Walk across the room

I have been enjoying listening to the recent podcasts from bristol vineyard from a series called Walk Across the Room. It based on material developed by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church. Click on the link on the right ot find out more about BV. I have yet to listen to this Sunday's talk but I have been thinking a lot about some of the points made in the previous two talks. Basically the whole thing is about the fact that we have a great gift to share with other people because of our relationship with Jesus. I love the way these talks have discussed how we should share the gift by sharing our lives and developing friendships with other people, learning to love them, hearing about their stories and sharing our lives with them so that they can see God's love worked out in our lives. Too often in the past this "gift" has been thrust in people's laps with a challenge and a threat.

Anyway, part of Andrew Wallis' first talk was about thinking back through our own Christian heritage to the people who introduced us to Jesus. For me this led me to think of the couple on our street who ran a Good News Club every night for children aged 3 to 10. They shared stories from the Bible and taught us songs and memory verses before walking us all home. I know that this couple had a lot of grief in their life because they were unable to have children of their own. I am so grateful for the heritage that they gave me (in conjunction with the Christian upbringing I received at home). It was a timely reminder as I have just started training to become a Bible in Schools teacher here in NZ.

Bible in Schools is run by the Christian Education Commission (www.cec.org.nz). They place volunteer teachers in state schools for half an hour each week to share God's love and teach from the Bible. There are 1,000 such volunteers in Auckland and 4,000 throughout the country. Much like the Good News Club, it involves hearing Bible stories, learning verses and songs that teach about morality and Christian values. It is amazing that in such a secular society such a thing should be allowed! The 15 (soon to be 17) denominations that make up the CEC pray fervently for this privilege to continue. I think it is a wonderful example of the kind of unity among his followers that Jesus prayed for the night before his arrest and crucifixion. It has come about in fact as a result of disunity in the Church - in 1877 the NZ government took a dramatic step to end the arguments and conflicts amongst various missionary denominations who were responsible for the schools but could not agree on how they could be taughtn because of doctrinal differences. The government declared in 1877 that education would be "compulsory, free and secular". Bible in Schools grew up as a result of an arrangement that the schools would close for 30 minutes each week to allow the BIS teachers to come in.

I have no idea where I will be teaching. I could be assigned one class or large groups of a 100 or so children when classes are joined together. We'll have to wait and see! I am really looking forward to it (with some trepidation). It isn't about evangelising the children - that isn't allowed! It's about showing them that there is a gift of love out there for them so that they can explore that more fully when they wish to.

Oh, and Grommit will be delighted to hear that I sat beside a lovely young woman from Texas during our first evening's training. She is here with 11 other Texans as part of a missionaru deployment!