Together on the way

photo: Nathan Dean

The Uniting Church in Queensland is currently in a process of seeking to discern God’s direction for the church in Queensland. This began in January 2010 and will culminate at the Synod meeting in October 2011. The process is being called “Together on the way, enriching community”. Hundreds of people across Queensland have already been involved in various workshops. At the Synod meeting in May this year the following “call and values” were affirmed:

The Church’s Call at this Time
In response to God’s call at this time, the Uniting Church in Queensland is committed to:

Uniting in Christ
acting with love
living with hope
witnessing in faith
working for justice

Gospel Values
As the Uniting Church in Queensland sharing in God’s mission in the world, we will be guided by values that derive from and give expression to God’s reconciling action in Jesus Christ.
In response to God’s grace, we are called to live out these values:
Faithfulness
Compassion
Humility
Truthfulness
Justice

These gospel values will inform our lives as individuals and as the community of the Uniting Church in Queensland.

Faithfulness
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16)
We respond to God’s faithfulness to us by living the gospel story by gathering in worship and sharing good news.
Related themes: prayer, renewal, community, belonging, hope

Compassion
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Caring for others and being cared for is at the heart of our Faith. Caring is the ultimate basis for true community. Compassion is the force that drives us to eliminate suffering and encourage new ways of being in the world.
Related themes: love, action, respect, reconciliation, inclusion

Humility
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. (Phil 2:5-8)
We are called to reflect a Christ-like life towards others, through service, sharing the gospel and demonstrating servant leadership.
Related themes: grace, wisdom, insight, service, generosity, forgiveness, wonder

Truthfulness
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14-15)
As Jesus is revealed to us as the light of the world, coming in glory, truth and unfailing love and faithfulness, so we will be known for our integrity, truth telling and honour for all people.
Related themes: integrity, advocacy, reconciliation, honesty, forgiveness, peace

Justice
Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will proclaim justice to the nations … He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. (Matthew 12:18, 20)
Because God requires that we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, so we understand that all we have is to be shared with others and the resources of our planet directed to the benefit of all. We will achieve this in word, deed and action.
Related themes: mercy, hope, risk-taking, commitment, mission, advocacy, action

Current steps
Currently congregations and agencies across Queensland are being invited to reflect on and offer insights into the vision and direction of the Uniting Church in Queensland over the next 10 years. The following helps us do this:

A vision is a picture of the preferred future. Visions need to be developed from time to time by people to ensure the dream, the call can be revitalised and lived out in our time. It calls us beyond the present, it makes us uncomfortable, it challenges us, it demands change, it invites repentance and transformation. What is the vision the Uniting Church of Queensland is being asked to name? What do we want to be doing in 2020? How can we be – Uniting in Christ, acting in love, living with hope, witnessing in faith, working for justice?



Process steps:
• Imagine it is 2020 – let us vision what we can do into the future.

1. In 2020 you have gathered with a group. Who will be there? There are reports from a variety of places. What sort of groups, people etc will be providing these reports?
2. You are pleased with the changes that have happened in the Church and the way you have responded to the Call and Gospel Values created in 2010 and the vision you set at that time.
3. You know the Church has been revitalised and the Church has enriched communities, locally, state-wide, nationally and globally.
4. What has happened? What do you see in the Uniting Church in Queensland?
5. How do you see the Church – Uniting in Christ, acting with love, living with hope, witnessing in faith, working for justice?

• Jot down concrete examples of what is happening in 2020, for example:
1. worshipping in homes
2. ecumenical worship, especially in rural areas
3. strong advocacy on government policy

• Now, as you look at the Vision for 2020:
1. What stands out for you?
2. What excites you? Disturbs you?
3. What insight have you gained into the Uniting Church?
4. What part of the Call and Gospel Values document do you see reflected in this vision?
5. What is not reflected here?

If you would like more information on the “together on the way, enriching community” process please go to http://together.ucaqld.com.au/
Otherwise talk to myself, Glen or Tim Robinson.

Please pray for the Uniting Church in Queensland and perhaps engage in conversation about this in your faith life groups and/or write down your personal reflections and send them to me.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

August 2010 - Hi from the States

Photograph by Richard Wong

Hi from the States. The trip is going very well. We had five days in Los Angeles and are now in Atlanta. The broken leg is fine – just a bit uncomfortable and tiring. Glen says “Hi” and we both thank you for praying for us and for our families.

So far there are two churches that stand out to me. One is Church Multiplication Associates (CMA). This is a movement passionate about leading people to Christ, making disciples and planting churches. They started by visiting a local coffee shop and doing three things:

- Drinking coffee
- Playing games (chess etc – whatever people enjoyed)
- Listening.

In the process many people came to Christ. In fact so many that they decided to move to a different coffee shop which was darker (people here were into Satanism and a witches coven met regularly at the coffee shop) in order to win more people to Christ. One great quote is “bad people make good soil; there is a lot of fertilizer in their life”.

CMA does church in people’s homes, coffee shops – wherever. Once the church reaches 12 people it multiplies and a new church is started. As a consequence there are now literally thousands of churches that are part of this movement, with a 25% conversion growth rate.

The key to the movement however lies in their Life Transformation Groups (LTG). This is a group of three people of the same gender who meet each week. Each week the members read one book of the bible and share about it when they meet. If one person has not finished the reading, all re-read the book until eventually all three people have read it. This repetitious immersion in the bible is the key to health. The LTG also have accountability questions they answer with each other. And the third component is that they pray strategically for pre-Christian people. Once someone comes to faith in Christ the LTG’s divide and two LTG’s now meet. There is never more than three people in an LTG. It is actually the LTG’s that carry the DNA of the movement and are the key to ensuring disciples, churches and the movement itself grows in health.

The second is “The Dream Center”. This church began 15 years ago led by a 19 year old, very new pastor – Matthew Barnett. Matthew thought he would grow a church on great preaching and worship but discovered the needs and poverty in downtown Los Angeles were so great he had to take a different approach. He chose to “find a need and fill it; find a hurt and heal it” and this continues to be the mission statement of the church. From very small beginnings The Dream Center now uses an old Catholic hospital as its base and serves over 40 000 people every month. This involves food vans, a mobile free health clinic, working with people on skid row (the area of LA where homeless sleep on the street); one section of the ex-hospital is a live-in discipleship centre for people from the streets or prison; another for families who are homeless, another for women at risk and so on. Along with serving there is a clear passion for people to discover the transforming power of Jesus.

We attended the Sunday worship service which was very contemporary with dance music and fantastic technology; but people we spoke with were clear, “this is not church – church is Monday to Saturday – this is when we celebrate.”

The key learning from these growing, active, transformative churches (and also from some that aren’t doing so well) is the importance of a clear understanding of who God has called a particular church to be. This involves very clear DNA (purpose and values/culture). Those that are continuing to be used powerfully by God do not stray from this clear DNA (no matter how big they grow or how many activities they undertake) and every person is expected to live it out. As one leader put it “if disciples don’t carry the DNA, your church doesn’t.”

At Logan Uniting we have a clear purpose: “Drawing people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ” through a culture of Fun, Friendship and Faith. This means every person who is part of LUC must be praying for, serving, sharing faith with pre-Christian people and also participating in biblical community (Faith Life Groups and/or Intentional Faith-Filled Friendships) – this for us is what church is about. For us also, corporate worship is not church, but a chance to celebrate God and all He is doing, as church.

Yours in Christ
Rev Graham Keech
Senior Minister