Labour not in vain
By Gerry Straker, 06 May 2020
'Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:58).
My mother recently told me a story of my grandfather, Alan Woodfield who died in February age 94 - a Christian man who went to be with the Lord. One of the many things he did in the service of Jesus was to write for, edit, publish and deliver a magazine for the area around his church - Perry Rise Baptist Church in Forest Hill, London - called 'On the Corner,' named so because the Church was in a prominent location, on a bend in the road between Perry Rise and Perry Vale. This magazine was an evangelistic magazine for unchurched people with testimonies, cartoons and quizzes for kids to help people think. Alan organized this for more than 20 years for more than 3000 households every month. That’s more than 720,000 copies. This makes our flyering look like a doddle!
One day a lady called Jenny started coming along to Church. She had been receiving copies of 'On the Corner' through her door. She knew that this was not for her and wasn’t interested, but one month in the magazine she saw the toddler group advertised, and she thought she shouldn’t decide for her baby, but that she needed to take her children along to church for them to decide for themselves. So she took baby Lucy along to toddler group, where she met Edith.
Every Church (perhaps not ours!) has an Edith: a lady who was a force of nature, a person you would not want to disagree with on anything. And, if I can put it like this, perhaps not the person you want greeting the new nervous unbeliever visiting for the first time. But God loves surprising us, and Edith and Jenny became friends and Edith offered to look after the baby, so that Jenny could go along to the Bible study.
Eventually, by the grace of God, Jenny became a Christian and got baptized. Despite her husband Rob, a strong atheist, being against it, he did in fact come along to the baptism service. Over time, my aunt and uncle were able to get alongside Jenny and Rob. My uncle John who was a bit of a character, disarmed Rob – John was not the kind of person you’d expect to meet in a Church and had his own interesting testimony. In time, Jenny and Rob moved away, but miracle of miracles, in another Church, Rob became a Christian and was baptized himself!
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Around thirty years later, my mother was visiting my sister Marianne in Sheffield. They popped into a Fairtrade shop, where my sister knew the manager, as she was the mother of her friend from church called Lucy. Marianne introduced my mum to the manager, whose name was Jenny.
They didn’t recognize each other at first, but the penny eventually dropped. Marianne and Lucy were in the same Church in Sheffield and had had been in the same church in south London as toddlers but hadn’t made the connection! Lucy was the baby looked after by Edith so Jenny could hear the gospel, and now Lucy was a Christian and her children were friends at Christ Church Endcliffe with Marianne’s children.
It was then, in that conversation in the shop, that Jenny shared how it was my grandfather Alan’s magazine 'On the Corner' that had started her journey of faith in Jesus.
One magazine, out of thousands and thousands, organised by my grandfather led to a whole family coming to Christ - and who knows how many other people they helped into the Kingdom!
Five things to encourage you with here:
1. It takes time
My grandfather published magazines for years. After first coming to Church it took time before Jenny became a Christian. And even longer for Rob.
2. It takes hard work
Hundreds of magazines went to thousands of homes. My grandfather was incredibly committed to church, welcoming new people and reaching out to local people. He worked so hard on this project. And here is one example where the Lord used his hard work.
3. It takes a Church
It took four people to write this: my mum, my aunt, my sister and myself. But it takes a Church to help people into the Kingdom. My grandfather, Edith, my aunt and uncle and many others preaching the gospel, showing love to a family.
4. God’s method works
God's method works - time, hard work and Church bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to one lady. And that’s just a story we know, thanks to a meeting in a shop in Sheffield.
5. One person can mean many
A whole family were saved… Jenny, Rob, Lucy, her children. God loves to use new Christians to bring more people to Christ, and God loves to save families!
God has put us here to do the time, do the hard work, and be Church preaching the gospel, and so bring him glory. 'Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:58).
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