When retired clergyman Lance Jackson ran Introducing God in country Glen Innes he emailed friends for support (and let us evesdrop)

 Retired minister Lance Jackson has been using Introducing God to reach the small town of Glen Innes in country NSW.

Each week during the Introducing God course Lance sent an email reporting on what happened and asking for prayer.

FROM: Lance Jackson
SUBJECT: We start in a week!

We have booked the 189 Coffee Lounge for coffee and sweets from 7.00pm each Tuesday night and we trust to have at least 20 heads (with bodies attached).  Teens under year 10 are to be accompanied by an adult.  Tea, coffee and sweets will be set up on the side for people to help themselves, which frees the staff up to participate  as well - if they wish.  At present we have six to eight hosts including 10 members of the congregation and four to five guests. 

This email is to invite your prayer support for this venture, which is a big step for our church elders and small congregation.  While we will be asking for donations each night we will also be challenged to meet any shortfall.  Our prayer is that the experience will open the way for a regular planned outreach.  It’s a bold step of faith… and your prayer support will be an encouragement.

SUBJECT: Session One, God, Us and the Meaning of Life!, Genesis One
MESSAGE: Very exciting.  There has been a cold, damp weather change.  The newspaper didn’t run our advertisement until today, instead of last Thursday.  The 18 firm responses we received by 8.30am guaranteed the 189 Coffee Lounge for 20 people each week (brave step for Presbyterians)! 

By mid afternoon the phones started ringing and six more outside bookings came in.  I phoned the Coffee Lounge to review seating arrangements and with a little more faith said to expect 30.  The eight facilitators all received their email the night before and arrived in good time.

6.40pm: People began arriving.

7.05pm: 31 people were sorted into table groupings:  Five high school students, four male guests, seven female guests and nine facilitators.  Among the group there were six people who attend church but are not necessarily committed.  31 people in total.

The caterers provided a lavish spread of cake, sandwiches, slice and beverages at $5 ahead.  Food was set up on a table near the kitchen entrance to one side.  The screen and projector were set up on the opposite side so people came directly into the table area.  We distributed nameplates to everyone with their first names only and the facilitators’ tags were on a yellow background.  We used a simple digital projection to welcome people and provide basic info about the evening.  After the welcome greeting, coffee and sweets were collected by table groups.

7.40pm: Dominic’s first talk (Gen 1).  Discussion was mixed across five tables:  One table appeared rather stony faced, the young people were quite animated, and the remainder seemed to manage okay.  A couple of fellows returned their handbooks.  They are unlikely to return next week but prayer can turn this around. 

8.45pm: Packed up and home.  There was a message waiting for me:  A woman inquiring about the Introducing God course.  She read the local paper at 7.45pm, saw the article and phoned straight away.  She volunteered her name and address and requested to have information delivered to her home.  We are expecting her next week. 

Observations:  Three elders and their wives were elated and the prayer group was excited.  The teacher of my year one scripture class attended and recognised that the focus of Dominic’s presentation on creation was on the ‘why’ rather than the ‘how’.  This was a significant response.  The Coffee Lounge in the main street is clearly an advantage, since two people declared they would not go to a ‘church show’.

Thanks for the response of many to my last email with assurances of prayer.  We press forward looking unto Jesus as the author and perfector of our faith.

SUBJECT: Session 2, Our declaration of Autonomy, Genesis 3
MESSAGE:  26 people were in attendance.  Nine from last week did not return and there were four new guests, including one from Ipswich who began Introducing God back home and due to work commitments had to come to Glen Innes.  He thought the Coffee Lounge was a better location than a church hall.  People collected their coffee and sweets as they arrived, put on their nametags and travelled towards ‘their’ table. 

Table discussion this week seemed to be more animated before and after the talk.  We congratulated a new church contact who celebrated his birthday on the weekend.  He and his mother were quite moved.

The theme of owning our autonomy raised some interesting issues:  After the evening had finished we discovered two teachers on the footpath, engaged in deep discussion about the implications of man’s wilful disobedience.  Around the table, another teacher reported that her son had recently ‘said that prayer they say to be whatever it is’… someone interjected with  ‘in America they say he was born again’ and yet another  ‘that’s what the Bible says has to happen’.  The teacher continued to explain the radical change in her son’s behaviour.  ‘It seems to be oozing out of him from within’, she reported.  The teacher of my year one scripture class, has asked if she can remain in the room during my lesson to catch up on a few things.  She says she finds the lessons for the children ‘very interesting and thought provoking’. 

This evening finished nicely with a 14 year old boy and an older man volunteering to remain behind to help the Coffee Lounge owner rearrange her tables and chairs ready to open for business the next morning.  We discovered it was her wedding anniversary today and that she had postponed her celebration to look after our group. 

Many of the participants live on farms, have limited incomes and are genuinely concerned about additional costs, so we are thinking about doing the first weekend away talk on a normal Tuesday night and doing the remaining two talks on a Saturday, separated by a barbeque lunch at a suitable ‘away’ venue.  We are hoping that this will provide some additional interaction time.

Pray that our guests will see God’s people transparently by looking through them to the person of Christ. 

SUBJECT: Session 3, What will God do about it?, Psalm 2
MESSAGE:  Hi!  We were down to 21 participants this week.  We have decided to invite the nine absentees to a viewing of the talk at 4.30pm one day before Session Four.  The weekend away is being reviewed:  Participants are agreed that we will conclude the course early in December and next week suggestions for a day away will be consolidated into something definite. 

One 21 year old guest recovering from brain tumour surgery is limited in concentration but wants to cover all of the sessions.  Some reasonable options have been suggested and we ask that you pray that the final plan will optimise everyone’s opportunities to participate.  The proprietors of the Coffee Lounge had their eighth wedding anniversary during the week and this became the subject of a slide on the screen inviting them to meet the group for our congratulations.  They were embarrassed and impressed. 

One senior widowed lady is missing the coffee and sweets because she can’t skip the Seven O’clock ABC News!!! She attended last week for the first time and came about 10 minutes before the talk began because she didn’t want to miss it.  She says she will do the same next week.  She raised some issues with her table facilitator who arrived with a concordance!!  She has taken notes on every reference to pride and humility in the scriptures, to read up on during the week. 

A schoolteacher became very engrossed in talk three, saying ‘I had no idea God would hold me accountable’.  She had been to Armidale for an in-service course and curtailed some social activity to drive the 100kms back in time for the session.  In fact, she is going to inquire if the school where she teaches (complete with barbeque and recreation area) is available for our Day Away.  This would allow the 21year old to go home for a rest in between talks. 

SUBJECT: Session 5, The death that changes everything, Luke 23
MESSAGE:  On Monday afternoon we had five of the nine absentees come to the home of one of our facilitators to view Session Three.  Among them was a year eight aboriginal boy who attended with his mother and decided to come again tonight. 

Shortly before the session started we were hit with a heavy electrical storm, which brought heavy rain and hail.  Ironically, we had the second highest attendance rate, including a new couple and a new student. 

One woman shared with her group saying, ‘the best thing happened to me; I’ve discovered I can really trust Jesus’. 

We thought we’d lost a couple of older tough blokes but they were back tonight. 

100% of the participants want to complete the course before mid December.  50% are willing to set aside a Saturday for the three talks on ‘The Difference Jesus Makes’.  The public school staffroom has very suitable facilities and is available. 

With a small congregation and no surplus funds, we are trusting in voluntary donations to cover expenses (catering and hand books).  With students and pensioners making up approximately one third of the group, we are not pushing this, trusting that the Lord will move those who are able to share the load.  Donations were up tonight.  We are facing some challenges in other areas of the congregation.  It seems the faithful are being challenged and tested.

SUBJECT: Session 6, God made Jesus Lord and Christ, Acts 2
MESSAGE:  As the group assembled, three people individually expressed their anticipation for tonight’s topic.  21 people attended (4 teens) and thus far 17 have an unbroken attendance.  Generally discussion was more muted after the talk.

I haven’t heard from all the table facilitators but from two groups there were several who have entered into relationship with God and followed Dominic’s leading with a clear understanding.  One participant believes she was saved but felt she should renew her commitment.

Another lady who has shown sceptical interest [the evening news devotee who responded to a newspaper add and joined us on the second night] was still engage d in serious discussion with the facilitator 20 minutes after everyone had left - an encouraging sign.

The 4 young people had an animated discussion about personal commitment and when it was appropriate to make such a commitment.

Our congregation has about 16 regular adults (about 30 children) with perhaps 10 of those actively committed to witnessing.  They are greatly encouraged to see the way ‘outsiders’ are becoming involved in gospel issues.

We appreciate your prayer support as we seek to grow the church in this district.

SUBJECT: Session 7, How then shall we live?, 2Peter 3
MESSAGE:  25 people attended.  We are missing a couple of fellows who have found the challenge too much.  We are hoping that 15 or more will attend our special day out on Saturday.  Some are restricted by employment and we’re trying to arrange for those who miss out to at least see the video presentation.

If we do not see the three messages on “The Difference Jesus makes” on our day away, we plan to start earlier next Tuesday and do the remaining two talks.  Several participants are schoolteachers and their program is pretty demanding for the last couple of weeks of the school year.

The testimony leading into Session 7 was very relevant for several of our guests.

We value prayer for the remaining period covering Saturday and next Tuesday.

We are praying that ongoing study groups will result from the course as well as a growth in our congregation as those committing to Christ begin to attend services.

SUBJECT: Day Away, The difference Jesus makes!, Luke 14-16
MESSAGE:  15 people attended, mainly original guests and non-committed people.  We are planning to cover two of the three sessions on ‘The Difference Jesus Makes’ and all but two participants requested that we include the third talk at the end of the second.  This third talk included a reference to Arthur Stace (famously known as Mr Eternity) who I knew personally after he became a Christian.  The preacher who challenged  Stace to scribe the word ‘eternity’ across the suburbs of Sydney was Rev. John Ridley, whose ministry incidentally led both me and my mother to Christ.

Back to ‘The Difference Jesus Makes’…

Several participants have realised that we only have one session to go and they don’t want to stop meeting together.  There are already plans for a group of at least seven women to continue meeting weekly for Bible study and they have asked my wife Daphne to be their leader. 

Michael and his mother will miss next Tuesday evening because it has been found that the tumour inside Michael’s head has begun to regrow and he requires an urgent medical assessment. 

One woman has asked about using the course at her home with older relatives who won’t come to organised meetings, and others are asking if we intend to run the course again in the new year so they can invite their friends.  One of these comments came from a participant who came on the first night to check out the course, didn’t expect to continue then didn’t miss a single session in spite of out of town commitments that made it difficult to return in time. 

While eternity alone will reveal the working of the Spirit in our midst, we are encouraged to believe that there are several who have made commitments to Christ. 

We rejoice to learn that amongst the Anglicans attending there has been increased attendance at Sunday meetings and weeknight Bible study.  We have yet to see an increase in our congregation but there is definite potential. 

SUBJECT: Final Session, Are you thirsty?, Revelation 21-22
MESSAGE:  We reached a fairly quiet conclusion at the end of tonight’s session.  Clearly many who were strangers eight weeks ago were sorry the series had reached an end.  No overt attempt was made to assess the immediate outcome of the course. 

Over the past three weeks a few people have privately acknowledged handing autonomy over to the Lord.  Of the 45% who began attending without existing church connections, more than half have indicated a significant response.  Church people [one third Anglican and two thirds Presbyterian] have all expressed a genuine appreciation of the course.  Many may well have had a more or less nominal understanding of personal commitment to Christ.

I was able to spend the discussion time tonight with our friend who watches the ABC news before attending the sessions.  She has, some 30 years ago, endured the loss of her husband and several children in a tragedy.  For much of that time she has had questions about a personal God, although she is not bitter toward Him because of her circumstances.  She declared her faith has been fully restored and asked details about our service next Sunday morning so we made sure she met a couple of the women who will be there. 

Several expressed interest in continuing in some sort of study group, with a number asking if Daphne would lead such a group.  The involvement of our five teenagers in Introducing God has been very helpful as we redevelop our Sunday evening youth program to include more teaching, alongside the Thursday evening youth study meeting.  There are 500 high school students to reach in Glen Innes. 

Thank you for allowing us to intrude on your screen each week.  A special thanks to those who have responded in some way, particularly with assurances of prayer support. 

God only knows the work of grace that has begun in lives, but we press on to water seed sown and nurture that which gives evidence of growth. 

I am indebted to Dominic Steele and those associated with him for providing a very useable tool for evangelism that is particularly well suited to the ‘unchurched’.  I value the way it lays credible foundations for considering our lostness before a sovereign God, which proceeds to open the way for forgiveness and concludes with setting a believer’s direction on the right path. 

I believe Introducing God will be programmed again in the New Year to build on the interest generated among the wider community and the experience gained by our key personnel.

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled to refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek  (Heb 6:17-20).

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow…

May your daily comfort and joy be found in Christ, and Him alone.

Lance and Daphne Jackson.