As a young Christian I read these words written by the renowned, nineteenth century pioneer Missionary – C. T. Studd; ”If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” These words had a profound effect upon my young heart and life. Around the same time (early 1960’s) I was introduced to the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship and saw the tremendous value of evangelizing boys and girls. Gradually, the attractions of a worthwhile secular career began to fade. The words of Scripture and those of C. T. Studd were used by the Holy Spirit to guide me into a full time Ministry with CEF. My wife and I had the privilege of serving the Lord with the Fellowship for forty seven years.
You may ask; “Was it worth it?” There is only one answer to that; “Most certainly, Yes!” There have been challenging and difficult times, times when we felt like throwing in the towel, but I would like to illustrate the “worth” of those years with a few stories.
I am the world’s worst shopper. Those aisles in Supermarkets are a real mystery to me. On one occasion I was looking for sugar, but it just couldn’t be found. However, I spied a lady with a full trolley of goods. “Ah,” I thought, “she will be able to tell me where it is.” And she did, but I walked right past it! She called after me , “Kenny it’s on the left hand side.” I took her advice and found my sugar! “But how did she know my name,” I wondered. When I enquired, she replied, “well I ought to know your name, – when I was a little girl of nine you led me to the Lord!”
It was in the late 1960’s when we were invited to conduct our first children’s mission. The Church prayed earnestly and worked hard. Each night every seat was filled. God spoke to young hearts and lives. Among those counselled were two little boys, David and Clive. They were about eight years old. Over the years we have been able to chart their progress in their Christian lives. David has Pastored two Churches and today he works with a Christian Charity. He and his wife Alison joyfully serve the Lord. The Lord opened the door for Clive and his wife Hazel to bring the Gospel to far off Panama. What a joy it has been for them to lead many to the Lord Jesus Christ and to watch them grow into mature Christians.
We met Robbie and Beryl during the early days of our CEF ministry, in what was known as the North Armagh area. They had a real concern for the children of their neighbourhood and opened their home for a Good News Club. In spite of family tragedies, house moves and illness, Beryl has taught her Club for over forty years. I met her recently and she was concerned that numbers attending Club had dropped. There was no thought of stopping, only of how to increase the numbers!
As I reflect on those years of service, a line of a hymn comes to mind, that sums up our feelings perfectly; “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus”.