We recently launched our Christmas appeal, you can view that here.

I’m writing to ask if you would consider sending CVM a gift of say £10.00 or more towards the ongoing work we are all involved in, of seeing men come to faith in Jesus.

My aim is to provide you guys with the very best support, inspiration, encouragement and resources that I can give you, because that is what you deserve. I live with a constant sense of frustration that we are not able to reach more men with the gospel or provide you with more support and back up. CVM is a movement that we are all part of. Please hear me when I say that this appeal is not about a HQ team wanting funds, I have always felt and believed that we are in this together. What I want to be able to do is to give our blokes in Liverpool, Southend or Devon etc. (you get the idea) all that they need to get the job done.

Next year we will be launching some fantastic and groundbreaking new resources for the local church and men to use, but we do need funds to get the printing and development work done. It will only take a minute to give via JustGiving or by phone (01246 271713) but it will make such a huge difference. We need to raise £15000 to enable us to fulfill our plans in the early part of next year for resources and the grass roots work (which is exploding) in the next year. So far our appeal has generated about £2500.

There is no doubt that God is shining his light on this movement. Hundreds of men now gather at our events, hungry to be equipped for evangelism and we are hearing stories of many men coming to faith on a regular basis. Please could you support us to help us stand shoulder to shoulder with you?

Our aim is simple. We want to tell men about Jesus. Will you help us to do that? How much are we prepared to pay to see one of our mates or family members come to faith?

Thank you so much for being part of CVM and for making it what it is.

May you know the grace and peace of God this Christmas as we remember what this is all about. Immanuel, God with us!

Your brother and friend,

We receive lots of encouraging stories from men across the UK who have attended a CVM event. Check out this letter we received from ‘Bob’ (not his real name) who attended the National CVM Conference – Codelife 2010, earlier this year.

Dear CVM,

First of all I want to say a big thank you for the conference last month. This I the first time I have been involved in this type of event and despite several reservations before hand it was an incredible experience!

I just wanted to briefly let you know of the significance of the weekend for me. Once I finally convinced myself to attend (yes, like a typical guy, I don’t make anything simple!) I realized that this could be a great opportunity to spend some valuable time with God without some of the usual distractions of everyday life. So I decided that I would aim to deal with a particular area of like which clearly needed addressing. Prior to the conference I prayed and prayed… I told God that I really wanted to deal with this area and asked (actually begged at times) for his support.

The thing is you see, I am a relatively new Christian and have a lot to learn. However the one thing that has become evident is that God doesn’t do things in the way, or time I would like. Therefore, intellectually I realized that despite my prayers and my intentions God wouldn’t necessarily do what I had planned!

A quick silly example which illustrates my point – when I first became a Christian I prayed that God would help me sort out some particular issues from the past. Instead something amazing happened and I found overnight that I wasn’t swearing nearly as much as I used to. That’s great I thought: God has given me something which was amazing and free… but where was my bloody answer to my prayer (as you can see there are still some lapses in the swearing!)

Anyway – back to the conference. I was having a wonderful time and enjoying all aspects of the weekend. We got to Sunday morning and was just starting to think about the long drive home when God turned up – poked me in the ribs and answered my prayer… instantly! Since that day the area of my life which so needed addressing has changed, It’s not always easy and I clearly have to put effort into avoid temptation – but God has done the hard work for me… he has changed my heart again!

So there you go. Just a quick example of how cool God is. You guys are doing an amazing job and I thank you all once again for providing an environment which helped me hear God.

Cheers all.

‘Bob’ attended Codelife 2010. Are you coming to The Gathering 2011? CVM are changing the National Conference to accommodate more men, having more fun! Find out more …

My old man was right. Life speeds up as we grow up. It feels like the last few years have flown by and from what I can tell, it’s not slowing down.

The idea behind The Gathering is to give men from all over the UK a chance to take stock. A chance to breathe again. A chance to step outside of the routine and reflect on where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re going.

We think you are going to have a blast. At this early stage the plans are getting in place for:

• A massive bonfire night. Bring your drinks to the fireside for a good burn up.
• 50 aside football carnage.
• Climbing wall and other challenges.
• Bands.
• Comedian.
• Sumo wrestling challenge.
• A huge mess tent/bar area.
• Engaging and fun talks on life the universe and everything.
• The opportunity to discuss what this Christianity thing is all about with a pint.
• Lots of food.
• Plenty of down time to catch up with your mates.

So there you have it…there is nothing else like this in the UK. So get booked in now!

On Sunday 21st November Carl Beech will be joining Jeff Lucas and Ruth Dearnley on the Premier radio show, In Good Company.

How To Listen

• You can listen live online
• Through medium wave 1305, 1332, 1413 (London only)
• Through Sky channel 0123, Freeview channel 725
• On demand

For more information, visit www.premierradio.org.uk

In June 2011 men of the UK will gather in a field near Swindon.

They will come from far and near, in ones and twos, in small and large groups – by bike, car or minibus. They will gather for a weekend. Tents will be put up. BBQs will be lit.

They might know some others there, there will be many that they do not yet know. There will be young and old, from all jobs, all backgrounds and many different types of church

And for one weekend, all these men will gather for one purpose …

To believe that in our lifetime a committed band of brothers, joined together in purpose, can change a nation.

We call this, The Gathering.

Find out all the details and book online now.

We’ve just sent out an email with breaking news of our conferences next year. (Don’t get our emails? – sign up here). There’s so much going on that we wanted to let everyone now. So, in short, we have:

• 14 stops on our Regional Day nationwide tour. You can find out when and where we will be here.
• An Apologetics Training Day to help unpack the common objections men raise against the Christian faith with input from some of the best speakers in the field. Date for the diary: Saturday March 5th 2011.
• A worship leaders conference hosted by Graham Kendrick and CVM to look at issues surrounding men and worship. This is a must for worship leaders in your church. (Date and venue to be confirmed)
• A two date visit from Dave Murrow. Author of ‘Why Men Hate Going To Church’ who will be unpacking his latest teaching based on his book ‘The Map’. One venue in the north and another in the south. Dates for diary 10th Sept 2011 and 17th Sept 2011. Final details to be confirmed. There will be special input for group leaders.

And finally …

After a long process of prayer, consultation and discussion with supporters, the national team and board have decided to run a different kind of national CVM conference next year!

As you know, our passion is to reach men with the gospel and to make our activities as accessible as possible to all men. So we are excited to introduce into the mix, a brand new camp for men, we are calling: codelife: the gathering!

This will be, in CVM language, a “level 2” camp. In other words there will be input to inspire and teach believing men but it will also be hugely accessible to your mates who aren’t yet believers.

You can expect for around only £75 a head.

• Graham Kendrick and band
• Huge bonfires
• Fun stuff from climbing walls to sumo suits
• BBQs galore
• A mess tent
• Outdoor activities
• And much more to be announced …

Of course, for those of you who don’t want to camp there is the option of a B&B or hotel as well. This doesn’t mean that we will never run a conference like the “Warwick” one again but we strongly believe it to be the right course of action at least for next year.

The date for your diary is 24-26 June 2011. More details to follow but mark it in your diaries now!

The latest episode of our ‘chart-topping’ podcast has been released!

This week the “Beechy & Willmott Drivetime Show” tackles the senstive issue of ‘Christianese’ – the jargon we use in church that doesn’t make sense to those outside (or anyone else!)

What bit of Christian jargon winds you up? Have a listen to Carl & Alex and see if you agree with them …

The Beechy & Willmott Drivetime Show is available by free subscription in iTunes

A one day men’s conference hosted by Premier Christian Radio in Central London, IDENTITY is for Christian men who really want to understand who they are in Christ, to take off false self-images and claim our true identity.
The conference takes place on Saturday 6th November at St Mary’s Wyndham Place in London W1. Speakers include Philip Yancey, Nick Battle, Rev Les Isaac, David Shosanya & CVM’s very own Carl Beech.
To find out more or book a place, go to premier.org.uk/mensconference or call Premier Response on 08456 525252. By booking in advance you will save 25% & only pay £10.00.

There have been some great additions to codelife.org recently. If you haven’t been there in a while, here’s what you can find:

• The Codes
• Share – Download graphics, videos and buy merchandise
• FAQs on The Codes
• Sign Up – join this new movement

Merchandise includes: T Shirts, Full Codelife Pack, stickers and cards.

Using all these resources is a great way to spread the word about CODELIFE. Share the videos. Stick the logos in your email footers, on your profiles. Grab stickers and stick liberally (and legally). Use the CODELIFE cards to always have something on you to give to someone else.

It’s all there for you to use! Go for it!

There have been loads of requests for a little taste of ManMade – the Rites of Passage guide for teenage boys. So, here it is!

Download Section 1 from ManMade and have a look for yourself at this fantastic and much needed resource. Find out more and order from the CVM website. And, if you haven’t seen it, here’s the video introduction from Darren, author of ManMade.

ManMade: The Rites of Passage Course for Teenage Guys from Darren Quinnell on Vimeo.