16Mar 2010 by Nigel Ring

Zimbabwe – Meet Brian Oldreive

Agriculture, Christian ministry, Good Practice, News, One to One interviews, Poor, Zimbabwe
About 30 years ago Brian Oldreive, a former Zimbabwean test cricketer, was farming tobacco when he and his wife Cath became Christians. He is now well-known for being the visionary behind Foundations for Farming, formerly Farming God’s Way. In this interview you get to meet him and to learn something of his background, and why he changed from tobacco to food. You will also sense his passion to see the Kingdom of God advance in Zimbabwe and the whole of Africa, and his great heart for the Poor.   One to one with Brian Oldreive from Newfrontiers on Vimeo. If this video has inspired you and you wish to become involved in Operation Trumpet Call there is a day of prayer for Zimbabwe on September 26th. More details will become…
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12Mar 2010 by Nigel Ring

Time Management pt 11 – Progressing the Do it list 1

Administrative Skills, Christian ministry, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Time Management
Now that we have dealt with prioritising and have the Organiser organised it is time to bring practical application to your Do it list. When you write the list leave two imaginary columns on the left side – in other words indent the items. In the column nearest the list you write the priorities, A1 etc. So a list may look like this: |  |  |Phone John Smith 019234 567890 |  |  |Plan the Conference meeting agenda |  |  |Complete ministry proposal for the elders’ meeting |  |  |Brief staff about holiday arrangements |  |  |Report back to staff on trustees meeting |  |  |Monitor progress with Sally about Easter outreach |  |  |Ask Mike to set up meeting with local press officer Note the ‘2 columns’ of space beside…
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09Mar 2010 by Nigel Ring

Time Management pt 10 – Organising your Organiser – 2

Administrative Skills, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Time Management
Having established the importance of different views in the time or diary section of the Organiser we will now consider the second element of the arrangement, the ‘Portable Filing System’. 2. Filing System Through the use of computers we are all familiar with folders and files. In past times we would have used a filing cabinet, but the principles are the same – drawers of folders each containing files or documents. Divisions Since we live life in a context of time it is helpful to consider how our storage system of information relates to the timeline of our lives. First, define the key divisions in your life. For instance, you may like to think in terms of 2 ‘drawers’ (there could be more) e.g. Home and Work. Alternatively you may…
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02Mar 2010 by Nigel Ring

Ministry Report 4 – Jubilee Health Centre, Cape Town

Christian ministry, Good Practice, Health, HIV, Ministry Report, News, Poor, South Africa
I love receiving regular updates from the Clinic based at Jubilee Church in Cape Town! They are always full of faith and testimonies of God’s intervention – so I felt to share a report with you to be blessed also! It is written by Dr Caryn Wilson whose passion and leadership of the Team make this a highly effective ministry. This is one of a dozen Mercy Ministries from Jubilee Church and at the end of this blog is a video made about 18 months ago showing how they integrate together, an important feature of good practice in a church’s social ministries. But first, let Caryn tell you the story.   Our experience of working alongside God in the Jubilee Health Centre is aptly described in the words of a…
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26Feb 2010 by Nigel Ring

Time Management pt 9 – Organising your Organiser – 1

Administrative Skills, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Time Management
Whether you are using a paper-based Organiser or an electronic PDA it is important to get some shape and system in place before you start. It is well worth giving careful thought to what will serve you best. You are laying a foundation;  if the foundation of a building is wrong the final structure will fail to perform in the intended way and however elegant it looks it will always be deficient.  There are three major elements to the Organiser, and some refinements. 1. Calendar and Diary The core is, of course, the time element. In the last posting we looked at the 2-page per day display where you have the whole day laid out before you including a) appointments, b) Do it list and, by the end of the day,…
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18Feb 2010 by Nigel Ring

Time Management pt 8 – Getting organised

Administrative Skills, Equipping, Good Practice, Planning, Time Management
So, what does the Organiser look like? You will remember that for the purposes of this training I am considering a paper system rather than a PDA. Personally I use a PDA but since there are so many varieties it is easier to communicate ideas this way.     I recommend the 2-page/day loose leaf variety of Organiser. This gives plenty of room for all that you need to do including a generous note page for making records of phone calls, meetings and so on.   But the important feature is not so much to do with the area of paper – that will be dependent on your particular lifestyle – but with having the relevant sections on view each day namely: 1. Do it list 2. Appointments 3. Notepad…
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