We come with great passion to serve and support one another. Great men of faith who lived and died serving the Lord always inspire me. Men like George Whitefield, John Knox and Charles Finney. I love initiating great things for God, and love facing challenges. I would always be inspired by the prayer of John Knox “O Lord Give me Scotland or I die” and that of George Whitefield who prayed, “O Lord, give me souls or take my soul”. My prayer is “O Lord give me Beckenham or I die”. The Lord always answers the prayer from the heart. John 14:14: He will grant our heart desire.

A wise man once said Ministers are like manure, they work best when they are in the fields but they stink when they are clumped together. I love the Lord and I know together we will build His Church with Joy and Zeal.

In October 2008, I attended a Seminar for ministers and evangelists in Minnesota, USA. A young dynamic minister from the Presbyterian Church with membership of about 2,700 with three services each Sunday read out the difference between a “live and a dead church” at one of the morning devotions.

I wish to share it with you and request that you reflect, share and pray with me for a successful ministry within Beckenham and the Bromley Circuit.

Live churches’ expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don’t need much money.

 Live churches have parking problems, dead churches have empty places

Live churches may have some noisy children: dead churches are quiet as a cemetery.

 Live churches keep changing their ways of doing things: dead churches see no change!  Live churches grow so fast you can’t keep up with people’s names; in dead churches, everybody always knows everybody’s name.

Live churches grow so fast you can’t keep up with people’s names; in dead churches, everybody always knows everybody’s name.

 Live churches strongly support world missions: dead churches keep the money “home”.

Live churches are full of regular, cheerful givers: dead churches are full of grudging tippers!

 Live churches move ahead on prayer and faith: dead churches work only on sight.

 Live churches plant, help up and coming churches: dead churches fear spending the money, time and talent.

 Live churches outgrow their Sunday school facilities: dead churches have room to spare.

Live churches welcome all people: dead churches stick to people they know.

Live churches’ members read their Bibles and bring them to church: dead churches seldom do.

Live churches’ members enthusiastically support the church: dead churches have no ministries only functions.

Live churches’ members look for someone they can help: dead churches members look for something to complain about!

Live churches’ members reach out to share their faith in Christ: dead churches don’t have enough to share. lay people say they visit the church because of an invitation by a friend or a relative.  The second reason why families join a church is the Youth ministry, which was 5%. Others stated that their number one consideration is the preaching. The research concluded that 6% were attracted by the minister and 0.5% by evangelism.

I cried my heart out in my hotel room as I found the list to be challenging. It is a great challenge for all of us to seek the face of the Lord for our church to be a “live” church not a “dead” church. It is my prayer that the Lord will lead and guide us to achieve the best for the Beckenham Methodist Church.

 Let’s keep the flame burning within our lives. Do kindly read and reflect on Gal 5:1-22 and John 15.

                                               God bless.

                                                                    George.