Hannah and Jake Madin are ‘Multiply Ministers’ in Scarborough, working to build new worshipping communities particularly amongst those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Hannah writes:

I was recently reading 2 Kings 4 and was really moved by Elisha's instruction to a woman who was in debt and facing a creditor coming to take her 2 boys as slaves.

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

“Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few."

An amazing miracle happens after this and the oil miraculously multiplies to fill all the collected jars. But what struck me was the woman had to collect as many jars as she could. If she'd been half hearted and collected 4 jars then God would have filled them and it would have been amazing. But if she'd collected 1000 I reckon God would have kept the oil going which is incredible. I felt God was telling us strongly to collect our ‘jars’ in this strange COVID season. To prepare and get ready for God to multiply, for his provision to flow into what we offer him as our equivalent 'jars' that need filling.”

One of the ‘jars’ we have sensed God leading us to prepare is a space in the Church offices where we hope to be able to host groups and minister from. The Church building isn’t really suitable because it is so big and cold and our house is so far away from the parish. We noticed too, as we have got to know these families, how disorganised people's lives are and how much they live ‘hand to mouth’ so to arrange to meet someone at a certain time on a certain day just doesn’t work. So we were thinking we need somewhere that is always available where we can invite people to come whatever day or time we happen to run into them.

We are not sure of all the things that having this room to use is going to result in. But our initial thoughts are having somewhere to run discipleship groups and the Kintsugi mental health course as well as meeting with people on a more ad hoc basis. We are also planning to run a holiday club with a free lunch over the summer to get to know more local families’.

  • Pictured: Hannah knocking down a wall for the new room they are decorating ready to begin gathering the community.

multiplyreach.org