Ministers Desk 1 April 2012

Starting this afternoon (Sunday 1 April) a regular Sudanese language worship service will be conducted in our church auditorium.  The Sudanese Gospel church of Queensland will be conducting this service.  It is not part of our congregation, nor part of the Uniting Church. 

I see this as an exciting forward movement in our life as a congregation, as it provides us another opportunity to express the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the first place it points us toward the unity that we have in Jesus Christ.  Sometimes we can become too insular when we think only of the worship and ministry that takes place through our congregation.  Growing Disciples have a growing awareness of other disciples who share in the Body of Christ.  The church of Jesus Christ is more than Emmanuel Uniting Church and it is more than the Uniting Church.  The church consists of those who worship exactly like us and those who worship in with very different styles.  It is the dispersed gathering of all those who claim Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.  Having a different language group meeting on our property helps us identify the diverse nature of the unified church. 

Secondly, it allows us to serve our brothers and sisters by sharing our resources with them.  When we serve others we put ourselves at their disposal, seeking the best for them in the love of Christ.  We have the opportunity to serve by placing this building at their disposal.  Being a group of recent immigrants they do not have the opportunity to develop the infrastructure that we have. 

Thirdly, we recognise that in the Body of Christ we share all property in common.  Whilst we may have primary use of this building at the moment, we have it because we are the inheritors of the ministry of people in this area for the past 110 years.  At the same time we hold and use this property in trust for future generations of Christ’s disciples.  Good stewardship means that we use the building in the best way that builds Christ’s church and advances the kingdom.

These gospel values have practical implications for both us and the Sudanese church.  For us it leads us to offer hospitality to a homeless church.  For the Sudanese church it means that they will make a financial contribution for the use of the building and that they will participate in the cleaning roster.