Seed Sowers UK and Europe Trust

John 3. 16 in Every Home

‘The sower soweth the word’, Mark 4. 14

The logo of Seed Sowers is of the sower scattering seed from his bag. In our technological era, marketing is increasingly targeted, but in the Parable of the Sower we see widespread dissemination of seed with little thought for where it falls. The reason is that, like the wind, the work of the Holy Spirit prior to salvation, cultivating heart-soil into ‘good ground’ cannot be seen, John 3. 8. The vision of Seed Sowers - John 3. 16 in Every Home - aims, therefore, to sow seed widely across towns and cities, villages and counties, where the light of gospel testimony has, in many places, faded to a flicker. In these areas, the Spirit is still active, and there are individuals with concern for their souls, but who will take the lifegiving word of God to them?

The goal of Seed Sowers is thus twofold. First, to provide seed that can be sown - a beautifully presented A4 text of John chapter 3 verse 16 with accompanying gospel message on the reverse. And second, to provide opportunity, especially to a younger generation, to be involved in gospel witness. This has been the DNA of Seed Sowers from its inception in Canada, forty years ago. Having had the idea from seeing tumbleweed drop thousands of seed in minutes as they blow across the prairie, Ross Vanstone organized teams of believers to spend a week of their holidays moving from community to community, placing the original, iconic Seed Sower text in every home along the way. Blessing was known and the work grew into the United States, Mexico, and then to the UK.

Since 2009 - when the Seed Sower Trust was set up - the priority of the work has been to distribute in line with the original model.

From small beginnings, the Lord has blessed the work. In the last few years, we have been able to arrange distributions in many parts of the UK and Ireland - from Ayr to Exeter; Londonderry to Bandon; Birmingham to Northampton - with between 10-20,000 homes reached at each event. Results are mixed, and it is natural to want a measure of success, but we remind ourselves that it is ‘God that giveth the increase’, 1 Cor. 3. 7. Our duty is to faithfully sow the seed, and, for Jim McMaster, Stephen Harper, and myself as Trustees, that remains our focus.

Nevertheless, packed behind the Seed Sower text, we like to have a very clear free Bible offer. On average, we receive one Bible request per thousand texts distributed, but, on occasion, the Lord encourages. In Coventry (May 2025), the saints at Church Street gave out eighty-four Bibles, followed by a further fifty-two responses in Bangor, Northern Ireland (June 2025). Of course, numbers are not everything. In Londonderry (April 2023), the Seed Sower text came to Chris, just as he thought about getting a Bible. When Clifford Law called with the Bible, he found a man with a genuine interest in salvation.

The reverse of the Bible offer will be an invitation, often to gospel meetings or a Bible exhibition, though the assembly in Exeter (August 2024) had forty-five people respond to a gospel tea invite. In Northern Ireland, the Origin Bible Exhibition has been used as regular follow-up. In South Belfast (September 2024), the saints at Lower Windsor Avenue were encouraged to see a lady come to the exhibition and then continue regularly. Back in the Midlands, it has been a delight to see many assemblies consistently labouring together in Coventry, Rugby, North Leigh, and Northampton. Each of these events was followed by gospel meetings. At Upper Hill Street, Coventry (June 2024), local brothers continued for four weeks, with the joy of salvation. Lauren did not live in the area but saw the text and invite when visiting a friend, and being concerned for her soul, came and trusted Christ.

We find the Seed Sower texts also encourage believers, and, at times, this leads to the assembly being built up. This was true of the memorable distribution in Seville, Spain (September 2023), and we pray will be similarly seen in Winchester (July 2025), where it was a joy to help a small assembly. We do value your prayer for this work: for the events themselves, for the Lord’s ongoing blessing on the word sown, for the encouragement of saints and the building up of assemblies to the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To conclude, the saints in Bath, planning their seventh distribution, testify that the blessing has been ‘seeing so many young people finding Seed Sowers an accessible way to do outreach, giving them a real desire to be engaged in the Lord’s work. Then, just the profile that such a significant distribution gives to the assembly in the city with some good contacts forthcoming’.

We would love to see you at an upcoming event, DV, details of which can be found on our website: https://www.seedsowersuk.org/.