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Praying for new life in Pakistan p5

Resources Was Euchytus ahead of his time? p12

Holiday Where to go in 2008 p16/17

Books The postChristmas challenge p20

THE BapTisT TimEsThursday, January 10, 2008

News . . . . . . . . . . . . .p3 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . .p5 Local news . . . . . . . . .p6 Comment . . . . . . . . . . .p8 Outside Edge . . . . . . . .p9 Rackley’s reflections . .p10 Resources . . . . . . . . .p12

Feature . . . . . . . . . . .p13 Classifieds . . . . . . . . .p14 TV & Radio . . . . . . . .p18 Hazel Southam . . . . .p19 Books . . . . . . . . . . . .p19 Review . . . . . . . . . . . .p20 Final Word . . . . . . . . .p20

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VeggieTale pirates on the big screen

LARRY the Cucumber is on top form in another VeggieTales movie, released tomorrow by Hollywood giants Universal Studios. CG-animated adventure T he Pirates Who Don’t do Anything – A VeggieTales Movie , follows on from the popular faith-and-values-based series, with

cheeky humour fit for kids and adults. The comic voyage follows Larry, Mr Lunt and Pa Grape as misfits who want to be heroes. But when the veggie crew set sail for adventure they discover that real heroes don’t have to be handsome - or even human. Will they save the day or be forced to walk the plank?

Phil Vischer, who wrote the film, said these are exciting times for the veggies. ‘This adventure shows them that with the calling, and a commitment to doing what’s right, even when it’s hard, they can be exactly what they’ve always longed to be.’

Get ready to vote for best church website

By JENNY WILLIAMS

THE BAPTIST Union of Great Britain (BUGB) has launched its first Web Awards competition to find the best church website in the Union. The first votes can be cast by churchgoers in March on BUGB’s website, choosing

the best church website for each of the thirteen regional Associations. During May’s Baptist Assembly the thirteen finalists will be voted on to find the overall winner, to be announced at the Assembly. Amanda Allchorn, BUGB head of communications,

believes the awards are a fun way for churches to think about their own websites. ‘Increasingly people look on church websites before making a decision to visit,’ she said. ‘By championing the denomination’s best local websites we can inspire churches to consider how they can make

their websites more effective.’ Also over the coming months, BUGB web designer Matt Corry will share top web building tips on the BUGB website. Churchgoers can nominate any BUGB church until February 12. More information at http:// www.baptist.org.uk/webawards.

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In a world of ‘how to’ books there is a surprising lack of writing on small churches . Into this desert area of Christian publishing comes a new and fresh book written by a Baptist in the context of truly understanding the struggles and opportunities of being in a small church . Hilary Taylor, who is herself part of the leadership in a small church, writes helpfully as a practitioner . As such this is a down-to-earth, realistic publication . A Toolbox for Small Churches is published by Thankful books .

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January 10, 2008
THE BAPTIST TIMES Thursday, January 10, 2008

European mission gets new research centre

By MARK WOODS

IN AN initiative designed to help tackle ‘one of the most exciting and challenging mission fields today’, five mission agencies have launched a new research centre at Redcliffe College in Gloucester. Under the leadership of Baptist minister the Revd Darrell Jackson, the Nova Research Centre will bring together statistics, stories and expertise about Europe from different practioners. A joint initiative between the College, the Church Mission Society, European Christian Mission, Operation Mobilisation and the Panahpur Trust, it will also carry out research on behalf of mission agencies wanting to increase their effectiveness, and contribute to training mission workers at Redcliffe. ‘Nova represents a unique opportunity to bring together our existing knowledge about mission in Europe, and find out more about what is actually going on in practice,’ said Mr Jackson, who was a researcher in European mission and evangelism for the Conference of European Churches. ‘This will enable us to learn from each other and use the collective knowledge to further innovate mission in Europe.’ Redcliffe spokesman Rob Hay said, ‘We asked people in various mission agencies to tell us about the issues in Europe, what their people are facing and how we can help them prepare better. ‘We discovered they too are wrestling with the context, and that nobody was attempting to pull together what is happening at a pan-European level.’

Wycliffe gets sued

By JENNY WILLIAMS

TEARFUND’S president, Dr Elaine Storkey, is suing a prominent Church of England training college for religious discrimination. Dr Storkey, who will speak at this year’s Baptist Assembly, and is a regular speaker on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, was dismissed from her post at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, last year. Dr Storkey accepted a financial settlement after the college admitted her dismissal had been unfair. She will now seek a ruling of religious discrimination against the Rt Revd James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool, chairman of Wycliffe Hall’s trustees. Wycliffe Hall has been the subject of ongoing controversy centred around the conservative stance taken by its principal, Dr Richard Turnbull. Last year, three of Wycliffe Hall’s former principals wrote to the Bishop of Liverpool expressing concern with regard to its future.

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Tough year ahead as debts increase

Religious giving on the increase

By MARK WOODS

By MARK WOODS

MORE families could be facing hard times financially in the New Year, according to Christian debt charities. Figures compiled by money education charity Credit Action indicate that more than 10 million Britains acknowledge that their current level of borrowing borders on the unmanageable or is no longer manageable, and that more than a million people used their credit card to pay their mortgage or rent in the last 12 months. After their Christmas spending pressure is likely to increase. ‘It’s generally worse now because annual expenditure is weighted towards the end of the year,’ said Credit Action’s director Chris Tapp. ‘Financially things are much tighter in January and February. People do their Christmas shopping on their credit card, and that’s when the bills arrive.’ The unsettled economic outlook and rising fuel and energy prices may also add to the pressure, he said. ‘The economy is generally slowing down, and this will affect people financially. ‘A lot of people will have to tighten their belts in 2008. This won’t necessarily be a bad thing, but there may be some difficult lessons to learn.’ Credit Action’s figures also show that clients of the Citizens Advice Bureau have an average of £13,000 of debt each, nearly 17.5 times their monthly income. One in four people (27 per cent) have no savings at all, and a further one in four have savings of less than £3,000. ‘This is not simply a financial problem,’ said Mr Tapp. ‘The knock-on effect goes way beyond that. Debt affects health, sleep, it causes stress on relationships and it makes it hard to concentrate at work. Debt makes people miserable.’ Another debt counselling charity, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), also warned of difficult times. ‘The need for our services is increasing and we have waiting lists,’ said spokeswoman Tina Morris. CAP publishes a list of top tips for avoiding debt, including saving regularly, using shopping lists and sticking to them, and using cash instead of credit or debit cards. House repossessions are rising dramatically - numbering 77 per day in the first half of 2007 – and fuel prices are affecting more and more people as oil has passed the $100 a barrel mark. Money worries, according to the Samaritans, are the biggest cause of stress in the UK, top of the list for 51 per cent of adults. Job and family are second and third.

Picture: D erek Will ia ms

Closed - The chapel is to be converted for retail use

Centre Parcs shuts last chapel

POPULAR retreat Centre Parcs has closed its remaining on-site chapel at Sherwood Forest, citing decreased attendance and commercial pressure. Both the Sherwood and Elveden Forest sites had chapels at their centre, having been founded by the original company with a Christian ethos. A fire at Elveden Forest devastated the chapel there two years ago, and it was never reopened. Sherwood Forest’s chapel closed late last year because of what the company said was declining usage. Spokesman Simon Kay expressed regret at the closure, adding, ‘It’s something we’ve been very proud to have offered. ‘It’s sadly down to a lack of demand and that’s possibly a reflection on society.’ He added that local clergy had been consulted in the decision-making process. But while acknowledging this could mark a move away from religious spirituality for the company, Mr Kay said, ‘We still offer people a retreat from the stress of

daily life.’ The site provides an open air ‘temple of contemplation’ and an aqua sauna meditation room, in line with its relaxation ethos. The Revd Vanessa Hollingworth, minister at Nottingham’s Seymour Road Baptist Church, and part-time pastor at Sherwood Forest’s retreat, said the chapel was integral to many for a calming break. ‘If they are offering a whole body and mind experience then this is a huge part of it.’ She dismissed claims chapel numbers were down, adding numbers could reach forty in a service, and staff and guests were genuinely disappointed. ‘People went there every Sunday, as well as during the week.’ She said provision of a multi-faith chapel or ‘quiet space’ would be warmly welcomed. The Sherwood Forest chapel will become a coffee shop and retail centre. While services continue in the site’s cinema, their continuation is under review.

GIVING to charity in 2006/7 dropped both in terms of the numbers who gave and the amount they donated, according to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). Only 54 per cent of UK citizens gave – down three per cent – and the amount they gave also fell by three per cent, to £9.5 billion. But giving to religious causes bucked the downward trend, with an eight per cent rise from 2005/06 to 2006/07. 16 per cent of all money donated last year was given to religious causes. People who give high level donations (more than £100) are more likely to give to religious causes and account for 70 per cent of religious giving. Anthony McKernan, a spokesman for Christian financial support services charity Stewardship, said that it was not surprising that giving to religious causes was up. ‘Whereas the general public will tend to give out of what is left at the end of a month, Christians tend to give what is right.’ He continued, ‘What I find really interesting is that the survey classifies high level givers as people who give more than £100. By this criterion most givers in some churches will be high level givers because tithing is a common practice. For many people even a gift of £100 isn’t especially generous.’ He referred to a study by Christian Research which showed that evangelicals give 10 per cent or more of their income away. ‘We believe that God’s people could be giving more, so that a larger number of people provide the financial backbone for churches and Christian ministries,’ he said.

Queen honours Coffey with New Year’s OBE

By MARK WOODS

THE REVD Dr David Coffey was one of at least three Baptists recognised in the recent New Year’s Honours List. Dr Coffey, President of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and a former general secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (BUGB) was awarded the OBE in honour of his services to inter-faith relations. Dr Coffey said that the award

was ‘recognition of great work that is done by the thousands of Baptists and unsung heroes who will not appear on any honors list, but who we would be lost without’. Current BUGB general secretary the Revd Jonathan Edwards said: ‘David has made an exceptional contribution not only to the life of Baptists in this country but also to relationships with other denominations and religions. He has been, and continues to be, a bold and imaginative Christian leader and it is wonderful that his ministry has been recognised in this way.’ BWA general secretary the Revd Dr Neville Callam referred to his ‘keen mind, an uncompromising commitment to excellence, and a readiness to serve for the sake of Christ and the Church’. Dr David Golding, a founder member of the Jubilee Debt

Campaign (JDC) and a member of Whitley Bay Baptist Church, was honoured with a CBE for ‘services to the world poverty campaign’. ‘It has been an incredible privilege to be just one of thousands of campaigners who have pressed the case and made such a difference,’ he said. Malcolm Broad, a member of Keynsham Baptist Church was made MBE for services to education in recognition of his work as a governor of local schools. Mr Broad is to replace Bernard Rouget as BUGB treasurer at the next Assembly. Dr Mary Tanner, a president of the World Council of Churches, was awarded the OBE for services to the worldwide Anglican communion. Pastor Nims Obunge, chief executive of the Peace Alliance, was made MBE for service to community relations in Tottenham.