All Aboard

Since starting our Sabbath year, lots of people have asked about the practicalities of getting going, particularly helping our people to get on board. We were aware that such a big change had the potential to be traumatic for those who have been here much longer than we have been, and who will remain after we leave, whenever that day may come. The last thing we wanted to do was push our agenda on to everyone else and leave them to pick up the pieces.

When Xander and I started to tell people outside of our church what we were going to do, the most common response was, ‘Gosh, that’s brave.’ We didn’t feel particularly brave, just that God had given us an opportunity to try something new, and so we wanted to be obedient and run with it.

We were convinced that we needed to cancel all of our existing programme in order to give space to what God had in mind. Up until August 2014 we were running: Over 60s club, Home League, Coffee Morning twice a week, Lunch Club and Parent and Toddlers, as well as Sunday worship and cell groups which we have kept going. The whole process was probably made a lot easier because we didn’t have musical sections and practices to work around – if that were the case we would have had to have a few more sensitive conversations than were needed.

Some of those programmes were running more fruitfully than others, some smaller, some larger. Most of them had been running for decades, all run by wonderful, faithful and committed volunteers who poured their lives into their service and the people.

Some of the groups naturally came to a close – Little Stars, our parent and toddler group had run for 18 months with small success and was ready for a breather to rethink. Our older people’s groups were also dwindling. We had some special good bye parties to celebrate the great years that had gone before and the leaders who had invested so much. Some leaders were ready to step down anyway, some were glad of a change, feeling the burden of keeping on keeping on. Some really found their identity in those roles, and there was some fear about losing the ministry they had been pouring their hearts and lives and prayers into for years.

Learning to live free had already started teaching us some lessons. We saw how the Israelites got up close to the Promised Land and sent spies into the land. They ran away,

 afraid of the giants, unconvinced of a God who is bigger than any enemy, who goes ahead of us into new ground. Our people grabbed their fear by the neck and responded in faith. There was such determination that as a corps we would not loose another generation by wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. We had glimpsed the promised land ahead of us, we’d seen those grapes as big as tangerines, and we were going after them, giants or no giants.

Together we made a commitment to keep chasing after God, wherever he leads us, no matter what it feels like we loose out on, no matter where we end up. I was so proud of my people to witness them so ready and willing to lay down their own lives for the cause of the kingdom. I am convinced that great victories were won in the spiritual realm that day. It was a true watershed moment – we have come up to that point and we will not go back.