Fruit of Good Foundations
From time to time I have the joy of meeting with men and women – particularly those now in church leadership – and the pleasure hearing of how their lives were impacted at one of the Bible Weeks. Maybe that is where they first gave their lives to following Jesus, or where they were baptised in the Spirit. But I am conscious that the Bible Weeks often just provided the opportunity for picking ripe fruit, fruit from plants that had been carefully tended by parents and church leaders over many years. Harvest time, whether natural or spiritual, tends to be the conspicuous time that is remembered, but the hard work that has gone on at home needs to be recognised and applauded!
Preparation
And talking of hard work I never ceased to be amazed at the depth and length of planning and preparation hundreds of the children’s and teens’ volunteers devoted to the Bible Week for, maybe, six months or more before the event. There were Saturdays spent planning, rooms set aside in people’s homes for all the craft works and visual aids that had to be made, the recruiting of dedicated teams, and even much time and thought set aside to think through and prepare for the many recreational activities that were made available or incorporated into a morning’s or evening’s activities for all ages. A huge thank you to those who served, some for every one of the 21 years we held Bible Weeks (Downs and Stoneleigh), with such love and care, and the determination to equip these young people for fruitful God-glorifying lives.
Where are they now?
Rather than try to report on all that went on, have a look at the photos. I wonder where these young people are now? What are they doing? See if you can spot one you know – or even yourself!
