Why We Should Train Women for Ministry
Someone told me: “There’s really no point in training women for ministry – they just leave when they get married and have babies.” “There’s really no point in training women for ministry – they just leave when they get married and have babies.” I really heard this… from a woman… at a 9:38 conference. I think I […]
How Ministry Trainees can be a help and a hindrance
At a prayer meeting I recently had the privilege of joining, we flicked through a passage from 1 Thessalonians 2. Paul here is reflecting on his short, but rich time with the people of Thessalonica (cheeky picture below if you can’t visualise it). He spent just four weeks with this group, and as a result […]
Fruitful Ministry
How do you lay the ground for a fruitful ministry? Spiritual fruit was certainly what Paul longed for in the visit to Rome he was planning. He’s very clear about his motivation or the trip ahead: ‘in order that I might have a harvest among you…’ (Romans 1:13). And the first fifteen verses of his […]
A challenge to those retiring
This blog post has been very kindly offered by David Howell, who decided retirement was the time for taking up new challenges… Aged 62, having retired from school teaching two years previously, I was reluctant to mothball the gifts God had kindly given me. At the suggestion of the Senior Minister, I joined my church […]
The Smaller Church Option
SMALL CHURCH = NO CHANCE I first looked at the 9:38 website seven years ago. I saw smaller churches, in smaller towns with MT openings and I moved on past them. I settled upon applying to Christ Church in Cambridge. Fast forward seven years, two spent in Cambridge, four working with UCCF in Manchester and […]
A Very Full Christmas
Christmas is often a time of fullness. Our diaries burst with festive events: Christmas socials and family get-togethers abound. Each person’s to-do list seems to double at least: there are presents to buy, cards to write and a sharp upturn in opportunities to serve. (When else do we attempt to buy our own body-weight in […]
This Autumn’s Conferences
It’s the end of a busy term for 9:38. We’ve held four conferences for students by the sea, by the hills, by the canals and by the tube – or, in Exeter, Manchester, Birmingham and London. It’s been an educational process. I’ve discovered that the 9:38 banners can make good conversation starters on the train (in […]
When Feet Almost Slip
Christian ministry is a life of service – of that there can be no doubt. We follow a crucified Saviour: the one who was willing to come from heaven to lay down his life for those he loves and we are called to emulate that Philippians 2, sacrificial, other-centredness in all we do. When we […]
Gospel Needs in Scotland
Readers of the 9:38 blog know well that ‘the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.’ The latest global statistics continue to challenge us and drive us to our knees. The Joshua Project website tells us that of the 16,862 people groups in the world, a staggering 6,996 are ‘unreached’ (defined as a people […]
Coming on a Student Conference
Louise Roche is a first-year Ministry Assistant at Emmanuel Bristol. About a year ago, at the start of my final year at university, I went to the 9:38 South West Student Conference. Now working as a Ministry Assistant at my church in Bristol, here are some of my reflections for those considering attending this year… […]
Trainee to Trainee: Why You Should Pray
It’s a new year, and you’ve just started as a ministry trainee, or perhaps you’re in your second year. How are you feeling about the year ahead? And more importantly, how are you praying about the year ahead? Before joining 9:38 as their Administrator, I spent two years as a trainee at Christ Church Cambridge. […]
Make The Most Of Being A Ministry Trainee
‘What on earth have I let myself in for?’ If you’ve just started a new role as a ministry trainee, you may have found yourself asking that question a bit more than usual! It’s many years since I was in that position, but we have 10 associates (apprentices / MTs) with us on staff at […]