Streetpaper 83 - The Jesus Army

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QUESTIONS?
CHAT?
COMMENTS?
GET IN TOUCH
“IF YOU
WERE
GOD
WHAT
WOULD YOU
CHANGE?”
Simeon, 18, prays for
his friends every day
modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 81 Page 1
modern Jesus army: bringing spiritual and social help to all people
No. 83 FREE
SURVEY SHOWS THAT
PRAYER IS POPULAR
We asked
UK people
PAGE 2
A new
approach
to gangs
PAGE 6
TENS OF millions
of us in the UK are
saying “I need to
pray”. And millions
of those are young
people.
Research tells
us that it’s a fact
that UK teens and
twenties are into
prayer. And most of
it is prayer outside
official religion.
How and where we
pray isn’t important. And
many of us are unsure as
to whom we pray. So we
just pray to our concept
of God, someone who
creates and commands,
someone bigger than we
are, whose help we need.
Of course some will
know Him, as we in Jesus
Army do, as the Father
of Jesus Christ, but
for many of us He is our
big, mysterious, spiritual
friend.
“I NEED TO
PRAY”
Praying brings us release.
We pour out our
loneliness, our fears, our
worries, our sins, our
longings, our sorrows,
our complaints, our anger
and our weaknesses. We
somehow feel “God” understands,
forgives, supports
and loves us. Praying
makes a difference
None of this is at all
surprising. It is well
known that the human
soul has a void in it which
only God can fill.
In the Jesus Army we
pray in the name of Jesus
Christ. He promised that
things would happen if
we prayed in faith in His
name.
Our experience is that
things do happen – supernatural
things. Yes, we
pray on our own. But we
also pray with others. And
we can pray with you.
Text your prayer request
to us on 0774 0774 200

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 2
THE GOSPEL of Mark is
part of the Bible and tells the
story of the Life of Christ.
Packed into 60 pages you
can find how one man
bridged the gap between
man and God. Read
about angry Jesus driving out money
changers. Read about compassionate Jesus healing
people. Test for yourself the claims of Jesus.
The Bible in its entirety has now been translated into
414 languages, and parts are now available in over
2,000 languages. If listed in the bestsellers, it would
regularly top the list in all its versions.
For your FREE copy of Mark’s Gospel contact us
(see address below). Or text on 0774 0774 200 or
phone on 0845 123 5550 to reserve your copy.
@
Get a bestseller
FREE
GET IN TOUCH
ALL GOOD armies have an HQ, and we are
no exception. We will answer your queries,
provide you with free literature or a Mark’s
Gospel, even pray with you over the telephone
if you are in special need.
You can call us: our National Helpline is
0845 123 5550 (local call rate), and generally
there are real people to talk to, not machines.
Email us at info@jesus.org.uk
Want to have a look at what the mJa is all about?
Check us out from anywhere in the world on our
website: www.jesus.org.uk
But in these days of hi-tech, we still have an
address and lots of people write in.
Jesus Fellowship, FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford, Northampton, NN7 3BR
Across the UK you are welcome to call one of our
local churches if they are near you. There are Jesus
Army congregations and groups around the UK.
They are not all the same size, they meet in different
sorts of premises, but they are all made up of
people who love Jesus and are ready to help you
on in your faith too.
Belfast ........................................................... 0845 123 5552
Birmingham ................................................... 0845 166 8153
Bournemouth ................................................ 0845 123 5558
Brighton ......................................................... 0845 166 8151
Bristol ........................................................... 0845 123 5339
Coventry ........................................................ 0845 166 8154
Croydon ......................................................... 0845 226 1972
Chester/ North Wales.................................... 0845 123 5561
Hastings ........................................................ 0845 123 5551
Huntingdon ................................................... 0845 166 2697
Ipswich .......................................................... 0845 166 8156
Kettering ........................................................ 0845 166 8157
Leeds ........................................................... 0845 166 8167
Leicester ........................................................ 0845 644 9705
Liverpool ....................................................... 0845 166 8168
London Central ............................................. 0845 166 8152
London West ................................................. 0845 833 1319
London South ............................................... 0845 226 1972
Manchester .................................................... 0845 166 8169
Milton Keynes ............................................... 0845 166 8159
Newcastle-upon-Tyne ................................... 0845 166 8187
Northampton ................................................. 0845 166 8161
Norwich ......................................................... 0845 166 8162
Nottingham .................................................... 0845 166 8163
Oxford ........................................................... 0845 166 8164
Preston .......................................................... 0845 123 5554
Sheffield ........................................................ 0845 166 8183
Stoke-on-Trent .............................................. 0845 123 5334
Swansea ........................................................ 0845 123 5556
Wolverhampton ............................................. 0845 123 5563
JESUS Fellowship Church 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. To receive Jesus Fellowship literature
regularly, free, send the response form on page 6 to Jesus Fellowship Central Offices, FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford, Northampton NN7 3BR. Tel. 0845 123 5550. modern Jesus army Streetpaper
No.83 © 2008, published three times a year by Jesus Fellowship Church, Nether Heyford,
Northampton NN7 3LB. Editor James Stacey. All photographs supplied and copyright by Jesus
Army Photo Library or Public Domain unless stated otherwise. Printed by BGP Ltd., Bicester, Oxon.
Reproduction of any part of this newspaper in any form requires written permission. All Bible
quotations are from the Contemporary English Version © 2000 Harper Collins unless otherwise
indicated. All articles are contributed by members of the Jesus Fellowship Church, also known as
the modern Jesus army. 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.
“IF YOU WERE
GOD
WHAT
WOULD YOU
CHANGE?”
Photo by LittleMan
Streetpaper asked people on the streets of UK cities
IN THE award winning
film Bruce Almighty,
one man gets a chance
to do whatever he likes
while God takes a holiday.
We thought we’d
ask more than 150 people
from around the
UK what they would do
if they were in God’s
shoes.
“I would like heaven on
earth” said Spencer from
Coventry. Lewis, from
nearby Nuneaton, wanted
“an end to child cruelty.”
“Make managers kinder!”
shouted Ben, a friend.
But where do you stand?
What, if you were all-powerful,
would you do?
Surprisingly for the
British, only three people
spoke about the weather.
We actually have far bigger
concerns like drugs, health,
homelessness and equality.
And we’re not that selfish
either: only a handful
of people spoke of wanting
their football team to win
or getting more money.
But a whopping 86 per
cent believe that it’s God’s
job to sort out the world’s
problems. 25 per cent of
those questioned saw this
in terms of world peace.
Another 12 per cent voiced
more specific worries about
poverty and starvation.
Many think it is God
that has the problem. “I
would just make people
believe in me” said Fridolin
from Sheffield. Several
agreed, but an equal
number thought that we
should do away with religion
altogether. “He’s still
doing a better job than the
politicians!” defended Mr
Singh from Leicester.
>>
I BELIEVE IN FRIENDSHIP
80 per cent put friendship top of the list for happiness
“I would stop people
from dying and make them
young again” said Betty
from Nottingham. A nice
idea – just begin again.
Reboot life when it gets
corrupted, wash all the
troubles away. “I’d want to
change everything about
the world. That’s how I really
feel” commented Tracy
from Coventry.
“He’s still doing a
better job than the
politicians!”
17 per cent of those
asked felt that the root of
the world’s problems lay
closer to home. “It’s not
God’s fault, all this trouble,
it’s our fault” concluded
Mrs Johnson. There were
other philosophical answers
too. One person admitted
“I wouldn’t change
anything. Everything is the
way it is so we can learn
“I’LL BE there for you” goes
the well-known theme song
“when the rain starts to pour. I'll
be there for you, like I've been
there before.”
A recent survey of young
people showed that 97 per
cent say it is important to be
happy with life and they saw
“having the right relationships”
as the big secret for
happiness. Over 80 per cent
saw relationships with friends
as crucial to happiness.
What is it about friendship
that means just about everyone
is agreed it’s one of life’s
crucial ingredients? “One loyal
friend is worth ten thousand
relatives,” wrote Euripides, the
ancient Greek playwright (if
you imagine having ten thousand
mothers-in-law you’ll get
him).
A friend chooses you. They
affi rm you by being your friend.
They know all about you and
from it.”
Marc was thoughtful
too: “Peace is the obvious
answer, but it’s impossible.”
In other words, unless
humanity has a change
of heart, nothing else will
change. 17 per cent of those
who answered agreed that
“the heart of the human
problem is the problem of
the human heart”. We need
a “change of attitude”.
The Bible says that it is
because of man’s rejection
of God that we find ourselves
in such a mess.
God may want us to
learn from our mistakes,
but He knows we can’t
repair our wrongs. That’s
why He sent a Saviour:
Jesus. He paid the price for
all our wrong and opened
the way back to God.
There is one prayer that
God might not be able to
answer, however. Jamie
hoped that if he were God,
he could make all the girls
fancy him. Some things
might just be too difficult,
even for the Almighty.
“I believe...” #1
still like you. There’s something
about true friendship which
meets our deepest need. And
– genius! – we get to meet
someone else’s deepest need
at the same time.
But, is there really such a
thing as true friendship? Oscar
Wilde said “A true friend stabs
you in the front.” Is it really a
sentimental dream best kept
for American sit-coms?
The Bible describes God as
a “true friend...closer than your
own family”. And it says that
Jesus has shown us this true
kind of friendship by “laying
down His life” for us. And that
those who are the friends of
Jesus – Christians – become
deep, true friends with each
other.
But – hang on. Does this
all sound a bit too good to be
true? Better have a think about
truth before we get too carried
away? (see page 4)
Debt steals
UK meals
DEBT IS forcing some UK families
to miss meals according to charity
Christians Against Poverty (CAP).
Debt also causes marriage failure
and mental illness.
CAP’s research found that
nearly a quarter of its clients
regularly sacrifi ced meals, 23
per cent of clients’ marriages
broke down and 69 per cent
visited their GP to fi nd help with
debt-driven stress.
“Families and couples…are
being pushed to breaking point”
CAP boss Matt Barlow said.
Blame is levelled at the lending
practices of banks and building
societies and extortionate
interest charged by loan companies
– along with sharply rising
food, fuel and utility prices.
Rich Brits
getting sick
TWICE AS many Brits as mainland
Europeans suffer mental illness,
according to Oliver James,
author of The Selfish Capitalist –
Origins of Affluenza. The reason:
“selfish capitalism” and unrealistic
wealth expectations.
In English-speaking countries
some chief executives earn 133
times the average wage. And
mental illness has almost doubled
in them since the 1970s.
Other European countries have
a less selfish capitalist approach
James claims. What makes such
social inequality dangerous is
the belief that “material affluence
is the key to fulfilment and open
to anyone willing to work hard
enough”. People are “suckered
into” unhealthy work addiction.
Bad role model for kids?
Big Brother
role model
TV shows such as Big Brother
lead to “damaging attitudes in children”
former youth worker, Mark
Russell, told an audience of 100
church school head teachers.
According to research, 50
per cent of children want to be
a celebrity, and a third want to
be Paris Hilton reported Russell,
Chief Executive of the Church
Army. Russell attacked the media
for “generating an image
of life that is unreal” into which
“children are sucked in.”
He argued that “Leading a
school in an age of celebrity and
consumerism requires us to be
counter-cultural” encouraging
spiritual creativity, alternative
role models and an atmosphere
of love.
Bible sounds
like Sir Bob
The Bible sounds like Bob Geldof
– according to 27 per cent of
Britons who could not tell the
difference between speeches
by the social activist and Holy
Scripture.
Another 20 per cent thought
that the cry to defend the
helpless in Proverbs 31:8
sounded like Kofi Annan, the
former head of the UN.
“What this shows is that on
the topics that challenge us
every day, God got there fi rst”
said James Catford, chief executive
of Bible Society, which
has published a Bible that highlights
every time God speaks
against injustice. The poll of
over a thousand adults was
conducted by Theos.

SAVED LIFE... SAVED SOUL
modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 3
God saved Artemis Artemiou’s life when
he was four. By 18 he wanted to end his
life. That’s when God stepped in again.
ARTEMIS, 19, WASN’T
born into privilege. His
mother spent the first
eight months of her
son’s life in a psychiatric
institution. His dad had
a violent streak. They
lived in a deprived
area of Northampton.
Artemis had such
serious asthma that,
as he put it “I had to
be on a ventilator two
hours every day to help
me breathe.” Then the
ventilator was stolen
from their house.
When it seemed like
things couldn’t be much
worse a chink of light
came into the Artemiou
family’s life: Artemis’s parents
became Christians.
This newfound faith was
to save Artemis’s life.
“My dad came in one
night” says Artemis “to find
me struggling for breath.
Then I stopped breathing.
My mum was hysterical,
but my dad got on his
knees and prayed for me in
the name of Jesus. Instantly
I started breathing.
“I haven’t struggled with
asthma since.”
God had intervened, but
all was still far from well in
the family. “My dad was
beating my mum” recalls
Artemis. “I remember seeing
my mum sitting on the
end of her bed a lot, crying
– it was just part of life.
Once I remember mum
in the kitchen sitting on
the floor crying, with all
the plates and bowls and
cups smashed on the floor
around her. She said she
was trying to move it all
and slipped. Yeah right.”
Artemis’s parents split
up when Artemis was 11.
Over the next three years
they lived in ten different
houses as Artemis’s mother
went through a number of
relationships. Artemis describes
them bluntly: “All of
Time of his life: Artemis has “found something to live for”
them either beat her or were
complete idiots.”
“My mum was becoming
an alcoholic and using
drugs. She was losing weight
daily – by this time she was
so skinny it was ridiculous”
remembers Artemis.
One particularly violent
relationship led to Artemis’s
mother pressing charges
when her partner “headbutted
her” – though she
later dropped the charges.
Moving to their dad’s
place, Artemis and his bother
found some stability. “My
step-mum taught us some
home skills as well, which was
good” says Artemis “and my
little brother Michael was
born: I love him to pieces.”
But Artemis’s chaotic
childhood caught up with
him: “I started to become
depressed. I spent most of
my time watching DVDs or
playing on Xbox, trying to
get ‘away from me’. In early
“I have cried uncountable
times, shouted my head
off, laughed till it hurts,
danced my heart out – and
felt the awesome power of
God’s love”
2007, I became suicidal.”
Artemis’s childhood faith
was still there, however. “I
prayed to God: ‘I won’t
take my own life, but please
take me to heaven. I can’t
stand not having anything
to live for.’”
Around this time,
Artemis met the Jesus
Army. He describes the first
time he turned up at one of
the Jesus Army’s houses in
Northamptonshire: “As soon
as I walked into the kitchen
I felt peace.” He’d found
people with something to
live for – the same God who
had saved his life all those
years ago.
As Artemis opened up
to God and his new Christian
friends, he found healing.
“Over the past year
I have cried uncountable
times, shouted my head off,
laughed till it hurts, danced
my heart out – and felt the
awesome power of God’s
love” says Artemis.
“One thing I really
struggled with was love. I
thought I knew what it was,
but when people said ‘I love
you’ I found it hard to accept.
But through people’s
patience and grace, I have
seen God’s love for me.
“God has shown me that
love stands by what it believes
in, even when feelings
aren’t there. I’ve found
I can forgive my mum and
my dad. I can let go of guilt
I’ve held for years. I can ask
for people’s forgiveness and
start to love myself.”
Artemis has found the purpose
God has for him. “God
prepared me for this” he says.
“He’s saying ‘Now you have
something to live for. Now
you can live for Me.’ ”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:
Domestic violence occurs across society. It has many forms,
including physical violence, verbal, sexual or emotional
abuse, intimidation, or threats. Research indicates:
• it accounts for 16 per cent of all violent crime
• it affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men
• it has more repeat victims than any other crime (average
35 assaults before a victim calls the police)
• on average, two women are killed every week by a current or
former male partner
• one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police
every minute
• 77 per cent of victims of domestic violence are women
If you are suffering domestic violence of any kind, you can phone
the Jesus Army helpline for help and advice on: 0845 123 5550
Artemis: “I have seen
God’s love for me”

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 4
TRUE FRIENDSHIP
THIS IS MY
OUTLOOK
CHURCH IS centred on
Jesus. Not the sad-faced
“stained-glass window
Jesus” nor the nice, inoffensive,
Christmas-only,
“Babyjesus”. But Jesus
who came and lived a life
of pure love and who died
in our place so we can be
forgiven. This Jesus rose
from the dead and lives
forever now – right now!
This is no fairy tale. He
proves it. He still heals today,
still delivers from sin
and mess today. Still gives
people new life today.
Real friendship
In today’s world many people’s
identity is wrapped
up in what they own,
how they look, what they
achieve based on false celebrity
images everyone is
meant to aspire to.
How many real friends
do we have? How many
people really know the
real me? Do we know who
we’re meant to be?
Jesus wants to deal with
the selfishness that is in
us all and give us His new
quality of life. It’s a shared
life, a relational life of
openness and love.
Live to the max
The first Christians lived
this life to the max. They
allowed God’s Spirit to
create among them an
entirely new and different
way of living. They shared
their possessions and had
everything in common. No
one had need among them;
By Scott Liston
STREETPAPER CORRESPONDANT
all were equal. They were
the brotherhood of Jesus,
the family of God.
They were loved by the
poor, rejected and marginalised
of society, but hated
by those who lived for the
security of wealth, the establishment,
the system.
Joining the church
meant leaving an old life
behind, it meant “coming
out” of all the old
ways. In fact the original
word for “church”
(“ekklesia” in New Testament
Greek) means
“called out people”.
So how about it: do you
want to check out what it
means to really “come out”
and belong to this “called
out people” – church?
Sisterhood: a threeway
hug at an modern
Jesus army demo
Ian Oakey, 26, says he just
wouldn’t live any other way
WHEN THEY first struck
up their unlikely friendship,
Ian was a trendy
arts student, Dave an
alcoholic.
“It was a Friday night”
remembers Ian “just after
my church, the Jesus Army,
had opened a Jesus Centre
in Northampton to meet all
kinds of people. A few of us
young guys from the church
Ian in his
“arty” youth
had got to know some guys
from the streets. That’s when
I met Dave. He’s a very friendly
bloke with a really likeable
personality”.
Dave was baptised and
joined the church in 2005.
His struggle with drink has
gone on, but his friendship
with his new brothers, like
Ian, has grown stronger and
deepened over time.
Ian says that his ability to
get on easily with different
kinds of people comes from
being part of a loving church.
“If it wasn’t for the church, I
would never have learnt to
love people who are different
from me” he admits.
“In the church we become
real, true friends” he adds.
“Church is relationships.
God is real – I can’t deny it.
And He joins people together
in real love.”
“CHURCH IS WHERE I
CAN BE TOTALLY ME”
Jessica Thomas, 26, felt like two
people. Now she can be herself.
>>
Choices, choices: can they all be right?
“I believe...” #2
I BELIEVE IN TRUTH
WE LIVE in a choice-mad world. At any superstore
(once you’ve chosen between Sainsbury’s,
Asda, the Co-Op and the rest), you can
choose your brand, colour, whiff and weight of
shampoo, your favourite vegan, low-sulphur
dog food, your preferred teabag style (oldfashioned
square? trendy circular? or, for the
truly avant-garde, pyramid-shaped?) and so
on and on and on.
In our, “supermarket society”, truth is
just another product on the endless shelf of
alternatives. Bob chooses Evolution (with
a capital E as a theory of Everything),
Belinda chooses Buddhism with a dash of C of
E. “Fine” we all say. “What’s true for you is true
for you and what’s true for me is true for me”.
But it isn’t, is it? Because if Belinda
decides she can fl y and jumps from a cliff,
she’s going to have a rather down to earth experience.
It’s called the law of gravity and this
case it will kill her.
We just don’t live in a “choose your own
truth” universe. We may as well face it. We live
in a universe with laws. Black is not white however
much I may believe it is. Some things are
true and others – aren’t.
So when Jesus says that it is only through
Him that anyone can fi nd God – I want to know
if it’s true. Because if it isn’t I want to fi nd what
is. And if it is true – I need to believe it and do
something about it.
Just a minute – God? Is God real? Is it true
that God is there? Better look into this...
(see page 6)
Jessica found herself through church
FOR HER first fourteen years,
Jessica lived with her dad in London.
“Dad was my hero but I felt
trapped living with him. He insisted
I went to a strict girls’ school. My
sister was allowed to go to a mixed
school where they didn’t wear uniform.
Me and my sister never got on.
Other families seemed so close – why
couldn’t we be? At school I got bullied
for being skinny
and quiet. By
the age of twelve I
felt I belonged nowhere
and life was
pointless.”
Jessica moved
out to live with her
mum. “Shy, serious
Jessica” disappeared
to be replaced
by “Jess the
Rebel”.
“I liked fun and
spontaneous adventure:
I was
tired of being good.
Eventually Mum
called the police to
say I was uncontrollable.
I ended
up in a succession
of hostels.”
Things went from bad to worse.
The partner she “thought was all
right” turned out to be violent. She
left him only to discover she was
pregnant. Then, eight weeks early,
she went into labour.
“All I remember was severe pain
and the nurses saying they were
sorry but they couldn’t hear my
baby’s heartbeat. Mya Shanay was
born on 27 November 1999 – but
she had died during labour. I felt so
empty.
“The following May, on my
18th birthday, I went clubbing
– something I’d loved before. Now it
seemed pointless. Mya’s death had
matured me. I longed to get away
from my past life and start again.
Soon after, I had
an unexpected
phone-call from a
friend who lived in
Christian community
near Northampton.
‘Come for
a visit!’ ”
“I found a gathering
of ordinary
people but something
was different.
I became fascinated
by Jesus
and couldn’t get
enough of the Bible
– it became
my manual for life.
Jesus became my
best friend, someone
who knew
all about me, but
never rejected me.
“Church, for me, is the place
where I can be totally myself. I still
love to sit quiet and listen but I still
love adventure, too – only now I go
out and befriend the homeless and
the teenagers that hang around and
tell them about Jesus. ‘Serious Jessica’
and ‘Jess the Rebel’ both have
a place in my life!”
Jessica: bullied at school

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 5
REAKS BARRIERS
CHURCH
WHAT’S ON?
MODERN JESUS ARMY EVENTS 2008
ALL FREE - ALL WELCOME - NO PREJUDICE
SATURDAY 19 JULY
LONDON JESUS DAY
Trafalgar Square, LONDON
SATURDAY 02 AUGUST
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
2.00pm & 6.00pm
Jesus Centre, Abington Square,
NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AE
THUR 07 - SAT 09 AUGUST
RAW - REAL & WILD
YOUTH EVENT AGES 15-35
2.00pm & 6.00pm
Jesus Centre, Abington Square,
NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AE
FRI 22 - MON 25 AUGUST
WINNING FESTIVAL
WEEKEND
Giant Marquee, Cornhill Manor, Pattishall,
NORTHAMPTON NN12 8LQ
Info: Jesus Fellowship, FREEPOST, Nether Heyford, Northampton NN7
3BR t: 0845 123 5550 e: info@jesus.org.uk www.jesus.org.uk/dates
Unlikely mates: Ian (right) and Dave are “church” together
Centres offer daily
friendship for all
JESUS CENTRES are
places where the love of
Jesus is expressed daily
in worship, friendship and
help for every type of person.
The Jesus Army has
opened Jesus Centres in
Coventry,
Northampton
and Central London (and
is working towards them
in other places in the
UK).
Art in the right place
Northampton Jesus Centre
has recently exhibited
some powerful paintings
by Christian artist, Ulrike
O’Flaherty. Her striking,
“in your face” artwork has
things to say about God’s
love towards the marginalised
and poor.
The themes explored
in the paintings tie in
well with the Jesus Centre
vision to be “a place
of friendship and help for
every type of person”.
Oasis near the circus
London Jesus Centre is just
round the corner from Oxford
Circus in the shopping
capital of the UK. But just a
short step away from “retail
frenzy” there is a peaceful
“shopping free zone”.
A recent visitor who
made it in from the rush
said that the peace she
found there was “beautiful!”
A Jesus Centre volunteer
added “We aim to continue
to be an oasis in the
world of consumerism.”
Vigil for the forgotten
Coventry Jesus Centre
recently held a vigil for all
the troubled people they
have befriended who have
died. The idea was featured
in local media (see BBC
report at www.tinyurl.com/
4jpzsz).
The homeless are 35
times more likely to kill
Art attack: paintings pack
a punch at Jesus Centre
themselves than the general
population and four
times more likely to die
from unnatural causes
such as accidents, assaults,
murder, drugs or alcohol
poisoning.
How can you help? Jesus
Centres always need
money, clothes, food and
lots more. Check out the
website for details: www.
jesuscentre.org.uk. Jesus
Army Charitable Trust is a
registered charity.

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 6
STREETPAPER CHALLENGE
The UK is taking a new approach to
dealing with youth “gang” culture
SOMEONE’S come up with a screamer
of an idea to solve teenage anti-social behaviour:
a device which emits a painful
high-pitched noise (inaudible to ears aged
more than 25 years). The “yobs” just can’t
stand it – so they clear off. According to
the BBC, “there are estimated to be 3,500
of the devices, known as ‘the Mosquito’, in
use across the country”.
Wonderful. Let’s not encourage young
people to find self-worth. Let’s not give
them something positive to live for. Let’s
forget about encouraging parents in their
parenting. Never mind family cohesion
and positive role-modelling.
Young people are the enemy. Scream at
them till they go away. Pesky kids. Come to
think of it – why stop at mere sonic warfare?
Tear gas! That’s what they need. That’d be
what I call a real creative solution.
Worryingly enough, you just may be
reading this and nodding your head in
agreement. So it’s worth being clear: what
a load of bilge. Young people are looking
for something worth their energy, something
worth living for. They need nurturing,
believing in.
The Jesus Army has a vision to engage
young people in something very, very positive
– the mission of Jesus. Spreading real
love; reconciling people to the God they’ve
lost touch with.
This cause is especially for the gangs in
subways and on street corners. God is not
screaming till they go away. He’s calling
them to belong. And the Jesus Army want
to be part of that call. How about you?
Please send to:
Jesus Fellowship,
FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford,
Northampton
NN7 3BR, UK
(No stamp needed in UK
or Channel Islands)
0845 166 8172
f: 0845 166 8178
www.jesus.org.uk
e: info@jesus.org.uk
streetpaper@jesus.org.uk
Scream
until they
go away
>>
I BELIEVE IN GOD
“I’LL BELIEVE it when I see it”. So runs
the common remark and some people
use this, or something like it, as a reason
why they don’t believe in God.
It must be a depressing life for such
people because presumably they don’t
believe in love. After all, no-one has ever
seen that either.
In fact, a good deal of the things we
value most about life aren’t things we
can actually see. Like the buzz you get
when you hear an amazing song, the
Life in clover: is a loving God too good to be true?
FOR HELP & INFORMATION
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“I believe...” #3
shiver that runs up your spine when you
see a glorious sunset, or the spreading
feeling of content when you wake up and
remember you’re on holiday.
Or – to change tack – think of oxygen.
No-one can see it. But the thought of
living without it? That’s enough to take
anyone’s breath away.
“God is Spirit” it says in the New Testament.
You can’t see Him. But He’s always
there. In fact, He’s the source of all
being. He made everything. God is totally
real – everything else gets its reality
from God! (Viewed this way, a person
saying they don’t believe in God is like a
fish saying it doesn’t believe in water.)
So how can we actually experience
Him, if we can’t see Him?
This is where we have to sit up and
listen to the Man who said “If you have
seen Me, you have seen the Father.” His
name is Jesus – what was He talking
about?
(see page 8)
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Power of
prayer on
show in
Preston
ONE FRIDAY night in Preston
two Jesus Army members
walked the streets and talked to
the many prostitutes in the area.
They sensed God’s presence
as they for prayed for two girls in
particular – one was in tears.
That weekend they prayed for
a young girl with a kidney infection.
Her mother reported that
when she was prayed for she
felt some heat. The consultant
later confi rmed that the infection
had gone.
A Jesus Army leader in Preston
commented “It seems like
the heavens have opened”.
Midlands
mJa
“love their
neighbours”
AT A JESUS Army house in Leicester
last week, a man knocked on
the door to ask for prayer for his
wife who was in a coma.
Menawhile, in Coventry, a
Refugee Centre rang up and
asked if the local Jesus Army
house could help accommodate
a woman with no family, no
passport and bad health.
A Jesus Army leader from
Coventry commented: “We
were happy to help as much
as we could in both cases. We
want our houses to be available
for the great work of loving our
neighbour.”
“Yobs” doing a good job
Street gang
foil Milton
Keynes
robbery
A GANG of street lads and girls
foiled a robbery in Milton Keynes
recently. They pursued a thief as
he fl ed from a shop, caught him
and returned 24 bottles of beer.
The shop assistant was still on
the phone to the police and had
to explain that they were no longer
needed: a gang had retrieved
and returned the stolen beer!
The Jesus Army had been
befriending the gang. One of
them commented: “We hope the
Christian infl uence is rubbing off
on them. They really are a sound
crew and we’re praying for them
to truly fi nd Jesus.”
Christianpowered
poetry in
Oxford
“HEAR THE Word” is a popular
poetry night put on by the
Jesus Army in Oxford. It’s been
described by one poet as “a
Christian-powered, unplugged,
spoken word club” and a “mixture
of story-telling, folk music
and poetry of many forms.”
The poet in question, “Oliver”,
particularly enjoyed “its Christian
community quality with a
large dollop of tolerance and a
hectoring Marxist thrown in for
good measure!”
The event continues in 2008
on the fi rst Monday of each
month.

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 7
JACOB
JEN
FABIO
LIZZIE
JON JON
CONNOR
2WENTY
OUESTIONS
RAY
ANUU
KATH
BETHAN
JAMES
LESLEY
Christians? Bizarre weirdos? Boring wannabes?
JANA
Visit the online JESUS PEOPLE SHOP...
Crosses...
AMY
TSCHAKA
SEND for a free catalogue to: Jesus People Shop, FREE POST, Nether Heyford, North amp ton NN7 3BR t: 084 5 123 5550
MUSIC
STREETPAPER asked
mJa members from
across the UK to answer
twenty questions to show
what makes them tick.
The answers seemed
to show that these
Christians are pretty
normal and come from
all over the place – but
all of them have found
something worth getting
excited about.
What is your name?
There are a lot of
1 Steves and Daves in
the modern Jesus army, a
few Jennys, but only one
Patrick Anthony Ernest
Finch-Noyes (and what imaginative
parents he must
have had).
Where were you born?
mJa members come
2 from all over the UK
– from Essex to Exeter, from
Hull to Solihull, and one
Twenty Questions answerer
comes from Itapetininga
which he assures us is in
Brazil not Narnia.
First memory?
Apart from the mJa
3 member whose earliest
memory was the 48K Spectrum
(it obviously made an
impression), perhaps the
most remarkable was Kat
from Sheffield whose first
memory was “a cow eating
my cardigan”.
VIDEOS
...CDs and DVDs...
4
How long have you been
a member of mJa?
The longest standing
members have been in the
Jesus Army since before
it became known as Jesus
Army in the 80s. But most
Twenty Questions answerers
were under 30. mJa has
a fairly low average age.
5
Why’d you join up?
One young man, James
from Northampton,
owned up to being rather
partial to the church recipe
for chocolate fudge cake.
But he added “This church
genuinely tries to practise
the New Testament in a
selfish country.” Tschaka
from London “wanted to
‘be the best’ for God”. Rob
from Brighton admitted
“Initially it was a free bed!
But then it was the brotherhood,
love and reality of
relationships.” And Fabio
from Brazil simply said “I
felt I was a member of the
family,” adding “People
in the church cared more
about my future than about
my past.”
6
Define yourself in three
words.
Rachel from Leicester
summed it up for pretty
much the whole church when
DVDS
...Clothing
and more...
CROSSES
she described herself as “not
entirely predictable”.
7
Marmite – delicious or
evil in a jar?
James from Northampton
made a valid point here:
“The Marmite’s delicious
but the jar’s a little hard to
digest.”
“my first memory
was a cow eating
my cardigan”
10
www.jesuspeople.biz
8
What is your favourite
song of all time?
Spiritual songs were
top of the pops with mJa
members: energetic, throw
yourself around numbers
(“Dance, dance, everybody
dance”) to deep hymns like
“O Love that wilt not let
me go”. Then there was “A
alegria está no coração de
quem já conhece a Jesus”
(yup, that was Brazilian Fabio
again).
9
Right-brained (creative)
type or left-brained
(logical) type?
A good mixture of logical
lefties and resourceful righties.
It was fairly even.
Sum up your weekend
in one sentence.
Bethan from Solihull
had “one hectic party
with Jesus” which sounds a
bit like Kat from Sheffield’s
“multicoloured whirlwind of
BOOKS
CLOTHING
music and madness, love and
laughter”. Ian from Northampton
also encountered
Jesus in his weekend, but described
it in more thoughtful
terms: “A scary challenge to
follow the teaching of Jesus
or slip into a wasted life of
mediocrity”.
11
Flip flops or sandals?
Jen from Northampton
showed admirable disregard
for worldly fashion:
“Sandals and socks all the
way.” But not all mJa members
were so biblical in their
footwear.
12
If you could have one
super human power
what would you
choose?
Flying was popular, it’s true,
but quite a few spoke of the
“super human power” that
they actually have – Holy
Spirit power to heal and
bless others.
13
Cereal – morning or
late at night?
Jen from Northampton
deserves to be quoted
– not for giving an answer
(she doesn’t care when she
eats cereal) but for her enthusiasm
and for providing a
recipe: “bran flakes, yoghurt,
banana and honey...mmm!”
14
Are you a cat or a
dog person?
It was fairly even
with cats enjoyed for their
style and dogs for being fun.
But Rob from Brighton said
they both make him sneeze.
15
What excites you
most?
Kat from Sheffield
was poetic: “God and His
beautiful wildness in creation,
heaven, crazy dreams
and schemes” but left her
most profound comment
till last: “seeing people finding
real love and dreaming
again”. Is that what James
from Liverpool meant when
he said “When God shows up
and does something undeniably
God”?
16
On the other hand,
what really makes
your blood boil with
rage?
Injustice was the biggy, with
Rob from Brighton defining
it as “the rich getting richer
and the poor getting poorer”.
Amy from Hastings got angry
at “people hating others just
because they are different.”
17
Who do you admire
most?
Apart from the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
– fairly obviously “up there”
for Christians – it wasn’t big
name people who tended
to feature, but the quiet,
unthanked servants in life.
James from Northampton
made it practical: “people
who wash up without being
asked to”. Meanwhile Lizzie
from Kent gave a hoorah for
early Christian martyrs. And
Rachel from Wisbech said
“Mothers. They are God’s
appointed cradles of life.”
18
What does Jesus
mean to you?
According to these
mJa soldiers, Jesus was a
“tough man of reality who
hated injustice”, “an authentic
revolutionary” who
“showed a way for mankind
“I love Jesus – truly,
madly, deeply”
to make it”. But He’s not
past tense only. mJa members
describe Jesus now as
“God’s human face” and
“my Saviour and best friend”
and one added “I love Jesus
– truly, madly, deeply. If when
I die, they put ‘He loved Jesus’
on my gravestone that’ll
be the best epitaph I could
imagine.”
19
What do you want to
see happen before
you die?
Rachel from Leicester was
pretty focused: “A continuous
stream of people re-born,
finding brothers, sisters,
mothers, fathers, children
and all that God-package.”
Or as another put it: “The
church really on fire for God
- no compromise and willing
to take risks”.
20
You’ve got ten seconds
on national
radio – what do you
say?
Paddy from Huntingdon told
the nation “Prayer works,
try it” (presumably he spoke
slowly). James from Liverpool
asked “So what are you going
to do with Jesus? It’s the
most important thing you’ll
ever think about, so don’t put
it off.” And we’ll leave the last
word to Fabio the Brazilian
who simply wanted everyone
to know: “Christianity is not a
religion, Christianity is a relationship.”
PADDY
IAN
HANNAH
JAMES
KAT

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 83 Page 8
GIVIN’ IT
IT LOADS
Energetic young Christians make a song and dance
about their faith in London’s Trafalgar Square
“BEING A Christian is
not boring, it’s exciting”
enthuses Hannah,
19, describing what
makes hundreds of
young people like her
leap about like loonies
in Trafalgar Square. “I
want to show people
that” she continues. “I
want to express God’s
love to everyone.”
These young people are
enthusiastic about their
Christian faith. Church, it
would appear, is not just for
old ladies after all.
>>
I BELIEVE IN JESUS
Experience the forgiveness
and healing Jesus brings
SO THERE was this young
Jewish prophet, name of
Jesus. Lived around 2,000
years ago. He got Himself
into trouble with the religious
bosses of His day through
some of the things He did and
said. Forgiving sins. Healing.
Letting people worship Him.
(Who did he think He was,
God?)
So they handed Him over
to the Romans who executed
Him by the particularly gory
method of crucifi xion. End of
“Last year, more than a
thousand of us gathered in
London” says Danny, also 19.
“We marched from Marble
Arch to Trafalgar Square,
dancing all the way and then
the event on the Square began.
There were demos and
dramas about what Jesus is
doing today across the UK.
We want everyone to see
that Jesus is worth getting
excited about.”
The modern Jesus army
hold a celebration rally
in Trafalgar Square every
summer with its focal point
at the base of the famous
Nelson’s column.
“We can express love
for Jesus freely without
story. That much is history.
But was that the end of
the story? Because if it
was there is very, very little
chance that you’d have ever
heard of Jesus (and even
less chance that you’d be
reading a newspaper all
about Him 2,000 years later).
Thousands of rebel Jews
were mercilessly slaughtered
by the Romans in that
troubled period of history,
many by crucifi xion. Jesus
was just one more.
worrying what people think”
says Andy, 19, “cos that’s
what it’s all about. Leaping
about is a way of expressing
love for God. Plus it attracts
attention to our cause, shows
how we’re a full on church,
ready for action.”
But it wasn’t only young
people at Trafalgar Square
that day. Christianity is still
for old ladies, too, apparently.
One of them, Selina,
65, describes the event: “It’s
like heaven has landed on
earth with all its colour. The
atmosphere in Trafalgar
Square is incredible.”
• The modern Jesus army
is at Trafalgar Square on
19 July 2008
“I believe...” #4
Except He wasn’t. Because
His followers claimed
He came back from the
dead, gloriously and forever
alive.
Now, if Jesus’ enemies had
wanted to poop the party, it
should have been easy: produce
the body. But they never
did. His body had gone. So
they put it about that Jesus’
followers had nicked it (somehow
they got past the Roman
guard of military professionals
who would be executed if the
body was stolen). The problem
was that Jesus’ followers
didn’t act like guilty liars. Bold
as brass, they strode around
the Roman Empire saying
“Jesus is alive, He’s the Son
of God, He’s beaten death,
and to prove it we’ve seen
Him”. And they were prepared
to die for it.
That’s why you’re hearing
about Jesus today. The
Christian Church through the
centuries has passed on the
message – Jesus is alive. We
know Him. He’s ruling from
heaven – and anyone can experience
the forgiveness and
healing He brings – today!
And that includes you. Don’t
miss out.
NEWSPAPERS
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mJa UK: 0845 123 5550
(local call rate)
www.jesus.org.uk
Email: info@jesus.org.uk
For help/info:
Jesus Fellowship, FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford, North amp ton
NN7 3BR
Tel: 0845 166 8171
Fax: 0845 166 8178
modern Jesus army
presents
The
unmissable
youth event
raw 2008: Called to the Cross
raw real and wild
date:
7-9 August 2008
Venue:
Jesus Centre,
abington square
northampton uk
age limit: 15-35
parental consent required
for those under 18
raw
REAL AND WILD