The Message Trust

Andy Hawthorne – Hope Unleashed

What has washing someone’s car got to do with the gospel?

Committed to bringing the Christian message to young people in his hometown of Manchester, England, Andy Hawthorne was shocked when a missions partner told him he shouldn’t just preach the gospel but also engage in community projects.

And it got him thinking: what, exactly, should the priority of the church be? Should it be the lamp on a stand – bold, unashamed gospel proclamation to as many as possible? Or should it be more salt and yeast – serving and blessing the vulnerable and the marginalized, with no questions asked?

The answer, of course, is both. Christians who truly want to follow Jesus should explain the good news with words – but also make sure to demonstrate the gospel through what’s been described as random acts of kindness. Written in a warm, passionate, nonreligious style, Hope Unleashed is filled with moving true stories and practical ideas and strategies for Christian mission based on word and deed.

PLUS

Andy Hawthorne – Diary of a Dangerous Vision

This is the story of one man’s conversion and the blossoming of an ever-growing group of Christians set to take Christ into the most demanding and tough urban areas.

Their vision spawned a number of different related initiatives: the beginning and growth of the World Wide Message Tribe, Cameran Dante’s conversion, and the EDEN project in Manchester.

Andy Hawthorne was born in Manchester and rebelled as a teenager before being brought to Christ by his brother, Simon. They started a fashion business and it was some of the youths who they employed that inspired Andy to organise Message to schools, the work of the World Wide Message Tribe and EDEN.

‘A bunch of ordinary people with the fire of an extraordinary God burning in them.’ J John