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

We are Heritage

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The sixth and final value of our church says that, “we are heritage in our style, as we gather in our historical building in a contemporary context.”

In a sense, this final value is all about aesthetics—the look and feel of our facilities and image.

Since we gather in a building that is over 150 years old, we value the look and feel of the sandstone, the stained glass, and the traditional architecture.

We prefer a vintage and classical styling in our design and development, as we embrace the experience of gathering in a venue that enjoys continuity with many generations of Jamberoo residents.

In these unsettling, unprecedented times, our setting provides some comfort in its connection with the faith and the faithful of the past, who found their anchor in Christ.

At the same time, we recognise that a vibrant and contemporary Christian congregation must engage with the latest in technology and design in order to make the most of innovation within the rapidly-changing patterns of society.

So, whilst we have a vintage ‘vibe’, we choose to utilise modern technology and architecture in the way we connect and gather.

Yet the notion of heritage also acknowledges that our current congregation has inherited our buildings and properties from those who sacrificially provided the place in which we now meet together with Jesus, for the glory of his name.

We continue this legacy as we take our unchanging message to an ever-changing world, developing our heritage facilities for the next generation of believers.

We celebrate the history of faithful, Christian ministry in our buildings by committing above all to the faithful ministry of the word of God that takes priority over all, regardless of the aesthetic.

JODIE McNEILL

We are Village

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Our fifth value states that, “we are village in our relationships, as we serve our local neighbourhood, and enjoy grace and peace in our church.”

We are thankful that our church is located in a prominent position within the heart of Jamberoo village, and we seek to embrace every opportunity to engage with the people who live, work, learn and play in our local area.

We encourage engagement with community organisations, including our RFB, CWA, Red Cross, Probus, RSL, and the many sporting and recreational organisations.

We enjoy the privilege of serving the students, staff and families of Jamberoo Public School, through practical support and the teaching of Scripture.

We prayerfully serve the residents in our neighbourhood through material and spiritual care as we seek to support and guide all who reside here.

We also value the village ‘feel’ of the relationships within our church family, knowing that it takes a village to raise a child of God, not matter what the age.

We seek to show deep love for each member of our church, providing generous support and pastoral care as we nurture and grow our spiritual family.

As we are reminded in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

We long to see a great increase in the number of people who personally know Jesus and who enjoy and embrace our church community, and so we work to ensure that every individual is known and loved.

JODIE McNEILL

(Credit: Kiama Library via Flickr)

We are Intergenerational

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Our fourth value says that, “we are intergenerational in our fellowship, as all ages and stages are nurtured together in faith and love.”

Throughout history, the family has been at the heart of the Christian fellowship, and people of all ages have gathered together for church.

As the Bible was read and taught together, children were told to obey their parents, and their parents were told to bring them up with the Lord’s discipline and instruction.

Our church continues this practice, as we include children and youth within our weekly corporate worship services, baptising infants and adults as members.

People of all ages pray, sing, hear the Bible, declare the faith, join in the Lord’s Supper, and learn about the work of God in the lives of our members and in those we share with in mission throughout the world.

We love children to witness their parents and grandparents enthusiastically praising God, and we cherish adults witnessing young people expressing their faith.

Yet, we also recognise that children learn best when they’re taught according to their developmental needs, and so we provide a special program for them during the time that the adults and youth hear the Bible teaching.

Likewise, because adolescents are a defined cultural group, we offer a youth ministry to address their specific needs and to provide a platform for them to reach their teenage friends during their years of school.

Jesus said, “the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children”, and so we value the opportunity to learn together from each other as we see the day of the Lord approaching.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Vormingplus Gent-Eeklo vzw via Flickr)

More on Being Missional

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When I wrote last week about how our church is missional, I forgot to talk about how our church services connect with people who are not yet followers of Jesus.

In our church we rarely run any special ‘outreach’ or ‘evangelistic’ events, but instead, we try to make every public gathering an opportunity for someone who is not yet a believer to watch us and hear our message.

We’re a little bit like the church that’s described in 1 Corinthians 14:22-25.

In these verses, the Apostle Paul encouraged them to make church easy to understand for people who don’t yet know Jesus, whilst still making it a special gathering in the presence of God.

And as they did this, the visitors would be aware of their sin and judgement before God, and would “fall to their knees and worship God”, for they would recognise that in the gathering, “God is truly here among you”.

For us, this means that when people who don’t know Jesus come to our church, they get to see what it looks like to follow Jesus at the same time as they hear the Good News that saves them.

Not only do unbelievers learn how to have certainty for eternity, they also experience with us a ‘slice of heaven’.

What’s more, this helps Christians of all ages and stages understand their faith, because the preacher is always trying to make things clear to newcomers, including answers to important questions about what we believe. 

So with this in mind, I’ve added this sentence to last week’s explanation of what it means for us to be ‘missional’:

“We aim for our church services to be easy to understand for unbelievers so that as they hear the Good News that saves, they also experience the joy of gathering around Christ.”

So who will you bring along with you to church this week?

JODIE McNEILL

We are Missional

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The third of our six church values states that, “we are missional in our outlook, as we recruit, train and send people and resources to proclaim the gospel locally and globally.”

In his final words in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, and so continue in this mission today.

We long for people of all nations to become disciples of Jesus, so that as they follow him, they might join us in making more disciples of Christ.

We aim for our church services to be easy to understand for unbelievers so that as they hear the Good News that saves, they also experience the joy of gathering around Christ.

We actively recruit gospel workers to be ministers of God’s word in our diocese and across the world, in churches and other strategic contexts.

We strategically train gospel workers through ministry apprenticeships and placements as we partner with training institutions to pass the baton of leadership.

We joyfully send people from our church to gospel harvests across the globe, as we aim to share the resources Christ has given us to build his church. 

We prayerfully support missionaries who partner with us in this mission across the globe, as we generously support their financial needs.

We seek to develop ministry models and resources that can be shared with other churches in rural and regional contexts.

Knowing that the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, we encourage and support every member of our church to confidently and naturally talk about Jesus at every opportunity.

God’s mission is our mission, and it is a privilege and a joy to know Christ and to make him known.

JODIE McNEILL

We are Anglican

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The second of our six church values states that, “we are Anglican in our form, as we reflect the Reformation in the shape and substance of our common prayer.”

We are more than just Anglican by name, for we also follow the way of doing church that was put in place by the English Reformers in the sixteenth century.

So even though we don’t use 500-year-old words, we still follow the vibe of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’ in our church services.

This means we regularly say things out loud as we pray prayers, declare our beliefs, and sing songs and Psalms.

We talk about our sin, pray for forgiveness, and then comfort each other by hearing God’s grace and mercy.

We focus on praying for the world, the community, the work of the church, and the needs of individuals, as well as the words and the message of the Lord’s Prayer. 

We experience the power of the cross in the Lord’s Supper, and we prayerfully portray the joy of spiritual rebirth in the baptism of people of all ages.

We trust the Bible as God’s word, so we read each week from the Old and New Testaments and also a Gospel, and we listen carefully to the preaching of the sermon.

We follow the ordination service to help us choose and appoint pastors, and to explain how bishops and other ministers should live and act. 

We also teach and believe what is written in ‘The Articles of Religion’ which summarises what we believe about our Triune God, his people, and the world.

We love being a part of a worldwide family of Anglicans, celebrating our common faith, even though our style is less formal than some.

Above all, our services are special occasions where we come together to experience God with the congregation in our church as we serve all the people living in our parish.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Charles Clegg via Flickr)

We are Orthodox

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The first of our six church values states that, “we are orthodox in our doctrine, as we believe and teach God’s unchanging word in an ever-changing world.”

The word ‘orthodox’ reminds us of ‘orthodontist’, a person who makes crooked teeth straight… just like how our church seeks to have ‘straight’ teaching that’s aligned to God’s word.

We hear God’s word when the Bible is read and taught, and that’s why we devote time to listening and reading aloud his words from the Bible, as well as learning and growing from the sermon, the Q&A segment, and the teaching in our small groups.

We want to know God’s word well because we live in a world that has drifted away from listening to the loving creator and ruler of the universe.

So, we want to know and tell God’s great gospel word to everyone, so that all people can hear what God really thinks is the world’s problem, as well as knowing his ultimate solution through the death of Jesus in our place.

This will also mean that our beliefs will clash with views in our society, especially in areas of ‘ethics’, (like abortion and gender), as well as other ‘doctrines’, (like the literal resurrection of Jesus, and the exclusivity of Christ for salvation).

We can be tempted to soften God’s word so that we don’t experience conflict with society, but we know God is offended when people miscommunicate him, and we want to honour him in every way.

But we also know that God’s unchanging word in the Bible is actually the most wonderful message to an uncertain and rapidly-changing world… and we want it to be spoken loud and clear, so it can offer true hope in Christ Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

(Image credit: John Lustig via Flickr)

What are our values?

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If someone asked you to sum yourself up in six words, then what would you say?

This was the challenge our church gave itself last weekend at our ‘Vision Day’, when after much discussion, we came up with a draft list of six values.

These describe what is special about our church, and help us plan for the future in a way that is consistent with what we cherish and value.

Here is a draft list of values for our consideration:

Firstly, we are orthodox in our doctrine, as we believe and teach God’s unchanging word in an ever-changing world.

Secondly, we are Anglican in our form, as we reflect the Reformation in the shape and substance of our common prayer.

Thirdly, we are missional in our outlook, as we recruit, train and send people and resources to proclaim the gospel locally and globally.

Fourthly, we are heritage in our style, as we gather in our historical building in a contemporary context.

Fifthly, we are intergenerational in our fellowship, as all ages and stages are nurtured together in faith and love.

Finally, we are village in our relationships, as we serve our local neighbourhood, and enjoy grace and peace in our church.

These six values, and the accompanying explanation, are still in draft form, and I’m sure we’ll keep developing and refining them as we prayerfully reflect on who we are and who we want to be, under God. 

I’d love to hear your feedback, as well as your ideas about how to grow our church in a way that is consistent with these values.

Yet above all, let us commit ourselves, in prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, to glorify God and love our neighbour by proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ, calling people to repent and living lives worthy of him, as we seek to see Christ honoured as Lord and Saviour in every community.

JODIE McNEILL

A vision for the future

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In August we celebrate five years since the launch of our Saturday service, and during this time, the Lord has grown our church significantly.

Now is the time for us to examine who we are and what we value, and then chart a course into the future.

So, what is the ideal to which our church should aspire?

The ‘Ten Commandments’ are well known but rarely considered when seeking inspiration about vision setting.

That’s because they are often considered a list of rules from God that some people think we need to keep in order to avoid God’s anger and enjoy his blessing.

But the Bible says that the Ten Commandments only show us how much we consistently fail to obey God in our actions and our thoughts.

This is why Jesus died for us, so that he could keep all the Ten Commandments perfectly, and then exchange his innocence for our guilt.

Then by trusting in Jesus as our king, we receive the benefit of his death through grace by believing in him.

Since the Ten Commandments are designed to show us how to become friends with God, they now can be regarded as a vision for life, together.

When Jesus was asked which was the most important of these commandments, he said:

“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt. 22:37-39)

Our vision is that we might be a community that, by grace alone, seeks to love God and each other to the full, knowing that we are forgiven when we fail, and that we have a future hope of the new creation when we will experience this fully.

JODIE McNEILL

(Picture credit: Rich Savage via Flickr)

Will you pray with us?

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Would you consider joining us for prayer one morning per week for just half an hour?

We are praying that the Lord will pour out his Holy Spirit upon our village, valley, and the whole of the Illawarra and beyond… and it is good to bow our knees, together, to do this.

Thanks to Zoom, we can do this easily by connecting at zoom.jamberooanglican.com any morning (except Sunday) at 7am.

We read some chapters from the Bible and we pray… and it’s over in under half an hour.

You don’t need to turn on your Zoom camera, so you can join us in your pyjamas or even when you’re commuting!

For some of us it is early, but it is something that is so important that it’s worth getting out of bed for.

You don’t need to read anything, nor do you need to say anything: you can just simply listen and pray along with those who are speaking.

Yes, we meet and pray in our church services, in our small groups, and on our own… but this is something that is a bold statement of our devotion to God as a church, pleading with him to bring great revival to our land.

Imagine if Jamberoo had a reputation for being a Christian village!

Imagine if our church was packed to the rafters with people eager to hear God’s word and love and serve his world!

Let’s do more than imagine… let’s pray!

The Apostle Paul said in Colossians 4, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.”

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo Flickr: t-bet)