Welcome to the 40th anniversary of Exodus magazine. God is truly amazing! I am excited and thankful to be able to publish a Special Edition of Britain’s first interdenominational magazine, four decades on. The willingness of all the contributors who brought this 2024 project to life by writing about the issues that affect the Black Church, both now and back then, has been humbling. To all those who helped to make this possible – Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

My passion for community led me to join a Prison that gap. Back then, my first task was to attach a lean-to at the side of my house, add a phone extension socket, get a desk and chair, and start cold calling for advertising. I admit I didn’t know what I was doing but I knew why I was doing it. I had met Reverend Bazil Meade from the London Community Gospel Choir which launched the previous year and through him, I connected with his wife Andrea, an intelligent, talented writer was the publisher, advertising executive and magazine distributor, driving from London to Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield to deliver to the churches.

The Almighty granted me the ability to dream big, along with the tenacity and faith to go for it – feel the fear and do it anyway. And for that, I am thankful that so many lives and communities have been enriched because of the magazine. Exodus was published with the cover price of 50p. Even though the magazine was ground-breaking in “I am thankful that lives and many communities have been so much richer, because of the magazine.” Visiting Ministry, where, for three years, I witnessed to young men about the love of Christ in Borstals and establishments in where, offenders aged 15 to 21 were detained for correctional training.

Following this, at the age of 32, I felt the urge to create some sort of interdenominational dialogue between churches, as I believed that they had the capacity to address the needs of the youth at that time. Some of the main churches then were New Testament Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Bibleway, New Testament Assembly, Assemblies of the First Born, Shiloh, Bethal, Wesleyan Holiness, Church of God of Prophecy and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Most of the leaders were Jamaicans but did not engage with each other. I hoped that Exodus Magazine would bridge who became our editor. Pat Daley (a trusted friend) was assistant editor, and Herm from AGO Graphics was the designer. This small team collated articles, edited, subbed, and typeset the design before going to print as a 48-page magazine with full colour on the front, back and centre-spread pages.

It had a limited presence in some newsagents. Menzies Distribution was the distributor. At that time, there was only one other Black magazine called Roots which was a lifestyle magazine. Straker & Sons Printers in Hackney Wick, east London, had a massive printing press and printed weekly football match programmes. I bravely went there to convince them to take on the small task of printing 10,000 bi-monthly copies of Exodus, and they agreed.

I trying to get the various denominations to at least have dialogue with each other, there was an undercurrent of suspicion from one denomination to another. As a result, advertising take up was low and did not even cover the running cost per issue. The magazine was heavily subsidized by myself but I was determined to keep it going, because it was helping to build bridges amongst the churches.

Eventually, it became unsustainable, and I was approached by The Voice newspaper to sell the magazine but was not comfortable handing over the reins of a Christian product to a non-Christian company. In August 1984, in an effort to raise funds for the magazine, I organised an outdoor Gospel Music Festival, ‘Rejoice ’84,’ which was headlined by American gospel star Jesse Dixon..  Sadly, the project ran at a loss and I was unable to publish any further issues.

I want to herald three great men who instantly captured the vision of Exodus Magazine and were a great support. Bibleway’s Bishop Leon Edgar White, father of Pastor Mike White – I’ll never forget him telling me that if at any time I was struggling to pay the printing bill, I should let him know. I did and he helped. He also wrote an article for the magazine. The New Testament Assembly’s Bishop M.L. Powell, father of Bishop Delroy Powell, was also a great supporter, both in encouragement and financially; and NTCG Brixton’s Pastor.

Exodus was published with the cover price of 50p” Vernon Nelson, who was the only church leader who always paid upfront for the magazines, which assisted greatly with my cashflow. In 1984, we featured a young male councillor from Waltham Forest on the cover of Exodus. Now, 40 years on, Paul Boateng is back in the Special Edition having been one of the first Black MPs, the UK’s first black government minister, and the first British-Ghanaian to sit in the House of Lords. I am so proud to have Nadine White, the UK’s first dedicated Race Correspondent, chronicle his journey. I believe that one of the greatest achievements of Exodus Magazine was giving a platform to many Christians to start their writing journeys.

For many of the brilliant contributors, Exodus was their first foray in published writing. Bishop Joe Aldred, Pastor Don McFarlane, Dr George Peart, Rev. Ridley Usherwood and the late Dr Joel Edwards OBE were some of our original writers. I thank God for them. Since 1983, I have continued to encounter people who share their experiences of Exodus and how the articles have positively impacted their lives and I have been encouraged from time to time to relaunch the publication.

Now, 40 years on, in this commemorative issue, Exodus looks back at the progress made by the Black church. It has become more involved in the UK political landscape, it is more accepting of diverse leadership, the cultural makeup of the church is changing and there is a rekindled passion for revival. The church, however, still faces challenges today and it can still Picture from left to right: Bishop Leon Edgar White and Bishop M.L. Powell do more to help to meet the needs of our communities.

I am grateful to God for allowing this special edition to be birthed. God bless every reader and supporter of this current commemorative issue. May your lives be enriched by our efforts to engage in what Proverbs enjoins us to do which is get wisdom, knowledge and understanding. May it be so in Jesus’ Name. To God be all the Glory

By Movery Livingston, Founder & Publisher, Autumn 2024