The Jesmond Trust [associated with Jesmond Parish Church, Newcastle] has recently launched a potentially significant ministry, called Clayton Media. It’s a TV production company that hopes to produce documentaries on ethical, social and religious issues with the aim of influencing public policy. At some stage later this year they’ll be streaming television material from a biblical perspective from an internet channel.

The following is an excerpt from their web site

There are 1.7 million UK evangelical Christians, forming 3% of our population.

However we are grossly under-represented in the national media. A reticence by evangelicals to be involved, combined with commissioning editors actively opposed to evangelical content has led to evangelicals becoming a large yet virtually ‘invisible’ people group.

This has:

• Strengthened a secular worldview, making evangelism more difficult.
• Weakened the influence of evangelicals in public policy making.
• Created a spiritual ‘void’ which inevitably is being filled by smaller groups and religions willing and able to utilise the medium.

I think that analysis is fair.

Their long term aims are

• To build a large network of British and international viewers, Christian and non-Christian, regularly watching programmes with Christian content or worldview.
• To influence public policy through the political clout of programmes with high viewing figures that persuasively advocate Christian ethics.
• To provide a training centre for television production and so build a sizeable unit in the NE exporting trained Christians into the secular media.
• To provide media resources for churches and mission organisations encouraging them to be involved in television media.
• To change popular culture in the UK by growing a company large enough to secure commissions from the national channels.

If you’re keen to find out more check out their website here http://www.clayton.tv/

I’ve never been. But if what Rosslyn tells me is true, and I have no reason to suspect otherwise, it’ll be great. If it’s anything like the London Men’s Convention then it’s not something to miss. The speakers line up looks great, the music will be uplifting and the theme is just so, well, Christian. It’s all about devotion to Christ and that’s what we Christians do. I can’t imagine that we won’t be helped by this conference whether we’re on fire for the Lord or whether our affection is little more than some dying embers. This could be just what we need.

Now, the great advantage of the LWC is that there are two dates and so you can usually get away with being booked up for one of them. So pull out your mid year diaries, lay aside your pencil and scribble in the dates with a big indelible marker. Say to yourself, ‘I’m going and wild horses won’t keep me away!’

Audrey Nelson is co-ordinating CCB bookings this year. It’d be fair to say that she’s not yet been inundated with response! That may have something to do with the poor publicity for an event for which I feel no personal attachment. Having said that, Rosslyn is a noticeably more attentive wife after she returns! Obviously, she’s always an example of godly ‘wifelihood’ but she somehow takes it to whole new level! [I think I got away with it]. But I repent of my insufficient enthusiasm for this conference. Therefore this e-mail!

The slow response may be due to the fact that many of us feel that we’ve ‘done’ the LWC. I made this discovery a few years ago at the Men’s equivalent. And then I realised that not only do I benefit from it every year but that there must be mates, Dads, sons, brothers, cousins, more distant family members, work colleagues, friends at other churches and so on who would benefit from it as well. So I started inviting them along. And they loved it. So you may feel that you don’t need to go but I’ll guarantee that you know someone who does. Therefore can I encourage you to prayerfully consider who you might invite?

Men, don’t think you’re immune from this e-mail. You know women who could benefit from this. Get them connected with the girls at church. Dads, we need to hunker down for some lone parenting; so the girls can go. We’re not good at this! Let’s pool our parenting resources. I suggest a programme of, McDonalds for breakfast, soft play for the morning, pizza hut for lunch, take the kids home for afternoon sleeps and then show a DVD on the church projector until the Mums come home for tea! Brilliant. The kids are happy, Mum’s amazed and most important of all we’ve managed a latte and the sports section! Genius. Not sure that’s what I learned at the ‘how to be a great husband’ seminar at the Men’s Convention but it can’t have been far off…

You’ll find details here http://www.londonmensconvention.co.uk/lwc_home.htm 

You might like, also, to read Ann Benton’s article on why women’s minsitry is so significant. You can find it here http://www.e-n.org.uk/3916-Women-ministry-and-changing-times.htm