A Brief History of My Involvement in the Raising Up of The Church in Feilding
I have been a Christian for over 65 years, having been raised in the atmosphere of a fundamental, evangelical and "missionary minded" Christian family. My father was a pastor and my uncle was also a Baptist Minister and Principal of the Western Australian Bible Institute situated in Perth where we lived at that time. At a young age I served for a while on an Aboriginal Mission Station and later became involved with Youth for Christ in New Zealand as Song Leader etc. of the Christchurch Rally. Eventually I became a pastor, national young people's leader and national evangelist in my denomination. My brother and I conducted evangelistic campaigns using a large tent over a period of ten years. We had gospel campaigns in most cities and towns throughout New Zealand and had the joy of seeing many people receive the Lord as their Saviour. Between campaigns I pastored a church in Feilding.
1962: Although I had a full schedule and a very busy life serving the Lord, deep down I knew there was something more that I lacked. After much enlightening Bible study and heart-rending dealings from God I eventually realized that I had no choice but to leave the denomination that I had been a member of for over thirty years. Like Abraham I went forth not knowing where I was going but trusting implicitly in his divine call and leading.
1963: Whilst working with another well-known New Zealand evangelist in Auckland, I was handed the book "The Normal Christian Church Life" by Watchman Nee. That book confirmed to me everything that I had been "seeing" regarding God's ultimate purpose and intention, and I was assured that I was on the right track. A group of us began to meet as best we could according to this pattern and we experienced some blessing, but I was not fully satisfied. I read books by Andrew Murray, Austin Sparks, De Verne Fromke, and other authors. These books helped me to see more truth, but there was still an aching void within me for the reality of experience.
1969: I heard that the churches Watchman Nee had raised up had spread to Taiwan and were growing rapidly. I went to Taiwan to search for the church but was unsuccessful. At the same time another New Zealand brother discovered the church in Hong Kong and returned enthused to practice the church life.
1970: Some believers were now meeting as the church in Palmerston North and had invited Witness Lee for some meetings. I got to the last of the series of meetings and was impressed with Witness Lee's rich ministry. I met him briefly afterwards.
