The Current Challenge...

​

The Agricultural Christian Fellowship (ACF) is now at a critical crossroads in terms of its future, for reasons given below.  As an ACF Member, this message is to request not only your views and suggestions, but also what you would be prepared to do to administer and contribute to the "new" ACF.  We have considered closing this ministry but also recognise that the need for a Christian voice in farming is as important as ever.

 

Christopher Jones, who has been the mainstay of ACF and an active member of the Committee for a very long while has been seriously ill recently, and needs to retire from all administrative ACF responsibility. Also, Adrian Cullis, due to a range of other commitments has decided to resign from the ACF Committee. 

 

For 50 years ACF has done things in a particular way, but now things have changed dramatically, and ACF needs to do things differently. It was felt that we need to examine what ACF is for.  What are we about? What is our purpose in the 21st century? We are, perhaps, less of a group which just meets for fellowship, as important as that is, but more, a campaigning group of Christians in Agriculture who will challenge the status quo when necessary and communicate that in an effective way. We need to use a regularly updated website and social media to best advantage. It is most important to continue to have a relevant and effective Christian voice on all farming issues, connecting Biblical principles to 21st century agricultural practice. 

 

One of ACF's past successes was in 1995, when, together with the Arthur Rank Centre,  Farm Crisis Network came into being - now rebranded as the Farming Community Network. FCN is a well respected, high profile organisation supporting the farming community, particularly through difficult times. However, FCN is not a campaigning organisation, so there is an opportunity for issues that FCN cannot campaign for directly to be taken on by a "new" ACF. To reflect this, ACF may need to change its name. Your thoughts and suggestions, please!  

 

For any of this to happen all of you reading this will need to be prepared to pick this up and make it happen, serving on the Committee, updating the website, setting up a Facebook page, running a blog, etc, to communicate the message to as many people as possible. John Plumb, ACF Charman, has already set up a new ACF email address – info@acfhub.com and, just to remind you, the new ACF website is www.acfhub.com 

 

Please will you prayerfully consider all these things. The potential future of a new, modern, and effective ACF will depend on those running it having a keen understanding of the present issues, having a vision for future possibilities, and in keeping with Biblical guidelines.

 

Do contact us by email or phone if you are interested in this project.

Be blessed, 

ACF Committee