PEP Talk

Your church might have the best outreach programmes and top-notch facilities, or maybe its struggling to survive on a dying high street in a small market town. Either way, God surprises us with unexpected seekers, especially during this 'odd cultural moment', coming on unconventional journeys to faith. How can we be ready to participate in what God is doing, wherever He's placed us? Simon and Gavin speak with "Two Pastors in a Pub" podcaster Tom Wharin, this time on PEP Talk.
Tom Wharin is the minister of Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church in South Gloucestershire. He participates in various Baptists Together ministerial recognition (recruitment and training) groups and is passionate about mentoring and discipleship (of ministers and of Christians in general). He goes mountain biking whenever the opportunity arises and is one of the pastors in the Two Pastors in a Pub podcast, with Matt Frost and Karen Simson. He is married to Jo and they have four young adult footballing kids.

What is it that holds you back from sharing the Gospel? For most of us, it boils down to a lack of confidence. We don't have confidence in our knowledge to field difficult questions, we don't have confidence that we won't get 'cancelled' and we might even lack confidence in our own faith itself. So you're not alone! That's why Solas runs 'Confident Christianity' training across the UK to help churches regain their confidence in evangelism. Gavin Matthews and Steve Osmond explain how it works and who it helps.
To find out how Confident Christianity can help your church, visit the Solas website here.
Gavin Matthews is Solas’s Assistant Director (Scotland) and does a wide variety of work for the organisation. He speaks for Solas in churches and at conferences, co-ordinates the website, writes articles and other Solas communications and presents webinars and podcasts. He also loves networking for Solas and speaking with church leaders about our work. Gavin has been married to Elaine since 1996 and they have three adult children. He has been a member of Perth Baptist Church since 1999.
Steve Osmond is a full-time speaker and writer for Solas, focussing primarily on Scotland. He is enthusiastic about evangelism and regularly speaks at universities around the country on the big questions of life and the truth of Christianity from a range of perspectives. He also spends much of his time working with churches and other Christian groups, both to grow their faith and equip them to share their faith in Jesus persuasively.

Here in the UK, we might encounter Jewish people that range from secular atheists to highly religious. But Christians can be reluctant to engage in gospel conversation for fear of political pitfalls or cultural offence. How can we navigate the issues we might encounter when sharing the message of Jesus with his original ethnic group? In this episode of PEP Talk, we find some great encouragement and wisdom around evangelism to Jewish people.
Rev. Aaron Eime serves as the UK General Director for CMJ, The Church’s Ministry among Jewish People. Aaron studied in the master’s program at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, with a focus on early Jewish and Christian Interpretation of the Bible. He also studied psychology and sociology at Queensland University in Australia. Aaron is a dedicated Bible teacher exploring the Hebraic roots of the Christian faith. He reads Aramaic and ancient Greek and is fluent in German and Hebrew. He has taught internationally, including in Europe, North America, Hong Kong and China. He is married with three children, both he and his wife were born in Australia.

'A Better Love’ is a new book from Living Out that features a range of people who experience same sex attraction, talking about their experience of encountering God. Today’s guest is one of the contributors, who helps us think through the issues of community, discipleship, acceptance and confusion that we may navigate when sharing our faith with the LGBT+ community.
Adam Curtis is a Curate in Sidcup and oversees evangelism at his church. He loves reading the Bible with non-Christians and Christians alike. He studied his BA in theology at Cardiff University and his MA at Oak Hill College. He is taller than the average door post and enjoys playing the ukulele.

Research indicates that many people will first consider whether Christianity is something good, before they consider whether or not it is true. But for both these questions, the discipline of philosophy informs how we think about them. Can a stuffy old academic discipline really help much with modern spiritual questions? Steve Osmond and Simon Wenham learn more about what philosophy and apologetics brings to evangelism.
Peter S Williams is a Christian philosopher and apologist based in Southampton, England, He is an “Adjunct Professor in Communication and Worldviews” at NLA University College, in Kristiansand, Norway. Peter’s books include: Stepping Stones to Christianity: Reflections on Intelligent Design, Natural Theology, and the Historical Jesus (Wipf and Stock, 2025), A Faithful Guide to Philosophy: A Christian Introduction to the Love of Wisdom (Wipf & Stock, 2019), and A Sceptic’s Guide to Atheism (Paternoster, 2009).