Waking the Sleeping Giant

It was one of those good meetings that some people don’t think happen in Christian circles.  It was passionate, pointed and purposeful.  After partnering in an evangelistic outreach, seeing the work of World Vision in Central Malawi, touring a potential Area Development site, meeting poor merchants whose livelihoods had been greatly improved by Opportunity International and visited a nursery that cares for orphans whose parents have died of AIDS (some of them are HIV+ themselves), we were now sitting in Zambia at a comfortable lodge in a game park talking together about how to make this ministry a reality.  As we shared our reflections of the week and our dreams for what we could do together two common themes came to the top:

• Malawi is a country on the brink of deadly disaster.  It’s not the Sudan, or Ethopia of years gone by, but it could soon be.  Poverty, disease and AIDs is ravaging the land, the lack of rain this year alone could mean widespread hunger by the end of summer. 
• The American church has been given the resources by God be the answer to this need.

One man pounded the table as he declared: “I know that there are millions and millions of dollars just sitting in our churches if people could only see the difference they could make.” 

Another talked of how painful it was to realize that the children we met were going to die if we don’t do something:  “I believe that God is trying to wake the sleeping giant that is the American church to this worldwide crisis.” 

We all had many ideas, even some reservations.  This whole concept has a lot of details to work out.  But when the meeting was over, a new partnership was formed.  I wrote a Memo of Understanding that I sent out to the leaders who were in the meeting.  Here it is in edited form:

The Y-Malawi Partnership exists to give congregations in the United States the opportunity to cooperate with what God is doing in Central Malawi to bring relief from poverty, care for people who have been devastated by HIV/AIDs and to encourage Malawi churches and Christian workers in their efforts to bring the gospel and discipleship of Jesus Christ to this beautiful country of warm hearted people.

The Y-Malawi Partnership is organized in two partnership sub groups: Ministry Partners in Malawi (The Evangelical Association of Malawi; Fishers, Trainers, Senders; The Nkhoma Synod Youth Department of Central African Presbyterian Church; Opportunity International and World Vision, Malawi) and North American Partner Churches (10 max) and World Vision, USA.  Both sub-groups will be headed by steering committees made up of representatives of the ministries and churches. 

The Y-Malawi Partnership offers American churches the opportunity to express their passion for Jesus Christ and his particular callings to us in service to the Spirit-led priorities expressed through Malawian Christian leaders.  We do this both through investment and involvement. 

Our primary investment as a Partnership is with the World Vision Nkhoma Area Development Project (ADP). Our partner churches are all committed to participating in the World Vision Child Sponsorship program for the Nkhoma ADP.  Every church in the partnership will be asked to make an initial investment, the first $180,000 of which is required to initiate the project.  All initial investments beyond the first $180,000 will be invested in the Partnership administrative and ministry costs. 

In addition, as projects and ministry opportunities are identified by the Y-Malawi Malawi Steering Committee, investment opportunities will be offered to the partner churches to support as they feel led. 

While World Vision provides the Partnership with investment opportunities, congregational involvement is made available through the Y-Malawi Partner Ministries.  Those ministries will provide opportunities for regular short-term mission teams to come to Central Malawi, visit their Sponsored Children in the Nkhoma ADP and participate in hands-on ministry that supports the ministry of the Y-Malawi Malawi Partners. 

I am not a missionary, nor am I leader in relief and development.  I am pastor.  As a pastor, I believe, through investment and involvement, the “sleeping giant” will be awakened, the church will be strengthened and a world in need will experience the power and presence of God.

When confronted by a world in need, I see the way that need is an opportunity for the church to participate in God’s ministry to heal and reconcile the world through investment and involvement.  In fact, it is more than an opportunity, it is a call.

The only question is: Will we answer it?

Comments

[Derek Simmons]

Tod:
Someone whose heart, mind, and soul I appreciate heart, mind and soul, once said that "the need is not the call." You have given a face and a taste and a smell to what we knew was real but what we felt as the vaporous need of a far away people.
Thank you. But back to that first stated point now nagging me as a question: If the "need is not the call", why then is Malawi's need our Call from God here at SCPC for investment and involvement there?

Your Brother in Christ,
Derek

[Tod]

I can always count on the fact that Derek is listening...and remembering...my sermons. Let me see if I can answer his question by posting the section of the sermon that he mentioned.

"And let me be clear about this particular point by emphasizing this one phrase: The need is not the call.

You see so many of us think that to be called is nothing more than being willing to help out. To be a volunteer. To see a need and meet it. But, that’s not the point here. Jesus didn’t come to Peter, Andrew, James and John and say, “Hey I need some volunteers. There is a great need out there. People need my gospel.” Instead, he called them to follow him. Disciples are those who are called to Jesus and to join Jesus in Jesus’ work of meeting the great needs of the world.

That’s not to say that a call can’t come through a need. Many, many times in life we find ourselves seeing a need and in it, hearing a call. In many ways that is what has been happening in our church as we seek to start a new Hispanic ministry and a new ministry working with people whose lives have been devastated by AIDS in Africa. Through the needs, and ample prayerful discussion, our Session discerned a call for our church.

But, to be a disciple, to be yoked to Jesus is not necessarily about meeting the world’s needs; it is answering Jesus’ call. And if we believe this we will suit up, we will enter the game, our lives will become part of something bigger than ourselves: If we heed the call, we will meet the needs."

[Derek Simmons]

Ok, Tod. NOW I've got it. The need is NOT the call.

"...And let me be clear about this particular point by emphasizing this one phrase: The need is not the call...."

"...That’s not to say that a call can’t come through a need. Many, many times in life we find ourselves seeing a need and in it, hearing a call...."

"...In many ways that is what has been happening in our church as we seek to start....a new ministry working with people whose lives have been devastated by AIDS in Africa..."

Those are the words from your sermon you posted in answer to my question:
If the "need is not the call", why then is Malawi's need our Call from God here at SCPC for investment and involvement there?

From that posted response I guess I'm left with using more of your words to characterize where your answer has left me:

"...When confronted by a world in need, I see the way that need is an opportunity for the church to participate in God’s ministry to heal and reconcile the world through investment and involvement. In fact, it is more than an opportunity, it is a call..."

So, the world's need IS a call!

Ok, Tod. I do NOT get it.

What I DO get is that I am
Your Brother in Christ,
Derek

[Tod]

Nice catch Derek. This was a "memo of understanding" to our partners who are indeed feeling called to participate in God's work in Africa to alleviate the suffering of AIDS in this particular way. So, I should have written, " In fact, it is more than an opportunity, it is, for us, a call..."

But do I think that the American church should all be involved in this crises in some way? While you or I may or may not be called to a particular ministry, we are all called in the words of NT Wright "to be Jesus for the world."

That need is most definitely a call.

PS. My point all along on need and call is that we should respond more to the leading of the Spirit and the word of the Scripture, not just the need in front of us. I didn't feel a call to give money to the girl who came to my door raising money for Tsunami relief for UNICEF because I am already involved with World Vision's efforts. Her sense of need, did not institute for me a call.

Better?

[Donna Carter]

Can it be that we in San Clemente have the greater need and that the Malawians have been called to awaken us spiritually?

I see it this way: if we have been blessed in San Clemente with abundant resources (which we have), yet sometimes are very poor in spirit (which we are, at times), can we not make an exchange whereby we catch some of the infectious love the Malawians have for Christ that in turn enriches our spirit? I say yes. I think this is another Jabez opportunity to expand our borders and look to see what happens. The fact that we would be giving to people who will make their own lives better, rather than simple relief efforts, means our resources are multiplied.

[Josue]

Tod, let me know if I understood your point:

People in North America tend to be task oriented and overachievers. We go to God and ask Him: "How can we help you?" (as if God needed our help). This attitude puts us in the centre: WE can DO something. We measure our success by what we achieve.

One danger of this attitude is that we often choose where to help, thus we "help" God in areas where we feel comfortable.

However, God is more interested in us following him than us doing something. He shifts the centre of gravity to him. As Bonhoeffer well said long ago, there is a cost in true discipleship.

Huh, doing things is easy--following Jesus is another story. He will take us to places where we'll only survive by his grace, where we'll depend entirely on him to fulfil his call.

[Aaron]

Who wrote/spoke "the church is a sleeping giant"?