Ignition Gloucestershire was established in 2006 with two clear aims:
• To transform the lives of individuals and extend God’s kingdom
• To assist churches reaching out in mission as they work together
The ‘taskforce’ and ‘trustees’ of Ignition Gloucestershire represent churches from across the denominations and the Stroud area. Working closely with ‘Churches Together in Stroud’ and local churches we long to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ and become firmly rooted in the local church. Experience tells us that one of the most effective ways of doing this is for the church to work together locally and for Christians to be well prepared in ‘personal evangelism’ (which can simply mean no more than being willing to invite friends, families and colleagues to a non threatening event).
The initial thrust of Ignition was to organise a major inter-church mission with the evangelist J.John which took place in a 1800-seater Big Top in Stratford Park over 4 days in June 2007 and attracted thousands of guests. ‘Ignition07′ included a mammoth picnic and one of the largest set of Sunday School classes ever witnessed in the area with a great deal of creativity!
Other events have been arranged including:
- J.John’s personal evangelism course ‘Breaking News’ held in the majority of churches across the area
- A ‘Captivity to Freedom’ evening with Paul & Fiona Jones and ‘The March of the Abolitionists’
- Christmas Carol Services with J.John, Mark Ritchie and Jeff Lucas
- A weekend with childrens worker Doug Horley
- ‘Sparks for Mission’ training seminars to equip and resource local churches with Martin Robinson, Laurence Singlehurst, Paul Griffiths, Roy Searle and others
- An evening of Celtic Spirituality with Roy Searle & team
- Two evenings with Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad
- A concert with the African Childrens Choir
- ‘The Acoustics Gospels’ with Graham Kendrick
- Sponsorship of ‘The Venue’ to bring Christian bands like ‘Empire Nation’, ‘Bought into Being’ and ‘Sounds of Salvation’ to the youth of the Stroud District
- ‘Journeys’ courses for those wanting to explore the Christian faith
The heart of Ignition from the beginning was to put on events of a high standard which would be attractive to those who would not normally attend church and which Christians would feel comfortable about inviting non-Christian friends and people on the fringe of the church to attend. At the same time we want to provide a forum for Christians to learn and explore more about what it means to be missional in our culture. That ethos remains as we continue to plan events on an irregular basis as opportunities arise and finances permit.
