Norma shows us how to do ‘outreach’ at Bundaberg West

Posted by Bill on April 28, 2012

Getting testimonies out of my ‘young’ pastor friend, Bob Brown, of Bundaberg West Baptist Church, is like ‘pulling teeth’. After serving him with a strong rebuke, he came to the party with a great testimony that was sitting right under his nose. Bobby replied with …

“Ok, ok – I am rebuked. Forgive me brother Bill, I have sinned! I know what you mean, mate, but the last thing we want to do is create the impression to the world that we have ‘got it all together’.

Our two small groups are growing slowly and I will be thrilled when we have the team really in place. We have gone through losses, gained new ones and we still see excellent possibilities to continue our reach-out into our community ministry. Good things are happening.

Norma Spoor (picture attached) and Noel are in their 70′s and have been real encouragers to Margaret and me. They love being part of Life-group

Noel & Norma Spoor

on Sunday evenings. Lately we have again been considering how to engage with people in our community and Norma felt if she could meet people in her street (they moved there 12 months ago) they may be interested in hearing the gospel from her.

Bill, I nearly had a fit! Norma is very much a ‘collectable dolls’ lady. So she dressed up in a bonnet (old fashioned Easter style) got an old pram and walked up and down the street pushing this pram. My eyeballs nearly fell out…. as did all in her street! She was an instant hit. The men thought it funny but their wives said, “I don’t go to church, but I would really like to get to know you.” After two months there are 12 in her group! What a woman!

Bill, I don’t know how to put it in words, but we now have a new group! Praise the Lord for courageous people like Norma.

Bobby.”

Friends, I’m going to be in Bob’s face more regularly to squeeze him for golden testimonies like this.

“Great truths” from Warsaw

Posted by Bill on

Small Groups at Christian Fellowship North in Warsaw Iza is the Small Groups Director of the Christian Fellowship North Church in Warsaw, Poland. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the church on five occasions, since 2004. My visits were to share with them CCI’s Church Plan, and Principles that undergird the formation and development of healthy small groups, and to identify a small groups champion among their membership. Iza is a humble, sincere, faithful, and teachable leader. The Lord is doing amazing things in her church through her sacrificial service to Him. Here is a recent testimony I received from her …

We had a meeting with our small group leaders on Saturday. It was a great time. First, we shared testimonies from our small groups: how they are growing, how people are becoming more spiritually mature, how your visit and your Small Groups Development material has helped our groups. People shared many wonderful thoughts and experiences. One leader encouraged other leaders to use the SGD material. I was very glad!

After some training with a few small groups, people started encouraging each others, not only me! That’s what I really wanted to see happen.
Later we had a prayer time, and coffee and cakes of course. Bill, we are building strong ties. Now we are planning a one day trip for our small group leaders. I was surprised to hear that most leaders want to go! We’ll go on the 20^th of April. We’ll have many activities, rest and just be together.

Here’s a few statistics:

We have ten small groups. It’s not a large number but I know that we have strong groups, and leaders who are sure that small groups work. .
After Easter we’ll start training three or four groups.
At the end July, we will contact all small groups by your support tools. Besides, now we have one group that is multiplying. A new leader – Ewa! We hope Ewa will start in May with her new group.
There are about two or three groups that have many members. They are planning to multiply in September.
We have three coaches. We have another coach but he needs time to give us an answer. We don’t push, just wait and pray. But we hope that he’ll be a coach before the end of this season. Every group leader has their own coach.

In summary: At the end of this season we hope that every small groups will undergo SGD. We will have four coaches. We will have one group multiplying, and maybe two groups will be ready to think about multiplying. Bill, I think these are a great statistics! Just a one year ago we didn’t know if our groups would stay alive. And now we think about multiplying more frequently.

Reforming the Family

Posted by Bill on April 21, 2012

One of the devastating impacts of sin in life is the disintegration of the family as it once was. For many people today, ‘family’ is a meaningless name that does little to ‘add’ to their lives. For these people, life is better alone – away from so-called ‘family’. Sin has exchanged the desire for family in the human heart and psyche for a desire to be self-driven.

Authentic family is a God-created order – it’s something that is most attractive and satisfying. Family is about sharing our lives together in particular ways for the building of community – all sharing in oneness, for the benefit of the whole. Just merely speaking the word ‘family’ does not produce family-living. Jesus prayed to the Father for His disciples (that includes you and me) … “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one …” (John 17:22, 23).

Although the meaning and experience of family was lost through sin, the reality of authentic family-living was regained through the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The church as family is one of the central images of the Bible (1 Timothy 3:15), and the idea of the church as the household of God came out of the actual house churches.

Purposeful cell/small groups are about the work of reforming the family, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the body of Christ.

Bill

Relational Evangelism

Posted by Bill on

Recently, Jimmy Hill, Associate Pastor of CROSSlife Church, Southport, Australia, facilitated a ‘how-to’ evangelism training course for several young adults in his church. Jimmy used our “Relational Evangelism” training material, and now offers this encouraging testimony …

“When we grow in a deeper love for the Gospel and greater understanding in the magnitude of what Jesus has done for us; it propels our love for Him and our desire to not keep this Good News to ourselves. CCI’s Relational Evangelism training book helped me grow in this! After completing the course, I am even more convinced that there is no reason good enough as to why we as Christians cannot/should not partner with God in sharing the Good News of Jesus! “Relational Evangelism” can motivate all Christians to be effective in what we are called to do – make disciples!”

“Relational Evangelism” is a free downloadable resource from our website.

Why not help yourself to a copy right now.

Bill

Investing in Liberia 1

Posted by Bill on

After months of discussions, prayer and planning, Pastor Elijah Samuel, set out from Lagos International Airport, Nigeria, on the 7^th of April for a special Small Groups Church Plan/Development assignment in Monrovia, Liberia. Responding to a plea for help from Jayston Tonelle, Pastor of the Christ Harvest Miracle Ministry Church, CCI was pleased to assign and sponsor Elijah for this exciting opportunity to invest our small groups experience and resources in new, fertile and receptive African soil.

Elijah carried with him 100 copies of CCI’s Small Groups Development training manuals, in readiness for his Liberian teaching/training assignment. The assignment was completed on the 14^th of April. Elijah compiled a detailed report that is cram-packed with exciting news. The “Investing in Liberia” report will be presented to you in three instalments. In this week’s Part 1, Elijah says …

Spiritual background

Liberia is perhaps one of the oldest nations in Africa. It became a nation in 1847. History records that Africans that were freed from slavery in America were re-settled in this part of Africa. With various other settlers from other African countries (Congo, Guinea, Cot de Voir, etc) make up the nation called Liberia. Besides the various native languages spoken by the natives; Liberians are unified through one common language – English with an American accent. Liberians experienced fourteen years of civil war (began early 1990) which brought major setback to the polity, education, economy and infrastructural development. Except for areas close to the State House where the government house is located in Monrovia, the capital city; electrical power supply is not available to all areas. There is no national electricity supply to Paynesville where I was lodged (No thanks to the fourteen years of civil war).

More than 70% of Liberians embrace Christianity as their religion, but a lesser number practice and accept Christianity as a way of life in the real sense. There is the common belief among the Christian worshippers that anyone coming with good news (missionaries) must do so and demonstrate it with physically gifts to help meet their needs. This is because; the early missionaries from western nations came with physical materials, such as clothes, food, and money. However, some of the committed Christian leaders are working at breaking this mind-set among the people. Nonetheless, the heart of the people we ministered to. This visit proved to me that they really loved God and are working at ministering to the Lord from their needy condition. (Pastor Elijah Samuel)

Investing in Liberia (Part 2), “The coming harvest!”, will come to you next week.