Monday, July 30, 2007

Ideas for a new name

We had our congregation meeting yesterday to brainstorm ideas for a new name for our church. The suggestions (in no particular order) were:
  • St Andrew's Summer Hill
  • Inspired by Christ
  • Summer Hill Community Church
  • Summer Hill Anglican Church
  • Andy's @ Summer Hill
  • St Andrew's Summer Hill - a growing church
  • St Andrew's Summer Hill - the church on the hill
  • All People's Church
  • SASH
  • The Andrew Ites
  • Summer Hill Christian Outreach
  • Summer Hill Village Church
  • St Andrew's Community Church
  • SHAC (Summer Hill Anglican Church)
  • Summer Hill Cross Cultural Church
  • All Nations Church
  • Summer Hill Church
  • Summer Hill International Church
  • St Andrew's Global/World Bible Fellowship
If you want to add to this list let me know! Where things go from here is for me to discuss the ideas with Parish Council and then make a presentation of some ideas to the congregation. I want to hear as many ideas as possible and listen to what people think before I move towards making a decision.

UPDATE TO THIS POST
Over the last six months I have been sharing about the local area and the challenge we have of mission in our part of Sydney. In church, at our vestry meeting, at coffee nights and in Parish Council I have been saying how we need to:
  1. be a church which welcomes a broad age range of people from many different ethnic backgrounds
  2. be a church that is able to welcome people in their 30s, including those with children (add to that those in their 20s until we have a functioning group for this age)
  3. to gather together in what is almost a church plant!

I have said that this will involve change, and said these things about change:
  1. change is exciting
  2. change is painful
  3. we change for the sake of others
  4. we don’t change what is central

In thinking about change we particularly looked at Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9:22:
"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. "

He then instructs all of us to "run in such a way as to get the prize." As Christians we are called to do everything possible to change ourselves to enable others to follow Jesus. As I lead our church I want to run in such a way as to win the prize and not be one that just beats the air - all talk and no action.

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