During the month of November members of the Word Made Flesh team share reflections on partnership and challenge us to move beyond our current understanding of what it means to be partners with one another to the glory of God and for the advancement of the Gospel in word and deed.
It is good to talk about partnership, because I believe that without true partnership we cannot participate in building the reign of God. In Sierra Leone, I have seen the love Christians share when they come together supporting one another. When they come and work together, they are able to build something beautiful.
I have been wondering what partnership means. A partnership is a company or firm with two or more members who share the risks and profits of the business. Partners have equal rights and obligations in running the business. A partnership creates ownership, because when you own something you put all your effort towards its success. In Christian partnerships we need our friends to know that they are an important part, and when they see their role in the partnership, they will put all of their effort into it.
What can be of a Christian community when we come together as partners? There are different scriptures in the Bible that talk about unity and equality. In Acts, when the Christians came together in one place they shared things together, they spoke with one voice and they did things equally to the point that other people couldn’t tell who was the least or the greatest, the strongest or the weakest, the richest or the poorest. They were all one in heart and in purpose. This should be our goal when we come together. Even with our different Christian denominations, our gathered purpose should be to build the reign of God. Jesus taught us what kind of life we would have to live in the God’s reign. He taught us to love God and our neighbors. He emphasized that each person should treat the other as he or she wished to be treated. (Matt. 5:39). When we do that, people will know that we are Christians.
In partnerships there are some who are more confident, more educated, financially well off, more eloquent in speech and more outgoing. It is easy for the people with more to have a louder voice in the partnership. In true partnerships however, respect and equality exist, and 1 Corinthians 12 points this out in equating the eye with the rest of the body. Some are called to be teachers, others apostles and still others are called to play different roles. The reason God gives these different gifts is to build and expand His kingdom. We cannot only pay attention to people who have a louder voice or more money; we need to recognize that all the different roles are important.
If we are mindful, because when we gather together as Africans, Asians, Americans, Middle Easterners, Australians and Europeans, we will not value only the people who have the most education, wealth and charisma, but we will value each other equally. Raniero Cantalamessa in his book Poverty says, “The dignity of the poor must be respected above all in the church, in our assemblies and institutions. There has to be a place in this world where they can truly feel at home, welcomed and not just tolerated.” In true partnership everyone needs to feel at home and welcome, not just tolerated. Their contribution needs to be valued as much as anyone else’s. It is only when we bring all the gifts together that we witness the formation of the reign of God.
I belong to a small Christian community called Word Made Flesh. In my community, I have seen how love, trust, and respect for each other and each individual’s gifts have helped our partnership work. Within our community we have people from all walks of life. We have Germans, Americans, and Sierra Leoneans. In our community, we encourage and strengthen each other acknowledging that each of their ideas and experiences are an important part of realizing God’s reign here in Freetown.
Noah Tullay grew up in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he created the Kroo Bay Good News Club. He currently serves as field advisor for Word Made Flesh. He has welcomed three young boys into his home, demonstrating deep faith, patience and compassion. Noah enjoys traveling, computers, reading, talking theology and watching his favorite soccer team – Bolton.
Read more about Noah in the Lausanne World Pulse article, The Echo of a Saint: Signs of Hope in a Slum Community.