The 15th June 2005
was our official 50th birthday in
Britain
. We were first registered
to distribute follow up material, primarily the Topical Memory System (TMS)
after Billy Graham’s historic visit to
London
in 1954. We have grown in
numbers and diversity since then.
With
the twin aims of celebrating what God has done in and through us over the last
50 years, and looking forward in faith to where he might be taking us in the
future, Martin Cooper was given the task of organising three public events
in Glasgow, Manchester and London. These took place on consecutive Saturdays in
June and he gives his personal view of how it went and also tells us about a
Golden Jubilee Thank Offering, which was launched at the three events to help
fund future ministry.
How
do you squeeze 50 years of history into two hours?! That was the major challenge
at our three national Golden Jubilee celebration events during June.
A
combination of overseas’ guests, testimonies, videos, Bible teaching and
uplifting worship – all in an atmosphere of joyful reunion - helped us to do
so, with overwhelmingly positive responses from the 700 adults and children who
attended.
We
began in
Glasgow
on 4 June, with Charles & Anne Clayton as our
special visitors. They had begun the Navigator work in
Scotland
35 years before, and came to share some of their own
memories. Charles also spoke from the Scriptures and reminded us of ‘the
basics’ (God’s Word, Prayer, Fellowship & Witness), which have
characterised the heart of our ministry over the past 50 years. We also welcomed
Mark & Jenny Stirling back from their seminary studies in the USA. Mark too shared powerfully, about the urgent need
for labourers to be equipped and sent into the harvest of a hurting world.
The
following weekend saw us in
Manchester, with Gordy & Margaret Nordstrom as our
overseas’ guests. What a delight to renew fellowship again with these
‘pioneer missionaries’ who had come here in the 1960s to begin a disciple
making ministry in
Manchester. They shared humbly about what God had taught them
during that time, adding that it had been a wonderful context in which to raise
their young family.
Our
main speaker in Manchester was Mark Greene, Executive Director of the London
Institute of Contemporary Christianity who, in his own entertaining but incisive
way, highlighted the need for The Navigators to continue their vital ministry of
training and resourcing Christians to be ‘salt, light and yeast’ in their
various worlds of influence.
Finally,
on Saturday 18 June, (with temperatures in the 30’s!) the biggest of the three
gatherings came to
London. Mark Greene again spoke, contrasting the philosophy
of many churches to ‘convert and retain’ people, with Jesus’ priority of
‘training and releasing’ them. Our special guests were Ed & Ruth Reis,
who had come to minister in
London
over 40 years ago, spawning a multiplying work of
God’s Spirit, especially within the city’s business community.
And
then, at last, we could catch our breath and reflect on what had happened in
such a whirlwind fortnight!...to which the Psalmist’s words speak so
appropriately: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with
joy”. AMEN!
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