Lifehope Lifeline Summer 2008

OM Lifehope

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Inside:
•    Experiences of participants.
•    What supports the training?
•    Accrediwhat?
•    Sponsorship opportunities.
•    Director’s message.

What do we do?
We train people in evangelism and prepare them for missions.  These training programmes last from two weeks to two years

So what is the training like? 
A recent participant in the training programme writes:
“It was an out-of-the-comfort-zone experience! We started off by receiving three weeks of training on the Bible, evangelism and skills like drama or kids work and more. That prepared us for the ministry we were about to do. Then we were split into teams working in different areas. What was most challenging was to be out on the street, handing out tracts and knocking on people's doors. We had to get over every kind of shyness or fear and were always in touch with people. That wasn't always easy. But in all that we could see how God worked through us and in us – people's lives were touched by Him and our own lives, too.”

We also have regular short-term outreaches all year long.  The people who go through our training participate in these also and individuals and groups can apply for the outreaches too!

We would like to introduce you to:
The Newton Family
Paul & Elsa Newton both came to faith in Christ as children, Paul while growing up in Lincolnshire, and Elsa in Lanzarote, where her father pastors a church.  As Paul developed in his faith, he was drawn to missions, and went to Spain with the European Christian Mission. His second placement was to the Canary Islands where he and Elsa met. God led them, together with their baby daughter Hannah, to join Wycliffe Bible Translators and to serve in Bata, the mainland capital of Equatorial Guinea. Elsa was on the computer staff, and Paul worked in training and was preparing to serve as a translator with the Kombe people.  During this time Paul wrote in his diary 'God is with us in Bata or Birmingham: serve Him.'   However, illness struck the whole family and it became clear that they would reluctantly have to leave the country and return to the UK.

Searching for the 'what's next' and despite job offers, they felt that God had work for them to do in missions and that maybe it was time to serve in Paul's home country.  It was only at this point they learnt of OM Lifehope in Birmingham, and joined in January 2007. Paul works as the training coordinator, and Elsa, when she is not looking after Hannah (four years old), or the latest addition to the family, Joshua (born in March), has been helping out in the finance office.  Paul writes:
"We are encouraged to see young and older people come to Lifehope, receive good training, grow in their discipleship, discover their vocation and make a difference for God in the world. Many of the people who trained here are sharing this same Gospel across the world and bearing fruit. For us it is now Birmingham and no longer Bata. But the promise that God is with us is still there."

If you would like to financially support this faithful family, please contact us at:
OM Lifehope, Little Cornbow, Halesowen, West Midlands, UK, B63 3AJ, Tel:0121 585 5662, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Prayer requests:
•    Please pray for us here at Lifehope, that we will powerfully affect our communities in the name of Jesus.
•    Please pray for the training that goes on here and that the accreditation will go smoothly.
•    Please pray for the participants of this training that they would go in God’s strength into the communities and impact lives for Jesus.

From the Directors Desk
Part of our vision statement reads, 'We want to reach and disciple people from many nations'. Based in the West Midlands region of the UK, we at OM Lifehope are privileged to have people from many nations on our doorstep! I would like to share with you two recent stories that inspire us and help keep us strongly motivated.
Lindy from our Chinese team witnessed to a couple from mainland China who had come to attend a wedding. From a background of ancestor worship, they gave their lives to Christ and were baptized shortly before their return to mainland China where they have now joined a church.
The second story comes from a team reaching out to South Asians. A team member recently took phone calls from two Asians who were asking how to become followers of Jesus and they were led to Christ over the phone. It's great that we have experienced evangelists like these involved in our training.
However, we need the workers and God's clear strategy to reach out to the many from other nations such as Somalia, Afghanistan and Kurdistan.
We feel it is a strength of our training at Lifehope that we place teams to work with churches so they can connect this practical experience with what they have learnt in the classroom. In this issue we have explained more about our training programmes and how you can be involved in helping us with the many opportunities we face.

Accrediwhat?
What is accreditation? 
This is what happens when a training programme is recognised as a bona fide training by the recognised body, the ‘British Accreditation Council’.

Our training is great so why do we need it? 
Currently we are a registered training provider, but recently immigration rules have changed to a points-based system, so to receive students from outside the European Economic Area, for example from the USA or South Korea, we have to be an accredited training provider.  Another advantage is that it helps us to continually improve our standards.

When will this happen? 
The initial application, a large file with an application form and many supporting documents and the fee, is nearly ready. This will be sent to the British Accreditation Council, who will check it is all in order. They will then visit Lifehope to observe and inspect the training. Hopefully the accreditation will be in place by the end of 2008.

Supporting the Training:
Who holds it all together?
Often unnoticed, their work is unglamorous and sometimes routine, but without the VITAL SUPPORT SERVICES, OM Lifehope's front line evangelism and discipleship training would not be possible. They also serve Lifehopers who are with us longer term.

Administration
This team runs the reception desk, mail letters, answer the telephone, respond to emails, order stationery, and provide support to the OM Lifehope leaders, trainers and evangelist. Admin. staff provide the essential, bread-and-butter services that ensure OM Lifehope's training & ministries can run smoothly.

Communications
They support the OM Lifehope training and teams in sharing their ministry with people all around the world.  They offer services such as: graphic design and layout, develop and maintains the OM lifehope web site, publicity materials for recruiting, prayer letters and much more, such as this report you are now reading!

Household and Vehicles
They  takes care of the Training Centre and OM Lifehope's fleet of aging vehicles is a full-time job - cleaning, hospitality, repairs, plumbing, decorating, mechanics, carpentry and more…

Finance
They handle OM Lifehope's budgets, accounts and day-to-day cash flow. It takes faith to work in finance,

Personnel and Member Care
This team recruit new people from all over the world, for training, evangelism opportunities and specific roles in OM Lifehope and are responsible for all practical aspects from their initial inquiries right through to their departure once they have finished their time with us.

The Library
Lifehope’s library has books and videos related to areas of the training and wider mission and Christian issues.  Some literature is in the participants’ languages.  However it has not been possible to bring this facility up to date and it needs some investment to provide new books, shelves and cataloguing software.  It is estimated this will cost at least £7,500.00.

IT - Computers
With 35 computer terminals in the centre , systems support is vital. Expert advice and help can make all the difference when computers break down! We are hoping to replace these this year at a cost of £11,700.00.  One costs approximately £400.00.

Catering
It is not an easy task to feed an international group of people who have a wide variety of tastes and needs. The kitchen caters for up to 30 people a day. We are very dependent on volunteers to cook and help out.

Marketing and Promotion
This group shares about OM Lifehope's ministries in churches in the UK and promote our opportunities throughout the world through OM’s national offices. Generate financial and prayer support.

"The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike."(1 Sam 30:24)

Reaching Out:
Visiting Homes
Before we began visiting homes in the community I was afraid because I thought my English was not good. I felt very weak. However, the Bible says that God’s word is powerful. All He wants us to do is to start and He will supply the strength.
I was very encouraged because a non-Christian family who answered the door told us that we were doing the right thing and that we should keep on. When we feel weak God shows us that He is a big God. - Tamara (Moldova)

Teen Challenge
Every Saturday night different churches work together. We walk around the town inviting people inside for hot chocolate. Then we sit in groups and play games, do something creative, such as a drama ( we learned some dramas during our training weeks) or just talk and we tell them about Jesus whenever there is a chance.
One night four boys were with us for their first time. They were sitting together at a table on their own talking. We joined them and  a lively discussion about God began. That really doesn't happen very often. The boys told us straight away that they believed the Christian faith was more or less "rubbish".
All of us just kept on talking and discussing, asking questions and sharing our testimonies (as we learned during our training sessions). We talked for about half an hour. We could really see how God was speaking through us, giving us things to say. That was amazing, it was also great to see how two of the boys kept on asking more questions - in the end they were really quiet and thoughtful. The Saturday after that they were back… I'm excited to see how this story will turn out!  - Gila (Germany)

Our Mission:
•    Bringing life and hope to communities in the UK.
•    Partnering with the Church in its mission.
•    Reaching and discipling people from many nations.

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