Preparing for Connect 09
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 16 Oct 2008 in From Steve's Study :: Connect09
Last Saturday, our Parish Council members spent a long time thinking and praying about Connect 09. For those who are unaware, Connect 09 is a campaign whereby all the Anglican churches in our Diocese will make a concerted effort to reconnect with the people of this city, with the aim of talking to them about our faith and reconnecting them with Jesus and his word. This will be a huge challenge since our society as a whole has largely dismissed the church as antiquated and irrelevant.
As we thought, prayed and discussed, we decided on four key aims that would guide our activities and energies next year, they were:
- To pray for the lost – we are very much aware that our actions, however well intentioned, will come to nothing if God is not involved. Our first port of call needs to be on our knees, praying for our neighbours, families and friends to come to know Jesus.
- To grow in love for those without Christ – we realize that one of the reasons we have struggled to make an impact in our suburb is that we simply don’t love the people around us enough to want to see them saved. The attitude that my faith is a personal one that I should keep to myself is still alive in our church: this needs to change.
- Equipping ourselves for action – There are many in our church who are nervous about being involved in talking to their friends about Jesus because the don’t feel they have the skills or knowledge to do it. We hope to allay these fears by equipping ourselves with the skills necessary to talk about our faith.
- Connecting with our community – We want to raise the profile of our church in our community to such an extent that the people of East Lindfield will see us a group of people who cares deeply for them, and who have something significant to share with them.
Of course, one of our main goals is to see this, not as a one-off event for 09 alone, but to be a turning point in the way we relate to our community. We hope to establish ways of relating and witnessing that will carry us into the years to come.
If you have any questions or ideas, please come and talk to one of the Parish Council members or staff – we’d love to talk with you about it.
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