About Us

Background

We started this blog to allow friends and family to follow us as we ‘stepped out with God’ into a new season of ministry after Myles left his career in business back in 2012. Now we are settled back into UK based ministry after our time in Malawi, we have decided to stop updating this blog. For the meantime we will keep the archive live on the web and monitor interest.

Our roles now we are back in the UK

Now we are back in the UK, Myles has taken up a role as National Director of Scripture Union England and Wales, taking over from Tim Hastie-Smith in January 2019. This press release gives some background. Myles will be helping to steer SU as it aligns behind its renewed vision to see a new generation of children and young people who have a vibrant, personal faith in Jesus an dseekd to filfill its mission to create opportunities for children and young people to explore the Bible, respond to Jesus and grow in faith. Myles will also continue to support Zambesi Mission though membership of its Executive Committee.

Ruth is continuing to support ZM in the role of Honorary Representative. In this role she will be supporting churches in the UK with a special emphasis on communicating the work of Children for Christ Mission. This will involve her returning to Malawi from time to time.

Our roles while we were in Malawi

While we were in Malawi, Myles partnered with the leadership of Zambezi Evangelical Church to support them strategically as they developed their vision and key strategic initiatives. He shared their passion for leadership training and helped ZEC introduce a portfolio of training programs for pastors and elders, many of whom have no formal training. He also got particularly passionate about grassroots preacher training and worked with Disciple the Nations Malawi to develop Preach the Word – a three module, village based, preacher training course that is now rolling out across Malawi. He talks about his path from ‘physicist to published theologian’ in an interview with Moorlands College where he did his MA in Applied Theology.

Ruth worked alongside the Children For Christ Ministry team as they ran Bible clubs and provided training for Sunday school teachers. She also did much work with a Malawi partner to develop the first children’s worship song book for Malawi with old and newly created scripture based songs in Chichewa, Chitumbuka and English. She also helped the students of the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi to develop their musical skills, and supported a group of young musicians (Echoes of Grace) to develop their vision of reaching Malawian villages with the gospel through music and song.

Our story

We had lived in Suffolk for 26 years when in 2012 we were challenged to step out with God in a new direction.

Both of us were blessed with a Christian upbringing, Ruth coming to faith before the age of 10, and Myles as a teenager. We met while serving God at an SU Scotland camp in East Lothian and a year or two later Ruth moved from Belfast to Glasgow – Myles’ home city – to study. Some years later, after marrying and moving south, Myles embarked on a career spanning the telecommunication and media industries while Ruth taught piano from home and cared for their four children.

In our small Suffolk church we were involved in children’s work, church administration,
church music, preaching and teaching. We had the joy of seeing each of our children commit their lives to Christ and be baptised.

Since moving to Mickfield Evangelical Church, Ruth has established a very successful choir, and widened her music and assembly work in schools. in 2012 Myles helped oversee the launch of a church partnership with Great Blakenham Baptist Church, whilst preaching regularly in an increasing number of Suffolk churches.

While still in business, Myles became involved in missions as a board member of One Mission Society, with a particular interest and involvement in churchplanting movements world-wide. His international business role also gave him much opportunity to travel and work with people from different cultures.

In 2012, after a challenging but enjoyable 25-year career in business leadership, Myles clearly felt God calling him to use his skills and experience in full-time mission work, and he started an MA in Applied Theology at Moorlands College. At the same time Ruth has been exploring the use of ethnomusicology in missions; encouraging the appreciation and use of indigenous music in the worship of the church.

Back in the UK, and living in rural north Bedfordshire, we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see the work of zambesi mission in Malawi first-hand, and have developed a love for the country and the people of Malawi that will never dim. The depth of faith and commitment of men and women of God faithfully serving the local church while living in real poverty, and the quality and strength of men in leadership of Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC), has made a deep and lasting impression. The strong relationships between zm, ZEC and ZEC leaders; the small size and strong focus of zm; the integrity of the zm and ZEC leadership in stewarding and apportioning limited funds in a country of such huge need; all have encouraged us to get involved. And encourage us to continue our involvement.