2003 New EiTs - 1

Church Army College Evangelists Raise £300,000 a Year Towards their Training Costs

Over responding to the fact that 18 women and men will shortly begin training at Church Army’s Wilson Carlile College of Evangelism in Sheffield, Captain Hugh Boorman, Candidates Secretary, said: “I don't know what thrills me the most - the number and quality of the people God is calling to Church Army or the way that the newly commissioned Evangelists have flourished so much through training. What I can say is that it is a real privilege to walk alongside them during this part of their faith journey.”

There are currently 24 Church Army Evangelists working with the Church of Ireland and Valerie Thom will shortly be sent to join two of her colleagues, Scott McDonald and Richard Beadle, as a Community Evangelist in the Upper Shankill Parishes, Belfast.

There were very large intakes in the late 1980s and 18 Evangelists were sent out in 1994 after their training, usually for three years. Said Captain Philip Johanson, Church Army Chief Secretary: “We continually challenge the Church about the desperate need to share the gospel with people on our own doorstep through home mission and thank God for the response from all kinds of people to face this vital challenge.”

During their training, which includes several lengthy practical placements as well as the usual theological and Biblical studies, these students invite their friends and families to support and pray for them. The new trainees include a Merchant seaman, a WI president, a lorry driver, a theology graduate and a former fitness instructor. . So far, £300,000 is being raised each year towards training costs since the scheme started a few years ago.

Church Army also has a year-out scheme for those aged 17 and over called First Contact and led by Captain Ray Khan. He says: “There has been a really good response this year with five volunteers already placed in Liverpool and the Scottish Borders. Volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds and ages and include a 22 year old theology graduate who is considering ministry in the Church in Wales; a 17 year old lad from County Cork; a woman from Ghana who is exploring how evangelism is done in the UK; and a legal secretary from Nottingham. The scheme gives volunteers an opportunity to discover and use gifts in Christian service with Church Army and test a possible vocation.”