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

Live beyond yourself this Christmas

Throughout Advent (the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas) we have engaged in the “Advent Conspiracy” material through which we are invited to turn Christmas upside down this year. We are called to “worship fully”, “spend less”, “give more” and to “love all”. If we think of the gift Jesus gave it was acceptance, hope, healing, friendship, forgiveness, love, salvation. Truly the best gifts cannot be wrapped in paper but require the giving of ourselves relationally to others.

My prayer is that you and I will “live beyond ourselves” and give as Christ did by reaching out to pre-Christian friends and to the disadvantaged in our community. Some of you have already done this by participating in the TEAR campaign, and/or the Churches of Christ Foster Care Christmas Tree and/or the sausage sizzle held at the Springwood Central School. 

Some will help out with the Fishers of Men dinner on the 23^rd of December. Others will quietly go the extra mile in helping someone or including someone or inviting someone to our Christmas Eve or Christmas day service. Many will hear the prompt of the Spirit to engage in a conversation with someone (perhaps that distant cousin on Christmas day) that moves beyond the “weather” and “what gift did you get” to something deeper. 

A conversation that journeys into more personal areas such as genuinely exploring how a person is going, life purpose/hopes, or faith is one that Holy Spirit uses to help a person move closer to God.

May God help all of us to participate more fully in His purposes this Christmas and give of ourselves to others.

Happy Christmas

With love from

Graham, Merrett and Kayla

Change is never easy

Change is never easy. Change always involves a period of confusion and turmoil before the new beginning can emerge. As we have changed from a program driven church to a more relationally focussed church; as we have changed from defining church by the Sunday event to defining church as “3 or more people with a covenant commitment to grow in Christ and make Christ known”; this has not been easy. 

There has been confusion, turmoil, misunderstanding, anxiety, mistakes, reactions and loss of momentum. 12 months ago it felt like we had been trying to push a big stone wheel up a hill only to have it roll back down on us.

2012 has been different. I sense a greater confidence in who we are and in who we are becoming as a church. We have learnt to celebrate that Logan Uniting Church meets in coffee shops and homes and schools and parks and ... all over South East Qld; and at the same time recognise how important it is that we gather together regularly to worship God. We have been able to affirm the value of our institutional/organisational life as being important in protecting the more organic nature of a church built upon relationships and small groups. 

I am hearing more and more stories of people living out Christ’s mission incarnationally (as we all seek to be disciples of Christ wherever we live and work). I am observing the wonderful gift that occurs as people care for each other and celebrate that “this is church”. More and more IFFFs are beginning “organically” as people connect in groups of 3 for deeper discipleship. Life Groups (faith and fun), IFFF’s and ministries continue to explore how to reach out relationally to those who don’t know Christ and how to support each other in this incredible mission. 

We are praying for pre-Christian friends, not just for ourselves. We have experienced incredible generosity as over $76 000 has been given or pledged for mission, the ongoing work of God through LUC and in practical areas such as curtains, video equipment a lawnmower etc. Our website, facebook and video messages have widened the influence of Logan Uniting and have become very useful tools not just for communicating information but connecting needs with people who can meet them. 

We are learning to embrace a different “rhythm” of church as our Sunday evening and Carbrook congregations gather twice a month for corporate worship and on the other Sundays meet in faith life groups, bible studies or engage in relational mission. There is a quiet powerful move of the Spirit happening as we grow in “being the church of Jesus Christ”, not just “going to church.”

The diagram below paints a picture of the way God is shaping us as a church:

May we grow in loving God and others well. In a society of busy, stressed, uncertain people this is the greatest gift we can give – to be a church of people who have the space to love God and others well.

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech

Just walk across the room

A number of years ago I heard the statement that, “the moment a person walks through the front door of a church building they step on to an escalator that will move them through the church and out the back door within 2 years. The only way to get off the escalator is to step into relationships/friendships.” I reckon this is true. The key to a healthy church is healthy, accepting, honest friendships. 

I also believe the key to the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ is accepting, honest friendships with people who do not yet know Christ. In the end Jesus boiled true life down to loving God and loving others.

I strongly encourage you to watch out for the person God brings across your path that He wants you to talk with and perhaps befriend and who knows, perhaps share something of your faith in God with. I also ask that you are always on the look-out for the person God wants you to invite to join your Faith life group, IFFF, or Fun life group. This is the way the church grows and disciples are made. 

Go ahead “walk across the room” and include someone today

Yours in Christ

Graham

Gifts of the Spirit - Manifestations of God's Grace

At our anniversary service I encouraged us to “see beyond” those who are currently part of the church. At the core of Jesus call to follow him is His promise that He will teach us how to help people be drawn into relationship with God.

Last Sunday I argued that in Jesus life and ministry, what we currently call “gifts of the Spirit” were exercised primarily in the context of evangelism. The word evangelism literally means to “announce good news”. Jesus didn’t just tell people about the good news of God’s love; he made it real in their life. When Jesus healed the sick, the good news of God’s love became real. When Jesus visited Zacchaeus and accepted him, the good news of God’s love became real. When Jesus told the woman at the well all about her life and showed genuine respect, the good news of God’s love became real.

The word usually translated “gifts of the Spirit” in the New Testament, literally means “manifestations of grace”. God wants to make His love real to people; God wants His grace to come alive for people; and He wants to do it through us. I believe the next big move of the Spirit will see manifestations of the Spirit in workplaces, homes, gyms, even shopping centres, as ordinary people like you and I live with the prayer “God how do you want to make your love/grace real to ...” and insert the name of people we meet and relate to.

The question and prayer for all of us to work with is “God, how do you want to make your love/grace real through me? In our IFFF’s, Faith Life Groups, Fun Life Groups and Ministries we must pray and discover: “God how do you want to make your love/grace real to those who don’t yet know you, through us?” It is as we do this and step out, that the miracles of God will continue to unfold and grow and we will marvel at the privilege of participating in God’s transformation of people’s lives and our community (often called a “revival”).

Yours in Christ

Graham Keech