It is a difficult balance, in the African city, to try to help all-comers who turn to the Church for counsel or assistance, while protecting one's own time and energies for work which is of more central importance in ministry. Often one thinks, "That's it for today. My counselling is done. My last meeting's over. I'm exhausted." Then unexpectedly, more people turn up for help or counsel. OBSERVATION: I did it like this: I generally gave congregants an hour of my time, by appointment, while I gave the all-comers a compacted kind of counsel and help: say, ten minutes of sincere input, and then I was tough about moving on. I feel that this worked -- and in spite of busyness and weariness, I told myself, "Where else could one serve like this?" Note that I did not limit ministry to my own Church.
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