Bruce McDonald
Pastor Bruce McDonald could be called the visionary of Liberty Trust. Bruce is also husband of Maude, father of four great kids & Senior Pastor of Auckland Christian Fellowship "The Life Church".
In 1987 Bruce was asking God for a way to relieve the heavy burden debt and interest placed upon New Zealand Christians. God answered through an intercessor in his church, Whakatane Christian Fellowship, and he took the instructions to his eldership, his church and community to form Liberty Trust. In July 1989 122 members began pooling their resources to pay off each other's mortgages interest free ...
Here is the story in his own words:
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread Matt 6:11
Lots of people ask the question "How did Liberty Trust begin?"
The answer is quite simple - in the prayer closet! Actually in two. As two ordinary Christians prayed about the financial needs of their friends and their own households.
For me, the journey to what we now call Liberty Trust started as I began earnestly to pray the above line in the Lords Prayer.
Not as I had often prayed through the years, by habit, or sometimes in a begging fashion, but as it is supposed to be prayed - in an imperative, commanding, urgent fashion. Knowing that God wants to give, that I want to receive, but that the thief is constantly at work to hold back God's blessing and provision.
That's the way it is you know. Our God is good. He's a good Father, always seeking to provide for His children. However a thief often stands in the way, and through ignorance we let him.
After praying this for some weeks and months I felt that God was beginning to speak to me on some financial matters. It was 1987 and the stock market crash had sent interest rates soaring. People were hurting. God's people too!
One day I heard God speak very clearly. The church will never know financial freedom and the abundance that God wants to give until they come against Interest. Usury the Bible calls it. I began to pray against interest - to see it as evil, like God does!!
I continued to pray. One morning a great sense of victory came. God had heard my prayer.
I left for work feeling buoyant and got about my day. About mid-morning I had an opportunity to share with Jennifer, one of the ladies in the church. I told her about my prayer time. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for to tell me a simple idea. A plan to see Christians work together to free each other from mortgage debt.
The plan developed but the original purpose has never altered. People helping people to be free.
"Give us this day our daily bread" is as it states: A prayer for every day.
May I challenge you to pray it earnestly, urgently. Who knows what other "Liberty Trust" type concepts are still in God's heart; waiting for someone to pray.
In the meantime Liberty Trust keeps on setting people free. As together we partner in this great vision we enable the achieving of our Mission Statement - giving people "Greater freedom to live and give".
God bless You!
September 1998