In the beginning God spoke to me.

Your spirit knows things your head doesn’t know. Some things that we dismiss as a hunch or as intuition are actually God’s Spirit speaking to us. God doesn’t argue with us; he leads us with a persistent desire, a small still voice or a word from Scripture or, if need be, a bolt of lightning.

In this case I kept rejecting the message because acting on it would take me right out of my comfort zone.

At that time, 1997, I was so involved in navel-gazing — committees and ‘church things’ — that I had no time left for the vision Jesus had for the church. So, in order for me to follow the Spirit’s prompting, it would take the same sort of faith that made Peter step out of the boat. Our congregation had shrunk from two worship services with full attendance to not enough people to fill the church even once on a Sunday.

At that time the population of the shire was exploding, with the Tarong Power Station expanding and our town, Kingaroy, growing. So our church should have been growing, too, not shrinking.

Those not worshipping regularly included members of my own family, who had grown up in the church. At the same time God was saying to me, ‘There are people all around you whom you don’t even know, and the biggest percentage worship nowhere’.

For three years he had been telling me to rent an old tin dance hall (22 kilometres from Kingaroy, way out in the bush) once a month. I was supposed to invite the community to a morning tea at 9.00 am on the first Sunday of each month and call it 'Smoko With God'. By May 1997 I could resist the Spirit’s nagging no longer. I went to see Les, the non-worshipping caretaker of the hall. I knew God was with me when Les said, ‘I clean up after the dance at about 2.00 am, but I could be back here and have the hall opened and the water hot for smoko at 9.00 am. You will want to read out of the Bible and sing, won’t you, so you can use this space here. Val and I will

probably attend each month.’ They have kept their word for thirteen years. Praise God!

I negotiated a very reasonable rent price for the hall — $20 a month. But when Les heard that, he managed to get it for us for $15 a Sunday, and we could use the BBQ, tennis courts and indoor bowls whenever we desired. (After thirteen years there has been no change to this arrangement.) After we had met five or six times, Les pulled me aside and suggested we meet more often, as it seemed an age to wait a month for the next Smoko With God.

From the very first meeting our numbers have averaged between 30 and 40 people per Sunday and on special occasions more than that. Many were disgruntled former church members. But it is always good to hear someone say that they are sorry they cannot attend next time as they have to be at their church for some reason.

From the beginning, our main aim was to put God first: first day of the week, first Sunday of the month, first thing in the morning (almost). It is always inspiring to meet in that quiet place and sing our theme song, ‘Be still and know that I am God’.

I wish to thank the pastors of recent times who have supported us and nominated people we could invite to Smoko. Our mail lady distributes flyers each month free of charge and has told me that one day she might come along herself. My wife Narelle cooks on Saturday to provide a tasty Smoko and others often bring along something to eat. If we have a special celebration, sausages will be provided free of charge. Others bring along a popcorn-maker and homemade ginger beer.

What’s happening at Smoko is God’s doing. It has never been a burden to arrange a program — even though sometimes I wish God would tell me what’s happening before Saturday night! Over the past thirteen years God has placed an amazing list of special people at our disposal to bring his word to our community. We have people of all ages from all walks of life attending Smoko.

Smoko was the first real chance to prove to myself that a theory I have had for a long time would work. We have never taken up an offering or ever mentioned expenses. But right from the beginning people started putting money into my pocket, in my briefcase or into my hand, or asking where they should put the money. Some Sundays we received up to $300, without ever taking up an offering. Since this is public money, it is necessary to keep financial records. We have more than enough money to cover the hall hire, so we can make donations to the church and community organisations represented or supported by our guest speakers.

There has never been a Smoko where I haven’t seen a blessing from God. We have witnessed healings of body and soul. Because of Smoko’s informal style, people find it easy to share and to bring their praise and needs to God. I am grateful to God for the willingness of our group to take the reins when Narelle and I are away, and for all who pray for us and assist us with food and finances.

Smoko With God is now being held twice a month. In addition, on the third week of the month, Kingsley Kefford conducts a morning tea with a similar format. We call it ‘Smoko Too!’ It is

such a blessing to those who attend and it halves the load of preparation.

I appreciate the help, and I have every confidence that Kingsley is open to the will of God as he leads the program.

One of the greatest joys we have is seeing people drop away from Smoko … because they have either been reconnected with their former congregation, or have started worshipping at a church for the first time. A wonderful Christian woman who attended Smoko regularly had a terrific husband who wasn’t interested in God. But one day he came to Smoko with her, and then became a regular attender. Eventually, they both dropped away from Smoko because they were going to church instead. We love to hear those stories. This is what happened with members of our own family, too. Praise God!

Stumpy the Scoffer

My really good friend Stumpy loved to rubbish me and everyone who wasted their time going to church when there was always so much work to be done. He was a very smart farmer and a hard worker. But he was always willing to help anyone who would help themselves, even lending them his expensive machinery if need be. He and his brother had a wonderful collection of antique tractors, as well as a huge collection of model tractors. He knew collectors all over the world.

I asked him if he would bring his tractors down to Smoko and tell us about them and show them off. He was so proud of them he couldn’t resist.

That was the last we saw of Stumpy at Smoko for a couple of years, although his wife was a regular attender. One day when we were having a cuppa after the program, someone told me that Stumpy had turned up and wanted to talk to me.

There he was, standing at the back of his station wagon, crying his eyes out. He’d had a stomach upset, he told me, had gone to the doctor and … it was a bad cancer and he had only three months to live.

He told us he’d made three attempts to come to Smoko that morning. Got halfway the first time, chickened out, took off again and went a bit further that time, chickened out again … but the third time he made it.

A few of us were able to share with him that Jesus loved even Stumpy the Scoffer. We told him of the thief on the cross, who was saved in the nick of time.

He was baptised in the Kingaroy swimming pool while we sang, We shall gather at the river (he had learned that song in Sunday school) and he said, ‘When I come up out of the water

I want to hear all of you singing!’

We went around to his house after that and he gave the most moving witness to all his friends and neighbours. He spent his remaining months telling his friends about Jesus his Saviour. What really shocked him was that all the Christian tractor collectors from around the world contacted him to give him encouragement.

His wife was a praying Christian and all their married life had never given up praying that one day Stumpy would give his life to Jesus Christ. Her answer came, but not as she’d expected.

God works wonders every day. We need to be aware, keep our ears and eyes open and always have a message of hope and grace on our mind. We may be the instrument that God is needing to save a lost soul.

In Stumpy’s case all it took was one visit to Smoko With God in twelve years, and when he was in real trouble he remembered where he could go for help.

Neville Jorgensen and his wife Narelle (pictured left) are convenors and hosts of Smoko With God. They worship at St John's Lutheran Church in Kingaroy, Queensland.