ChurchLIFE

A selection of stories from the Term 4 2009 edition of ChurchLIFE, the news magazine of Central Church Ipswich.

Visioneering Our Mission by Scott Muir

There’s a famous scene in the movie, Alice in Wonderland. Alice is making her way through Wonderland when she meets the Cheshire Cat. She asks him for directions:

ALICE: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?” CAT: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” ALICE: “I don’t much care where.” CAT: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you walk.”

Many churches are a like Alice. They have never thought too much about where they are going and don’t much care. Consequently, they are not terribly concerned about what they do. They keep doing the same things in the same way without a thought for the future and what God has for them to do.

In 2006, the Elders at Central Church developed a Ministry Plan to help us in our direction. As the saying goes, ‘he who aims for nothing is sure to hit it.’ Our Ministry Plan gave us something to aim for. But this was not just a guess or someone’s bright idea. We prayed and searched the Scriptures and then developed some Biblical statements to guide us in our future direction and to spur us on as God’s church. We also thought through some key strategies to help us achieve those things listed in the Plan. We realise however, that many of the people in the congregation have not been exposed to the Ministry Plan. So this year, after some revisions in the Plan, we aim to explain the Plan to the congregation invite you all to partner in this important Kingdom work.

Why do we Exist? The Plan starts with our reason for existence. Why are we here? The Bible and the Westminster Catechism help us to realise that we exist to bring glory to God. Our lives are to be centred on Him and to bring honour to the God who saved us in Jesus Christ. That’s the answer to the biggest question in life and we have summarised it in this way: As God’s people on earth, we exist to bring glory to God in heaven.

What do we Do? But that leads to another question … what do God’s people on earth do? Has God given us something to engage in? Yes he has. As a Church, Jesus gives us the mission of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This is the most important job you’re ever going to have, and the most exciting. It is the only mission that has eternal outcomes. In our Ministry Plan, we have summarised it in this way: Our mission is to make followers of Jesus by being followers of Jesus. The emphasis is very clearly on Jesus and we make no apologies about that. If we are being faithful followers of Jesus, we will seek to become more like him holiness and we will be about his mission for us - making disciples.

What will this look like? When we do this, what can we expect our church will look like? What is our preferred future? That’s what our vision statement summaries: Our vision of Central Church Ipswich is that by God’s grace, we will be a healthy, Christ-centred community of believers, faithful to God and each other which: a. Commits to God’s Word b. Cultivates faithful servants of God c. Celebrates God d. Cares for people, and e. Calls others to faith in Christ  

Commitment Sunday 2009 by Scott Muir

October 18 is the beginning of the first annual Commitment Series at Central Church. The Commitment series will run over 4 weeks, concluding with Commitment Sunday on November 8. But what’s it all about?

Commitment to Christ - It’s all about Jesus! And it’s all about our commitment as his people in Ipswich to making the name of Jesus known so that others make share in eternity with us. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said that as far as he’s concerned, ‘to live is Christ and to die is gain.’ That’s commitment. Paul’s entire life was consumed by Christ - knowing him, loving him, serving him, telling others about him, and encouraging those who already know him. I’d love it if everyone at Central Church could make those same words their very own anthem in life - to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Like the Philippians - The Commitment Series this year will step through the book of Philippians and challenge us in various areas of our commitment to Jesus. One of those areas is our financial commitment. In Philippians 4, Paul commends the church for partnering with him in gospel ministry. What had they done? They’d supported his work financially.

Commitment Sunday - On Commitment Sunday, we will invite you to partner financially in Kingdom work in Ipswich. In the previous week, we will distribute commitment cards for you to take home and pray about. The card will have a place for you to indicate your anticipated weekly giving to the church in 2010. I am committed to filling in a card and the elders have likewise made that commitment. This system has biblical foundations. In 1 Chronicles 29, in raising money to build the first temple, David made a personal financial commitment. So did the leaders of Israel, and their contribution is listed. Then all the people gave willingly with rejoicing that they were able to serve the Lord in this way.

I pray that on Commitment Sunday, you will know that same joy, for it is more blessed to give than to receive. God’s people are generous people because our Father in heaven is a generous Father. All that we have is his and to Him be all the glory. Most importantly, he is to be blessed because he did not even withhold his son, Jesus, but gave him up for us all. What joy there is to give to the generous God!  

Compassion For Children from Compassion Australia

Jesus has a heart for children – so should we - Throughout the Bible, there are many references to children and their significance in society. Jesus Himself was the perfect example of child development: “And the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.” Luke 2:40. These words should guide us when addressing the needs of children. Jesus frequently talked about children and their importance in the Kingdom: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14 (NIV). Therefore, as children are strategic in building the kingdom of heaven, it is vital that they are nurtured and valued in their formative years. Since 1952, the core of Compassion International’s ministry has been to introduce children to Jesus Christ – to provide them with hope. We believe that when Jesus said, “Let the little children come unto me …”, he knew that all we have to do is make a way. Children will naturally come to Jesus if we do not hinder them.

Children are the leaders of tomorrow … and today - It is during childhood that the most significant life changes can be made and positive patterns developed. Therefore, it is crucial that children receive the necessary care, nurture and training while they are still young. Children, like ‘wet cement’, can be shaped and moulded in these early years. As they grow, they ‘solidify’ to become all that God intended them to be. Through introducing children to Jesus at an early age, they can play a vital role in promoting change within their families and communities. King David became a mighty leader, but was still a boy when God used him to save his nation.

Children are usually the major victims of poverty - Unfortunately it is always the children who are the hardest hit by the effects of extreme poverty, exploitation and abuse – yet they are the least able and have the fewest resources available to change their circumstances. Of the 2.2 billion children in our world today, nearly half are living in desperate conditions.* Compassion believes that one of the most effective ways to address poverty in a community is to begin by impacting and changing the lives of its children. Compassion recognises that it is not enough to care for the spiritual needs of children without addressing all other aspects of their lives. That’s why Compassion’s holistic child development programs provide for the spiritual, economic, social, physical and emotional needs of children living in poverty.  

Compassion offers the opportunity to sponsor a child on a monthly basis. For more details about this, please see Andrew Merry during his visit to Central Church or go to the Compassion website: www.compassion.com.au 

It's Wedding Season at Central by Scott Muir

It’s become obvious to me that I’m going to have to write a few more wedding sermons! I think I’ve had only about two in my repertoire up until now, but with the number of weddings coming up, everyone will soon get bored if I keep trotting out the same talks. We used to talk about it being “baby season” when we’ve had a run of new-borns. And while there have been a number of new arrivals in recent times, we’ve also had a number of church weddings this year, and another bunch to come. We can praise God for this, as it demonstrates in a very real way the growth we have experienced in the last few years in the number of twenty-somethings who have been coming to Central Church. First off the mark this year were Josh Guest and Sophie Wilson who were married on the 31st of May. On the 12th of September, Matt Brims and Lauren Burnett were married.

Engagements - At last count, I think we have five church couples who are engaged to be married. Anthony Sligar and Beck Gardiner are getting married on the 5th of December; Matt Ricketts and Liz Lawler will be married on the 16th of January; Scott Baills and Kat Jackwitz have their wedding planned for the 13th of February; John Andrews and Sally Walton had their engagement party this month and plan to wed on the 21st of August; and, James Simpson and Hannah Gardiner recently announced their engagement and will be married on the 2nd of January.

A Lifelong Commitment - At Central Church we take marriage very seriously, because God is very serious about marriage. When a couple is engaged to be married I meet with them and take them through a marriage preparation process where we work through God’s purpose for marriage as well as issues couples will face in married life, such as how to communicate with one another, forgiveness, solving problems and intimacy.

Marriage Enrichment - Also, every second year, Central Church runs a marriage enrichment weekend for married couples. With the current divorce rate so high, we take the attitude that ‘prevention is better than cure,’ so this weekend is designed to make good marriages better. The next enrichment weekend is scheduled for early 2011.  

Doors Open for Solomon's Work by Kim Whitmore

Well, we just want to praise God for the way He answered our prayers on this trip and that He continues to give us opportunities for the future. Everyone returned so excited by their experience and what was achieved.

The Team - Just to remind you who was on the team this year. They were: John Langbridge, Jan Langbridge, Jolene Tupu, Ray Johnson, Bruce & Vicki Kratzman, Peter Elmer, me, and Krystle Hill.

Overwhelmed With Love - Without exception, the whole team was just overwhelmed with the love and care expressed to all of us by the people of Pitukoli. I think it would be fair to say that while we were able to give them some literacy skills, they really blessed us with their Christian witness and faith. While they live such simple lives, without many of the modern conveniences we have, they live out their faith in a very real way and it is a blessing for us to experience fellowship with them.

What We Did - No building work this year, instead, we concentrated on teaching literacy and working to train those who would then go and teach others. One day we went to visit the village of Namaroni where we built the library/classroom last year. Things are going well there under the guidance of Genesis & Janet Ootu, with Genesis currently studying a theology course as well.

So, what for the future? - Well, God just keeps opening the doors… next year it looks like there will be two trips to do. The Goldridge Mining Company has asked us to come back in January to teach their staff to read and write. They’ve offered to pay our expenses for the trip so we’re considering this offer. But we will also be returning to Pitukoli in the spring school holidays. We will again be training the locals to teach others how to read and write, and we will also be seeking to build another library and classroom for them, similar to what we built in the village of Namaroni. So, if you’re up for it, we’ll be needing people who can help with the building and people who can help with the teaching. If you’re interested, come and talk to me. You could also speak to one of the team from this year’s trip – I’m sure they’d be happy to tell you about their experience.  

Important Congregational Meeting by Greg Gardiner

The elders have called a congregational meeting for Saturday the 28th of November in the Auditorium starting at 7:30pm. There will be three main items on the Agenda.

New Executive Pastor - Session is in the process of selecting a candidate to present to the congregation for approval to fill the role of Executive Pastor. The aim is that this person will take up the role from the first of January next year. Once the person has been approved by the congregation, approval is also required from our Presbytery at their December meeting. Once a candidate has been selected, information about this person will be made available to members of the congregation.

Expanding the Auditorium - As you would be aware, the idea of increasing the size of the auditorium has been on our agenda for some time. Our plan is to take back the space currently leased to Video Ezy and use that space for the purpose of achieving the size increase desired. The timeframe we’ve been working to, however, needs to be adjusted. We were hoping that we could do the work required next year, but getting the required approvals and the right window of opportunity for the necessary building work is going to take a further twelve months. So we have offered Video Ezy a one year extension on their lease and this will need to be approved by the congregation.

2010 Budget - The Committee of Management will present the budget for 2010. This will include details of all planned expenditure and our forecast income for the year. The budget figures will be sent out to all members prior to the meeting for information. Our Treasurer, Stan Williams, would be happy to answer any questions about what the Committee is proposing.

Commit This To Prayer - The elders and managers have continually been in prayer about these matters and they would ask you to do the same. In fact, a good rule to try to adopt is not to come to a decision in your own mind without first praying about it and asking the Lord to guide your thinking. Ultimately, we want to see the congregation united in its purpose to move forward together. Please feel free to speak to any of the pastors, elders or managers if you have any questions about any of the agenda items for the Congregational Meeting.  

Christmas 2009 - Ipswich Civic Hall by Greg Gardiner

Christmas 2009 will see us celebrating our Saviour’s birth with a special service on Christmas Eve at the Ipswich Civic Hall starting at 7pm.

A Service For Everyone To Attend - The Elders are keen for everyone at Central Church to join together for this service. The reason we are going “off-site” is so we can have a venue that will fit everbody, plus extra guests that may attend at Christmas. So, no matter which service you normally attend, our desire is that the whole church family will join together to celebrate Christmas 2009. We will be doing some special advertising for this Service and will have a brochure you can use to share with those you might be inviting.

A Service Not A Concert - Just so we’re clear, it will actually be a service, not a Christmas Carols event or a concert. There will be singing (including carols), prayers, a bible reading, a sermon and an offering. It won’t be entertainment, but corporate worship, as we gather to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Invite Friends & Family - Christmas is one of those times of the year when people will often make the effort to go to a church service. So, we encourage everyone to take the opportunity to invite family and friends to our Christmas Eve service. It will start at 7pm and finish by 8:30pm.