The International Council
From left to right
Standing: Vic Gledhill, Bob Whitchurch, Bryn Franklin, JB Masinde, Dave Richards, John Kelly, John Isaacs, Stanley Mehta
Sitting: Fraser Hardy, Ron MacLean, Art Good, Ngwiza Mnkandla, Barney Coombs, Steve Thomas, Duane Harder

"We are sitting around a large table in a meeting room at Prairie Bible School, Calgary, Canada. The occasion is a four day meeting of the International Council of Salt and Light Ministries in May last year. Barney Coombs (a white Englishman), the chairman, is organising his papers for this first session of the day.  Into the room comes Ngwiza Mnkandla (a black African) who leads the Faith Ministries churches in Zimbabwe. Barney looks up: "Morning Ngwiza, you look a bit pale today."  Ngwiza replies, "Barney, how would you know?"

Somehow this brief interchange last year, for me, captured the spirit of the international leadership group of Salt and Light. There is good humour, real affection, genuine relationship, an acceptance of one another with our differences - and yet the group has come together on essentially the same vision and values concerning Christ and His Church.  On the day of his ordination as pastor of the (then) Basingstoke Baptist Church in 1966, God spoke to Barney from the story of Saul's early career in 1 Samuel 10:26 which says, "and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him".  This word, that Barney would be the leader of a team of 'valiant men' was to be fulfilled initially in Basingstoke, then more widely in the UK, and later still in the international family of churches.  Right from the beginning the nations were in Barney's heart, and he began to 'collect' friends who were leaders of significant groups in their own nations.  About ten years ago, as these relationships developed, Barney felt the need to gather together some of those key leaders.

So for instance in Entebbe, Uganda in February 2002 we were 6 Europeans, 4 Canadians, 3 Africans, 2 Americans, and 1 Indian (Fraser Hardy from New Zealand was on sabbatical.)  We were together for four days: we prayed a good deal (including praying for the many ex-pat workers in Uganda), we shared meals together, we discussed papers on the work of the Holy Spirit, the theme of Covenant in Scripture, the Trivialization of God (and ran out of time to deal with 'Suffering' and 'Christians and War'!) - and talked and deepened relationships.  Then we headed off in teams to Zambia, Kenya, and churches in Uganda, to meet with and encourage the saints.

This annual gathering of leaders from different nations, apostolic and prophetic in character, is a key point of reference for Barney, and a stimulating, perspective-broadening time for all involved.  The 'valiant men' depart refreshed and encouraged!"

-- Bob Whitchurch