Eighty-five percent of the UK is rural. Village life is changing fast. Deaths exceed births yet migration has increased dramatically. Rural Britain is no longer a tranquil scene with an indigenous population. It is fast becoming one of the most complex mission fields, with social needs impacted by a range of contemporary issues including the effects of AIDS, drugs, loneliness, divorce and depression.

UK church growth confirms that the existence of the community rural evangelical church, and its witness, is under threat of closure yet the people remain and so do the underlying spiritual needs.

In a nutshell rural Britain is a growing mission field. It is on our doorstep. Seventy-two percent of the UK missionary force go overseas. Only twenty-one percent are engaged in ‘own culture mission’, and much of that in our needy inner city areas. Very little reaches the rural areas.

If the glory of Almighty God is to be restored in this country through renewal and revival, in that order, then the national evangelical church must renew its understanding of the Great Commission on Matthew 28:19, defined in Acts 1:8.

That means churches sending out missionaries into rural Britain. Supporting them through prayer, encouragement and finance. FEBV has been called together, by God, to be a resource through which workers can exercise a desperately needed mission.

The Fellowship for Evangelising Britain’s Villages evolved out of the Friends’ Evangelistic Band which was begun by a Cornishman, George Alexander Fox, in October 1919, with the purpose, as he himself writes, ‘to further aggressive gospel effort.’

Such ‘aggressive’ evangelism began in Darlington and sought to visit every home, sharing the gospel with every person!

God gave to this Christian initiative great vision which was carried out by visiting villages and hamlets on foot or by means of horse-drawn caravans costing less than £30! Open-air preaching, visitation and children’s work, supported by a network of prayer, formed the backbone of the growing fellowship.

By the end of the Jubliee year, 1969, there were 27 missionariies, 12 honorary and 48 associate missionaries. It was also during this celebration year that the name was changed to Fellowship for Evangelising Britian’s Villages (FEBV) with evangelising at the centre of its name and being the dominant factor in its work.

Now centred at Braybrooke in Leicestershire, there are 22 full-time Team Evangelists around the country, 108 associates and 14 honorary members. The prinicipal aim of the Fellowship has not changed, to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, determined that every street in every city and town, every village and hamlet in this land should hear the gospel.

To meet the challange FEBV needs your help now if we are to continue to be a growing resource to the local rural church and community.

FEBV has always been a faith mission. That simply means that we trust Father God to meet our needs. All born again believers are expected to live by the comprehensiveness of faith - FEBV are simply praying that the evidence for this practical, believing faith will be channelled in the right direction.

With more resources more can be accomplished for the kingdom. We need more workers, more prayer, more encouragement and more financial support. We are asking Father (Luke 10:2) to meet these needs through His church.

We desire to share this burden with those churches and organisations who may be willing to prayerfully consider the work of FEBV within their mission mandate.

• If you are the Principal or Director of a Christian training centre, will you invite us to come and speak to your students?

• If you are a church leader, pastor or elder, will you invite us to come and speak to your fellowship?

• If you are involved in a Christian organisation, are there ways that you can postively engage in dialogue with us to combine the evangelistic effort in rural Britain? If so, will you meet with us?

Contact:
FEBV
PO Box 271
Taunton
Somerset
TA1 1YY
England
Tel.(+44) (0)1823 321016

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