Prayer
To put it simply, we are only effective in these responsibilities with God’s strong enabling. Favour from God, via our friends, is our regular life-line. Anonymous, and feedback prayer and intercessions sought!
Advocacy
There are wonderful moments in life, where friends and associates believe in a cause, and use their influence, their networks to advocate the cause. One of the ways this can happen is through advocacy. Championing our cause over a major financial hurdle, such as a car or house purchase, gathering and pressing in prayer over a crucial ministry challenge.
Financially
We are full-time volunteers, as for the most part, are all YWAMers. This means we enjoy the “relationship-based support” model in which each staff person is responsible for his-her own support. Both Carrie and David have a more than full time role in their leadership of YWAM Newcastle, it’s their partners that keep them focussed and sustained, enabling them to fulfil this assignment.
A financial partner to full-time staff, is one of the top impact players of YWAM.
Our Basic philosophy is that my time, your finances equals our fruit, our win together. Which is our great commission eternal reward. As Paul says to the Philippians: “It isn’t the value of the gift that I am keen on, it is the reward that will come to you because of these gifts that you have made.” Phil 4:17 [JB Philips]
Partnership works on a regular contribution, based on monthly payments between $50 and $200 per month. Obviously these are suggested benchmarks, varying commitments are gratefully embraced.
Why can’t one or both of you work part-time?
One of the questions we sometimes get asked, is: “Why can’t one or both of you work part-time?” The answer to this is pretty simple, and three-fold:
Firstly, we believe that God doesn’t just call individuals to missions, but families. Over the years our whole family, [yes, even the kids, sometimes especially the kids] have been involved.
Secondly, during a challenging period some years ago, God showed us the critical role Carrie had in walking alongside David in the leadership of the ministry, as opposed to being purely supportive. This plurality of calling and function significantly kicked us into a consistent growth phase ever since.
Finally, in this day and age, a healthy marriage that is highly observable, and accessible, generates hope. It also informs a young person, whose experience has been nothing but brokenness. God has called Carrie and I to fulfil God’s calling to the YWAM community in joyful availability together, as opposed to pursuing independent careers.
This means our partners are creating two incomes, and by investing through David and Carrie, have a big impact right across YWAM Newcastle.
Will my support even matter?
One of the major events in Australia’s calendar is a Motor-Racing event called the Bathurst 1000. Not many of us would question the value of the support crew, who are all action when the driver heads into the pits. Obviously, if the driver had to stop, jack the car up, change the wheels, top up fluids etc, then that team would have vain hopes of victory. Without the support crew, the driver would be totally off his game, distracted to ineffectiveness, and unable to do his part. But when victory happens, it truly is a team win.
Leading a large YWAM centre can be complex, and it requires incredible focus. It’s hard to overstate the effect of our partners, who work with us, helping us maintain that focus, by eliminating nagging financial distractions.
Does Everyone have a Call?
“Vocare” means to call: summon [The Latin Dictionary]. This is the word from which we get the term “vocation”. Before the reformation, the word “vocare” was used to describe a call to the priesthood, or monastic functions of the Church.
If someone “calls” or “summons” you, then you are doing it for that person. It’s no longer a job, it’s a “vocare” or vocation, a calling. This idea was promoted by Wesley and Calvin, who also promoted the idea of work as service to God. Work took on a notion of great importance, leading to what we call the “protestant work ethic”. People from all walks of life became inspired by work as personal service to God, in a response to His call or “summons”. Now it was no longer just Priests, Monks and Nuns who were “called,” but everyone.
Sadly, society has lost this principle in its move to secularism, and during the 19th and 20th Century, drifted to a narcissistic definition of vocation [egotistical self-fulfillment]. With this drift, the term vocation no longer meant a call or summons, but becomes a word expressing self-interest, a call became a job. Thankfully, God’s opinion on this hasn’t changed.
We can all be inspired by the fact we’ve been called, sent by God to one or more of the society spheres of Business, Government, Education, Celebration [Sports, Arts Entertainment] , Science + Technology, Communications, or Church.
