform a mixture of our own compositions which reflect aspects of our faith and relationship with Jesus, as well as contemporary pop songs, a number of which also touch on issues relating to faith, the meaning of life, love, friendship, fear, doubt, and questions about God and his influence in this world.

The most recent musical activity we started was an English-speaking choir, ‘s[i]nglish’. For several years I helped out with an English conversation group, only to be frustrated that no-one could understand my Black Country accent. I decided I’d like to continue encouraging people to develop their English, by

offering an English-singing choir (without accents!). Michelle and Catherine had already done this with children, so we decided to launch an adult version with the aim of performing a version of Handel’s Messiah at Easter 2012. We were joined by around a dozen people, some of whom call themselves Roman Catholic, some who call themselves Protestant, and some who call themselves Atheist; but each of them enjoyed preparing songs based on biblical texts taken from Isaiah and other parts of the Bible!

The choir now has around 15 men and women. The songs we’re working on are all in English, so people can continue to practise and develop their English through the lyrics of the songs, although the direction of the choir is in French. The songs we choose contain, at the very least, a positive message, or they have some kind of Christian point of view: songs like Michael Jackson’s ‘Man in the Mirror’ (the need for change to start with myself ), Hoobastank’s ‘The Reason’ (recognition of hurting someone, need for change and forgiveness), Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ (the value each of us have, particularly in the eyes of God), etc. As well as developing English language skills, it’s also an opportunity to share something of our faith and how our faith affects our view of the world, through the songs and the rehearsals.

What is excellent when considering the different opportunities available around us, is that God has made each of us different, with different likes and dislikes. Some of us have a keen interest in sport, others in music, others in cinema, others in science, others in needlework, others in art, etc. God can use these interests to give us opportunities to witness for him.

I believe it’s important to go with the things we love, because then we are being authentic. There is no point in me looking for opportunities in the sporting world as I can think of nothing more mind-numbing that watching football and when the conversation turns towards cricket, I’m lost! When it’s about cinema, books, music, or comics, however, it’s completely natural for me to join in the conversation. Really that’s all that we’re doing: joining in the conversation and bringing a point of view which has been touched and transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“ It’s been excellent to make people aware of the Christian Graphic novels that are available in this medium.”

Spotting theOpportunities in France

by Chris Hall

Spotting theOpportunities in France

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According to Time magazine Denmark was rated the happiest country in the world in 2011 when it comes

to well-being. The British Legatum Institute recently rated Denmark as the second most prosperous country in the world. Denmark has a good economy, and its citizens enjoy good health, good educational possibilities, and a good social network. Denmark is indeed a great place to live where all your needs are met ... or are they?

As the living standard is increasing it seems that the spiritual soil gets harder and harder. The greatest spiritual need in Denmark seems to be the fact that people

do not realize that they have spiritual needs. Revelation 3:17 expresses it clearly: ‘For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked’.

People have everything they need and live busy lives. In most families both parents have full time jobs and the children are in school or daycare for 8-10 hours a day with the spare time used for sports and socialising. TV and computers make sure that when people are finally alone there is no time for deeper reflection on life.

Denmark is a nominally Christian country with 82% of the 5.5 million people in the country being members of the Lutheran State Church. Many of these churches, however, are empty or almost empty every Sunday and statistics state that only approximately 2% of the members regularly attend church. At the same time many evangelical churches suffer from a lack of commitment among church members. A tendency of “church-shopping” is spreading among Christians; many attend a church for a short period of time and then move on to the next church looking for their needs to fulfilled there and never really commit to a church.

In order to reach the people in Denmark with the gospel there is a

Country in Focus - Denmarkneed for long term commitment not church-shopping! Danish people are generally very closed when it comes to talking about faith and beliefs. The mentality of the Danish people is sometimes summed up in “The Law of Jante” which says, “You’re not to think you are anything special”. Danes do not like people who claim to have the right answers or believe in an absolute truth. It therefore takes a long time to get to know people well enough to build their trust and respect so as to talk meaningfully about Jesus Christ.

Since the global recession began in 2008, however, people have been more open to see life in a broader perspective. Pray for the people of Denmark that they will see that being the happiest people in the world is not enough. Pray that people will seek God during the financial crisis and turn to the church.

Pray for the local evangelical churches that they will be able to embrace the people who come to the church and encourage them to make a long term commitment. Pray too that churches will commit themselves to reaching people in their local area.

Pray for the Christians in Denmark that they will be renewed in their faith and stand together in order to meet the spiritual needs of Denmark.

By Jacob Fuglø

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Opportunities to Witness

When you love someone or even something it changes many things about you - how you

look, talk, walk, use your time and resources are but a few examples. You get up in the morning to face the day more confident knowing that someone loves you and it puts a spring in your step. So it is with those who love the Lord and know that He loves them also. Others notice and eventually are curious about what makes you tick. Love is like that!

Questions will come your way and it is good to have some answers to show that you have given some thought to what you believe. Peter tells us to have a reason for the hope that is within us.

Does God really exist? What about all the suffering in our world? Is the Bible true? Is Christianity uniquely true? These are all common questions and there are many good authors to help us give a reply: CS Lewis, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Ravi Zacharias, John Lennox, Rick Warren, John Blanchard and our own Stephen McQuoid are but a few. There are also courses like Alpha and Christianity Explored providing good material, as well as DVD’s and useful websites. It is, however, essential that we have some Bible verses to hand. Good examples would be John 1:12, 3:16, 6:35, 8:34-36, 10:28, 14:6 and 20:31.

I have found it helpful to be intentional about sharing my faith by praying about it first. Prayer really helps me to focus and take things seriously. I find that when I pray, God opens up the way for me to talk to others and gives me the courage to make the most of opportunities each day. I start with the people that I know well, family and close friends for example, then work out towards other friends, neighbours and colleagues. But I don’t stop there! I ask the Lord to help me make new friends and to give me new opportunities to share my faith in Him.

I know that I need the Lord to push me out of my comfort zone if I am to continue to make new disciples! A good place to begin making new friends is to find common ground. Sport, food, music, computers, gardening, DIY, the news and the weather are good conversation starters. Walking the dog (if you have one) or if you have young children or a new baby can all bring opportunities with interested

parties. It is good to take an interest in what others do and what is going on around us in our world if we are to connect with others. Jesus did this well and we can see from the stories that He told that He was in touch with His generation. He connected with people by talking to them about what they knew and were familiar with in order to tell them about the One that they didn’t know but who was interested in them - His heavenly Father.

Another way is to ask the Lord to help us make the most of opportunities that come our way in everyday life. Public transport gives us time alongside others and being polite and courteous can help. The school run enables us to meet other parents. Shopping in small stores can present opportunities to talk with bored staff. The doctor’s surgery, the dentist waiting room, the optician, the florist all give us an opportunity if not in too much pain to talk or pay the bill! Don’t rush through these encounters!

Offering our help to a neighbour or even asking for help can open a door to a new relationship. Taking art classes, cookery, craft, music or learning a new trade can often enrich our lives and present us with new opportunities for witness. The list is endless but we must start somewhere.

Prayer is a good place to start. Relying on the Holy Spirit is essential. Then as someone once said: “just do it” (Acts 1:8)!

By Sam Gibson

“ I know that I need the Lord to push me out of my comfort zone if I am to continue to make new disciples!”

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Taking a year out to study God’s word is a dream that is more often than not unrealised for the majority of us. But just now and then the opportunity opens up before you– what do you

do? That’s when all the questions and doubts surface: Won’t a career break damage my job prospects? Will I be able to get back into university studies after a gap year? This is a tough time to rent out the house, so how will we cover the mortgage? And isn’t it just too theoretical to study the Bible and God in a classroom anyway? What about my Sunday School class? Who will lead the youth group in my absence? Who will look after the dog? The questions keep coming, and the opportunity can easily slip by. For the 11 people on the “Training for Service” course, while all the questions weren’t answered, they said “Yes!” to the Lord’s leading in their lives, and have joined us and one other in a learning community here at Tilsley for a year’s worth of journeying with the Lord. We ask you to pray that this year will be a highly significant one of development in their lives, as well as for Eoghan & Debbie, Alex, Rachel, Iain, Vince and Matthew who are studying on the ”Stepping-Out” apprenticeship year programme.

Thomas McCormick from Northern Ireland has come from a year’s course studying music: “I’m here to be equipped with theological knowledge for life and ministry and to gain foundations which I can build upon.”

Anna Poulsen, a mental health care worker from the Faroe Islands: “I have wanted to go to Bible school for years and decided that now was the time. I hungered for more knowledge and a better relationship with Jesus and wanted to focus just on Him. I want a solid Bible foundation and a stronger faith, but most of all I want my personal relationship with Jesus to truly be deepened.”

Emilio Espinosa: “I come from Jujuy, Argentina, and was involved in evangelism and church work there. After serving the Lord in a church in Melksham England for a year, in connection with Latin Link, I decided to come to Tilsley College to prepare myself to serve the Lord more effectively in a British context.”

Watiyakeni Chibangu worked for three years as a missionary among the Himba people of Namibia with ProChristo/OM Zambia. He is commended from his Zambian home church to serve as a missionary in Central Africa, and, with his wife and new-born baby plans to work among Muslim people in Tanzania. Here for six months of biblical and theological studies in a Western context, to gain insights for working in international teams.

Ruth Young: Having taken a gap year opportunity with FirstServe that involved 3 months in Bolivia, and a subsequent mission trip to that country, Ruth felt the need for a more prolonged period of training for future service in mission work.

Harry Chinkumbi, future leader in youth ministry in Zambia, working for GLO Alive, the youth department of GLO Zambia. He is with us in the UK for six months of studies in youth work and understanding the Western mind-set.

By Mark Davies

A once in a lifetime chance?

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We are well into our third year of operations at the Motherwell venue for Joshua Project, with a combined total of over 80 current and future church leaders engaging with significant biblical and theological studies. Elective streams in pastoral care, preaching and evangelism provide vital reflection on how studies are to be applied to life and ministry. It was the expressions of specific training needs by local church leaders, and their commitment to the Project, that has helped produce a format of part-time training that seems to “scratch where it itches.” Positive feedback from these churches of more workers engaged in pastoral care, developing outreach work or having greater confidence and ability to preach and teach make the hours invested so much more worthwhile.

Meanwhile in the West Midlands, enter on stage a group of passionate church planters, Andy Hodson and his team of “Growing Shoots” - engaged in ministry, seeing more people enthused to get involved, but recognising gaps in skills and knowledge that training can help to fill. In 2011, as a combined GLO/Growing Shoots/CPI initiative, Mark Davies, David Clarkson, Andy Hodson, and Julian Marsh, worked on developing a Church Planting Stream within the Joshua Project framework. As this issue of Spearhead goes to print, the group of 12-16 students are graduating from this Joshua Project – Church Planting Stream, with a zeal matched with enhanced knowledge and skills to plant churches in the West Midlands. We are working on a plan to add a “Shaping leaders-shaping churches” stream which will explore the need to be experimental with both church structures and leadership structures in order to address the needs of evangelism and effective discipleship in the various strands of British 21st century culture.

And now as 2012 draws to a close, a “kingdom of Fife” further education college Principal, successfully helps his college into a major university merger, and then finds alternative staff deployment leaves no space for him there – a opportunity of time and energy to invest in a new direction. Combined with a passion for seeing God’s people better trained in the things of God, he seizes an opportunity for a new Joshua Project venue to emerge in Dundee! Pray for Jim Crooks and a team that he, David Clarkson and Mark Davies are pulling together to start up a Joshua Project in early February 2013 for churches in the Dundee/Fife area.

So the work grows, and, more crucially, so does the team of workers needed for the work – the multiplication factor. Training itself should model what it intends to produce. If we want disciples of Christ who are disciple makers, then the training process that produces them should surely also be one that produces more trainers. Or, as in the case of Joshua Project, drawing together teams of teachers across UK who can learn with and from each other to enable systematic Bible teaching and theological reflection that stimulates more effective service for Christ. If you have a passion for your own area then get in touch with us, or some of our training partners that may be in your area such as Counties, Partnership, and Church Planting Initiative. Let’s think training better together!

Ash & Jude Gibson with their children: Miriam (6), Ethan (4) and Kiera (2). Ash, from Yorkshire has spent most of his adult life running a small textile manufacturing business with his father. After a serious car accident he faced the question of what were his priorities in life as a believer, “I wanted to do something faithful for God, and at this point in my life am here at college to be better equipped to serve Him.” Jude (née McKinnon) grew up in Glasgow and is a physiotherapist: “I came here because I wanted a deeper knowledge of the Bible, to have a broader range of experience in different ministry situations and to be more reliant on God.”

Karen Inch, school teacher from Belfast: “Since I came to Tilsley in September, I am regularly struck by the privilege it is to be here, to have excellent and challenging teaching every single day. The opportunity to devote a year to learning about who God is and how He wants me to serve Him and His people has already been life changing.”

Marie Andolfatto: “I come from les Vosges, France. I have always wanted to learn English and it finally seemed that this Bible college was the best way to manage it taking into account my personality and my needs as a young Christian. I am not sure what I am going to do next year, but I would like to go back to my church and serve the Lord there for a year in this church where I grew up.”

Melissa Masterson, a young Christian, school-leaver from Dinas Powys, Wales with interests in studying sports: “I came to grow in my understanding of my faith and get equipped for what God has planned for my future.”

“ If we want disciples of Christ who are disciple makers then the training process that produces them should surely also be one that produces more trainers.”

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Having attended the GLO International Conference in South Korea in November 2012, Ian

Smith and Stephen McQuoid report back on their visit:

The GLO Centre near Seoul in South Korea was the venue for this year’s GLO International Conference where representatives from GLO ministries in Australia, Nepal, India, Zambia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Europe and of course South Korea, came together for a time of sharing, prayer and discussion. These events occur every three years and enable the different parts of the work of GLO to keep in touch with each other and support one another in whatever way we can. Most of the conference was taken up with reports, although there was some time set aside to look at strategy and to ask searching questions about how we are all doing in our individual ministries. The thing that struck us all when we were there was the fact that GLO, for all its limitations of personnel and resource, nevertheless has a genuinely international reach.

Not only does GLO provide training in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Far East, but there is church planting going on in as diverse places as Indonesia, Mongolia and France.

GLO could be described as a family of organisations because there is no overall leader or structure over the different parts of the work. In that sense GLO Korea is independent of GLO Zambia which in turn is independent of GLO Europe. It is for this reason that these international gatherings are so important.

In our strategy discussions we asked searching questions about the extent to which we use literature and other media, especially given that the word ‘literature’ is actually in our name. We also recognised that in countries such as the UK and Australia the church is in decline, though both countries are missionary sending nations, while countries like India and Zambia receive missionaries but have a church that is large and growing. Consideration was given to whether it would be possible to put together multinational mission teams thus bringing people together

from places such as Malaysia, Peru and Italy and encouraging them to work together. The possibility of sharing resources throughout the work and co-operating in training was also highlighted.

These discussions will continue as GLO workers throughout the world endeavour to be effective in service; what is not in doubt is that exciting things are happening. In Australia, where GLO originated, the work continues to grow, change and adapt. They have a discipleship training centre in Tasmania and an English language school in Sydney which operates as a tool for evangelism. They are facilitating mission work in places like Nepal, China and Mongolia and are working hard to envision Australian churches to church plant in their own country. Indonesia is the largest Muslim nation in the world with a population of over 234 million. It is home to 130 unreached people groups which equates to over 145 million souls. Mr Soko heads up this work with a team of 12 dedicated church planters. Over these last few years they have seen many come to faith, 10 churches planted and relationships built through friendship and help.

John & Sundra Pandi continue to develop the GLO work in Chennai, India. In the past year John and his team of helpers have distributed over a 1 million pieces of Christian literature. The needs are enormous but God continues to meet those needs and John has seen many trust Christ through this valuable ministry.

Felix & Eve Muchimba have been involved with the development work of

GLO in Zambia for many years. The GLO training centre in Ndola receives students from all over Africa as well and Zambia itself, and some of these students go on to serve as missionaries while others play important roles in their local church. A recent change has been the introduction of a new programme called ‘GLO Alive’ where the desire is to facilitate the development of young people within church and their local communities.

GLO Korea which is based a couple of hours drive from Seoul has a training centre run by Mr Ok Yong Lee and his team. Young people from all over South Korea have been coming to GLO to be trained for these past 20 years. New churches have been planted and some of those trained are now serving oversees as full time missionaries.

As with GLO Korea the work in Malaysia has its focus in training believers to be more effective in their Christian walk. Mr Thiran and his team are seeing local churches strengthened and many going into full time service for the Lord.

GLO Peru is the newest edition to the GLO family worldwide. It began with an emphasis on providing training for church leaders and is now also getting involved in evangelism using short term teams. Luis and Anne Laure Mostacero and Richard and Pam Harknett lead the GLO team and

GLO and the Global Vision

“ Over the last few years GLO Indonesia has seen many come to faith and 10 churches planted”

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GLO and the Global Visionbelieve the work can expand not just in Peru but also throughout Latin America.

The work of GLO internationally has huge potential with workers in Latin America, Africa, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mongolia, Korea, Myanmar, Nepal and Australasia and of course here in Europe. There are many challenges ahead, not least because of the Global recession. Nevertheless the work is growing and we long to see even more people throughout the world embrace the GLO vision and join us in reaching lost people for Christ and equipping the church to serve.

“ The GLO team believe the work can expand throughout Latin America”

GLO Korea Conference

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People often ask me “Are you being affected by the rise of new technology such as e-Books and e-Readers?”  The

answer is ‘yes’, however technology also presents us with great opportunities. In many closed countries, the internet and smart phones are used to evangelise and disciple people. In the free world we are also making use of technology. We are rightly concerned about the fall in reading among young people in the UK, but we also see very imaginative ‘Apps’ and downloads that enable them to engage with the Bible on the move. When you see a young person apparently glued to their mobile, they may well be studying the Bible!  

We have recently completely upgraded our website (www.globookshop.com) to offer a wide selection of Christian resources. There are a number of interactive tools on the website, for example you can ‘recommend’ a product on your Facebook page or to send a recommendation via email to friends or family. The website also allows you to post your own reviews of books and other products, so we would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to add reviews of titles to assist other customers.

We have been able to set up partnerships to enable us to trade in the new e-Book formats. Through our ‘HIVE’ storefront (you will find the link on the website ‘front page’) we can offer

e-Books and e-Readers, plus access to millions of general book, CD and DVD titles. On the front page of our website, you will also find an Amazon Associates search box. In addition to providing access to Kindle e-books and e-Readers, use of this search box provides access to their full range of products and GLO can derive a small benefit without the amount you pay being affected.

We have also signed up to an arrangement via the Booksellers Association to be able to sell Kobo e-Readers and e-Books, and will have models in-store to demonstrate to customers. Interestingly, one of these models is called the ‘KoboGLO’....... they have obviously found a good name for their product! Our offer for this edition of ‘Spearhead’ is a discount code for our website, that will entitle you to 15% off items on our website. The discount code is ‘Spearhead1112’. Simply enter the code when prompted on the website and the price you pay will be adjusted. We appreciate that not all our readers are ‘online’, so you are welcome to call in or phone the shop, and quote this discount code to receive the Spearhead discount.

If you have any questions about the above, or if we can help in any way, please contact Andrew Lacey at the GLO Bookshop (Tel: +44 (0)1698 275343/252699; email: books@glo-europe.org)

  

GLO Bookshop

by Andrew Lacey

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GLO Mission Teams 2013

Stepping into Life

LOCATION DATES ALBANIAVlorë August  CZECH REPUBLICJesenik 29th June - 7th JulySázava 27th July - 3rd August DENMARKCopenhagen 5-12 August

FRANCEGrasse 29 June – 8 July

HUNGARYDömös 18th - 26th August ITALYNaples 7th - 16th Sept REPUBLIC OF IRELANDEnniscorthy 3rd - 17th August ROMANIATalmaciu 4th - 15th July SPAINBarcelona 18th - 28th July TANZANIAMoshi April UKBirmingham, England 3-12 AugustJohnstone, Scotland 31 March - 6 AprilNewcastle, England 30th Aug - 8th SeptRenfrew, Scotland 27th July - 3rd August 

For further details contact Jenny or Allison:t: 01698 263483e: admin@glo-europe.org w: www.glo-europe.org

Shaping values … making choices

• Entering college, university or the workplace for the first time?• Wondering what it means to be a Christian in these places today?

Stepping into Life is a residential study week at Tilsley College for 18-25 year olds. This engaging week will give the opportunity to prepare for life’s big moves and challenges in an interactive and relevant way.

Come and join us from Sunday 18th August (afternoon) until Saturday 24th August (afternoon) 2013.

The cost of the week is £150 which includes teaching materials, accommodation and meals. Stepping into Life is a new venture jointly organised by Tilsley College (GLO) and Interlink. For further details contact:Tilsley College Interlink www.tilsleycollege.com www.interlink.org.uk info@tilsleycollege.com office@interlink.org.uk 01698 266776 0141 332 3040

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Stephen McQuoid (General Director)smcquoid@glo-europe.org 01698 267298

Mark Davies (Training Director) mdavies@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

Sam Gibson (Missions Director) samgibson1980@btinternet.com 02890 777404

Ian Smith(Finance Director) ismith@glo-europe.org 01698 263483

Admin office admin@glo-europe.org 01698 263483

College Office college@glo-europe.org 01698 266776

GLO Bookshopbooks@glo-europe.org01698 275343/ 252699

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GLO Europe

Tilsley College

GLO Bookshop

Scan the QR codes with your smartphone to get direct access to

up-to-date information.

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