Final Issue of Reformation Today (320)

I was sorry today to receive what is announced as being the final issue of the Reformed Baptist magazine Reformation Today. Started by Erroll Hulse in the seventies amalgamating two previous magazines, it has struggled to find a niche in recent years.

Erroll Hulse and Peter Jeffery

The funerals have taken place already this week of two men of God, Erroll Hulse and Peter Jeffery. Erroll was born in South Africa in 1931 and Peter in South Wales in 1937. Both were pastors, both served in various churches over the years and both had extensive ministries when those pastorates came to an end. Both were authors too. Erroll's books and booklets are in double figures, Peter's number more than fifty. Both had international ministries and were great encouragers to many men. Erroll I knew best through the Carey Conference and more recently since being involved in organising the Westminster Conference.
Apparently, underneath the memorial to John Wesley in Westminster Abbey it says "God buries his workmen but carries on his work." Quite right. As we read in Hebrews 13:7, 8 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

You can find responses to these deaths here (Erroll Hulse) and here (Peter Jeffery).
The Thanksgiving services are also up on Youtube
Here (EH) and here (PJ).

Erroll Hulse One in a thousand

Most of those who know the name of Erroll Hulse will be aware that he had a stroke while in South Africa last year and although he is now back in England his progress to health continues to be slow. Meanwhile his book One in a thousand has appeared. It is an excellent book on pastoral ministry made up of a series of an introductory chapter followed by eight studies first in the New Testament (The Chief Shepherd and Paul the inspirer of pastors) and then in church history. With each biography he seeks to draw out one aspect of the ministry. We begin with a Martin, Martin Luther, and end with a Martin, the recently deceased Martin Holdt. With them we have William Perkins - application in preaching, Richard Baxter - the pastor as evangelist, Jonathan Edwards - the pastor as theologian and Martyn Lloyd-Jones - the pastor as preacher. We thus learn some church history at the same time as looking at pastoralia. This EP book works as both an entry level book for budding pastors or those still wet behind the ears and for those longer in the tooth.

PS See what I did there with the title to this post?

Lancaster Free Grace

This week has whizzed by so quickly I haven't had opportunity to say what a good weekend I had last weekend in the Free Grace Baptist Church in Lancaster. To celebrate their 30-something anniversary they had  a mini-conference on the Saturday and Sunday. The main speaker was Erroll Hulse on holiness but I also spoke on both days. The pastor Phil Arthur also gave us a presentation on Tyndale and one of the deacons spoke about the history of the church. I know Phil a little and it was good to meet other church members including his co-elders Clement and Jeff. An excellent time all round. More here.

Carey Prayery

Instead of the usual prayer and share time this year they are having a prayer item at the beginning of each session. So far Matthias Lohmann has spoken about Germany, Erroll Hulse has reminded us of the various conferences that go on in South Africa at this time of the year and Steve Nowak from Stowmarket spoke about his regular trips to Indonesia, The Philippines and Tanzania. Then this morning Robert Strivens urged us to pray for LTS.

Carey 2010 Pics

Snow, Erroll Hulse and Kees Van Kralingen, Bill James and G K Beale (in reverse)

Book Buys May

The main bit of book buying in May was at the Assembly bookstall where I got the following:

1. Paul Garner - the New Creationism

2. Erroll Hulse -Who saves God or me?

3. "E M Hicham" - Your questions answered - a reply to muslim friends

4. Alec Motyer - Life 2 the sequel

5. William Grimshaw (selected by Faith Cook) - Living the Christian Life

I also bought the Dan Walker thing from Day One. They sent me a free copy so I gave mine to a boy in the congregation. I'd already bought 10 of the Jonathan Holdt one mentioned here, which we are reading on Sundays as a family bit by bit. I notice that a member of the congregation who bought a copy has started to come Sunday evenings. Yes, I also got the John Blanchard travel guide I mentioned here for reference.

In May I also bought these two online:

1. John Piper - Finally Alive

2. Carl Trueman - John Owen

Then there were three secular books. I love the Thames Hudson New Horizon series (translated from the French) and have several volumes. It is quite an old series now so you sometimes see them going cheap. I saw the one on jazz somewhere and bought it and the one on Shakespeare in the NPG. Then at some other point I was in a charity shop and saw the Neil Gaiman book Coraline. I rarely read children's books but as it's out as a film I thought I'd buy it and read it. It's well written but not really my cup of tea now nor would it have been as a child. Fantasy/horror is not really my thing.

Carey 06

By speaking for CICCU I had to miss the prayer and share session, which I normally look forward to. Apparently, 9 or 10 spoke -
Three EMF students - Sergey, Jack and Andreas (from Ukraine, Poland and Switzerland respectively)
Erroll Hulse (unable to be at all of the conference) spoke about Conferences for African pastors in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Another Sergey from Ukraine who is a student in WEST.
Three LTS students - Phil, Clinton and Femi (from the UK, South Africa and Nigeria respectively)
Roger Fay also introduced Slava Viazovski who is involved in literature work in Belarus, where EP hold conferences and where it is hoped that a seminary can be begun.
By the time I got back to Swanwick, Jerry Marcellino was well into his second paper on finishing well. His burden seemed to be the importance of persevering to the end. He emphasised faithfulness not success. His style seemed a little sentimental to me and less theologically toned than yesterday but I missed the first half of the talk so I can't say.
I stayed up rather late unwinding with several people. It eventually dwindled down to me and Phil Arthur. It was a good time.