End-month news September 2023

End-month news September 2023

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Dear Friends,

Cycling through the country lanes around the city, I found that the Coptic Orthodox are building a large brand new church just a few miles from Norwich. Unfortunately when I was there I did not manage to meet up with the Egyptian Priest who looks after the church.

This news comes from the UK. I arrived in UK 12^th September. Coming here is of course always strange. Part of it being strange, is how quickly it becomes normal. (Although – I’m sure my behaviour isn’t always very ‘normal’.)

Within days, I’d travelled to Norwich. I am very grateful to Colin and Rosemary Morgan for having found people willing to accommodate me here. I have been connecting to St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, and have visited other Anglican churches in the city, as well as Norwich Central Baptist Church, one of my sending churches.

It is quite strange because, although I need financial support from the UK, the things that British people want me to be doing so that they can justify supporting me, are often things that I am quick to tell them, in the light of a closer contextual understanding of Africa, are not worth doing! Please pray for me on this! Their ignorance of indigenous contexts is resulting in many inappropriate interventions into Africa. But, because in Africa one is mostly dependent on the West, unless people in the West are ready to pay for what they do not understand, people in Africa cannot even afford to bring their attention to what is actually going on. This crazy situation is potentially extremely destructive of Africa.  

Pray for me working on an article that I intend to write. I want to demonstrate that humankind’s basic ‘problem’ is envy of others. Then to show how the Bible is like a ‘manual for (long-term) overcoming of envy.’ This will demonstrate that the ‘real need’ for Africa, is not charitable giving, but role-modelling of lives lived in service to Christ.

3^rd October I will, God willing, move from Norwich to Andover in Hampshire. Upcoming highlights:

8^th October Jim will be taking part in a Missions’ service and event at the Wantage Baptist Church in Wantage, Oxon. The Church service will begin at 10.30am, and is to be followed by lunch. Church website: https://www.wantagebaptist.org.uk/  Welcome.

11^th October Jim will share about his work in the Bridge in Andover (The Bridge, 31 – 33 Bridge Street, Andover, SP10 1BE, Hampshire, England), starting 7:30pm. Welcome.

17^th October Jim will be speaking to the Ladies meeting at the Andover Baptist Church in Andover, Hampshire, starting at 2.00pm. Welcome.

On 18^th October at noon, Jim will be giving a public lecture at the University of London. Welcome. (Go here for more details and to sign up.)

31^st October – departure for Kenya.

New Book! Vulnerable Mission: listening to God and man in Africa

Here is my latest book, available for just £11.99 from amazon, and much cheaper as a kindle book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vulnerable-Mission-Listening-God-Africa/dp/B0C9SHLZJC This is an academic book. It’s decolonial nature, meant that I had to self-publish it. (I didn’t want to spend all the effort that would have been needed to get it all approved by a publisher, so some of the articles are not peer reviewed.) It represents a lot of Jim’s most recent thinking. It is a fantastic read for those who are more academically minded. (I got to ‘hold’ my first hard copy after arriving in the UK.)

For those less academically minded, please instead have a look at my most-loved novel. This is available for just £7.12 for the paperback version. A kindle version is also available.

I have been doing some research at the local university in Norwich, where I was a student from 1991 to 1992. I was perplexed when I saw this notice (below), that seems to imply that loos in England aren’t meant for defaecating, but only for flushing paper?