| Learning How to Fish (vol 40:1, Feb-March 2008, page 28-29) |
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Skilfully, he guided his boat across the river. As the monotonous sputter of the outboard motor ceased, acrid diesel fumes assailed the nostrils. The schoolchildren began to disembark, while Rusnik, the boatman, wiped the sweat from his forehead. It may seem like any other day in a riverine community where villagers depend on water taxis to move around. But there is more to it than meets the eye. Rusnik is part of a new breed of church workers who aim to support themselves while doing God’s work. Welcome to the indigenous church of Sabah, where pastors, like Rusnik, get seed money to start business ventures through a micro-financing project that kicked off in March 2007. The project is the brainchild of Pastor Lam Kee Hing of Cornerstone Resources Bhd, who has been “feeding [rural pastors] with fish” for more than 10 years. But recently, he took a bold initiative — to “teach them how to fish”. Barnabas ProjectUndoubtedly, Pastor Lam must have been inspired by this old Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”This micro-financing scheme, called Barnabas Project, aims to help pastors, mainly those from the smaller, independent indigenous churches in Sabah, stand on their own feet. Several projects have already got off the ground while other viable ventures have been identified. A pastor has taken a loan of RM2,500 to buy a VCD-duplicating machine. With this device, he is able to sell duplicate copies of VCDs of recordings made from conferences. Another church leader has taken a loan of RM3,000 to rear chickens. A lady church leader has started rubber seedling nursery. With a RM2,000 loan, she bought black plastic bags with seedlings directly from RISDA. The end result is heartening: 5,000 seedlings that are now ready for sale. In the pilot project, loans have been given to the most needy cases - pastors from Pitas, the poorest district in Sabah. Another criterion is distance: pastors who are serving within or near Pastor Lam’s district receive more attention as it is easier to supervise their projects as well as monitor the repayments. To ensure that loans are repaid so that others can benefi t from the revolving fund, pastors are evaluated for their commitment and accountability. If they want to plant fruits or cash crops, they need to own land and submit a working paper on how they intend to achieve their goals. Their senior pastor will have to vouch for their character as well as supervise their progress. The “firstfruits” of their project will have to be channelled back to the fund as interest payment, after which they will start monthly repayments. May this project live up to its name - Barnabas, Son of Encouragement- and inspire others to follow suit. A Pauline modelIf Paul were alive today, he would be pleased that his model of self sustenance is being emulated by the smaller indigenous churches of Sabah.We tend to balk at the concept of a self-supporting minister. After all, how effective can a minister be when he is torn between looking after his family’s physical needs and his church members’ spiritual needs? Being self-supporting requires a paradigm shift — and great faith to tap into the abundance of God’s resources. The apostle Paul lived out this philosophy. Although those who preached the Word could count on their listeners to supply their needs, Paul did not want to exercise this provided for his own physical needs. “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him”(Gal 6:6). “If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endured all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ” (1 Cor 9:11,12, emphasis mine). Unlike the wealthy urban churches in Malaysia, the smaller indigenous churches in Sabah lack fi nancial resources. Church members can hardly make ends meet, let alone support their pastor or evangelist. So the concept of “full-time” workers who are supported by individuals and churches, so prevalent in the urban churches, is often not workable in these indigenous churches. Micro-creditThe Nobel Peace Prize for 2006 was awarded to the Grameen Bank and Muhammad Yunus, the bank’s founder. By making available small loans to those who had no collateral, Yunus was able to help the marginalised start small businesses to break out of poverty.First implemented in Bangladesh 30 years ago, the micro-credit model spread rapidly worldwide, benefiting millions. It has proved to be a significant liberating force in societies where women, in particular, have had to struggle against repressive social and economic conditions. Micro-credit has enabled people to take charge of their own financial destiny by becoming self-employed. As they get involved in some form of income-generating activity and repay their loans, they develop a sense of self-worth. Ultimately, both the hunger in the soul and the stomach are satisfied. In a sense, some of the indigenous pastors of Sabah are living out the Grameen micro-credit model. However, the difference is that the Grameen Bank gives out loans to the rural poor, not just a select group. Tent-makingPaul chose to be a tent-maker. He worked hard at his trade, depending solely on God, in order to present the Gospel free of charge to all. If Paul could balance the demands of tentmaking and ministry so well, why are we not giving this option the attention it deserves?Granted the interests of urban churches are best served by donor supported ministers who can give undivided attention to the congregation, but can the tent-making model still be relevant today? Undeniably, not everyone can combine tent-making with ministry as tremendous coping skills are needed. “Full-time” workers, however, should be open to exploring various options and seeking God in this matter. With the finances of many Christian organizations awash in red ink, will the case for self-sustaining “full-time” workers be more convincing? |
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