40 years on… 19. Stoneleigh offerings

Jesus had much to say about both the poor and money. Both have become characteristics of the Newfrontiers family – concern for those who are poor or in need, and generosity.

The Stoneleigh Bible Week provided an exciting vehicle on which these two could come together, not exclusively but significantly. At each Week we had the joy of putting before people the vision that God had laid on our hearts, whether church planting, remembering the poor (such as famine relief in Kenya or street children in Mexico), training or some other mission.

On the last night of the Bible Week we would celebrate as we poured to the front of the meeting during the worship (it is so important to see giving as part of worship) and filled the large mobile cases in which the PA speakers were normally stored with cash and IOUs. There was always such joy – God loves a cheerful giver. These bins would then be wheeled to a secret location under strict security where we had a team of counters, and the final total would be announced at the last meeting of the Week the following morning. I had the huge privilege night by night to share the specific purposes to which the offering would contribute, and then announce the result.

Training future leaders
I particularly remember three offerings. In 1991, our first Stoneleigh Bible Week, we had been feeling the need to strengthen our training of future leaders. At that Bible Week we presented the vision of building a Training Centre in Goa, India, as our main project. Unlike subsequent years, we ended the Bible week in the evening so had no way of telling people what had been raised as it was at that meeting the collection was made. So we tied a banner to one of the main buildings past which many people would walk as they came to buy their morning provisions – £369,000!

We were flabbergasted! What amazing generosity.

£750,000
Sometimes God gave me the figure of the offering several months in advance. By 1997 we had grown to two weeks to accommodate all who wanted to attend, nearly 20,000. In May God had shown me £750,000 one morning while I was praying, a significant faith goal; I cannot remember whether I shared it with others or not. We had offerings both weeks including the children and young people contributing in their meetings. On the final morning of Week 2, after the main offering had been taken the previous night, we learnt of severe flooding in Poland, the worst in 100 years. So Terry spontaneously urged people to empty their pockets that final morning to give to the relief fund! Later, while on the platform, I was handed a piece of paper. It had various sub-totals covering the two weeks and this latest offering for Poland. For some reason no-one had added them up. As I looked at it and did the addition myself guess what – it came to £750,000, not one pound more, not one pound less! God is so good!!

Act2000
The third offering that comes to mind was in 1999. We had decided that in 2000 we would launch Act2000, an initiative to help ministries in the UK to reach out to the poor. We budgeted for nearly £300,000 to give away to churches to set up or strengthen projects, and to develop handbooks of ‘good practice’ in 20 different sectors. Well, we burst though well over £1 million pounds allowing us not only to launch that initiative but also to finance many other missional activities around the world.

When Ken Gott brought his ‘millions of pounds and millions of people’ prophecy in 1997 we were excited to recognise that we were already nudging into that territory, and I am delighted that even since the Bible Weeks ended this generosity has continued, resulting in great blessing and Kingdom advance around the globe.