What is wholeness? Wholeness, according to the dictionary, is a state of total well-being. As Christians we know that the only source of complete well-being, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, is God Himself. How wonderful it is to be recipients of His provision for us in that regard, in the new life He gives us in His Son, Jesus Christ.
And how privileged have been those particular recipients, who over many decades, have been called to produce the magazine known as Wholeness.
Michael Ferri, Editor, tells us, ‘Our singular purpose has been to invite every reader to be seeking, and to be claiming, all that God has for each of His children.’
Wholeness began in 1957, as a vision given to Laurence Mulcock, a lay minister in Stratford. The mission given to Laurence was to present testimonies and articles related to the healing power of Jesus Christ in today’s world.
The publication has continued to grow from strength to strength under its second editor, Christopher Lethbridge. Having become a quadriplegic through a neck injury, Christopher testified to God’s all-surpassing grace, “I am still not healed of my disablement, but I have had a most wonderful experience in God’s forgiving love.”
Christopher’s assistant, Joan Benge, had this to say: “It has always been such a characteristically positive little paper, and the following quote from an early issue explains why: ‘We try to put in only such writing as will uplift, inspire, transform and renew.’” This follows the command to “…Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those that hear them.” (Ephesians Chapter 4, Verse 4 NLT).
This was also the goal of Ron Ammundsen, the third editor of Wholeness; and the results of God’s guiding hand have been attested to by the countless encouraging responses sent in by readers over the years.
20,000 - 30,000 copies
Each quarter 20 to 30 thousand copies of Wholeness have been sent out all around the world to individuals, groups and whole congregations.
While New Zealand and Australian readers have been the largest supporters of the ministry, our African and Asian subscribers have certainly been the most avid and responsive of readers. There has never been a charge for receiving Wholeness, with donations and bequests enabling production to run continuously from February 1958 to November 2016.
There were many times when there was no money in the bank, but there were just as many times when God’s provision was miraculously there for us.
And now, to continue on into 2017, Wholeness faces a more daunting challenge than that associated with finance; and that is the loss of key personnel. Over the past several months we have had our Secretary, Assistant Editor, Treasurer, Packing & Posting Manager, two of our four Trustees and two of our four proof readers resign.
None of these people were unhappy in the slightest; rather, they have simply had major changes occur in their personal circumstances. So … if you, or someone you know, may be inspired to consider contributing in one of these roles, particularly if you are in the Hamilton area, please do contact us.
Otherwise, the sense of the Wholeness Trust Board is that without fresh spiritual impetus through God’s provision of new managerial support Wholeness may have published its final edition.
Prayer sought
In the meantime, please do pray for those who produce Wholeness, that we would know God’s will for this publication.
But, most importantly, pray earnestly for a revival of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ in the world today. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John Chapter 10, Verse 10). His words are just as much for us in the third millennium as they were for those who stood around Him 2000 years ago.
Scripture also says, “Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts Chapter 10, Verse 38). And God is still with Jesus Christ - the only difference being that now He is with the Christ who lives in us by His Holy Spirit.
We are the ones spoken of in Ezekiel, “My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” That’s us, and we have a mission to fulfil on God’s behalf, which is of course to faithfully share the sacred and ever-living message of eternal salvation, the Gospel.