Crosslinks April 2003 magazine

The Roots Takes Wings conference took place during the weekend 24 - 26 January 2003 at the Glenada Conference Centre in the foot of the Mountains of Mourne, Newcastle, Co Down. It was hailed by many as a fantastic success.

Those who were resident for the whole weekend, were joined on Saturday by many supporters from all over Ireland, resulting in over 100 people joining together to celebrate the 80th Birthday of Crosslinks. A significant contributory factor to the success of the weekend was the wide spread of ages from 2 - 80 plus! It was wonderful to have the diversity of the family of Crosslinks united in our praise and thanksgiving together for the God blessed work that has taken place over the past 80 years.

It was thrilling to have Martin and Elizabeth Goldsmith with us for the weekend and we were richly blessed by their contribution to the celebration. Many people came away both encouraged and challenged by all that they had heard and seen throughout the weekend. It was also a privilege to have many Crosslinks supporters involved in the weekend, contributing in many different ways from presenting Bible expositions to SMILE expeditions!

There was a full and varied children's programme, culminating in their involvement in the evening Birthday Celebration.

Overall the weekend was spiritually refreshing and it was very beneficial for the Crosslinks family to meet together and express their gratitude to God for the past and to pray together for the future.

Diary Dates

5 April: Prayer and Share Day at St Jude's, Wolverhampton. Details:John Price 01733 380025 or David Smith 01606 860211

17 June: Crosslinks' Annual Meeting of Members, and Former Missionaries Fellowship at Partnership House, London at 1pm and 11am. Details: Email 020 8691 6111

17-21 November: Autumn Conference at Brunel Manor, Torquay. Details: Mrs. P. Gurney Tel: 01305 832829

7-9 May 2004: Crosslinks and SAMS International Conference, Swanwick Conference Centre, Derbyshire

The Diocese of Chelmsford holds regular prayer meetings for Crosslinks. This year they are on 14 June, 13 September, and 6 December (all Saturdays) at St Paul's Church, Beehive Lane, Great Baddow, between 10am and 11.15am.
You can get more details from Canon Philip Price on 01245 251499

I just wanna be…a shepherd!

'And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them.' Psalm 78:72. We often think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. But have we considered the fact that, while we are still sheep in His care, in ministering to others we too have the opportunity to be shepherds?

Holiday clubs in the Republic of Ireland enable us to carry out the work of evangelism amongst children. However, perhaps the greatest challenge is to inspire and train local volunteers so that they can shepherd these children with integrity and 'skilful hands' on an ongoing basis. Teaching God's Word to little ones in an inspiring and creative way so that they can become disciples of Jesus is no easy task. It requires dedication, imagination and a lot of hard work.

Please pray…

By the time you read this, we will be evaluating Building Blocks, a joint Scripture Union/Crosslinks children's ministry conference in the Sligo area, 8-9 March.

Pray for follow-up amongst local churches and plans for future regional conferences.
For the Easter holiday clubs: Sligo (12-18 April) and Drung (20-25 April).
For the writing of the holiday club material and for team members.
For ongoing work alongside churches and local volunteers.

Do you have contact with young/not-so-young people (committed Christians aged 16+) who would consider volunteering on a holiday club team in the summer? For more information, contact Helen in the Dublin office

"As Lizzie and James Hsuan have moved to Australia, I have taken over the distribution of the Kipawa cards, gift bags and stationery sets. Please contact me for supplies and enquiries at the address below.
Your wonderful efforts in selling the cards meant that over one thousand cards were sold last year. The project really is making a huge difference to people's lives. Thank you for supporting it."

Gill Williams
Lawn Farmhouse
Stratfield Turgis
Hook
Hants. RG27 0AR.
Tel: 01256 882705
e-mail: lawnfarm@aol.com

PLEASE NOTE that this year the Crosslinks Autumn Conference at Brunel Manor, Torquay, will be later than usual. The Bible studies will be by Canon Michael Rees, and he will be accompanied by Crosslinks' mission partners and staff from around God's world. More details from Mrs. P. Gurney, tel: 01305 832829.

Annual Meeting of Members: 17 June 2003

The Annual Meeting of Members will begin with lunch at 1pm at Partnership House, Waterloo Road, London. The guest speaker will be Canon Alfred Sebahene, Principal of St Philips Theological College, Kongwa, Tanzania. This follows the Former Missionaries Fellowship at 11.30am. More details from Janet Horsman 020 8691 6111.

A joint conference for supporters of Crosslinks and SAMS will be held at the Swanwick Conference Centre in Derbyshire next year (not at High Leigh as reported in the last magazine). Please pray for those staff from both agencies currently putting a programme together and inviting guest speakers. May God be glorified through the weekend.