Silently, gradually, for several years now, an amazing and life-transforming development has been taking place among a sector of the congregation at St Mary's, Cheadle: individual Christians have been meeting up with one another to chat, study Scripture and pray.
In one sense, this may sound fairly commonplace and straightforward. But in another sense the potential effect of this, over time, could be nothing short of revolutionary!
24:7 is about to embark on a so-called One-to-One initiative. For the venture to be successful, it is hoped that many people from outside the 24:7 group (as well as within) will be willing to get involved in this strategic work.
Whilst some people have been involved in schemes like this previously at St Mary's, it is hoped that the scale of this initiative would be greater than previous occasions to harness fully the depth of Christian experience we are blessed with in both our congregations.
The One-to-One initiative would be valuable and beneficial for all involved, not to mention, encouraging and helpful for the wider church family and, in terms of its ultimate purpose, glorifying to God!
If you want to consider being a part of the initiative, or if the concept of 'One-to-One' is new to you, then I commend this article to you, and hope that, prayerfully, you would consider whether to become involved with this venture in some way yourself.
Looking back at the key turning points in your journey of faith, odds are there will be certain individuals who have deeply influenced you at these points.
The gospel is all about changed lives. The kingdom of God advances one person at a time, as individuals are born again by God's Spirit and increasingly transformed into the likeness of Christ.
I thank God for the man who led me to Christ and for the extraordinary devotion with which he nurtured me in the early years of my Christian life. He wrote to me every week for, I think, seven years. He also prayed for me every day. I believe he still does. I can only begin to guess what I owe, under God, to such a faithful friend and pastor.
John Stott, The Message of 2 Timothy (IVP, 1973)
We need many more members of the body of Christ to be exercising a personal ministry in reaching out to individuals outside the church and building up those within the church to make disciples: to be teaching and modelling the gospel, 'one to another'.
This is 'One-to-One' work: it is one Christian taking the initiative with another individual to help them know Christ better and obey him more fully, through studying the scriptures, prayer (for and with them) and sharing one's life with them - and leaving the results to God.
The biggest question with One-to-One work is usually 'How?' Because One-to-One work is in its very nature personal and to a certain extent private, it can have a very mysterious quality. One-to-One work generally involves meeting up with a fellow Christian (or non-Christian) for about an hour, once a week, to share news, study the Bible, pray, and encourage one another. Such arrangements can last anything from a few months to several years, depending on the individuals involved.
The ultimate aim of One-to-One work is to glorify God. The hope is that One-to-One meetings would work alongside House Groups, Sunday Services and other Christian gatherings, in order to enable us, God's people, to discern better his will for our lives, and to develop our knowledge and understanding of Him through his Word, the Bible.
Moreover, the opportunity to develop deep-rooted and long-lasting friendships--which cut across the normal 'divisions' of age, academic background and social status etc.-is amazing and tremendously exciting!
We are fortunate to have many excellent individuals and resources to help us be trained up in handling the bible and sharing our faith and lives with others. Shortly, we will be running a half-day course for interested people: in part to train, in part to encourage one another in this valuable work.
If you have any comments or questions, please talk to Martin Loy or Rob Munro; e-mail 24:7 or phone the Church Office on 428 8050.