Bruce and Marsha returning to Australia

At the end of the year our missionary family, the Blackbells, will be returning to Australia and visiting us at church. At this stage the idea is for them to visit on the 13th Dec. Bruce passes on his love and appreciation to our church and just how much they are looking forward to seeing us. They a very grateful for our prayers and financial support.

They have been in Lima for two years now and it will be great for a number of us at church to meet them for the first time. Chris.

Urban Mission Team?

Just thinking it would be cool to have a group of us from church go on mission together somewhere - maybe somewhere urban and multi-ethnic. Any thoughts about the idea? Something a bit like a beach mission team.

The most mobile missionaries.

You know those scales of the most feared things in life:

1. public speaking
2. death
3. asking someone out
4. etc
   

I have a suspicion that changing churches is for most people is like a near 'death' experience. Even if there are good reasons to leave your church, and even greater reasons to join another, it is always very, very hard. It is just easier to live with whatever difficulties that exit.

What happens if there are good reasons to stay and changing would be difficult and frustrating? What then? That's what I need a handful of people to do for our church.

I know that we need serious help. With the 38 kids we had at church last week we just don't have the resources to do the things we need to do now, let alone the things we need to do be doing. The kind of help we need is the kind given by those who join us, not just float in and out.

I made up a video thinking about some of this stuff and how ordinary Christians are the ones that make the best missionaries.

Parish Boundaries?

Before cars, parish boundaries were of some relevance. Peoples' worlds were smaller and they travelled less, particularly on Sundays. With easy transport and cheap communication, people are able to maintain a social network that bears little connection with geography. For Christians, it means you can drive 40 minutes to be at at church with your friends.

The reality from the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) is that about 50% of people travel 10 minutes or less to get to their church. This means that for most churches, most of their congregation does not come from their parish area. The boundaries are completely irrelevant in the secular world and for church life.

I suppose the parish system is helpful to ensure that people aren't 'missed out'. There is always a church that is taking responsibility for a particular area.

The dark side of the parish boundaries is when they are used as an exclusion zone. This way of thinking has resulted in mission for an area being left up to the local parish, even when it is clear that the local parish is in no way doing the task of mission or does not have the capacity to reach those around them. Put a few of these parishes together and you end up with a 'burnt out' patch. Our church ordinance for Recognised Churches should make it clear that our diocese is on about doing ministry and even planting churches in someone else's 'patch'.

The whole parish boundary system seems ridiculous as an 'exclusion zone' when you think of there being other churches and religious groups in the area anyway. The Catholics, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, the Unitings, the Mormons and the Buddhists know nothing of my parish boundaries and sure don't consider them an exclusion zone!

In summary the parish boundaries are a region of particular responsibility, but are not the sum total of our mission field and certainly should not be used as an exclusion zone. What are your thoughts?

The picture below shows the travel times to our church. Inside the red is less that 5 minutes, inside the blue is less than 10 minutes and inside the green is less than 20 minutes. It is likely that only half our congregation members will come from inside the blue area. Click on the map for a larger version.

Some links:

Bishop Ray Smith's article about many issues that face our church, including the parish boundaries under the heading "Developing New Structures vs Maintaining Existing Structures". It is six years old, but still relevant.

The issue is a big one in the UK with parish boundaries regarded as no-go zones. See what is said in this 'covenant' under the heading "Action' for a little on the issue.

Article about St Paul's Carlingford planting outside their traditional parish boundaries.

Christ Church St George, an Anglican church with no parish boundaries!

Missionary Information for Ans

Our link missionary Ans van der Zwaag is serving our Lord in Johannesburg in South Africa. Check out the Church Missionary Society (CMS) website for more information about her work.

Not just new to the area, but new to Australia!

The citizenship ceremony I attended made me ask the question, 'how many new people are there in our area?' I searched around on the latest census data and discovered that in some parts of our area 50% of the people are new in the last five years. Not only new to the area, but new to Australia!

I know that 50% just seems like a nice round statistic, but it is hard to comprehend that as you walk past every house and every flat that half the people you see living there were new to Australia in the last five years.

This is the reality of living in an urban context. The suburbs are not like this at all. Our church has this wonderful opportunity of being a Christian community that can welcome these people to our shores.

Check out the 2006 census data for new arrivals in our area.
...and the data for just down Canterbury Road.

(It would be great to have a name for our church that immediately was welcoming to these new people to Australia, and not be at all seen as holding the banner for a denominational/ethnic allegiance)