Behind the scenes: with the creative arts team

It’s 10.54pm on a Sunday night and somewhere in between dragging around an in-design layout for the next church magazine and thumbing through my rather tatty bible looking for a theme for this issue, inspiration has struck. Deepest waters, rivers, oceans, the sea, cast sins into the sea( Mic 7: 19), peace like a river (Is.48:18), even if I settle on the far side of the sea, there your hand will guide me (Ps 139),.…I am on a thematic quest, diving between verses, chapters, books and squashed up pages, unfolding metaphors large and small( and aquatic apparently).

It is perhaps one of my favourite aspects of this ministry, coordinating a creative arts team that serves our church, the challenge to navigate the gap between the written word and the visual, the idea and the metaphor, symbol, gesture, poem, all colour and light and flavour that is woven through or can be used to express it. The challenge to ever hope to precipitate even just a moment that expresses a millimetre of the abundantly creative God we serve. 

But I am sure for many, what we do is probably a bit of a mystery. 

Like lots of ministries.

In the interest of peaking your interest I thought I would take you though, for a little dip behind the scenes( oh no you didn’t -yes I promise more water-y puns to come), to uncover it’s much more paper, pens, ridiculous ideas and email chains than berets, easels and philosophy.

We meet as a team every 2 weeks, often around a messy table of snacks and art supplies, where we share an agenda that stretches from the next sermon series topic- ideas for artwork, performance, video, working with Stella- our amazing communications manager, planning projects in collaboration with other teams to promote their events and ministry, to tangentially discussing how much we would totally rock an artists studio caravan in the church parking lot, with an astroturf garden and a coffee cart window at the back.  We think out loud, we thumb through scriptures, we have thinking music and lots of scrawly paper that translates a myriad of wonderful ideas into a smaller number of actual tasks and a growing list of one-day-when projects. We pray a lot because mostly we are doing things we have never done before and have no clue if they will work out. And then we have workshops and project sessions - excursions for footage into the city, making objects into typography and photographing them, storyboarding videos, mass producing installation objects, trying to engineer structures that will actually hang them in record time, excursions to bunnings, lots of drilling, painting or on occasion just strolling around a stage posturing over the perfect intonation for a line.

Not many of us are professional artists, a few most certainly, but for the most part we learn along the way whatever it is we need to make happen the thing which we have imagined doing.

We are often more ambitious than we should probably be, but that keeps us praying harder and relying on God in his mercy and providence to make this pathetic human gesture into something that can be used for his purposes. It’s a pretty great place to be.  We believe greatly in the power of creative arts to facilitate learning, outreach, community building, and just to bring joy and beauty. What can I say, it is the best! We would love for new people to join who feel passionately about the potential of this area. And even more so we would be blessed to have you on board as a contractor, full time member or occasional volunteer if you have any experience in the arts.*  

But back to that magazine, Micah 7: 19 has won out for space on the first page, and the lyrics of a song playing in the background seem like they offer what we are looking for on the front cover, “grace abounds in deepest waters”. Yes. There are still many hours left to navigate on this  project but it seems to be sailing smoothly.  And all going well you get to see it in print next weekend! 

*You can find out about joining the creative arts team at http://snccreativearts.blogspot.com

Keep Walking!

Last April I began to think through the planning of the Women’s Conference for 2013.   I had heard about Jenny Salt and I decided that it would be a good idea to phone her.  To my surprise she invited me to Sydney Missionary & Bible College for a morning coffee.  We discussed many ideas of what to teach at the conference and to be honest I was just relieved that she said “yes” to my date.  The Lord knew exactly what we needed to hear and after another meeting in early December, Marg Hudson, Jenny and I were confident with the outline of the vision for the MAC Women’s Conference for 2013.  We prayed!

POWER WALKING – a life worth living!

Planning began, advertising arranged and workshops determined.  We prayed!  Caterer was booked, colour theme decided and music team sorted.  We prayed!  Registrations began. We prayed! Here are some reflections from our conference which was held on Saturday February 16.

• Walking into an atmosphere of femininity with hot pink being the colour theme.  
• Having our very own “women’s music team” and enjoying the singing together, reminding one another what Christ has done for us and living our life for Him.
• Seeing familiar faces and meeting new women from MAC all sitting together waiting in anticipation of what Jenny Salt will teach from Colossians 1 and 4.
• Seeing older and younger women learning together, being reminded that God uses the preaching, teaching and speaking of the Word to bring people into His Kingdom.  He uses us, feeble as we are but he uses us!
• Jenny Salt challenged us to devote ourselves to prayer.  That living each day was power walking in Christ - speaking to God about people and speaking to people about God with gentleness and respect. 
• The urgency of living every day; power walking with the Gospel on our lips! “Soak in the Word of God”.
• The chatter as the women returned from the workshops.  There was excitement and discovery in the air.
• Leaving the building challenged to have thankful hearts to God for everything He provides and to tell others of the grace He has showered us with.

KEEP WALKING – POWER WALKING in Christ!

- Margaret Icke, Women's Ministry Coordinator

Menai Anglican Women's conference recap from SNC CreativeArts on Vimeo.

“I shouldn’t be here”

“I shouldn’t be here, I should be in non-Scripture” a Year 5 boy in my SRE (scripture) class told me this morning. 

“That’s ok” I told him, “Scripture is for people who don’t believe in God too. It helps you understand about others and what they believe”. He nodded and packed up his things. 

“See you next week then?” 

I will have to wait a week to find out!

But really, “I shouldn’t be here”. There shouldn’t be the need for people to walk into our school and teach the Bible. God always intended for parents to raise their children in their love and knowledge of Him and His word. That’s what church is all about; encouraging us all to walk through life with God.

Yet sadly, for most children in the wider community, the only time they hear of Jesus is at school in SRE for half an hour a week. SRE is taught in our 6 local primary (K-Yr 6) schools and kicked off on Tuesday 26^th February in Bangor, Tharrawal, Illawong, Menai, Alford’s point and Lucas Heights. 

This is the vital ministry of ‘Introducing Jesus’ to the generation of children who are growing up without God. The common cry of the child in my SRE classes is ‘I want to go to church but my parents won’t take me’. For these children the SRE class is their ‘church’. Here they can freely ask their questions, pray without hindrance or embarrassment, read God’s word and be taught from it. It is in the classrooms that children can express their faith (or lack of it) and can take steps towards knowing Jesus and growing in their relationship with him.

The SRE ministry is a joint effort with the other Protestant churches in the 2234 post code and the need is great because, sadly so many parents don’t know God and so can’t introduce their children to Him. And while we introduce the children to him, it is the church’s role to introduce their parents to God at work, over the back yard fence, at their child’s sporting events and over a beer or a latte.

So we continue to be where we “shouldn’t be”; introducing people to Jesus so they can have transformed lives. Why do we need transforming? Because we are a broken people, not living as God intended us to live.  We were born broken and far away from God from the moment we existed. The joy of introducing a child to Jesus means a life-long journey with Him; a life filled with purpose, love and forgiveness. There is no better way to live.

Despite what the media want us to think, Jesus is active and alive in Australia. He is active in the hearts and minds of his people and in the hearts and minds of children. It is Jesus who calls children “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these”. (Luke 18:16) and it is Jesus who sends, we just need to be listening. 

You should be here! Don’t hinder your family or yourself for that matter in discovering God. Come and join us in church and be where you ‘should be’; with God’s people, under God’s headship and in His love, living as we were created to live. 

“See you next week then?” I will have to wait a week to find out!

- Mary Pickford- Children's minister

Sermon Series – The Vision. Yet Again?

Well friends, at our services we've been taking a look at our vision for the next five years (“Again?” you ask!) 

At one point we really don’t even need to say it, because it’s what every church should be doing, and we already know it, but at another point we need to keep being reminded that that is what we are on about. It’s all too easy to get side-tracked. 

We’re on about introducing Jesus, not running an organisation. We want to focus on changing lives, not making people comfortable.  Focus loses its clarity, doesn’t it? Vision leaks! 

It really doesn’t get any simpler than “Introducing Jesus; Changing Lives.”  If you need a reminder on the whole vision check out http://www.menaianglican.org/information/vision/ on our website.

“Introducing Jesus” puts it well because it’s about a friendship, not a philosophy or a set of values.  We want people to find the peace,forgiveness, love,challenge and adventure that comes with walking through life with Jesus. We don’t want to win them to our cause, or adopt a philosophy.  It’s about a person.

And changing lives?  Walking with Jesus is all about change. It’s bringing people out of the darkness. It’s bringing lost people home to God. It’s helping people grow more to be the way He made us to be. It’s all about starting again. It’s about growing a big heart and a wise mind. It’sa bout broken people being put back together.

It’s not necessarily about becoming a TV evangelist or knocking on people’s doors. It’s about doing all we can do to  make introductions and help people make the next step. We can all do that. It’s often all about being a link in the chain, even one small link. 

So what are YOU PERSONALLY  doing to introduce Jesus and help Him change lives? Or how have you been helped to know Jesus or had your life changed. Let us know.  Add your comments here and tell us your stories.  It’d be a great encouragement.  I look forward to reading your comments. 

Bruce Dingwall- Senior Minister

What Do Sticky Nametags Have To Do With Love?

This week at  Saturday Night Church (SNC) we are introducing sticky-label nametags for everyone, and so I thought I would take this opportunity to explain some of the rationale behind this move. There are three broad ways in which nametags are going to make a positive difference to us all at SNC.

Firstly, they will help build community. It is common in big churches that cliques occur – people stick with a small group and don’t really talk to anyone outside that group. But we are a community in Christ – we are journeying together on the way of Christ and so it is helpful to know people beyond our smaller circles of intimate friends and not to fall into the clique situation. Currently we have over 400 people on our SNC members’ list, and we are seeing over 300 come each week. It is impossible to get to know everyone, but it is possible to know the majority of people’s names, and this helps build our sense of togetherness and community. I don’t know about you, but when I have met someone previously and then forget their name, I often feel too embarrassed to talk to them again because I feel bad that I have forgotten their name and so I avoid them! Thankfully, God is working on me and so I now tend to just say “look, I am sorry I have forgotten your name, can you remind me of it again?” But if we were all wearing nametags, this embarrassment would be avoided and we’d all be more likely to venture out of our comfort zones and get to know people we only sort-of know at the moment.

The second benefit of nametags relates to welcoming newcomers. When guests arrive, they will be directed to a table with blank nametags where a welcomer will personally welcome them, write their name on a nametag, and ask them to sign a guestbook. From this information, all newcomers will be followed up with a phonecall and letter in which they will be warmly invited to other church activities – and maybe even out to dinner with some people from church.

The third advantage of nametags is that they will help our pastoral care system. This is because the roll will be accurately marked each week based on the labels that are left on the sheet (people who don’t show up obviously won’t take their label). So the pastors, and the pastoral care team, will know who is and isn’t there every night. If a regular member has not attended in two or three weeks, they will receive a phone call from their growth group leader, or a pastor, or a member of the pastoral care team, just to check how they are going, and whether everything is OK. It is a way for people not to go unnoticed.

So basically, these nametags are all about LOVE! They are way to make help us to love one another and to love the outsiders who come into our midst just like Jesus did.

So, this Saturday night, don’t forget to grab your nametag 

- Zac Miles, Connections Pastor

Power walking...a life worth living

I have just recently been thinking about joining a gym (ask me if I have taken the plunge, when you see me!). It’s the same old story – a new year, a new resolve to get fit, lose a bit of weight, and so on. The problem is, we pay our membership fees, go for a few weeks and then stop going (or is it just me?). With all the best intentions, it’s so easy to start well, but then get distracted with the other stuff of life.

The Christian life can be like that. We start out with great joy, lots of enthusiasm and great energy for the gospel. But then stuff happens: disappointment in work or studies, disappointment in relationships, and hard stuff like sickness and death. Not to mention negative reactions from other people about biblical Christianity.

The Apostle Paul writes to some Christians who were facing pressures and distractions that could have so easily taken them away from an on-going walk in Christ.  He writes to encourage them:  

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (2:6-7)   

Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians also enables us think rightly about who Jesus is, what we have in Christ and how to keep going, or as God’s Word says, “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (1:10)

I’m looking forward to opening the Word of God with you all at Menai and thinking more about how we are to continue to “walk in him”, abounding in thanksgiving.  

- Jenny Salt, Dean of Students Sydney Missionary and Bible College

Jenny is joining us for the Women's conference in 2 week's time and will be bringing more fantastic teaching from the Word in 2 keynote sessions and one of the workshop electives. Register by contacting Denise in the church office. 

Welcome to the blog

When Jesus said, "Don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing" (Matthew 6:3), he was not giving instructions on how the members of the body of Christ should relate to each other. But in the body of Christ the eye has to communicate with the foot, or the whole body will stumble over the log. 

- Josh Elter, Desiring God

When we first suggested to the staff that a blog would be great as a new form of communication for our church community, I'm fairly certain that not everyone was sold on the idea. 

But what they were convinced of was the need to communicate. And to do it well. That's why this little extract from the Desiring God blog makes me smile, because we all know how important communication is, but oftentimes our best intentions don't match our actions. 

So we are blogging! 

...about the day to day of ministry life, 

...about events coming up and all the stuff that happens behind the scenes.  

We are blogging devotions and praise reports

and so much more. 

So that we might all feel and be that much more connected to what wonderful things God is doing in and through our church each day. 

What's more, we want to invite you to join us and follow this little experiment!

We are taking a chance, getting out of our comfort zone and it could get interesting. 

Why a blog? you ask. 

We hope that this platform will help promote better communication with one another that our " body" may not stumble over any logs but rather flourish, grow, race forward in pursuit of our collective and Christ-given mandate. 

So the question is, are you going to come with us in this? 

To follow the blog you can subscribe using the link on the right! This will deliver the feed straight to your inbox every time we post. 

Got something in your ministry to share on the blog? 

There's more room for that yet to come, so subscribe and stay tuned. 

We hope you enjoy this!