As a freelance writer I’m well used to contracts running out but rarely do I need to take time to pause, reflect and thank God for my time with an organisation. This time though, as I approach the end of my formal time with Activate, I thought I would I would share with you the five things I’m taking with me from my 18 months with Activate Your Life.
First thing: it all starts and ends with Jesus. Now, don’t get me wrong, I knew this already. Many of the places in my life where I have chosen to position myself have Jesus as the foundation for all that goes on. That said, sometimes in the busyness of organisational life it can be all too easy to push Jesus to one side to concentrate on logistics or event planning or whatever is top of the agenda. But never at Activate. Every meeting begins with a devotional time, every one ends in prayer. Every decision boils down to the one thing: will this help equip and inspire the women in our nation to spread the good news of Jesus? If there is one thing you can be confident in with Activate is that Jesus takes the prominent place.
Number two: There are no exceptions. So you’re a retired grandmother, there’s a place for you. You’re a stay at home mum… There is a place for you.
You’re a woman in business, you’re a college student, you’re from a council house near Glasgow, or a riverside apartment in London, you’re the youngest person in your group, you’re the oldest person in your church. Guess what? There’s a place for you in shaping and expanding the Kingdom of God through effective friendship evangelism. Whatever season you are in, whatever status or title you have or have not, if you are open to God using you in the everyday and the ordinary then there is a place for you. No exceptions.
Number Three: Team work makes the dream work. Cheesy, but true. Activate is led by a team of volunteers all from different walks of life, who give of their time, skills, talents and resources to keep this movement going and to advance it. It started with a nudge from one woman and in the last 50 years has impacted thousands of lives. That’s worthy of a moment of honour don’t you think?
Number Four: It’s important to champion the place of women. If you are one of the very blessed females in the kingdom who has been encouraged to play their part, who has been encouraged to lead or to speak or to share the Good News with their friends, then you must not take that for granted. You remain part of a privileged few and as such it’s our turn to make sure we do all we can to remind those women in our lives who’ve never been encouraged to reach out and share their faith that they can do it. No, they are made for it.
And finally, The gathering together of like-minded people is no small thing. Looking in from the outside you could be forgiven for thinking our annual weekend away is just a chance to be pampered and have fun. Now, make no mistake, we do like to have fun. If you have ever seen 200 women in pyjamas singing along to a movie then you’ll know what I mean. But there’s something more profound about what happens when hundreds of women take 48 hours out to invest in themselves to become more inspired, more effective and more excited about evangelism. I’d go so far as to say heaven takes notice when God’s girls come together united under vision and cause. Year on year we’ve heard testimonies of lives transformed and then watched in awe as what was spoken at conference triggers something in hearts and minds and a movement begins.
All of these five things inspire me so much that long after my contract as national coordinator ends I’ll still be getting involved with Activate. Imagine a nation, if all of God’s women were equipped, inspired and active in sharing their faith. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I, for one, want to stay part of that!
Lindsay Bruce