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September 15, 2003 Dear Gabby, I was born and raised in a very conservative Apostolic church and still attend there. We have been blessed with a large assembly, good holiness standards, and the presence of the Lord in every service. However, we do not have any kind of outreach ministry or youth ministry, and that is where my dissatisfaction lies. Of late, I have been feeling like I'm not doing enough to reach out to the lost. I have the desire, but am feeling a lack of direction in how to do so. I don't have much contact with people since I work with the same three people every day at my full-time job and I’ve already witnessed to them, without much effect (discouragingly enough). I would like to get some sort of outreach ministry started in my church, but I'm reluctant to suggest anything for fear of being viewed as critical. As we are very conservative, a suggestion of anything “new” is viewed with suspicion, as if we are “compromising” or “lowering ourselves to the level of the world.” I don't want to be out of my place, Gabby, but I really have a desire to work with my church doing outreach. If it's impossible to get my church to do anything, how can I start an outreach program on my own? Please help! I have been praying about this for several months now! Miss Wants to Be a Soulwinner in the South
Dear Miss Soulwinner, My town didn’t have a library in it until I was seventeen years old. And it was Miss Gertrude Gibbons who got it started. Miss Trudy was the town spinster. Most people only thought of her as the lady who organized all our events and whose “eagle-eyes” could detect even a thought of impropriety in the youth. But there was more to her than that. She was a lover of books. When she waited for appointments or during her lunch hour from her job as secretary to our town’s attorney, she’d reach into her large black pocketbook and retrieve the latest book she was reading. Unlike the rest of us, who passed our waiting times impatiently tapping our fingers on the arm of our chair or tapping our foot on the floor, Miss Trudy always looked happy to have escaped to the land being described in her book. Once a month, Miss Trudy caught the train to Chicago to turn in the books she’d borrowed from the library there and return home with her new stack of adventures. I’ll never forget the Town Meeting when Miss Trudy spoke up. She’d dressed in her Sunday best—a gray suit with a starched white color. Her hair was pinned in place under her feathered hat. After all the planned business had been concluded, Mayor Pendergras opened the podium for new business. Miss Trudy, sitting in her usual spot on the third row, stood up to her full height, straightened her jacket, and, without looking either left or right, glided to the front of the community center. Everyone was curious about what she’d have to say since it was so unusual for a woman to speak up at a town meeting in those days, unless it was for the purpose of announcing the details for the next event. Every eye was on her as she began to speak. “Thank you, Mayor Pendergras,” she began. “Thank you, Town Council, for this opportunity to speak to you about a matter of considerable concern to every member of our town.” Then she began to speak about how she had always loved books and how it was necessary for her to travel every month just to be able to read new ones. She reported that she signed her name each time, promising to return the books she borrowed at the library in Chicago. She spoke of being able to choose books from more than 15 shelves! That was more books than any of us could imagine, since the most books we’d ever seen at one time was in the school house when everyone left their McGuffey Readers on their desk before lunch. “It is time, Mr. Mayor, for our town to begin its own library.” At that, a murmur arose from the crowd. You need to understand, Miss Soulwinner, that, although every mother wanted her children to read, and the people who didn’t know how to read were embarrassed by their lack, it was commonly thought that the Bible was the only “safe” book to read and that the books would pollute the minds of impressionable children. There was much fear mixed in with the curiosity to read new books. That’s not to say we didn’t own books that were not the Bible. We did. One or two per family. But we knew they were safe—mostly because we’d all read every page of them so many times. Miss Trudy stood there quietly while the crowd’s discussion became a roar around her. People were debating loudly about the pros and cons of the issue. I was fascinated, sitting there in the back with two of my friends. After a few moments of waiting, when people began to realize that Miss Trudy wasn’t finished speaking, they sat back in their chairs and stopped conversing. When it was truly quiet, Miss Trudy spoke again, “Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen of the Town Council, I have prepared a plan we could use to begin this most worthwhile effort for our town. It contains ideas on where the library could be housed, the financial details of purchasing new books, and paying the librarian, as well as details on the day-to-day operations. I won’t take up more of my friends’ and neighbors’ time this evening, but I respectfully ask that you carefully consider the proposal I have set forth for the future of our town and its citizens. Thank you very much.” With that, she handed several sheets of paper to the Mayor, moved back to her seat in the third row and sat down. I don’t remember much else about that night, but I do remember the Mayor’s speech the next month at the Town Meeting when he told Miss Trudy that the Town Council was sorry, but after discussing the matter, they’d decided that we didn’t need a library in our town. We’d all grown up fine without one so far and so could the future generations. And, speaking of future generations, what if a book led one of us astray? Besides, they didn’t want to spend our town’s tax money on something so trivial and unnecessary. Although Miss Trudy’s face stayed expressionless, I’m sure she was very disappointed that night. Everyone in the town thought that was the end of the matter. But they didn’t really consider the determination of Miss Gertrude Gibbons. This was a lady who never gave up when she decided something was the right thing to do. She’d tried going to the top and working down, but that didn’t work. Instead, she changed her tactics. After a trip to Chicago, she had a tea at her house for several key ladies in our town. (Our mayor’s wife and my own Mama were included.) Miss Trudy loaned each of them one of her Chicago Library books to read over the next week. Then they returned to her house the following week for another lovely spread of tea and cakes, and they chatted about the interesting stories they’d read. This led to an exchange of the books and everyone went back home to read for another week. Miss Trudy was both patient and wise. The following month, when it was time for Trudy to take the train to Chicago, two other ladies traveled with her. They returned with enough books to share with even more of the ladies in town. My Mama told my Papa about the stories she was reading and, although he acted like he wasn’t interested, I once caught him reading one of her books hidden behind the newspaper. Mama saw me looking at him with shock, and she winked at me with a smile. After a few months, the ladies became very enthused about reading and about making the opportunity available to everyone. Without mentioning their purpose to the Mayor or the Town Council—or to the people who’d seemed fearful about the new idea—they began to raise funds to buy books. We had a tournament, a pie-making contest, a dinner and a rummage sale. This time, Miss Trudy went to Chicago with money (and the Mayor’s wife) and they returned with three trunks of books to start our own town’s library. They didn’t ask for any tax money or a building from the Town Council. Johnny Johnson, the town carpenter, was “bribed” into making Miss Trudy two new bookshelves (for the price of a home-cooked meal). She had him set them up in her parlor, which she seldom used for entertaining, and she organized the books on the shelves according to their subjects and authors. She set up a system to keep track of the loaned books. Then, the lady who’d organized so many of our town’s events, invited everyone to another. Miss Trudy invited the town to her house for a Potluck for the Poor. She asked everyone to bring potluck food and, if they had a book that they’d like to donate to the unfortunate, to please bring it along. (We’d been asked before to bring food and clothing for the unfortunate, so this didn’t feel too strange. Besides, people were used to following Miss Trudy’s “suggestions” when she was organizing an event.) The townsfolk came. They brought covered dishes, pies and stews and pickles and quick breads and books. What a variety of books they brought! We had a few McGuffey Readers that no one was using. There was a songbook or two. A book about birds. One with maps in it. And a few old story books. But, added to the ones Miss Trudy had collected from her trip to Chicago, it was a nice beginning to our Town Library. And it was interesting to see the look of embarrassed amazement on the face of Mayor Pendergras when Miss Trudy spoke up, announcing to everyone that our town now had a library and that anyone who wanted to borrow a book only had to sign his or her name to the register. (The Mayor’s wife smiled at her husband sweetly.) The library was a smashing success. Miss Trudy opened her parlor twice a week in those early days, and there was always a crowd waiting to choose a new book to read. People began to donate more books—used ones from their own homes and new ones they bought when they had a bit of extra money. Today, almost a century later, the people who visit the stately marble Gertrude Gibbons Memorial Library in the town square, have no memory of a town without a library. It’s been an institution for their entire lives. And it’s all because of the single-minded determination of a feisty lady who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Miss Soulwinner, I hope you will get some direction from Miss Trudy’s story regarding your desire to start reaching out to the people in your community who need God in their lives. My advice to you is to be both wise and patient like Miss Trudy was. She started by going to the top authorities of our town, but when they decided her idea had no merit, she reworked her strategy—this time figuring out how to begin it from her own home. I’d suggest that you speak with your pastor about your desire to work for God and see if he has some direction for you. Meanwhile, how about joining some groups that have a lot of people involved? Become a Big Sister. Volunteer at your neighborhood community center or school or library. Offer to study the Bible with the grocery store checker. (And don’t teach! Discover the Word together!) What am I saying? I’m saying to do some active things to get yourself and your Christianity out there for the world to see. That’s what Jesus did. He went out into the community where the people were and, goodness gracious, the people wanted to follow Him! And don’t give up on your coworkers. Invite them for dinner. No witnessing allowed! At least not at first. Learn to be their friend. Be willing to help them when they express a need. Live your Christianity in front of them instead of just speaking it. With a lot of prayer and fasting, and much work on your part, the Lord will begin to bless your efforts. Who knows? Maybe at some point in the future, your church will be inspired by your soul winning successes and work to put together an organized outreach program. Just don’t expect them to name it after you! Sincerely Sincere, Gabby
ninetyandnine.com © 2003, ninetyandnine.com --------- Gabrigail VanBurden has been offering advice for longer than most of you have been alive. Email your practical Apostolic life questions to Gabby@ninetyandnine.com and be prepared for some straight answers! |
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