These are some of the precious Roma people we will be ministering to in England. Rev. Stan Strunc and Rev. Sangyee Nam, missionary from Korea, are in the front row, second and third from the right. God is moving in mighty ways among the Roma people.

By Tom Shanklin

Thank you to all of you who have been praying and giving towards our mission to England (January 30-Feb. 13) and to all who support our ministry on a regular basis. You are helping us to reach precious souls with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This trip is the fulfillment of a long-time vision. For years, Susan and I have been lifting up England and the entire United Kingdom in prayer, interceding for the government, the Gospel ministers, the body of Christ and the many who need to receive Jesus in that part of the world. Finally, this year the Lord opened the door, by giving us a connection with three ministers from the UK who I met at the Shell Lake Full Gospel Church Missions Conference in Wisconsin—Pastor Kelton Black of Gospel Tabernacle Minisitries, Stan Strunc of In His Love Ministries and Kingsley Armstrong of International Gospel Outreach.

The bonds between the United States and the UK are long standing, in spite of the fact that we fought two wars. Ever since the War of 1812, relations have warmed between the two nations, until in 1946, Winston Churchill declared a “special relationship” between the UK and the US.

But even more than the political bonds, there is a “special relationship” spiritually between the UK and the US. There has been a strong connection between our revivals of the past, and also a link between our spiritual declines. It seems that our spiritual destinies are joined together. And just as our nation is in desperate need of revival now, so also is the UK. I believe we need to pray for one another and unite our hearts that God might move on our behalf. The time is right for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit in both of our nations.

For us in the US, many of our heroes of the faith hail from the British Isles, including John Wesley, George Whitefield,  Smith Wigglesworth, William Carey and many others. We also have the Brits to thank for the King James Bible, which I still believe has “higher octane” than our modern translations, although some of our friends may disagree. 🙂

William Carey, a pastor of a small rural church in England is known as the father of the modern missionary movement. Carey came under a burden for the unsaved masses of the world who were not being reached with the Gospel. As a result of his influence, a missions organization with the elaborately descriptive name “Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of the Gospel Amongst the Heathen” was formed in 1792. Carey went on to become a missionary to India. When another minister said, ”There is a gold mine in India; but it seems as deep as the centre of the earth; who will venture to explore it?”, Carey responded, ”I will go down … but remember that you must hold the rope.”

Interestingly, one of our stops during our journey to England will be a missions conference at a Baptist church, New Life Baptist Church in Northallerton, Yorkshire in the north of England. This conference is held in conjunction with International Gospel Outreach, which is led by Kingsley Armstrong. We are praying that God will connect us with like-minded ministers at Northallerton, for His plans and purposes.

Then, we will be holding meetings in Highbridge, Sommerset in the south of England with Pastor Kelton Black and the churches of that city. From there we will travel to Gloucester (birthplace of George Whitefield) and then on to Derby and Rotherham which are near Birmingham in Central England, where we will minister among the Roma people.

The Roma (also known as Gypsy) people originated in the north of India and have been dispersed all over the world. They speak their own language, often mixed with the language of the nation where they live. It is estimated that as many as 300,000 Roma people live in the UK. Lately, there has been a genuine move of the Holy Spirit among them, and many have come to know Jesus in a personal way, and have been radically transformed.

Well, you might have realized by now that Susan and I are quite excited about this trip, and have great expectation. Please keep us in your prayers for safety, a free flow of the Holy Spirit, that the Gospel will go forth with power, and that we will find favor wherever we go.

I look forward to bringing you a good report. Remember, too, that we are praying for you every day!

Poster for our meetings in Derby.