I often find myself sitting in tears at
the end of a DIY SOS programme on television when one of their epic activities
has transformed a home to better serve the needs of a family struggling with
disability. What moves me is not the entertaining personalities and interactions
of Nick Knowles and team, nor even the pace and skill of the work they
undertake; it is the emotional response of both the beneficiaries and the
emotional response from the large crowd of volunteers, many of whom are also
moved to tears.
For any that are unfamiliar with this BBC
programme, it features a team of four craftsmen in the building trade plus Nick
Knowles who somehow holds it all together, provides motivation and functions as
the presenter. He is also ready to get
his hands dirty. They offer their
services to people who have a major domestic building task they cannot manage
themselves, often featuring people with disabilities. Nick Knowles and the team issue a ‘call to
arms’ and recruit friends, family and local trades to help transform the homes
of families across Britain. This usually results in an enormous sized team who
somehow manages to work together and around one another and achieve in just a
few days something that would normally take months to complete. It is the crowd of volunteers and generosity
involved that creates the wow factor.
The biblical equivalent is the
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem achieved in only 52 days (See the story of
Nehemiah)
Not far from my home a commercial building
has been under construction for many months.
Clearly the task of building it will take a set amount of people hours, specific
material and skills. I found myself
wondering what it might have looked like if the contractors had approached the
task using the DIY SOS method. The
building would have been completed far more quickly and put to use generating
employment and income.
If it works in one context, why is it
not being used in another? Perhaps there
is an economic factor I haven’t fully considered. Similar approaches have been taken for crowd
funding (raising money for projects by smaller amounts from a large number of
people), and crowd research programmes using the internet.
Much of my Christian ministry has been
spent trying to motivate people, who claim to follow Jesus, to share their
story of faith. One of the ways I do
this (often in family services) is by suggesting that I might be a very wealthy
relative who would like to offer pocket money each week for one year. There are two options: either £50 each week or
start with 1p and double it each week. Week
one is 1p, week two is 2p, week three is 4p and so one. Many suspect a catch so I steadily increase
the fixed sum offer up to £50,000 per week.
By then most seem to want the £2,600,000 that would achieve. But what would the 1p deal have produced?
£180,143,985,094,820
And it all started with 1p. So, if next week one person told someone
about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought that person to faith;
and the following week both told people about their faith, and the power of the
gospel brought two more to faith; and the week after that all four told people
about their faith, and the power of the gospel brought four more to faith; and
this continued for a year….. wow! Not
all will believe but all would have heard the gospel.
In the Bible people who had just met
with Jesus were keen to tell others and so the news spread. Not all were gifted evangelists. Some had doubts or uncertainties but they
shared what they did know and told what had happened to them. So is “crowd evangelism” just a dream or
might it be possible?
Praise & Prayer Items from the Diary
We give God praise and thanks for blessing
on Bible teaching ministry over the past week.
It is encouraging to get positive feedback.
The visit to Kent was productive. A key part of this was meeting with fellow
trustees of Action for Christ (formerly Mission for Christ). This is a ministry devastated by criminal and
other inappropriate action by a former trustee.
We are now re-building and have a vision for the future. We would value your prayers as we seek to
transfer trusteeship of a small rural church in Kent to the members of the
church. This will enable them to take
better ‘ownership’ of the work which has been growing through the past
year. It was good to see evidence of
outreach.
Gordon Bank’s webinar presentation went
well and we both enjoyed the teamwork.
One participant described it as “Hugely helpful and interesting”. The
next webinar will be after Easter, date to be confirmed. Please drop me an email if you want to
suggest any rural mission topic we could cover.
It was a joy to have Doreen’s company at
Leeds where I was providing sessions for the Salvation Army’s Safeguarding
programme. Once again several expressed appreciation
for the helpfulness of the sessions. I
discovered one of the 20 who attended receives and appreciates Praise &
Prayer News. Other Christian leaders
have also been commenting on their relevance and helpfulness. Please pray that God will continue to use
them to encourage and bless the readers.
I would value your prayers for a
personal situation in which I and a good friend act as trustees for a Will. Under
the Will (left in 1979) we have an immediate duty towards the, now elderly,
daughter as well as safeguarding the capital which ultimately must be used for
rural evangelism. We have reached a critical point and need wisdom to take the
right actions in the best interest of the beneficiaries.
This week I shall meet with other
Christian leaders at the Churches Together in England Enabling Group meeting at
High Leigh, Hoddesdon on Thursday and Friday, 10th and 11th
March.
Your prayers for the church at Yelvertoft,
Northants, which I have served as Minister for the past 10 years, will be
appreciated. I am looking to conclude
this ministry and the church members are seeking God’s guidance regarding
future ministry as I seek to reduce my commitment there. They and I need God’s guidance.
Please pray for Katrina who will be
taking up Children and Family Ministry with Rural Mission Solutions in May alongside
other ministry. Katrina and her family
move to a new home and a new church in mid-March.
Thank you for praying. John Wesley one said, “God does nothing but
in answer to prayer”. I believe he was
talking in the context of the effectiveness of Christian ministry. It is a bold and challenging comment, which
should make us pray and then pray more.
I pray that the Lord will abundantly
bless you and make you fruitful in his service.
Barry
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