This is the latest blurb that is published on the front of our weekly bulletin

Sharing Our Ministry

As a church with more than one minister, we need to work out how to share the pastoring of paid and volunteer leaders.

For next year we’re looking for a replacement for Jacob as he heads off to Moore College, so our staff and Parish Council have been considering ways to best define our different responsibilities.

We’ve chosen to adopt and adapt a popular church leadership strategy called ‘Team Pastoring’ that breaks up the responsibilities of our church into seven portfolios, each beginning with the letter ‘M.’

So, these key things we need to do together are to glorify God in our gatherings and devotions (Magnification), reach people outside the church (Mission), integrate, connect and and care within the church (Membership), grow in the knowledge and love of God (Maturity), equip and recruit for service (Ministry), foster intergenerational unity and distinction (Multigenerations), and manage people and resources (Mechanics).

To help us do this, we’re assigning these portfolios to our ministers, so that I will look after Magnification, Maturity, Mission, and Multigenerations as your Senior Minister, Sandee will look after Membership as the new ‘Care and Connections Minister’, Steve will look after Mission as the new ‘Evangelism Minister’, and Brad will continue to work across the whole church as Youth Minister.

To complete the team, we’re now looking to find an all-new, part time ‘Executive Minister’ who will manage our Mechanics, and lead and support our all-new team of volunteer Ministry Coordinators, whom we look to appoint soon.

Please pray that we successfully find a new ‘Executive Minister,’ and that we will identify and recruit an all-new team of ‘Ministry Coordinators’ as we work together to see each person in our village, valley and region know how to follow Jesus and why it matters.

JODIE McNEILL

Our Highest Value

It’s been a delight to hear back from so many of you by email about what you consider to be the values of our church, and for me to praise God for how he’s used our church to encourage and equip you to love others.

As I’ve read your responses, it’s been clear that there is one value that stands head and shoulders above the rest: that our church is deeply Bible-based.

You said we’re “Bible-based in a real and well-articulated way that does not shy away from why we are like that,” and that we have “faithful teaching of God’s word by people of real conviction and gifted by God for that ministry,” with preaching where “the main focus is God.”

It’s a genuine delight to know that the labour of our preachers is not in vain, as we seek to humbly sit under God’s word ourselves, and as we are lead by his Spirit to know more of him and ourselves, which we then bring to you.

I often think of teaching God’s word like serving up food for friends: the greatest compliment is when our guests finish all the food on their plate, and they are deeply satisfied in a way that brought real change and comfort, by God’s strength.

Sadly, this is not something that all Christians embrace, with some feeling that being too Bible-based somehow quenches the Holy Spirit or dampens our experience of God.

Yet, in my experience over the years, the churches that have been most profoundly impacted by God are those that humbly receive his word… especially as it challenges us to stand firm in a world that wants to own us as its own.

Praise God for his glorious word, and for the passion his Spirit has brought upon us to devour it and live for Jesus in every way.

JODIE McNEILL

Refreshing our values

Almost three years ago to the day, we invited everyone from our church to gather for a ‘Vision Day’ to consider our mission, vision, and values.

As a result, we identified six values that have defined who we are and, most significantly, what we consider to be important.

We decided that we were orthodox, Anglican, missional, intergenerational, village and heritage.

Using these values, we have explained to people what our church is like and why we do things the way we do.

It’s also helped us as we’ve considered change, so that we could work hard to do things that were ‘us’ and not things that went against our grain.

Since that day three years ago, God has kindly lead us through lots of change, and we’ve grown in many ways, especially as we’ve welcomed so many of you to be new members of our church.

And so it seems wise to have a fresh look at our values so we can consider whether these values are still the best six words to sum us up… and we’d love to hear from every current member of our church so we can consider your thoughts.

So, to help us review things, we’d love it if you could take just a few minutes to write down what you think is important and special for our church… and even to consider what might make you unhappy if we changed it.

Please email your thoughts (or write them down) so we can draft some refreshed values to help redefine who we are, so we might grow and change in a way that’s consistent with how God has formed our church.

It’s such a joy to be a part of our church at this time, and we pray that the Lord might continue to lead us to glorify him, as we keep loving each other.

JODIE McNEILL

(photo credit: Mike Cohen via Flickr)

Members or Partners?

Over the past few weeks some of our staff and senior leaders have been giving prayerful consideration to the best way to help support our growing church through refreshing and defining how leadership works in our church.

One of the things we talked about was whether it might be better to call each of us ‘partners’ rather than ‘members?’

Now, they’re both useful names to use to describe each of us who are actively involved in the ministry of our church.

And, as we’ll see in this weekend’s sermon from 1 Corinthians 12, the idea of ‘member’ actually makes sense when you think of each of us being a part (or a ’member’) of a body.

But in our common speak, we sometimes can think of a member as someone who pays their membership fees and seeks to get the benefits of being a member… which feels more of a consumeristic way of thinking.

Yet, that’s not how  our ‘members’ act in our church, for we all participate as partners who work together with servant hearts to sacrificially share our lives and resources with our fellow parishioners as we seek to see each person in our village, valley and region know how to follow Jesus and why it matters.

So, in that sense, the idea of being ‘partners’ is a more an active way of describing us, and perhaps , it better describes the depth and joy of our rich fellowship.

So, what do you think? Should we speak of each other as ‘partners’ of Jamberoo Anglican, or is the name ‘member’ still the more user-friendly way of describing all of us as parts of the body of Christ in Jamberoo?

Either way, the Lord has blessed with a wonderful team of disciples, who love to serve him as he has served us… no matter what we’re called!

JODIE McNEILL

(photo credit: ajusticenetwork via Flickr)

80 Days Since Africa

It’s 80 days since Mandy, Barbara and I returned from Africa, and although life has largely returned to normal, there is a sense in which I continue to see things differently since visiting Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania in April.

Like any cross-cultural experience, there’s learning to be gained from both those who visit and those who host, and this was certainly what we experienced in our journey.

Whilst there were many cultural differences, we had a fresh reminder that we worship the same Lord, and we know him by the same Spirit, through the same Bible, even if it’s in a different language.

At the same time, it’s hard to ignore the differences in wealth between our country and those that welcomed us, which challenges us to consider how to partner with our brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe.

Over the coming months I’m looking forward to establishing a partnership between our church and with ministries in Northern Tanzania, especially since three of us from Jamberoo have experienced this life and ministry firsthand.

What’s more, other local Anglicans have also been involved in ministry in this same area of Tanzania, which opens the possibility of creating partnerships with other local churches and organisations in our area.

Jesus has told us that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and we have experienced this ourselves as we have been blessed by the sacrificial ministry of our brothers and sisters in East Africa as they hosted us.

May he lead us to also bless them as we partner together as the one body of Christ, loving and serving to the glory of the God. 

JODIE McNEILL

Strange New World

Over the holidays I’ve been reflecting on the rapid change our world has gone through as we’ve shifted into a state of mind that considers the ‘self’ to be both an authority and an idol.

My thinking partner has been Carl R. Trueman, who has written a fascinating book called ‘Strange New World’, in which he explores how things have changed so much that the phrase, “I am a woman trapped in a man’s body,” has become normal in just one generation.

Trueman begins his analysis by looking at a bunch of old and new philosophers, including Descartes (“I think therefore I am”), Marx (“Religion… is the opium of the people”), Nietzsche (“God is dead”), Freud (“erotism [is] the central point of… life”), and even Oscar Wilde (“A man… may break the law, and yet be fine.”)

These thinkers set the foundation for the radical change that has only fully arrived in our society in the last decade.

But the thing that lit the fuse of this explosive change was technology, including ‘the pill’ that kicked off the sexual revolution, and the internet that normalised pornography and established new communities that have rallied together for support and change.

The result is that our society has closed itself to alternate views, and has developed a habit of silencing speech and cancelling debaters, out of fear of causing harm to a person’s self by injuring their feelings.

In response, Trueman suggests that Christians should make it a priority to invest in Christian community, so that we can show the world that we are Christ’s disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35.)

Furthermore, he encourages us to make our church services special, since, “a large part of the church’s witness to the world is simply being the church in worship.”

So, as we face this strange new world, let’s continue to gather together in love for one another, as we show the world the hope we have in the new creation.

JODIE McNEILL

The Gift of Psalms

This week Sydney has welcomed international musicians Keith and Kristyn Getty, and their full band, who served us with a conference and a concert that helped inspire us to enthusiastically sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

At Monday’s conference we were reminded of the importance of saying and singing Psalms in church, as local evangelist David Robertson urged churches to use the Psalms each week, as we currently do here at Jamberoo.

Other than the fact that the Bible tells us to, we were reminded that Jesus, himself, sang the same Psalms when he gathered with his people, and that ultimately, they are about Jesus, himself, great David’s greater Son.

Another reason is that they help us have a more authentic view of God, especially now that many modern songs seem to avoid some of the themes that the Psalms mention so often about God’s character, including his anger and judgement, and his glory.

Also, the Psalms express the full range of human emotions, so that we are able to speak and sing together words that connect with our deepest reality, no matter how we’re feeling.

To illustrate this, David shared about someone who, after reading out the Psalms in church, felt that she had been given permission to be depressed, instead of having to show a ‘happy clappy’ attitude that can often feel disconnected from how we’re truly feeling.

Finally, he showed us that Psalms are great for people exploring Christianity, for they can help newcomers see that what we’re saying and singing are the same things that people from other places and times in history have also sung… which gives a unique connection with the saints throughout history.

The Psalms are a rich gift to us from God, and it’s a pleasure and privilege to sing and speak them each week in church!

JODIE McNEILL

Swim Between The Flags

Swimming in the surf is great fun, but to minimise the dangers, our Surf Life Saving friends have given us flags to swim between so that they can focus their attention on those who need watching.

I recently attended a conference about pastoral care and the church leader spoke of their small groups as being like the flags on a beach.

He said that in their church, their small groups are the hub of pastoral care, and they help everyone to see when others might put their hand up for help… and when they wander into rough waters without realising their difficulties.

Whilst I seek to care for all our church members, as well as those who reside in our parish, I praise God for our Growth Group leaders who keep a pastoral eye out for those who are part of their group.

This why we encourage every member of our church to be a part of a Growth Group, even a person is not in a position to regularly attend the mid-week gathering of prayer, Bible study and encouragement.

By being a member of a Growth Group, you are swimming between the flags of our church’s pastoral care, and you’re helping all of us help each other to provide care and to refer, as needed.

Our church is blessed to have Sandee as our own Care and Community Chaplain, and she is always ready to help assist our Growth Group leaders and members in caring for each other, providing wisdom in how and when to refer to pastors and professionals.

If you’re not connected to a Growth Group, then we’d love you to swim between our church flags so we can care for you as we go through the challenges of life, as we await the return of Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

The Joy of SRE

Possibly the most remarkable hour of my week is spent at Jamberoo Public School each Thursday afternoon as I enjoy the privilege of teaching SRE (Scripture) to 18 kids from Kindergarten through to Year Two.

Within my class there are some children from church members, some kids who have attended our church once or twice in the past, as well as a bunch of kids who can’t remember ever having set foot in a church.

My role is simple: to help every child in my class have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Protestant Christian… which is what their parent or carer has nominated as their faith.

I sometimes find it hard to teach students across the educational span of three school years, and it can also be a challenge to instruct children with almost no foundational understanding of their faith.

But what makes this hour so remarkable is the number of times that I see the children experience significant ‘aha’ moments about Jesus and what it means for them.

For example, this Easter as we considered the death and resurrection of Jesus, I asked the class, “did Jesus really die,” to which half said, “no,” and the rest said, “yes.”

From this, I explained why Jesus really died, and why he really rose from the dead; from which I explained what that meant for them if they trust in Jesus as their king.

Scripture is such a great part of our state school system, as it means that families can take advantage of public education, whilst still having the opportunity to have tailored religious education for their children.

Keep praying for the kids we teach each week, and ask our Father to use our words to bring these young people to a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo: Our special Easter Scripture Assembly this year in our church, with our special guests from Moore College)

Safeguarding Kids

Every three years our Archbishop summons every licensed and authorised church worker in the diocese to be refreshed in their understanding of faithfulness in ministry.

Last Wednesday, our staff team gathered in Figtree for that event, to hear about the important need for churches to help safeguard kids from abuse by providing ‘protective behaviours.’

This is a life skill that gives kids a basic understanding of what should and shouldn’t happen with their ‘private parts,’ so that in the tragic instance of abuse, children will already know what is unacceptable… even if they’re not old enough to be taught everything about sex.

Our presenter on the day was Andrea Musulin, who has been working for the Perth Catholic Archdiocese for a decade (and the WA Police for thirty years before that,) during which time she has prepared a number of excellent resources that are available for free download from safeguarding.perthcatholic.org.au

Whilst the resources are obviously written with a Roman Catholic audience in mind, the overall content is ideal for all Christian parents/carers as well as church leaders.

Two resources for leaders and parents/carers include, ‘Protecting God’s Children,’ and for teens, ‘Love, Sex and Relationships.’

In addition, there’s a terrific kids’ story book called, ‘You Are God’s Marvellous Creation,’ that I would particularly recommend to parents/carers to consider reading to their younger children around the age of their first years of school.

It was heartbreaking to be freshly reminded of the abuse of children that has occurred in churches, schools and other environments, and again it brought us to repentance as we recognised the harm that had been done by church leaders.

Let us pray that God would help us to do everything possible to make our churches as safe as possible for children, and to incorporate protective behaviours in their lives as a way of safeguarding them against potential abuse.

JODIE McNEILL

(Image credit: Safy Tashkandy, illustrator of ‘You Are God’s Marvellous Creation.’)