MInisters Desk 27th May 2012

In April this year 30 members of our congregation were invited to take part in a Natural Church Development (NCD) survey on the health of our congregation.  This is the third of these surveys that we have taken.  Previous ones were in 2009 and 2006.  The survey measures the health of our congregation against other churches throughout Australia.

The church is God’s gift to the world in the time between Christ’s ascension and his coming again.  God has entrusted the church with the task of making the good news of Jesus Christ known to all people and in doing this to make the reality of his new creation known in this world and at this time.  Therefore it is essential that the church continues to grow in health so that it may fulfil the plan that God has entrusted to it.  We all know how ineffective we become when we are sick.  Depending on our illness we can be prevented from doing the things that we like to do, want to do and need to do.  Yet when we are in the best of health we have energy, stamina, an inspiring outlook and the capacity to do so much.  The same is true for the church.  So we undertake surveys like this as a check-up to measure our health and identify the factors that are preventing us from being all that God wants and to highlight where we are strong and healthy and can therefore celebrate where we are doing what God has called us to do.  There is much to celebrate in this latest survey. 

The survey indicates that overall health of our congregation has improved substantially.  The atmosphere of our congregation is more optimistic.  We recognise this through a clear belief that God wants our church to grow, through knowing the value of our service in the church, through believing that God will work more powerfully in our church in the future and having a greater shared commitment to the purpose that we are working toward as a church. 

The survey also reflects specific areas in which we are growing.  Many people are experiencing the blessing of being part of an Explore Group.  They are finding relevant discussions, opportunities to share deeply and assistance in integrating their faith into their daily lives.  We need to acknowledge the work of Nathan Robertson in leading our Explore Group ministry, also, the leaders and members of our groups who are developing a firm spiritual foundation for their lives and our church.  Please don’t forget that there is always an opportunity for you to join an Explore Group if you’re not yet in one.

We are also growing in our awareness and compassion for pre-Christians.  More people are praying for people they know, intentionally deepening their relationships and finding new ways to share faith.  Thank you to those who have increased their commitment to Christ’s great commission.

Our new purpose has provided a clearer direction into the future and this is reflected in the survey.  Our purpose puts before us a clear indication that God wants us to be a disciple forming community and that his desire for each of us is to grow as his disciples.  Thank you to Peter Cranna and the members of the Future Directions Group for their contributions in 2011 to develop our purpose.

The health of our church has grown because specific people have committed themselves to leadership in this congregation in specific areas.  My thanks go to the Church Council and Elders who prayerfully and diligently offer leadership in our congregation and to each member of the congregation who responds to God’s leading in their life to grow in their discipleship.  In coming weeks I’ll continue to share with you other results from this survey.

David Fender

Ministers Desk 13 May 2012

During the week I was at a chapel service at my daughter’s school.  The priest leading the service made a point that it doesn’t matter how technically well we do something, if we have not got the philosophy right of why we do it. 

In our current series of the Prodigal God we are looking at Luke 15:11 – 32.  In it we encounter the older son.  In the story we get a picture of someone who works hard, is diligent and can be relied upon.  However, what we saw last week in worship was that his heart was not in the right place.  He worked to protect his inheritance with no thought of the relationship he could have with his father. 

Many of us appreciate the importance of well run activities, of highly organised groups and a church where everything happens efficiently and effortlessly.  I very much appreciate the leadership that is given by so many people in our congregation that allows this to happen.  We can be very grateful for our team leaders on Church Council, the leaders of our engage and explore groups, the people who fulfil important and necessary administrative tasks, those who prepare and lead our worship services and the many people who take their places on our rosters.  Without you our church would not be able to offer the ministry that it does, nor would it function as it does.  Please know that your contributions help realise God’s potential and plan for this congregation.

However, it is very easy for us in our church activities or our own lives to become like the older son.  We can be consumed by what we do and forget the reason that we do it.  Ultimately, the service that we give and the life that we live is a response to gift of grace given to us in Jesus Christ.  So I invite you to reflect on the questions below and ask these about your life and about your service in the church.

1.      Do you prayerfully submit all aspects of your life and service to God, asking him to show you his way and being willing to be taken from your way?

2.      Do you intentionally seek to honour God through your lifestyle, giving him glory rather than seeking it for yourself?

3.      Would other people say that your service and your Christian lifestyle brings you joy? 

4.      Do you gripe and whinge about your service more than you tell good news stories?

5.      Are you constantly thinking of new ways to reflect Christian values through your life and your group?

As you answer these questions, if you find that your service is more about what you do than why you do it, I encourage you to reconnect with the grace and love of God.  See the way that he runs to embrace the lost younger son.  See the way that he pleads with the lost older son to come into the banquet.  Taste the goodness of his love for us as he sits us at the table of eternal life.  Respond to all he has done in your life.

Grace and peace

Ministers Desk 6th May 2012

At our congregational meeting last weekend we adopted a budget for 2012 that provided a $27000 deficit from a total budget of $380 000.  Our Church Council have considered this budget, prayed over it and determined that this represents an accurate financial picture of the ministry of Emmanuel now and into the future. 

As I have prayed about the budget I have been reminded time continually that this is more than just a financial issue.  Our stewardship of money, both as a congregation and individual disciples, is always a spiritual matter.  Last week in our Prodigal God series we considered the sin of the younger son and that he loved the father’s money more than he loved the father.  We were challenged to think what it is that we value, honour and worship before God.  One of the greatest temptations that we face is to worship the god of money, the god of the things our money can buy or the god of being in control of our money.  After all this is what our society teaches us, the primary importance of money.

I shared at the congregational meeting last week that our financial situation will only resolve when we see address it spiritually.  In his annual report our Treasurer makes a similar comment, I encourage you to read/reread his report.

I would like to challenge each of us to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit through engaging in a discipline of prayer and fasting.  Combining prayer and fasting has been a spiritual discipline that God’s people have used throughout the ages. We see examples of it in the Old and New Testament and in the history of the church. Through this discipline our desire is to grow closer to God and to more fully participate in his mission and stand in his will. It is not about proving how good we are to God (or others) nor is it about earning God’s favour.

Each Monday during the month of May I ask you to abstain from eating between breakfast and dinner and commit to fervent prayer seeking God’s leading regarding our finances.  As we fast and pray we will have a heightened awareness of God’s presence generally and deliberately replace times of eating with times of prayer.

Please be very aware that not everyone can do this.  Especially consider your health needs, the medication you take and your need to eat to give you energy for strenuous work.  If you believe this is not beneficial to your health please either see your doctor, or commit only to praying without fasting.   

I firmly believe that God will provide the resources that we need to fulfil the mission he has entrusted to us.

Please feel free to speak to me about this more.