The Summer edition of Flow Magazine is out now! 

This issue, we look back on ten years of ‘word and deed’ evangelism since Message 2000 and look forward to this summer’s Shine Your Light campaign. We also find out how Eden Bus is working in partnership with local authorities and churches to fight antisocial behaviour in communities around Manchester. Plus all the latest news, great teaching from Andy Hawthorne and Simon Guillebaud, and much more.

Thanks to supporter David Esther from Upton, Wirral, who emailed us to say:

You have done it again!  “Flow” is a great publication!

When “Flow” arrived in the post this morning, I immediately opened it and read it cover to cover – unlike any other Christian publication that I receive regularly (including one that is lying unopened alongside my computer now!).  Why did I open it so quickly? It was because I read the first two issues and I therefore knew that “Flow” was worth reading … its freshness and readability make “Flow” a great publication.

For an organisation that communicates so well by electronic means – especially through your weekly prayer letters, it must have been a big decision for “The Message” to produce a new hard copy magazine after so many years.  For me, it was a decision that has worked!

Flow is being sent to all our regular supporters by post. You can also read the new issue here.

come to an end. Blush scooped an exclusive Gospel Music Award (GMA) for Best Group in December 2009, fighting off competition from such big names as the London Community Gospel Choir, Four Kornerz and Hillsong London.

In a series of ‘God-incidences’, each band member has seen exciting things happening in their personal lives which have resulted in the band deciding to call it a day.

Speaking about the decision, Andy Hawthorne commented, ‘In every way Blush is coming to a good end. Jess and Jim are expecting their first baby at the beginning of June; Holly is love-struck, getting married to James and moving to London to be a part of a church plant; Pippa is going to work for her church, Ivy Manchester; and Nic will be continuing the heartbeat of Blush through a new music venture.’

Band leader Jess Cook explains from the band’s perspective: ‘Since last year, we’ve heard God very clearly speaking to us about “only doing what only we can do”. That’s enabled us to focus our work on helping girls and young women see their true value in God’s eyes and for that reason, this year has been the band’s most effective and authentic ever.

‘We’re very strong as a four. But we’ve come to realise that God is now moving us all on individually.

The heart for young women and girls continues just as strong as ever through each of our ongoing journeys and we are planning new things to help the girls we’ve worked with over the years.’

‘Of course it’s a sad day for everyone at The Message,’ added Andy Hawthorne. ‘But it’s been an extremely fruitful seven-year journey for the girls.’

The band  ended this chapter of their lives with a farewell gig on May 7 2010 at Wythenshawe Forum that was an awesome send-off.

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Matt Hawthorne joined the Reflex team last year. Here are a few extracts from his diary during his first few months on the job.

There is a lad in our Hindley discipleship group called Evan*. He used to argue with the officers and get into fights daily (and had the ability to win most of them as well). He just had a lack of respect for everyone and himself. He recently became a Christian and the change in his attitude is astonishing. He now has a servant hearted attitude, helping out even before asked. Even the officers are shocked at the change. I asked him why, and he replied, ‘That’s what happens when you put your life in God’s hands’.

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One lad we first met in Forest Bank in September called Lee had a very hard exterior to begin with. He really didn’t want to open up, and kept himself to himself. However, after completing the music course, Lee asked to start our Uncut course, introducing the Christian faith. It was clear that he was really searching, but at the same time not wanting to be too vulnerable. A couple of weeks into the course we found out that Lee was in for a crime that had a lot of media attention. Because of this tragedy, Lee was understandably holding a huge amount of guilt, but praise God that Lee became a Christian at the end of the Uncut course, and is now part of a Discipleship course every Thursday.

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I was leading a Bible study in Hindley last Tuesday, going through Mark with eight lads aged between 16 and 18. Five of these guys had become Christians recently and are really growing and maturing. Three other guys had completed the Alpha course but not become Christians, but at the end of the session were really interested.

One of the three – Darren – was asking questions and said that he wanted to become a Christian but that he didn’t want to lose his youth. Basically, he wanted to be able to go out, get drunk and sleep around. Without the team saying a word, the inmates who were already Christians started to explain how Jesus had changed them. One told about how since becoming a Christian, he didn’t want to get drunk, take drugs or sleep around. After he’s hearing this, Darren gave his life to Christ along with another guy. At the end of the session the whole group were really excited about being ‘brothers’ in Christ!

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One of the managers from Styal came for a meeting, asking us to expand the work we do, thanks to the success we’ve seen over the last six months. On the wing that we work on regularly, there used to be an incident of some sort every week – either a riot, a fight, self-harming, or attempted suicide. But since Reflex started running sessions, there have been no incidents for six months! She loved both the youth work and the Christian work that we do, and asked us to do more in the prison.

*All young people’s names have been changed

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A key strand of The Message’s work with young people is in the North West’s young offenders’ institutions. We spent time with the Reflex team to find out more.

Most people have no real concept of what life in prison is like. Our impressions from TV or fiction will be of a lonely, hopeless place; a long wait for freedom.

But imagine if, even before you reached adulthood, you found yourself being punished for a bad decision you made and facing a long stretch behind bars.

For the approximately 2,000 young offenders in prisons across the North West and several hundred more in juvenile units, this is the desperate reality.

With convictions ranging from violent and sexual offences, to robbery, burglary, and drug offences, many are facing sentences which will steal many of their best years. And upon release, they’ll face even bigger challenges of resettlement and reintegration into society. Their sentence won’t end when they walk out of the prison gates.

‘We do everything we can to give hard-to-reach young people vision and hope, to stop them making the kinds of mistakes that will land them in prison,’ says Message CEO Andy Hawthorne. ‘But we realised that for some, we were getting there too late. More than anything, lads and girls in prison need to hear about Jesus and be offered the hope that only he can bring.’

Reflex mainly works with young offenders: in other words, young men and women convicted of a criminal offence between the ages of 18 and 21.  But they also work with juvenile offenders aged 17 and under.  Most are male but some 16% are female.

Simon Sullivan manages the Reflex team of four full-time staff, two interns and a large team of volunteers. He’s been working with the Message since 2006 when he felt God call him away from a 20 year career in engineering:

‘There’s such a need for Christian workers in Young Offenders’ Institutes. Even though prison chaplains do fantastic work, not many have worked with young people or know what to do with them. Reflex came about to work alongside them in doing a difficult and important job.’

Reflex’s work in prisons began with Sunday meetings and Alpha courses run out of the chaplaincies in the region’s young offenders’ institutions: Forest Bank, Styal, Thorn Cross and Hindley.

But over the last few years, the team has developed a broader and more holistic programme designed to address what experts say are the four main reasons young people offend. Crime among young people frequently stems from a lack of positive role models, low self-esteem and confidence, a lack of achievement and non-constructive use of leisure time.

Simon sees it as no coincidence that the very things that experts name as the root causes of offending are also the four main ways Reflex positively affects the young offenders they come into contact with.

‘We’re spiritual fathers, significant role models, to loads of lads and girls. They are learning to be fathered. Once they’ve got that, they’ve got security and self-esteem. Jesus said “knowing the truth sets you free”. Once they get that truth, they can be free.’

To help address endemic low self-esteem among young offenders, the Reflex team aims to show them their true identity as people made in the image of God.

They emphasise that God has a plan and purpose for each young person, showing what true achievement looks like and giving them a sense of purpose to move on, living productive lives.

Reflex’s work of building relationships and releasing potential among young offenders now spans first-contact detached work on the prison wings through to help with resettlement back into the community.

Many young offenders first meet the team during ‘association’– daily leisure time.  But the team runs several accredited courses during the day, such as the ‘Uncut’ course which helps young offenders to open up about their past, challenges their behaviour and brings them into contact with forgiveness and grace.

Together with Prison Fellowship and chaplaincy staff, Reflex also delivers Sycamore Tree, a restorative justice project that brings together victims of crime with groups of unrelated offenders.

Reflex also works together with Twelve24, In Yer Face and other specialist members of the Message team to deliver week-long music, drama and media projects. These are open to all young offenders and in some cases prison officers put names forward. Message teams set the tone but the participants are encouraged to engage creatively, writing lyrics and scripts.

Simon comments: ‘Of course we’re not going to be glorifying crime and drugs. We’re going to talk about identity and what’s next for your life. And ask the question: are you going to walk away from this?’

‘Or say we spend a week doing a music project. It’s not just about the music. What we get out of that is relationships. They spend time with us and they see Christianity proved to them, before their eyes. ‘

But how does this sort of work go down with hardened lads and girls whose lives are broken?

‘They love it. Team building, role play, games, it all helps bring young offenders out of themselves and gives them an amazing sense of achievement.’

Alpha courses in the prison chaplaincy are the way many young offenders get to ask questions about the team’s faith in Jesus, and find answers.

As they find faith, new believers are invited to join daytime discipleship groups, where they can encounter worship, take part in Bible study and pray for one another. The team works through the book of Mark, reading and discussing the text. Here the emphasis is on giving young offenders the skills to live a life of faith: to understand the Bible for themselves, to hear God and to pray.

‘Reading the Bible together and discussing it is so fruitful. We chew it up and think about it together – whether that’s a whole chapter or just a few verses. When you see how the Holy Spirit moves in these lads, it’s astounding. Even though they’re young in their faith, you can see God is doing something amazing.’

Helping ex-offenders get to grips with the real world after a long spell behind bars is crucial and Reflex aims to see all the men and women they have discipled settled into a supportive local church. Some are fed into work through organisations like Project Caleb.

Simon believes this particularly has a massive impact on reoffending. The latest available statistics show that seven out of ten young men released from the young offender custody re-offend within 12 months. However re-offending among Reflex’s clients is rare.

The team sees transformation in the lives of young offenders every day. Across the four institutions, as many as 30 young people responding to the gospel message each month. Some of the stories of transformation are breathtaking:

‘Wayne when he first joined us, his mental health was horrendous,’ remembers Simon. ‘He was brought up by a drug dealer. His dad beat him with crutches when he was a kid. The house he grew up in was raided by the police frequently. That’s all he’d ever been exposed to. When he was in prison he was attending health care all the time, hearing voices in his head.

‘When a lad called Wayne first joined us, his mental health was horrendous,’ remembers Simon. ‘He was brought up by a drug dealer. His dad beat him with crutches when he was a kid. The house he grew up in was raided by the police frequently. That’s all he’d ever been exposed to. When he was in prison he was attending health care all the time, hearing voices in his head.

‘A year later, Wayne was the one asking for worship songs in the group, raising his hands, introducing other people to Jesus. His mental health nurses were coming to our group to find out what we were doing. He was changed and his change was impacting other people. That’s what it’s all about.’

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Find out more about Reflex

On our website, you can watch four powerful testimonies, including Wayne’s, on video. Plus, read staff member Bruce Marshall’s diary on his experience delivering a media project in prison.

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What makes our schools bands different from ‘regular’ bands? We look back at the history and impact of our schools work, from The World Wide Message Tribe to Twelve24.

Back in 1988, Andy Hawthorne and his brother Simon ran a week-long youth mission at the Manchester Apollo. Thousands of young people turned up and hundreds responded – clearly God was at work.

Soon after, Mark Pennells approached Andy and Simon and started to work with them full-time in schools, singing and taking lessons, whilst music producer Zarc Porter honed his skills by working with Manchester’s popular rave bands in his home-built studio. What followed was ‘The Message to Schools’, a team dedicated to taking the gospel into Manchester’s schools, and a fore-runner of today’s Message Trust.

In 1992 Andy joined Mark as a rapper and communicator and Zarc as a producer and formed The World Wide Message Tribe (WWMT).

Andy explained their vision in an interview with Cross Rhythms in 1993, ‘God has called us to work in Manchester’s schools. There are so many kids here for us to reach with the gospel. Our long term aim is to have more than one team working in the area. We want our music to be as good as possible, but everything is a servant to evangelism.’

Over the next twelve years, the WWMT (just ‘The Tribe’ by 2001) performed in hundreds of schools weeks, concerts and festivals, released ten albums and led thousands to Jesus. The line-up changed over the years, as did their sound (and their outfits), but their vision remained the same: to share the good news in a relevant, meaningful way, to as many young people as possible.

In another interview in 1997, Andy Hawthorne commented, ‘All this stuff can easily become religion: trying to be funky, getting new haircuts and clothes, pushing the boundaries…it becomes the focus. If that’s an end in itself, it’s rubbish…it’s whether Jesus is at the centre of it. That’s what really matters.’

As the ministry developed, the band become overwhelmed by the number of requests to go into schools. In 2001, a second band, Blush, was formed to help cope with demand. The band is made up of young women who have a heart for teenage girls and takes lessons on issues such as self-esteem and ‘real beauty’.

In 2004, The Tribe took their final bow, but their influence didn’t stop there. Ex-band member Tim Owen took on the dream of forming a training centre (called ‘Genetik: The Tribe Academy) for potential new youth workers, musicians, and communicators. Tim and fellow ex-band members Lindz West and Andy Hawthorne regularly teach at the centre, which has seen two new bands form: LZ7 (fronted by Lindz) and Twelve24.

LZ7, formed in 2005, use a fusion of hip-hop, rock, free running and DJing in their shows. Two albums in, the band are planning an assault on the pop charts later this year: ‘This Little Light’, a song from their latest album ‘Gasoline’, has already received well over a hundred thousand views on YouTube and was used in a government-backed youth initiative, Shine.

Front man Lindz West comments, ‘When we’re in schools or at gigs, we want to be the best rappers, singers, drummers or DJs we can be, so that more people will get the opportunity to hear about our awesome God. We want young people to see, from our shows, that it is possible to live your dream and use the skills God’s given you in a positive way.’

Our newest band, Twelve24, are picking up the trail blazed by The Tribe, Blush and LZ7. They are named after John 12:24, where it says, ‘unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.’ The band is made up of three 20-somethings fresh out of the Genetik training programme.

Band mentor Tim Owen comments, ‘They’re taking the big issue facing young people today and hitting them head-on…they’re not watering down the gospel. They are committed to the young people of Manchester…their passion is growing by the day.’

In a culture where success is determined by how much money you earn, and how popular you are, The Tribe, LZ7, Blush and Twelve24 come as a shining light in the darkness. With a heart for showing young people that they are loved, and with Jesus at their centre, these bands show that they care more about the young people of Manchester than about selling records or rising to fame.

*Get The Message in your school*

You’re just one call away from having one of our bands or theatre company coming to your local high school. If you’re a church, please ask email Alan Saunders. For schools, please email Nathan Milnes. Our contact number is 0161 946 2300.

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London is one of the world’s most popular tourist cities but my time in London hasn’t involved the usual sightseeing. Instead I’ve been well off the beaten track exploring London’s many council estates – places you’ll never see in the travel brochures.

The differences between Urban Manchester and Urban London include both the obvious and the subtle. Urban London estates are more obvious on the landscape – tall, concrete, fortress-like, and often very compact, unlike Manchester’s endless sprawls of low-rise council semi-D’s and terraces.

Another curiosity to me is the way that the London estates often sit side by side with rows of pricey gentrified houses. The most striking symbol of this wealth–poverty divide has to be the East End communities along the Dockland Light Railway where overcrowded council flats are overshadowed by the glittering towers of Canary Wharf.

In the face of extreme overcrowding and huge ethnic diversity, establishing Eden teams in London is a big challenge. Your prayers are needed on both these fronts. Because living in the community is central to the way Eden goes about its ministry, we need to see some real breakthroughs in the provision of property.

We need divine favour with local councils, housing associations and private landlords if we’re to find homes for all our workers. We also need to get our recruitment message through to non-white church networks if our teams are to reflect the diversity present in the communities they are serving.

All the signs are that God is making a way where there was no way – which is exactly what we’re believing for!

If you want to become part of the adventure in London, or want to get a ticket for the launch celebration on March 18, visit www.eden-network.org.uk/london

The second issue of flow – The Message Magazine hits the streets today bursting with news and features from across The Message’s work in schools, communities and prisons.

Our cover story features Reflex’s vital work in the region’s young offenders’ institutions with some moving testimonies from prisoners who have found new life inside.

There’s a feature on the heart behind our schools work starting from the early days of the World Wide Message Tribe right through to new band Twelve24.

Plus special news from Blush, details of a bold new social action initiative, updates from Eden, contributions from friends Mark Ritchie and Roy Crowne and much, much more.

If you don’t already receive Flow regularly, you can sign up to receive it here.

Or simply click here to view this issue (and the debut issue from last year) online.

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George founded Operation Mobilisation in 1957, which today has over 5,000 missionaries in 110 countries around the world, motivating and equipping people to share God’s love with millions of people each year. He handed over the international leadership of OM in 2003 and today travels around the world as an advocate for global mission.

Q: You’re the first in our ‘Legends’ series of heroes of the faith. Who have been your role models over the years?

A: I came to Christ from a non-Christian background through the ministry of Billy Graham. He was my first major role model. Oswald J Smith, through his writing, particularly The Passion for Souls was a huge inspiration in terms of global mission vision.

Q: By 70, most people in the UK have retired but not you! What’s the secret to your amazing energy levels?

A: Energy is a gift from God. I’ve always taken good care of my health but in the end the calling of God on my life is such a motivating thing. To think that someone like me could be working for the King of Kings… whatever I do, I do ‘heartily as unto the Lord’.

Q: You’ve mobilised hundreds of thousands of people for mission. What advice do you give most often when people come to you with a heart for mission?

A: It’s Galatians 2:20. To me, the heart of Christian ministry is our walk with God. My passion is true spirituality: integrity, reality, purity, which to me means I am crucified with Christ. I don’t think it ends there though – it goes on to caring for the poor, reaching people with the gospel and loving your neighbour.

Q: OM has been in existence over 50 years – The Message isn’t even half that age yet! What insight could you give to a ministry in young adulthood?

A: I think it’s about growing in spiritual maturity. Those who think they are already spiritually mature should guess again. We have to continue to grow in grace and that means being ready for change. For example, six years ago I totally turned over the leadership of OM. I’m not on the committee, not leading from behind. I’m not even an advisor. That was my choice. Other founders have found it difficult to do that.

Q: Wherever you go, you promote books and give away thousands of copies a year. Why is literature distribution so important to you?

A: Well, I had a lot of questions as a young Christian – I still do. Billy Graham’s Peace With God answered so many questions I had as a young man. Books open our eyes to the people of the world and they can mentor a person as much as other people – it’s not either-or, we need both. When it comes to books and films I’m a spiritual glutton! God’s helping me with that.

Q: I understand you are coming up on your 50th wedding anniversary to Drena. Congratulations! But what’s the key?

A: I believe God gave me the right wife! We’re very different but we have the same focus – we are both committed to Jesus and missions.

Q: What’s the story behind your map-of-the-world jacket?

A: God gave me that jacket 25 years ago and I’ve been through 200 of them. I just auctioned one off for £1,000 in South Africa. It’s just a great visual device.

Q: Recently staff at The Message watched you give the jacket you were wearing to Andy. What made you do that?

A: Only a very important person would get one free! It’s a way of me thanking and honouring him. I’ve shared many of my experiences with Andy over the years and I can see that he is a long-distance runner. We both are.

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An estimated 50,000 copies of The Message’s youth discipleship DVD Deep are poised to be distributed across Central Asia thanks to a partnership with Kairos Media Trust.

The DVDs, dubbed in Kyrgyz and Russian, are just the latest batch to be distributed. Thousands of copies of Deep and Fresh have already reached young people across Central Asia. Kairos trustee Nick Hall comments,

‘There is such a need for these DVDs. Over half the population of Central Asia is under the age of 25, yet there is almost nothing on DVD to point them to Jesus. Right now, demand for the resources is far outstripping supply.’

Importing DVDs into countries like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is fraught with difficulty, so local churches are pioneering production and distribution themselves. But you can help. Every £1 donated pays for two DVDs to be produced.

If you’d like to help, contact silkroad@kairosmedia.org.