Do you remember these? Before the days of mobile phones and text messages.
Before Social media – What’s that?
As you might have guessed, I am going back a long way – in fact, I am going back to the last century!
One year after the mission in the Baptist Church in Great Sampford (see previous blog), a group of us were asked to lead a children / young peoples’ Holiday Bible Club at an Independent Evangelical Church in Horsley.
More ‘green as grass’ introduction to children’s work.
We prayed and planned and then arrived.
No fancy technical equipment – no computer.
A blackboard with some white chalk.
A piano.
As easel.
An overhead projector – at least we could write the choruses on to acetate sheets.
About 30-40 children, aged 5-11, turned up.
Parents fascinated by who these five people on the team were.
The Pastor had confidence that we would help him to attract children, young people and parents to the church.
We started on the Tuesday after the Easter week-end – just four days and only morning sessions.
We sang choruses.
We had memory verses – with prizes at the end of the mission for those who could remember all four.
We had a Bible story ‘slot’.
We had some games out in the church courtyard.
We went into small groups according to ages and did some craft activities.
We had a great time. We learnt lots – how to do a children’s Holiday Bible Club. How not to do a children’s Holiday Bible Club!
Then came the week-end. We had a picnic afternoon in some nearby woods.
We played games.
We went back to the homes where we were staying for the week and then collapsed with exhaustion.
The day wasn’t finished. We had the young peoples’ get-together in the evening. More games, followed by a Bible talk and prayer.
I was the only one of the five team members who could stay over until the Sunday, the Pastor having announced earlier in the week that there would be an open ‘service’ on the Sunday afternoon to invite parents of the children who came during the week. He would like one of us to talk to the children and then he would talk to the parents.
I got the ‘short straw’ because I was the only team member who would be there!
I had never done anything like this before – imagine how I felt. It was bad enough the August before when I was telling just the children a Bible story for the first time.
Now I would be telling the children a Bible story IN FRONT OF THEIR PARENTS + the church folk + the Pastor!
Then came the welcome telegram from one of the Team members. This was also a first for me – I had never received a telegram before.
There was a Bible verse with its reference – that’s all. But what a verse.
Isaiah 41:13 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
Wow! A simple telegram but a powerful word on it. I went into Sunday afternoon, knowing that this promise was true and I proved it that afternoon in an incredible way and it has stuck with me all these years – into the next century!
And I have experienced the truth of that verse – that promise – many, many times since.
I am reminded of what Joshua said to the people of Israel as he came towards the end of his life and ministry.
Joshua 23:14 “you know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.“
That’s another reason why the Bible means so much to me.
(And just to add a postscript – we were invited back to the church in Horsley for the next 16 years to lead a Holiday Bible Club. The church grew and grew and they had to build an extension and we ended up having morning and afternoon sessions with the children – about 120 of them each day.)
Thank God for the Bible.
The Bible and Me 