Mission to Soho

Michael ToogoodSKU: MTS6714 ISBN: 9781846256714

Price:
£8

Description

Mission to Soho : Where two worlds meet

Here is an honest and robust account of what it takes to be a cross-cultural missionary in the most degraded yet colourful area of a great city—the city is London and the culture is Soho.  It is the story of urban church planting in all its raw and realistic challenges at a time when establishing new churches was in its infancy. The Toogood family demonstrated a total commitment to the people they came to save through serving.  For them, people mattered as people and not simply as potential converts. The challenge of living alongside drug, alcohol and sex abuse with its ugly squalor of poverty is overcome by a passion to seize any and every opportunity for the gospel.  Michael and Pam did what Jesus did—and it was costly.  It is not possible to read this account and remain comfortable and complacent with our own meagre commitment to Christ.

Payment & Security

American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Google Pay Maestro Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Union Pay Visa

Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.

Customer Reviews

Based on 3 reviews
100%
(3)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
S
Simoney Kyriakou, London
Mission to Soho: Where two worlds meet

‘Brash, aggressive & often threatening’ are not always words one thinks of when it comes to church planting. But by page 15 of this story of how God called him & his late wife Pam to plant a church in the depths of Soho in the 1980s, you get the picture. It is raw & realistic, presenting a gritty account of how the couple started from a tiny, urine-soaked, blood-splattered basement flat to plant a church in Soho, as well as planting a church in Covent Garden. Toogood talks of the longterm hard slog of door-to-door ministry, getting to know the always colourful & often terrifying neighbours. He describes how he made inroads with the local Jewish community, who ‘got to hear of the Christian who was willing to get his hands down the loo’; & how his wife’s ‘broom, bucket & bottle of bleach opened doors’. This book is useful for anyone wanting to start a church plant. You cannot simply send a bunch of families to land crash-bang in the middle of a town and hope people attend your services. There are years of discouragements & years of blessing. Planting takes time & patience. It could even take rolling up your sleeves & cleaning up a neighbour’s drunken vomit. It can also lead, to an ‘absence of courtesy & brotherly love’ from fellow Christians & churches, with criticism from those who do not have experience of church planting. Some of the anecdotes in this book will therefore sit uncomfortably with readers who are unfamiliar with the hard realities of inner-city life & witness.

C
C. Richards
Mission to Soho: where two worlds meet

This is the auto biography of the author, he felt the call of God to undertake Church planting and so Immanuel Community Church was established. The events surrounding the witness in Soho the reader quickly learns that the minister's wife, Pam and their children were very much part of the work. Moving to accommodation in Soho was a challenge for the whole family but living in the community was essential for the work to begin. Both Michael and Pam did not neglect any opportunity to share the gospel. The book reminds us that behind the things Soho is known for there is a community with a primary school, resident's association and all the other services that make up every residential area. Often the residents of Soho live in deprivation accompanied by other social problems. The emphasis would be a local Church made up of local people and not of Christians commuting to and from the Church thus leaving the area without a Christian witness day by day. The trials and tribulations of many kinds of difficulties, along with the encouragements are all recorded. The writer makes no claim to have all the answers to this type of ministry but simply shares his experiences and in doing so the reader will be moved to rejoice at the souls reached and be saddened by the souls who were indifferent to the messages or were hostile to the gospel. An easy to read book of interest to all believers but particularly of interest to ministers and ministerial students.

K
Kath Blanchard
Painfully honest, this book gives a fascinating account of reaching the unreached and a challenge...

Having heard Michael Toogood speak of his work in Soho many years ago, I had often wondered how it had progressed and was delighted to see this new publication from Day One.
Michael writes with painful honesty, giving a real insight into the challenges faced. When he moved into a dirty cramped flat in Soho with his family he wondered how he could reach the neighbours in the flats. Some of this was done by cleaning toilets and brightening up the basement with flowers. Michael had committed to working there for 10 years and he knew that planting a church there would be no quick fix.
When Michael and his wife eventually retired, they were unable to afford the rent of a basic home but the Lord provided for them. I found this later account even more interesting as he told of his heartache on being widowed and further painful trials he endured.
Michael's life was not easy in any way, but he served well (still does) and God used him and his family because they were willing to obey.
I highly recommend this book and would encourage you to read and see what God can do with lives submitted to Him.

You may also like

Recently viewed