Feb-March '10
Wow! It’s the morning after our January Church meeting and what a wonderful time we shared together! The meeting was well attended and there was a lovely sense of unity. When I was prompted to pose to those in attendance the same question that I had previously asked the Deacons, I wondered what the response would be.
'Do you believe we need to relocate our church?'
The completely, overwhelmingly positive response was a very clear and convincing indication of our collective intent. Yes – we do believe we need to relocate!
Let us rejoice in the decision we have reached and thank God that he has led us to this point. We now have that critically important 'green light' from the fellowship to proceed. In the words of the Formula One motor-sport commentator, Murray Walker, "it’s go, go, go!" But let us not be under any illusions - there is still much to discuss and decide, and we need to take seriously the work we have now created for ourselves.
The draft Statement of Purpose distributed last night is also included in this magazine for those who were unable to attend the Church Meeting. Please prayerfully consider this. It is designed to express our identity in a simple format. It expresses our aspiration to be a fellowship growing in:
Worship: This is foundational to who we are. For e.g., Bible reading and study, praying, singing, meditating, preaching, silence, and giving.
Fellowship: Baptists have historically used the phrase 'walking together and watching over one another in the Lord' to describe the nurturing and encouragement that must be shown amongst believers as we develop as Christ’s disciples.
Mission: Propelling us into bearing fruit for the Kingdom as we participate in evangelism, witness, outreach, service, and social action, and commit ourselves to upholding the values of salvation, justice, love, peace, hope, healing and reconciliation to the communities around us.
The often-quoted proverb "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 28:19) reminds us that when God’s people forget who they are and to whom they belong, they lose direction and disintegrate as a community. The New English Bible translates this verse "Where there is no one in authority or no vision, the people break loose".
On a personal note (and the Deacons are aware of this!), I am strongly convicted that our identity as a 'town centre' church is not dependant upon us being situated close to the ring road. We can continue to support and participate in town events regardless of where our building is. Although our building holds significant sentimental value, I have a stirring in my spirit that nothing about our current location is essential to us. We need to be open to the possibility of relocating our church into a more identifiable residential neighbourhood. Only the passage of time and the purposes of God will reveal the truth, or not, of my personal convictions.
I wonder – where would your ideal location be if we replanted our church somewhere else in Stourbridge?
The New Testament does not provide us with one simple formula or technique that guarantees a healthy and vibrant church. Instead, its various writers offer us numerous insights and examples of how we are to function as a church. Yet the main template we have is to be like Christ. He is our vision. Ultimately we place ourselves and our church into God’s hands, as we trust Him to reveal the purposes to which He has called us, in His timing.
Please continue to pray for unity and purpose. We have an important task. If you feel prompted to work closely alongside the Diaconate in one of the Development Group sub-groups (Building; Finance; Vision) please don’t hesitate to speak to myself or one of the Deacons. We plan to have our initial Development Group meeting, with the Deacons, in April. Please listen out for more details.
Lord, be our vision.
Andy
