Happy birthday to us!

As a newborn believer, the newly born Buzz magazine helped me come to terms with my faith and rock ’n’ roll!! We’ve survived the years. So, I wish you a very happy 60th birthday. Keep up the great work. God bless you all!

Sir Cliff Richard, musician

I was there when you were born. You were conceived as an act of rebellion. Christian organisations then only had free magazines. We chose to charge for ours. Groundbreaking and a foundation for your whole life.

And there you were. Buzz, we called you. Two sheets of A4 in black and white. Printed from stuck down typewriter and press down letters. With bad spelling. And collated by volunteers in a West Ealing mission hall.

From such humble beginnings you have come a long way – thanks to your passion, ability to make the complicated clear, and the brilliance of your writers and contributors.

At 60, you have kept those same qualities. How I love your monthly visits – always with a surprise or three and some risks tucked in. Well done. I am so proud of you.

Happy Buzzday to you – and long may you continue to inform, feed, equip and stretch us!

Peter Meadows, founding editor of Buzz magazine 

I would not be without my monthly copy of Premier Christianity. There is invariably at least one article that makes the entire magazine worthwhile, to say nothing of the valuable editorials at each beginning and always ending with my friend Jeff Lucas making me laugh out loud. Added to this is the stimulation I get from keeping in touch with current thinking from my mother country. Happy birthday!

RT Kendall, theologian and author

Many congratulations to Premier Christianity on your 60th birthday. We are grateful for your faithfulness in reminding us of God’s goodness ‘from generation to generation’ (Luke 1:50).

Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, former leaders of Holy Trinity Brompton and pioneers of Alpha 

We love you guys, and you do such a great job across so many different mediums – your podcasts, your magazines and the radio. As a collective group, you’re a powerhouse for good. You share light, love and all the good stuff. 

Bear Grylls, author and adventurer 

Premier Christianity is a real gift to the UK Church. It keeps us updated with what’s going on nationally, stretches minds and hearts with challenging and thought-provoking content and inspires so many with real stories of hope. I love it when it arrives each month and find it to be essential reading for my role as well as my heart.

Gavin Calver, CEO of Evangelical Alliance

What a joy to say happy birthday on behalf of all the team at Spring Harvest. We have a long friendship with Premier Christianity; sharing stories, celebrating transformations and discussing the subjects that matter for many years. As you mark this milestone we pray God’s richest blessings upon the team. May you look back with grateful hearts and step forward with courage and wisdom.

Jo Moir, head of Spring Harvest

Sixty years is no small thing. Premier Christianity has walked with the Church through decades of change, always offering perspective, challenge and hope. I’ve appreciated its mix of voices and the way it helps us think about faith in today’s world, along with the encouragement it has always given us at Big Church.

Tim Jupp, founder of Big Church Festival 

Premier Christianity and its predecessors (I am old enough to remember Buzz in the 1970s!) has been a constant in Christian life in the UK for many years. It has always produced thoughtful, careful and wise analysis of the Christian life and Church. It’s also highlighted how, despite secularisation and the changing place of the Church in society over that time, the Christian faith has not gone away! Long may it continue to do its vital work for the Church and the nation.

Graham Tomlin, director of the Centre for Cultural Witness 

Premier Christianity has been a constant in my life, opening my eyes to stories I might never have seen from a Christian perspective. It’s been a training ground for truth and integrity, and it has shown that different perspectives can be shared openly and respectfully as we grapple with that truth. I’m delighted to wish it a very happy 60th birthday.

Lani Charlwood, chair of Christians in Media 

Thank you, Lord, for Premier Christianity on this significant milestone. This publication is a beacon for the kingdom of God, helping Christians to stay rooted in the Lord’s truth and the gospel. It is such an informative and inspiring resource, and I look forward to seeing what God has in store for your next season.

Dr Jonathan Oloyede, convenor of the National Day of Prayer and Worship

Happy 60th, Premier Christianity! From Buzz to today, you’ve kept the faith fresh and the conversation real. Thanks for giving the Church a beat we can all march to – here’s to the next 60!

Chip Kendall, singer-songwriter

Sixty years of Premier Christianity is remarkable. I hope that as she blows out the many candles on her cake, she’s able to bask in the glow of a job well done. I look forward to another 60 years of robust and awe-inspiring journalism that always points back to Jesus.

Lauren Windle, journalist and author

So many aspects of Premier Christianity have constantly attracted me and helped my Christian walk and worldview over those years; but these four in particular: 

1. Fresh and new each month, even unpredictably so: both the design and the content choices make me go “Wow” and grab my attention. 

2. Reliable, yet prophetic: it’s spot on, covering the hot topics of the day: the magazine speaks right into it the current world, whether Church or secular. It doesn’t let anyone get away with it, whether an archbishop, a youth leader or an old fuddy-duddy!

3. Comprehensive, across the full Church spectrum, even international. It’s always inclusive and wide-ranging. We all inhabit our ghettos: and I thank God that Premier Christianity always gives me insights into areas of the Church that are unknown to me. 

4. Deeply spiritual and uniquely Christian: it holds up the gospel, the cross, the Holy Spirit at every turn. I’m blessed and fortified as I read all the pages: I meet with God in a special way, whether through a predictable (and cherished) Jeff Lucas column, an editorial insight, response letter or a stimulating monthly article of substance.

All so excellent. Those 60 years are worthy of all our praise and thanks to Almighty God. We can’t live without you!

Prof Noël Tredinnick, composer and broadcaster

Three cheers and hip, hip, hooray for Premier Christianity! Since I read it when it was Buzz, in the days when writers held their breath waiting for the monthly Christian book charts (more essential than Top of the Pops), I have relied on it to keep me in touch with all the vital faith stories of the day, both inside and outside the Church, and give me a broader understanding of wider theological debates and controversies, and where we are all coming from. 

Michele Guinness, writer and speaker 

Premier Christianity is like a large box of high-quality chocolates. Open it up and inside there is a huge range of tasty treats to enjoy. Both dark and milk, and such a variety of fillings; some sweet, others surprisingly chewy and a few that might be considered nutty! But this selection reflects the wide variety of cultures, theological slants and ethnicities that call Jesus “Lord”. Premier Christianity seeks to give a voice to the broad family of God; long may it continue to do so.

John Buckeridge, editor of Premier Christianity, 2000-10 

Premier Christianity has become my one-stop shop for the latest Christian news, reflections on contemporary affairs and apologetic articles and debates. When the beautifully produced monthly magazine drops on the doorstep, it’s always a compelling distraction from what I was meant to be doing. When the latest online article or weekly round-up lands in my inbox, it’s an escape from more mundane matters. More recently, writing articles for the magazine has provided a new challenge and felt like a true privilege. Sixty years on, Premier Christianity remains a fresh and prophetic voice to the UK Church.

Dr Andrew Ollerton, theologian, pastor and author 

Premier Christianity has for years been at the leading edge of faith-based journalism in the UK, showing agility to adapt to the needs of digital and print. For 60 years, the team of people who have curated content, shared stories and offered valuable opinion has always been of the highest quality and a genuine resource to the Church. We are very grateful to all those who contribute to the magazine and wish Premier Christianity a very happy 60th birthday – here’s to another 60!

Gareth Russell, founder of Jersey Road 

Congratulations Premier Christianity on 60 years of enriching, thought-provoking and faith-stirring articles. I’m grateful for the range of content you bring to us each month, which so often inspires my personal walk with God, challenges me to think deeply and spurs me on in my leadership. Happy birthday!

Natalie Williams, CEO of Jubilee+