Whose Servant Are You?
“I love study and I love giving talks,” said the eager young man across the table at the interview. “In fact, I can hardly wait to get into the ministry.” But my colleague pulled him up short, with a very penetrating question. “And do you equally love the people you speak to?” Eventually, the reply […]
Make A Difference In Small Towns
Most of us hope, when we become followers of Jesus, that He will use us to make a difference for His Kingdom. Some of us realise we need some experience and equipping to maximise the effectiveness of our Christian witness. But most of us also feel that as well as training, we’d like to start […]
Both-And: Good Work and Gospel Work
Aged six, I’d decided that I was going to be a firefighter. I would fight fires during the week and – after a family holiday to Switzerland – I decided my weekend job would be driving trains up the Swiss mountains. I have not yet been a firefighter or a driven a train. I have […]
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 […]
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… […]
Gospel Needs in Ireland
‘I came to the people of Ireland to preach the Gospel, and to suffer insult from the unbelievers…and many persecutions…I am prepared to give my life without hesitation and most gladly for his name.’ (Patrick Confession) We still need ‘Patricks’ to come to Ireland! Patrick did preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and saw thousands […]
Godliness Matters
Get hold of a Bible, and before you read this article, read 1 Timothy 3:1–7, Titus 1:5–9, and 1 Peter 5:1–4. Still thinking about being set-aside for paid Gospel ministry? Then you need to be godly. And not just in your public life – but in your private life too. So really godly! How? How can we […]
Gospel Needs in the North of England
A while back we did some number crunching for the gospel needs of Sunderland and its surrounding area. Sunderland has a population of around 280,000 people. If just 1% of the population were in evangelical churches of 80-100 people there would need to be around 30 gospel churches. If only we had that many! And that […]
From Student to Starting out in Full-time Ministry
We interviewed Charlie Butler about his experiences going from bring a student to working for a church as a Ministry Trainee. 1. Charlie, what are you currently doing? I am currently in my 2nd year of training for ordained Anglican ministry at Oak Hill Theological College. 2. How did you decide to do […]
