"Several decades ago, Nicholas Bhengu, the leader of the Assemblies of God in South Africa, was in America seeking funds for his mainly poor, black denomination. His church, he said, was mainly women and children with very few men attending. While in the USA, the Lord gave him the following message: "Don't get the money for your church here. Go back home and get it from your own people. Teach them these four things: (1) how to care for their families, (2) how to bring their husbands to the Lord, (3) how to earn a living with their hands and (4) to give something back to God in thanksgiving--in other words, tithing."
Rev. Bhengu returned to South Africa to follow God's instructions. What happened? Two years ago, the church gathered for its annual assembly in Thaba Nchu. The collection that weekend came to 2 million South African Rand--more than US$700,000 at the time!
How did they give so much? Throughout the year, the women of the church are busy making things for Thaba Nchu. If they make ten grass mats, one is set aside for Thaba Nchu. If they weave twenty baskets, two are for the church. Thirty dresses? Three are for the work of the Lord. In other words the concept of stewardship is built into the earning process.
I have frequently met several people from this church. If you ask them if these things are true, their eyes light up with pride. "Yes," they say. "The story is true." That sparkle in the eye is priceless. One sees it among other churches, and Africa longs for and deserves to feel good about itself just like that. (Glen Schwartz)
Example #2
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One church leader in South Africa had an ambitious goal of raising 100 million South African rand for a ministry that God laid on his heart. While on a visit to England he met business people whom he thought would help him to achieve the goal; but the Lord spoke to him saying, "All the funding you need is with business people in your community in South Africa." Story
"Another South African leader visited North America and decided that he would seek to raise the funds he needed from nonwhite churches in the USA. However, every time he visited a congregation, the Lord told him, "Don't ask these people for any money. Instead, bless this congregation by putting something into their collection." He said he found himself putting in twenty dollars here and fifty dollars there from his own funds. He obeyed the Lord and eventually returned to South Africa to look for the funds he needed among his own people. He testified that God honored his obedience, and the resources needed to buy a large building were raised at home. (Glen Schwartz)
"This happened in Irian Jaya among the Dani people where missionaries consciously and conscientiously applied sound indigenous principles when the church was started. So positive was the result that the Dani people began sending out their own missionaries at their own expense within a decade of hearing the Gospel. This inspiring story can be found in Torches of Joy written by John Dekker."
(Glen Schwartz)
"In another situation in Papua New Guinea (PNG) American missionaries started a church. On the twentieth anniversary of its founding, the church in PNG sent air tickets to the USA inviting the missionaries to attend the celebration. Obviously there was sound teaching when the church was started.
(Glen Schwartz)
Don't Chase Buffaloes
By Glenn Schwartz
(Reprinted with permission from the January 1994 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Box 794, Wheaton, Ill. 60189)
The following story was told to me following a 1992 seminar in Capetown, South Africa. It is an example of how one church leader allowed God to lead him to find local support for his congregation. The story is told in his own words: "Several years ago, I was invited to minister in various churches in America. While there, I phoned home to check on my family. My wife was not there at the time, but my sister-in-law answered the phone. After telling me that everyone was well, she gave me this puzzling message. God had appeared to her in a dream and told her to tell me: 'When you are in America, don't chase buffaloes.' What that could mean I did not know; but after I hung up the phone, I asked God to make the message clear.
"One Sunday evening after preaching in a local church, I was given the offering in cash. They did not write out a check for the amount, but simply gave me what was given in the collection. As I counted the money, I came across an American five-cent piece with a buffalo on it -- a buffalo nickel.
"When I saw this, I immediately associated it with the message of my sister-in-law's dream. I knew that God was telling me that while in America I was not to pursue money. I accepted this from the Lord, but I did not realize how this would be tested in the next several days.
"The next morning I had breakfast with a wealthy businessman. I don't know how wealthy he was, but I later learned that he owned four airplanes. He told me that he appreciated my message the evening before and wanted to help with my ministry in South Africa. He was prepared to write a check for any amount! Remembering God's instructions, I replied, "Thank you very much, but the Lord takes care of me and my people in his own way." He gave me no money.
"Shortly thereafter, I was on my way home to South Africa. On the plane from London to Johannesburg a wealthy white South African businessman was seated beside me. When he learned that I was the pastor of a non-white church near Capetown, he offered to help me financially. He was not happy with his own church which supported apartheid at that time. He preferred to help me! This man, too, asked 'How much money do you want?' Again, remembering God's instructions, I told him, 'Thank you very much, but the Lord takes care of me and my people in his own way.' I got no money from that man either.
"I returned home to discover that the people in my congregation wanted to build their own church building. We have since built a new sanctuary completely from the funds of our own people, and we found that we did not need any "buffaloes" from America."
Sorry I forgot to note the where?? I'll track it down. Email me if you remember where this comes from.
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