Jonathan Dunning - Meadowhead Christian Fellowship

Jonathan talks about his time at Meadowhead Christian Fellowship, how he was called there and what Jesus means to Him. You can find out more about Jonathan Dunning's ministry at mfcchurch.co.uk

Transcript

Nicola: Welcome to Coldwater Podcast. I'm Nicola Halton. We all know the importance of getting out there and doing a great work for Jesus. In this podcast, we will learn more about the people who are involved in changing lives for good for God. I’d like to welcome, Jonathan Dunning of Meadowhead Christian Fellowship in Sheffield. Hello Jonathan, Just want to thank you for being here and having a chat with us about what you've been doing, through lockdown with Meadowhead Christian Fellowship. You know and how is it been going there? How has it been working for you. 

Jonathan: I think as with many churches it has had its ups and its downs. I mean to start with there is a level of frustration but a level of excitement because suddenly we are trying to deal with technology in a way that we haven’t beforehand so I was involved in leading prayer nights for about 90 nights running or near enough from this little office here but we were also looking at magazine style program that we put out but it was amazing to get comments and feedback from across the world so that was kind of exciting and we are continuing now to live stream Sunday services, n ow we are able to open up with the current regulations and guidelines. Negatively as for any pastor there is also the challenge of the disconnect with people. The disconnect with them going through problems, bereavements, challenges, particularly mental health issues which have been a big issue for us here in Sheffield and I think around the country, is one of the major issues we have to tackle as a church.  
 
 Nicola: It has been, it really has. It just what I noticed when you were doing the 90 days  was I felt very lonely but it was a connection to a church that I really loved. You were making me feel very connected to Jesus. Was I the only one that felt like that or did you find that was reaching a lot of people?

Jonathan: We reached a lot of people beyond our church. It was never a plan to try and entice people from their own churches in Sheffield. But I feel people were feeling particularly isolated, there was this uncertainty about what the future would hold for so many people, that actually a little community built up, it felt like a little family. Which was wonderful really and do you know as you remember Nicola, we saw some really exciting answers to prayer in the context of all that which was really wonderful. 

Nicola: Yes you did. What drew you to Sheffield originally? What was … 

Jonathan: I worked at a place called Hollybush Christian Fellowship .. you’ll be talking to Jim I guess soon. I am still in very good touch with Jim Wilkinson and the church there and it is still my spiritual sor of roots and home. I was converted there. I was baptised in the river there. I led the youth there. I worshipped there and then I was the first person of paid staff there which I worked there for ten years with Jim. And you know we had some very exciting days. I was there when both the first church and the second church building were built and I was there for that sort of thing. But it came to point where I really felt a call, I felt a call about 3 after my conversion at Hollybush to be involved in a local church in a pastorate.  And while we saw some amazing things at Hollybush there was always this sense of not really establishing a local church the way I felt personally called to. It wasn’t a disagreement with Jim but it was sense of calling. And I felt I guess one day that I really needed to step out of Hollybush but I had nothing in front of me at that time. I had an offer from the Evangelical Alliance to work for Clive Calver in the North of England and also Youth for Christ they wanted me to be involved in a regional work to and there was a possibility of going to Canada but none of these seemed to be the right things. And in the end I tripped into it really. Circumstantially I ended up going to Sheffield, a city I had only visited once before even though it was still in Yorkshire. And I ended up in this church which at the time was meeting in a school, in one of the areas of urban social housing. 1960’s social housing at the edge of the city. And it became more and more a sense of feeling my way into it. I didn’t get what Jim had, an audible voice, I can’t even tell you I had a scripture that drew me here. But I guess the last 27 and a half years proves it was what God wanted for our life. 

Nicola: Yes 

Jonathan: proves it was what God wanted for my life..

Nicola: Yes I can relate to that there’s nothing that make you .. you know you have just got to keep walking forward. Its just a direction, its an unusual thing to not have a very clear voice but that is faith isn’t it, that’s what faith does. 

Jonathan: I think following Jesus, if we are always waiting for that word, for that voice to tell us or even the prophetic to actually guide us, do you know there is just a place for walking in simple obedience if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, he will direct our paths and God led me clearly here in a way that I didn’t always understand was His leading. 

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: But you know its like the psalmist says surely goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life and I look over my shoulder and see what God has done over the last 27 and a half years you know that the plan of God was for me to be in Sheffield. 

Nicola: Its an amazing testimony and I always feel a little bit sort of.. anyone whose been brought up in deep spiritual roots are very blessed and were you blessed as a child with that understanding.

Jonathan: My family were nominal Christian, my dad … nominal Christians that’s a bit unfair .. they were church goers basically. I was brought up to go to an Anglican church where my dad was the organist, but I never heard the gospel. I never …It wasn’t a church that preached the gospel. It wasn’t a church where I understood any personal experience with God. I came to faith at Hollybush through an experience which kind of was quite extraordinary, my sister had gone to a meeting in the very early days of Hollybush and Jim had told her, Jim Wilkinson, said that she would wake up in the middle of the night speaking in tongues. Well she did.  And we lived in a household that did not know anything about charismatic gifts and I was woken by my sister. I remember rushing into my parents room at the age of 11 saying, “Mum, dad. Jill has gone mad.” You know, because I had not idea what this was but actually there is something about tongues being a sign for unbelievers. I sat down with my sister the next day and I was interested in her story and I went along for a meeting in a barn. It was then in the barn which was just above the office now, that is where we met. It was called the barn rally and I was the only person that went forward that night. As an 11 year old I was shaking throughout the whole meeting. And I met God as an 11 year old at Hollybush. 

Nicola: How wonderful. That’s lovely. What would you say to people wary of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You know there is that t that tendency to feel that you are going to get overtaken, I suppose. 

Jonathan: Yes, I think God doesn’t … I think the idea that people.. when people do get out of control that is not necessarily, you know, the Holy Spirit. It is possibly sometimes emotions getting in the way. The Spirit of God, is a Spirit, as Paul said to Timothy, love power and self control. So there is an element whereby… when people say I just couldn’t help it. You could say well actually we want to be overwhelmed by Gods love, and God’s power,

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: but you know … there is an element whereby when God comes into our lives, he brings also a message of self control to us as well.

Nicola: yes

Jonathan: My big worry at the moment is actually I meet so many charismatics who are charismatic in name but not in practice. And it seems almost out of vogue for people to actually speak in tongues or move in the gifts of the Spirit they’re worried. They want to be seeker friendly in a way that people.. the outside world may accept them and I’ve seen this trend happen in some of the larger presentation churches which I think is a bit disappointing because I guess what I feel, and what we feel as a church is that everyone has something to operate, to work or bring to church. You know as Paul said to the church at Corinth. And we want to encourage people to contribute. 

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: So it wasn’t unusual before lockdown to have,  if you can to have people in the band, people sort of doing different things not just talking about serving but speaking, praying, bringing testimonies. We could have 30 people, 40 people on a Sunday morning contributing. 

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: And I feel that is something kind of important that we want to encourage in churches. Not to be scared of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t take you out of … he doesn’t take over in a way that actually means you are completely out of control and you are in a trans like sort of state. Actually he energises your faith and that wonderful sense. Surely we have both felt it, the presence of God, the closeness of God.

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: and God loves us and he wants, he wants the best for us. We must trust. 

Nicola: It’s that overwhelming love and you obviously show that to your community. You know… there was a story where you ..there was somebody who had just lost someone with covid and you know. That struck with me just how you walked with them and how you chatted to them and to me that is Jesus with skin on. You know you are acting like Jesus in the community and I think you need to be called to a community and where the people are that is where you can shine the most. 

Jonathan: I think one of the things I am quite struck by again is that many people like the idea of mission. Like mission for a weekend or mission for a week or even mission for a year. You know take a year out of our lives and do this mission thing. Actually mission is our daily call. It takes time to did in to the poorer communities. People want to see you actually living the life and being involved. One of our values is transforming community and you know we do that through lots of different ways, through loving and being involved with the people around us. For instance we took over the library when that being closed down in an area which had a very low sense of both literacy and numeracy. In terms of all the figures the city had. That library was vital in fact we have increased the use of it, we have increased the computers to help people getting grants and getting help. We have had somebody helping with jobs there. We have done nutrition courses. We have done… we have worked with the food bank. We have done healthy eating. We have done everything from chair aerobics to other types of healthy, fitness things. “Churches doing that is that missional!!” Well its missional because you build a relationship up with people that says we are interested in your body, soul and spirit and God will do you good as a whole person. Youi know its very very important. I guess I’ve never been a career pastor looking for the next church which is a bit bigger or a bit better. I’ve been called to an area.

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: and I’ve sunk my life, 27 plus years of my life, into a small area of Sheffield because I do think that that kind of missionary calling that we think about the people like Chrissie Perillio who you are going to be talking to, people abroad, is vitally important in local church leadership too. Often we see people 2 years here, 5 years there, 10 years there, next sort of good, you know job offer comes up. We have got to be called to an area and called to people. 

Nicola: That’s lovely. What keeps you so positive? Cos you’re always really chirpy. 

Jonathan: (Laughs) Do you know, I’m not always positive. 

(Laughter) 

Jonathan: I wish I was always positive. I do spend some time with other churches and try to support them and encourage them. Somebody asked me, you know, at your age… marvellous innit.. at my age! How after 27 years do you still have faith and vision for the place. There are leaders who are just back in maintenance mode and keep the thing ticking over until retirement. Do you know I’ve never had that. There’s always kind of land to grow into. Somebody prophesied over me once about having a Caleb spirit. It’s a bit of a mountain some of the areas we are dealing with here. This area of South Yorkshire that I’m in has got some of the lowest church attendance in Europe actually or parts of Sheffield not necessarily our Sheffield our part. I’ve got some brilliant churches around me. But you know.. its not… everyone says its not easy where we are and it isn’t but dig in. Dig in!  Get involved! Love! Care! Demonstrate! One of the things I have had to do is a lot of exorcisms in houses and stuff that people have been involved in and stuff like that. To the people round here we call ourselves the fourth emergency service. You know. They might see us as ghost busters we see ourselves as bringing God’s kingdom into places. You know we pray for people on the streets. We pray walk our area. We took a Christmas card, painted and done by one of the young kids off our estate round everones house at Christmas. We have just been involved in Sheffield, something called arise where the churches in Sheffield we pray walked every street in the city and get involved. Get out of our churches. This is the one thing we have to do at the moment. You know we are limited in our churches but we can still get out into our communities. 

Nicola: Yes. That’s lovely. I just pray every blessing on your community. It sounds wonderful. And I also just want to say. What would you say to anybody who was thinking about becoming a Christian? Just thinking about it? 

Jonathan: I would say just first of all. What you have to deal with is the fact it is true to start with. I would just say this we have just had Easter and I have just been involved in some podcasts that we have been doing in terms of reflections with regards to the Easter story and if you think about the amazing change it brought in people’s lives then and there and how even 10, 15, 20 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection you know people were actually singing hymns about His glorification as King of Kings and Lord of Lords as we read in Philippians 2. Its quite exciting you’re not just believing a myth you are actually… our faith is based on a historic fact. Jesus Christ existed, He died and he rose again from the grave. But in opening you life up to God this is good news for you. 

Nicola: Yes

Jonathan: Not only does it actually… I was saying the thing about a vaccine is whatever your views are on the vaccine it cannot deal with our sense of guilt, our sense of failure, our sense of shame, our fears, our dreams, our aspirations that have been disappointed through covid. God comes to us in Jesus and actually can meet us in the midst like he did with those early disciples on Easter day. You know in the midst of their fears, in the midst of their shame, in the midst of their mess, in the midst of their tears, in the midst of their loss, actually bring life and joy to these people and hope and Jesus will bring life and joy and hope to you. If you will turn to him as Lord and saviour.

Jonathan: That’s lovely. Thank you Jonathan. That’s absolutely brilliant. I think you have answered all my questions so thank you for being there and doing what you do so, yes, thank you. Thank you very much.

Jonathan: Thank you and God bless you and yes its been good to talk. 

Nicola: Yes thank you. Thank you for listening to the Coldwater Podcast. Please remember to