THE NAME

I believe that God called me to be an evangelist in 1982 at the age of 17, when I had been a Christian for just six months and with little idea of what I would do with my life. He did so by speaking very directly to me through Ephesians 6:19. As my life has unfolded since it has become clear to me that in that moment He was setting His agenda for my life. Since then it has become my joy and privilege to 'fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel', and I am always conscious that when I do so it is with words that have been 'given me'. I am conscious that whatever I do for Jesus is with a gift He has given me, and the name 6:19 is a constant reminder of that.

THE PASSION AND MOTIVATION

As a young Christian I quickly became disillusioned and frustrated with much of the church that I saw around me. On the one hand we had this fantastic news about Jesus, who had died for our sins, and who was inviting us into the most exciting relationship with His Father; and yet on the other hand what the church seemed to present was dull, boring and irrelevant to the needs of the world going by outside! I developed a passion to want to change that, and to find a way for the church to become more effective in presenting Jesus.

Over time I have come to believe that part of the reason for the current state of much of the western church, is a disconnection between the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, and the demonstration of the Kingdom of God. In other words the church says that Jesus is Good News, but the world is too often left looking for any evidence to support the claim! The gospels clearly show that Jesus told people about the Kingdom of God, and then showed them what it looked like - through his acts of love, compassion and mercy, but also through his miracles of healing and deliverance. I believe passionately that the church in the west needs to reconnect its proclamation with a Spirit-dependant demonstration of the Kingdom of God.

THE SMALL PRINT!!

I have spent 17 years in church leadership - nine in the north-east of England and 8 in West Sussex - serving in three different contexts: suburban, town (with some UPA aspects) and rural. As well as working through 6:19 I am also currently part-time assistant vicar at The Point Church -a 'fresh expression' Church of England congregation founded in 2004.  6:19 receives sponsorship from The Point and is also fully supported by my Bishop.

The work of 6:19 is supervised by a Support Group that meets regularly with me. Sponsorship is handled by the Christian charity 'Stewardship', and the account is overseen by the Support Group.

I am a personal member of the Evangelical Alliance and adhere to their basis of faith which you can view at www.eauk.co.uk


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