"JUST WALK ACROSS THE ROOM"

"Just Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybels

Simple steps pointing people to faith

Bill Hybels the well known American pastor has written this book that answers this question; What if redirecting a person’s forever really is as simple as walking across a room? This book opens with a story of Bill finding himself opposite a person at a luncheon who started up a conversation and agreed to talk later at another break in the conference they were attending. This person Bill discovered was of another faith and could have been easily avoided but Bill took the opportunity to talk with him. You need to read the book to find what happened!

There are many good stories in this book that show that you just need to be noticing people around you and use the natural circumstances to start a conversation. It can be as easy as two men saying hello to each other when they see each other taking out the garbage bins.
Many people are just longing for someone to take an interest in them. Bill shows us who these people are: for example; two fathers standing together watching their kids play football, saying hello to a waiter in a café or helping an old lady enter a shopping centre.

But this book has more than good stories, it also has practical and easy tools that any of us can use to make our conversations with people more effective. Hybels also tells us how to make our own story concise and effective.

This is also a plea to make evangelism a way of normal living rather than a program to take to people. What it means to care about others and as Hybels says to live in 3-D relating to others and asking the Holy Spirit to be with you in your conversations. Friendships are essential and the basis of taking the gospel to people.

The book has easy to read short chapters which end with a page of study questions. I heartily commend this book for everyone and especially for home groups.

Roger

Leadership Advance Conference

From Sunday 31 August till Wednesday Gaynor and I met with 8 other Church leaders from Switzerland for an annual Leadership conference meeting in a small town on the edge of Lake Constance. For some time we looked at things that are going well, for example, great to see much more emphasis on Children & Youth ministry and seeing the development of new small groups with an outward focus. A real challenge however is the unwillingness of some folk to stand up as leaders. It is often regarded as not Swiss to lead.

We were priveleged to hear Eduard Friesen of Bonn Bible School

http://www.bsb-online.de/ bring 3 major addresses, one of which was on WORTH. One of the tasks of leaders is to show people their worth in Christ. We are valued as children of God and our worth comes from what Christ has done for us. Our worth is not based on nationality, morality, profession or place of residence but on all that we have from the generosity of God.

We spent time each day in prayer triads praying on three issues for each other. We examined where we are now at as a group of Churches. We also dreamed about what we would like to see in the next five years and ten years from now. It was great to get away as leaders together, it was a very full time and we snuck in one afternoon for a ferry ride on Lake Constance.

We are always blessed to have Derek Webster lead the music. He does an awesome job and really sets the atmosphere for the time together.

Pictures from Denmark

Roger (left) with some of the young guys looking cool !

Gaynor and Annick (who was the cook in the 2nd week)

Our table for the Oscar Evening

You can see more pictures on http://gaynorsworld.blogspot.com

Our wanderings !

We had a wonderful, though a little exhausting, time away on camp with our German Young People from the FeG Loerrach, 26 July - 10 August. (I've actually asked Rog to remind me that this is the last time I want to go away with the youth!!). The drive to Denmark was a rather long one, especially as there was a lot of traffic on the motorways. It took us 15 hours. We did learn something from our friends though. Trucks are not allowed to travel on the motorways in Germany on the weekends! Pretty good rule actually. I'd like to see them try and enforce something like that in Australia!!

The camp was very well organized and there were always heaps of things for the young people to be involved in - a fitness centre, gym, lounge, volleyball, trampoline and a variety of other games to be played. We had a mini olympics, casino night, bingo, Scandinavian Night and the last evening we had The Oscar's, which was heaps of fun.

Little Lilly

We did go to visit gorgeous little Lilly last Thursday. Sorry I have not let you know how we got on till now. It was a very moving experience for us both, but particularly for Roger. When we got to the hospital we had to be let in through a special door and then we scrubbed up, etc and one at a time went with mother Janet to be introduced to Lilly Isobel who nows weighs 1200grams (possibly more by now). She is just the tiniest little girl but oh so cute. We were able to touch her and talk to her and observe this very special miracle.

We continue to pray for Lilly as well as Mum Janet and Dad Alain.

Men's Movie Night - Centrepoint Basel

Roger will be showing the last 2 DVD's in the Australian Drama Series "East West 101" at the Men's Movie Night tomorrow. The series was shown on Australian TV by SBS in December last year. This series has been a huge success and has certainly stimulated discussion by the guys. Roger is hoping to run a discussion evening next Thursday night and show short clips of the last 4 DVD's. About 7 - 8 guys have turned up for these evenings.

If only I knew how to post pictures properly, but alas I'm not that skilled!! So sorry, no picture!

This and That !

Roger and I had a wonderful lunch with our Youth Pastor Dave and his wife Simea last week. Their cute 2 year old daughter Lia entertained us as well. I took along a frozen strawberry mould made from market fresh strawberries which came and went all to quickly. We were talking with Dave and Simea about the upcoming Youth Camp at the end of this month which is for 2 weeks and we will be going by bus to Denmark (a 13 hour drive - should be interesting to say the least!). There will be around 60-65 on the camp, including leaders. We will need 2 Bus Drivers for the trip. Basically we are to be support leaders and lend a helping hand each day with whatever needs to be done. We are also looking for fun games to play in the evenings when the young people are a tad tired but need something to do! The camp will be held in a Boarding School so the facilities are very good. Also MAYBE we will even get a swim in the ocean which excites me very much. I do miss my swimming in the ocean.

Last Wednesday night we had dinner here with our Ghanan friend Johnny and then had a little study together. Johnny invited us to have lunch with him on Sunday. It's always good to catch up with him. He's very quiet and doesn't say a lot, but we enjoy being with him. He wrote off his car about a month ago when he went to sleep at the wheel. Fortunately he and his 2 passengers were not injured, only the car was a write off. This was a big shock for him.

Thursday afternoon we will visit little Lily Isobel who was born at 28 weeks 2 months ago and has been in intensive care ever since. Her mother wants us to visit her, touch her and talk to her. This is such a privilege for us to be able to do this, but we know it will be emotional as well. She will probably have another 4 weeks in hospital before she is allowed home.