A few weeks ago, I returned from an incredible time serving churches across East Africa at their apostolic conference and, as I’ve been processing and reflecting, I want to share some lessons these remarkable leaders taught me:

1. God is Working in the Most Unexpected Places

Imagine sitting in a room, hearing report after report of God’s movement across East Africa. Salvations and healings weren’t just occasional testimonies — they were pouring in from every nation represented. Churches are being planted by the hundreds (including in some nations I can’t name for security reasons). The Gospel is even reaching pygmy communities who had never heard of Jesus before.

It’s humbling to realise that while we sometimes wonder if God can change the seemingly Gospel-resistant people around us, He’s doing extraordinary things in some of the toughest places on earth.

2. Lack of Resources is No Excuse for Disobedience

This hit me hard. In some regions, every single worker is a volunteer. No salaries. No support structures. Yet, these leaders are faithfully planting churches and reaching the lost with whatever they have.

It made me question how often I’ve allowed “lack of resources” to become my excuse for not stepping out in faith.

3. The Gospel Challenges Every Culture

We often talk about our cultural battles in the West, but my eyes were opened to very different challenges these churches face:

FGM (Female G Mutilation) – a heartbreaking reality where young girls are brutally harmed in the name of cultural “purity”
Polygamy – imagine the complexity of discipling community leaders who have three or four wives when they come to faith

What struck me most was this truth: while every culture tempts us to compromise, God’s Word provides wisdom and grace for standing firm — no matter how difficult the situation.

4. Courage Grows Best in Team

The stories of persecution were sobering. They shared about imprisonments and street beatings. One leader shared how most of his pastors have machete scars on their faces and bodies where they have been chased by tribesman driving them out of their villages.

But, here’s what amazed me: they weren’t facing it alone. These teams stood together, drawing strength from each other in ways that reminded me of the early church in Acts.

It made me want to stir up some fresh courage buddies for the mission that I’m on.

5. The Future Belongs to Entrepreneurial Ministry

So many leaders I met were also entrepreneurs by necessity. They’re running fruit tree farms, pig businesses, and taxi services — not just to survive, but to support their church and the local community.

It confirmed my conviction that “tent-making” is going to be the future of church leadership if we want to raise enough leaders to reach our nations.

6. The Power of Praying Together

There’s something profound about praying in the same room with people you’ve only prayed for from a distance. It reminded me that we truly are one family in Christ, regardless of our nationalities or circumstances.

I’ve added several leaders to my prayer calendar so that I can continue to stand with them.

As I continue to process these lessons, I’m asking myself (and now you):

Which of these lessons challenges you the most?
How might God be calling you to step out in faith, even with limited resources?
What would it look like for you to stand firm in your cultural context?

Much love,
Simon Holley and the eFocus team

A couple of years ago my husband and I really felt God telling us to dig our roots deep into Bedford. Whether that meant we would be here for a short or long time, it didn’t matter. We knew God was telling us to serve and pray for our town, church and the region He had placed us in. I now have the privilege of leading our Re-Track outreach project which is all about helping people get their lives back on track. (Learn more about Re-Track here)

In this eFocus, we will be delving into some ways that we can love and serve our town and region that God has placed us in, making a difference in your neighbourhood:

1) Get Informed

We discovered that in Bedford, loneliness, littered streets and poverty are among the persistent issues the town is dealing with.

Every town and city will have different needs so it’s important to learn what the specific needs in your town are. Through Re-Track we are in ongoing contact with Bedford council and the Mayor to find out what the areas of greatest needs are and work towards blessing and helping in those areas where possible.

To learn more about the area/town/city you live in, you can research the following things:

Who lives in your area? What benefits and challenges do they face?
What ethnicities and social classes live and work in your neighbourhoods?
What specific challenges is your town council coming across?

2) Pray Specifically

“…Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7

There is an importance and call for us to pray for the region God has placed us in as we can see from this verse. Prayer is so powerful and the most effective way to see God’s kingdom on earth!

Once we’ve discovered our town’s challenges, we can then pray specifically into those areas. Pray for God to lead you in prayer and show you His heart and vision for your town.

A practical way you could pray is by prayer walking around your streets and town. This can be helpful to stay focused and specific in our prayers, and to be immersed in the community we’re praying for.

3) Use your Passions and Giftings

Each one of us has unique desires and passions, with different God-given assignments to do good works. So, for many of us serving our town will look different.

Maybe you have a heart to see the lonely placed into family or the poor being looked after and provided for, or for the youth and young people of Bedford?

What is God placing in your heart to see changed in your town? What can you do practically to make a difference in that area?

4) Take Action

There are many practical ways we can take action, such as…

Loving our neighbours. There’s often so much need right on our door steps. Keep your eyes peeled on those who live locally to you. Maybe you will notice an elderly neighbour’s garden that has been left untended to that you can offer a helping hand with, for example.

Volunteering with a local charity or church outreach projects. There are so many local projects that are making a difference to the challenges our towns are facing. Recently, King’s Arms Project were recruiting volunteers to run their Winter Night Shelter supporting the homeless. Re-Track runs lots of events throughout the year that you can get involved with such as litter-picking, handing out LoveChristmas boxes, delivering Emergency Food Parcels, and more.

Starting something new. You may come across a need that you feel passionate about but there isn’t already anything in place to help. Could God be calling you to make a difference in this way?

God has placed us where we are for a reason. We are called to be a light shining on a hill and to bring light and good news to our town.

How can you dig your roots deep into where you live?

Much love,

Charlotte Knapp and eFocus team

How can we support our young people in building their faith? In Proverbs 22:6 it says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (The word ‘children’ in this verse from the original translation actually means young person.) Let’s take a look at one those foundational tools that we can teach our young people; a tool that Jesus modelled to us really well — asking questions.

The Youthscape’s research team recently did a study on 16-19 year olds called ‘No questions asked’. They gathered a range of young people, some with faith and some without. The aim of the study was to discover what questions young people had about God and faith. They discovered that young people showed a severe lack of questions and curiosity about faith due to five main reasons. One of the reasons given was that young people saw questions as disrespectful.

Here is an extract from the article (you can read a summary of the published article here):

We were surprised to find a lack of questioning among some of the religious young people in our sample. For some of the religious young people, this was due to what they perceived as active discouragement from the religious communities they are part of, or for fear of what would happen if they aired their questions publicly. Take the following example from Ammir’s interview.

Interviewer: Are you comfortable talking about any of those things that you don’t have answers for at the moment?
Ammir: Not really.
Interviewer: Okay, yeah.
Ammir: Yeah, not even to my parents. I wouldn’t–You know, it’s just something for me to–
Interviewer: So, it’s just some internal wrestlings there?
Ammir: Yeah, I wouldn’t really talk about it publicly or even privately, it’s just something for me to figure out, something for me to, you know, accomplish later.
Interviewer: Yeah, and do you ever talk to God about those things?
Ammir: Not really, again.

So, what does it look like to ask questions in a way that empowers young people?

Encourage young people to ask their own questions

If we want young people to grow in their faith, we need to actively encourage them to be asking their own questions and not be keeping them hidden to figure out later on, as Ammir pointed out in the extract above. Questions and curiosity are a vital part of growth both in young Christians and all of us!Learning to turn to God and the Bible for answers is how we grow. Jesus loved asking questions. Some of those questions were — Who do you think I am? Do you believe? Do you want to get well?

Model a lifestyle of asking questions in a real and vulnerable way

Parents, grandparents, mentors, youth leaders, whoever you are, modelling how to ask questions and find answers is so important. I remember once asking my dad a theological question and he answered me with “I don’t know, what do you think the Bible says?” I grew up watching my dad turn to the Bible for answers and express his own curiosity. His openness taught me to be the same.
When was the last time you openly shared the questions you have and your journey of finding answers? Where can you do this? Over the breakfast table with your family? When you’re hanging out with friends? If you’re helping out in Youth?

We need to be intentional to engage young people

We need to keep asking young people what their thoughts and questions are. In a culture that has taught them that questions are disrespectful, we need to display a culture that sees questions as good growth opportunities. Jesus asked questions, we should too. Let’s make sure that we do not become the fountain of knowledge for them, but that we keep pointing them to the Bible and God — the true fountain of knowledge. It’s also ok for us and for young people to not always know the answers. Tim Keller says, “a faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it.” Let that sink in! It’s healthy to wrestle with doubts and uncertainty when we ask questions.

If we want to make a difference in the lives of the young people around us, let’s start by asking questions. Simple, yet deeply impactful.

Much love,

Lauren Wilthew and the eFocus Team

With it being Halloween next week, you might be busy making plans and working out what you’re going to do. Maybe you have children wanting to be taken trick or treating? Perhaps, you’re someone who has always turns off all the lights and hides in a back room? Or, you’re really excited about welcoming people to your door and you’re wondering how to best use this opportunity to share the love of Jesus? Personally, I feel like Halloween is a bit like marmite — you either dread it or you are really excited about it. Whichever you category you fall into, something we can all do is to prepare for it in one way or another.

So, what are you going to do this Halloween? I’d encourage you to take time to prayerfully decide on the best decision for you and your family, and to resist judging the choices of others. Remember, you don’t have to get involved in some of the darker elements of the day in order to make it memorable; even using it to point towards light, hope and healing. Something we teach our children at King’s Kids is to ask themselves, “How can we be more like Jesus?” That would be a great question to start with.

Whether you have children or not, here are some suggestions to spread hope instead of fear this Halloween; bringing peace into a situation that can normally be quite scary:

Get creative

Carve a pumpkin with positive or uplifting artwork to display outside of your home. (Scroll down for some ideas!) Or, put up some autumnal decorations to bring cheer to passers-by and convey a message of hope.

Check on your neighbours

Perhaps you have neighbours who might feel vulnerable during this season, why not invite them round for a coffee? Or, drop off some goodies and have a friendly doorstep chat?

Celebrate Jesus

We will be having a Light & Praise party for those at church and within our community with primary aged children. Bring the family, or come along and help us put on this event, and eat lots of sweet treats in the process!

Let the kids take charge

Encourage your children to pray and ask God for ideas. At King’s Kids we give our children lots of opportunities to grow in their ability to hear God’s voice. Maybe they want to make some cards with prophetic words to hand out to trick or treaters? Be bold in asking those visiting your door if there is anything you can pray for.

Need more ideas?

For additional resources and information, check out the following…

Parenting for Faith has some helpful articles on navigating Halloween
Bag of Hope (UCB) and Pumpkin Heroes (WorldVision) offer material you can order to hand out to trick or treaters as well as activity packs.

However Halloween will look for you this year, let’s use the occasion to celebrate Jesus, the Light of the World! He came to bring Hope and Peace to everyone, and we have the privilege of partnering with Him, not just in this season, but every day.

Much love,

Nicky Stanyard and the eFocus Team

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will He do, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

God is on the move amongst us and we are witnessing an increase in healings during our gatherings. We recently launched our Healing Room which takes place on the first Sunday morning of each month at King’s House, and we’re hearing testimonies of people being healed or noticing improvements in their conditions. Previous prophetic words over us have declared that we would be a ‘house of miracles’. We want to be a church that continues to push for more breakthroughs and the miraculous.

Let’s hear from Claire and Gill, who are a part of our Healing Room Team, as they encourage us to keep believing for more than we have seen, and why we are called to go after Signs and Wonders:

Signs and Wonders point people to Jesus

In the early church, signs and wonders were a completely normal part of life. When Philip proclaimed Christ in Samaria, “They paid attention to what he said with one accord when they heard and saw the signs that he did. Unclean spirits came out with a loud voice and many who were paralysed, or lame were healed.” Acts 8:6-7

Paul said that his ministry was a combination of both message and miracles. Miracles were central to his gospel ministry. He said, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling and my speech and my message were not in plausible words or wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Signs and Wonders demonstrate His kingdom

Jesus told His disciples to proclaim and demonstrate His Kingdom wherever they went and this is still His commission for every believer today. He chooses to move through you and I as we walk in intimacy with Him.

Like Paul, we have been empowered to carry His miracle-working power with us into every environment and situation; not in our strength but because of His grace.

Signs and Wonders should be expected!

When we speak the name of Jesus we can expect signs and wonders to follow. In a coffee shop in our town, I (Claire) have seen God powerfully move when we’ve laid hands on the sick or invited His peace. I’ve seen how a sign and a wonder has opened a door for us to introduce someone to Jesus.

Signs and wonders are what we are made for; it’s the natural overflow and outcome of spending time with Jesus. As He fills us with His presence and power, we impact everyone that we come into contact with, making room for God to work.

Signs and Wonders are always available

When we allow faith and expectation to overshadow our doubt and cynicism, we suddenly can’t help but become aware that the Father is always working in our everyday lives (yes!) and in the people around us.

God is more passionate and eager to reveal Himself to people than we realise. He cannot help Himself! The question isn’t whether He will show up, but rather whether we are looking, listening and perceiving Him at work. I (Claire) have often found that when I’m in conversations with people, I start to sense the Holy Spirit’s presence, and sure enough the person I am speaking to shares how they are having a significant encounter with something supernatural; something they would never forget.

Signs and Wonders take us on amazing adventures!

Whilst interceding and worshipping on my (Gill’s) dog walks, I have sometimes found feathers and smelt a sweet fragrance. A patient told me (Gill) of an experience where a dove flew through their window and circled them, filling the room with peace! At work, we also had an abnormal ECG totally normalise on repeating it, which is impossible in the natural.

My (Gill’s) husband, Steve, once had a dream where he so clearly remembers sharing the Gospel with a Muslim lady, the same description of a woman I had prayed with for healing in A&E the evening before.

Our loving Father is so wonderful in leaving signs everywhere for us to delight in.

Let’s embark on this adventure of asking for more signs and wonders as we share His love and goodness with those around us.

Much love,
Claire Coggan, Gill Cronau and the eFocus Team