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church gallery

June 22, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

Recently I was at a CreativeSydney debate. It was apart of Vivid and held at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The debate question was: Is Sydney pricing creativity out of the picture?

One of the concerns was the difficulty of obtaining studio and/or gallery space. Partly due to expense, location (many of the ‘places’ are concentrate in the city and displace artists from their communities), and even if you did have such a space no audience (Sydney: GO! VIEW! ART!)

Some of the solutions bandied about were: property owners loan your property/retail space to artists on temporary basis (artists promise they won’t become squatters and never leave); have local artists showcasing in their local communities, and pitching to their local community. Success doesn’t mean 2000 people coming to view your exhibition or piece. Aim to reach people on your street, your neighbours! The panelists in the debate even suggested that more churches need to be transformed into art space.

I thought this was a) a snide comment of the panels opinion that churches are a dying, they are wasted space, only being used on a Sunday and could serve local communities better than just preaching a sermon on Sundays! and b) a great encouragement to the endeavors our church and others like York St Anglican Church are doing with art!

York St recently had a festival in their church. Here is a snapshot comment from Jenny Ihn on using church space as an art space.

Unlike contemporary white gallery spaces, we did not have a space that primarily existed ‘for’ the Art. We had, if you like, a ‘historic space loaded with memories of the past’.

Read more of Jenny’s reflections here

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Arts, Church, Community, Creativity, Culture, Ideas

Dear Church,

June 19, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

Dear Church by the Bridge,

Jesus’ interaction with the crowds in Matthew 9:35-38 supplies us with great motivation for evangelism and helps shapes the way we do outreach here at Church by the Bridge :

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Like Jesus, we should see the ‘crowds’ and have compassion on them, whether they from in Kirribilli or our personal lives.  It is in the contexts of our many outreach initiatives – such as Playtime, Kirribilli Kids, Community Lunches, I Heart Kirribilli, Simply Christianity and other courses, Fitness mornings, Carols Under the Bridge, and even our weekend services – that we can better see, know, love and share the gospel with our neighbours and friends. All of these activities are intentionally created to help us build genuine relationships with the ‘crowds’ and the success of them relies on each of us playing a role.

Instead of just bringing in the ‘professional-up-front-evangelists’, the Billy Graham‘s or our own church pastors, the majority of evangelism will actually be done by all of us, as we together live out 1 Thessalonians 2:8 :

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

I am convinced, that as we faithfully share the gospel and our lives with those we know and are yet know, we will be a church marked by rejoicing. For what praise ought we to give God when we continue to witness His work in bringing the crowds to receive the gospel and to join in with us living for Jesus and loving like Jesus?

For Jesus’ Fame,
Hayley Neal
(Community Pastor)

* this was written for the weekly newsletter that we print to hand out as an insert in all the bibles. this is 1 out of 2 in a series.

Community, Conversion, Culture, Evangelism, Ideas, Jesus, Living for Jesus, Loving Like Jesus, Mission, People, Reaching those you know

How to feed the 5000 (or slightly less)

June 9, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

The friendly folk at Petersham Baptist Church have created a cook book to help you cook for 60 to 100 people

the PBC Recipe Book has 26 recipes,and can be Downloaded in PDF format (204 kb).

Church, Community, Compassion, Love Thy Neighbourhood

Churches Caring

May 24, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments 

image from thenewsstar

Some churches in the USA celebrated “A Day of Caring”, by reaching out to those in need in their communities.  Margaret Croft, from The News-Star, reports that volunteers from five different Christian denominations gathered  to put together 500 “flood” buckets with emergency supplies for flood victims.

Bishop William W. Hutchinson said about the day: “It is our great hope that through this endeavor, United Methodists can show how much they care about their communities and want to be a ‘part of the solution’ in the elimination of poverty…”

Read the full article here

Church, Community, Compassion, Loving Like Jesus, People, Social Action

There is such thing as a free lunch… #1 what

May 23, 2011 by hayleyneal 1 Comment

One of our Social Compassion and Outreach ministry is our Free Monthly Community Lunch. They provide a great place for people to come together, for our church family to build genuine relationships with locals, plus  for people to enjoy a tasty and free meal. Over the next few posts I will share with the WHAT, WHO & HOW!

#1 what

What are the objectives of Community Lunches?

  • Providing a free and nutritious meal
  • Bringing people together
  • Establishing  & continuing deep relationships with locals
  • Catering for 100 meals (enough for TakeAway)
  • Contribute positively to our local community
  • Making the next step for gospel engagement

What are the needs of those who come?

  • Social Isolation
  • Lacking Community
  • Estranged from family
  • Widows/Widowers
  • English Second Language
  • Loneliness
  • Substance addiction
  • Spiritually poor
  • Unemployment
  • Aged Pensioners
  • Disabilities Pensioners (incl. mental health)
  • Homelessness (long & short term)
  • Chronic Health Issues

What is our commitment?

  • Lunch provided monthly, one month ONSITE @ Church; alternate month OFFSITE @ Greenway
  • Creating Community
  • Develop better understanding of needs
  • Providing on-going, practical and meaningful follow up (meals, friendship, visits)
  • Generosity with Time, Friendship and Resources.
  • To better know our neighbours living in Greenway & other local public housing.
  • Working with other Key Services in the area: Greenway Residents Committee; North Sydney Council; Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre etc.

What is our motivation?

Fulfilling Christ’s command to his church to love, serve and proclaim the gospel:

  • “Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  - Proverbs 31:9 
  • “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!””  – Isaiah 52:7
  • “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”” – Luke 12:12-14
  • “If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”   - Romans 12:7-8
  • “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”   - Romans 12:11-13
  • “Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”       - Romans 12:16
  • “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:15-17

Living for Jesus; Loving Like Jesus

Community, Compassion, Evangelism, Ideas, Living for Jesus, Love Thy Neighbourhood, Loving Like Jesus, Mission, Social Action

com·pas·sion| kəmˈpaSHən |

May 21, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

Repeatedly the gospels tell us (Matt. 14:14 Matt. 15:32  Matt. 20:34) that Jesus was motivated by compassion to love the crowds. This sort of compassion is costly and we see this in the character of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) who when walking past the ‘neighbour’ lying in the ditch, “he saw him, he took pity on him”. Jesus, at the end of his story, tells the reader “Go and do likewise.” Today, that call for both compassion and action at a time of need remains the same.

It should be the hope of our churches to continually grow in our ability and capacity to creatively meet the real needs of locals and honouring God by loving our neighbourhoods as God has so lavishly and compassionately loves us.

  • Who is your neighbour?
  • What are their needs?
  • Where are the gaps that people are falling through?
  • How can you be of assistance where your weaker neighbours are falling through?
  • How can you offer mercy and lavish compassion?
Church, Community, Compassion, Living for Jesus, Love Thy Neighbourhood, Loving Like Jesus

Who do you have in the incubator?

May 13, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

Recently, I re-read an old Keller article about Networking and Evangelism and read it with our iHeart Mission team as a stimulant and training paper for our first planning meeting for 2011.

Take Home Points:

  • Who do you have in the incubator?
    We should expect one another to have 2-4 people in the “incubator”: a force field in which ‘those that we know’ are being prayed for, given literature, drawn into our christian social networks, invited to courses, brought to church or other events at church.
  • Who do you preach to?
    Preach and present in every service and ministry so that both Christians and non-Christians are always intentionally challenged and addressed. Preach as if skeptics, agnostics, etc. are there, and if you do, they will soon be there. They will be brought if you congregation know they are welcomed.
  • How are you creating places for smiling faces?  Keller argues the more varied ways a person hears the ospel and the more often a person hears the gospel before making a commitment. The better. Is the majority of your evangelism orientated to the  ”crisis” orientated evangelism or are you pursuing ‘process’ orientated evangelism, acknowledging people need to come in stages.

Lots of the ministries at Church by the Bridge (whether specifically outreach orientated or not) – are developed out of these three points. We create & initiative ministries and activities that make space to build relationships with people. We hope that in doing so we will see locals (strangers) & our friends (those in our incubators) introduced to Christians, Christian Community & eventually Jesus. We pray, welcome and expect all sorts of people are in attendance at every church service, ministry and event.

 Read it in full here

Community, Evangelism, Ideas, Reaching those you know, Resources

Resources: domestic squalor / hoarding

May 11, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

The City of Sydney’s Community Services Grants program has put together a toolkit to assist those assisting those battling with domestic squalor/hoarding.

This toolkit aims to provide direction for both service providers and community members within the City of Sydney to respond to situations of Squalor and Hoarding.

Currently, our church is supporting a man living in domestic squalor, whom we met through our Free monthly Community Lunches. In partnership with Catholic Services & North Sydney Council, Church by the Bridge hopes to help restore this man’s home to  more suitable living environment. And additionally provide ongoing friendship and support.

Community, Love Thy Neighbourhood, Loving Like Jesus, Mission, People, Resources, Social Action

Upon injustice we will tell of our God

May 6, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

I am loving this new song by Planetshakers. Especially as I have been working on how our church will continue to be loving “thy neighbourhood” like Jesus in the coming days, months and years.

May this lyric be our prayer as we strive to bring hope in word and deed to our hope-less world:

“Upon injustice we will tell of our God – the hope of all hearts”


Community, Compassion, Evangelism, Mission, Music

Why mission week is worth doing?

April 3, 2011 by hayleyneal 0 Comments

This is a review of last year and why we will do it a third time in 2011.

Church, Community, Evangelism, Jesus, Mission, People
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