Latest news from the Barkers in Birmingham

Dear Friends, 

Thank you so much for standing with us. 

Below is just some of our latest news and prayer requests. As I prepared these I was reminded that the apostle Paul once wrote: “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do the good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). We are slowing finding these right and good works for us. This is giving us real hope that this next season is becoming one of real fruitfulness, life and light.

All your prayers and support have helped us find our life and good works here and we are so grateful. We pray that hope for you too.

Shalom,

Ash and Anji Barker

PS You can financially support us here.

Barkers and Winson Green on BBC ‘Songs Of Praise’

Last Sunday we were featured on ‘Songs of Praise’. This BBC One TV show is quite an institution here with often more than 1 million viewers (similar numbers of church attenders on any given Sunday in the UK now). Googlebox Vicar Rev Kate Bottley interviewed us and BBC team filmed at Newbigin House for over 8 hours on a typically crazy day here in July. We had no real idea what would actually be included and were a bit worried! We watched the show after our local church Peace Meal together in Newbigin House and held our breath. We were thrilled, therefore, that our community and especially three of our Urban Change Makers (Jay, Ruth and Devina) were shown in such an inspiring way and Anji and I didn't look too much like wallies. You can see the whole episode focussed on Birmingham in iPlayer if you are in the UK and some of the a shorter clips here if you are not.

Urban Change Makers new cohort starts

Our next cohort of Urban Change Makers began with a residential in the Peak District, Derbyshire. The theme was around building capacity for Compassion in leadership. Participants from London, Luton, Scunthorpe and Birmingham came together to create better connections, self-awareness, community engagement frameworks and plans for the future. It was such an inspiring, bonding and emotional time. The last morning got a little more technical as we started to help this cohort identify a community building, enterprise and/or campaign to develop ready for an investors panel pitch at the end of the programme in May next year. My colleague Tim Evans was especially brilliant, helping this cohort dream about what they can do with  “what’s in their hand”. Next are 2 personal coaching sessions, 2 site visits and 2 more residentials before the final panel and graduation. 

New Opportunities

Victor Frankl, a holocaust survivor, once wrote, “We detect rather than invent our missions in life.” We moved to Winson Green, Birmingham, nearly four years ago and started our transition from Bangkok nearly five year ago. So many of our initial plans just did not survive impact here. We quickly found our own weaknesses, limitations and road blocks. Yet, in the providence of God, new opportunities have opened up for us as we found better ways to express our strengths and get better at finding and working with others with gifts we need, but don’t have. 

‘Letting go’

To detect and follow these threads has meant some changes for us. Not least was letting go of some roles and handing over others to be able to take up others. For Anji this meant finished up her pioneering role as a community hub leader with Oasis Academy Foundry (which Anji did for over 3 years). Anji had such a great learning experiences with Oasis and got to connect with so many local families. For Ash this has meant letting go of co-leading Urban Shalom Society(previously called International Society for Urban Mission) for Christian engagement with global urbanism which Ash was instrumental in instigating in Bangkok in January, 2012. Ash is still a member of the USS, but is now supporting co-Directors Dr Chris Elisara and Andre Van Eymeren who have real vision and passion to go further in helping faith communities engage at a global level.  

‘Taking up’

Ash and Anji are now both living and leading via faith support and are so grateful that this has released us to follow our passions, gifting and callings in more focused ways.

Anji now leads Newbigin Community Trust full-time in a way that fully uses her entrepreneurial, creative and community building gifts. Newbigin Community Trust aims to provide a place of welcome, inclusion and social cohesion for families in Winson Green. Newbigin House is a place where neighbours come together to meet each other, plan and run community events, and share life together. This includes social enterprise, community meals, support groups and youth work.

A special new programme is  Zlto which was launched in the UK with Allan Van Der Meulen 12th June at Newbigin House. The piloting of this revolutionary new volunteers incentive program designed by Allan is well underway. Allen is young change maker from Cape Town, South Africa, who with R-Labs foundered Zlto and is helping Anji pilot this programme. He visited the UK in May to help promote it too (see Allan's inspiring video here).

Ash now has three roles that gives new expression to his gifts of connecting, developing and innovating with people for urban change. 

First, is a Pioneer Minister with our local Winson Green Parish Church with a special focus on creating new opportunities for discipleship, worship and community partnerships. One of the highlights has been the growth of the two new Fresh Expressions congregations with Sunday 1:30pm for our FX Peace Meal (see left) and Thursday 5pm for our A.S.K Church which is very kids and family focussed.

Second, Ash leads Newbigin School for Urban Leadership to raise up Christian leaders for our new urban world, including the Urban Change Makers emerging leaders programme and MA programmes with Nazarene Theological College(University of Manchester). 

Third, is a surprising new role working with Dr Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne to start Red Letter Christians in the UK as it first Executive Director. This new role is about mobilising Christians to take Jesus more seriously personally, communally and publically and will include radio, events, public actions and leaders retreats. 

Praise and Prayers Requests:

Area 1) Renewing Life in Winson Green

Pray we can see God’s kingdom more fully come in Winson Green as in heaven. Key prayer and praise points include:

Newbigin House has 2 new residents in Molly Baxter (internship) and Lizzy Steel (mission apprentice). That takes our residential community living here (including Barkers, John and Gwen) to seven who together offer hospitality and welcome, but also various key neighbours use Newbigin House as a kind of base and incubator for urban change.

Flavours of Winson Green has empowered many women in our community and have started to cater for groups over 100 people! Devina was featured in BBC's Songs Of Praise talking about the Cooking School and her customers gave testimony too of the joy this work is.

Newbigin House hosts lots of community events including an Eid Festival with the local muslim community and a Gambian wedding! There are very few community-use buildings in Winson Green, but we are praying for more!

Harvest was a special time with 50 people at Bishop Latimer Church and Newbigin House for a special combined service and lunch. 

The renewal of Black Patch Park has begun. Most of the rubbish has been taken away and the grass cut in our local park after years of neglect and dereliction. A new porto-cabin and football pitch has been put in. Pray we can get these up to a safe and accessible level. 

Soho Albion Football Club has started for a second season. Around 100 Primary school aged boys are playing with the club in the local Walsall League. West Bromwich Albion FC have been a force behind our club creating a pathway to grow not only in football, but also community resilience.

One of the surprise blessings this term was the miraculous provision of a community bus for Newbigin Community Trust. Already its helping local people expand their horizons and go to new places. Please thank God for this gift to our neighbourhood!

Housing and neighbourhood renewal: Ash has also enjoyed getting local people together to dream and plan about new housing, commerce and schools including this meeting with local Council heads of housing and development (watched carefully by Alpacas!). Dr Christopher Miller from Judson University (Chicago) also stayed with us for two weeks and helped us think through what might be possible. With his students they developed the most stunning drawings.

Discipleship opportunities to encounter and follow Jesus. Mick and Dr Michelle Saunders ran amazing 'Art and Soul' sessions for art, community development and discipleship in Winson Green prison, schools and churches (left). Making Connections (Gospel of Luke focus) has had regular attenders each Wednesday night, but will now, as the days get darker, become a monthly Saturday afternoon outing. We hope to start a Youth Alpha Course for all the young people Lizzy and Molly are connecting with. Pray more people can meet Jesus and join the work of God.

Area 2) Raising-up Christian Leaders for our New Urban World

Pray that Newbigin School for Urban Leadership can mobilise, prepare and equip Christian leaders for our new urban world. Here are some prayer and praise points.

Urban Change Makers newest Cohort began with a week-end residential. Participants came from Birmingham, London, Luton and Scunthorpe. Pray as the group funnels their ideas for change in their own community. Pray also for our first Cohort of Urban Change Makers that graduated in May and are making a real difference using 'what's strong to fix what's wrong' in their own community too including community building, enterprises, and campaigns. 

The key formal studies that Ash helps lead is with the MA in Theology (Compassionate Ministry) which is a post-graduate programme with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester).  Ash has more intensives coming up co-leading with Dr Wes White ('Global Urban Contexts', Frankfurt, 27 Oct -Nov3, 2018), with Tim Bowen-Evens ('Aid and Development', Manchester, 5-12 January, 2019) and with AndreVan Eymeren ('Communities of the Kingdom', Birmingham, 1-8 June, 2019). Pray too as more options for Seedbeds in cities around the UK are discussed.

Ash and Anji really enjoyed taking a group from Germany to our old haunts in Bangkok for an immersion course. Participants were from KIA (Church in Action) led by one of Ash's MA students. It was a special time to reconnect with old friends and family in Klong They, but also to introduce a new generation to the challenges and opportunities of ministry in urban slum and squatter neighbourhoods. In the photo the team are learning to 'Cook with Poo'!

Ash led the key note addresses at the Alfacrucis College Research Conference in Melbourne (1-9 September) and got to catch up with family and friends. It was so exciting to see the development of Pentecostal studies around the theme of Justice.

Newbigin House hosts live-in immersion courses and residencies. We will again host CMS workers preparing for pioneering ministries in the UK in January and Cincinnati Christian University students in April. A highlight is always sharing food, fellowship and insights with the leaders in a local Mosque and a Gudwara. We will host visiting Christian leaders from Oz, South Korea and the USA.

Area 3: Mobilising to Engage our New Urban World

Pray we can see Christians mobilised to play their part in seeing cities become more inclusive, sustainable and resilient. Prayer and praise points include: 

Red Letter Christians is a call to live out Jesus' words as a Christian movement today. We have been inspired by what Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo helped to instigate in the USA (see this recent New York Times article). It was a real privilege, therefore, be part of the instigating group to see this happening in the UK too and be invited to take up the role of its first Executive Director. We are setting-up Red Letter Christians UK as a Community Interest Company with a Board of Directors to help us run: 1) an Annual Red Letter Voices retreat (our first will be with Tony Campolo Dec 19-20, 2018); 2) UK Tours including Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo (15-23 June, 2019) going to cities for a day with a mixture of morning seminars (to encouraged the already committed), public witness events (standing against injustice) and Red Letter Revivals (evening meetings to activate Christians) and 3) Communications to amplify Red Letter Voices in the UK (including radio, blog and podcasts). Please pray as Ash leads the group and finds the right people to release. Pray especially that we get the right people in the room at our first Retreat to spark a Red Letter Revolution!

Urban Shalom Summit in Manilla, 10-16th September was held as part of Micah Global Triennial. It was also an important time for Ash to hand over Urban Shalom Society responsibilities and transition out of leadership roles. Please pray as the USS helps mobilise Christians to be in those 'upstream' conversations that help faith communities shape the future of cities (and therefore the planet).

Anji and Ash have been increasing invited to share insights with like minded groups, organisations and churches. For both of us that has recently included speaking internationally and around the UK, but we also increasingly groups come to Winson Green and hear first hand accounts from our local leaders about what UK poverty is like and ways that they are overcoming.

Ash has contributed a chapter in the new SCM book "Missional Conversations" edited by Cathy Ross and Colin Smith. His chapter was 'Klong Toey and Barriers to Transformation in Urban Slum and Informal Settlement Neighbourhoods' with a theological response by Stephan Stephan de Beer. From the blurb: 'Given the essentially practical nature of mission, it is surprising that there has often been such a disconnect between those studying mission theoretically, and those involved in it practically."Missional Conversations" introduces the reader to key themes in contemporary mission through global conversations between theory and praxis. Exploring emergent themes in missiology, the book takes the form of a conversation between reflective practitioners - both those in academia and with those who are practically engaged.' You can order the book here

The Urban Shalom Society's latest edition of 'New Urban World' journal is now out. This edition is the second part of our series on the City We Need. Inspired by United Nations Habitat III and the New Urban Agenda, the journal explores themes related to creating city spaces where all can thrive and flourish. Articles include what a safe city looks like; the connection between shalom and cohesive territorial development, and the breakdown and restoration of community. Digital version is available for purchase on ibooks or Kobo. Print version is vailable from Amazon. Honesty Box option free for readers from the Majority World at this link. Click for Back Issues

A Call to Action: The Gospel and the Cities We Need was released in Kuala Lumper at the World Urban Forum in February. This documentwas birthed out of the Urban Shalom Society's efforts beginning in Quito at the UN's Habitat III summit as well as the UN's first Faith Based 'Urban Thinkers Campus' in Singapore we helped organise in November last year. This Call to Action has become an important statement about Christians engagement in the the future of cities.