What is LOVE BICESTER?

 It’s a ‘one-church’ opportunity to share the gospel with our friends and neighbours. This means that Christians right across Bicester and the villages are involved with this. It’s something we’re doing together as the unified body of Christ and one of the most exciting thing about this project. It’s about the whole church of God working together to share his good news. The Love Bicester planning team are a practical example of this being made up of people from a range of churches and denominations.

 Another exciting aspect of Love Bicester is its aim: bringing the Gospel to our friends and neighbours in and around the town. The vision of the project is to see Bicester and the surrounding villages becoming a centre of Christian revival across the UK!

 Why is sharing the gospel exciting? And why make an extra effort to reach out to share the gospel with those around us? Because it’s what we were saved for, and because Jesus is the answer to Bicester’s problems. And to the problems of those people who mean the most to us, our family, our friends, our neighbours and our colleagues.

 What does LOVE BICESTER involve?

 It’s made up of two easy parts: Prayer & Relationship, and then a Mission Week between 19-28 March, 2010. First off, we’re asking all Bicester Christians to add a model of praying to their quiet time/their prayer groups/their cell group prayer called Oikos.

Oikos is ancient Greek for ‘house’ or ‘household’. The idea is that you choose six people with whom you have almost daily contact who don’t know the Lord, and you commit to praying for them and their salvation. It could be the local shopkeeper, a colleague, a relative. The point is that these people are always on your mind and heart. You’ll be amazed at how God answers your prayers for these people.

Oikos: Greek for house or household 

The next part involves strengthening and deepening your friendships with the Oikos people and others. Not just because of Love Bicester, and not just because you want to share the Gospel with them. Rather because we all want to be better friends. If you work to make your relationships deeper and more meaningful all your friends—churched and unchurched—will get to know you and see how your faith shapes and affects your life. People can’t see what Jesus means to you if you don’t spend quality time with them. And the most important part of a friendship is trust. So that when you do want to share you faith, people trust you enough to listen openly.

 The second part of Love Bicester is the Mission Week in March. During this time Bicester Christians and churches will be holding a whole range of events that will include an element of sharing the Gospel. The idea is that Christians go along and invite the friends and neighbours with them.

 Fear not, the church-led events will be fun! Current plans include a Top Gear-style event, film nights for both children and adults, celebrity talks, Robots, Avatars & Humans, a Gospel Choir concert and Caribbean Dinner with a difference! At these events and at the home events explained below, there is the option of inviting a member of a mission team led by theologian, author and evangelist Michael Green. These are lovely Christians from around the world who are comfortable sharing their faith and their testimony with those who attend and want to know more about Christianity.

 The other very important part of the mission week is the home events. Christians from churches across Bicester and the villages will be opening their homes to their friends and neighbours (especially those people that they’ve been building those relationships with and praying for) for informal social events with Christian content. These could be coffee mornings, dinner parties, beer and pizza nights, BBQs, children’s story time. Again, members of Michael’s mission team are available to give a short testimony, or to be present to answer questions people have about the Christian faith.

 Will LOVE BICESTER succeed?

 The answer is ‘yes’ (with God’s help and grace). Evangelism is actually about bringing people along a line from having a bad opinion about God to having a saving relationship with Jesus. Our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues are somewhere on this line. These kinds of events will help to move people along that line a few steps – some to salvation, others to a place where they want to learn more about the Christian faith. Of course we want people to make a commitment, but moving them along the line is also success.

 

Where they are at:	Lead them to:
I don't believe in God	God exists, Christians are OK
God exists, Christians are OK	Tell me more about Christianity
Tell me more about Christianity	Make a commitment
Make a commitment	A personal relationship with God

 After the events, for those people who want to learn more there will be Alpha courses available; for those who make a commitment there will be a discipleship course to give them a solid grounding in the Christian faith whatever church they choose to attend.  As you may expect your church will be looking for volunteers to help bring these 'seeking' people into God's Kingdom. So pray and ask God to prepare you for the wonderful work ahead. We hope that you are as excited about Love Bicester, Mission 2010, as we are, and that you will do whatever you can to join the growing movement of Christians committed to praying for, and sharing the love and good news of Christ with those around us.