Winter Newsletter 2011

by Dave Bankhead, 12 Dec 2011. Archived.

Dear friends

Many apologies this newsletter has been so long in the making! The past few months have been busy with various music projects, but we did want to update you with our latest news. Please note Nathan’s new logo and headed paper for the ministry ...hope you approve!

VISIT TO JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM - SEPT 28^TH – OCT 5^TH 2011

It seems a new ministry chapter has begun for me. In September, I travelled to Jerusalem to lead worship at the All Nations Convocation Conference and also to spend a day with ‘Musalaha’; an Arab-Jewish Christian reconciliation organization with many years of experience working in the region. The trip has resulted in a firm proposal for Musalaha and myself to jointly run a song-writing workshop towards the end of next May, with a view to inviting a number of key Arab and Jewish Christian regional worship leaders and musicians along to it. The plan will be for them to work together to write new songs of hope, healing and reconciliation in Hebrew, Arabic and English; which will then eventually be recorded and released as a new reconciliation CD. Just think of this; Arab and Jewish Christians worshipping, praying and working together in Jerusalem and Bethlehem! How good does that sound? It is early days yet but the hope is to create a CD that will ‘fit’ with Middle Eastern culture, yet contain freshly written songs that could speak powerfully to many in the area, in similar fashion to the CDs I worked on in Rwanda which have made such a strong impact over several years. I am excited, but also aware that this is a cultural and conflict challenge of a whole new order ..please pray for us as we attempt to plan the details in the New Year.

This year was our 5th childrens conference in Harare, and the third year to take a young missions team to help out with running it, so it has been a real regular ‘grass roots’ ministry feature every year, which I love. We now have African teenagers who have been through the conference themselves as children, coming back to help us out on a regular basis, which is great! In fact I’ve noticed they often show a particular enthusiasm, dedication and commitment because the conference was life-giving to them as junior age kids. On the team this year from the UK were Sophie and her husband Greg, Joel and girlfriend Emily, and Chloe. Joel, Sophie and Chloe have been before, while Greg and Emily were new to Africa this year. Our programme theme was ‘Seek First His Kingdom’ and there was the usual mix of Bible teaching, memory verses, games, DVD’s as well as prayer and worship. Our small group activities included drama, cricket, art and craft and music. During art and craft the children made flags, crowns and medals, as they thought about Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of every nation. Both Sophie and Greg ensured that the games programme featured many new games for the children this year, and Joel once again filmed a daily video diary which was a popular feature each day. This year, some 300 children attended, and we’re happy to say that around 23 children gave their lives the Christ during the week, and were followed up by the local leaders. Praise God for this!

A DAY AT ‘PRAYER MOUNTAIN’...

Prior to our arrival, One Way Ministries had purchased an area of hill land in the vicinity of Harare called Mount Hampden, which was once used as a small games lodge. It features an open stretch of grass on a hilltop, with one or two old lodge buildings still present. It proved a perfect location to take our children for one whole day of the conference; a place where we could run an extended games programme and do some worship and prayer walking together. The children enjoyed their day at Prayer Mountain so much!!

Zimbabwe has seen some tough times over the years and is still a country in crisis, despite the hugely positive attitudes of so many in the churches we’ve been working with there. In particular, the economy is still struggling and there are very many power cuts and water shortages. It was sad to see the churches struggle so hard to transport the children to and from the conference. Local pastors and leaders were 100% committed and determined the children should attend, but often the transport trucks were ramshackle and the fuel to run them expensive and hard to come by, so there were many late starts to the morning programme this year. I am also concerned that there is a legacy of tribal conflict which we’ve not had the opportunity to address specifically with the children as there has not yet been a clear opportunity. It would be a dream of mine sometime in the near future to have the chance to sow seeds of healing and reconciliation in the hearts of young lives, so that they can grow up free from all tribal prejudice, like we saw amongst Rwandans who sung on Rabagirana Rwanda. Please pray for this, and the country as a whole as they contemplate elections in 2012.

Our big family news - there is to be a wedding next year! Joel and Emily are to be married in Chorleywood on May 12th. After the end of the children’s conference, Joel took Emily to Victoria Falls for a couple of days and proposed right by the Falls, after somehow persuading a national park official to let them go down a pathway that was supposedly closed for renovation! He had brought an engagement ring with him all the way from Manchester (just as well that Emily said ‘yes’ then!) After we all met up again at Jo’burg airport, there were screams of delight from the other girls who immediately noticed Emily’s new ring. Since then, Jean and I have had the chance to spend a delightful day with Andrew and Fiona, Emily’s parents. We are all thrilled and looking forward to the big day. Nathan has agreed to be best man, and many of Joel and Emilys church friends from Manchester will also be there. After the wedding, the plan is for Joel to move into Emilys house in Withington, Manchester, so the house we own in Fallowfield will need new tenants, as one other occupant also plans to get married in September and is moving out.

Both Jean and I have experienced changes in our job situations recently. There is a new Head now in place at St Rose’s. Although Jean’s extra work running the ‘Specialist School’ programme has come to an end due to government cuts, she is now involved in helping to set up a post-19 unit at the school. My freelance work at AudioGo (formerly BBC Audiobooks) has dwindled somewhat and they appear to be going through difficulties like so many firms. On the bright side, there has been lots of music studio work this autumn, including a big project for ‘Out of the Ark’, a primary schools resource company. This has involved me recruiting and training two childrens choirs as well as heaps of programming and recording, so I reckon the local primary school music teacher has probably seen enough of me by now! Also, the Crossroads Trust fund that supports our ministry has been revitalised somewhat with the addition of a new trustee, and we are meeting again in January to discuss launching a fund raising venture for later on in the year. Early in January, I plan to fly out to Le Rucher, France to meet with Joseph and Rhiannon to discuss the Bethlehem songwriting workshop. In March, there is another ‘Interweave’ conference in Edinburgh; this will now be the third I have attended. This is a gathering of some 20 or so Christians with much experience of reconciliation around the world; there is a good mix of prayer, worship and support for each other that has been a breath of fresh air on the last 2 occasions in Manchester. Nathan is now in his last year at Plymouth University, having successfully completed his placement year in Cardiff. We’re thrilled that his boss decided to keep in contact and he continues to do some freelance work for that company alongside his course commitments.

Much love from

Dave & Jean