One step at a time

The Connections Summer has begun. Since my last article three weeks have passed. In terms of our Sunday gathering we spent the first of these weeks in a marquee in a local park, the other two weeks in the local surf club.


It has been a time of being "emptied out" and being brought to a place of relying on God. We have had to re-evaluate what we do and re-engage with who God has made us to be. On November 2nd we had a brain-storm time together, recognising that "everything we do or have done is on the table." It is time to reboot, restart, respond to what God shows us.

In this last week a friend offered a reflection on the current state of things. It was in response to my sharing how, at the EFAC conference in September, I was asked by someone whether I was satisfied with where the church was at. In response to that question I found myself answering "No, we're too "churchy", too mainstream." The Connections heart-beat has always resonated with a desire to be accessible to those who would not find "churchy" church accessible. My friend's reflection was a suggestion that the previous season was a (necessary) journey on a siding - and the current situation was God bringing us out of that siding to set us up for the next set of tracks.

The difficulty in this is a natural inclination for us to go back up that siding of "comfortable church" and to look for and bring about "churchy" things that are not going to help - we can think up plenty of "good things" which might not be the "right things." There is always the danger of jumping into the "busyness" of what we think is mission but in the end is spiritual stress.

Rather, we have to get back to the basics of a Christian community gathered around the Word of God. We are continuing our teaching series in Corinthians which encourages us in that gutsy counter-cultural gospel life. It's all about being authentic, radical, Jesus-focussed change-agents of ourselves as well as the world.

And so plans are starting to emerge. We will make use of our summer in Somerset. Our children in the congregation are really keen - they'll be doing things in the lead up to Christmas, inviting their friends along. The marquee will come out again on Christmas Eve, we hope, for "Kid's Christmas" in the park. We're changing around how we gather so that we both serve the inward needs of the church as well as being accessible to enquirers - we can learn from the cafe-church people a bit! There are many many ideas for everything from curry nights to kite flying to sand sculpting to book groups - ideas there for a person with the vision to motivate them and carry their burden through to completion. There is stuff to do.

But in the end, the new track we are on is more than just "doing." It is about the genuineness of our faith, and the courage of our day-to-day proclamation.

Continue to pray for us. There are plenty of logistics to sort out - we would like to stay at the surf club for the summer, beyond our November bookings, and the conversations about that are ongoing. But above all pray for us to have opportunities to share the hope that God has put within us, for inspiration and boldness to speak where we not normally speak, to act as we would not normally act, and so be overwhelmed by how God decides to use us.

Connections Summer?

On Sunday (Oct 19) we finished up meeting at our venue for the past almost-year at Somerset Heights. It's been a great occurrence to shake us out a bit and cause us to get back to our "fresh expression" missional heart. As mentioned in a previous article - the joy of known uncertainty is the need to rely on God.

What lies ahead for us? As soon as we found out that we would have to be making some changes we have recognised that God in his grace is providential. Our prayer has been "Close the doors you want to close, Lord; open the doors you want to open - and above all keep us obedient to you."

And in the light we have some immediate plans and some medium-term opportunities.

The immediate plan is to meet this coming week at ANZAC Park near the Surf Club in Somerset. We're going to have a marquee from the local Scout group. The Bishop will be there to pray for us and encourage us. It will be good to gather in that place and enjoy each others company at BBQ and beach afterwards.
(If you want more specific information about what's happening each week then you can find it at http://www.burnieanglican.org.au/connections/index.php/ComingWeek)

Our medium-term plans are in the process of being "brought forth." It is looking less and less likely that the use of a local school will eventuate (at least not until next year). What is more likely is the possibility of having a "Connections Summer" with our Sunday meetings at the Surf Club or thereabouts.

The message amongst us is this:

As part of the Imagine Project we are encouraged to imagine under God the possibilities of what ministry, church, and following Christ might look like in many creative ways - and as we have been conversing with people and sharing together it seems that a "Connections Summer" at the Surf Club fits with people's imagination. Our prayer has been that God will close the doors that need to be closed and open the doors of the way he would have us go. God answers prayer. This door seems open, and looks good - being near the beach throughout summer gives us opportunity for building relationship, outreaching, and creativity in our gathering together while continuing to shake us out of our comfort zone and press into God.

The Connections Leadership Team (CLT) is meeting this week and we hope to finalise some of the administrivia for this so that Bishop John can pray us into it on Sunday. However the administration is not the substance of what we do or plan to do. Rather, the substance of it depends on us all being willing and able to look to God and to grow, work and play in Him. It will require us all to be praying and sharing ideas and thoughts and putting up our hand to be involved. So please be praying and communicating.

We are in a transition into something new as a church. Please be praying for us, particularly this week, as lots of decisions are made and new things eventuate.

Exciting times. In his hands. For his glory.

BCA Conference

My family and I have just returned from holidays and attending the BCA Conference at Grindelwald. We really appreciated the opportunity, in particular, to meet with other BCA Field Staff and discover the people behind the Prayer Notes faces.

It was also a real blessing for us as a family to be cared for with the provision of a program that was an energy-gain and in which the children were cared for. It was well-balanced time of adult-input and interaction and times as a family together. Pictured is the standard post-breakfast romp by BCA children on the "bouncing pillow" near the Grindelwald restaurant.

We made a number of new friends. It's always great to meet people with the similar heart, similar call, facing similar issues, learning similar lessons, carrying similar burdens. Ecclesiology will talk about the collegiality of ministry - but here it was in flesh and blood.

Bp. Graham Cray was the keynote speaker. Bp. Graham is the Bishop of Maidstone in the Diocese of Canterbury and is a significant promoter and enabler of Fresh Expressions of ministry in the Church of England together with new ordination streams for pioneering ministry. I had already heard Bp. Graham speak at the EFAC Conference the week before and it was good for Gill to hear him as well, and also have the opportunity to have a conversation with him and his wife Jackie. Good encouragement and good advice.

And not just for us. One of the delights was to meet with a number of those who are ministering under the banner of both BCA and Church Army involved in church planting or in situations where ministry is "one continuous church plant" because of sociologically-driven high turn-over. As it is doing with Connections, I can see BCA using its resources to establish sustainable next-generation churches. I applaud that, and it's great to be part of this network.