[Committee] Fwd: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

[Guy Schofield]

Hi Everyone,

Some of you may already have heard about Bristol CU and their trouble with the media and their students union today regarding their decision on whether or not they allow women to teach in their meetings. As our Christian brothers and sisters it would be good to be praying for them as a committee, a society and as a missional community at Bristol Uni.

Also It would probably be helpful for you all to read the emails below and the attached statement from UCCF in case we are contacted about the same issue by ICU or the press.

In Christ,

 
Guy


----- Forwarded Message -----
>From: "coldfield at uccf.org.uk" <oldfield.uccf at gmail.com>
>To: Guy Schofield <gt.schofield at yahoo.co.uk>; Becky Tyrwhitt-Drake <becky.tyrwhittdrake at facebook.com> 
>Sent: Wednesday, 5 December 2012, 18:28
>Subject: Fwd: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL
> 
>
>Hey guys you may have heard Bristol CU's gone thru the media today. Worth a read of this as a committee in case you get asked by SU/Press. And pray for Bristol that Jesus and his love would be amplified where others both in and outside the church/CUs would sideline him for other issues on which to take a stand. Lets dare to make a stand on the gospel hope in which alone Christians really do stand united!
>
>Chris
>
>Begin forwarded message:
>
>
>From: Richard Cunningham <RCunningham at uccf.org.uk>
>>Date: 5 December 2012 17:06:36 GMT
>>To: UCCF Associate Field and Office Staff <UCCFAssociateFieldandOfficeStaff at uccf.org.uk>, UCCF Field and Office Staff <UCCFFieldandOfficeStaff at uccf.org.uk>, UCCF Relay Wokers 2012-2013 <Relay2012DL at uccf.org.uk>
>>Subject: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL
>>
>>
> 
>>Dear brothers and sisters,
>>Thanks for all your prayerful efforts on this. Dave Mackie helpfully pointed out that we should  send a pdf version  of the statement to protect against mischief. Please find pdf attached and just send this out from now on (please delete Word document).
>>Just one final couple of observations:
>>1.       The statement seems to have helped offer clarity and much good stuff is now being re-tweeted. Let’s be diligent in looking after our students and preventing them from being trapped into interviews with media etc. Get CUs to pass on statement and refer media to Pod.
>> 
>>2.       My worry is that if some SUs and journalists continue attacking Christians on this issue some of our more conservative students will feel they are compromising if they don’t air their own personal view on women speakers. The issue of women and the church is not unimportant at all- but it is not nearly as important as the Gospel of Jesus and what people think of him.
>>. Please encourage your students and church supporters (whatever their personal views about women speakers) to realise that this affair is making people think the gospel is anti-women, bigoted and odd! We know the gospel is beautiful, good and true and we must do all we can to get people to see that. This statement is not perfect, but it will help the watching world to see that the gospel- at its heart -has neither male nor female, slave nor free. Let’s pray that the legitimate (and varying) convictions folk have about church order is not allowed to make the gospel look ugly and sectarian to the watching world.
>> 
>>I thank the Lord for every one of you and it pains mean to read some of the venomous and untrue comments directed our way. 
>>By the way,  I had lunch yesterday with George Verwer who expounded on his earlier comments to the office staff on the Biblical doctrine of Messy-ology (not missiology). Namely- Where there is great evangelistic activity there will be mess. 
>>At this advent time we think of the greatest, most beautiful  and planned event in the history of the world- The incarnation. But without a biblical messy-ology we would be confused and discouraged by the circumstances- a pregnant, unmarried teenage girl who with her husband becomes an asylum seeker- the hundreds of innocent baby boys slaughtered etc.  
>>We do not lose heart…
>>  
>>Warmest
>> 
>>Richard
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