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MAF is the world’s largest humanitarian airline, bringing Christian help, hope and healing to those in need. No time to waste This year has been one to remember. We’ve been told to isolate and avoid contact with others – an alien concept in the UK. Yet for those living in places like Liberia, Mozambique and Timor-Leste, being so far from roads, education and healthcare is a daily reality. Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), which brings help, hope and healing to 27 developing nations, flies light aircraft across hostile landscapes to eliminate precious hours, even days, from travel times. Saving time often saves lives. Liberia A request for an urgent medevac came in — a fivemonth-old baby needed treatment for a parasitic flesh-eating condition. Given that she lives in a remote Liberian village, it was feared she wouldn’t survive the ten-hour motorbike journey to ELWA Hospital in the capital Monrovia. Thanks to MAF, mother and baby were flown straight to the hospital in just one hour by MAF pilots Roy Rissanen and Steven Biggs. After two operations, the little girl is responding well. Mozambique Over 70,000 people fled Palma on the northeast coast of Mozambique following terror attacks on earlier this year. MAF affiliate Ambassador Aviation has rescued more than 1,000 refugees on 150 flights in an emergency evacuation effort. On the first two 60-minute roundtrips from Palma to the region’s capital Pemba, Ambassador Aviation evacuated 13 adults, 12 children and six babies. Timor-Leste MAF Timor-Leste received a call to medevac a woman with a complicated pregnancy. She had been in labour for over 24 hours and wasn’t progressing fast enough. The woman was safely flown from her island to the hospital on the mainland in just 13 minutes, saving her hours of uncomfortable travel over the sea. For over 75 years, MAF has been flying over jungles, mountains, rivers and deserts to help isolated people in hard-to-reach places. Every six minutes, an MAF plane is taking off or landing somewhere in the world, bringing hope to thousands of people. Your gifts can help keep us flying for life today and long into the future. HELP US TO CONTINUE FLYING FOR LIFE It costs just £60 to fuel an MAF flight and reach the furthest corners of the world. Please consider giving a gift today. Here is my gift of: TITLE FULL NAME ADDRESS £60 £30 £10 other £ PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS POSTCODE GET THE INSIDE STORY! For over 75 years, MAF has been flying to the most isolated locations in the world. Tick the box to receive inspirational updates, real-life stories and interesting country facts you can’t read anywhere else. We are committed to protecting your privacy, and promise to respect your personal information and do all we can to keep it safe. This includes not selling or sharing personal details with third parties for marketing purposes. You can find out more about how we process your data at www.maf-uk.org/privacy. You can withdraw your consent at any time by calling 01303 852819 or emailing discovery@maf-uk.org To find out more about our work and Christian values, visit www.maf-uk.org Please use where most needed I enclose my cheque made payable to MAF UK Please debit my card account CharityCard, MasterCard, Visa (please circle card type) Card number Valid from date Expiry date SIGNATURE CSV code (3 digits on the back of your card) DATE DD / MM / YY To make a gift by telephone, please phone our Supporter Relations team on 01303 852819 or you can give securely online by visiting www.maf-uk.org/reach Make your gift go even further with Gift Aid I want to Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past four years to Mission Aviation Fellowship UK. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Please return this form to: FREEPOST RTKH–HJEY–BTJL, MAF UK, Castle House, Castle Hill Avenue FOLKESTONE CT20 2TQ Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107) ® Registered trademark 3026860, 3026908, 3026915 advertchristmas21-c

12 Contents October 2021 ReformNEWS COMMENT INSPIRATION DEBATE OCTOBER 2021 £4 £2.95 TO SUBSCRIBERS FROM GUNS TO GOD A JOURNEY TO FAITH AFTER A LIFE OF CRIME PLUS Conversion therapy John Knox Singleness A GOOD QUESTION Is Christianity woke? MY CHILDHOOD as an alien CLIMATE Church acts Cover design Chris Andrews ‘I fell head over heels in love with Jesus’ 20 ‘The wrongness of this world is made right’ FEATURES 8 Climate Sunday David Coleman reports from Glasgow Cathedral 9 Cathedral protest Valerie King describes her arrest in St Paul’s Cathedral 12 Up from the streets Claud Jackson talks to Stephen Tomkins about crime and Jesus 20 A good question: Is Christianity woke One question, four answers 25 Any Earthly Use Can the church tackle climate change? asks Andy Atkins 27 Knox’s graven image Peter Stanford on Scotland’s iconoclastic reformer 28 My childhood as an alien Alex Clare-Young’s childhood in a body that felt like an enemy 31 Meals for the neighbourhood Serving food in Wolverhampton 32 Celebrating 50 together Anticipating the URC’s 50th COLUMNS 16 Chapter & verse Emmanuel Frimpong hears Jesus’s call 17 Sarah Moore Church can be a lonely place for a single person 18 I am... A survivor of conversion therapy looks back 19 Here & now Jo Harris celebrates the healing power of music 23 On the pilgrim way Sheila Maxey on the challenge of living in the present 38 Do stay for tea and coffee Paul Kerensa gets a surprising new job REGULARS 4 Editorial 5 News 10 Letters 11 Art in focus Refugee by Kate Green 34 Classified adverts 35 Film review 36 Book reviews 39 Reform crossword ‘Digest’, containing news about the life and work of the United Reformed Church, is available with this issue ‘Imagine constantly feeling naked’ 28 SUBSCRIBE TO Reform www.reform.magazine.co.uk/ subscribe If you value the freshest, most challenging and most enriching Christian magazine there is, let us deliver Reform straight to your door. For more information visit www.reform-magazine.co.uk/ subscribe Reform | October 2021 | 3

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12

Contents October 2021

ReformNEWS COMMENT INSPIRATION DEBATE

OCTOBER

2021 £4 £2.95 TO SUBSCRIBERS

FROM GUNS TO GOD A JOURNEY TO FAITH AFTER A LIFE OF CRIME

PLUS

Conversion therapy John Knox Singleness

A GOOD QUESTION Is Christianity woke?

MY CHILDHOOD as an alien

CLIMATE Church acts

Cover design Chris Andrews

‘I fell head over heels in love with Jesus’

20

‘The wrongness of this world is made right’

FEATURES

8 Climate Sunday David Coleman reports from Glasgow Cathedral

9 Cathedral protest Valerie King describes her arrest in St Paul’s Cathedral

12

Up from the streets Claud Jackson talks to Stephen Tomkins about crime and Jesus

20

A good question: Is Christianity woke One question, four answers

25 Any Earthly Use Can the church tackle climate change? asks Andy Atkins

27 Knox’s graven image Peter Stanford on Scotland’s iconoclastic reformer

28

My childhood as an alien Alex Clare-Young’s childhood in a body that felt like an enemy

31 Meals for the neighbourhood Serving food in Wolverhampton

32 Celebrating 50 together Anticipating the URC’s 50th

COLUMNS

16 Chapter & verse Emmanuel Frimpong hears Jesus’s call

17 Sarah Moore Church can be a lonely place for a single person

18 I am... A survivor of conversion therapy looks back

19 Here & now Jo Harris celebrates the healing power of music

23 On the pilgrim way Sheila Maxey on the challenge of living in the present

38 Do stay for tea and coffee Paul Kerensa gets a surprising new job

REGULARS

4 Editorial 5 News 10 Letters 11 Art in focus Refugee by Kate Green 34 Classified adverts 35 Film review 36 Book reviews 39 Reform crossword

‘Digest’, containing news about the life and work of the United Reformed Church, is available with this issue

‘Imagine constantly feeling naked’

28

SUBSCRIBE TO Reform www.reform.magazine.co.uk/

subscribe

If you value the freshest, most challenging and most enriching Christian magazine there is, let us deliver Reform straight to your door.

For more information visit www.reform-magazine.co.uk/

subscribe

Reform | October 2021 | 3

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