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