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| A similar boat from UK |
Wow - there has been a mighty bust-up
in Jersey between the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and the crew of
the volunteer lifeboat in St Helier. As a result, the whole team there resigned, hoping to set up an independent rescue service. In a spectacular reaction to that, the
RNLI removed their £3 million lifeboat, despite it having been paid for by
appeals in Jersey! Already 2 lives could have been lost when a private
boat being delivered to Guernsey hit a buoy and sank in minutes. Thankfully,
the Jersey fire brigade was able to launch an inshore rescue rib and pluck them out of
their dinghy, but it will only be a matter of time before the winter weather
threatens the lives of others at sea.
I cannot take sides in that dispute as I have no idea of the
causes and complaints of either party. Adequate cover is being given from the RNLI in Guernsey and similar in nearby France. What I do know is that this kind of split
is not unusual in churches. Volunteers feel unappreciated and under-consulted
about plans or change, and division and disunity can result. There can be
personality clashes, inter family rivalry or misunderstanding, wherever busy
people are giving their time free of charge in addition to work and the needs
of children. Leaders sometimes take volunteers for granted (again – no inference
here that this is what happened in Jersey) and can become weary of what they
perceive as a lack of commitment among their volunteers.
William Booth had a dream. The founder of the Salvation Army
saw in his mind a picture of the raging sea in a mighty
storm. People had been cast into that
maelstrom and were starting to sink and drown. Then a group of what he called ‘Christian
soldiers’ were leaning out from a large rock grasping the hands of those whom
they could save. Lifeboats are not entertainment. They save lives and without
them scores of people would have been lost around these islands’ waters and elsewhere.
Eternal life without God is far worse than the immediate threat to those in
peril on the sea.
Jersey cannot be without an all-weather lifeboat for long. Already
both sides are preparing to replace the lost rescue vessel. If we as Christians
don’t get our act together and start working as one, souls will perish without
hope as a result. Please – RNLI and the Jersey crew – please at least
recommence talks, as the potential cost of this dispute is too high. And 'Christian soldier' – let us do our volunteering and our leading in a culture of
mutual honour, where respect and gratitude, with encouragement, prevent the kind of disputes and divisions that can cause the loss of precious souls. Because you - and they - are worth it!
