I'm Adelaide born, with a background in Churches of Christ from the start. In my pre teens, it was not hard to believe from what was being promoted that Churches of Christ was seen by those from within that they were the only 'true' church. This made for any interesting journey, discovering that this was not so and indeed, the richness of other traditions has become a strong part of my appreciation of the Church.
Now, many years down the track, having served on many inter-church councils both local and state wide, and having had the privilege of being in ministry in a number of churches, including the planting of a number of churches, I come to the place of facing what retirement might look like.
One can never reach a point where everything is learnt and experienced, and so I look forward to participating in this class and gaining insight from others which will hopefully mobilize me in new directions and thinking, in spite of the fact that I may be less active than those who have not yet reached retirement age.
I am currently in ministry at the Aldgate Church of Christ AKA The Village Well, and enjoying the challenges of helping the congregation engage with the community, as they grow in their own Christian journey.
Well done Rob. A new skill learnt. Thanks for your commitment to ongoing learning, both in your ministry and in the class,
ReplyDeletesteve
www.emergentkiwi.org.nz
ron, I have driven past the village well, and thought what a great name for a church! I have learned a lot from Interchurch Council, too, and it is good to know that God continues to work with all of God's people, not just those who experience life the same as we do. Thanks for your sharing, Anne
ReplyDeleteKen Laffer.
ReplyDeleteGood on you Ken. I’ve enjoyed your comments, your honesty, your expectations (outlined) of what might be.
I like the way you are forming your thinking in the involvement of others in engaging with the community.
I found that the valuable input from our week in July had to be shared, so I invited interested people in our congregation to come one evening and I did a brief overview. Eleven people came and participated and I think caught the vision of how meaningful the concept of living the text is. Creating a group who can be enthused by experience is a great start. When a group gets together you can brain storm ideas on just about anything. The group doesn’t have to be Christians or church goers. In fact community people have great ideas about community!
Bob Rognlien in ’Experimental Worship’(Rognlien), says there are universal rules of brain storming.
• The sky is the limit – share every idea no matter how outrageous
• No evaluation allowed – save your critical comments for later
• Stay focused – limit your ideas related to the topic.
Once people understand they are not on the side lines but valuable contributors, then participation in more specific exercises, even engaging with the text of scripture is a naturally progressive step. Ron Roberts.