CONTACT
Jamie Kidd
JERICHO
In today's climate, with wars and rumours of wars breaking out, with friends and loved ones sacrificing their lives for their country, it is essential that soldiers are right with God. As Christians and as organisations and ministries committed to the Armed Forces we must do all that we can to reach our servicemen and women with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Mission
Jericho is Avanti’s outreach arm to people in the Armed Forces both in the UK and around the world. Our aim and core values are still the same, but more specifically with the goal to reach every soldier around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also seek to train, inspire and equip soldiers in practical and relevant ways to share their faith within their Unit, Company, team, friends and sphere of influence... etc.
Why Jericho?
The idea of the name comes from the biblical account of God telling Joshua to take the promised land in Joshua 5:13-12:24. After much disobedience and a lack of courage to enter and take the land previously, God chooses His servant Joshua to fulfill His Word. Jericho at the time was highly fortified and guarded and the task seemed somewhat impossible. Nevertheless Joshua believed and put his faith and feet to God’s word and, through Joshua, God’s command was fulfilled.
Applying this true story to today’s circumstances within the military, we believe that God has shown us the great need to reach the Armed Forces around the world with His Great Commission, and although the task likewise seems somewhat impossible at times, we must still be faithful to His call, which is to- "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel."
Background
After much discussion within Avanti amongst the team, we realised that we needed to spend more energy and be more strategic in reaching out to the Armed Forces. Jamie Kidd (See details under Homepage/Evangelists) was the obvious choice to pioneer this ministry as an ex Soldier of H.M Forces. Jamie became a Christian within his final years of serving as a Paratrooper and looking back he realised the barreness of spiritual help and guidance within his Unit and beyond.
Jamie quoting from Joshua 5:13 says:- "What was striking about the earlier part of this story was the encounter between Joshua and the Man of God. Joshua’s question was "Are you for us or for our enemies?” but the reply was “Neither but as the Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." I believe that there are now ministries out there wanting to help with the spiritual state of the Armed Forces, but what has happened is we have developed an exclusiveness and as a result we don’t like working with each other to fulfill what is ultimately the same goal. Like the story it’s not a case of whose side each other are on, but rather that we are on God’s side, together! As the bible says "where there is unity, God commands a blessing." We need to pull together if we want to reach the Military with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus."