17Jun 2015 by Nigel Ring

News Jottings – June 2015. Ebola update, Pacific Rim update, Jubilee+ Conference

Ebola, Health, International, Jubilee+, News, Pacific Rim, Poor
Another interruption to my ‘Mobilising volunteers’ series, but various things have come to my attention recently that I think will be of wider interest. Ebola Update There was a very positive response to the appeal in recent months to help people in Liberia, Sierra Leona, Guinea and Nigeria through our churches. John Hammond, who worked hard to coordinate the appeal, has produced an excellent update. If you wish to have a copy please contact me or John. Pacific Rim Newsletter In recent weeks I have published brief reports from various Newfrontiers apostolic spheres. This Newsletter came to me recently from The Pacific Rim, led by Peter Brooks, and gives some encouraging reports from Australia, New Zealand and Cambodia. Jubilee+ Two weeks ago I had the enjoyable privilege of meeting with a…
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10Jun 2015 by Nigel Ring

Mobilising Volunteers pt 4 – Motivation 1

Administration in the Church, Equipping, Volunteers
In the world people are paid for their work. The higher the pay the greater the motivation. Wrong! Although people should be paid a fair wage for a fair day's work a wage increase is, for most people, only a short term reward and recognition of effort and responsibility. It does not motivate in a healthy way, though it might motivate towards greater materialism as witnessed in recent years with the banking scandals. Motivation comes from an internal drive, the feeling that what we are doing is worthwhile and has value, often in benefitting others. For this to happen the fruit of our labours should be seen and affirmed. Few things are less motivating than when our hard work goes un-noticed. Volunteers are not paid so this fact is particularly…
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03Jun 2015 by Nigel Ring

Newfrontiers Archives – Can you help?

Newfrontiers, News
I will continue my series on Mobilising Volunteers next week but this week I want to share about an exciting Newfrontiers project and ask for you help. An initiative has been launched to archive Newfrontiers material from around the world. This has arisen from closing the Newfrontiers office in Hove in 2011, requiring storage of a great deal of material, and the subsequent desire of Sam Jeffery, a member of King's Church, Catford, to study for a Ph D, with the archiving of this material as a core part. So we are now looking for any material that can help fill out this archive, whether from the UK or other nations. This will be stored safely and become available in due course for researchers and so on. What is wanted? Sam…
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27May 2015 by Nigel Ring

Mobilising Volunteers pt 3 – Where to serve?

Administration in the Church, Equipping, Volunteer
Last year I wrote at length in this blog about serving in the church and gave guidance about the course Discover and Serve. There is also a book of the same name. Please read that for more detail about how to help someone develop a Serving Profile. In this series I am addressing the issue of volunteering from the perspective of a leader – how to mobilise volunteers. So far we have looked at what ‘volunteer’ means. Now we shall consider some of the practical day-to-day matters about identifying and managing a volunteer team within the church. Vision In Prov 29:18 we read ‘Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law’ (ESV). Written in the context of the fruit…
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20May 2015 by Nigel Ring

Mobilising Volunteers pt 2 – What does the Bible say?

Administration in the Church, Equipping, Volunteer, Volunteers
Last time we saw how the word ‘volunteer’ often has the associations of ‘charity’, such as helping those who are in need, or of ‘essential service’, such as the volunteer reserves in the armed forces. Both these aspects can be found in the Bible. Old Testament In the Old Testament translations there are several occasions where ‘volunteer’ is used (more in the NASB than in the ESV, which I normally quote from). Ps 110: 3 ‘Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power…’ (ESV), '…volunteer freely…’ (NASB) Judges 5:2 (Song of Deborah and Barak) 'That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly…’ (ESV), ‘…the people volunteered…’ (NASB). Judges 5:9 'My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered…
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12May 2015 by Nigel Ring

Guinea update

Guinea, News, Poor
People seem to have appreciated my recent updates from around the Newfrontiers spheres with whom I have contact. I have recently heard from Guinea and think that, following ebola and my appeal for sponsorship for school children, this would be of interest. Thank you to all who helped with the ebola appeal and who have offered to sponsor a child. We do still need more sponsors - £10/month. Can you help? If so click here to request details. Newsletter from Nicolas Thebault Last week I was in a taxi driven by a 77 year old chauffeur! This person explained to me as we were returning home that the new drivers do not know how to drive and the new police officers do not know the driving code because everyone buys…
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