Not back to church?

Though I said I wouldn't be posting regularly on here from now on, I can't resist adding this:



It was brought to my attention by Bosco Peters in Christchurch. His comments are worth reading.

The ultimate Yes

Two of the quotes Simon Carey Holt uses in his Easter Sunday sermon, Yes! reproduced in his blog.

‘We are a Bible-believing, fundamental, dispensational, non-ecumenical, non-charismatic, non-Calvinistic, anti-liberal, anti-feminist, anti-gay, separatist church.’

Jurgen Moltmann says that ‘True spirituality is the rebirth of the full and undivided love of life; the total Yes to life and the unhindered love of everything living.’

I sat through a sermon on Sunday that seemed to me to be more about the Cross, Good Friday and dying to life/self. Could have done with a bit more celebration....!

Why bother with church?

Next time one of your congregation says they're thinking that it's hardly worth bothering to go to church, point in the direction of Lisa Colón DeLay, who calls herself a writer, artist, impromptu humorist, and spiritual formation provocateur (certainly sounds more trendy than a Spiritual Director).

She's recently written a post entitled, So, You wanna ditch your church? Top 5 Mistakes. It's not heavily theological, so it won't cause anyone to say 'that's too hard for me to understand.' It begins:

Sometimes going to church doesn’t seem worth it. For heaven’s sake, wouldn’t it be better to just have breakfast with some family or friends, and forgo irritating people, scheduling problems, overblown or petty dramas de jour, personality conflicts, politics, dodgy doctrinal positioning, and the rest of machine the local church can be? Is the Cracker Barrel growing a bit more more alluring each Sunday morning?

Seems like a no-brainer, right?
If this is kind of thing is happening for you, in your local church, maybe church shopping is around the bend? Well, wait just a minute. Here are 5 Mistakes you can make (or have made) regarding your local church.

1. Making theological judgments for what are personal preferences.
2. Mistaking the “local church” for The Bride of Christ.
3. Misunderstanding the idea of “community.”
4. Implementing a consumer approach with the spiritual and transcendent.
5. Overlooking what is happening in the sacraments.

Thou shalt not play on the Lord's Day

I'm currently doing a paper on Christianity in NZ - from its earliest days to the end of the 20th century (and maybe beyond).    It's been interesting to see something of the battles that have gone on in the past between denominations, and also over social issues such as prohibition, conscientious objection, sweat shops and more.

In one place there's a comment about how quiet Sunday was in New Zealand in the early days of the 20th century.   (I remember an overseas visitor back in the 1960s saying quiet Saturday was - he wonder why no shops were open.)   The Sabbath was well and truly observed, whether non-believers liked it or not.

In the light of that it's interesting to read the fuss that's going on in the Western Isles of Scotland, where the Sabbath is still maintained.   Some golfers in Stornaway have decided to oppose the ban on opening the golf course on Sundays, by playing.   And they're playing unhindered, because the course can't be manned because of the Sunday ban.....

Playing on the golf course isn't the only thing affected by the local Sunday rules.   Recently, Councillors upheld allegations by church groups that granting the licence would "damage morality", "weaken the integrity of the community" and lead to increases in domestic violence, alcoholism and disorder. 

All familiar stuff if you read the annals of the early 20th century.   It's an age-old problem (wasn't it Ezra or Nehemiah who had just such difficulties with local tradesmen?)  How much should the Sabbath affect those who don't believe in God, or are agnostics, or who just don't have anything to do with Christianity?   And would it be healthier if they were affected by it?   Does a game of golf come under Jesus' approach to the matter: the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? 

Daniel Chung

It takes quite a few paragraphs of the Stuff.co.nz story to find this out, but Daniel Chung, who hands out food every Sunday in Latimer Square, Christchurch, , is a Christian. 13 years ago he came to NZ from South Korea, and has worked as a taxi driver for a good deal of that time, not being able to get work here in his field of chemical engineering.

He doesn't make a lot of money, but still spends between $100 and $300 a week on providing food for homeless people in the area. "It is a struggle financially to keep doing it. If possible, if God permitted me, I would do this to the end of my days. It's an eternal job I will do until I leave this world."

His desire to help people came from his mother, who was a pastor in Pusan, South Korea, where he was born. She dedicated her life to helping people with leprosy, and that had a big impact on him, he said.

After feeding the people, he and his family head off to a church service. Seems to me they may have already 'done' church before they leave.

Sunday Morning

For those who just aren't quite sure how worship should be 'done' on a Sunday morning....

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Back to Church Sunday 2010

And another bit of information I pinched off the Wellington Anglican Diocese site:

Back to Church Sunday is to be held on Sunday 12 September this year.

In the meantime there will be:

A Seminar by Michael Harvey – 17 March
Unlocking the Growth – How to Release the God-Given Potential within the Church

Unlocking the Growth offers simple and effective ideas for increasing the number of people gathered to invitational services. It is specifically designed for leaders wanting to see their church grow, whether they are in the first year of ministry or have years of experience.

Michael Harvey is a founding team member of Back to Church Sunday, the largest invitational movement in the world. In 2009 over 100,000 people accepted invitations to church through this initiative. Research shows that between 12 and 15% of these people will become regular attendees, with 12-15,000 added to the church in one day across England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, France, Holland, Belgium and Spain. This measurable impact on congregations increases the confidence of leaders as they are equipped to increase the church across every tradition and denomination.

Michael speaks with humour and encouragement as he challenges leaders to unlock the potential within their churches, seeking to see and hear what God is doing through those who attend.

Unlocking the Growth topics include:

• 12 Steps to Kicking the Habit of Being an Uninviting Church
• The Reasons Why Christians Don’t Invite
• Hidden Attitudes
• How Welcome Plays Its Part
• What Is Church in 2010
• The Keys to Adding To the Church
• How to Overcome the Wounds of The Past
• How Accountability Plays Its Part
• Things Leaders Say (Welcome to the real world!)

Michael will be in the Wellington region on
Wednesday 17 March 2010
to present this 90 minute seminar.

If you would like to attend, please reply to Ginny McCarty on 04 973 9303 or 021 145 0398, or email her at mccarty@paradise.net.nz and indicate if you would prefer to attend a venue in Wellington or Kapiti. Further information will be available shortly.

PS: An average of 19 people returned to each church after receiving a per­sonal invitation for Back to Church Sunday 2009 in September. Watch some of the You Tube videos made for Back to Church Sunday.