Gospel Work and Other Activities

NORTHERN IRELAND

CO DOWNComber S. Jennings and G. Ewing concluded five weeks’ gospel meetings on 24th March, marked by a great prayerful interest, with liberty in the preaching. A fair number of locals attended over the period with some showing a definite interest.

Shanaghan A. Aiken and J. Rogers conducted nine weeks of gospel meetings in Shanaghan starting on 31st March. The meetings were well attended throughout, many unsaved heard the word and the Christians were encouraged and edified.

CO. LONDONDERRYTivaconaveyR. Eadie and S. Maze had eight weeks of gospel meetings. Encouraging numbers attended, one girl professed to be saved.

CO. ARMAGHKeady D. Gilliland and J. Fleck have concluded gospel meetings late May. The gospel was clearly and faithfully preached nightly, with a full hall most nights.

Glenanne This small assembly opened their new hall in early April. They had two nights of meetings for the opening. The first night S. McBride and J. Rodgers spoke and second night W. J. Nesbitt and J. Fleck. Large numbers of locals, also the builders were there and very many Christians from a wide area. Numbers were so large there was an overflow in the portable building. Remember this small company in prayer, that the Lord will add to the assembly.

CO. DOWNBalleykeel (Mourne) N. Burden and J. Bingham had an encouraging series in the gospel, with large numbers attending, including many locals showing an interest. The word was faithfully preached.

Cardy C. Davidson and M. McKillen arranged for one week in the gospel but the interest was so great from local people, some who had not previously been in the hall, that the meetings continued. One very interesting conversion was witnessed at the end of the first week. An evident movement of God in this area.

CO TYRONECrawford’s Bridge A. Davidson and B. Glendinning concluded gospel meetings on 24th May. Little interest was shown from the people in this area.

CO. ANTRIMCarrickfergus The assembly enjoyed three weeks of well attended gospel meetings in April conducted by H. Andrews, who had help from God as he preached a clear simple gospel. Some locals came who had never been in the hall previously.

SCOTLAND

FIFE Following extensive media coverage of the 400th anniversary of the decision taken in Burntisland, Fife, by the Royal Court to publish the Authorised Version of the Bible, the assembly at Blairhall started a two year programme to raise the level of community awareness of the word of God. A series of presentations is being given of its translation, production, presentation, and distribution. A Bible reading programme is given annually to each home, in addition to tracts and invitations each quarter. Specific groups receive a copy of John’s Gospel, and complimentary Bibles are available on request. Initial response has been slow, but one local young man has made a profession of faith.

CENTRAL SCOTLAND The assembly at Mayfield was greatly encouraged by having the Bible Exhibition in the hall last November. About 350 children were introduced to the relevance of the Scriptures today. For three weeks afterwards Ian Jackson preached the gospel, and there was at least one unsaved person present each night, most being neighbours or friends brought by local saints. The assembly also had the joy of witnessing six young believers being baptized. Ian was the preacher also during a series of gospel meetings in March with the believers at High Parks, Hamilton. A good number of teenagers attended, but sometimes they were quite disruptive. As far as we know there were no conversions, but a woman in her eighties, at one of the senior citizens’ homes, showed real concern at the end of the meeting, and we trust she found the Saviour. The help given by other assemblies in the open-air preaching, and their support at the meetings, were appreciated very much.

NORTH EAST In February, the assembly in Peterhead hosted the Bible Exhibition – over 750 attended over the five days. The children were very enthusiastic and listened well, while the presence of adults in the evenings was good to see in this age of apathy. The Exhibition proved an excellent stepping-stone for a series of gospel meetings in March when John Grant and Stephen Grant preached faithfully for three weeks. On most evenings unsaved folks were in the hall, with two men coming on a regular basis. In May, Ian McLean and Sinclair Banks had gospel meetings in the village of Cairnbulg, near Fraserburgh. Interest and support were very good, and it is purposed to carry on a monthly gospel meeting in this village. On separate occasions recently the Forres assembly had the joy of baptizing two believers, a young girl and a man in his fifties. The assembly summer tract work has started at Craigellachie, and about thirteen villages in the Moray district are to be visited. A new tract is being used entitled ‘Is there a God?’

ORKNEY During the winter months Ainslie Paterson and Bobby Soutar visited St Margaret’s Hope and the island of Westray for gospel meetings, and were encouraged by two boys in their early teens professing faith in the Lord Jesus. The Bible Exhibition was well received in Kirkwall a good number of adults came, in addition to 200 children from various schools who attended with their teachers. Mark Nixon of Guildford has been assisting the assembly in a time of special gospel outreach, involving door-to-door visitation and special meetings for children and young people. He was invited to speak at the assemblies of three of the schools which visited the exhibition. A Holiday Club held during the Easter break was very encouraging and as a result additional children have been coming to the Sunday School. Ministry on discipleship challenged all who have attended the weekly meetings.

ENGLAND

WEST MIDLANDSBirmingham, Charlton Road The children’s club week with Stephen and Jean Gillham was most encouraging, with great contacts made particularly in schools. Around twenty assemblies/lessons were taken in schools by Stephen during the week, and there is an overwhelming readiness to welcome him back. Additionally there have been outings for the Parents’ and Toddlers’ Group and the Ladies’ Focus Group which have been valuable in relationship building. A great time was had at the annual children’s holiday near Scarborough. Steve and Judith Clegg came as ‘padres’ and the real encouragement came on the final morning as we heard that as many as six of the girls had made a commitment.

SHROPSHIRE John Skingley has been tracting in rural Shropshire but this has been disrupted yet again by a severe outbreak of TB on one of the farms. A few weeks ago John was bitten by a dog when tracting and contracted a serious infection. Pray that God’s servants might be preserved from the many potential dangers in the service of the Lord.

OXFORDSHIREBicester, Hebron Hall was packed for the Easter conference with ministry given to edification. During April, two ladies professed salvation during the same week, bringing joy to the saints. Ian Campbell was with the assembly for a week’s children’s meetings in May. Over seventy children attended. In the same week. Ian also took assemblies in four local schools. During recent open-air preaching a Muslim family from Iran was contacted and are now attending the meetings and say they ‘want to become Christians’. Please pray for their salvation.

CUMBRIACumbria Gospel Outreach has been evangelizing in the region since 1912. The work recently undertaken includes setting up a stall at a local market and engaging people in conversation with a view to reaching them for Christ. One stallholder expressed his delight when they arrived because he too was a believer. Pray that he might be encouraged in his faith. Another stallholder’s daughter was saved. At one of the markets, Frank Loney met a local lady who had received a Bible as a prize in 1937 from a missionary from Morocco presumably Tom Frears.

During the time spent at the markets many people are contacted, some visiting on holiday and others from the local area. Many take gospel leaflets and seed-sower packs. We simply need to pray that God will bless this work to the salvation of souls.

EAST MIDLANDSWorksop Gospel work continues in the small town with Joe Baxter conducting gospel meetings in the month of June. Extensive doorto- door work has been continued and many good contacts have been made. To date, one young man has professed faith in Christ. In addition to the gospel meeting, two coffee mornings are held each week in an old peoples’ Care Centre. Pray for God’s blessing.

YORKSHIREHarrogate Paul and Elizabeth Jackson continue the good work of the Postal Bible School and report that this year they were involved once again with the Bilton Gala on May Day Bank Holiday. The Gala is held at one of the schools in the locality of the Harrogate Gospel Hall. These last two years they have used the Gala to give out application forms for the PBS and have a display of the Bible-Time Lessons. This year they had a smaller tent, which was next to the Woodfield Gospel Hall tent and they hope to expand this effort in the future. Application forms were given out and competitions were available for the children. Please pray that some children will return the application forms to join PBS.

At the end of May a Spring Rally was held in Northampton. The speaker was John Davies of Wallingford. Around fifty people attended, half of whom were children, including one family from Manchester. An enjoyable time was had despite the wet weather.

A few thousand copies of this year’s Via magazine are still available for distribution to any individuals or assemblies that may want to use this excellent gospel magazine. Please pray for the magazines that have already been distributed nationwide this year.

CORNWALL The assembly in Falmouth has been meeting and serving the Lord in the town for many years. It has been the holiday venue for many saints as they sought those who gathered simply to the Lord’s Name and to remember Him. There have been godly and saintly believers linked with its witness over the years and who are remembered today for their devotion to Christ. The testimony has been maintained over recent years largely by one family and they now see the Lord’s will for them as leading them abroad. They have faithfully carried on the work and seen blessing in the salvation of souls.

Their leaving has meant that the assembly testimony in the town will fail for want of local believers to maintain it. Falmouth is presently seeing the largest expansion in its long history. The University of Cornwall is presently being established here, as is the new National Maritime Museum and the enlargement of the port to accommodate cruise ships and a vast marina. The potential for future work in the gospel and assembly witness is immense.

Therefore, sensing the need and the opportunity, representative brethren f r o mt h er e m a i n i n gC o r n i s h assemblies have met for prayer and as a result requested the Trustees’ permission to seek to keep the building used for gospel testimony as they are enabled of the Lord, with a view to establishing an autonomous assembly in the town again.

T h ep r e m i s e sh a v er e s i d e n t i a l accommodation and it was felt to be the ideal place for an evangelist to live and seek to be a nucleus for regathering believers in the area as well as doing work with children and adults. It is to this end that we would ask for earnest prayer to know the mind of the Lord for the assembly in the town and His encouragement to keep the work going in the mean time.

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  • Pray especially for the work of God among children and in schools that young lives might be saved and moulded to be a power for God.
  • Pray for the many tent campaigns which will be held over the summer months that many will be reached and saved.
  • Pray for small assemblies and those who have the burden of responsibility in such that they may be encouraged.
  • Pray for the ministry of the word that it might bear fruit among God’s people and through such there might be a deeper devotion to the Lord.
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