Ministers Desk 27th July 2014

Last week I wrote about the possibility of replacing the pews with individual chairs.  This possibility has arisen because the pews are currently in a very poor state and that something needs to be done.  They are dirty and stained.  The foam padding has collapsed.  The material underneath the seat is wearing out and often falls onto the floor causing more work for those on the cleaning roster.

However, we are taking the opportunity to consider our needs for the next twenty years.  This has led the property review group to recommend that we replace the pews with chairs.  The chairs have been on display for the past couple of weeks.  They are solid and padded and most people say they are comfortable.  The chairs lock together and form a continuous row, almost like pews.  There is an option to get some chairs with armrests.

The advantages of these chairs include the flexibility that they provide, allowing for chairs to be moved to form seating for smaller groups, alternative seating patterns for worship services or removed entirely to open up the worship space for other activities.  The chairs can also be moved into other spaces such as the hall or meeting room to provide additional seating, thus eliminating the need to have many chairs that are unused most of the time.

Chairs will also have a more contemporary feel.  Where it does not compromise the integrity of the gospel, it is important that the church continue to keep pace with expectations of people in our society.  Doing so lowers barriers to them entering the church, hearing God’s message and responding to Christ’s transformation.  A verse that I continually refer to when thinking about our building is Peter saying “it is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19).

Apart from these considerations, cost is another advantage.  We have a quote that says it will cost $20 000 to recover the pews.  This compares with $16 000 to buy new chairs.  In addition we might be able to sell the pews to reduce the cost further.

People have raised concerns about difficulty of cleaning the floor with extra chair legs.  A possible response is to buy some robot vacuum cleaners to automatically clean the floors.

People have also asked where the communion cups will be placed.  It is only the 8 am service that consistently serves communion in the pews in small cups.  This practice will continue.  To allow this to happen, one suggestion has been made to collect the cups immediately after communion is served, in a reverse manner to how they were served.   At this stage it is important to recognise that without changing the things that we see as important, there can be alternative ways of making this happen.

If you would like to make further comment please contact either myself or Peter Cranna who heads up the property group.

Grace and peace

David Fender

Ministers Desk 3rd August 2014

Last Sunday our congregation received the report of the Consultation conducted by Carolyn Kitto on behalf of the Moreton Rivers Presbytery.  A written copy of this report was given to every person who attended last Sunday and Carolyn spoke to the report during our services.  If you didn’t get a copy of the report there are more copies available in the church foyer or you can contact the church office and a copy will be provided.  This is a report that is available for the whole congregation.

On Monday night the church council held an extra meeting to discuss the report and our response to it.  As we discussed it we held in mind the comments that had been made at the discussions following the morning and evening services last week.  The church council values this report and thinks that it provides us with some key directions to move into in the future.  The church council has identified the following priorities from the report.

Staffing – to not replace Harlee with another full time Minister of the Word, but to appoint specialist part time pastors to build up specific areas of our church life.

Faith development pathway for children, youth and young adults – we have a number of excellent activities for children and youth and parents do a fantastic job nurturing faith in the home.  This pathway will seek to coordinate and complement these efforts and provide resources for all involved with the hope that our children will come to an owned faith.

Organisational culture – recent research indicates that the most effective element in nurturing faith in young people is for them to be surrounded by a multitude of faithful Christians who express a vibrant and engaging faith.  Our purpose of being a disciple forming community is growing this further within us.  We want to continue this push, with particular emphasis on how we express faith consistently, how we interact with each other and resolve conflict and how we communicate within and outside our congregation the exciting work that we are doing.

A Mission Focus/Mindset – for the past couple of years we have intentionally gone deeper into faith by putting emphasis on our explore groups.  It is now time to release that faith into action as we emphasis the embody (service) and engage (evangelism) areas of our purpose.

Property refurbishment – the group will continue to meet to make plans so that the building is suitable for the future ministry of our congregation.

Child Safe Church and welcoming and including – these are important areas of our church life that need structure and systems to support them.  Having strong systems to integrate newcomers is especially important as we reach out into the community to draw people into the life of God as it’s expressed through this congregation.

This work is not going to be done in a short time.  Some of it will, but most of it will take time to plan and for us to adapt our way of doing discipleship.

Grace and peace

David Fender

Ministers Desk 20th July 2014

Many people have commented in the past year that the pews are in a very poor state and that something needs to be done.  They are dirty and stained.  The foam padding has collapsed.  The material underneath the seat is wearing out and often falls onto the floor causing more work for those on the cleaning roster.  The immediate reaction is that we should recover the existing pews.

However, we are taking the opportunity to consider our needs for the next twenty years.  This has led the property review group to recommend that we replace the pews with chairs.  The chairs have been on display for the past couple of weeks.  They are solid and padded and most people say they are comfortable.  The chairs lock together and form a continuous row, almost like pews.  There is an option to get some chairs with armrests.

The advantages of these chairs include the flexibility that they provide.  The chairs can be moved to form seating for smaller groups, alternative seating patterns for worship services or removed entirely to open up the worship space for other activities.  The chairs can also be moved into other spaces such as the hall or meeting room to provide additional seating, thus eliminating the need to have many chairs that are unused most of the time.

Chairs will also have a more contemporary feel.  Where it does not compromise the integrity of the gospel, it is important that the church continue to keep pace with expectations of people in our society.  Doing so lowers barriers to them entering the church, hearing God’s message and responding to Christ’s transformation.  A verse that I continually refer to when thinking about our building is Peter saying “it is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:19).

Apart from these considerations, cost is another advantage.  We have a quote that says it will cost $20 000 to recover the pews.  This compares with $16 000 to buy new chairs.  In addition we might be able to sell the pews to reduce the cost further.

People have raised concerns about difficulty of cleaning the floor with extra chair legs.  Also, questions about where bibles and communion cups will be stored.  These are legitimate questions that can be solved by thinking of different ways of doing what we currently do.  Already practical suggestions have been made.  These concerns should not stop us going ahead, but cause us to recognise that some things may need to change.

After further reflection, the property group may make a recommendation to Church Council and this will be brought to a Congregational meeting.  If a recommendation to buy chairs is presented it will include a colour scheme that will be part of an overall scheme for the whole building.

In the meantime, if you would like to make further comment please contact either myself or Peter Cranna who heads up the property group.

Grace and peace

David Fender

Ministers Desk 13th July 2014

From the 18th to the 27th July The Presbytery of Moreton Rivers will be engaging with our congregation in a Life and Witness Consultation. This is a normal part of the processes of the Uniting Church and is regulated to occur about every 5 years. The Presbytery has contracted Carolyn Kitto from Spirited Consulting to undertake this process.

The consultation seeks to offer feedback and encouragement to the congregation and to its ministers and leadership. There will be a number of opportunities for you to engage.

Prayer – any focus on the mission and ministry of our congregation must be accompanied with prayer to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Please pray for this process. There will be opportunities to meet with others to pray on Saturday mornings 19th and 26th July.

Interviews – Carolyn would like to speak to a wide range of people in the church to discover their passions and callings in life, their suggestions for the future and their hopes for their church and community. Interviews will be for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Group sessions – These are a number of 50 minute sessions with groups to explore the future of the Mission and Ministry of the congregation. The groups will discuss

·   The effectiveness of the Congregation’s Purpose and the ways it is shaping the congregation.

·   The sources of satisfaction in church and the future the church is seeking to build.

Group sessions will be held Friday 25th (evening) and Saturday 26th July (morning).

Report  - On Sunday 27th July  the report of the Consultant will be shared in each of the worship services. There will only be one morning service at 9.00am so as to enable sufficient time for discussion after the service. There will still be the 6.00pm service. 

To make an appointment for an interview or take part in a group session please contact Helen Smith in the Church office on 3355 2162 or emmaueluca@bigpond.com .

Richard Robinson is coordinating the program for the Consultation and if you would like more information please contact him on email - rjrob3@bigpond.com or ph. 33512017.

Ministers Desk 6th July 2014

 From the 18th to the 27th July The Presbytery of Moreton Rivers will be engaging with our congregation in a Life and Witness Consultation. This is a normal part of the processes of the Uniting Church and is regulated to occur about every 5 years. The Presbytery has contracted Carolyn Kitto from Spirited Consulting to undertake this process.

The consultation seeks to offer feedback and encouragement to the congregation and to its ministers and leadership. There will be a number of opportunities for you to engage.

Prayer – any focus on the mission and ministry of our congregation must be accompanied with prayer to seek God’s wisdom and guidance. Please pray for this process. There will be opportunities to meet with others to pray on Saturday mornings 19th and 26th July.

Interviews – Carolyn would like to speak to a wide range of people in the church to discover their passions and callings in life, their suggestions for the future and their hopes for their church and community. Interviews will be for 15 - 20 minutes. 

Group sessions – These are a number of 50 minute sessions with groups to explore the future of the Mission and Ministry of the congregation. The groups will discuss

·   The effectiveness of the Congregation’s Purpose and the ways it is shaping the congregation.

·   The sources of satisfaction in church and the future the church is seeking to build.

Group sessions will be held Friday 25th (evening) and Saturday 26th July (morning).

Report  - On Sunday 27th July  the report of the Consultant will be shared in each of the worship services. There will only be one morning service at 9.00am so as to enable sufficient time for discussion after the service. There will still be the 6.00pm service. 

To make an appointment for an interview or take part in a group session please contact Helen Smith in the Church office on 3355 2162 or emmaueluca@bigpond.com .

Richard Robinson is coordinating the program for the Consultation and if you would like more information please contact him on email - rjrob3@bigpond.com or ph. 33512017.

Ministers Desk 29th June 2014

For a number of years now our Purpose, Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage has been a significant influence in our life as a congregation.  It has helped shaped our activities and the emphasis that each group has.  The Purpose has guided our allocation of resources and indicated to us as a congregation what is important.  It has brought new people to our congregation as they have seen that we are serious about following the way and calling of Jesus.  At the moment we have two significant issues facing our congregation and our Purpose is helping shape the answers.

The first issue is the future shape of the ministry team with Harlee leaving in August and Matt going in December.  Instead of simply seeking two people to fit into these existing roles, the Church Council has commenced a process of prayer and reflection to consider how our ministry team can be a resource to help us continue to express our Purpose.  We have considered those ministry tasks that are currently undertaken by members of the ministry team and need to continue to be undertaken.  We have also considered tasks that no longer need to be undertaken by members of the ministry team.  Further to this, we have considered what tasks members of the ministry team need to pick up so that they can be a resource to help the congregation work towards its Purpose.  We are only in the early days of this process and further prayer, discussion and reflection needs to be taken.

The second issue is the development work on the church property.  Our church property is a valuable tool that is used to help us achieve our Purpose.  Buildings have a strong ability to shape culture and influence behaviour.  Buildings communicate to members and the community something about who we are, what we believe and what is important to us.  The property group has been considering how each area of our building and grounds contributes to our Purpose and how they can help us grow as disciples.  Again, like with the ministry team, we do not simply want to recover pews and replace carpets, but think strategically about how this resource may better enhance our life together and our discipleship.

On a different note, the Presbytery of Moreton Rivers will be conducting a consultation on the life and witness of our congregation from 19 to 27 July.  A consultation occurs is supposed to occur every five years (our last was 10 years ago).  It is designed with the intention of strengthening our congregation and giving hope for the future.  I see this as a very positive step to help us assess the effectiveness of our Purpose and how it is shaping our congregation. 

During the consultation members of the congregation will have opportunities for individual 20 minute meetings with the consultant as well as participate in group sessions.  The consultant will also meet with members of the wider community including other churches, schools, politicians and business owners.

Grace and peace

David Fender   

Ministers Desk 22nd June 2014

On Monday 30 June five members of our congregation (Barry Jardine, Maureen Witheyman, Anne Maloney, Lulu Shanks and myself) as well as a friend of mine (Tim Stanmore) will be leaving for a ten day trip to our partner church, Noro, in the Solomon Islands.

This will be our third partnership visit to Noro.  When we started this partnership we committed to it for the long term, recognising that some of the benefits that we hoped for would like time to come about.  As with any relationship it takes time and consistency to build up trust.  As we enter our fourth year of this relationship we are seeing the fruits our relationship.  There is a greater openness in our communication.  For instance, last year the Church Council Chairperson shared some deeply personal, church related business, which could have put him and his church in a bad light.  But because of our trust filled relationship he shared. 

In our trip this year we will be offering training in leadership; spiritual gifts; discernment of the Spirit; evangelism; child evangelism and preaching.  Our friends in Noro know about these topics, but have very little detailed information.  They have a desire to know more and we can help them.  When we visit this year we will meet the new Town minister, Rev Patrick Ngassi and the new pastor Benjiman Jino.  We will also renew acquaintances with many old friends from the congregation.

The best way that you can support this visit is through your prayers.  We will be very much out of our comfort zone in Noro and this requires that we trust the Holy Spirit more and more.  Please pray for our willingness to wait upon his provision and our faith to see the way that he will provide for us exactly as we need.  The local language phrase for this is Asa.  Please also pray for the strengthening of the Noro congregation and the relationships that we continue to build.  Pray for our safety and our families as we are away.

Not everyone in our congregation is able to go to Noro, or even wants to go to Noro.  Many of you have other mission partners that you support.  Frontier Services and Scripture Union school chaplaincy are some that some of us find worthy of our support.  The Leprosy Mission, Christine Bryant, Watoto and Amnesty International are some international mission partners that others find worthy of support. 

Wherever your interests and passion lie in mission I encourage you to foster that passion.  It becomes one more way in which we grow in our discipleship and embody our faith in service.  Become involved in the organisation, participate in their projects, attend meetings and offer constant prayers for the leaders and workers.  To do this involves an investment of time and energy that goes beyond a monetary donation.  Yet, it is only when we commit something that we value deeply that we experience the greatest transformation in our life and in the outcomes of the organisation that we support.  It is the mystery of the incarnation, that God came to us, that we are called to constantly live as we follow Jesus.

Grace and peace

David Fender