Dear Praying Friends of C and M Heritage Ministry,
We live in unsettling and changing times, which affect not just our nation but are also affecting others in different ways throughout the world. As changes take place, they inevitably affect us and this ministry and, following a long hot summer, we are responding and regrouping at the start of what, for many, will be the start of a new year. There may be no quick fix as, until the Lord returns, ‘change is here to stay’. We need to be prepared, even for the long haul – Jeremiah was present when Israel came under a terrible attack but in the midst of this, he ‘bought a field’ – staking his claim in the future!
We have noted in this communication some of the changes which have been taking place behind-the-scenes for us and for the ministry. We ask that you have us in your prayers too – we are a ‘people ministry’ and we all need each other and are so grateful for all the help and support we have received since we last had contact with you.
We are indeed blessed and there is much to share.
Blessings to you all,
Cliff and Monica, Angela, Jenny, Kathryn plus all those sharing in creating this changing face of C and M Ministries.
In this Newsletter
Heal Our Land
Our last news letter in April came out of the financial crisis of 2008 and gave a vision for the way forward for broken Britain and introduced the Christian musical 'Heal Our Land' which made a great impact for a short period during 2009 and 2010. It was accompanied by a manual of prayer – also called ‘Heal Our Land’ with its strategies for prayer and action – which was, and still is, widely used and available online.
A pre-launch took place at Moggerhanger in Autumn 2009 with a full launch at the Emmanuel Centre in January 2010, following which a team went around the country performing the musical with its message of repentance and prayer, using local choirs and churches. It started in Liverpool Cathedral in May and used a promo from there to stimulate further presentations in Ashford, Eastleigh, Leicester and Bexhill.
At that time, the on-going celebrations for the 70th Anniversary of World War Two were incorporated into the presentation and there was also a leaflet. Pastor John of Strengthen the Faithful – email strengthenthefaithful@gmail.com has other leaflets and videos and interestingly through Moggerhanger, we met with Julie Ann Scott, a renowned artist who speaks through pictures. Her seven paintings of the World War Two years she prepared for the Queen’s Jubilee spoke to us prophetically and may speak to you too.
The music and lyrics plus support for the musical presentation had meant to be made freely available and many cities and churches were hoping to be able to carry it forward themselves but this did not happen at the time. The original song audios follow for the opening ‘When the Lord Speaks’, ‘If My People’, ‘Heal our Land’, ‘Fill Our Thirsty Souls’, and the final commissioning ‘Go’ - which we also have as a video - but not only are the dedicated web pages no longer active but also many of the video recordings are still missing. These will be inserted when located on the C&M Ministries web pages.
Danny Stupple and the Eastleigh group of churches through Zion Projects are still benefiting and believe that this music could have a great impact again today and Liz and Syd Doyle. Denis and Lloyd Wade and Marie and John Manwell are exploring further developments. Might this be something you would like to follow up?
Heal Our Land Songs
When the Lord Speaks
If My People
Heal Our Land
Fill Our Thirst Souls
'GO'
Christian Workplace Forum
Following the significant tour of TransformUK and Christian Workplace Forum in 2005/06, the number of organisations becoming part of CWF, the Christian Workplace Forum, expanded rapidly. This was helped by having the opportunity to be part of 'The Sharing Show' at the Christian Resources Exhibition for two years running. Tom Watson joined Ros Turner on the team with strong CCM Trustee support including Chan Abraham, who gave this burgeoning group better central facilities nearer a main-line rail station and they moved to the centre of Northampton in 2007. They then merged with ‘Getting God to Work’ to become Transform Work UK and made Marshalsea Road near the strong base of the Christian Medical Fellowship in central London their main base. Although they now, operate mainly on-line, linking together 800 different autonomous groups and have developed an international element, this is still their office headquarters.
They recorded the interview below with Cliff and Monica prior to their 20th Anniversary celebrations, which took place outdoors in the centre of England on the site of the Wall of Answered Prayer on 30 September 2023. You can see the report of that event here and follow their progress on their current site in the future.
NEW Venture - Vision Insights - Discussion Papers and possible future interactivity
In the past our mailings have always included a current comments or teaching paper. These will all be presented and available elsewhere on the website, and world changing events are taking place, so we will be including an occasional new comments papers giving a biblical view for discussion but we would also like to set in motion a new series of discussion papers on the principles and how all the material and insights we have amassed over the years can be made relevant for today. We hope to develop a separate tab for the papers and discussion responses.
At our October 2023 trustees meeting we started the discussion linking it with future plans for the developing website (shortened version here) and here you can read an adapted version of the first of these on ‘Change’ so that you too can start exploring these issues with us. This first paper on ‘Preserving our Heritage - Rocking or Steadying’ looks at social change and looks basically at the period of immense change that we have lived through and how and why so many of the ministries were founded. We are open to you sending in your own relevant discussion papers and comments on the issues which face believers today and whether anything we have learnt over the years can help. Currently these should be sent in by e-mail to heritage@candmministries.org.uk, but eventually these will become the base for an interactive private page on the Internet and will only be available for those on the mailing list.
A little more background and reasoning: In the past our pastoral work reached out to the then-new immigration situation, our inner-city community work developed community principles, CCM was set up to run courses to help struggling church leaders ‘gain a wider vision’ and ‘turn their visions into strategies’ – each responded to the changes around them. PWM would add questions to its teaching series of books, and BCGA included a ‘This Made me Think?’ column in its Digest and was always open to new authors writing from their experience of coping with change.
More recently, since Covid, with the increase in technology and changes in our own abilities, we stopped running workshops and courses around the country and tried new ways. We attempted to form a portal which still has some courses available to you for your study groups and then Outside In for those who felt no longer at home in the traditional church. During Covid we started to run webinars which became very popular and began Sunday Gatherings online as an extra resource to encourage all believers – and also to reach out in a different way. But this is another ‘both/and’ as becoming ‘Zoombies’ raises another set of issues and challenges! We need personal contact and community.
We also need YOU to be able to pick up the underlying concepts and to carry them forward. Please do let us know your thoughts on this new venture and we will also be inserting and expanding thoughts on Kingdom principles that we feel are important to pass on.
More News Updates
New Team
Over the summer we have seen changes on the financial side as Simon is settling in well as our Treasurer and we have said a final ‘farewell’ to Paul, who will be replaced by Richard as our auditor for this coming year, following which there will be more change. Our Trustees, having released Roy, though are now down to 5 – Jenny, Alison, Angela, Neil and Stephen. Tony who is working on Publications has not been well and we have released Catherine on health grounds – she had been settling in well giving admin help,. They need your prayers and, although Tony expects to resume his role soon, we are seeking a new member of the team for admin roles. Kathryn, alongside a new and different job is mastering the new Mailchimp, Louise and Neil continue to support on scanning and digitalising as needed and our group of proof readers varies for each book published. Andy, our long-term prayer partner and web controller, while still maintaining links and support, is travelling a great deal on international prayer ministry and is handing over the new website construction to Martin, Kathryn’s husband.
It takes a committed team to run this ministry – please have us all in your prayers and enable us to maintain good relationships over the airwaves even if we cannot meet in the flesh!
Anniversaries
Anniversaries are important and can be major ‘linking’ times and we are often approached by our various ‘offspring’ with a need for details for an anniversary on a key date and it then becomes an incentive to gather material to help others celebrate! Even in the quiet summer season, a number have taken place see below. See the file at the bottom of this section for a short further explanatory piece which will be adapted as an introductory page on the website when it is completed and will give actual links.
- 20th – Formation of Christian Workplace Forum Not all names remain the same! Transform Work UK held their 20th birthday at the end of September – see more details in the news.
- 30th – Discovering Moggerhanger Park Some links appear to have come to an end and then suddenly there may be signs of fresh life! The news, earlier this year, that Moggerhanger Park, where we spent more than 20 years of ministry, although now Grade 1 listed, had gone into liquidation and closed its doors, led us to pay a snap visit on the 30th Anniversary of our first discovering what we had hoped would be the base from which we could operate for all time as an example for the nation. See an abbreviated report below of our return visit on Bank Holiday Monday this year, which we expect also to become part of our long-coming published memories and reflections of that era (see below). Note especially how People and Concepts are more important than buildings!
- 50th – Trinity Centre Trinity was significant at the start of our national ministry. This was the first inner-city redundant church that Monica reclaimed for the community in 1972 using new concepts This was so successful that the NCRP bought the building in 1973 and the community bought it out some years later. Although it now reflects local people of all faiths, it still has our principles underlying it and is responding to the current needs of the community. They are very conscious of, grateful for and honouring of their roots and an invitation to this celebration of their 50th Anniversary is extended to anyone in the area. Friday the 8th December at 6.00 PM in East Avenue in East Ham and old friends will be especially welcome – contact us or see their website for more details and links.
200th – the Demerara Slave rebellion There is now a growing current national interest in the descendants of slavery in what we have now come to know in the UK as the Windrush Generation. These people had a significant effect on the start of this ministry and led to our involvement in the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the UK with the Zong project in 2007. This stimulated us to attend a webinar held in September about Congregationalists (our own denominational background and stimulation) in Guyana. More details in the document below.
Books
Although these are now being digitalised and will appear on-line, and our actual book stock is gradually being reduced, copies are, and will continue to be available for purchase through Issachar Ministries. This, though, too is a ‘both/and’ and the following are in in the pipeline and in various stages of publication in the short-term future.
- Ezekiel – Today with the Prophets Series. This very recent Biblical Commentary addition will appear in two volumes and be the first off the press as near to the New Year as possible!! Ezekiel is the Prophet of the Exile and has a very special message for today. This commentary builds on our Living in Babylon studies and has been a real joy to develop.
- A Glorious Failure and follow up. The Moggerhanger Story, by contrast, has been written and rewritten from various angles and in various formats over many years. This too is now being finalised into two volumes and we hope to produce it simultaneously with an on-line version with many more documents and pictures next Summer.
More books!
We have a large number of started, and as yet incomplete, manuscripts on our computers but the following are probably the next ones we will tackle:
- The Struggle is full of stories from records of those who helped construct our second redundant church building in the East End which came to light in our sorting. Felt to be too recognisable to publish at the time, they demonstrate the principles we used and their relevance and need for today.
- By Faith similarly has been gestating for a long time with stories of those we have met worldwide in our ministry. Although not an autobiography as such, we have included some of our own experiences and stories, and we believe it will be glorifying to God.
The Wrath of God and the Justice of God are controversial subjects that Cliff has been wrestling with for a number of years and we feel that our prayer and Bible Study times have given us fresh insights and hope to work on it during the coming year.