As I look back at this year the thing I celebrate most is the way in which you/we ARE being the church of Jesus Christ. For a few years now we have been moving strongly away from seeing church as an event on Sunday but rather living church as “3 or more people in a covenant commitment to grow in Christ and make Christ known.” 

I remember in 2011 when we pushed into this through the “What is Church – Really?” series, that it was an unsettling and confusing time for many people. What is fantastic is that we are seeing the good fruit of what it looks like to be church in this relational way of being, rather than simply coming to church as an event on Sunday.

I can tell you story after story after story after story of the way in which individuals and groups have cared deeply for others (both within the church and beyond) in costly and powerful ways. At times this has involved assisting financially (into the thousands of dollars); helping out practically; listening well; going the extra mile; showing God’s love through little and big acts of kindness; taking risks in sharing Christ with others; making a positive difference in the     workplace or community; helping people move from a belief in God to a living relationship with Christ; and so on. PRAISE GOD – AWESOME JOB CHURCH!

In the December Rochedale SS & Springwood SS Chaplaincy Newsletter the following paragraph highlights this:                                                                                                                                             

“One family from Springwood Central have really done it tough this term. After losing their house and almost everything they owned in a fire, they have struggled to get back on their feet. Fortunately, our Springwood Central and wider community    (especially Logan Uniting Church) has rallied behind them and donated many items of clothing, toys, food and furniture to help them out…”                   

Just last week one of our life groups also ran a free sausage sizzle at the Springwood Central School Christmas Concert. This is just a very small example of the way in which you as Logan Uniting Church are serving the wider community.

I have also appreciated the clearer understanding of the place of our Sunday worship gathering that has been lived out this year. Sunday is when we gather as church to celebrate God and His goodness; to      celebrate what God has been doing in and through us; to be encouraged and equipped in our discipleship; to be reminded of our call to “draw people into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ”. 

It has also been important to remember that we don’t come as spectators, sitting back like judges on “Australia’s Got Talent”, giving a tick to what we like and a cross for what we don’t. Rather we come as participants who are seeking to bring joy to God and others.

As we drive home the conversation should not be about what we did or didn’t like but about the way/s in which we blessed God and/or someone else. I have to say that for me the sense of God’s grace and presence is continuing to grow – and it will continue to do so as we gather as participants not   spectators.

All in all I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for your faithfulness to Christ. It is an incredible privilege and joy to live and serve alongside you.

Merrett and I pray you become increasingly aware of God’s presence, love and activity this Christmas.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

X Men

On the 1^st December we begin our first week of Advent. Advent is a time of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ. This includes celebrating his coming over 2000 years ago as a baby born in Bethlehem and also Christ’s coming again at the end of time.

In preparing our theme for advent we bounced around a whole lot of ideas including “Putting the ‘X’ back into Xmas” (X is the first letter of the Greek Xristos – meaning Christ - and has been used since the earliest days of Christianity as an abbreviation for Christ; and in fact the abbreviation Xmas was first introduced centuries ago by Christian scholars) or “The X-Factor”; but settled on “X Men - Days of Christmas Past”.

This is a take-off from a movie that will come out in 2014 called “X-Men Days of Future Past” based on the comic book version written in 1981. For those who don’t follow the X-Men series it is the story of people who have mutated genes that give them extraordinary powers. The people we will look at throughout Advent didn’t have extraordinary powers but they did play a significant role in preparing us for the coming of Christ – they were truly X (Christ) men. As we allow Isaiah, Zechariah, Joseph and Simeon to speak to us, I pray we will become more open to allowing the Holy Spirit use us in making Christ known to others.

During this Christmas season there are numerous opportunities for you to invite your pre-Christian friends to participate in fun, friendship and faith. Our Carols night on the 8^th Dec will be very family friendly; the Fishers of Men dinner is a great opportunity to invite your pre-Christian friends to be involved in serving others; and our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will call us to the centre of all things – Christ our Lord.

Don’t come alone this Christmas – bring your friends and help them experience the gift of God’s love – Christ.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Caring Well

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4: 7-8)

This verse and so many like it in the bible have been the inspiration for our series on “Caring Well”. There is only one true expression/test of genuine spirituality and that is love (see also 1 Cor 13).

On Sunday the 3^rd November, Graham Hill presented this diagram as a model for understanding the different dimensions of care: 

I found this incredibly insightful and helpful.

On Sunday the 10^th November, I shared that for me the twin skills of listening well and asking helpful questions are the “wings that fly the plane of love”.

People feel incredibly accepted when they are listened to: “Being truly, seriously listened to feels like a welcome and precious gift” (Mackay H. 2010, “What makes us tick? The ten desires that drive us.” Sydney, NSW: Hachette; p. 29).                                                        

To love well ultimately means seeking what is best for the other and this happens when we listen well and ask open ended questions that invites the other person into a journey of discovery.

Listening well and asking helpful questions also ensures that whatever practical help we offer is truly an expression of love that does what is best for the other and not simply what we think they need.

Below are 2 simple exercises that you can practice with your spouse, friend, children, in your life group etc. When we practice these skills we are better prepared at the right time in conversations to reflect back what we are hearing in a way that is empowering to the other; and/or to ask the right question at the right time that helps them indentify God’s grace at work and a possible way forward for them.

1. Set aside 10-15 min. Agree that one person will speak and the other person will reflect back as best they can what the other person is saying.

Begin by asking: “What is impacting you most at the moment and how does that make you feel?”

From this moment on you can ONLY reflect back what the other person says and perhaps ask one of the following 2 questions: what else is happening for you? OR how does that make you feel?  

DO NOT COMMENT, PROBLEM SOLVE, OR DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN REFLECT BACK WHAT YOU HEAR

When the person seems to be finished ask them: “What is the most important thing you would like me to remember from this conversation?”

My wife and I regularly engage in this exercise and find it creates a sacred space of honouring the other. I have also found by doing this I am better able in conversations with others to, at the right time, reflect back something significant I have heard and in doing so watch the other person’s eyes light up because someone has listened and understood.

2.      2. Set aside 10 to 15 min and agree that one person will speak and the other will ONLY ask open ended questions (How...? What...? In what way...?) The person speaking simply begins talking about their day and the one listening asks questions that seek to explore more about the day and what was happening for the person in the events that happened - What drew them closer to God? What moved them away from God? etc.

DO NOT PROBLEM SOLVE, OR DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ASK QUESTIONS

 As a listener don’t be afraid of silences in this exercise. If you get stuck simply acknowledge that and say to the person “I am not sure what to ask next – what would be helpful for you to explore further...?”

When I do this exercise in groups I often put people in 3’s. The third person observes and at the end of the conversation reflects back what they saw happening; which questions were closed or open; which question/s led to the most energy or insight from the other person etc. People then swap roles until each has had a turn.

Whilst asking open ended questions that invite discovery sounds easy; my experience with the above exercise is that all of ask more closed questions than we realise. Closed questions are not wrong and people rarely answer them with a yes or a no. If you observe closely, however, you will notice that the answer given to a closed question stays on the surface and rarely goes deeper into discovery.

Doing these exercises may at first seem strange but I can guarantee they will be life giving; AND you will be better equipped to love well. Loving well more fully honours God and blesses others than anything else does.

Have fun

Graham Keech

The importance of quiet (Guest Post from Tim Bennett)

I don’t really like being quiet.  I am not a huge fan of sitting still for long periods of time.  I like to do things…talk to people…read the news…watch movies….listen to LOUD music….check Facebook.  But I am learning that God’s design for us is that we need what the Bible calls a “Sabbath” – time to be quiet and to rest.  This is when God seems to meet us – and in the world we live in, achieving this is really hard.

Last Saturday 18 people attended a workshop with Dr Jane Simon where they learned some of the skills we need to be able to sit quietly, pray and meditate.  Then on Tuesday, the staff from LUC spent a day on Coochimudlo Island on a spiritual retreat where we learned and practiced these disciplines as well. (with our leader “Keechie-mudlo”).

One of the activities I chose to do was to reflect on the passage of Scripture in 1 Kings 19 where Elijah finds God in the still, small voice.  I wrote some things down and finished before the time allotted.  I stood up to walk to the other side of the verandah where I was sitting and this is when God really started to speak to me.  I spotted a Kookaburra sitting on the fence next door waiting for a storm to pass.  He was perfectly still and perfectly quiet.

I realized that the Kookaburra – more than any other creature in Australia – loves to laugh and be noisy.  He has a good noisy laugh with his friends every morning and another one every evening.  However, the Kookaburra relies on total silence and total stillness for his very survival.  If the Kookaburra cannot remain still and quiet, he cannot catch his lunch and he starves.

I heard the still small voice of God challenging me with the same thought…there is nothing wrong with laughter, talk and activity – but - without times of necessary quiet, my busy-ness will make me sick and tired and I will slowly starve.

One of the things that you are going to keep hearing from us as a church is the concept of “living to a different rhythm.”  It’s counter-cultural…it goes against the prevailing wisdom of “always be busy.”  God was serious enough about a Sabbath rest that in the Old Testament that He didn’t just recommend it – He commanded it!  As a community we are slowly rediscovering the necessity of some form of Sabbath where we are quiet and still.

I am not good at this.  I am learning along with you to rest and be quiet and still.  My prayer for you this week is that you find that place of stillness and quiet; that God meets you there and that you find the rest and peace that you need to continue engaging with your day to day responsibilities.

Tim (Bennett)

Ps.  There is another half day prayer and meditation retreat coming up on Saturday Nov 23 from 9:00am to 12:30pm.  Call 3387 5777 or email info@luc.org.au for more information.

Tim and I have just arrived back from our time in Los Angeles. It was an extremely worthwhile experience. We visited 5 different churches and had the privilege of spending time with either one of the Pastors or in the case of the Dream Centre – participating in one of their mission outreaches (they serve 50 000 people per month with food and care). We also attended pre-conference seminars (Tim went to one on Discipleship and I went to one on the Nuts and Bolts of church planting) as well as the Exponential West Conference itself.

The churches we visited and the churches represented at the conference were from a very wide cross section of styles. There were church movements that were based solely on small groups and one on one discipleship, through to churches that were completely focused on the Sunday gathering and their only concern was to get people baptised; and every model and approach in-between.

One of the most helpful churches we visited was NewCity Church, which is now five years old. They are genuinely multi-ethnic and multi-socioeconomic. They are about 1/3 Hispanic, 1/3 Afro-American and 1/3 White, with people from Skid Row to young up and coming “Yuppies” in the congregation. In fact ALL their small groups reflect this cross section of cultures and backgrounds. They are currently about 400 strong with a very similar theology and understanding of God’s purposes to us. In the last 5 years they have been through 2 re-inventions of their small groups. 

They first started their small groups around bible study and care but soon found this became too insular and inward focussed. They then transitioned their groups to call them “grow and serve” groups – they meet weekly and at least once per month are required to engage in some mission/service activity. Just recently they have begun to implement one on one mentoring/discipling within the groups

"The one clear message that came through was that whatever the style of church; if discipleship wasn’t the backbone then we were going nowhere for the Kingdom of God."

By discipleship we mean helping people know and obey Jesus (head), be transformed by Jesus (heart) and live out Jesus purpose of witnessing and serving (hands). It was also very clear that growing as disciples of Jesus requires “life on life” relationships (in the way Jesus did it) – relationships that are highly honest and encouraging and focused on helping each other grow in Christ and make Christ known. These can take the shape of one on one mentoring, IFFF’s (as we call the groups of 3 men or 3 women) or life groups; but the Sunday gathering or the “classroom” style of teaching alone will not result in genuine discipleship. 

All in all it was a very encouraging time as we found the direction God has been leading us as a church confirmed. Tim and I also found our passion for God’s work renewed and came back with some important questions to help us clarify even further the vision God has for us, who are Logan Uniting Church.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Discipleship and revisioning

I am sure you have heard or read that Church Council has made the decision to look for the person who will take over my role as Senior Minister. This is a decision I fully support and this means I will finish my time with Logan Uniting at the end of 2014. If you asked me how I feel about this, the answer is that initially half of me was at peace with a deep sense of God’s leading in this decision; and the other half was deeply sad that my time with you and the incredible work God is doing with and through LUC was going to come to an end. Whilst the sadness will come back again, I find myself at the moment excited by the way in which this decision powerfully leads us into the future as a church.

It is time for us to be re-visioning and developing a new strategic plan that will help us keep growing as a disciple making movement (“Drawing people into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ”), but I have not sensed the prompt of God to engage in this. I now see why. I believe God will call the person who will replace me to lead us through this process. My role will be to support them and you in building on the great vision and culture God has built into Logan Uniting Church. This will be a very healthy process that ensures you and the future Senior Minister continue to walk strongly into God’s future together.

For now, Church Council and I are convinced that we have to keep making discipleship (growing in trusting and obeying Jesus AND giving ourselves to help those who don’t know Christ come to faith in Him) the centre of what we are on about as a church. We are also convinced that in this call to discipleship we have to keep learning how to live to a different rhythm than the busy-ness we so easily find ourselves in. We must create space for genuine relationship with God, with other believers and with those who don’t yet know Christ. This life of space and grace and relationship is very counter cultural and requires us to constantly re-evaluate our priorities and ask Jesus what it is he would have us do.

To assist with this we have organised two, half day retreats on the 26^th Oct and the 23^rd Nov at the Springwood Ministry Centre. These will run from 9-00am to 12-30 pm and are designed to give you the opportunity for deliberate space with God and to equip you in enhancing your own practices of time out with the Lord. Please make these a priority.

As you are also aware, Tim R and I are in Los Angeles attending a “discipleshift” conference. This is extremely timely and I believe will encourage us in the direction we are walking in as a church. Whilst we are away, the rest of the Ministry leadership team and Rev Dennis Robinson are available to assist if it is required.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Discipleshift

Tim Robinson and I have been privileged to receive a grant from the Alcorn Fellowship Trust to attend a conference in Los Angeles in early October. The conference is entitled “Discipleshift” and includes over 75 speakers from an incredible cross section of churches and experiences – from large Megachurches to medium sized churches to small organic, life group size churches and everything in-between; from Rick Warren (Saddleback Church with over 25000 members) to Australian leaders/speakers such as Mike Frost and Alan Hirsch and so on. The conference will also include the largest gathering of church planters in the world and one of the pre-conference electives will focus on this.

It is this incredible cross section of people - focussing on the central topic of discipleship - that has drawn us to this conference. The topics also reflect the shifts that we have been making as a church and which we are currently “bedding down”. The following extract from the Exponential West website is worth thinking about in the light of what God has been (and is) doing with us:

DiscipleShift, the theme of the 2013 Exponential West Conference, is about moving the church planting conversation beyond missional versus attractional to a deep and passionate discourse around disciple making. At the conference we’ll explore several major shifts:

Shift 1: From Reaching to Making
We need to shift to a clear definition of “disciple,” and then ask if our church is making that kind of person. It’s not enough to reach people if we are not making biblical disciples.

Shift 2: From Leading to Being Led
Discipleship begins with pastors and church leaders shifting their view of discipleship from classes toward a discipleship lifestyle. As leaders, we must intentionally model what it looks like to follow Jesus and lead others to do the same.

Shift 3: From Teaching to Modelling
Discipleship cannot simply be a program or a ministry we offer and people attend. We have to shift discipleship back to the centre of our churches, making it the purpose of everything we do and let people know that discipleship is dependent on participating in the endless process of following Christ.

Shift 4: From Assimilating to Creating Community
Beyond just classes and sermons, discipleship must be based on friendship and time together. To cultivate the kind of disciples Jesus did, we have to shift our paradigm from activity and surface connections to deep, accountable relationships.

Shift 5: From Attracting to Deploying
Jesus was much more concerned with the 12 men He invested in than the thousands He taught. Shifting our scorecard from how many people we gather to how many disciples we deploy is essential.

Tim and I will fly out on Monday the 30^th Sept and arrive back in Brisbane on Sunday the 13^th Oct. Whilst we are away the rest of the Ministry Leadership Team and Rev Dennis Robinson will be available to assist with any special issues that arise.

Please pray for Tim and I as we engage in this significant learning. Please also pray that we will be able to take what we are learning at Logan Uniting and also what we learn at the conference and share them well with other churches (which is part of the requirement of the grant from the Alcorn Fellowship Trust).

At its core the church is a disciple-making movement. Tim and my heart is to do everything possible to help us keep growing in this and also where possible to encourage other Uniting Churches in doing so.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

My God and my money

A personal giving creed called “My God and my money”

In looking through my “Stewardship” file I came across this personal giving creed, which I found helpful to reflect on. I have no record of an author.

God is the creator of all things and he calls me to live in a positive relationship with Him.
He has entrusted us with His creation and my lifestyle must reflect my responsibility for His trust.  He has forgiven my failures and has set me free to enjoy a purposeful life as one of His people.  I must therefore:

·      Exercise wise stewardship of the natural resources of the world.

·      Not knowingly cause another person to lose so that I may gain.

·      Live happily with money as a useful commodity which will never gain mastery over my life.

I am pleased that God calls me to be a giver because generosity reflects God’s nature and honours Him. I therefore believe that:

·      I am accountable to God for the way in which I acquire and use all of my income and assets.

·      I must give regularly and meaningfully to the work of my church and the life of my community.

·      The scriptures teach me the principle of percentage giving and I know my chosen percentage will be dependent on my faith and love for God and my neighbour.

·      I must make a habit of renewing my chosen percentage to ensure that it reflects my growth in faith and is a joyful response to God and His love.

·      I am called to make bequests for God’s work so that my stewardship continues after my death.

·      I should keep myself informed of the financial affairs of my church and community and I hope that I will be challenged regularly with new opportunities for commitment and service. At the same time my motive for giving will always arise out of my faith and will not simply be a response to man-made goals.

May God give me the grace and the strength to do all these things and may my life be a prayer to Him.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

The Power of Money

Well it is August, which is usually “money month” in this church. For nearly 15 years we have taken 2 to 4 Sundays to explore what it means to be “stewards of God’s resources” and to honour him with our “treasures”. This year we have not deliberately set aside any Sundays to speak on money but rather have chosen to follow the lectionary. It is interesting that in the lectionary this week we read the story from Luke of the man who stored up things for himself and was not rich toward God (Luke 12: 21). Jesus calls such a person A FOOL!!!

I must say “thank God”, the lectionary takes us to the place where we must look honestly at what we give priority in our lives to; and in particular what place money takes. Not to speak about this issue is to be completely “anti-Christian” as Jesus spoke more about money and wealth than any other topic except the kingdom of God! (Richard Foster “Money, Sex and Power, 1985). 

Martin Luther said that three conversions are necessary when a person decides to follow Christ: the conversion of the heart, the conversion of the mind and the conversion of the purse. And John Wesley wryly remarked that the last thing to convert was a person’s wallet. (Alan and Debra Hirsch p 111 “Untamed”).

To truly walk in the way of Jesus, one must be free of the love of money. Once we are rescued from the power of mammon, we can be free to be generous and when we are generous, we are agents of Jesus’ remarkable grace. We cannot overestimate the power of generosity. Not only does it destroy the power of money, but it introduces the one who receives the gift (as well as the one who gives the gift) into the world of grace. (Alan and Debra Hirsch p 114 “Untamed”)

Unfortunately “we’re set up to buy and sell, not to give and receive” (Miroslav Volf). This means we are trained from a young age to calculate before giving money away rather than being truly generous. For example, Bill Gates’s contribution to charity is very significant and laudible, but it does not constitute a “widows mite”. It still leaves him one of the richest men in the world. We are called in Christ to costly, grace-filled generosity. God’s grace calls us to be joyful givers ourselves rather than self-absorbed receivers or consumers. (Alan and Debra Hirsch p 114-115 “Untamed”).

What is amazing is that God uses costly generosity to build His Kingdom on earth even more powerfully than millions given without real cost. (Luke 21: 1-4)

May God set us free from the power of “mammon” into the joy and freedom of His generosity.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

PS.  Over the next couple of Keech’s Korners I will share other insights from different writers to assist us in living in the freedom and generosity of God with regard to wealth. 

Strucure, Mission and Caring for each other

A big thank you to all who participated in the feedback session regarding our Senior Leadership structure on Sunday night the 14^th July. Your input was very helpful and gave church council some key questions/insights to work with. 

The 2 key questions church council is still resolving are:       

- how do we ensure the new congregation at Carbrook keeps growing in God’s mission?; and
- how do we build flexibility into the Leadership model to enable further expansion in God’s mission?;                                                                                           
...all the while being very realistic about what we can afford.

Along with this the call (identified by you through the feedback process) to develop our prayer life, be radically outward focussed, make disciples, strengthen the faith life group model, support/train leaders, ensure people are equipped to care, ensure new people are relationally connected, continue to develop our youth, young adult and children/families ministry, engage other ethnic groups, connect more strongly with families and students of Calvary Christian College etc means that the role of our Senior Leadership is to be “releasers and amplifiers” of the work of you the people of God.

From the moment we began engaging with this process, Church Council has sensed that God’s timing isn’t ours and the call to pray, wait and listen has been very real. This has also been affirmed by the feedback received from faith life groups and again last Sunday night. God is bringing all the pieces together, so please keep praying. Also please continue to feedback your thoughts. You can do this by emailing Aaron Comollatti at 555combo@gmail.com or me at graham.keech@luc.org.au.

Aaron is now the chairperson of church council. Ben Hutton has chaired the council for the last 2 ½ years, but with his wife Benita expecting their first child he chose to finish in the role of chair (he will continue on church council). Ben is a deep, prayerful thinker who has brought a quiet wisdom to the role and we are grateful for this gift. Please pray for Aaron as he brings leadership to us through chairing the church council.

After 25 years as Pastoral Care Coordinator and Pastoral Care Pastor, Liz Taylor has sensed the call of God to formally finish in this role. Liz has served in both volunteer and paid capacity over that time and has seen MANY changes to our church.

As a Ministry Leadership Team we spent time reflecting with Liz on her ministry. The word that embodies Liz is LOVE. Liz has a deep, deep, deep love for God – this is her driving passion. It is this love of and for God that is shown in her deep, deep love for people. All of us have experienced Liz’s genuine care. She has a capacity to empathize deeply with us and in doing so to hold us before God in an amazing way. We will miss her as part of our team and we will miss her leadership in this area as a whole church.

On Sunday the 28^th July at our 8-30 am service, Springwood, we will take time to pray for and release Liz from this role. We will look at developing a team to help people who are not in faith life groups or IFFF’s be relationally connected with people who care. Also as part of the Senior Leadership discussions we are looking at how we continue to release and equip all of us to care well.

Saying that Liz has formally finished in the role of Pastoral Care Pastor DOES NOT mean she will stop caring and loving. This is part of who Liz is a follower of Jesus and a gift she brings as a member of the body. It is very important to remember that Pastoral Care is not a role or job; nor is it done by a particular person. Pastoral Care is what we all do as we love, serve and care for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ; and also what we do as we love, serve and care for those who don’t know Christ. This is happening across Logan Uniting in the most amazing, beautiful and powerful ways. Please remember that as you care for your neighbour and as they care for you – this is Church (we are church).

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Jumpstart & Shaping the Future

What an AWESOME week we had at Jumpstart: 186 children and a phenomenal group of leaders, helpers and people helping out with morning tea, lunch, clean up, sign in, sport etc. etc. Brendan Coop and I had a group of 9 year 6/7 boys with the most excellent name of “Ubiquitous Galumphing Lunar Yobbos” (you can work out what we called ourselves for short). In our small group time each of the boys talked honestly about faith and ways in which they had had to trust God. Each afternoon at the leaders debrief there were stories from right across the age groups of children growing in every way, particularly in faith.

One of the most encouraging aspects of Jumpstart is that the majority of leaders and helpers are teenagers and young adults. In fact the whole week is run by a group of young adults who do an incredible job. Chris Stanley in particular needs a “shout out” for being the point person bringing it all together.

On the Saturday the 27^th July we will have another chance to all participate in blessing people who don’t yet know Jesus. We are engaging in a whole of church mission activity called “Inspired by Hope”. On this day we will serve people connected with our soccer ministry. Remember, Logan Uniting Soccer Club has nearly 400 players and we want to participate with the coaches, managers and management team in sharing something of God’s joy with them. In the notices you will find a bunch of ways in which you can participate – please get involved.

On Sunday evening the 14^th July at 6 pm (at the Springwood Ministry centre) we will be having an informal leaders and interested people “Shaping the Future” night. On this night we will share the feedback that came through our Prayer and Discernment process which took place in May and June. We will also share some possible models for our Senior Leadership. Your feedback will be important and perhaps through this conversation you will identify possible models that Church Council has not yet thought of. 

On Monday the 15^th July Church Council will meet with Rev Gwen Fisher (our Presbytery Minister) to finalise our Senior Leadership model.

Please be in prayer for all these incredibly important activities AND get involved.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Thank you for "going for it"

Thank you for your engagement in the prayer and discernment process regarding how God is shaping us as a church and what we need in our Senior Leadership to support this. Church council is processing what God is saying through your responses and seeking clarity regarding future staffing for our Senior Leadership. Please be praying for the council in this.

As a church we have for a long time been shaped by the picture of church expressed in Acts 2: 42-47. We represent it as follows: 

I am incredibly encouraged as I hear story after story of missional engagement and quality care happening across this church because of the relationships and support developed through our life groups, ministries and IFFF’s. What I hear sounds more and more like the vision of church expressed above.

I don’t have the space to give all the examples but let me share just some of the incredible care stories that are happening:

family facing cancer and financial difficulty – financial/practical and ongoing support given by group and church friends; long term shut in – house and yard cleaned and major assistance with sale and in moving to new accommodation; several people with cancer – deep friendship and practical support; several people with anxiety and depression – deep friendships; tragic deaths – ongoing support; premature baby with viral meningitis – support for family; family difficulties – financial assistance and support through court cases; operations/cancer – visits, transport assistance and practical help; long term illness – regular visits and bible studies at their home; care for aging family – regular contact and support; early dementia and stroke – ongoing visits... These are just SOME of the stories of the way in which people within AND beyond the church are experiencing God’s love through you.  

Thank you for “going for it”.

As I write this I am also aware of a couple of situations where people have “fallen through the cracks” and have not been well cared for by members of the church. For this I am very sorry.

I have often said that church is at its worst when it is regarded as an institution with the “clergy” as the primary representatives. The church is at its best when it is a group of people “doing life together” in Christ (loving God, each other and those who don’t yet know Jesus). You are living this out.

May we all be the church of Jesus Christ – faithfully, to God’s glory

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

We are all disciples on the way.

Hopefully you will have heard that I was not elected to be Moderator of the Uniting Church Queensland. To be honest I am actually quite happy about that. Rev David Baker who is now our Moderator- Elect will do a great job. He is passionate about the church engaging with mission in different ways and isn’t afraid to challenge traditional thinking/structures.

With regard to my future; as you are aware I have an extension until the end of April 2016. Within the Uniting Church, however, it is possible for a call to another congregation/ministry setting, to arise before that time. This means that, along with Glen leaving, it is very important we continue to deeply engage in the process of prayer and discernment regarding the way God is shaping Logan Uniting and what we need in our Senior Leadership, that Church Council has called us to.

The theme of the recent Synod was “Disciples on the Way” and we heard many stories from individuals and congregations/sections of the church about how they are seeking to follow Jesus and creatively serve others. Over the next few weeks the “Journey” magazine will report more fully on the issues covered.

We also engaged again with the Vision 2020 “Together on the Way – enriching community” that the Synod has adopted. Below you will see the Vision Wheel which is helping to shape the church in Queensland.

 At Logan Uniting we don’t use the language of the Vision 2020 as God led us to a clear understanding of our Purpose and Vision many years ago. Having said that, the “Wheel” is a useful tool for checking how fully we are engaged in the breadth of God’s purposes. Have a look at it and celebrate the way in which we are actively living out God’s call.

PLEASE REMEMBER that Glen, Vikki and Jacob’s farewell will be after the morning service at Springwood on Sunday the 16^th June (only 4 weeks away). We will share in an early BBQ lunch and as part of the morning there will be time for people to share for 2 minutes (only) something of the way in which Glen (or Vikki, Jacob, Zoe) have impacted your life. Please only share ONE THING; that way more people will be able to speak.

We will also be blessing them with a special gift. If you would like to contribute toward this can you please put your donation in an envelope with “gift for Glen” on the front (and put it in the offering bag or hand it in to the office); or if you send money electronically please put “Glen gift” in the reference field.

Another point of prayer is for the Qld Synod meeting from the 24^th to the 28^th May. Tim R, Glen, Jim Haak, Russell Pearce, Libby Stanley and I are reps to the Synod. It will be at this meeting that a decision regarding our next Moderator will take place.

Over the next 2 weeks Church Council has called us as a church to a 2 step process of prayer and discussion regarding the way in which God is shaping us as a church and what we require in our Senior leadership to continue to facilitate this. If you are not in a faith life group you are invited to attend BOTH nights on Wed the 22^nd May and Wed the 29^th May from 7-00pm to participate in this important process.

Church Council has a strong sense that out of this focussed time of prayer and discussion God will make it clear what our next steps, regarding our Senior Leadership model, are. There is a growing sense of excitement with regard to what God is doing now and over the next few years in and through Logan Uniting Church.

Thank you for your participation.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Thank you for your encouragement regarding my nomination for Moderator. People have reflected a sense of potential loss but also openness to God’s call for us. This really is the key - that we keep praying for God’s call to unfold for Logan Uniting, the wider Uniting Church and for myself (and indeed for all of us who follow Christ). In God the best is always yet to come.

I am sure you have also picked up my mistake in the last Keech’s Korner – the role of Moderator would not start in Oct 2013 but in Oct 2014.

Church council is working on a process that will call us to deep prayer and discussion/discernment about the way God is shaping us as a church over the next 3 years and what we will require in our Senior Leadership. We are called to continue to develop a disciple-making culture (pre and post conversion – helping come to faith in Christ and grow in following Him).

At our leadership community on the 28^th April we will be working with our leaders on this process, with the goal that in May we take time in all our Life groups, IFFF’s, Ministries and also through special working groups (for those who aren’t in a life group etc) to pray and explore questions that will enable us to walk into the next couple of years with expectation, excitement and deep faith in God.

Glen’s last Sunday with us will be the 16^th June. Following our Springwood 8-30am service we will be having an early BBQ lunch with an opportunity to say thank you to Glen, Vikki, Jacob and Zoe for their ministry with us. We will also bless them as they step forward into God’s future.

If you would like to contribute financially for a gift for Glen, could you please put your donation in an envelope with “gift for Glen” on the front (and put it in the offering bag or hand it in to the office) or if you send money electronically please put “Glen gift” in the reference field. We want to bless Glen and his family greatly for the incredible gift they have been to us and to encourage them as God’s gift to the people of Chapel Hill.

As much as every change involves grief and uncertainty, God is powerfully at work and will bring new life in and through the changes we are facing.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

PS. I will be on holidays from the 24^th April to the 13^th May. 

Gambling Community Benefit Fund

After careful consideration of the responses from members of the congregation, prayer and reflection on Scripture, Church Council has decided to “...allow Groups/Ministries of Logan Uniting Church to submit applications to Church Council for approval to apply for grants from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund for activities that help develop a healthier, more just society that reflects God’s Kingdom.”

This is not a decision to allow groups/ministries to access the funds freely but rather allows groups/ministries to apply to Church Council for permission to apply for a grant. Church Council is also clear that these funds are not to be accessed for the running of the church but rather for those activities that directly serve the wider community.

We are aware that there are members of the congregation who hold strong views on either end of the spectrum on this decision and are grateful for the honest input that has helped shape our decision.

Wherever you stand on this particular issue we are all united in the call of God to participate in bringing His healing, wholeness and hope to the world. May God grow us in our capacity to do this.

On Sunday the 24^th February we had our first leadership community for the year. As part of the night we asked people to share the way in which they have seen God at work in their group/ministry over the last six months. There were many FASTASTIC stories – one was about the National Soccer titles and the way in which at the end of the game every player from our team prayed with a member of the other team; a faith life group that has a pre-Christian couple who has joined the group and are genuinely exploring Christ; others spoke about the way in which their faith life group offers incredible support as they seek to live out God’s mission/kingdom in their workplace.

We also reflected on how we are going at participating in God’s purpose of “Drawing people into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ”. It was identified that we still have more growing to do in the area of “conversion” (helping people take the step of faith and commitment to Christ). We did some initial brainstorming around this and identified some initial steps to take. We will continue to explore this not just as leaders but as a whole church in second and third term.

I believe the most important step we can take is to ensure that every time we meet (faith life group, IFFF, ministry etc) we make it a priority to pray for pre-Christian people we know, that they will discover true freedom and hope in Christ.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Financial Update

In September last year I shared with you the difficult financial situation we faced – with the possibility of finishing the year $45,000 down. Praise God for His generosity reflected in His people; we finished 2012 with approximately a $9,000 deficit (the figures are still being finalised).

Whilst this is a fantastic improvement on what we were facing, it still left Church Council with very difficult decisions when working out this year’s budget. We were facing up to a $50,000 plus deficit for 2013. A big part of this will be covered by promised donations (over and above regular tithes and offerings) but we still had to make some staffing cuts to have any chance of covering our costs.

The decision has been made to reduce our Children and Families Pastor’s position to 32 hours per week. This will leave Libby with 15 hours per week in PITSTOP (this is funded by the government and includes PPP parenting program etc) and 17 hours per week for the rest of our Children and Families Ministry. This is a decision the Church Council agonised over but we could not in good conscious move into the year with such a large deficit. As it is we are still facing a deficit budget of about $8,000, so there is still more work to be done.

The consequence of this decision is that we have effectively reduced the time put into our general Children and Families ministry over the last 2 years by half (up until the end of 2010 Libby was employed for 30 hours per week with another person employed for the PITSTOP program for 15 hours per week). Libby, Glen, Tim R and I are continuing to strategise the best focus for Libby’s time as helping children and families grow as disciples of Jesus is vital for the life and health of our church (across all campuses). We will be looking to more and more people from the congregations to help lead Kid’s GIG and other children’s ministry.

Please be in prayer for this most important part of our life together. Please pray for Libby as she adjusts her time and priorities. Please pray about how you might participate in helping disciple children. Please continue to be faithful in giving to work of God through this part of Christ’s body called Logan Uniting.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Surprised by Hope

Happy New Year!!! Through our “Elijah” series we are being called to a fresh surrender to God and a more radical belief in His work in us and through us. I am looking forward to the way God will lead us in experiencing this individually and together throughout 2013.

From the 17th Feb right up until Easter we will be engaging in a whole of church experience using NT Wright’s “Surprised by Hope”. I found this following extract from a website advertising the material:

“Gain an exciting new vision for your life on earth in light of your future in heaven. Wonderful as is the promise of heaven, a glorious hereafter is just part of what salvation is about. What about today? Jesus called his followers the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Your life here and now is of tremendous consequence, and what you believe about the future has a direct impact on how you live in the present.

In six transforming, faith-inspiring sessions, premier biblical scholar N. T. Wright opens your eyes to the amazing full scope of what God's Word has to say about the world to come and the world that is.

Filled with discussion questions, thoughts for reflection, and ideas for personal application, this study will help explore such questions as:

o What is heaven really like
o Is our main duty as Christians simply to help non-Christians get there?
o What hope does the gospel hold for this present life?
o In what ways does God intend for us to experience that hope personally and spread its healing power to the world around us?

Surprised by Hope will give you a clearer vision both of the future and of God's kingdom at hand today.”

This really will be an incredible, life changing journey we engage in. The way to get the best out of this series is be to be part of a weekly faith life group where you can help each other apply the transformative insights you hear and discuss. If you are not currently part of a faith life group we will help you join an existing one or become part of one of the new faith life groups we will be creating for the duration of this series.

I praise God for gifted interpreter’s of God’s word such as NT Wright who can help us walk in the fullness of God’s purposes.


Yours in Christ


Graham Keech