Wednesday 11 May 2016

I am praising Jesus - Annual General Meeting Report

I AM PRAISING JESUS
Church “Annual General Meetings” are not dry, dusty and dull.  No!  They resonant with life and vibrancy and energy.  Why?  Because they are a moment to celebrate what God has done and to seek God together for what he will do.  I hope you will find twenty minutes at work or in a slow evening at home or while the kids slouch in front of the TV to pause, enjoy, and praise God as you read through these reports. [Note: this blog post is only my introduction and not the whole, exciting pack of information!]

Our values remain loving people, courageous in mission, Bible saturated and Spirit dependent.  What this annual moment allows us to see is how God has moved us forward from a tentative sense last May to a reality of being ‘beacons’ (in Chris’ image); of a response to Ali Boulton’s question (‘Is God calling us to move from a local church to a regional movement?’); of a fulfilment of Sue and Ruth’s word ‘pioneer’.

I am praising Jesus!

Making Jesus Known
The Apostle Paul writes: …I have made myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible.  To the Jew I became a Jew to win the Jews…To those not under the law I became like one not under the law…so as to win those…To the weak I became weak to win the weak.  I have become all things to all people so that by all means possible I might save some.  (1Corinthians 9:19-23)

We do not compromise ‘keeping his Word nor accept ‘denying his name, but we do courageously and together walk through the doors ‘he opens’ willing to compromise our preferences and comfort for his glory (Revelation 3:7-8).  It’s our value of courageous in mission.

This year God has quite amazingly created the resources to purchase ‘Beacon Church House’ on Marston Grange, working to provide us with a house bigger and better than we planned ourselves!  On May 8th Kevin and Wendy Mills ‘preach with a view’ to join our staff team as our ‘evangelists’ leading our mission there.

I am praising Jesus!

As I write (Thursday evening April 28th) our first ‘core group’ gathering of those potentially called to reach the Highfields Estate are meeting and praying together.  The seed is sown on a remarkable journey.  God has opened doors into some of the most resistant families on the estate; into Castlechurch School (185 children came into the centre for ‘Easter Explorers’); and in terms of unexpected but welcome funding.  It was only in September Matt was formally ordained and called, partly to lead this mission.

I am praising Jesus!

This Sunday (May 1st) is the third week of ‘Simply Church’, our new Sunday afternoon meeting at Sandon Road with a solid core group establishing themselves ready for mission.  Our mid-week activities at Sandon Road are at new ‘highs’ with the transition of pre-school to full time hours with almost 60 children (around half from the MOD) executed excellently by Ruth and her team.  Brigades and Marching band are filling the space; BFG is growing into a permanent home; and our Tuesday Stay and Play is planning for a new ‘mission’ focus for its growing numbers; plus countless other activities and programs too.  Our links with John Wheeldon remain fantastic and plans for ‘phase 2’ and a completion of the building are underway.  I also remain a governor at John Wheeldon Primary Academy and Western Road Academy.

I am praising Jesus!

Our morning service at Beacon International Centre continues to grow, perhaps most excitedly with the 12 and 13th baptisms of the last 12 months on May 1st, with more already scheduled for July.  (Should we think about a second morning service?).  Our business operations, led by Andy Oxlade, and our mission here, led by Matt, are both strong – bolstered by newly introduced ‘chaplains’.  Mid-Week Connect is now well-established with its own distinct group of people meeting weekly and Chinese Church is healthy and strong.

I am praising Jesus!

After a wonderful trip I was privileged to make in December, in June 12 of us head to Smile in Nepal to support and learn from Nawaraj and Vidya’s incredible work there.

I am praising Jesus!

It’s also been a delight to be released to preach at two University missions and around a dozen outside ‘evangelistic’ preaching opportunities this year as well as offer some support to fellow-ministers and churches in our HEBA network.  Later this year we will have some ‘ministers-in-training’ spend a month or so learning with us and a number of ministers from our region and beyond continue to visit and share ‘best practice’.  Later in May our ‘General Sectary’ who oversees the 2000 odd churches that are BUBG has asked to visit and explore our ‘model’ of church.  All this is a great way to ‘partner in God’s grace’ with other local churches.

I am praising Jesus!

Knowing a few people well
It’s about making Jesus known (our value of courageous in mission) but also about knowing one another – realistically a few people well.  Of sharing life in all its complexity.  To this end we remain committed to growing in such a way that no ‘main meeting’ (a church service in the traditional language) is ever much more than a hundred regular adults (yes, I know Sunday mornings are already past this!).  It means they can be relationally high (no one feels lost or overwhelmed and people are quickly able to contribute); specific in their mission (meeting at lunchtimes, or speaking Chinese, or for a particular estate); but supported and resourced by the wider, larger body.  But alongside this in January we focussed on our smaller groups, launching a number of new ones and creating further opportunities to get to know a few people better.  Our weekends away this year I hope will prove another great way to get to know and love each other well – and how fantastic to have two for the first time!

I am praising Jesus!

Trellis to support the Vine
God has moved us from last May when we articulate a vision of being ‘beacons’ – perhaps in four local communities (and what an outrageous, gospel ambition that was) – to very really if tentatively and initially being one church used to grow God’s kingdom from within four local communities.  Alongside our established ‘main meetings’ of distinct groups of Mid-Week Connect (Wednesday), Chinese Church (Thursday); Sunday Morning at 10.30am and Sunday Evening at 6.30pm, we now have Sunday Afternoon at 4.00pm; a Highfields core group meeting; and later this year every expectation God will have begun something more than just bricks and mortar on Marston Grange.
I am praising Jesus!

But this needs ‘trellis’ to support and enable the vine to grow.  A trellis partly made of money, staff and leaders.

Over the last three years God has moved us from a £25+k deficient to this year an expectation of around £4.5k deficient.  This is remarkable. 

As a church we are responsible for 17 remunerated staff across church, pre-school and businesses.  Three church (Alex, Matt, Roberta); nine pre-school; five business.  I directly have the pleasure of line-managing Matt, Ruth and Andy who then oversee their own teams.

Our leaders are exceptional across the church in a 100 ways.  Chris and Lawrence personally for me are fellow-elders of the highest calibre and their leadership is used by God to bring liberty, creativity and courage to my ministry personally and our mission corporately.  They are not, by far, the only leaders we have but they are deserving of ‘double honour’ as 1 Timothy commands.

I am praising Jesus!

Challenges
The year has of course had challenges. 

Though in some ways our engagement with the MOD has increased, the formal ‘OCM Chaplaincy’ role I have had for the last few years is being made nationally redundant later this year.  There may actually be some advantages to this as we work on a new mechanism to allow me access. 

As we grow I have expected to find a challenge to some of my primary focusses – will I neglect praying or become casual about preaching or disengaged pastorally or fail to offer a God-discerning lead?  I hope I have served the gospel well by maintaining a right focus on ‘prayer and ministry of the Word’ (Acts 6:4).  I think I have, not least because of the leaders who encourage, enable and insist on that!   

I am praising Jesus!

And next
On the latest ‘Pray Continually’ my favourite day is 30th.  It’s a great way to launch you into the pages that follow:

Pray for new ventures, steps of faith and ways we could be used by God to initiate new mission or rejuvenate stagnated churches.  Pray we would have open ears and obedient wills to God’s calling.  ‘It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known…"  (Romans 15:20)”

Not to us O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory…’  (Psalm 115:1)


Alex

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