John
was part of Liberty Trust's founding team of trustees back in 1989 and served
for nine years in the roles of deputy charman, treasurer and loans
officer. He was sorely missed when he and his wife Jeannie followed their
children to the UK in 1998. Upon returning to New Zealand
John played a vital role co-ordinating Liberty
Trust Auckland until it's successful merger with Liberty Trust in
2007.
Well,
isn’t life full of surprises, and isn’t God good!
As a
founding trustee of Liberty Trust, I found the concept of releasing each other
from debt through sharing our resources so exciting. It was so much an
outworking of Kingdom principles that I was excited to not only be part of its
administration, but also to be an “evangelist” of its message.
Then after about 9
years of serving in roles from deputy chairman, treasurer, and loans officer
(at one time holding all three positions at once), I, with my wife Jeannie,
felt God calling us to leave New Zealand, and settle in the United Kingdom.
We left in 1998 with
deep regrets at leaving this awesome ministry, but with the passion still
there. However God gave me plenty of opportunities to share the Liberty Trust
message throughout England and Scotland, as well as several western European
cities. I was amazed that where-ever I went, this Kingdom way of dealing with
mortgages was received as such a revelation. Again, it seemed as though God
has wanted New Zealand to be a forerunner of yet another of His marvelous
ways.
Throughout
the seven and half years we were away, I never lost this passion for Liberty
Trust, or perhaps more correctly, the passion to see people liberated into
blessing simply through being a “Kingdom Liver”.
Then
last year, God prompted us to return home – back to Whakatane at that! And
the ministry that I had helped birth was now a “teenager”, with some
changes made to it, but still engaged in “setting people free from the
bondage of interest”. Praise God.
Graciously, the
Trustees have allowed me to get involved once again.
One of my
favourite promises from Scripture is Philippians
1:6 (NIV) – I
am confident of this, that He who has begun a good work (in you) will carry it
on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. What a wonderful hope
that is to have, not only for ourselves but for Liberty Trust.
John and Jeannie have
lived in Whakatane for over 30 years (apart from their time overseas). John
has been a banker, an “in-house” accountant for a local major building
company and a land developer, and is presently with a local chartered
accountant. His wife, Jeannie, has been an adult literacy/numeracy
tutor, and has had a retail fabric shop. Together, they have ministered
amongst youth, marriages at risk, have been involved in ethnic ministries,
have run the local Christian bookshop, as well as having served as elders in
their church. They have three children, two of whom are married and have given
them five gorgeous grandchildren.
John & Jeannie worship at
Ohope Christian Fellowship. Together, their passion
is that we all will seek
first God’s kingdom and His way of doing things, that we
might enter into all that he has available for us – for God
is an abundant and
extravagant giver.
John Bartley
