Streetpaper 95 - Jesus Army

REAL NEWS... REAL LIVES... REAL PEOPLE Jesus Army No. 95 FREE
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GOD QUESTION!
FAQs about God,
life, faith, truth
PAGE 4
answered
KARATE KID
PAGE 6
JUBILATION
Reasons to celebrate
GOES WILD
How Perry’s life changed
PAGE 7
HAVIN’
A BLAST
STREET PARTY Jesus is worth celebrating
TOO MANY newspapers are full
of bad news.
There’s often plenty going on in UK
society which doesn’t make for cheerful
reading. But Christians have good
news: God loves us, accepts us, and
has made a way for us to be helped and
healed through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Jesus Army sometimes overflows
onto the streets – not to protest
or condemn anyone, but to celebrate
God’s love. The church of Jesus isn’t
about sad religion; it’s a place of life,
love and joy.
Join in! God welcomes us all – and
so do we in the Jesus Army.
For info, text: 0774 0774 200
THESE UK CHRISTIANS ARE ALIVE WITH LOVE AND ENERGY

2 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95
Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95 3
GAMES PASTORS
TEXT
US
cry laugh speak
need thank reach
seek shout talk
share write poke
rant find help wow w
mean nag praise
rave sing scream
0774 0774 200
CONTACT US
GOT QUESTIONS? We’d love to help.
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Jesus Fellowship, FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford,
Northampton, NN7 3BR
0845 123 5550 (local call rate)
BELFAST .................................................. 0845 123 5552
BIRMINGHAM ........................................... 0845 166 8153
BRIGHTON................................................ 0845 166 8151
COVENTRY ............................................... 0845 166 8154
HASTINGS ................................................ 0845 123 5551
KETTERING .............................................. 0845 166 8157
LEICESTER .............................................. 0845 644 9705
LIVERPOOL .............................................. 0845 166 8168
LONDON ................................................... 0845 166 8152
MILTON KEYNES ..................................... 0845 166 8159
NORTHAMPTON ...................................... 0845 166 8161
NORWICH ................................................. 0845 166 8162
OXFORD ................................................... 0845 166 8164
SHEFFIELD ............................................... 0845 166 8183
SWANSEA ................................................ 0845 123 5556
JESUS Fellowship Church, also known as the Jesus Army, is an evangelical Christian
Church with a charismatic emphasis. It upholds the full historical, Christian faith, in
particular it upholds the doctrine of the Trinity and the full divinity of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Jesus Fellowship Church is a part of the Multiply Christian Network and a
member of the Evangelical Alliance. Jesus Army Streetpaper No.95 © 2012, published
three times a year by Jesus Fellowship Church, Nether Heyford, Northampton NN7
3LB. Editor James Stacey. Photographs in this newspaper are copyright Jesus Fellowship
Church or royalty free stock photos from sxc.hu unless otherwise indicated. Printed
by BGP Ltd., Bicester, Oxon. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper in any form
requires written permission. All Bible quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, U.S.A. All rights reserved. All articles are
contributed by members of the Jesus Fellowship Church. Some members live as part of
the New Creation Christian Community. Readers wishing to contact authors may do so
by writing to the Jesus Fellowship Central Office.
COLD NIGHTS,
WARM HEARTS
by JULIA FAIRE
Streetpaper Correspondant
Julia Faire volunteers in a
scheme to help the homeless.
This is an extract from her blog.
IT’S HALF TEN on another
cold night. Helen and I are armed
with hot water bottles, walking the
streets of Coventry. Where are all the
homeless folks tonight? Let’s hope
they’ve found somewhere warm for
the night.
We find some, sitting at a bus
stop, two men hungrily eating chips.
We approach them and offer the hot
water bottles. One of them, Billy,
tells me his story.
“I was homeless in London for two
years and then came to Coventry.
Val found me a place to live a year
ago.” (Val is a support worker at
Coventry Jesus Centre, running a
“bond scheme” to help homeless
people into secure housing.)
“Yes, Val is a wonderful lady” says
Billy, adding “D’you want a chip?”
Billy went on to tell me how cynical
he used to be – about life, how
he thought everyone was just out
for themselves, not bothered about
the likes of homeless men like
him. He told me how, after Val had
helped him find a flat, he’d attended
another church in Coventry, which
had a volunteer scheme to support
homeless people.
He went there one day and sat
down, overcome and crying. How
could people give up their spare
time to help people like him? It was
too much. Billy said his mate, who
was with him at the time, had been
embarrassed at his tears – “a grown
man crying”.
But Billy is no longer cynical.
“What a lovely thing” he said,
“giving out hot water bottles” – but
explained that he didn’t need one
as he no longer lives on the streets.
“Here, have another chip!”
“No thanks, Billy” I replied “no
more. You enjoy them now.”
Read Julia’s blog at:
julesjotting.blogspot.com
VIOLENT riot
A BUS carrying school
children on a holiday trip
crashes – many die.
A bomb kills six of our young soldiers in
the blink of an eye.
Four kids are shot dead outside a
French school.
A mass killer stands trial for the
murder of 77.
Has the world gone crazy? Look in the
newspaper on any day and there’s one
COVENTRY Jesus Centre
runs a drop-in for the
homeless and vulnerablyhoused
and a bond
scheme to help people
into accommodation, as
well as range of groups
and services for many
kinds of people.
Four Jesus Centres
have already been opened
by the Jesus Army, in
Central London, Coventry,
MESSED UP WORLD?
constant theme: pain. What’s the story?
And where is God in a beautiful, but
hurting planet?
Writer CS Lewis said “Pain is God’s
megaphone to wake a sleeping world”.
Not that God gets a kick out of pain, but
He uses it to show us there’s something
badly wrong with the way we’re “doing
life” on planet earth.
What’s wrong? We’re doing life
without God, the source of all goodness,
truth and joy. We’ve said, in effect, “We’re
Photo: Jeremy Brooks, flickr.com
Northampton and
Sheffi eld. Jesus Centres
are places where the love
of Jesus is expressed
daily in worship, care and
friendship for every type
of person. Further Jesus
centres are planned,
with the next one to open
to be in Birmingham.
For more info or
how you can help:
jesuscentres.org.uk
ok, leave us alone.”
Have you ever considered that you
might be trying to make it on your own,
without God?
Why not take a few quiet moments
to refl ect on this fact: God understands
your own confusion and pain. He relates
to our brokenness, because Jesus has
been broken on the cross. Listen to
God’s heart, and invite him into your own
life: He can start to make some sense of
its painful, discordant music.
GOLDEN games
Olympic God
MORE than Gold is a
Christian organisation
founded “to encourage and
enable churches to engage
in outreach, hospitality and
services during the London
Olympics”.
The organisation has said
that it hopes to find several
hundred “Games Pastors”
to “demonstrate the love
of Christ” and “respond to
the practical and spiritual
needs” of the 800,000 extra
people expected to flood
the streets of London during
the games.
More than Gold Games
Pastors will be located
around railway stations,
game and big screen sites.
Look out for them.
More online at:
morethangold.org.uk
TURBULENT PRIEST
BISH bosh
Bishops blast
ARCHBISHOP of York, Dr
John Sentamu, is pushing
politicians to tackle “the
rising tide of inequality
across Britain”.
Addressing the Church
Urban Fund’s 2012 conference,
in Leeds, last week,
the Archbishop spoke of
the need to face up to and
deal with “the reality of poverty
and growing inequality
in our country”.
“At a national level” Dr
Sentamu said at the conference,
“we need to witness
clearly that our government
must promote social justice.
For when the government
puts the promotion of
social justice at its heart,
we can stand together as
one nation, recognising the
dignity of all.”
HOLY TWIT
Photo: CMS, flickr.com
SOCIAL scripture
Twitter Bible
800,000 WORDS and 1,189
chapters summarised into
140 word daily tweets?
This is the ambition of
Durham-based web developer,
Chris Juby. Every day
Juby reads a Bible chapter
and sums it up it in a tweet.
Chris hopes to reach the
final book, Revelation, on
November 8, 2013.
Juby doesn’t see his
Twitter bible as a substitute
for reading the good
book. “There’s loads of
really important stuff in
there that I can’t possibly
convey on Twitter” he
says. “Could I do justice
to the 176 verses of Psalm
119 in 140 characters?
Probably not.”
Follow on Twitter at:
twitter.com/biblesummary
BLACK BELT
TRADED
FOR RED
CROSS
ADVENTURE Perry’s living for God
TO WATCH Perry talking about his
lifestyle on YouTube visit: jez.uz/perry
The house in which Perry and his
friends live is one of a number of
“Karate kid”,
Perry Hudson,
gave up karate
for something
even wilder...
PERRY HAS swapped
his black belt for the
trademark fluorescent
cross of the Jesus
Army.
“I loved the adrenaline of
fighting” Perry says “even
though it’s all controlled
in karate”. But now he’s
given it all up to be a radical
Christian.
“I felt God’s energy” says
the now 22-year-old. “I
just want to win people, to
befriend and love them, and
call them to live for Jesus.”
Why the change? Perry’s
upbringing could define
“normal”. He was no gangland
ghetto fighter. Stable,
hardworking parents.
A childhood of “scouts,
swimming (and, of course,
karate)”. Teenage years
that didn’t get more wild
than the odd night out
with the lads (“We tried
to sneak in to clubs – then
give some guy a tenner to
homes around the UK, the residents of
which form the New Creation Christian
Community – part of the Jesus Army.
For info visit: newcreation.org.uk
buy you a £3 drink.”)
One of “the lads”, Jake,
had been Perry’s mate
since primary school. Perry
vaguely knew that Jake’s
family were Christian and
part of the Jesus Army.
But it was only in high
school that Jake told Perry
about it.
“It was an English lesson”
remembers Perry.
“Jake told me about some
mad experiences he’d had
– God and demons – crazy
stuff. It was interesting, but
I didn’t believe a word of it”.
16-year-old Jake was
returning to his childhood
faith after a time of teenage
rebellion. “One time” recalls
Perry “we went round our
friends to drink. But Jake
wasn’t drinking. He said
‘I’m going to sort out my life
and live for God.’”
That got Perry thinking.
“Jake was the life and soul
of the party, always the
one to crack jokes” says
Perry. “He sent me some
CREW Perry and friends
Christian songs over MSN
(back in the day when
MSN was popular). They
weren’t boring hymns! I
just loved them and sent
them round to all my other
friends. There was something
about them”.
Perry started
to think more
about life and
death. “I’d lie
awake at 3am,
freaking out about
death, asking
myself ‘Am I just
gonna be a note in
history?’”.
Jake was getting
more serious about
God, too. “We had a
free period and we were
lying on the grass, on a
sunny day. Jake said ‘Don’t
turn your back on God’. I
laughed it off – but Jake
was insistent.”
Perry went with Jake to
a Jesus Army event for the
first time in 2006. 06. “Jake put
his hand on my head and
prayed for me – like ‘Yeah
God, uhh, haha’. It probably
wasn’t one of the best
prayers. But I did feel a
warm sensation. Then
‘logic’ kicked in and I dismissed
it.”
But whether or not he
knew it, Perry was inching
towards God. The following
spring, at an event
in the Jesus Army giant
marquee, Perry felt God’s
power unmistakably.
“For the first time I
proper felt something
energetic and powerful”
says Perry. “So
powerful, I fell over.”
It was Perry’s turning
point and in the months
that followed Perry made
a quiet but firm decision
to be a Christian. And at
RAW, a Jesus Army youth
event in 2008, Perry had
another powerful experience,
this time combined
with a sense of call. “I
knew I had to quit karate
and live for God fully.”
Perry was baptised as a
Christian in October 2008
and now lives with a num-
ber of his Christian friends,
including inlh Jake, in a
large, lively Jesus Army
house in Norwich.
“I’m pioneering; I
know God wants me
here. I’d like the house
to be full of people, liv-
ing
for Jesus” says Perry
(“and having a laugh”
he grins).

4 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95
Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95 5
Jesus army
Events
2012
Upcoming events you
don’t want to miss...
ALL FREE • ALL WELCOME
MORE INFO?
jesus.org.uk/dates
0845 123 5550
info@jesus.org.uk
LONDON DAY
SAT 09 JUN. 1.00pm March from
Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square,
2.00pm Jesus Festival, Trafalgar
Square, LONDON WC2N
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
SAT 28 JUL. 2.00pm & 6.00pm
Jesus Centre, Abington Square
NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AE
RAW -
REAL & WILD
THU 02 - SAT 04 AUG
Square 1 @ Coventry University
The Hub, Jordan Well
COVENTRY CV1 5QP
WINNING
FESTIVAL
WEEKEND
FRI 24 - MON 27 AUG. The Giant
Marquee, Cornhill Manor, Pattishall,
NORTHAMPTON NN12 8LQ
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
SAT 22 SEP. NORTH - Berry Street
Presbyterian Church, Belfast BT1 1FJ.
SOUTH - Christian Life Centre, 300
Cowley Rd, Oxford OX4 2AF
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
SAT 13 OCT. 2.00pm & 6.00pm
Ponds Forge, Sheaf Street
SHEFFIELD S1 2BP
iINFO: jesus.org.uk/dates
Tel: 0845 123 5550
Email: info@jesus.org.uk
Write: Jesus Fellowship,
FREEPOST, Nether Heyford,
Northampton NN7 3BR
QUESTIONS,
QUESTIONS
There are some questions not even Google can help with
TYPE “THE answer to life the
universe and everything”
into Google and you’ll get the
number “42” coming out top.
42 was the number calculated to
be the answer to “life, the universe
and everything” in The Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy. In Douglas
Adams’ famous comedy sci-fi series,
a race of hyper-intelligent aliens
build a computer named “Deep
Thought” to calculate “the Answer
to the Ultimate Question of Life, the
Universe, and Everything”. When
the answer was revealed to be 42,
GOD HELP US!
MOST PEOPLE pray in a
crisis or in danger. As the
expression goes “There are
no atheists in the trenches”.
It is no surprise, then, that when
premiership footballer, Fabrice Muamba,
collapsed on the pitch recently with a
massive heart attack, many people’s
response was to pray for him.
Supporters of both teams clapped
him off the pitch and waited with baited
“Deep Thought” explained that it
was incomprehensible because the
aliens didn’t know what they were
asking.
Douglas Adams, of course, was
having a (clever) laugh.
But the truth is that our natural
instinct, as humans, is to question –
to want to know where we came from,
why we’re here, what is the purpose
of our life.
People are searching (and not just
on Google) for something deeper. It’s
a good thing that God wants to be
found. According to Jesus, “Keep on
seeking, and you will find.” (Matthew
chapter 7, verse 7, The Bible).
Photo: Ronnie Macdonald, flickr.com
breath for word of his condition.
“GOD IS IN CONTROL” shouted The
Sun newspaper’s front page headline,
with “PRAYING FOR MUAMBA”
underneath it. Bolton Wanderers’ club
manager, Owen Coyle, said at the
time: “Everybody is praying for Fabrice,
which is very important, and that has
been a real source of strength to the
family.”
Amazingly, Fabrice is now well on
the road to recovery, thanks to the
God expects us to ask questions,
to wonder why. He could have provided
us all with a “Frequently Asked
Questions” section in the bible so that
all the hard work was done for us. But
He didn’t. He wants us to seek. He
wants us to care. And He wants us to
find Him, despite our confusion and
the noise of our own thoughts.
When you find faith in Jesus, He fills
the emptiness inside us and brings
real peace. But that doesn’t mean we
stop asking questions. In some ways,
we start questioning harder. But
we know it’s worth it. We know the
answer, ultimately, is a Person, not a
number.
VIOLENT riot
amazing treatment he received at the
time and in hospital, but also thanks to
God, who hears and answers prayer.
None of us are fully in control of our
lives. Are you in crisis? Has tragedy
struck close to you? You need to know
that God is always ready to hear those
who cry “God help!” Why not try talking
to Him now, whatever your need? Say
“God, I need your help”. He will never
turn away those who humbly come to
Him in time of need.
WHAT ABOUT SUFFERING?
IF GOD is good, then why is there
so much suffering in the world?
From grazed knees to cancer ward heartbreak,
suffering confronts us all. It’s part of the
fabric of human existence.
Some, confronted with the apparent
meaninglessness of human pain, decide we
must live in a godless universe. We’re on our
own to make the best of it.
Christians hold on to something different.
They believe in a God who is love. How come?
It is too easy here to fall into pat, too-easy
answers. Some are so keen to get God “off
the hook” that they scramble for “explanations”
and dismiss suffering too easily.
But Christian faith doesn’t start there. It
doesn’t start with answers; it starts with a person:
God. A person who came deep into the misery
and meaninglessness of human suffering.
God hasn’t sat on a cloud somewhere,
looking down, saying “What a mess”. In Jesus,
God became human and experienced the
depths of human suffering.
Jesus’ death on the cross gives us clues
which – as we think them through and let them
sink in – can begin to take us towards some
MONKS ON seventy-foot pillars,
eyes looking through slits in
a veil, kissing tarmac, sniffing
incense. Just what is it all about?
In all their bewildering diversity, religions
have a lot in common. When it comes to values
(like goodness, kindness, love) or spirituality
(that there’s more to human beings than just
physical flesh and blood) many religions agree.
In fact, most people would agree that good
is good and bad is bad, and that we’re not just
soulless shells without meaning.
It’s also true that religions disagree a lot,
too. But this isn’t surprising: just as human
beings tend to agree on some things, they
also have a habit of disagreeing.
And this is what it comes down to: religion
shows us something about human beings.
We all have a sense of the spiritual; there’s
a hunger for God. Religions express this
reaching out, this search.
But how about if God wanted to reach us? If
the direction of the search was “downwards”,
not “upwards”?
It happened. God came down as a
answers to the problem of pain.
It shows us that a big part of human
suffering is caused by human evil. When God
came to earth He was murdered. It doesn’t say
much for humans.
But most of all, Jesus’ death shows that God
comes close, shares our pain, soaks it into
Himself and offers, though His resurrection, a
new hope, a way into a new life.
It’s not so much an answer as an invitation.
man, Jesus Christ. And Jesus didn’t come,
ultimately, to start another religion. He came to
bring about a new relationship between us and
God. He isn’t just “the founder of Christianity”;
He is God come to us.
Religion – whatever brand – says “Do this,
do that and, well done, you’ll go to heaven (or
achieve nirvana or whatever)”.
But Jesus said “Follow Me”. It’s not what
you know, but who you know that counts.
IN THE face of suffering,
people can fi nd themselves
questioning God or becoming
angry. Pete Walsma, 59, a
doctor, has been confronted
with a lot of suffering over the
years and says he has “no wise answers” but
added “I can offer some of my own ‘blood, toil,
tears and sweat’ to make a difference. That’s
what Jesus did.”
ISN’T RELIGION JUST RUBBISH?
BALBIR FROM Coventry has
recently been baptised as a
Christian, after converting from
Hinduism. She said: “When I
came to Jesus I experienced
a peace I never found when I
worshipped in the temple. In Jesus there is
forgiveness and new life.”
Name and image changed to protect confi dentiality
HASN’T SCIENCE DISPROVED GOD?
FAMOUS SCIENTISTS have
believed in God – from Newton
to Einstein. But that doesn’t stop
some vocal atheists these days
from claiming that science has
somehow “disproved” God.
The universe started with “the big bang”;
IT’S A funny thing, proof. Ask
most people “Do you love your
mother?” and they will say “yes”.
But can they prove it..?
They could point to various things as
evidence; Mothers Day cards, mown lawns,
kind words, hugs. But they can’t produce a
bottle of love and have it tested in a lab.
human beings weren’t created, they just
evolved; God is just an out-of-date idea.
But is it as simple as that? And what
about the bigger questions like “What is life?
Where does it all come from? And what does
it mean?”
Christians don’t base their faith on just
scientifi c “proof” for God: they have met and
experienced God in a person: Jesus. God has
Even in areas that are a bit more scientific than
Mum, “proof” is a bit of a slippery concept.
Science takes an idea and tests it,
examining what the evidence indicates is
true. Up until the time of Galileo, the evidence
pointed to the sun circling the earth. People
saw it doing that every day. But Galileo’s
observations brought new evidence to bear,
“proving” beyond reasonable doubt that the
earth in fact circles the sun.
found them; they haven’t “proved” Him, like
adding two and two to make four.
But it’s worth making it clear – science hasn’t
disproved God. And for those with eyes to see,
science can open up a world of discovery of all
the amazing things God has made.
“EVOLUTION isn’t the issue”
said Piers Young, who has an
Oxford doctorate in Zoology.
He added “Some of it clearly
does work, like natural
selection producing varieties of
living things. But there are big unanswered
questions.
“Take the origin of the universe – what
was before the big bang? Something doesn’t
come from nothing. Or the origin of life – what
is the chance of a living cell forming from
basic chemicals?
“Actually there is more chance of a
dictionary randomly taking shape from an
alphabet soup as big as the Atlantic! Can you
get simple things to become more complex
– like making an eye that sees in black and
white see in full colour – just by mutations?”
CAN YOU PROVE GOD IS THERE?
The facts hadn’t changed. The evidence had.
So when people say “prove God is there”,
what do they mean? If they mean “put God in
a bottle for us to look at under a microscope”
or even “make God appear right here before
my eyes”? – no can do.
If they’re asking for evidence of God,
there’s plenty. First look around. Skies, trees,
animals. Order. Creativity. Then look inside.
There’s a sense of right and wrong – why?
There’s hunger for meaning – why?
Then look at Jesus. What can we make of
Him and His claim to be God an our saviour?
Then ask millions of Christians who say they
know Jesus what this means. They may all be
deluded. But don’t ignore the evidence.
And why not pray? “God, if You’re there and
if You truly love us, then show me. Come into
my life. Open my eyes. Show me the way.”
RUTH PANNELL from Oxford
discovered that faith in God
is about “taking risks”. She
says “Faith requires courage
because it doesn’t necessarily
feed the intellect, but it touches
the deepest heart of a person.”

6 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95
Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95 7
STREETPAPER CHALLENGE
streetpaper@jesus.org.uk
JUBILATION
Could there be more to this year’s
Jubilee celebrations than barbecues
and boating displays?
THE QUEEN celebrates 60 years as Monarch
in 2012: her Diamond Jubilee. She and the
Duke of Edinburgh will make special visits to
many places around the UK. Other members
of the Royal Family will travel overseas –
Charles is off to Australia, William to Malaysia,
Harry to Jamaica, and Anne to Africa.
Meanwhile, events celebrating the Queen’s
reign are planned up and down the country
and around the world. There’ll be street
parties, boating pageants, parades, concerts,
festivals, exhibitions. Environmental and
educational projects are being launched.
Three towns – Chelmsford, Perth and St
Asaph – are being made into cities. There’s
even an extra bank holiday on June 5.
It’s a right royal celebration. Which is,
after all, what the word “Jubilee” means: a
special celebration to mark an important
anniversary. It comes from a Hebrew word
meaning “ram’s horn”. The Old Testament
tells how ancient Israel was to hold a
“jubilee” year every 50 years. All property
that had been bought and sold over those
50 years was returned to its original owners.
Slaves were set free. This extraordinary
event was marked by the blowing of a ram’shorn
trumpet.
A “jubilee” like this meant justice and
equality: the trend of rich getting richer and
poor getting poorer would be stopped in its
tracks; the brakes slammed on exploitation.
Scholars scratch their heads about whether
ancient Israel actually put this socially
radical part of God’s law into practice!
The Jesus Army, along with many other
churches and groups, believe keenly in
justice and equality. We believe it is close to
God’s heart, too.
Some Jesus Army members live in
Christian community houses, living
together and pooling resources like the first
Christians, in order to attempt a less selfish
way of living. And the Jesus Army has opened
Jesus Centres, in UK cities and towns, to be
places of friendship and help for every kind
of person without prejudice.
It would be excellent if the Queen’s Jubilee
celebrations included projects to bring hope
to people who are desperate and redress to
those who’ve been dealt a poor hand in life.
We can safely say Her Majesty would approve.
If you would like to know more about the
Jesus Army’s community houses, or Jesus
Centres or projects with the poor, text 0774
0774 200 or visit jesus.org.uk
HELP & INFORMATION?
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Chris tian. Please help me.
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Photo: Chin Lam, flickr.com
KONY 2012: MAKE HIM INFAMOUS
KONY’S GOING to be one of the most famous
people on the planet by the end of this year.
Kony? Kony who?
Joseph Kony is a murderous Ugandan warlord who has been
responsible for the enslavement and abuse of tens of thousands
of children and young people. Over 88 million (and counting)
people, all over the world, have seen the viral video calling for
the arrest and imprisonment of this international criminal.
Sadly, the Kony 2012 campaign didn’t turn out to be as
straightforward as it fi rst appeared. Within hours of the video
“going viral” on the internet, people began to question the
methods the “Invisible Children”, the organisation behind the
campaign, were using. Some criticised their fi nancial practices
and the way important issues were “glossed over”.
Controversial or not, this viral campaign defi nitely blew up a
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CROSSES
storm and made people to look beyond their own lives.
What the Kony 2012 movement has shown us is that this world
is a messy place. Even when we try to do right, we can fi nd
ourselves doing wrong.
Jesus comes in to all our mess and brings hope that
is real and lasting. A true cause to fi ght for. Jesus strongly
condemned those who abused children. Jesus was on the side
of the powerless and rebuked those who abused their power
from emperors, to religious leaders, to warlords.
Are you satisfi ed with the status quo, or would you like to
see murderers and tyrants brought to book? Do you want to
join in a movement that seeks to create a better world?
Believe in and get to know Jesus Christ. Live for his
cause of love, joy, peace and justice. Speak out for the poor,
the voiceless, the oppressed and the downtrodden. You can
make a difference!
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STORE VOTE
SHOPPING bagsy
Charity award
LONDON JESUS Centre
was named “Charity of the
month” by their local Waitrose
recently, as voted for by
Waitrose customers. They
also received a generous donation
from the superstore.
Centre manager, Rob
Bentley, was delighted and
somewhat bemused: “It’s all
a bit amazing” he said. “The
store isn’t very near and we
don’t have a lot of Waitrose
customers that we know of
coming here.”
The Christian centre
near Oxford Circus, with its
drop-in for the homeless,
tea room, and other services
including ESOL classes, is
more well-known and supported
than it realised.
For more on Jesus Centres, or
how you can help, visit: jesuscentres.org.uk
NORTH WEST
WINNING team
Liverpool live!
A JESUS ARMY team will
be moving to Liverpool
this summer to add
strength to the Jesus Army
group there. “The Jesus
Army has a vision to bring
hope and regeneration to
urban areas around the
UK” said James Stacey, a
Jesus Army leader.
Liverpool Jesus Army
member, Moira Riley
described preparations on
the large house in Allerton,
Liverpool, that is their base
of operations: “Wallpaper
stripping, carpet ripping,
chip frying, skirting-board
wiping, picture colouring,
floor washing, tea breaking,
lunchtime praying, blanket
making, cellar clearing,
shelf making, garage
blitzing, raucous laughing
and song singing.”
GIVEAWAY GOD
SWEET Success
Free for all
A JESUS ARMY team
in Coventry, have been
fostering community
cohesion and sharing God’s
love in a multi-ethnic area
of the city.
“Come rain or shine, we
take a walk in the Foleshill
area and give out something
free” said Julia Faire, one of
the team. “Soup (when it’s
cold) ice cream (when it’s
hot) and last springtime
toffee apples!”
She added “It’s good
to meet ‘the neighbours’
(we’re told to love them)
and it’s good to just give
something away free. We
get plenty of smiles and
“thank yous” and quite
a few takers. Every now
and again, we fall into a
conversation about Jesus.
“We see it as very
worthwhile.”
20-year-old Lil
Campbell is setting out
on the adventure of her
lifetime. But first it took
a brush with death to
jolt her into reality.
Looking for a
Wanna make a
DIFFERENCE?
JOIN THE Jesus
Army for a year!
The Jesus Army
training year is an
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year, full of
challenges to help
you grow in faith. It’s
particularly suitable
for school leavers or
those on a gap year.
FOR INFO:
jesus.org.uk/training or email training@jesus.org.uk
People Xtra
Wake-up
call
CHALLENGE?
SATURDAY NIGHT.
Drinks and drugs
freely passed
around. Lil Campbell,
then 16, was
at a house party
in Northampton.
Lil took a walk to get
away from the pounding
music. Going into a
room, she tripped over
something on the floor.
She looked down and,
to her horror, saw her
friend slumped there.
She had slipped into
an unconscious seizure,
obviously overdosing.
Lil says “I prayed
– that’s all I could
do. It was instinct.
Immediately my friend
started muttering
about horrific things
that had happened
to her. I prayed
harder and started
to tell her that Jesus
loved her. My friend
started crying and fell
into a healthy sleep.
“I sat back, suddenly
completely sober, and
thought, ‘God, You are
real!’ It was the turning
point of my life.”
Lil had Christian
parents, who were, in
Lil’s words, “rocks”
but Lil wanted to
find her own way and
answers to life. At 16,
she confesses, she
had two lives: she
had friends in church
and stayed with them
some weekends;
she also went out
partying, drinking
and dabbling in drugs.
The Sunday
morning after her
friend overdosed, Lil,
thoughtful, alone and
brushed off, walked
to church and, “had a
moment with God. I
told Him I didn’t know
what to
do with my life.”
Lil decided she
needed to leave town
in order to get her
head together and was
invited by some of her
Christian friends to
join them in a mission
they were running in
Belfast. Some of them
lived in a Christian
community and shared
what they earned
and owned. While she
was among them, Lil
says, “I fell in love
with the community
way of life, and asked
myself, ‘What am I
doing with my life?’”
On the way home
from Belfast, Lil sat on
the top of a doubledecker
bus and prayed.
“Up to that point I
hadn’t had much of a
relationship with God”
she says. “I sensed God
wanted me to live in
community. I had grown
up in a rough area
and saw the beauty of
sharing.
When you
share your
money
and lives,
you can
be available to help
people. I’m a reckless
person and, when I
got home, I told my
family, ‘I’m moving into
community this week.’”
Two and a half
years ago, Lil moved
into a Jesus Army
house in Northampton
called Koinonia
(a New Testament
Greek word meaning
“sharing together”).
LIL Big adventure
Now 20, Lil is about
to spread h e r
wings and move to
another community
house, Lighthouse, in
Liverpool. Last year,
she was part of a
Jesus Army outreach
team in Liverpool and
became very aware of
the great need there.
She sensed God say
“I need you to fill the
need. Will you?”
“I felt like
God said ‘I’ll
stay with you,
even If you
can’t see
where you
are going’,”
adds Lil.
H e r
decision
to leave
Koinonia
has been a
very difficult
one as Lil loves
sharing her life
with the people
there. Her comment
was: “I wish God’s call
was sent in the post with
a risk assessment and
flow chart to show you
where you have to get
to. But it’s not like that.
Instead, I have to trust.”
Looking towards an
exciting – even if a bit
scary – future, Lil says
“I’ve been forgiven a
lot and learned to love.
I do not see it as my
duty to build up God’s
church; it’s my heart – I
want to! I’m inspired!”

8 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 95
TORCHBEARERS
The Olympic Flame relay
takes a powerful symbol
around the UK
THE OLYMPIC Torch arrives from
Greece where it was lit from
the sun’s rays among the ruins
of the site of the ancient Olympic
Games. From Land’s End it
makes its epic relay journey: 70
days, 66 evening celebrations,
six island visits. About 8,000
people carry the Torch a total
distance of about 8,000 miles.
The Torch relay, it is said, brings the
Olympics to within one hour of 95 per
cent of the UK population.
There’s something about a spectacle
like this that stirs deep feeling.
The official London 2012 website,
London2012.com, speaks of
Olympic Torchbearers “spreading the
message of peace, unity and friendship”.
Peace, unity and friendship: that’s a
message worth spreading.
Christians also have a message worth
spreading. In fact, “peace, unity and
friendship” is not a bad description
of it. But this flame was kindled not
in ancient Greece, but on the Roman
cross where Jesus Christ was executed.
Of course, if Jesus had stayed dead
there would have been no message.
But He didn’t stay dead. In an
extraordinary reversal, Jesus rose from
death. He was vindicated – shown to
be in the right – by none less than God.
By raising Him from the dead,
God sided with Jesus – against injustice,
against oppression, against
corruption, against all that pollutes
and disgraces the world – and against
death itself.
This is good news, not only because
it means there is hope beyond death –
though that is pretty amazing in itself.
It means the resurrection has released
a new power into the world and into
the hearts of those who believe the
message. Evil is defeated. Peace, unity
and friendship really are possible –
with God, with each other, with the
whole world.
Photo: Zoonabar, flickr.com
TORCH Last time the Olympic Flame was in the UK was in 2008
LIFE BEFORE LIFE ON EARTH?
IN HIS new film Prometheus, Ridley Scott,
director of Alien and Blade Runner, has
created another epic story that will have
audiences on the edge of their seats.
In this new movie, a team of explorers discover a clue to
the origins of mankind on Earth, a discovery that will have
terrifying consequences as they are led to an encounter
with an alien race, posing a threat to humanity’s existence.
Was there life before life – as we understand it – on
earth? Life in which our own life found its origin, as the
Prometheus fi lm suggests? An intelligence that shaped the
beginnings of our species?
The Bible suggests that the answer is yes. It says that
“in the beginning was the Word”. It says that through “the
Word” all things were made. In this mighty “Word” was life,
and “that life was the light of all mankind”.
Intriguing, isn’t it? Throughout the ages – and long before
Christianity emerged – people have grappled to engage
with this “Word” that created all things. In Jesus Christ
the “Word” stepped out of eternity and became human as
the extraordinary carpenter from Nazareth. He came to
give new life – not only natural, biological life, limited by
mortality – but eternal life.
JESUS SAID... “The thief’s
purpose is to steal and kill
and destroy. My purpose is to
give a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:10, The Bible
JA: 0845 123 5550
jesus.org.uk
Email: info@jesus.org.uk
Write: Jesus Fellowship,
FREEPOST, Nether Heyford,
North amp ton NN7 3BR
Tel: 0845 123 5550
Fax: 0845 166 8178
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