Opawa Baptist Church :: a resting place

Steve writes:

Mission Collectives:
Resourcing us outwards.
Coming in June (19-21)

Steve writes:

Thanks to those who made the effort to attend the church meeting on a freezing cold Wednesday evening. Despite the weather, the turnout was excellent and the vibe cheerful.

Key moments included:

update and prayer for our church life
excitement over what is happening regarding the Waltham Gathering, held at the Cottage around soup, Scripture and life application
news of a “welcome home” special offering for Judy More on Sunday June 7
while recognising the independence of the existing Waltham Youth Trust, the church expressed the desire to reseat the Trust more closely among us as a church as the Waltham Youth and Community Trust. Four Trustees - Alastair McGowan, Clare Palmer, Trevor Kerr, Paul McMahon - were recommended as Trustees.
respectful debate on the implications - Biblical, ethical, practical - of the sources from which a Trust might accept monies.
welcome and prayer for our new church manager, Robyn Peterson
celebrating the role of “bridge builders” in our midst, people including Annette McGowan, Hugh Dimock, Jenn Sands, who are giving time on a regular basis to minister in our community
There is a rusty stereotype of church meetings as boring places where people argue and yell at each other.  I have never seen this stereotype at Opawa and I’m grateful for every little effort made by each of you (practical and prayerful), before, during and after a church meeting, that leads people toi describe Opawa Baptist church meetings as “exciting”, “mission-focused”, “harmonious.” 

Steve writes:

For us as a church, “It’s all about the story of Jesus”, and every day this week, you as Opawa people have had the opportunity to be part of this story - living and loving and creating - in our local community and in our work and leisure places.

Thank you. Thank you for your willingness to live and love and create.

More particularly for us as a church over the week the following has happened:

On Tuesday the Board met with the Church Manager interview panel and a decision was made with regard to the new Church Manager. The person will be “unveiled” and commissioned at our upcoming church meeting/forum (Wednesday 20th May, 7:30 pm)

By Friday four Opawa people had confirmed their willingness to be nominated as Trustees in relation to re-seating The Waltham Youth Trust.

It so encouraging to see people express their willingness to serve the community in this way. (These nominations need to be confirmed also at our upcoming church meeting/forum.)

By Friday it was difficult to move through the church foyer without tripping over a box of books. The response has been fantastic and thanks to the Book Club for taking this fundraising initiative for the building project.
 

Steve writes:

Last Sunday included our Newcomers' lunch. These are held every 3-4 months. They are advertised in the newsletter and by personal invitation (when we have contact details).

They provide a way for people new to Opawa to gather, to meet others new to Opawa and some of the church Board and pastoral staff. We eat lunch together. We get to know each other a bit. And we get some feedback on people’s first impressions of Opawa.

So among those new to Opawa, what do they see?

a really friendly, warm welcome
the richness of our Sunday services, including depth of Bible teaching and the sense of something exciting going on
a church that eats lots of lunches together, and the importance of food and relationships
an outstanding sense of community ministry and community engagement
diversity and the richness of congregations and how much is on offer
Opawa as friendly, rich in diversity, relational and outwardly focused.

Encouraging isn’t it?

Steve writes:

As a church, Opawa has a vision to enable people to walk, and grow and reflect Christ’s love into our communities and beyond. Three ways I’ve seen this happening in recent days: 

to walk - the Waltham gathering started on Thursday evening. This is a practical next step in our growing relationship with people, and among our local Waltham community. Led by Paul and a team of people, and after a lot of prayer and talking during Term 1, the evenings will involve soup, childcare, study of Jesus' life, discussion, healing prayer. On Thursday, 14 people, a mix of church and community, gathered at the Waltham Cottage. A study of the Prodigal Son was followed by good discussion and some prayer. 

and grow - Last Saturday was the second of our Bible days. Two hours to gather around 1 Peter, led by Paul Trebilco, New Testament lecturer from Dunedin. About 35 people came away encouraged, stretched, deepened, enthused in their love of Scripture. The next Bible day is Saturday, 30 May, 3:30-5:30 pm (1 Corinthians).

reflecting Jesus’ love - At our Harvest Festival, one practical “next step” was the suggestion of giving a “Thanks for your garden” handwritten postcard to neighbours with gardens that we are thankful for. Here is one story of what happened next for one Opawa person: “I had put a Harvest Festival postcard into the letterbox of a neighbour across the road (who always has a beautiful garden). Yesterday he turned up on the doorstep with a lovely bunch of flowers for me. I'd never spoken to him before, and he wasn't sure if he was speaking to the right person. But we had a good introductory conversation for a few minutes - all bridge building!” 

There is much to be thanking God for ...