Streetpaper 96 - Jesus Army

REAL NEWS... REAL LIVES... REAL PEOPLE Jesus Army No. 96 FREE
JESUS
ARMY
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POST
TRAUMATIC
SHOCK
Richard’s recovery from
a conflict zone
PAGE 3
THE HUNGER
PAINS PAGE 2
London’s streets: it’s dog eat dog
PAGE 4
STUDENTS
Why more people
than ever are
going to university
LONDON 2012 LEGACY HAS RAISED BRITISH SIGHTS AND ASPIRATIONS
We wanna win!
Photo: Team CHCH Cycling, flickr.com
Photo: Nate Tharp, flickr.com
Photo: lululemon athlectica, flickr.com
Photo: The U.S. Army, flickr.com
WINNING
TEAM Jesus
Army party on
London’s streets
Photo: Philo Nordlund, flickr.com
THE OLYMPIC and Paralympic
Games have changed the UK.
People now speak of their
“legacy” – not just in sport,
but in wider aspiration, too.
Speaking of the Games, London
Assembly member Jenny Jones
spoke for many when she said
“They were tremendous fun and at
times spiritually uplifting.”
The Paralympic Games in particular
inspired UK people to rise
above what holds them back and
to achieve their potential.
British wheelchair rugby player
and Paralympian, Justin Frishberg,
said “People write themselves off.
We have to tell people they can.
If you put in the effort you can
achieve incredible things.”
We all have dreams and
hopes. We also all have difficulties
and problems that hamper us fulfilling
our dreams.
The Christians who tell
their stories in this Streetpaper
have found that through God and
through joining with others in
God’s loving family, the Church,
we can achieve something
amazing together. We can all be
winners.
For more information or to
get involved text: 0774 0774 200

2 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96
TEXT
US
cry laugh speak
need thank reach
seek shout talk
share write poke
rant find help wow
mean nag praise
rave sing scream
0774 0774 200
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out what we’re up to near you.
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t
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Jesus Fellowship, FREEPOST,
Nether Heyford,
Northampton, NN7 3BR
0845 123 5550 (local call rate)
BELFAST................................................... 0845 123 5552
BIRMINGHAM............................................ 0845 166 8153
BRIGHTON................................................ 0845 166 8151
COVENTRY................................................ 0845 166 8154
HASTINGS................................................. 0845 123 5551
KETTERING............................................... 0845 166 8157
THE HUNGER PAINS
SAFE On the bus
by JAMES STACEY
Streetpaper Editor
Jesus Army team takes double-decker bus to London
to give out food and drinks, and pray with people.
ALEKSANDAR IS 19 and from
Bulgaria. He has been living on
the streets of London for just
over a week. I meet him outside
the Jesus Army bus and
we drink coffee from polystyrene
cups and chat.
Aleksandar came to the UK after
nursing his mother “pretty much
single-handed” before she died four
months ago. A so-called friend of
his family offered him work in the
UK. But when Aleksandar arrived
he found the “friend” wanted him
to work without pay. “Slave labour,
basically” says Aleksandar. “He
said to me ‘You’ve got no papers,
no permit – so no choice.’ I said ‘No
thanks.’ So I left.”
Now Aleksandar hopes to get
help from some of London’s homeless
charities, including the Jesus
Army’s “Jesus Centre” near Oxford
Circus.
Zeb is only 15. He and his mates
hopped on the bus for some food
and a Snickers bar (or two). They’re
pretty respectful – though Zeb’s
zonked on booze and who knows
what else.
He’s been a heavy drinker since he
was 11 and in and out of care.
At the moment, Zeb is homeless:
sometimes “sofa surfing”, sometimes
sleeping on the streets. His
mate “Tripz” has made some rap
videos and posted them on YouTube
via producer “Pacman TV”. Zeb
is in one or two of them, wearing
his baseball cap and posturing in
the background. The videos are a
moving mix of youthful hope and
old-before-their-time despair.
Delia is anywhere
between 35 and 65.
Her mental health
problems and
homelessness
make it difficult
to tell.
She’s worried
because the
doctor’s said
she shouldn’t
eat meat. But
she’s very
appreciative
of the vegetable
curry we
give her from
the Jesus Army
bus. She chats
away, reminding
me, curiously, of both
Eastenders character,
Dot Cotton, and a female
Frank Spencer.
We make other friends that night.
Iranian Ali, joker George, gay Phil,
arthritic Sue.
It’s a sea of humanity, each person
with a story, often heartrending.
Round the corner is Leicester
Square. Another sea surges through
it, this time mainly dressed in
designer jeans and sequined miniskirts.
Stopping to talk with those
who want to, I find they can be as
hungry as the homeless.
“I want to make my life mean
something” says Ahmed. “I’m a youth
coach” says Musa “and I tell them to
make their life count”.
“I’ll have a cross”
says Sam in the queue
in McDonald’s. I give
her a trademark
Jesus Army flurored
cross. “I
believe, but it’s
hard, innit?”
It is
hard. Hard
not to be overwhelmed
by
all the people,
all the
need. London’s
streets, at night,
are dog eat dog.
Not quite Suzanne
Collins’ The Hunger
Games, but not far off.
But I want the
Jesus Army to play their
part. To add some love. If we’re
going to be a drop in the ocean, I’d
rather we were a drop of love than
anything else.
For more on Jesus Army charitable
work and the work of the Jesus
Centres visit: jesuscentres.org.uk
MEET THE SUPERHUMAN!
Photo: Ian is here, flickr.com
BISH BASH
GOLDEN games
Wembley
pray-ers
UP TO 70,000 UK Christians
made their way to Wembley
for a historic day of prayer
on 29 September this year.
The Bishop of Barking,
the Right Reverend David
Hawkins said the event was
“timed to be a culmination
of the Christian response
to the Olympic and
Paralympic Games through
More Than Gold.”
More Than Gold
(morethangold.org.uk)is
an organisation which aims
“to enable UK churches
to engage with the 2012
Games”.
Leaders from several
Christian organisations led
prayers for the UK and the
world. Special prayers were
led by Tearfund for the one
in seven people going to
bed hungry each night.
Gor blimey
OI! Adam and Eve it?
Eastenders
bible based
ONE OF BBC soap opera
Eastenders top producers
claimed recently that a main
inspiration for its gritty
storylines is the Bible.
Speaking at the BBC’s
“Re:Think” conference,
Jennifer Robins said
Eastenders could be
compared with the parables
of Jesus or stories such as
David and Goliath.
She claimed the soap’s
main theme was the “age old
struggle between good and
evil”, and that longsuffering
characters like chain smoking
Dot Cotton resembles
biblical sufferer, Job.
“Despite the plot’s twists
and turns” she said “all our
conclusions are essentially
moral: good triumphs, evil
is punished, the value of
human life asserted.”
faithless
LEICESTER............................................... 0845 644 9705
LIVERPOOL............................................... 0845 166 8168
LONDON.................................................... 0845 166 8152
MILTON KEYNES...................................... 0845 166 8159
NORTHAMPTON....................................... 0845 166 8161
NORWICH.................................................. 0845 166 8162
OXFORD.................................................... 0845 166 8164
SHEFFIELD................................................ 0845 166 8183
SWANSEA................................................. 0845 123 5556
JESUS Fellowship Church, also known as the Jesus Army, is an evangelical Christian
Church with a charismatic emphasis. It upholds the full historical, Christian faith, in
particular it upholds the doctrine of the Trinity and the full divinity of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Jesus Fellowship Church is a part of the Multiply Christian Network and a
member of the Evangelical Alliance. Jesus Army Streetpaper No.96 © 2012, published
three times a year by Jesus Fellowship Church, Nether Heyford, Northampton NN7
3LB. Editor James Stacey. Photographs in this newspaper are copyright Jesus Fellowship
Church or royalty free stock photos from sxc.hu unless otherwise indicated. Printed
by BGP Ltd., Bicester, Oxon. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper in any form
requires written permission. All Bible quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New
Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, U.S.A. All rights reserved. All articles are
contributed by members of the Jesus Fellowship Church. Some members live as part of
the New Creation Christian Community. Readers wishing to contact authors may do so
by writing to the Jesus Fellowship Central Office.
SUPER Rising Stars
“MEET THE Superhumans!” So
ran the advertising headline
introducing the stars of the
London 2012 Paralympic
games.
And what stars they were! On track,
on field, in pool and on horseback the
Paralympians wowed the crowds, inspiring
able bodied and disabled spectators alike
with their epic and emotionally stirring
performances. After British 17-yearold
Ellie Simmonds nailed her second
swimming gold medal, one commentator
remarked: “It shows what disabled people
can do, rather than what they can’t. It
shows it is not worse to be different”.
“It’s not worse to be different”. That’s a
powerful statement. But is it true? Often
people – and not only disabled people
– can feel excluded because they are
different. Not wealthy enough. Not good
looking enough. Not well enough or trendy
enough.
Many of us often feel looked down at,
marginalised, excluded because we aren’t
as “successful” as others like the role
models we see in the media.
Good news: Jesus Christ knows the
feeling. He was “different”, too. Born on
the street, into a poor, migrant family, in
a backwoods region of an oppressed
country, Jesus felt great need and suffered
much. He identifies perfectly with outcasts
– with all of us when we feel excluded or
on the outside.
As God’s son Jesus was superior to every
created thing, but He humbled Himself to the
max, came down to the bottom of the pile.
And now He can lift us up, include us in His
great, loving, winning family.
Meet the Superhuman! He’ll change your
life and help you become who you were
always meant to be.
YOUTH Not religious
Religion
‘not priority’
A RECENT poll shows UK
young people believe that
morality means looking
after your family and has
little to do with religion.
The poll commissioned
by BBC Religion and
Ethics asked 16- to 24-yearolds
which moral issues
from a list of eight were
most important to them.
Almost 60 per cent said
looking after the family
came top. Religious faith
trailed at just 4 per cent.
“This shows that loving
relationships are very
important to young people”
commented Jesus
Army leader, Aidan
Ashby, “but the challenge
for Christians is to
show that faith can help
them have better, deeper
relationships.”

Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96 3
Post traumatic
peace
Richard’s shocking story led to
a journey of recovery from
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
IRAQ Not holiday snaps
AT PEACE Richard Rock
“I JOLT AWAKE with what feels
like electricity spiking into my
heart, muscles tensing rapidly.
As I wake, I hear a shout. It’s
my shout. I’m screaming.
“I remember the pure dread,
blackness, death. Bullets whizz past
my head, grenades fly towards me,
exploding a few feet away. I can smell
cordite, feel sweat on my hands;
see the sky, strangely blue. We’re
outnumbered!”
“I’m covered in cold sweat and
can’t breathe. I sip some water
and try to go back to sleep. But it
happens again and again through
the night.”
Richard Rock has suffered from
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) since he experienced lifethreatening
situations in the Iraq
conflict. PTSD is a severe anxiety
disorder that can develop after
exposure to traumas like those
experienced in war. Symptoms
include flashbacks, nightmares,
anger and crippling anxiety.
Richard, 40, was in Iraq working in
VIP protection when he experienced
several ambushes and other lifethreatening
situations.
“We were driving a client
somewhere when we were ambushed
by insurgents with machineguns
and RPGs (Rocket Propelled
Grenades)” remembers Richard.
“Our vehicle was hit multiple times.
We raced toward the safety of a
check point, only to find it manned
by insurgents. They’d killed those
who had been manning it and put
on their uniforms. As we drove in, a
bomb exploded and destroyed the
rear of our vehicle.
“We jumped out and were attacked
on all sides. One of our vehicles raced
off, but
we couldn’t. I and another
lad were left, fighting
back to back, totally
outnumbered” says Richard. “We
should be dead. Somehow, a vehicle
came back, in the nick of time. We
jumped into the back of it. I’m very
lucky to be alive.”
Ironically, Richard was born to
the sound of gunfire. It was the
early 1970s in Northern Ireland.
“My mother tells me she could hear
shooting as I was being born” says
Richard.
As a young man Richard’s desire
to travel was strong. By his midtwenties,
he’d seen a short stint in
the army, a spell at sea, a season
working in a French vineyard, and
even spent time in the French
Foreign Legion. Then, after intensive
training overseas, he began working
in security and VIP protection.
“Worldwide travel, posh hotels,
private planes, great money – I
thought I’d arrived!” says Richard.
But sitting on a private plane
at the age of 33, Richard
was suddenly disturbed by
an unexpected thought:
“I’ve reached the top – and
there’s nothing there!”
It wasn’t Richard’s first
“spiritual moment”. At 10,
he’d had an experience of
God that had never entirely
left him. At 14, he’d again
experienced God powerfully
at a Christian group at his
school.
And in the middle of the ambush,
bullets whizzing past him, Richard
had prayed – and lived.
But despite his epiphany on the
plane, Richard was not quite ready
to change his life. It took some more
ups and downs to bring him to that
point. A failed marriage and the
first outbreak of PTSD – leading at
one time to an arrest for disorderly
behaviour – brought Richard down
to earth.
But fighter Richard fought his
way back up and 2010 saw him living
a comfortable life in an Egyptian
penthouse complete with private
swimming pool. It was sitting there,
with the sea breeze wafting over
him, that Richard once again felt the
emptiness of it all.
“I turned the TV off” says Richard
“and said to God ‘What do You want
me to do?’ I felt Him saying ‘Return
to community’.”
Richard’s chequered past had
included a spell in a Jesus Army
Christian community house. Now he
felt sure he had to return – this time
for good.
Weeks after he left Egypt,
revolution took hold of the country.
For the past two years, Richard
has been finding peace and
healing in a Jesus Army house in
rural Northamptonshire. He still
experiences the horror of PTSD
and is receiving medication and
counselling. Yet the love he gives
and receives as a member of a
loving community brings a muchneeded
peace.
“I know we all have our
differences, but the bond of genuine
love irons out most of the problems
faced in community” says Richard,
adding “I’ve travelled all over the
world and I’ve learnt this: you can’t
leave your problems behind. And
I learnt something about people:
they’re all basically the same,
wherever you go, all searching for
one thing: a meaning to life.
“And that’s what I’ve found” says
Richard. “I’m home.”
PTSD
SOME FACTS
People react to traumatic experiences in different
ways. Here are some common symptoms of Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder:
• Feeling isolated
• Frequent periods of withdrawal into oneself
• Nightmares and/or insomnia
• Flashbacks
• Anger and/or aggressive behaviour
• Feeling distrustful and suspicious
• Addiction problems
• Seeking out high-risk, dangerous pursuits
• Work-related or relationship problems
• Numbness and emotional withdrawal
• Suicidal feelings
• Self harm
• Mood swings and/or tearfulness
• Avoidance of people and places
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety and/or depression
Read Richard Rock’s personal blog at:
richardwrock.blogspot.co.uk
Combat Stress is a charity that gives treatment
and support to ex-Service men and women with
conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD). Their website is: combatstress.org.uk
Watch a powerful Combat Stress YouTube video at:
jez.uz/combatstress.

4 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96
Jesus army
Events
2012/2013
Booze and be
Why are more British young people than ev
Upcoming events you
don’t want to miss...
ALL FREE • ALL WELCOME
MORE INFO?
www.jesus.org.uk/dates
0845 123 5550
www.info@jesus.org.uk
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
SATURDAY 13 OCT 2012
2.00pm & 6.00pm
Ponds Forge, Sheaf Street
SHEFFIELD S1 2BP
NEW YEAR
CELEBRATION
SATURDAY 29 DEC 2012
2.00pm & 6.00pm
Jesus Centre, Abington Square
NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AE
EQUIPPING DAY
SATURDAY 26 JAN 2013
11.30am, 2.00pm & 6.00pm
Jesus Centre, Abington Square
NORTHAMPTON NN1 4AE
UK JESUS
CELEBRATION
SATURDAY 16 FEB 2013
2.00pm & 6.00pm
THE NEW BINGLEY HALL
1 HOCKLEY CIRCUS
BIRMINGHAM B18 5BE
iINFO: www.jesus.org.uk/dates
Tel: 0845 123 5550
Email: info@jesus.org.uk
Write: Jesus Fellowship,
FREEPOST, Nether Heyford,
Northampton NN7 3BR
HATS OFF Student numbers continue to rise
JOBS FOR THE BOYS
IT’S NOT nice to be
a NEET. One in six
16 to 24-year-olds
in England were
“mot in education,
employment or
training” at the end of
June this year, recent
figures show.
Many teenagers drop
out of school and then don’t
have anything productive or
constructive to do with their
lives. It’s sad and dispiriting for
them, a waste of their energies,
creativity and dreams.
But sometimes the media
stories we read can make out
that the vast majority of youth
in Britain are uninterested,
disconnected and uneducated.
It’s far from the case. We should
recognise and celebrate the
positive contributions that
young people make in our
communities.
God certainly doesn’t see
young people as wasters.
Jesus called young men
and women to follow Him.
Some of them were working
in dead end jobs; others
were unhappy and frustrated
Photo: newskin0, flickr.com
before they met Him. Some of
the young people Jesus had
as close companions were
the first century equivalent
of today’s ASBOs and gang
leaders – professional trouble
makers. Jesus turned them
into a force for love that
turned the world on its head,
a force for justice and a new
way of living.
The same Jesus calls the
youth of our nation today.
Are you a NEET? Unhappy
and troubled? Jesus will
end your boredom, give you
a mission. Come and be
trained by the Master.
Looking for a
CHALLENGE
Wanna make a
DIFFERENCE
JOIN THE Jesus
Army for a year!
The Jesus Army
training year is an
intensive, actionpacked
year, full of
challenges to help
you grow in faith.
It’s particularly
suitable for school
leavers or those on
a gap year.
FOR INFO:
www.jesus.org.uk/training or email training@jesus
P

Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96 5
tterment?
er clamouring to go to university?
IN 2011, the total
number of enrolments
in UK universities
stood at two and a half
million. It’s clear that
despite government
cuts and fees rising,
many young people
still grab the chance
of university.
Why is university so popular?
Is it all just “booze
and betterment” as one
cynical commentator
recently suggested? Or
is there anything left of
that 1960s-style idealism
that once marked the
student population?
The student protests
of last year would
seem to indicate that
many young people
do indeed care
about more than
the quickest route
to a fat bank balance.
That they
are willing to
rise up, take some risks, take
a stand, for a better future. In
many students there is a hunger
for something more.
Universities and colleges
are full of those at a time in
their life where nothing is
certain, but big questions are
asked: Who am I? What do I
want out of life? What can I do
that makes a mark?
But this is not an idealism
that easily connects to
Christianity. According to
Fusion, a Christian organisation
designed to “connect
students to church, and
church to students”, less than
two per cent of this current
generation of students have
any church commitment.
Not only this, but 73 per
cent of Christian students
don’t connect to a church at
university. Away from everything
they knew at home,
feeling under pressure to “try
new things” and relishing the
“freedom” of living on their
own, church quickly drops out
of their lives.
And all too often the only
image of “church” they
have is
something boring, irrelevant
– or worse, bigoted and
blameworthy.
The Jesus Army is convinced
that Jesus calls men
and women to the most risky
yet radical, positive yet deeply
challenging life it is possible
to imagine. And that the
church of Jesus, at its best, is
about people joining together
to make a hugely positive
difference.
So we’re calling students:
come and live for something
that’s worth it. Come and
be students of the greatest
teacher ever: Jesus Christ.
Feast f it for a student!
A few student-friendly recipes: quick, easy and cheap!
Cake in a cup
Ingredients:
One large tea cup of your choice.
4 tablespoons of flour.
4 tablespoons of sugar.
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
1 egg.
3 tablespoons of milk.
3 tablespoons of oil.
Small splash of vanilla extract.
Method:
Add dry ingredients into the cup and mix
well.
Add egg, and mix thoroughly.
Pour in oil, vanilla and milk and mix well.
Set your cup in the microwave for 2 ½ - 3
minutes. Watch carefully!
Remove cup from microwave.
Serve with chocolate syrup or whipped
cream and enjoy!
Orange Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 cup of orange juice
1 scoop of vanilla ice-cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
60ml milk
Half cup of crushed ice
Method:
Put all the ingredients in a blender
(including the ice).
Pour it into a glass and enjoy!
Curried beans on toast
Ingredients:
1 can of baked beans
1 teaspoon medium curry powder
2 slices of bread
Method:
Empty can of beans in pan.
Heat gently on a medium heat.
Add curry powder and stir.
Meanwhile, place bread in toaster/grill to
toast.
When bubbling, arrange beans on plate
with toast. Enjoy!
Pizza made easy-peasy
Ingredients:
1 slice of bread
1 generous squirt of tomato purée
2 or 3 slices of cheese
2 or 3 slices of thin ham
1 pinch of mixed herbs
Method:
Toast one side of the bread in a grill
Spread the tomato purée on the
untoasted side
Add the cheese, ham and herbs
Add other ingredients (such as
pineapple) according to taste
Grill until cheese is thoroughly melted
Enjoy! It’s not Pizza Express, but it’s a
lot cheaper and easier and still tasty.
Second year student at the University of East Anglia,
studying biological sciences:
hoto: Nottingham Trent university, flickr.com
?
?
.org.uk
STUDENT BY SURPRISE
Jake Ball thought he’d given up all thoughts
of going to university. God had other ideas.
VISIONARY Jake’s at uni for God
JAKE, 22, gave up
all ideas of going to
university during his
second year of college.
At RAW (Real and Wild),
a youth event run by the
Jesus Army, Jake had a powerful
experience of God and
decided to leave his future in
God’s hands.
“While my friends at
college were crying over
personal statements and running
around to open days,
I wasn’t fussed,” says Jake
“I felt at peace about it all
and finished college without
really knowing what I would
do next.”
But less than a month
after finishing college, Jake
was offered a job as an architectural
technician; and to
his surprise, he was asked
to study for an architectural
technology degree part-time.
“On enrolment day, I
turned up at the University of
Northampton,” recalls Jake,
“And just told them about
the course I wanted to do.
About five minutes later, I
PROTEST Rights & wrongs
Photo: Igal Koshevoy, flickr.com
was registered on the course.
After my friends had spent a
whole year sorting it out, it
took me five minutes!”
At first, Jake found it difficult
to combine his Christian
faith and the university lifestyle:
“Some days I’d walk
around the university and
wonder what I was doing.
But nowadays, it’s a lot
easier. God’s given me more
confidence.”
It was perhaps this new
found confidence that caused
Jake to get in contact with
other Christians at the university
and get involved with
student activities on campus.
“Before last year, I was
just going through university
and not even thinking
about what a good opportunity
it is,” admits Jake. “It’s
a massive place with about
ten thousand young people!
I’m looking forward to being
a part of what God’s doing
here.”
“I haven’t planned it, but
this is where I’ve ended up.
I’m in the right place at the
right time. While I’m here I
want to be used by God.”
Beth Williams 19
Ian Hunt 22
Mim Beresford 22
Joy Hubbard 20
Aysha Ali 20
Lizzie Kroon 20
“I try to be a listening ear for my friends and I’ve found I’m sometimes
the one who people look to for advice. They can see there’s something
different about me. I’m secure in who God has made me and I’m not
bowing to the pressures of university life (a culture centred around sex
and alcohol).”
Medical student at the University of East Anglia:
“Living as a Christian student is both a blessing and a challenge. You are
surrounded by young people who are at a time in their lives when they
are exploring what life is all about so it’s a perfect opportunity to show
them God. But there are also a lot of temptations, which is a challenge.”
Studying Event Management at Warwickshire College:
“I’ve found being a Christian and a student is about getting involved and
getting to know people - but still being able to show you are different. I
don’t want other students to think Christians are religious or boring and
I want them to realise God loves them just as much as He loves me.”
Third year student at Liverpool Hope University studying
Community Performing Arts:
“Living as a student for Jesus is great as you have to get serious about
what you really believe and what you stand for. It can seem daunting
living different to most other students but it’s made me closer to Jesus.”
Third year student at University of Birmingham, studying
Medical Biochemistry:
“Being at university for Jesus and living differently is crazy, lonely, fun,
scary and quite fulfilling. Going on this journey without God would have
been pretty much impossible!”
Second year student at the University of Northampton,
studying primary education:
“Being a Christian at university keeps me on my toes as I always find
myself in situations where I have to make choices.”

6 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96
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shame cop
jailed
“DRUGS SHAME cop jailed” shouted
the headline of a UK local paper.
The story was about a young police
sergeant who’d been caught trying
to give illegal drugs to “as he tried to
seduce a young man” in a gay bar.
We won’t know the backstory (can we
ever, really?) But it’s not difficult to see the
unhappiness of this young police officer’s situation.
Yes, he’s done wrong, broken the law,
and that’s particularly serious for a policeman.
But can you sense a sad struggle in the
background?
Rainbows, the bar he was in, is well-known
as a friendly, open, accepting place, one of
the most chilled out, peaceful venues in the
city. Gay and straight people flock to it for
that reason.
Imagine this young officer there. Is he
desperate for some acceptance? Looking for
some relief? Has he struggled with his sexual
identity? Wrestled with what others may
think of him? Felt the conflict between his
public position and his private world? What
drove him to the crazy risk of using drugs to
try to buy love?
Then imagine that police sergeant’s face,
pictured on the front of the paper. A photo
taken as his guilty verdict was announced.
Grief. Broken. Hopeless. Finished.
Does your heart go out to him?
If we’re Christians, it has to. Again and
again in the Bible, we read that Jesus was
“moved with compassion” towards those
who’d made a mess of their life.
Christian churches, of all places, must be
where all can come, no matter what “guilty”
verdicts hang over them, no matter what
struggles they have and try to hide. They
need to be communities like Rainbows,
but even better. Communities where all are
accepted, welcomed, loved – as they are.
Then we can walk on together, all broken,
all heading for a better future. Because God
accepts us all – as we are.
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SEX SELLS, LOVE WINS
FIFTY SHADES of Grey
is a story of erotic
obsession so racy that
fans call it “mummy
porn”. The trilogy has
sold 31 million copies
worldwide, overtaking
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows and
The Da Vinci Code in
Britain.
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Yet author, E L James, has
claimed that the extraordinary
success of her Fifty Shades
of Grey novels is down to
old-fashioned romance rather
than sex. Asked if female
readers were attracted by the
steamy and unusual bedroom
scenes or the fantasy of
dating a ludicrously rich man,
James replied: “No, it’s the
love story. Women like to read
a passionate love story”.
Not everyone loves this story,
CROSSES
however, with authors and
newspapers alike slamming it
as well as praising it. “Boring
and silly” said one writer.
Like it or loathe it, most can
agree that there’s more to love
than sex (especially the edgy,
troubled sex in Fifty Shades,
even if it does make for a
page-turner).
God loved us all so much
that He allowed His beloved
Son, Jesus, to die on a cross
bearing the weight of the
Photo: The Rocketeer, flickr.com
world’s pain and evil.
That was love – and it was
appallingly agonizing, not
orgasmic.
Jesus’ love is not a love
of pleasure or a love of
convenience; it’s a magnificent,
heart-wrenching, sacrificial
love. This love is not in a novel,
love for a made-up character,
but love for you and me. No-one
who has experienced the love
of Jesus Christ will ever be
quite the same again.
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SURPRISE!
STREET Stirred up
Flash mobbed
in Coventry
NEARLY 100 Jesus Army
members ventured out onto
the streets of Coventry recently
for a “flash mob”.
“The aim of the flash mob
was to surprise the people
of Coventry and show them
that Jesus is alive today” said
Jesus Army member, Samantha
Hayward, 16, who was at
the flash mob.
“It was fun, and left Coventry
City Centre abuzz with
talk about what had just
happened – the exact effect
we wanted to achieve. Flash
mobs have been around for
some time. For us, they’re
another way to share the life
and love of Jesus – and bring
a smile to some faces while
we’re at it.”
To watch a Jesus Army
flash mob in Northampton
visit: jez.uz/flashmob
RADICAL
SMILES David Moses
New heights
in India
MULTIPLY Partner,
David Moses, and his
church, Almore Shalom
in Uttarakhand, India, are
reaching new heights. Not
only is their work among the
poorest of the poor radical –
at 5,000 miles above sea level
in the Himalayan hills, it is
literally very high indeed!
The church works with
leprosy colonies, caring and
praying for them. It’s David
Moses’ vision to create
“Jesus Centres” in India,
after the model of those
run by the Jesus Army in
the UK. “People can come
to find home and peace” he
says. He wants to create “a
place where Jesus is at the
very centre”.
For more on the Multiply
International Christian Network
visit: multiply.org.uk
CHALLENGE
OVERCOME Go for gold
Winning
Weekend love
AT THE Jesus Army’s Winning
festival last August,
leader Mick Haines issued a
challenge to be “an overcomer
through Jesus”. Drawing
on the theme of the recent
Olympic and Paralympic
Games, festival goers were
dared to “go for gold” and
achieve all that they can for
Jesus and His cause.
“There are many things
in life that we may have to
overcome” said Mick Haines
“from bad exam results to
bereavement, or divorce or
depression. Jesus can help
you overcome, and be all that
you are meant to be.”
The message was followed
with powerful times of
prayer.
For more on coming
Jesus Army events visit:
jez.uz/events

People Xtra
Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96 7
Living for
others in
Liverpool
This family loves
people. So they’ve
moved to Liverpool,
moved in with ten other
people, and plan to
love their neighbours.
IAN AND Kerry Oakey are
part of a new Jesus Army
team in Liverpool. They,
their children, and a team
of ten others share life in
a large house in Allerton,
just south of the city
centre.
“We want to ‘bring family
and be family’ to people
who’ve never had it” says
Kerry, 32, “to include
people in our family.”
“We came up to
Liverpool with a vision
to build Christian
community there”
adds Kerry. “We’d been
to Liverpool quite a
few times, and met the
people and saw the need.”
“I believe God’s going
to do something special in
Liverpool” says Ian, 30, and
Kerry nods, adding “I really
like it here and the people are
very friendly.”
Kerry was brought up by
Christian parents but it was
not until she was 14 that she
was jolted into making a lifechanging
decision “to live for
God” herself, after reading a
challenging Christian book
called “Why Jesus?”
Ian was brought up by
Christian parents, too. His
parents were members of the
Jesus Army.
Ian grew up in a Christian
community house like the one
he and Kerry have now moved
into, but in Northamptonshire.
“I had faith from a very
young age” he explained. “I
remember praying for my
friends at school when I was
six. Sometimes other kids
asked questions like ‘What’s it
like being a Christian?’
“I always loved living in
Christian
community” says Ian.
“Mum and Dad are very
generous and bighearted
people. I saw
it work. I saw faith
work. I saw people change.
“I really enjoyed my
upbringing; I wouldn’t ever
want to change it.”
But Ian was often bullied
at school because of his faith
and as a young teenager went
through a phase of feeling very
lonely.
In his later teens, Ian was in
conflict. Regularly clubbing,
drinking and smoking weed,
he was also “weighing up life”.
“I had all sorts of ideas”
he says, “but I knew in the
end I would come to God.
I knew God was real. A key
turning point for me was when
someone I looked up to said to
me ‘Ian, you’re all or nothing.’
I knew I wanted to be ‘all’
for God; I couldn’t tread a
middle line. So I left all the
other things behind and took
God seriously.”
When they got
married five years
ago Kerry joined
Ian at a Jesus
Army community
house on a
housing estate
in Northampton.
Now they have
been married for
five years and
have two children.
And in June 2012
they moved to the
house in Liverpool,
where their oldest child
has just started going to a
local school.
Speaking of life in Christian
community, Kerry says “I like
bringing up my two kids in
this environment; there’s lots
of variety in terms of people;
the kids grow up with wide
horizons, and it’s so good for
them to see God working in
people’s lives.”
Ian adds “I think this kind
of shared lifestyle is the best
way you can live. I want my
children to have the best, and
to be surrounded by faith.
I’m excited about the future.
Once God gets involved, you
don’t know what can happen.
One of the bits of the Bible I
find most inspiring says “God
is able, through His mighty
power at work within us, to
accomplish infinitely more
than we might ask or think.”
“With that kind of God on our
side, anything might happen!”
More on Christian community:
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8 Jesus Army Streetpaper No. 96
Well healed
Prayer for healing is happening
on Trafalgar Square, in the
street, at a festival – anywhere!
GET UP AND GO Receiving prayer at Trafalgar Square
WORLD WIDE “WE”
“A SCEPTICAL medical
student was
bemused when the
pain in his lower back
disappeared.” Jesus
Army member Fred,
43, was part of a team
praying for people
at some UK festivals
this summer. They
experienced some
remarkable things.
“A guy called Lee was
watching” continues
Fred. “He said he suffered
from depression
and asked us to pray for
him there and then. We
prayed and he said he felt
very dizzy (and that it was
“f***ing weird”). But then
he couldn’t remember
why he felt depressed and
felt detached from what
had troubled him.”
Whether it’s that
arthritic knee, or those
migraines, or his emotional
hurts, or her
worrying diagnosis, many
of us need healing.
“We prayed for a young
guy called Max” says
Fred. “He had pain in his
knee which clicked while
we prayed. Later, he came
back to say the knee was
completely fine – he was
really blown away. We
explained that it was a
sign of God’s great love
for him.”
Many people find it hard
to believe in God’s love:
illness and suffering are
two big reasons for that
difficulty. Yet Christians
believe that Jesus Christ
shows us the love of God
in a human life. He lived,
loved, healed and forgave
many before enemies conspired
to have Him killed.
Was His death just
another bloody tragedy?
Christians believe Jesus
willingly shouldered the
weight of evil when He
died. Why? Because three
days later Jesus rose from
death, undoing even that
ultimate evil. Because a
month later His followers
were filled with God’s
power.
They
strode
fearlessly
around the
dangerous Roman
empire risking their lives to
tell others.
And Christians believe
Jesus has beaten evil
because they see His power
at work in the lives of people
today – people like
those at the festivals this
summer, touched by God’s
healing power and love.
Following the festivals,
someone called Sadie
tweeted “Chaz tried to
heal Rachel’s jaw ‘like the
Jesus Army’ last night. Oh
life.” So the Jesus Army
tweeted back “How’d it
go? Did Rachel’s jaw get
better?” – to which Sadie
replied “It did!”
Follow the Jesus Army on
Twitter @jesus_army and
feel free to tweet questions
or prayer requests.
Or text 0774 0774 200
INVENTOR Sir Tim
IN 1991, a famous
newspaper ran a
headline: WORLD WIDE
WHAT? The paper’s
front page article
mocked the inventor
of the internet, Tim
(now Sir Tim) Berners-
Lee. It poured scorn
on the notion that the
so-called “web” could
change the world.
It turned out the front
page article was a hoax. But
it does reflect some of the
disbelief that greeted the
advent of the internet age.
Nowadays, we shop
online, chat online, watch TV
online. For many, it’s difficult
to even recall the pre-internet
age.
Along with the wheel
and the steam engine, the
internet is a technological
game-changer. It unites
minds across the world. What
was previously impossible is
no longer so.
This year, a 15 year old
American boy invented a
new test for cancer through
looking at academic papers
on the internet as his hobby.
When we unite and
connect we can unlock our
true potential.
God wants us all to release
our potential. That’s why the
Bible says “Make every effort
to keep yourselves united in
the Spirit, binding yourselves
Photo: Knight Foundation, flickr.com
together with peace”.
The “Spirit” mentioned
here is God’s Spirit. When
we know Jesus He joins us
together to others who know
Him through this Spirit.
God’s Spirit connects
people powerfully in a “world
wide web” of a different kind
– across barriers of age,
race and gender. Enemies
become family. Warring
camps get reconciled.
We can achieve great
things – together.
JESUS SAID...
Be encouraged!
Your faith has made you well.
Matthew 9:22, The Bible
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