There is a need in Colchester

• The Colchester Institute according to their web site has 10,500 students attending at any one time. The age range of the students are from 16 to 20. The Christian Union is run by one of the teachers and has about 5 members.
• The VI Form College in Colchester holds 2,000 young people for two years. Their ages are between 16 and 18 The Christian Union (run by Paul and Karen of DNA) has about 10 Christians coming along, they estimate there are probably about 50 students who are Christian.
• The University of Essex has students from over 130 countries and it currently has around 8800 students with a further 900 studying at partner institutions. There is a Christian Union and a church on campus but attendance is quite low maximum 100 students. The age of the majority of the student will be from 19 to 25 years of age.

So in summary in Colchester has about 20,000 young people from the age of 16 to 25 with the chance that 2% of then know about Jesus and only about .5% following Him.

Why Me?

Passion. This is a word that often comes to my mind when I think about why God has chosen me for overseas missions. I have a passion for the lost. A passion for my fading generation. I have a passion to see other’s come to know the Lord in such an intimate way that their lives reflect an undeniable truth, that there is a God and he wants all to have relation with him.

Why England?

What happens when a nation turns away from God?
When government tells the nation, “we don’t do God”
When the story of Jesus lies forgotten and his name is only used as a swear word?
When schools ban the re-telling of the Christmas story and Easter story for fear of offending other faith groups?
When passionate faith and commitment to Jesus are construed as fanatical, offensive and potentially very dangerous?

Welcome to England!

What happens when universities are openly hostile to evangelism and ban legitimate Christian groups and meetings?
When some local councils want to change “Christmas” to “Winterfest”?
When Christmas postage stamps bearing Christian images are withdrawn from sale, for fear of offending other faith groups?
When religious persecution is no longer a thing of the past but an emerging and frightening prospect?

Welcome to England!

Did you know only 6.3% people attend local church regularly?

Did you know Britain has…
the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe?
the highest alcohol and drug addiction rates among people under the age of 14 in Europe?
the highest number of alcohol and drug addiction rates in people over the age of 14 in Europe?
the unhappiest and most anxious children in Europe?
is the most stressed nation in Europe?

Why Now?

There are pockets of groups who are seeking God for something new and fresh; groups that are willing to step out of the box and try new things. It appears that God is raising up a spirit filled movement of traditional forms of church that desires to reach this emerging generation in new and fresh ways. There is a convergence taking place and a renewal movement that is growing which desires to model body unity with an international face. There is a dieing generation that is often overlooked. This generation is seeking truth but does not know where to look. A generation where there are no absolutes yet everyone is looking for one. Who will minister to these people who are searching for meaning in their lives? I want to be one of the one’s that goes out to reach these people and shine a light where there has been darkness.