John Chapman was wrong!

He used to say that he was not special. He was merely launching off the shoulders of those who went before him. He was wrong because he was a great gift from God, greatly used by God. But he was right in that what he achieved was possible because of the huge and large shoulders that he leapt from.

We now have the opportunity to launch off Chappo’s shoulders.

Chappo gave us a way of clear, compelling, Christ centred, Bible teaching that called for repentance and this has shaped so much our best teaching in Sydney. He kept calling two generations of Bible teachers to account for undisciplined, lazy and boring proclamation and in doing so made evangelistic preaching the goal from all our pulpits. So many people came to faith or were encouraged to keep going in the Faith through the way God used Chappo.

It seems that in Sydney there is no single replacement for Chappo, but there are many who have been launched off his shoulders.

I am delighted that at Chappo’s Thanksgiving Service this Saturday at the Cathedral the collection will be given to the John Chapman Foundation. This foundation was a particular delight to John and is an appropriate way to honour the man God gave our pulpits for more than half a century.

I have no hesitation during this week in shamelessly pushing the John Chapman Foundation.  The Foundation has been established to engage in evangelistic ministry in the Diocese of Sydney. It will recruit and train evangelists, but in our day not just in big meeting evangelism, but in using every opportunity to enable gifted people to publically declare the call to submission to Jesus.

Today I am determining what I can give to the John Chapman Foundation so that Chappo’s launchpad can be enhanced, and I want to encourage you to do the same.

If you can’t be at the Thanksgiving Service this Saturday you still honour him and support the cause closest to his heart.

Donations to the John Chapman Foundation can be made here.