that everyone will hear the Gospel.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1 NIV)
Churches: one in heart, mind and purpose.
We discover
Jesus said the Father is always at work. So that we may join in, we want to find out where and how.We share
God is at work around the world. We are thrilled when people see this, perhaps for the first time.We involve
We delight in people taking Jesus Christ's Great Commission seriously, by going, praying or giving. Will you pray with us? We are always keen to find new prayer partners.
Click here to join our prayer team.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
22
OC UK have hosted a number of Discipling the Nations seminars under the general title of ‘What on earth is God doing?’ We want to enthuse people about God’s global mission and how this is a vital part of the ministry of One Challenge around the world, remembering our vision is to see Healthy Churches Working Together To Reach All Nations for Christ.
As at January, 2020, we have had three seminars with three more to come.
The first one looked at God’s global mission and we asked various questions of each other – ‘what is mission?’; ‘what does mission look like where we are?’; ‘praying for mission’.
65 different ministries…
The second session was led by London City Mission, helping us to see and hear about God’s work across London with its 65 different ministries.
Two people burst in…
In November we were led by People International (PI) who work in Central Asia. They have created an Underground Church Service simulation. About 20 of us were sat round a table singing without making a sound. The leader from PI asked someone to read from Hebrews 12:1-3. He asked someone to pray. All was going ‘well’ until the door burst open and two people, both dressed as Russian soldiers, burst in shouting at the group who were meeting. We were accused of holding a Christian meeting. We were told to put our hands on our heads. Then we were told to produce our identification papers – most people had some form of identification on them but a few didn’t. They were sent to the back of the room and then marched out of the church hall building. All a bit scary and unnerving but, as we were told, very real. Following that experience we talked about how we felt.
After that simulation experience we were introduced to the ministries that PI are involved with across Central Asia where meeting together for worship and teaching is very difficult and challenging. This led us to Praise God that we can meet in freedom and to Pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who don’t have that freedom. Pray that God will give strength and courage to them to remain true and faithful to the Lord Jesus.
We are halfway through our seminars. We have one more this year (2019) when Feba will share their ministries through radio with us.
The final two seminars will be in January and February 2020. The first one, in January will be learning about what God is doing through the ministry of Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF).
And, finally, in February, we will look at what God is doing around the world thorough the ministry of One Challenge.
This is an exciting journey and, as a result, we pray that many people will be enthused and challenged and become part of God’s international team reaching out across the nations with the good news of Jesus.
Monday, January 13, 2020
12
We have hosted two ‘Encouragement for Leaders’ Conferences at Ashburnham Place in East Sussex.
These are for those in Church leadership and their spouses. We booked 30 places for each Conference.
Why are such conferences needed? The simple answer is to ask another question – who cares those who care for others? Or put it another way – who pastors the Pastors?
Do these Conferences work? The best testimonies are from those who came.
- I really appreciate the small number of people who attend. It seems so much more intimate than a larger gathering.
- Talks were very good
- Time to reflect helpful
- Being away in such a beautiful setting
- Finding time to be alone with God in the grounds
- Networking with other church leaders from different denominations and yet being all one in heart and mind
- The focus on coming away as a couple to think through aspects of leadership and ministry together. Having time out from normal surroundings and commitments and meeting with others for sharing joys and needs/concerns from the home situation, i.e. it’s the people.
- Time to reflect
- Making time to reflect away from the “hustle and bustle” of normal church life
- The conference gave me an opportunity to reflect on my role as a leader. It was helpful having other members of my team with me.
- Time spent reflecting together with other leaders, away from the “flock”, in such a beautiful setting, is a “must” for those who wish to remain effective in their God-given calling to lead the church.
- The gathering at Ashburnham is a necessity for Christian leaders in hectic schedules, as it is a step-in preventing burnout and gives good networking opportunities with other leaders who can relate and encourage each other.
- It was a humbling time of hearing about the burdens other church leaders bear knowing we are not alone.
- One of the best (helpful) conferences we have attended. I wish our leadership as a whole could have attended.
We are now planning our third Conference in October 2020 (Tuesday 28th – Thursday 30th). If you are reading this and you know of anyone in leadership roles within their church, please let them know. They can get in touch with Roger Purdom (Chairman of OC UK) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
204
Hélder Favarin has recorded some helpful insights into preaching in today's world. Click on these links to see the videos.
How can preaching still change lives in Europe today?
Sunday, October 08, 2017
258
One Challenge is grateful that the event Encouragement For Leaders went so well. It was held in East Sussex from 3rd to 5th October and 21 people joined for the full time and another 7 visited for the middle day.
The theme Jesus, The Good Shepherd led us to consider what various Bible characters experienced at times of stress, setback or success. In all, God's response is tender, restorative and full of grace. Leisurely meal times led to rich conversations; a free afternoon let us wander around the beautiful grounds during some welcome sunshine.
One pastor was delighted to have most of 3 days with his wife, away from daily demands; another said he didn't understand how he needed the time away until he got there.
Thank you for your prayer support for this event.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
226
A church has given One Challange an extremely generous donation towards the cost of the October Encouragement for Leaders event.
We want to pass this blessing on, so can offer a limited number of places at just £70 per person. Please contact Roger Purdom soon as this is a limited offer.
Monday, June 26, 2017
246
One Challenge is delighted that Sarah Breuel has been appointed as Evangelism Training Coordinator for IFES Europe. Click here to read the announcement by IFES.
Sarah has been based in Italy with her husband, René, for seven years. They planted a church five years ago that has grown such that they are now looking for a bigger space in which to meet.
René and Sarah were commissioned by Sepal Brazil -- one of the founding members of the OC Global Alliance -- and they have two sons.