Indispensable
We’ve got a friend who is the only person around qualified for the job she does. About 50, originally from the North-East (USA), she speaks fluently “accented” French and uses all her energy ministering to young and old alike.
Contact her and she’ll likely be visiting one of the older ladies in the huge apartment building where she rents. God has used her to convert several of these widows who reach out to other widows. Our friend organizes a Seniors’ Retreat every year. About 20 were together last fall, praying and studying the Bible, doing arts and crafts and hunting for mushrooms.
She plans the menu for 140 during the summer youth camp. She assembles a team and dispenses her force, following every French cooking regulation and feeding every camper.
In a word, our friend is indispensable to the French work, an arm or a foot to the Body of Christ. Her only desire is to stay in France and work, live near poverty level, no retirement, visit her children maybe once a year, happily exhaust herself in service.
But she has lost her financial support. Some of her ex-funds will go to a new building. Perhaps others to where the work is growing faster.
We “European” workers are thankful for all we receive, but know that our ministry can be effectively stopped when supporting churches make budget decisions.
posted by Brady @ 9:32 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Before I write my thoughts here, I just want to say that we at Creekside are caught up in some of the same mess I'm going to talk about. I would love for us to be able to support this kind of work, but we have the same problems of many western churches. We have "buildingitus."
Several years ago Creekside was a wondering church family without a permanent building in which to meet. I was not a part of Creekside at the time, but remember its wanderings. It is interesting that in those days was the greatest numerical growth of Creekside's history. As soon as the building was built, there came problems. Now granted the problems were not about buildings, but it is an interesting correlation.
What would happen if we all decided that we were going to "do church" in places we had to rent? How much money would be saved to help the poor, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and support missions all over.
I know in our area (Northwest Alabama) there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of church buildings scattered all over. Billions of dollars to build "Cathedrals" to bid the lost to come in when Jesus said, "Go out!"
I hope that in the future, churches will think more clearly and free up money to help others and not pander to our own lusts and desires.
I pray that God will bless you with the needed funds for help with your ministry.
There's an old saying: Two things that nobody wants to see how they're made...laws and sausages.
My experiences over the past year would add church budgets to that short list.
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