God's Garage will be hosting an evening with Dr. John Smith .
Dr John Smith is the founder of Concern Australia and the founding President of God’s Squad Christian Motorcycle Club of 44 years. He is an author, a social and cultural anthropologist, a business speaker, a teacher and lecturer, a biker, a defender of the poor and marginalised, a lover of blues music, a gifted evangelist, an elder of the radical discipleship movement, and a prominent social commentator.
He is as much at home talking to business leaders, academics, church leaders, politicians and the media as he is with school children, university students, the poor and marginalised, and outlaw motorcycle club members.
John has spoken throughout Australia and around the world at music and arts festivals such as Greenbelt in the UK, the European Christian Arts and Music Festival, the Australian Gospel Music Festival/EasterFest in Toowoomba, and Black Stump Music Festival in Sydney, has shared the stage with former President Jimmy Carter and has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He is a regular guest speaker at churches around Australia and at corporate and service club events such as business roundtable dinners, corporate keynote addresses and Rotary Club Annual Conferences.
This last weekend saw the formation of the latest chapter of God's Squad, located in West Yorkshire. The official birth date for the chapter was Saturday 28th September. We were joined by brothers from other chapters around the country and also by our International President and founder John Smith and Renea the President of our Northern Victoria chapter from Australia. A good night was had by all. We look forward to many years ahead on the road, serving Jesus and being there for our mates in 1% clubs in this part of the United Kingdom
The song "BEAUTIFUL DAY" is from the U2 Album ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND (October 2000) it got to No 1 in the UK singles chart and got as far as 21 in the US singles chart. This song came out in the back drop to the Jubilee 2000 campaign that Bono was involved with. It was during the making of the "All you can't leave behind" album that Bono, who was in the US and on a crusade, experiencing a surge of optimism sat down with arch conservative Congressman Jesse Helms in Washington.
"Somehow the result of the important meeting was to hit an emotional nerve with the Congressman. The US got on board to the tune $435 million dollars in cancelled debts. Maybe the world wasn't such a bad place after all. There was hope "It's a beautiful day!" Edge reached for the Explorer - The Gibson guitar he'd used during U2's formative years - and the sound was complete. It was a shimmering triumph in more ways than one." (Niall Stokes - U2 The stories behind every U2 song -2009)
The song is a cry from the heart to open up your eyes to those who need you, and stop denying that earth has become a broken mess by human greed and get busy doing something about the brokenness.
Evidence of a broken world lies all around us. We are aware of it when we turn on the TV or read the news papers. The media is shot through with it. We are assaulted by it from all directions. Reminded about the broken fragments of human life from dawn till dusk. If we are unlucky it even haunts our dreams. Contemporary life is filled with brokenness. In many neighbourhoods people don't have to to go to far to touch the broken fragments of peoples lives. The song "Beautiful Day" reminds us of hope in the middle of the shards of broken lives. The song can be heard as a haunting prophetic voice that reminds us all of the person and the purpose of Jesus. "to seek and save the lost" The song provokes those who hear it towards hope. We are reminded of the hopeful message of Jesus to those who live life in the dirt or on the margins and at the same time the song rings out the challenging and disturbing message of Jesus to those in power.
The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town
You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere
You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace
It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination
You're lovin' this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day
Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case
What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day
"Well, I started out with nothing and I've still got most of it left" Well this Seasick Steve song could be the signature tune for God's Garage in Dewsbury.
This really is the story of our journey from January to the present day. 2013 has been a year where we have seen the hand of God in practical ways. We started out with nothing and we still have nothing.
We first of all got a unit (2,000 sq ft) for free, no cost for rental, no cost for rates, no cost for electricity. Then all the things that you need to put together a comfortable and welcoming place for people to come to came in one by one.
Here is a short list of the things we have had donated to us for use in God's Garage Pennines.
Hot water boilers x2, A sink, An undersink cupboard, Crockery, Pots and Pans, and of course mugs. Paint for the floors, and the walls and varnish for the top of the bar and buffet area. 10 pallets to build a bar with. Some lamps from Ikea. Boxes of electrical sockets, Wiring and trunking. Worktops, Fridges and Freezers. (3 x household and 2 x commercial) Leather settees, coffee tables and sideboards. bookcases, and shelving. Camo netting. 2 x Computers, 1 x Daylight projector. Bibles. Communion sets. Communion tables. Strip lights. Spotlights, and wall lights. Cushions, sleeping bags, Microwave, TV's (x2) Projector screen. Cables for projector. Extension leads, Mattresses. BSH bike magazines for wallpaper. Wallpaper paste. A grandfather clock (Yes, a Grandfather clock!) Cupboard doors. Hinges. Cupboard doors. Door handles. Door hinges. Tools and tool boxes, Paint brushers. Gaffer tape. Masking tape. Mirrors and artwork for the walls. Number plates for the walls. and so much more.
Here's the thing we still have nothing. so it is true to say "we started out with nothing and we've still got most of it left" I'm sure that someone out there has already thought of this but a good title for a church planting book would be "Planting Churches with no money"
So what are the things that we have learned in the process of beginning a faith community in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
That people are generous, that somebody somewhere has what we need and would not mind giving it away. That money is not everything. That finance should never be the blockage to seeing a dream come true. We also have learned that we live in a throw away world, and we for one are happy with other people's donations.
I've not written on the blog for such a long time. I've only entered one blog post this year. Life has got so busy since The end of 2012. The good news is that God is still God and his people are still telling of his greatness. Some things have not changed and like many others who I know I'm in the middle of reading books on the future of the church and missional communities. I'll be posting some of my reflections on the blog soon.
