TMB

Just a Glass of Water

/ Phill

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Neetu was wandering through the break room looking troubled.

The boss approached and asked what was wrong.
”Nothing. I am thirsty and looking for a glass for some water, but they are all dirty” she replied. She left empty-handed. In India, a professional worker would rather go thirsty than lower herself to do the work of a lower level cleaning person.

After she left the boss washed the dishes in the break room and then got himself a glass of water. He got a second glass for Neetu and took it to her desk.

“What is this?”

“Weren’t you looking for a glass of water?,” he said.

“You shouldn’t do this,” she replied.

“Why not, it’s just a glass of water, and I knew you were thirsty.

The incident seemed to end there…

Days later, in a staff meeting she began weeping unexplainably. Concerned co-workers asked what the problem was.  “I get it!” she exclaimed. I understand the statue at the entrance to the office. The one of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet.  Neetu had known the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, but she did not understand the power of the message until she experienced the reality of it herself in a tangible way.

In this Kingdom Company the Christian management determined to exemplify biblical principles in the way they ran the company. Core values were based on Bible truths – honesty, servanthood, stewardship, and community. To build the concepts into the company culture they regularly use Bible stories to illustrate the application of these values in the workplace. Artwork in the offices reinforced the teaching. A statuette similar to the one pictured above sat on the director’s desk. 

As events like this are observed and repeated a different business culture is being forged, and God breaks through to those who are touched.

For Reflection

Mark 9.41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

Col 3.17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Ministry On and Off the Clock

/ Phill

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It’s 10:30 pm when the phone rings. The voice on the other end sounds frightened.

It’s Lindsay, the new neighbor, who moved in recently. We stopped by to introduce ourselves two months ago as the family was moving in and exchanged phone numbers. We have not had contact since. What’s going on? Lindsay explains she is home alone with her two pre-school children and she is scared. Her husband has not returned from work yet.

There are noises outside the house. It sounds like someone is trying to break in. “Could someone drive by the house and see if there is anyone outside?”

My wife and I come right over. We don’t see anyone outside the house. We call to tell her we are coming to the door so she will not panic. My wife goes in to reassure her while I walk around the house.

The intruder has gone. He left a tell-tale mess of spilled garbage. I’m not sure if it was a raccoon or a panther but there was no danger. Lindsay sighed in relief.

Fast forward to Sunday. I am reading the church bulletin. Inside I find a list of ministry needs and opportunities – Teach Sunday School, Lead Bible study, Help with VBS, Short term mission trip to Guatemala, etc.

I reflect. These are wonderful ministries. BUT wait! Something doesn’t seem right. Is this all there is to ministry? I get the impression that in order to be ministry, my effort has to be on the church calendar and part of a church program. What about helping a neighbor? Or, helping a student with his studies? Or, making sure my work is done in a God-honoring way? Where does that fit in?

If we only see ministry as something that we can schedule, or program, then we have a very incomplete picture.

The notion that things that happen in the church, or are part of a church program, are ministry and that the rest are not, is false. In part this is a result of the old Greek idea that some activities are sacred and others are secular. This needs to be challenged and corrected.

I believe there is another reason for this misconception. We only need to look at the stories we tell and the heroes we praise in church for the answer. Christians will practice the activities that are recognized and appreciated in the church. When was the last time someone was recognized for helping a neighbor, or conducting his business in a God-honoring way, unless it was part of a formal church program? Instead we have the VBS leaders and the Sunday School teachers recognized from the platform. We have a mission team do a presentation when they return from their trip. These are exciting to report and they should be reported. But if we only tell these kinds of stories we fail to show people that ministry can happen in the everyday pathways of life too.

The Church needs to tell the stories about how God uses everyday activities that come along as teaching moments to share faith in natural everyday settings. In that way she will be showing Christians how to take Christ into every corner of their lives – their homes, their communities and their workplace.

Ministry is a lifestyle choice, not a scheduling choice. It is about the relationships we create. It’s about  bringing God’s blessing to those he puts in our way.

Matt 5.16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Risk management for tentmakers

/ Steinar Opheim

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The UN has just published a new report focusing on risk management for humanitarian workers. The document contains much valuable information also for tentmakers and business as mission people working in sensitive areas.

Humanitarian workers are under threat as ever before according to the UN report named “To stay and deliver”. The report says that the number of lethal attacks on humanitarian workers have tripled the past years. Currently an average of 100 workers are killed on the job every year. The situation is worst in Afghanistan where there have been 180 major attacks on humanitarian workers since 2005. Sudan (150 attacks) and Somalia (100 attacks) follow as number two and three.

– There are no places where humanitarian organizations should not go or cannot go. Instead of asking what does it take to leave, we should ask what does it take to stay in Mazar-i-Sharif and other such places. Risk management means you adapt to the circumstances, said Jan Egeland when the report was presented in New York in the middle of April. Egeland who is the director of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, has led the research group behind the UN report.

The report contains information on best practices for agencies working in conflict areas. Many tentmakers are involved in such relief work. The content is also valuable for tentmakers and business people operating in such areas. For instance it is underlining how important it is to develop plans for security including evacuation plans.

 181 new house churches planted by tentmakers

/ Steinar Opheim

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Steinar Opheim

African tentmakers who have gone through the tentmaking course developed by Global Opportunities and Tent have started at least 181 new prayer groups and house churches the past six years.

According to detailed reports presented by Africa-director Tiowa Diarra in Tentmakers International (TI), 3,751 persons have now gone through a limited version of the GO Equipped TENTmaking course. The course participants have reached out to 15,100 people with the gospel and 181 new, Christian fellowships have been started.

– We are still missing reports from several nations, so the real numbers of people being reached and fellowships being started is even higher than this, says Tiowa Diarra.

He has been a leading figure in the African tentmaking movement that has been emerging the past six years. In 2004 he made connections with Global Opportunities European sister agency, Tent, in order to arrange a tentmaking course in his home country Mali. Since then the development of the movement has been like an adventure. In 2007 Mali hosted the first ever All Africa Tentmaking conference with participants from 17 nations. The second All Africa Tentmaking conference was held in Cameroon last summer. At present TI has national representatives in the majority of the African nations. The tentmaking course has been recorded in both French and English and is now distributed on DVDs to the national leaders in the movement.

– The tentmaking strategy is a good fit for the churches in Africa. Through tentmaking even churches that have small resources can take part in the worldwide misson task, says Tiowa Diarra.

He is now making plans for a third All Africa Tentmaking conference that will be held in Tanzania in 2013.

– By arranging these international events in different parts of the continent, we can introduce even more people to the tentmaking idea, says Tiowa Diarra.