Please find this week's St Barnabas Lifestreams e-news with the roster below. If you no longer want to receive these emails please unsubscribe at the end of this email.
Peace in Christ,
Andrew McDonald
Last week Vicki, Michael and I shared with you news that Lifestreams will
need to relocate due to major renovations of the Medbury School
Hall beginning in November. Vicki helpfully acknowledged that the past year has been unsettling for many of us. The thought of another transition, whether temporary or permanent, may be considered just one more change for us to get through. The hope and excitement for me came when Vicki talked about God's invitation for us to become a redeeming community. We often talk about God's healing and redeeming power. A redeeming community is one with Christ at its centre. A redeeming community is made of people, people like you and me, who seek to bring God's forgiveness, healing and hope into the midst of everyday human hurts and needs.
So why did Vicki make such a bold and hope-filled statement in the face of this news? Because, I believe, God is giving us another opportunity to appreciate how important relationships are; for us to become a redemptive community of Jesus' disciples rather than another Sunday program.
In this week's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus teaches the importance of living lives that are rich toward God. Lives that are rich towards God flow outward in richness towards one another. Perhaps that is one reason why God gathers people for worship.
This Sunday I hope we can share those things we value most about Lifestreams; hopefully those things that help us to lives lives that are rich towards God and become a redeeming community for those around us. I have outlined how the worship service will run below so that all of us can come with heart and mind prepared.
THIS SUNDAY'S WORSHIP-SHARING TIME
Our worship this week will be more informal than usual. Crèche will be available for those with children and the same chance to share will be offered to everyone.
As we worship we have the chance to gather into small groups and share those things we value most about being part of Lifestreams (or if you are new, what you value most about church). People of all ages are welcome to share their thoughts.
Children who don't want to join the groups are welcome to share their ideas by drawing pictures about: "What I Love Best About Church."
For the sake of clarity the group sharing will be based on the following dimensions of Lifestreams:
Worship (this may include our experience of God, the music, communion, the liturgy, the relaxed nature of the worship)
Teaching/Talks (this may include the activities and teaching at kidzone, bible-bashers, the sermon)
Community (welcome, fellowship, morning tea, relationships, home groups, families etc.)
Place of Worship (do we value the places in which we worship?)
Groups for Young People (discipleship, friends, teaching, sharing, activities etc)
Mission (the opportunity to share our faith, to serve those need, to pursue what God is inspiring us to do in the world)
From this list I invite you to consider:
1) What 3 things do I value most about Lifestreams?
2) What is it about each of these things that I value?
Opportunity for each person to reflect and share in a group of four will be given to those who want. Further directions will be given on Sunday morning.
I also invite each of you to prayerfully consider the following question?
3) Where to from here for Lifestreams?
Please feel free to discuss these questions together at home, make notes, come prepared to share. Your dreams and ideas are essential for Lifestreams as we seek God's purpose together.
All that we share on Sunday will be collated by the leadership team to provide insight and wisdom for our future as Lifestreams.
We will conclude with a short communion service.
If you have any questions before Sunday please don't hesitate to ask me. I am here to help and listen.
Worship the Lifestreams' Way
Our Worship training will continue in August.
8th August - Preparing and Leading Prayers
15th August - Being a Welcomer or Sides person
22nd August - Hospitality/Morning Tea
Future date - Preparing and presenting a Personal Testimony in Worship (Open to everyone)
THIS SUNDAY:
Gospel Reading:
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself ?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Thanks to all of you. As always I can be contacted either by email andrew@stbarnabas.org.nz or phone at the office 351 7064. My cell phone is 021 201 4798 and home 351 7392.
I will be away for the first 10 days of August on leave.Peace in Christ,
Andrew McDonald
Lifestreams @ Medbury: News and Roster
A FEW WORDSLast week Vicki, Michael and I shared with you news that Lifestreams will
need to relocate due to major renovations of the Medbury School
Hall beginning in November. Vicki helpfully acknowledged that the past year has been unsettling for many of us. The thought of another transition, whether temporary or permanent, may be considered just one more change for us to get through. The hope and excitement for me came when Vicki talked about God's invitation for us to become a redeeming community. We often talk about God's healing and redeeming power. A redeeming community is one with Christ at its centre. A redeeming community is made of people, people like you and me, who seek to bring God's forgiveness, healing and hope into the midst of everyday human hurts and needs.So why did Vicki make such a bold and hope-filled statement in the face of this news? Because, I believe, God is giving us another opportunity to appreciate how important relationships are; for us to become a redemptive community of Jesus' disciples rather than another Sunday program.
In this week's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus teaches the importance of living lives that are rich toward God. Lives that are rich towards God flow outward in richness towards one another. Perhaps that is one reason why God gathers people for worship.
This Sunday I hope we can share those things we value most about Lifestreams; hopefully those things that help us to lives lives that are rich towards God and become a redeeming community for those around us. I have outlined how the worship service will run below so that all of us can come with heart and mind prepared.
THIS SUNDAY'S WORSHIP-SHARING TIME
Our worship this week will be more informal than usual. Crèche will be available for those with children and the same chance to share will be offered to everyone.
As we worship we have the chance to gather into small groups and share those things we value most about being part of Lifestreams (or if you are new, what you value most about church). People of all ages are welcome to share their thoughts.
Children who don't want to join the groups are welcome to share their ideas by drawing pictures about: "What I Love Best About Church."
For the sake of clarity the group sharing will be based on the following dimensions of Lifestreams:
Worship (this may include our experience of God, the music, communion, the liturgy, the relaxed nature of the worship)
Teaching/Talks (this may include the activities and teaching at kidzone, bible-bashers, the sermon)
Community (welcome, fellowship, morning tea, relationships, home groups, families etc.)
Place of Worship (do we value the places in which we worship?)
Groups for Young People (discipleship, friends, teaching, sharing, activities etc)
Mission (the opportunity to share our faith, to serve those need, to pursue what God is inspiring us to do in the world)
From this list I invite you to consider:
1) What 3 things do I value most about Lifestreams?
2) What is it about each of these things that I value?
Opportunity for each person to reflect and share in a group of four will be given to those who want. Further directions will be given on Sunday morning.
I also invite each of you to prayerfully consider the following question?
3) Where to from here for Lifestreams?
Please feel free to discuss these questions together at home, make notes, come prepared to share. Your dreams and ideas are essential for Lifestreams as we seek God's purpose together.
All that we share on Sunday will be collated by the leadership team to provide insight and wisdom for our future as Lifestreams.
We will conclude with a short communion service.
If you have any questions before Sunday please don't hesitate to ask me. I am here to help and listen.
Worship the Lifestreams' Way
Our Worship training will continue in August.
8th August - Preparing and Leading Prayers
15th August - Being a Welcomer or Sides person
22nd August - Hospitality/Morning Tea
Future date - Preparing and presenting a Personal Testimony in Worship (Open to everyone)
THIS SUNDAY:
Gospel Reading:
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself ?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
Welcoming: Angela Brown and Mary Cropp
Prayers: Shared
Sidespeople: Dave and Andrea Ramsell
Assistants: To be contacted
Kidzone: Crèche will be provided with busy bags
Morning Tea: Ian and Marette Wells