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Ecumenism In Action
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Relentless FC
Putting God in the Game
Stuart Anderson became a Christian in March 2009. Since then his life has been turned around and amazing things have happened that can only be attributed to God. Seeing what God is doing in his life and what a great transformation has taken place, he wants as many people as possible to know about the Lord. He feels that God could use his life experiences for good in reaching out to people.
After becoming a Christian he spent a lot of time thinking how he could spread the word of God, particularly to people of the same generation as himself (30s.) He initially started to tell at least one person a week outside Church that he was a Christian and what God has been doing in his life as a result of this. Stuart understood that how he led his life as a Christian would speak to people, but felt that a more proactive approach was needed to reach a wider audience.
Stuart realised that in order to reach non-Christians he would need to enter into their environment. The only place where such people were likely to be found socially was in pubs and clubs. As a new Christian he did not feel that this was where he was called to be, so he needed another route. God gave Stuart the vision of setting up a Christian football team to compete in the Saturday Herefordshire football league.
In May 2009 with the help of different churches in Hereford, Stuart set up Relentless FC, a Christian- led football team, to compete in the local League. 
When the pre- season training started, there was a huge amount of interest and it was clear that this was something that would take off.
It is never easy turning a vision or an idea into reality, and the practical application of this takes a lot of support and commitment from a wide audience. Relentless has a team of helpers, such as cooks who provide a meal at Christian Life Centre for both teams after the home games, and cleaners to wash the football kit at the end of each game. In the 2009/2010 season Relentless FC was successfully established, and the team have built a solid foundation as they move forward in the 2010/2011 season.
The players are a diverse group who are a mixture of Christians and non-Christians with one thing in common; a passion for football. Relentless is run and managed by Christians and comes under the Hope4Herefordshire banner ( See the website, www.hope4herefordshire.org). Relentless does not expect everyone on the team to be a Christian, but they do ask that they adhere to the values and ethics of the club. When they sign on for the team, each player is given a code of conduct booklet clearly outlining what is expected, and perhaps more significantly, is not expected of a Relentless player. This is to ensure that everyone is an ambassador for the sport of football, and more importantly by playing for Relentless they are 'putting God in the game' as the strap line on the shirts states.
Stuart Anderson
Events for Twenties, Thirties, Forties in Shropshire.
After a successful first event where 15 people from across Shropshire met up in Craven Arms for a great walk and food, the following events are hoping to draw together even more people socially within this region.
For those who came, people's geographical isolation and being few in number in churches seemed common. Hopefully these events will help overcome this.
For further details on twenties, thirties, forties go to the national website www.ttfonline.org.uk
Healing On The Streets HOTS is coming to Hereford
Healing On The Streets began about 5 years ago with the Vineyard Church, in Causeway Northern Ireland, under the leadership of Mark Marks. It has become an international movement, operating in cities across Europe and further afield. It is a loose affiliation of churches and Christians working together under common guidelines but with room to personalise it to a particular locality.
There is a website detailing testimonies from different cities covering a wide area - www.out-there.org
HOTS as it is known is a very gentle way of approaching people with the message that Jesus heals and they can receive His healing through quiet prayer.
Teams undergo obligatory training to approach people in the right way with the offer of healing prayer. Chairs are set up, with umbrellas available for inclement weather. There is a spot which will always be the HOTS spot!! - people will always know where it is. A large banner is set up to aid visibility and there are a couple of people standing in the vicinity giving out leaflets which explain what HOTS is and inviting anyone who would like prayer to go to the area and be prayed for. HOTS will run on the same day and at the same time each week, probably a couple of hours on a Friday or Saturday morning.
All denominations and free churches are welcome to join this venture. HOTS in other areas has proved to be a truly ecumenical venture.
Council and police are consulted for permissions etc. There is a need for some set-up funding. Ongoing costs appear to be minimal - "Why Jesus?" or similar literature to give out, annual insurance costs and training of new team members.