From time to time I find myself reflecting on the diverse aspects of ministry in which I am involved. During the 50 years in which I have been involved in Christian ministry I have felt that God has led me into various situations. I started out as a young evangelist back in 1963. Somewhere around 1966 the organisation in which I was trained and was working lost a very talented Secretary. By that time I had been given some administrative responsibility. Before I knew what was happening I had become the General Secretary of the Mission. Some of the Mission's activities had led to church planting and with it I gained pastoral experience. In 1968 I was asked to jointly pastor a church, and remained there for around 21 years. Throughout this time my knowledge and expertise in charity administration grew, and found expression in various ways, including the formation of the national Network for Rural Evangelism.
The next noticeable stage was the development of teaching and training as the Mission created a unique rural mission training centre and I undertook a large part of the teaching and strategic development. I found the regular pastoral and leadership ministry complemented the itinerant aspects as I was still involved in planning and working in itinerant evangelism. For this reason I was happy, when the ministry at my first church came to a close after 21 years, to work with the Congregational church at Herstmonceux. Here, Doreen and I spent almost 15 very happy years as at the same time I developed the mission enabling ministry of Rural Sunrise. But this in turn led to new areas of responsibility within the denomination, first as Area Chairman and involvement on various Committees, then as President of the Congregational Federation. About this time I was asked to represent the Federation in the production of a specialist book on the pastoral care of people who had suffered sexual abuse. That opened up yet another area of expertise and ministry.
The call to move to the East Midlands led into ministry within a local prison. This very distinct activity provides a healthy break each week and the opportunity to indulge my love of choral singing. While various areas of responsibility have been left behind along the way; others have remained with me.
So it is that I find myself engaged in evangelism, church leadership, pastoral ministry, management, advocacy, research, writing, teaching, consultancy and music on a regular basis. If you were to ask me what is the "main" thing I am not sure how I would answer. I am not the architect of what has happened. I just try to tackle each task as it comes along depending on God's grace to fulfil expectations. I don't consider any aspect irrelevant. Priorities therefore vary from time to time.
The latter part of this week I was taking part in the Enabling Group of Churches Together in England. Frankly this is the most surprising of all the kind of things in which I am involved. When I started out in rural evangelism the policy was to "work with all who love the Lord Jesus Christ". While this could be described as "interdenominational", the churches with which we worked were exclusively evangelical. An incident in 1972 led to helping to develop an inter-agency and inter-Church network that was more representative of various traditions. The effect of this was to open my eyes to the presence and work of God within expressions of Christianity that I would previously have avoided.
A request from the then Convenor of the Congregational Federations Inter-Church Board (ICB) to help strengthen links with evangelical networks led to my representing the Federation within various ecumenical (Churches Together) bodies. I eventually became the ICB Convenor and in that capacity I was present this week at the CTE Enabling Group meeting. Here I sat, ate, worshipped, discussed and prayed with representatives from Catholic, Orthodox, Black Majority, Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist, Salvation Army, Methodist, URC, Quaker, Moravian and Lutheran traditions (I may have left others out).
Some reading this and who pray for the ministries in which I am involved might find this disturbing. But I have long since found that God is present and at work in situations which once - but longer -surprised me. I find sisters and brothers in Christ; people who love the same God and Lord Jesus as I do; people who rejoice in the same gospel of salvation and who are committed to sharing in God's mission. Some of these see themselves to be called of God towards an organic and structural unity. Others, including me, see unity of all Christians as a present given that we need to nurture and express in better ways. All recognise the challenges and difficulties and commit themselves to seek God's help in a journey to which we believe ourselves to be called by God.
I share this with you not to draw attention to myself in any way but rather to be honest about the journey on which God has taken me. My theology as far as the gospel is concerned has never changed. I am still a passionate evangelist. But this week called for a temporary adjustment to priorities that I see as valid and part of my personal journey with God. Like Peter, reporting on his experience at the home of Cornelius, I am unable and unwilling to stand in God's way (Acts 11:17).
Praise and Prayer Please...
The next noticeable stage was the development of teaching and training as the Mission created a unique rural mission training centre and I undertook a large part of the teaching and strategic development. I found the regular pastoral and leadership ministry complemented the itinerant aspects as I was still involved in planning and working in itinerant evangelism. For this reason I was happy, when the ministry at my first church came to a close after 21 years, to work with the Congregational church at Herstmonceux. Here, Doreen and I spent almost 15 very happy years as at the same time I developed the mission enabling ministry of Rural Sunrise. But this in turn led to new areas of responsibility within the denomination, first as Area Chairman and involvement on various Committees, then as President of the Congregational Federation. About this time I was asked to represent the Federation in the production of a specialist book on the pastoral care of people who had suffered sexual abuse. That opened up yet another area of expertise and ministry.
The call to move to the East Midlands led into ministry within a local prison. This very distinct activity provides a healthy break each week and the opportunity to indulge my love of choral singing. While various areas of responsibility have been left behind along the way; others have remained with me.
So it is that I find myself engaged in evangelism, church leadership, pastoral ministry, management, advocacy, research, writing, teaching, consultancy and music on a regular basis. If you were to ask me what is the "main" thing I am not sure how I would answer. I am not the architect of what has happened. I just try to tackle each task as it comes along depending on God's grace to fulfil expectations. I don't consider any aspect irrelevant. Priorities therefore vary from time to time.
The latter part of this week I was taking part in the Enabling Group of Churches Together in England. Frankly this is the most surprising of all the kind of things in which I am involved. When I started out in rural evangelism the policy was to "work with all who love the Lord Jesus Christ". While this could be described as "interdenominational", the churches with which we worked were exclusively evangelical. An incident in 1972 led to helping to develop an inter-agency and inter-Church network that was more representative of various traditions. The effect of this was to open my eyes to the presence and work of God within expressions of Christianity that I would previously have avoided.
A request from the then Convenor of the Congregational Federations Inter-Church Board (ICB) to help strengthen links with evangelical networks led to my representing the Federation within various ecumenical (Churches Together) bodies. I eventually became the ICB Convenor and in that capacity I was present this week at the CTE Enabling Group meeting. Here I sat, ate, worshipped, discussed and prayed with representatives from Catholic, Orthodox, Black Majority, Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist, Salvation Army, Methodist, URC, Quaker, Moravian and Lutheran traditions (I may have left others out).
Some reading this and who pray for the ministries in which I am involved might find this disturbing. But I have long since found that God is present and at work in situations which once - but longer -surprised me. I find sisters and brothers in Christ; people who love the same God and Lord Jesus as I do; people who rejoice in the same gospel of salvation and who are committed to sharing in God's mission. Some of these see themselves to be called of God towards an organic and structural unity. Others, including me, see unity of all Christians as a present given that we need to nurture and express in better ways. All recognise the challenges and difficulties and commit themselves to seek God's help in a journey to which we believe ourselves to be called by God.
I share this with you not to draw attention to myself in any way but rather to be honest about the journey on which God has taken me. My theology as far as the gospel is concerned has never changed. I am still a passionate evangelist. But this week called for a temporary adjustment to priorities that I see as valid and part of my personal journey with God. Like Peter, reporting on his experience at the home of Cornelius, I am unable and unwilling to stand in God's way (Acts 11:17).
Praise and Prayer Please...
- join me in giving thanks for a truly blessed time at the CTE EG meeting;
- give thanks for a precious time in Bradford last weekend for Tony and Sue's anniversay celebrations;
- praise God for blessings that Monica has been experiencing in Kenya.
- for God's provision for our needs;
- for the life and ministry at Yelvertoft. We welcome new people, rejoice in seeing others sharing more in ministry, have had a wonderful Bible discussion meeting looking at Isaiah 11 and 12, and had a great time with a Christian evangelistic leader from India this past week.
- pray for the regular activities at Yelvertoft, Sundays and in the week;
- pray for the regular work in HMP Gartree on Tuesday;
- pray for a school assembly on Tuesday;
- pray for the Editorial group for Country Way meeting on Thursday (I hope you enjoyed our most recent issue);
- pray for wisdom regarding time management and priorities;
- pray for the areas of management and administration that are part of each day's work for God;
- pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ within Syria and Egypt who are experiencing serious oppression from Islamic extremists. It is costing many of them their homes, livelihoods, sometimes liberty and even their lives. My own links of fellowship within Syria is with the Armenian Evangelical Church.
Thank you for praying.
Barry
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