There is such thing as a free lunch… #1 what
May 23, 2011
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
And I quote…
May 14, 2011
0 Comments
“Fix your eyes on the rising Morning Star. Don’t be disappointed at anything or over elated, either. Live every day as if the Son of Man were at your door, and gear your thinking to the fleeting moment. Just how can it be redeemed? Walk as if the next step would carry you across the threshold of Heaven. Pray. That saint who advances on his knees never retreats.” – Jim Elliot
Who do you have in the incubator?
May 13, 2011
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.
Upon injustice we will tell of our God
May 6, 2011
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”
And I quote
May 4, 2011
0 Comments
Our young men are going into the professional fields because they don’t ‘feel called’ to the mission field. We don’t need a call; we need a kick in the pants. We must begin thinking in terms of ‘going out,’ and stop weeping because ‘they won’t come in.’ Who wants to step into an igloo? The tombs themselves are not colder than the churches. May God send us forth.” – Jim Elliot
Why mission week is worth doing?
April 3, 2011
0 Comments
This is a review of last year and why we will do it a third time in 2011.
God’s love is Big – for kids
March 31, 2011
1 Comment
What is the HIGHEST thing you can think of?
The SUN is really high in the sky.
Can you reach up to the sun? Can you touch the sun? No… that’s because the SUN is a BIG way away.
God’s love is BIG. God’s love is BIGGER and HIGHER than the SUN.
The BEACH is really wide. It takes a really long time to walk a beach.
Can your arms stretch out as wide as a beach? No… that’s because the beach is very BIG & WIDE.
God’s love is BIG. God’s love is BIGGER and WIDER than any BEACH.
What is the DEEPEST thing you can think of? What is really deep?
A pool can be really, really DEEP. Whose toes can touch the DEEP end of the pool?
It’s a long way down isn’t it. The DEEP-end is very DEEP.
God’s love is BIG. God’s love is bigger and deeper than the deepest of pools or seas or oceans.
What is the LONGEST thing you can think of?
A shoe lace is LONG? A snake is much LONG? And a road is even LONGER? A road that is LONG and goes on and on and on!
God’s love is BIG. God’s love goes on and on and on.
God’s love is BIGGER and LONGER than the LONGEST, most never ending kind of roads.
The bible (Ephesians 3:14ff) tells us that we should ask God to be able to understand and see how BIG God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. We should ask God to know better how HIGH God’s love is, how WIDE God’s love is, how DEEP God’s love is and how LONG God’s love is.
It is in Jesus and his death on the cross that we can see and know just how BIG God’s love for us is:
“9God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. 10Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven..” – 1 John 4:9-10
- Jesus All About Life :: How to Respond to Cheap Shots
- Jesus All About Life :: It’s a Clever Campaign
- If I was a Community Pastor…
- Internal Churning
- Review :: Gospel Websites & Applications
- Socially-Driven Church – a Model for Arts Organisations.
-
Connections & partnerships with local businesses (3 of 3)
- Connections & Partnerships with local businesses (2 of 3)
- Connections & partnerships with local businesses (part 1 of 3)
-
If you thought the @ChristExplored website was good…
-
Connections & Partnerships with local businesses (2 of 3) | without a shepherd: [...] the first post in this series Share this:Sha...
-
Ezekiel 29 | This Day With God: [...] How to invite a friend to church (or church-...
-
Dan Godde: Lots of prayer for the rich soil! Simone Godde...
-
nickfranks: This is awesome! Really focused and fresh! I like ...
-
THE ART OF CONVERSATION. | Self Improvement, Faith, & Confidence.: [...] The Art of Conversation – at church [....
