Cool Britannia: UK Home-Grown Mission

You may have been fooled into thinking that all the exciting missionary work is happening overseas with the UK seriously losing ground. But mission is bursting from the seams of the British Church – and we've found 5 books to prove it!

Patrick Regan: No Ceiling to Hope

Patrick Regan is now a familiar face to those who closely followed the aftermath of the London riots. He has become the unofficial spokesman for urban issues with a genuine and infectious heart for his community.

Based in Peckham, XLP was born out of a tragic stabbing at a local school. Sent to deal with the aftermath, Patrick’s heart broke for the lost, inner city kids. XLP has grown and grown and now works in seven areas of inner London: Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Camden and Islington.

No Ceiling to Hope tells his incredible story and inspires your church to get involved in a world without hope:

“The first and most obvious answer is God calls us to do these things and to be his hands and feet in this world. The second answer is that, as God’s people, we have something amazing and unique to offer the world: hope without limit.” – from ‘No Ceiling to Hope by Patrick Regan’.

We interviewed Patrick in early 2012 when his book was released. Read the interview – Reaching London's Hardest to Reach – to find out more about Patrick and his breakthrough ministry.

Matt Wilson: Concrete Faith

Matt Wilson was part of the original team when The Eden Project began 15 years ago in South Manchester.

Concrete Faith tells the story of the last 15 years of The Eden Project revealing the real-life experiences of working in the disadvantaged estates of Manchester. You can also read about the lives transformed through the love and passion of this ministry. The Eden Network has over 20 teams in cities up and down the country; so don’t be surprised if there is a project working in a difficult area near you.

“People often ask me to summarise what it means to belong to an Eden team. The answer is simple really: it is to move in, live deep, and say ‘Follow me as I follow Christ.’” – from ‘Concrete Faith’ by Matt Wilson.

We interviewed Matt back in 2012 when the book was released and he told us some amazing stories; how he was called by God and the influence of secularization on the UK Church. Read the interview – Concrete Faith: The Story of a 24/7 Ministry – to find out more about The Eden Project and Matt Wilson.

Andy Hawthorne: The Message 20

The Message Trust is the umbrella organisation for The Eden Project, The World Wide Message Tribe, LZ7, the Eden Bus, Reflex and Genetik. Andy Hawthorne leads this tribe of gospel-hearted people to live and interact with struggling communities in the depths of poverty, crime and spiritual darkness.

“The band sold hundreds of thousands of albums and performed face to face to well over a million young people.” – from the Message 20, talking about the early days when ‘The World Wide Message Tribe’ became an international hit.

The Message 20 documents how the Trust has grown and developed. There are stories from those who have been involved from the inside and from those whose lives were dramatically changed by the work of the Trust in all its forms. For a blast from the past, read our review of the CD 20 – The Message, which celebrates two decades of music from The World Wide Message Tribe, Blush UK, Andy Smith & LZ7.

Les Isaac: Street Pastors

Starting Street Pastors in the inner city area of Brixton, London, Les Isaac and his team of passionate volunteers have now become a UK phenomenon. Since 2003 Street Pastors has now grown to around 250 groups all over Great Britain from Inverness to Falmouth. Reaching the street life of our cities, Street Pastors has formed a unique partnership with local governments, the police and churches from a wide variety of denominations.

“Street Pastors is about Christians rolling up their sleeves and getting involved in practically responding to the problems of crime and safety. They are like beacons on our streets and I want to see them shining brightly in every constituency.” – MP David Burrowes, singing the praises of Street Pastors in his area.

To find out more about Rev Les Isaac and his charity ‘Ascension Trust’, read our article on his ambitious campaign to make London safer called Ascension Trust’s One in a Million Campaign.

Cris Rogers: Practising Resurrection

Cris Rogers was ordained as one of the first Pioneer Ministers in June 2008. Dedicated to creative leadership in the Church of England, his Practising Resurrection is a collection of stories from people in his home-grown church as they seek to live out the resurrection day by day.

Pastor at All Hallows Bow in the heart of Tower Hamlets, Cris Rogers has a heart for his local community and seeks to bring the church out of the building and to the people. A regular on the conference scene and theology writer for YouthWork Magazine, Cris also has a passion for communicating the Bible and its message to young leaders.

Hear what Chris had to say when we met up for a chat about All Hallows Bow in our video article, Cris Rogers An Explosion of Joy at All Hallows Bow.