Ministers Desk 2nd February 2014

From last week’s sermon.  A statement made by the first Assembly in 1977.

 

We, who are members of the first Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, address the people of Australia in this historic moment.  The path to unity has been long and at times difficult, but we believe this unity is a sign of the reconciliation we seek for the whole human race.

 

We acknowledge with gratitude that the churches from which we have come have contributed in various ways to the life and development of this nation.  A Christian responsibility to society has always been regarded as fundamental to the mission of the Church.  In the Uniting Church our response to the Christian gospel will continue to involve us in social and national affairs.

 

We are conscious of our responsibilities within and beyond this country.  We particularly acknowledge our responsibilities as one branch of the Christian church within the region of South-East Asia and the Pacific.  In these contexts we make certain affirmations at the time of our inauguration. 

 

We affirm our eagerness to uphold basic Christian values and principles, such as the importance of every human being, the need for integrity in public life, the proclamation of truth and justice, the rights for each citizen to participate in decision-making in the community, religious liberty and personal dignity and a concern for the welfare of the whole human race.

 

We pledge ourselves to seek the correction of injustices wherever they occur.  We will work for the eradication of poverty and racism within our society and beyond.  We affirm the rights of all people to equal educational opportunities, adequate health care, freedom of speech, and employment or dignity in unemployment if work is not available.  We will oppose all forms of discrimination which infringe basic rights and freedoms.

 

We will challenge values which emphasise acquisitiveness and greed in disregard of the needs of others and which encourage a higher standard of living for the privileged in the face of the daily widening gap between the rich and poor.

 

We are concerned with the basic human rights of future generations and will urge the wise use of energy, the protection of the environment and the replenishment of the earth’s resources for their use and enjoyment.

 

Finally, we affirm that the first allegiance of Christians is God, under whose judgement the policies and actions of all nations must pass.  We realise that sometimes this allegiance may bring us into conflict with the rulers of our day.  But our Uniting Church, as an institution within the nation, must constantly stress the universal values which must find expression in national policies if humanity is to survive. 

 

We pledge ourselves to hope and work for a nation whose goals are not guided by self-interest alone, but by concern for the welfare of all persons everywhere – the family of the One God – the God made known in Jesus of Nazareth the One who gave his life for others.

 

In the spirit of his self-giving love we seek to go forward.

Ministers Desk 26th January 2014

Hello and welcome to a new year.  Already 2014 is shaping up to be a great year of discipleship and spiritual growth. 

 

At the end of last year many people reflected on the spiritual growth they had experienced during the year.  They named specific ways in which they had deepened their love for God, been stretched in their faith and grown in their understanding of their Christian life.  This growth has set us up well to continue this growth into 2014.

 

During the opening weeks of January youth from our congregation have attended three different camps.  We have heard some reports in our worship services, and will hear more, about the impact these camps have had.  Young people who have been touched by the grace of God, some for the very first time and been overwhelmed by the love that God has for them that is unconditional.  These have not just been mountain top experiences that will wear off now that they’re back to normal life.  These young people have been helped to continue their journey of discipleship and make their commitment to Jesus a priority in their life.  Please pray for all our youth and their leaders and their journeys of faith.

 

We have been blessed to share together in worship during January.  In a very tangible way we have demonstrated the unity of our congregation.  I want to thank Nathan, Barry and Dennis for leading our services during this time.  Thanks also to the musicians and other talented people who contributed in their own ways to our services.  I’m looking forward to the exciting ways that we offer worship throughout the rest of the year.

 

I’m also encouraged by the number of people who are returning from holidays and preparing again to serve God by serving other people.  They are returning with fresh ideas for existing activities and new ideas for new activities.  There are also people who are taking up new roles of service and others who are ceasing to serve after having served for many years.  To all these people I say thank you for hearing the whisper of the Spirit and responding to serve as he calls you.

 

As I say, 2014 is going to be a great year for our congregation.  Please make it great for yourself.  Ensure that this year you commit to growing in your faith.  Make attendance at worship a priority, be active in an Explore Group, have an area of service that stretches you to a God only space and share your faith with a pre-Christian friend.

 

On a more mundane note, you may have noticed that the church décor (pews, carpets, walls) is looking more tired and worn.  The Church Council has started a process of considering what needs to be done, how it will be done and how it will be paid for.  It is intended to start doing something this year.

 

Grace and peace

 

David Fender

Ministers Desk 24th November 2013

For living creatures growth happens naturally.  If we’re not growing, we’re dying.  Our faith is a living thing.  It is planted in us by God and has the potential to grow.  Think of the times when Jesus talks about faith being like a mustard seed or a vine or a field or a plant.  Our purpose as a congregation is Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage.  We have committed ourselves on a path towards growing our faith so that we can experience more of the love and grace of God, become ever more obedient to the call of Jesus to follow him and to an ongoing openness to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.  The activities of our church focus on this purpose. 

 

After a year of growth and transformation I think that it is worthwhile to sit back and ask “how have I grown this year?”  There is an insert in this week’s notice sheet that provides you an opportunity for some soul searching to ask yourself about your spiritual journey this year.  This is provided purely for your own use. 

 

For some people their spiritual lives can sink down into a spiritual rut.  Their worship becomes monotonous, prayers become a recital of a list of needs, they read the same bible verses without any new insight and they go through the motions of service and outreach with a feeling of tiredness and resentment.  As they do this, they are also missing out on the renewing presence of the Spirit.  They fail to see his blessings in the faces and lives of those around them, they don’t hear his quiet whispers of hope and encouragement, they miss out on the refreshment he gives as they serve.  A spiritual life in a rut becomes a chore instead of the joy that life in Christ should be.  Taking time to review our spiritual journey puts things into perspective.  Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:5).

 

The insert gives you instructions on how to complete the review.  However, the benefit of the tool is to assess your spiritual journey over this year.  Feel free to ask yourself your own questions or only to dwell on some, not all the questions.  Ignore the tool and simply allow God to take your mind over the highs and lows of your journey.  Whatever suits you is best.  But please take some time to consider how you have grown as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 

The Church Council met on Monday 18 November.  We agreed that starting in 2014 we would have a Youth Worker trainee.  This person would work 2 days per week in the congregation, in the area of children’s ministry and would also undertake formal offsite training.  The trainee would be paid up to $10,000 per year, for two years.  The Church Council believes that this role will add to our existing children’s groups and allow us to develop a much needed mid-week, after school group.  Following from the Congregational meeting and the establishment of new the Church Council structure the Church Council developed a role description for Elders and the guidelines for the Ministry Coordination Team.  It was with regret that we received the resignation of Barbara Young from Church Council.  Barbara has served on the Council for many years, first in the role of secretary and later as a member.  Her wisdom and insight will be sorely missed and we thank her for her service.  The Church Council was also pleased to appoint Mark Robinson to the role of Support and Resources Team Leader.

 

Grace and peace

 

David Fender 

 

Ministers Desk 17th November 2013

Offering hospitality to family, friends and complete strangers was an ordinary part of life for people in the ancient Middle East.  This concept of hospitality became a practice of the early church.  We can see this in the hospitality Jesus and the apostles received and in the hospitality that the early disciples offered.  The practice of hospitality was central to the transmission of the gospel in the early Church.  Offering hospitality is therefore a sign of our discipleship and a means by which we can show the love of Jesus.  In 1 Peter 4:9 it says, “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

 

As a church we are called to offer hospitality to guests who come to our church.  Very regularly we receive guests in our worship services.  They come for many different reasons, all of them though are fellow pilgrims searching for a deeper walk with God and a closer relationship with him.

 

Our purpose as a church is Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage.  We know that this commits us as individuals and a church to journey deeper into our relationship with God.  When people visit our worship services, we have an opportunity to help them in the growth as disciples of Jesus.  We do this by offering them hospitality that helps them feel welcomed and included in this congregation.

 

A number of us have been here for many years and we are comfortable in our church environment, that’s great.  We might not be as aware of the anxieties that new people feel as they enter a church community.  Many of us are uncomfortable talking to people we don’t know.  We say that we don’t know what to say and are fearful of saying the wrong thing.  This is equally true for the guests who come into the church for the first time.  In addition they have the added weight of unfamiliar surrounds and being identified as the new person.

 

As people who are comfortable in this church environment I encourage us to reach out and offer hospitality to guests.  Simply saying hello and introducing yourself is appreciated by our guests.  Without interrogating the new person, we can ask questions that allow them to speak about themselves.  Questions can be about family, where they live, what they do, what hobbies, sports and interests they have and what they are looking for in the church.  Relaxed and inviting questions provide the space to get to know each other.

 

Going on from questions we can help guests know their way around the building and the activities of our congregation.  We can introduce them to other people and invite them to join us in our groups.

 

It doesn’t take much to help a guest receive a warm welcome.  The reward of doing this is knowing that we have helped someone journey a little bit closer to God.

 

 

Grace and peace

 

David Fender

 

Ministers Desk 10th November 2013

As our congregation pursues our purpose of Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage, we are seeking to journey toward spiritual maturity, which is becoming more like Jesus Christ.  After salvation, every Christian begins the process of spiritual growth, with the intent being to become spiritually mature.  According to Paul, this is an ongoing process that will never end in this life.  In Philippians 3:12-14, speaking of full knowledge of Christ, he tells his readers that he himself has not “… already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. 13Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me.”  Like Paul, our purpose commits us toward deeper love, knowledge and experience of God.

 

Christian maturity requires a radical reordering of one’s priorities, changing over from pleasing self to pleasing God and learning to obey God.  We have identified that the best way to do this is through regular and frequent participation in worship (exalt); meeting weekly and fortnightly to study and apply the bible (explore); serving where we are called (embody); and sharing our faith so that others may have a life transforming relationship with Jesus (engage).  These are not simply activities to be completed.  They are disciplines through which we grow more like Jesus.

 

They become a means of entering more deeply into life with Jesus as we walk with the Holy Spirit.  Galatians 5:16 tell us that we’re to “walk by the Spirit.”  The Greek word used here for “walk” actually means to “walk with a purpose in view.”  Further down in the same chapter, Paul tells us again that we’re to “walk by the Spirit.”  Here, the word translated “walk” means “step by step, one step at a time.”  It is learning to walk under the instruction of another, the Holy Spirit.  Since believers are filled with the Spirit, we should also walk under his control.  As we submit more and more to the Spirit’s control, we will also see an increase in the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).  This is characteristic of spiritual maturity.

 

To me, this reflects the beauty of our purpose.  We don’t need to do all the hard work of resisting the evil things in our lives.  Very often we think that the Christian life entails turning away from that which is sinful and evil.  Rather, spiritual maturity involves turning toward the good that is God.  When we become Christians, we are given all we need for spiritual maturity.  This involves surrender to God and allowing his Spirit to fill us with his good things.  When a room is in darkness, it doesn’t become light by pushing the darkness out, or by filling it with more darkness.  It becomes light by turning on a light switch.  In the same way our lives of darkness are only transformed when we let the light of Christ fill us.

 

Grace and peace

David Fender

 

Ministers Desk 3rd November 2013

On Sunday 27 October we held our congregational meeting.  At this meeting we approved the new Church Council structures.  Under the new structures we will have one Church Council that will be responsible for spiritual oversight.  The ministry of spiritual oversight comes from the New Testament and involves ensuring that our congregation remains true to the mission of God and our purpose and core values.  The Church Council will look to the future to discern God’s ongoing direction.  The Church Council will consist of the Ministers in placement and a Chair, Secretary and Treasurer elected to those roles by the congregation and between 5 and 7 elders, also directly elected by the congregation.  There will also be a Ministry Coordination Team that will consist of Team Leaders appointed by the Church Council.  The Ministry Coordination Team will coordinate daily management of the church and its activities.  These Team Leaders will also lead their own teams who have responsibility for various aspects of our congregation’s life and ministry.

 

These new arrangements will come into operation in April next year.  In the coming months the existing Church Council will develop role descriptions for the members of Church Council that outline the personal and spiritual characteristics (including spiritual gifts), responsibilities and expectations.  When these are prepared they will be shared with the congregation to help us discern the people to nominate and vote for and to encourage us in accepting nomination to the role of elder.  During February and March 2014 there will be a time of discernment and nomination and reflection as we work together to listen and respond to the Spirit in making decisions about the membership of the Church Council.

 

The Church Council and Ministry Coordination team will also make it a regular part of their work to consider issues of communication.  However, as I have shared before, communication is a two way process.  It involves members of the congregation seeking out information, asking questions, ensuring that they understand the information that is being shared and providing feedback.

 

Last weekend was our Thanksgiving Sunday.  Thank you to those who have responded with their thanksgiving offerings.  Up until Wednesday of this week (when I wrote this) we had received $11,100.  This is a fantastic effort.  We are well on our way to matching the $17,745 that we received last year.  It is still not too late to bring in your offering.  You can either place it in the offering bag or make a direct debit.  Either way, make sure you identify that it is a thanksgiving offering.

 

Thank you also to those who have returned your tithe or offering pledge forms for the coming year.  These are an important way in which our Church Council can be good financial stewards when it comes to putting our budget together.  Returning them also honours our Treasurer by making his job easier to compile the budget.  The form is helpful even if you are not changing your financial pledge.

 

I’ve written about some fairly mundane matters today.  Think on the ways we approach these matters and the way we acknowledge Christ as head of his church and express his kingdom in the way we treat each other.

 

Grace and peace

David Fender

 

 

Ministers Desk October 27th 2013

The Basis of Union (paragraph 15) says “It is the task of every council to wait upon God’s Word, and to obey God’s will in the matters allocated to its oversight”.  This means that when any meeting is convened within the Uniting Church we understand that we are seeking to understand and act on the leading of the Holy Spirit, in the church that is God’s.  For this reason our meetings are framed in such a way that allows for people to meet as the people of God and relate to each other and the Holy Spirit.

 

Meetings in the Uniting Church are not just about making decisions.  They are about forming and sustaining Christian community.  The more we build and strengthen community, the easier it is to make decisions.  Therefore when we meet we, worship God; are equipped and trained for witness and service; discern new directions; discover new ideas and information and share life together.  Christian community develops when members of a group share the life they have in Christ.  Community is strengthened as members are open to each other’s insights and feelings in pursuit of the ideals and practices around which the group is formed.

 

Community though does not preclude dissension.  In fact community is built up and strengthened and the kingdom of God is advanced when individuals are willing to participate in respectful, stimulating, informed and robust discussion.  This type of interaction requires that members are willing to listen and learn from others.  Members need to display humility and trust and value each other deeply as fellow disciples of Christ.  There must be a commitment to finding God’s word and being willing to wait with patience to discover this together.

 

The preferred way of making decisions within the Uniting Church is through consensus - “Consensus is a process by which a common mind of the meeting is sought about the wisest way forward on a particular issue at the time.”

 

Using the consensus model ensures that all points of view are shared and that all members of the meeting feel that they have been adequately heard.  By using this method the small prophetic voice has an opportunity to be heard.  Sometimes this does not happen when formal methods of decision making are used.

Decisions are not made simply because the majority are in favour.  Time is taken to listen, question and reflect on differing points of view.  It is appropriate during consensus decision making to take time to pray or even decide that the matter does not need to be dealt with at that point and to delay a decision to a later meeting, after members have had more time to pray and seek God’s leading.

 

Consensus decision making does not require that all members agree with the decision that is being made.  It requires that all members feel that their opinion has been heard and that they can support the decision of the meeting and commit themselves to not undermine it.

 

Grace and peace

David Fender