What happens when Christians truly embrace reaching out to the 'least of these' right here in the UK? Those marginalised even by mainstream society - sex workers on the streets of our cities. While we don't think of it as 'evangelism,' surely being 'the hands and feet of Jesus' is a concrete way of sharing the gospel? It's certainly a challenging one!

Find out about how Embrace [https://www.embrace-uk.org/] is ministering to those selling sex on the streets of Birmingham and Coventry.

Kaeli Murphy is the Project Manager for Embrace in Birmingham and began in post in June 2023 as the services were expanded from Coventry. She has been volunteering and working with Embrace for 6 years alongside working for a community centre as a Youth Worker, and has a Masters in Youth Work and Community Development. Kaeli lives in Birmingham with her husband and leads the youth work at her church. She loves spending time with people, hosting, music and DIY (or anything creative!)

Embracing the Marginalised (with Kaeli Murphy)

“When people realise that their questions about faith aren’t brand new in the last two minutes, but have been asked thousands of times with really good answers - that would be how history and apologetics meet.” Gavin and Simon (the resident Solas history buffs) hear about an amazing project to bring the history of Christianity to the world - via animation on YouTube! Check out the results at christianstory.com [https://christianstory.com/]

 Oliver Dürr and Daniel Kim are co-founders of Christian Story.

2,000 Years on YouTube (with Oliver Dürr and Daniel Kim)

Following in the footsteps of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, today's PEP Talk guest runs a social media platform. It may be a bit smaller than X or Facebook, but it's purpose is much narrower and nobler. As Christians grapple with what it means to live out their faith online, the team at Grow Faith has built a platform just for them. Simon Wenham finds out more...

Richard Matthews is co-founder and COO of Grow Faith [https://growfaith.co/about], which produces the Grow app.

Faith in the Feed (with Richard Matthews)

Here on PEP Talk, we often think about how each of us can share our faith, perhaps on our own or with our local church. But what about the big picture - the REALLY big picture? On a global scale, in this century, what is happening as Christians everywhere seek to fulfil the Great Commission? Today Simon and Gavin speak with the director of the "State of the Great Commission" report from the Lausanne Movement.

You can access the full report here: https://lausanne.org/report

Matthew Niermann has served the Lausanne Movement since 2010 in a variety of roles including research and operations. He is currently serving as the director of the State of the Great Commission Report for Lausanne 4 [https://lausanne.org/]. In addition, he serves as a dean and professor of architectural design at California Baptist University, where his research partially focuses on the relationship between creativity and Christian witness.

The Global Great Commission (with Matthew Niermann)

Youth for Christ has recently produced an incredible two-part report on the recent growth of spirituality amongst Gen Z and Gen Alpha. What can we learn about the experiences of young people, their desires and interests, and their new paths to finding Jesus? Steve Osmond and Simon Wenham chat with the report author and youth worker, Laura Hancock.

Get access to the full report here - https://yfc.co.uk/z-a-growing-spirituality/

Laura Hancock is Senior Lead of Ministry and Research at Youth for Christ, and is also part of the Limitless youth ministry team. She loves volunteering with the church’s youth group, leading a small group and helping people think through how we creatively communicate Jesus to the next generation. She lives in Halesowen with her husband Andy and her two kids where they all attend Lifecentral Church. She loves reading, running, shopping, hanging out with her dog, and never says no to an offer of pick and mix!

Seeking Spirituality: Gen Z, Gen Alpha and the Church (with Laura Hancock)

There have been several indications recently that Christianity is on the rise in Britain, particularly in younger demographics. But why and how are people coming to faith? The Finding Jesus report [https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/finding-jesus] examines those questions. The answers give us encouragement and challenges as we see the different journeys people take to find Jesus.

Phil Knox is an evangelist and missiologist at the Evangelical Alliance. He is passionate about making Jesus known and the power of friendship. He loves learning and has degrees in law and mission and evangelism. Phil is married to Dani and they have two sons, Caleb and Jos. He is an avid runner, enthusiastic waterskier and once broke the world record for the longest five-a-side football match. He is also an award winning performance poet and author of Story Bearer and The Best of Friends. [https://www.eauk.org/great-commission/resources/best-of-friends]

Journeys to Finding Jesus (with Phil Knox)

If we tell people the fact that Jesus is real and can change your life, they can nod and say "That's great for you, but not for me." But when we tell a story of the amazing impact God has in extraordinary circumstances, it can become absolutely compelling! Simon and Gavin speak today with the host of Compelled, a story-driven podcast seeking to communicate incredible stories of lives transformed by the gospel.

Paul Hastings lives with his wife and four children near Austin, Texas, and attends Redemption Hill Church. As an entrepreneur, he's consulted extensively in the film, marketing and political arenas and is the Host of the Compelled Podcast [https://click.compelledpodcast.com/l/903c48c789993c799dcca7c95b6425885f4b07d2?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcompelledpodcast.com%2F&u=1577531]. His work has been featured by Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, Christianity Today, World Magazine, American Family Association, and The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of the brand new book, Compelled, a collection of real-life stories about sin, surrender, and the Savior who changes everything.

Compelled By Stories (with Paul Hastings)

Becci Greenfield 

Who did you turn to when you had big questions, even doubts, about the Christian faith? Were there individuals or groups in your church that let you explore your questions without shame or dismissal? Today on PEP Talk we discuss creating "Big Questions" small group discussions within a church setting. They could be a key ministry to help your church family too!

Becci Greenfield works in financial services but has also studied postgraduate theology specialising in the Old Testament. She developed a "Big Questions" [https://renewal.church/hub/big-questions/] ministry in her local church and is active on Instagram @thinkingfaithfully [https://www.instagram.com/thinkingfaithfully]. She lives in Coventry with her husband and 18 month old son.

Big Questions In Small Groups (with Becci Greenfield)

The Bible Society has published a fascinating report called The Quiet Revival [https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival] - analysing extensive survey results on generational attitudes to the Bible, church, and Christianity. In this conversation with one of the report co-authors, we press into the sources of encouragement and the challenges for the future of Christianity in the UK.

Dr Rob Barward-Symmons is Senior Research and Impact Manager at the British and Foreign Bible Society, Head of Research at Theos Think Tank, and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Modern Christianity at St John's College, Durham.

Our Survey Says... A Quiet Revival?

In this episode, Simon and Kristi chat with young YouTuber and podcaster Lydia to learn how she connects with Gen Z. Whether it's delving into mental health issues, or interviewing Christian authors, her young faith is a huge motivation for her. Sharing her faith and personal life can be daunting, but authenticity is an incredibly attractive quality in a world of online superficiality. 

Lydia Houghton studied Broadcast Journalism at Salford University. She now works as a Journalist for Evangelicals Now and is a Ministry Trainee at Wheelock Heath Baptist Church. If she isn't writing, she's most likely reading, and enjoys sharing book reviews on her YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@lydiahoughton/videos].

Vlogging for Jesus (with Lydia Houghton)

The Persuasive Evangelism Podcast equips listeners to share their faith more effectively in a sceptical world. Andy Bannister (Solas) and Kristi Mair (Oak Hill College) chat to a guest who has a great story, a useful resource, or some other expertise that helps equip listeners to talk persuasively, winsomely, and engagingly with their friends, colleagues and neighbours about Jesus.

Andy Bannister

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