SERMON OF THE YEAR RETURNS THIS SUMMER
The winning sermon will be announced at the finals after a reception at LST’s campus
in Northwood.
Louisa Lockwood, Editor of Preach, said: “We have been delighted to see the
competition go from strength to strength each year and the quality of entries for
Sermon of the Year 2019 has been no different. As a team we are inspired by the
consistently high standard and style of the entrants. It encourages us to keep giving
people the platform through the event and has shown us that preaching is alive and
well and still one of the most powerful agents of transformation in the church.”
Dr. Graham Twelftree, Acting Principal of LST, said: “I look forward to hearing the top
four finalists preach their sermons and to welcome the winner to attend LST, one of the
world’s leading theological institutions with a long and respected reputation.
“Sermon of the Year is always a great event for LST and Preach magazine and it is a
fantastic opportunity to celebrate the relevance and importance of preaching in our
society today.”
Last year’s winner, Lydia Lee, is a former teacher who ran a café at a local church
where she preached regularly. Since winning Lydia has taken up her year of study
at LST and been elected as the Student Union President. Her winning sermon was a
meditation on Jesus in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, relating the fear of the disciples
to her own experience of anxiety and fear.
Over the past year, I have felt God directing me to pastor second and third
generation migrants. As a 3rd Generation British-Born-Chinese person myself,
I am acutely aware of the challenges inherent to presenting the gospel to
those who no longer identify with their parent’s culture, but who also struggle
to reconcile themselves with their new host culture. My studies in Missiology
have been particularly helpful in preparing me to engage with various ethnic
minorities, which in turn has influenced how I might better share the truth of
the Gospel as I preach into different contexts and the changing face of Britain.
Having originally relied on personal savings and support from friends, the
grant I received from LWPT last year was incredibly timely and such an
encouragement. Part of my spiritual journey has been learning what it really
means to ‘live by faith’ and if it was not for the generosity of others and their
willingness to share what God has given them, I would not have completed my
diploma, so thank you very much.
I am pleased to report that Trinity College has offered me a place on their
Masters programme, which enables me to deepen my study of scripture
and inform my preaching practice. In terms of the future, I will complete
my Masters and graduate in 2020. I am cautious to predict where God will
take me from there, but I imagine it will be serving in a church in a full-time
capacity. The Chinese Church network is a realistic option, but I am also open
to serving in a local church.
Accordingly, I intend to focus on the immediate task at hand, my studies, and
I remain ever so grateful for the support and encouragement I have received
from LWPT in developing my preaching ministry. ■
The top 10 sermons entered will be published in a book and previous competition books
can be purchased from cpo.org.uk for £5. To putchase your tickets to the final search
for ‘Sermon of the Year’ on Eventbrite or visit www.preachweb.org/sermonoftheyear
How your donations make a difference!
GRANTS CASE STUDY: MARK NAM
In this edition we hear from a preacher in training Mark Nam, a student
at Trinity College Bristol who received a grant from LWPT.
My family and I returned to the U.K. in 2016, having lived and worked in
Hong Kong for twelve years. The reason for our return was so that I could
pursue a season of theological study and spiritual formation. I enrolled as a
full-time independent student at Trinity College in Bristol and successfully
completed a two-year diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission in 2018,
which was accredited by the University of Durham.
2 LWPT
Mark, his wife Kayi and his daughters.