A Thank You to New Wine
As our formal partnership with New Wine comes to an end, we at Church Army would like to express our sincere thanks for the journey we’ve shared. We’ve been honoured to serve, speak, and stand alongside you in pursuit of our shared calling: to see lives and communities transformed by the good news of Jesus. And we’ve been deeply encouraged by your openness to the missional heartbeat we carry.
What we’ve brought to this partnership is simple, but we believe it’s powerful: a vision of Evangelism by Presence, a way of doing mission that is rooted in place, built on trust, and lived out in service. It’s not quick or flashy, but it is transformational.
At February’s New Wine Leadership Conference, we shared our heart for this vision; how showing up, staying put, and serving well opens doors for the Gospel. We spoke about our Faith Resources, the Envoy evangelism programme, Missional Youth Church Network and LEAD our leadership, evangelism and discipleship programme. For those who spent time with us, thank you. We had many great conversations about the power of being present. Acknowledging that Jesus didn’t commute from heaven to earth; He very much lived in the community. And that’s the model we seek to follow at Church Army.
At conference and over the course of the partnership we have shared stories from our Centres of Mission, places where Church Army evangelists are embedded in communities, often for years. For example, Tin Can in Wrexham, a drop-in space for teenagers where trust is built slowly, and faith is discovered organically. One young person there recently told us, “Tin Can helped me survive school.” That kind of impact doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the fruit of presence, patience, and persistent love.
As churches we need a heart to be faithfully present. Has your church asked the question Where are we currently present in the community? And where are we absent?
Our formal partnership concludes at the end of June, but we’d love to continue walking with New Wine churches who feel stirred by the call to long-haul mission. Here are a few ways you can continue to engage:
- Pray for or our evangelists working in the most marginalised corners of the UK and Ireland.
- Access our evangelism resources (most are free) designed to help Christians confidently share the Gospel.
- Support us financially so we can keep deploying evangelists where the need is greatest.
- Host a Church Army speaker to inspire and encourage your congregation in mission.
Evangelism by Presence is a long game, but it’s kingdom work. We hope the seeds sown during our partnership will continue to bear fruit in the months and years ahead.
From all of us at Church Army, thank you, New Wine. Our prayer is that God continues to lead us all into deeper presence, faithful mission, and courageous witness.
To stay connected, visit churcharmy.org or follow us @ChurchArmy