Short Term Mission Trips - who is up for it?

I love the idea of missions, i have been a couple of short term mission trips myself and i believe they are life-changing. In the last few years we as the Australian Nazarene church, have not had or promoted short term overseas mission trips. I wonder why this is? Do we not value what missions can do in the life of young people? or have we just lost that 'passion' to see people transformed by a stretching experience? or maybe just not enough 'time'.
I am sure it isn't quite as simple as that, but anyway.

When it comes to short-term mission trips, often it is the lives of the missionaries that are impacted the most. The Barna Group recently published research that explores how short-term mission trips affect those who take them. Here are some highlights:

Who takes short term mission trips?

•9% of American adults
>> only 3.5% of American adults went in the last 5 years
•11% of churchgoers
•23% evangelical Christians
•12% of Mosaics (ages 18-24)
•9% of Busters (ages 25-43)
•7% of Boomers (ages 44-62)
•9% of Elders (ages 63+)
How do short-term mission trips affect those who go?

•75% say the experience changed their life in some way
•25% say it helped them become more aware of other people’s struggles
•16% say it taught them more about poverty, justice, or the world
•11% say it increased their compassion
•9% say it enriched their faith
•9% say it broadened their spiritual understanding
•5% say it boosted their financial generosity

How have short-term mission trips affected your congregation?
What would happen to our people if we were a sending church?
Just some thoughts...

De-Selfing and the Church (by Mr Sayers)

Humans have always been self-centred. You just have to read the book of Genesis to be reminded of the fact that self centeredness is not just a modern phenomenon. However many of us sense that we have reached a new level of obsession when it comes to ourselves.

Why is this so? One of the main reasons is that the natural rhythms of life contained mechanisms that forced us to take the spotlight off of our selves and to focus on others. Such mechanisms could be work, responsibility, periods of suffering, marriage, or children. However today we have begun to flee from these mechanisms. Cultural Commentator Anne Manne describes how as a culture we have begun to fear the de-selfing mechanisms of child rearing.

“We prolong adolescence, a time of self-centredness, well into middle age. We are skittish about children, a project that, to be done well, requires investments of time and energy not in the self, but in another human being. We delay their arrival indefinitely, or look around when the do arrive for someone else to take responsibility for rearing them.”

So in a culture that runs from that which makes us less narcissistic, the church faces some interesting and weighty challenges. For one of the greater purposes of the Church is to make us more Christlike and thus less self focused. Therefore just as our culture fears and keeps at a distance anything which make take the focus of ourselves, often the church will also be kept at a distance, particularly elements of church life such as commitment, community life, and the spiritual disciplines.

This is where ministers, pastors and church leaders face an ethical challenge, do we keep the elements of church which works against our selfishness or for the sake of perceived success soften them? Does the church remain as a mechanism which helps us to de-self and become more Christ like, or do we change the church into something which expands the individual, giving self-help with a christian veneer?

A guide to those who find themselves worship-challenged

Why i gave up serving the poor (Claudio Oliver)

I hope the title of this post is a little provocative — thankfully it’s not my title but that of Claudio Oliver a Brazilian Pastor and long term worker and advocate amongst the poor, who is one of SURRENDER:10’s keynote speakers, so I’ll leave him to do the job of explaining just what he means. Safe to say, the concept that Claudio is writing about in this article goes right to the heart of the message of SURRENDER. To read more click below:

http://www.surrender.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/why-I-have-given-up-serving-the-poor.pdf

Advertithing: I shop therefore i am (Andrew Shamy)

You are what you consume. Put another way, consumerism is a religious impulse and like religion, it seeks to shape our vision for life.

According to ad executive Douglas Atkin, in an interview with PBS, there is a deep connection between the type of allegiance shown to brands and the type of allegiance shown to cults.

I believe that there is a very, very close relationship between cults and the best cult brands in the sense that people join and stay with cults for the exact same reasons as people join and stay with brands. The reason why is pretty obvious if you think about it: The desire to belong to something, to make meaning out of something, is universal.

Atkin’s belief in this connection led him to study cults in order to make him better at his job as a brand manager. Atkin here reveals the deep power of advertising and consumerism to shape our identity and vision for life.

As our society becomes more consumerist, so are the ways that we make meaning and create identity. We might originally, years and years ago, have created a sense of identity through nationhood or through belonging to a particular church. Nowadays, it can be made through what brand you’re particularly committed to.

This is an astonishing admission from someone in the industry – advertising aims to give meaning to our lives. This is, in fact, what a brand manager does according to Atkin:

Their job now is to create and maintain a whole meaning system for people through which they get identity and understanding of the world.

If we have ever needed a warning to be careful what we watch, here it is.

Next time you see an advertisement (which will probably be in the next 5 minutes) ask yourself, “What vision of life is this trying to create in me?” “What is this saying about what it means to be human?” “How is this trying to make me feel about my own life?”

It is difficult to avoid advertising, we are surrounded by it constantly. But we need to learn to be critical of it, identify what vision of life it is seeking to give us and compare it to the vision of God’s kingdom given to us in the Bible. I’d hazard to guess, the two rarely match up

Twelve Steps Toward Enhanced Church Decline

Another Twelve Steps Process?

Certainly nearly everyone has heard of at least one of the myriad of "Twelve Steps" recovery programs for addictions, eating disorders, etc.

Contrast those recovery systems with this special "Twelve Step" Program for increased congregational stress. Followed religiously and consistently over a period of time, this "Twelve Step" program will almost certainly guarantee that you will be pastoring a declining ministry in only a few short years...or sooner (that is, if you or the church lasts that long!)

The Twelve Steps
1. Blame someone else for your problems...and expect others to take care of them for you. After all, they are supposed to bear my burden, aren't they? Besides, how is this church ever to get anywhere as long as this church has any problems? We'll just have to wait until the problems are all taken care of. Then we can start to move ahead.

2. Be a victim, act like a victim, lead like a victim, and respond like a victim. After all, doesn't God help victims? Just sit and wait for God. Someday He'll fix your problem for you and make it all better. Then you can have a happy ministry.

3. Resist change regularly, religiously, and righteously. Avoid seeking new challenges and pursuing new initiatives. Divert initiatives which might prove uncomfortable, refreshingly different, or those things which "just won't work here." Be sure to structure a "sound" Biblical argument for your "pious" position. After all, you are the pastor. Isn't that your job?

4. Keep on doing more of the same. As they always say, "The old way always works better if you work harder." And didn't God, the Bible or some religious person say, "God helps those who help themselves?" If you're really dedicated, you'll work really hard...for Jesus of course. Now get to work...harder!

5. Make your organization as peaceful as you possibly can. Make for a peaceful today even if you have to mortgage the organization's future. After all, if we can make today peaceful, we can certainly make our future peaceful too, can't we?

6. Control everything you possibly can. Intervene whenever possible. After all, everyone loves a "hero"...especially religious ones. Grab for control at every opportunity. It is for their own good, right? If necessary, go down fighting for this control if you need it. Isn't that what "faithfulness" is all about?

7. Hang on to the expendable, the inefficient, the unimportant, the habitual, the comfortable, and the familiar. After all, God loves the simple things, doesn't He?

8. Pull back, take your time, minimize the risk, delay every decision possible and, above all, play it safe. After all, there's really no need to have members involved in visionary discussions which will only require pain, sacrifice, and growth to implement...is there? Besides, God wants His money used for more important things.

9. Fight as many battles as you can, defend the undependable, and take your eye off that which is important and essential for "winning the war." After all, who has time to look at the big picture when they're so pre-occupied with hustles and bustle of the the day-to-day and moment-by-moment tasks of ministry?

10. Attend to your own, your members', your leaders', your staff's, and your church's survival needs. After you have completely taken care of all their needs, then devote all of whatever energy remains for the unchurched. After all, the unchurched probably don't really care anyway. If they did, they'd be in your church, right?

11. Motivate others by guilt, manipulation, fear and other mind-games as much as possible. Watch over their every move. Intervene to "fix" what they did wrong every single time they fail. After all, it is their church. You wouldn't want them to be making mistakes now, would you? And, if it isn't just so, can you imagine how many people would be upset? We can't have that! After all, this is a church. It's God's house!

12. Take God off the "shelf" only when you want to bring Him to worship or when you need Him to get you out of trouble. After all, what more could He be doing in the church that you aren't already doing? Besides, if He gets the idea to do something miraculous and exciting, can you imagine how it would hurt this church? Do you know how many people would get upset? It would simply be downright ungodly, now, wouldn't it?

Fifteen Characteristics of Dysfunctional Churches

By Thomas F. Fischer, M.Div., M.S.A.

1) Abusive Relationships

Abusive relationships are found when the organization (or parts of it) seek a Scapegoat (an individual or a group) designated to suffers pain for others or the organization. Anyone who chooses not to share in the Scapegoating will also be scapegoated and or face severe consequences (e.g. rejection, blame, physical and/or emotional abuse, censure, et al) for rejection of that role. Dysfunctional organizations tenaciously maintain the Scapegoat role, for without it, they would be unable to project their dysfunction on others but would have to bear the pain of the dysfunction themselves.

2) Perfectionism

This goes beyond merely seeking excellence. Instead, it is a controlling tactic by which individuals or groups replace a healthy sense of trust and spontaneity with a legalistic, over-zealous, destructive focus on minute defects of others, their leadership styles, their procedures, the organization, et al.

Mercilessly drawing attention to otherwise irrelevant minutiae, it directs energy from focusing on the big picture to an over-attention to details. Bureaucracy-perpetuating constitutions, detailed bylaws, and detailed policies and are all part of a dysfunctional organization's on-going prescription for aggravated conflict as they simply provides more ammunition for those enforcing the perfect way of operation.

3) Rigidity

Rigidity, like Perfectionism, relies on unbending rules and strict adherence to various "objective" standards (Constitutions, Policies, Doctrines, supposed denominational dictates, the "right" way). The main purpose of the bureaucracy (formal or informal) is to enforce and enlarge control over others while squashing spontaneity and risk taking. No surprises are allowed…although those in or seeking control may instantaneously and repeatedly change any dictum or direction without warning. However, hose being controlled must do everything the "right" way.

4) Silence

People don’t speak up at appropriate times in appropriate situations with appropriate people. Results: Repeated "unanimous" decisions that get undermined, sabotaging supporters.

5) Repression

Unspoken rules that it is not "Christian" to express feelings of disagreement, dissent, or anger. Instead, one must hide how one really feels or suffer censure for expression of emotions. Instead of expressing feelings, feelings must be hidden. Result: Repression ultimately must be released in episodes (or series of episodes) of uncontrollable anger and hostility.

6) Rationalization and Denial

Groups or individuals re-work truth and reality to fit their distorted view of situations, individuals, and other groups.

7) Triangulation

Triangulation is using "go-betweens" to communicate indirectly with other parties. Results: Unsuspecting, but sympathetic message-bearers become entangled in an unwanted destructive web of blame, anger, and miscommunication. Result: They become uncomfortable with their roles and jump ship.

8) Double Messages

Such duplicity or "two-faced" aspect is exemplified by people whose actions always have an opposite "flip side." Some examples: "I care/get lost;" "I love you/don’t bother me;" "I need you/You’re in my way," "Yes, I accept you just as you are/Why don’t you change!".

9) Lack Of Fun/Anti-Spontaneity

Dysfunctional churches can’t loosen up, let go, play and have fun. Being overly serious, humor will be seen an un- "unrighteous" and "undignified" church activity. When play is attempted, people get hurt…the deeps wounds experienced endure for decades as warnings to others to avoid use of fun humor. Any humor that is used is used to hurt (e.g. "low blow", humiliation, double messages, etc.)

10) Martyrdom

High tolerance by individuals or groups to bear abuse, pain, and extreme sacrifice for the organization. No real atmosphere or opportunities exist in the organization for expressing pain, loss and providing healing mechanisms. Designated martyrs are made to feel "deserving" of their pain.

11) Entanglement: The "Hooterville Syndrome"

This is the situation where everyone knows everyone else’s business but the information is never accurate, relevant, timely or constructively directed.

12) "We Care" Syndrome

An extension of the double messages mentioned above, dysfunctional individuals and organizations will often claim to care but, when given opportunity to assist, have other "priorities and needs" which will cause presented needs to go unmet on a regular basis.

13) Elevations of Dysfunctional Leaders

When certain attention-seeking individuals can’t find attention in their family, job, or elsewhere, the church becomes a convenient—and easy—place for such "attention addicts" to get their attention by becoming a Chairman of a congregational group. By not saying "no" to such incompetents, the church succumbs to an inordinate amount of incompetence, incomplete tasks, and other types of associated narcissistic fallout.

14) Inability to Grasp a Positive Vision.

Those entrenched in perfectionism, procedures, victimization and control will be too pre-occupied to deal with positive things such as present and future organizational vision. Instead, there’s a self-defeating zealous preoccupation with the past and present which leaves no possibility for deliberating regarding the future.

15) Dysfunctional Expectations of the Pastor

The general disrespect for the Pastoral Office, testified by an on-going succession of short-tenured pastors often indicates that either one or both of the following dysfunctionalities are present and operative in the given congregation.

a) Clerical Reductionism
Clerical Reductionism is when pastors are stripped of all appropriate authority. Instead of being encouraged and supported to carry out their ministry to the fullest appropriate extent, dysfunctional churches minimize the expectations of the pastor.

Activities are monitored in a legalistic manner with a clear intent to control--and limit--proper pastoral authority. Common monitored items may include the number and types of pastoral visits, whether various congregational policies are precisely followed by the pastor in every respect, limiting the pastor's "voice" in congregational affairs including those which are specifically pastoral responsibilities, micro-managing church office expenses, etc.


b) Clerical Expansionism
Some passive dysfunctional congregations will compensate for their passivity by placing on the pastor the expectation to carry out all the responsibilities and functions of the ministry single-handedly. In these dysfunctional situations, the preacher is more than just a preacher.

He's the janitor, Sunday School Superintendent, Choir Director, Chairman of boards and fellowship groups, initiator and coordinator of every new ministry activity, and doer of everything in the church as others passive watch and judge. Pastoral spouses often are enmeshed unawares and/or unwillingly into this unhealthy "expansive" view of the pastoral office.

Young upstart pastors and their spouses fresh out the seminary, as well as pastors who start a ministry in a new location, are especially vulnerable to dysfunctional clerical expansionism.

The Year of living like Jesus - Ed Dobson

I read this book in a couple of weeks and what a great read it was!
This book is a raw, honest, moving and at time heartbreaking story of a man’s attempts to follow Jesus as practically he can. For me this book has really struck a chord, firstly it reminds me that we cannot separate Jesus from his Jewishness, something that sadly Christian history has done again and again.
It is amazingly refreshing book, written in a 'diary style' that really draws you into his life.
I recommend you buy it and read it and live it!

The Rise of the Casual Christian Tribe

Religious researcher George Barna has named a new Tribe on the religious spectrum, the Casual Christian. Barna writes,

“Casual Christianity is faith in moderation. It allows them to feel religious without having to prioritize their faith. Christianity is a low-risk, predictable proposition for this tribe, providing a faith perspective that is not demanding. A Casual Christian can be all the things that they esteem: a nice human being, a family person, religious, an exemplary citizen, a reliable employee – and never have to publicly defend or represent difficult moral or social positions or even lose much sleep over their private choices as long as they mean well and generally do their best. From their perspective, their brand of faith practice is genuine, realistic and practical. To them, Casual Christianity is the best of all worlds; it encourages them to be a better person than if they had been irreligious, yet it is not a faith into which they feel compelled to heavily invest themselves.”

For the full article read HERE

Mother Theresa

What i've learnt by Josh Dbaull

I’ve learned that people are constantly in transition, but rarely ever where they actually are at the moment.

When and where are simple instructions, but being on time can distract us from the beauty of the world around us. Take your time, enjoy the road, skip along the path whenever possible.

When talking to a friend about life, and the way they wish it were, not only is the grass greener on the other side, the air is better, the fence looks prettier and they have cookies. Don’t argue, slap them in the face and help them move on.
When it comes to family, get to know them, if at all possible adopt them, you never know when they could be gone for good. Our families are the best link we have to our past and the only people who have a responsibility to stick with us in the future. But always be on the lookout for that new family that might live right next door, don’t be shy to adopt them either.

People and institutions are much more apt to forgive than to give permission, I think this is why people who innovate and transform our world get into the circumstances that create their character. They simply start to pray with their legs.

Never turn down a drink under any circumstance, I learned this from reading Mark Twain.

Often the most appropriate thing for one to say in situations where someone is in real need of good advise is to say that which is utterly cliche, for it usually happens to be the more truthful thing one can say. To listen first and to speak later, to be present in a real sense, to simply be there when there is nothing else one can do or say.

In I have learned much about the gift of life from movies, ‘Terminator II’ for example, when a machine learns to value human life, maybe there is hope for the rest of us. This was influential for me when I was in the second grade.— ‘The Shawshank redemption’, where I came to know the beauty of music and thought as something that no one can ever take away.—’Life as a house’, where the father in the movie says he always thought of himself as a house, it didn’t need to be big or beautiful it just needed to be his, if he were a house he would want to be built on rock facing the sea.—’Schindler’s list’ which taught me about humanities inhumanity.—’Finding Forrester’, which taught me that no one is beyond hope, that a life wasted can be turned around in an instant.—’The Lord of the Rings’, which taught me about friendship and sacrifice. These thoughts may sound strange but if I am completely honest, many movies have guided my moral compass in more profound ways than the churches I have spent so much time in over the years ever have.

I’ve learned that the world is both much more tragic, simple and detestable than I ever thought possible while at the same time it remains much more peaceful, complex, and beautiful than I can comprehend.

People are mysteries, who they are and who they believe themselves to be are at such odds with each other, they stand as a paradox, we love until there is only pain, and then in that same instant there is no more pain, only more love.

I have learned that the mysteries life might be better thought about in rhythms . Nature has it’s rhythms, sunsets and sunrises, winters and summers, high tide and low tide, weather patterns, growing seasons, etc. But we humans are out of rhythm, we are constantly at odds with the rhythms of nature attempting to make the earth bow to our whims, we are in such need of rescuing .

I have learned much about Theology, and could discuss the principles of advanced (insert here)-ology but that from all that studying, writing, arguing and head-knowledge I have learned very little about God.

I have learned that discipleship is a Christian’s political responsibility, and that living in community is essential to the life of the Church, for without the courage that is given to the body of Christ from other members of that body one cannot expect live out the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. There is much, much more to this statement, but most of these sound bites are relatively short, so I will leave the why questions to your imagination, (IN OTHER WORDS I TRUST YOU)
These are a few things that I have learned, I wish I took more time to reflect upon where I have come from, maybe these thoughts may provoke you dear reader to reflect for yourself.

Peace

Positives, Negatives, Neutrals

Every ministry leader needs to be a positive. They also need to know who the positives, negatives, and neutrals are both in official leadership and unofficial leadership in their ministry.

Positives
Positives are people who do gospel things in gospel ways for gospel reasons. They are trusting, supportive, and encouraging. They build bridges and mediate conflict. Positives bring organizational health, work for the good of the gospel over any single issue or cause, and are a blessing because they humbly want the gospel to win. Positives are prone to turn neutrals into positives, while they also work to neutralize negatives. In the Bible, positives are often referred to as shepherds.

Negatives
Negatives are people who do ungospel things in ungospel ways for ungospel reasons. They are distrusting, unsupportive, discouraging, and contentious. They burn bridges, are wounded by bitterness from past hurts, and are often the center of criticism and conflict. Negatives bring organizational sickness, division, and trouble because they are proudly more interested in their cause winning than the gospel and the good of the whole. Negatives tend to draw other negatives toward themselves as factions, and they also prey on neutrals in order to increase their own power and control. In the Bible, negatives are often referred to as wolves.

Neutrals
Neutrals are followers who are easily influenced. They are prone to being unsure, confused, and fearful. Neutrals are often caught in the middle when there is conflict between positives and negatives. A neutral becomes a positive or negative depending upon who their friends are, whom they listen to, what information they have access to, which books they read, and which teachers they look up to. In the Bible, neutrals are often referred to as sheep.
Sadly, in most ministries, the negatives are the most vocal, most exhausting, and most distracting, as well as the least likely to contribute to growth and health. Though they are few, they are often loud and difficult, spreading—as Paul says—like gangrene through the church body (2 Tim. 2:17). Practically, this means that even a few negatives working together can become quite difficult. The Bible reveals that negatives often pair up like two barrels on a gun, as was the case with Jannes and Jambres opposing Moses, Sanballat and Tobiah opposing Nehemiah, and Hymenaeus and Alexander opposing Paul.

How to Stay Positive
For a ministry to remain positive, three things need to occur.

First, the senior leader and the other official and unofficial leaders who wield the most influence must be positives. Further, they must be continually exhorted to remain positives. This means that even when they deal with negative things, they do so in a positive way for the glory of God and the good of his people.

Second, the negatives must not be allowed into leadership. If they are in leadership, official or unofficial, they must be rebuked. Titus 3:10–11 describes this rebuke: "As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned." Too often negatives are tolerated for too long; the longer their sin is tolerated, the more toxic the ministry culture becomes. Therefore, unrepentant negatives need to be brought through formal church discipline after their negativity has been documented and addressed; this process may end with their removal from the ministry, if needed. Ministry leaders are often reticent to deal so forthrightly with negatives; however, the longer they are tolerated, the more neutrals they infect with their gangrene.

Third, the neutrals need to be lovingly and patiently informed that they are in fact neutrals and that they need to take responsibility to not give in to negatives. Additionally, neutrals cannot be allowed into ministry leadership because they are prone to be influenced rather than be influencers. Sadly, neutrals are often nominated for and voted in to ministry leadership because they tend to be nice people who are likeable because they are amiable and easily influenced. But they are prone to work toward consensus rather than lead and are therefore not helpful for moving a ministry forward into innovation and growth. Change is controversial and requires someone who is a strong positive to build consensus for change and who is also able to neutralize the negatives rather than being influenced by them.

Hardout

Hardout Community Services is a not for profit organisation being set up by the Logan Community Church of the Nazarene. The first three projects it is working on relate to the Samoan Tsunami.

If you would like to see more please check it out at www.hardout.org

Results of Poll

Results of Poll:
What do you believe is the greatest hinderance to growth facing the Australian Church of the Nazarene?

Top Five Answers (voters could vote for more than one issue):

1) No clear Vision for the future (73%) 11 votes
2) Apathy and Other Reasons (both 60%) 9 Votes each
3) Stuck in the Past (53%) 8 Votes
4) Ageing Congregation (40%) 6 votes
5)Lack of Pastors (24%) 4 Votes

Any thoughts or opinions on these results?

(See full results below)

Lack of Pastors
4 (26%)

Lack of Lay Leaders
3 (20%)

Lack of Good Holiness Preaching
2 (13%)

Ageing Congregations
6 (40%)

Not Enough Hymns Being Sung
0 (0%)
No clear Vision for the Future
11 (73%)

Nothing, we are doing fine
0 (0%)
Nobody Cares about Holiness anymore
2 (13%)

The Emerging Church
1 (6%)

New Contemporary Worship Music and it's Influence
3 (20%)

I am Not Sure
0 (0%)
Stuck in the Past
8 (53%)

I Don't Care
0 (0%)
Apathy
9 (60%)

Other Reasons not listed
9 (60%)

POSSIBLE INFLUENCE OF GENETIC FACTORS ON SIN, SANCTIFICATION, AND THEOLOGY by Burton Webb and Keith Drury

An Abstract:
"Emerging evidence in both the scientific and medical literature seems to indicate that several addictive behaviors some Wesleyans traditionally have recognized as sinful may be linked to mutations in specific genetic sequences. Although this does not necessarily indicate a cause-effect relationship, it does raise interesting questions regarding the nature and inheritance patterns of these behaviors. Genetic predispositions toward alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse, and gambling have all been suggested. Schizophrenics are more likely to commit petty crimes and assault than the general population. Some research supporting a genetic link for homosexuality has been in the literature in the last several years. This paper will explore the theological implications of this genetic research by raising important questions for Wesleyan theologians to consider: To what extent is an individual culpable for sin influenced by genetic factors? Should genetic predispositions change the church’s view of sin? If we learn to manipulate genes, will "genetic sanctification" be possible?

For the full paper click here: http://didache.nts.edu/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=771&Itemid=

Global Leadership Summit

This weekend was Adelaide's turn to attend the Global Leadership Summit, and this year was probably one of the best yet! I attended with a number of our board members and church leaders, and it was also good to see Ps. Doug and a crew from Gawler there too.

This years Summit had a real mix of topics and speakers. There were the usual mega church pastors, but there were also people who work in social justice and politics as well as a business innovator who doesn't work within Christian circles at all.

Stand outs for me this year included business man Gary Hamel, Presbyterian pastor Tim Keller, Dave Gibbons who runs a multi-campus church and authors Chip and Dan Heath.

This year the GLS saved the best for last however with Harvey Carey, who runs a truly innovative church in Detroit, Michigan.

A few of the speakers focused more on the social justice side of the Church, with speakers from Compassion, kiva.org and Good African Coffee. While the topics were interesting and worthwhile I certainly got the most from pastors and church leaders who spoke about creating and maintaining a dynamic church culture, and even used the 'C' word a little - change!

Every year the GLS is an encouragement, a challenge and a shot in the arm, and this year was even more so!

I'd like to think our D.S. and D.A.B for making this a priority and for providing funding to help us get there.



As I mentioned, Harvey Carey was the speaker who influenced me the most throughout the Summit - which is really saying something since he was the final speaker, and let me tell you, I was DONE!

Harvey spoke about the challenge for pastors to be equippers, and to help our church members to take ownership of the work of the Kingdom. He used a great analogy, talking about football players who get in a huddle at the beginning of the game, but then never leave that huddle to actually go and play the game. This really spoke to me. Carey went on to talk about the area he worked in in Detroit, and as he talked I found myself more and more inspired for the area that God has placed our church in at Croydon Park.

if anyone is interested, I know some people with the DVD copies of this year's Summit and I'd be happy to see about loaning them to anyone who missed out. I would also encourage you to make time for next year's GLS, for yourself and your church leaders.

Enrich - Health Forum @ Enmore Nov 7th 2009

Click on Pictures to Enlarge

The Big Story - Where do you fit in?

Even Sweeter: Locals welcome new coffeehouse ministry in Poland

By Gina Grate Pottenger on Sep 29, 2009

Poznan, Poland––When they opened the coffee shop for a test run on September 19, Everett Tustin and his wife Rhonda didn’t know what to expect. The missionary couple in Poznan, Poland, along with their eight volunteers, hadn’t been able to advertise the event, but had simply mailed 100 invitations to friends and acquaintances, baked trays of sweets, scheduled several musical artists and prayed.

The candle-lit “Sweet Surrender” venue had seating for 43 guests. Fifteen minutes after opening, Tustin counted 75 people. When live music began at 7:30 p.m. and the count had hit 150, guests continued squeezing in.

“Everybody was so happy, there was so much laughter in the rooms and so much talking,” said Mission Corps volunteer Katie Fitch, who served as a barista for the night. “We had neighbors that didn’t know each other at all just sitting around tables talking and laughing and having a good time.”

It wasn’t long before the team ran out of clean serving cups, glasses and trays. Tustin washed load after load of dishes to keep up with the orders. By the end of the night, an estimated 200 people had sampled drinks, desserts and enjoyed the conversation and live music that continued until 10 p.m.

The Poznan shop will open formally as soon as a contstruction permit to repair the front steps is approved, but “if Saturday is any indication at all, the Lord has a big plan in mind,” said Tustin.

The first Sweet Surrender coffee house opened for ministry 10 months ago in Gdansk, Poland, designed to build relationships and minister to the needs of people in the neighborhood with the love of Christ. In Poznan, those relationships were brewing well before the soft opening.

One young Polish woman poured out hours of volunteer time as the shop’s business manager. Another woman who knew the mayor’s wife put in a good word for the coffeehouse when its paperwork got hung up in red tape.

An accomplished musician who performs throughout Europe agreed to play at the soft opening, and asked if he could appear there again. A local coffee house supplier offered to train the staff for free.

A woman in Rhonda’s ladies’ fellowship had recently closed her own coffee shop and sold her coffee machines and serving pieces to the ministry for half-price. Much of it was less than a year old.

“It’s neat to see how each person who’s become connected with the shop has really just been lit on fire about volunteering and helping in any way they can,” said Mission Corps volunteer Lindy Bennett. “They’re drawn to Christ in this place.”


Lindy Bennett (left), a Mission Corps volunteer from Bryan College Station, Texas,
performed for Sweet Surrender guests on Sept. 19.

Coffeehouses, pubs and restaurants are where many of Europe’s young people meet with friends to talk about life and sometimes spirituality and faith, no matter what faith they do or do not claim. To the team, it offers a natural venue for sharing life and faith with Polish neighbors.

“The coffehouses present a non-threatening method of presenting the gospel,” said Northern Euope Field Strategy Coordinator Philip McAlister. “They give opportunity to make contact with people and provide a pleasant atmosphere in which to have spiritual conversations.”

Housed in the ground floor of a 100-year-old apartment building, Sweet Surrender is located a block from Poznan’s central crossroads. One of the main tram routes passes close enough that the building shakes when the trams go by.

“It’s obvious in the faces of people that we see on the tram or walking on the street that nobody looks happy and there’s a lot of hurting people,” Fitch said. “I think that if we can get to know them we can share with them the answer to their pain.”


Katie Fitch, Mission Corps volunteer, Pittsburgh, California, was overwhelmed
with drink orders at the soft opening.

In the city of 600,000 people, there are no other coffee houses near Sweet Surrender, although they are numerous in the city square about 20 minutes away. Sweet Surrender is also one of the few coffee houses in Poznan offering live music, conversational English classes, art exhibits and Christian worship services on Saturday evenings.

Formerly an apartment, the coffee house has four different rooms, so it will remain open during worship services. Guests can relax in adjacent seating areas or slip into the service where a dozen people meet each week. There’s room for about 25, so when the worshippers outnumber available seating, they’ll add services on weeknights.

“There’s been a lot of curiosity and buzz about this shop,” Bennett said. “They’re just curious… about how odd it is to hear that the church would come in the form of a coffee shop. They have been truly receptive to what is going on here. That’s what’s making this really effective.”

This article is from Engage magazinehttp://www.engagemagazine.com/Home.aspx

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Australian Southern District Assembly 2010 @ Enmore Church of the Nazarene