Hi Team,
Thanks again for all the work that you do in leading our groups, this is one of our key ministries and I want to encourage you to keep discipling those under your care towards Christian maturity. Please can you read this mail to your members when you meet this week as there are a couple of things worth discussing and a couple of things I'd like your feedback on.
Participation:
I have been thinking about some of the things that I have most enjoyed about being part of a homegroup. And yes even as the pastor of the church I have found enormous personal value in being part of a group over the years. The thing that I have gained most is hearing other people's views, opinions and interpretations – it's forced me to think outside the box and I have learned much from those with whom who I have shared time with in the five or six groups Marisa and I have been part of.
But participation does not always come easily to all, some are shy and others are withdrawn and it takes time and some deliberate strategy to achieve this important facet of the group. Here are some ideas that have helped the groups I have been part of:
1. Prayer: One of the ways that everyone in the group can and should participate is in public prayer. When you open the evening have an opportunity to give praise to God for who He is or to give thanks for what He has done and expect and encourage everyone to pray some short prayer even if it is just a few words.
At the end of group you should have some time of prayer for each other's needs and other issues that you need to pray for. Encourage everyone to pray.
I'll be straight: I don't buy the "I am shy" thing. If we are regularly spending time with Jesus on our own even with shyness we should be able to speak to him publically, even shy people speak to their spouse in public after all – should it be different with Jesus...pretty certainly not, I think J
2. Spiritual Gifts: It is easier to get people to participate when you know what they are good at doing. Getting someone with no teaching/leadership giftedness to lead the group bible study will probably not work well, but they can serve the group in other ways. Please ensure that your group have ALL done the spiritual gifts profile (attached to this mail) and then use their giftedness in the group. Please ensure that Gillian gets a copy of the gifts
3. Give each person a task: Prepare the meal if your group eats together or bring some snacks. Get them to read a bible passage or ask them for comment on something someone else has said. Help them to be a participant and not just an observer
4. The Lords supper: Jesus says that whenever we break bread as a community we remember him and his death and resurrection. The Lords supper should form part of every groups ministry on a regular basis. Wine or grape juice and a slice of bread is all you need and you should read the passage in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. This meal is one of the ways that we participate together and are reminded that we are the church for whom Jesus died. Please speak to me if you have any questions about this
I believe that participation is of central importance because otherwise we easily become passive consumers of 'Christianity' instead of growing participators in Jesus community...and there is a big difference. We're not creating social dinner clubs. We're creating Spirit filled families of people who are becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus!
Session: Some updates on what the elders have been debating through over the last weeks:
We've had some questions asked about the new building and the expense of it. Much of this was triggered by the 9 Million Rand budget mentioned briefly of at the congregational meeting. It is a lot of money but there are no options for other facilities in the area. We've made sure we've worked to the most cost effective model we can whilst still retaining functionality and some aesthetic beauty. The elders debated this again and are unanimously convinced that we are following God's plan and that this building will bless the church in this valley for generations to come. We will be working as cost effectively as possible and will use every possible means to reduce the building costs.
The elders are also busy working together to define for PVFC what the closed handed issues of the faith are that we expect leaders of the church to believe in. Much debate has been passed to and fro about the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature of God, human sin and the importance of the cross. As leaders oversee and train those under their care, they need to be certain of what they believe and we want a statement of what the core beliefs are. Please talk to your group about this and give us some feedback as to what you believe are the non-negotiables of our faith for leaders to adhere to?
The elders have also been talking about some of the pastoral issues we face and one of the most serious is the financial situation some of our members and their families find themselves in. We have at least 4 different individuals who are currently unemployed and most of them are the breadwinners for those homes. It is a tough nut to crack and we are providing meals for a number of people to at least ease their basic physical requirements. But there are deeper issues as to how we long give term help these families. Financially it is impossible with our current resources to sustain a family who have suddenly lost a couple of hundred thousand Rands worth of annual income, and we are not sure how we can practically make a difference. We're asking you to please keep these people in your prayers and we'd love feedback as to what you think we as a church should corporately do about this. Please give this some serious thought and prayer.
Keep the faith. Love the lost. Care for the poor. Train the faithful. Proclaim Christ crucified, dead, buried and raised to life!
Blessings,
B
No comments:
Post a Comment