Mission in Action

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written by Steve

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I guess after that picture the words which follow can only exceed expectations.? Me and Beth, who live in Sheffield,? are holidaying with the McAlpines for a couple of weeks and we’re having a great time.? Lots of sightseeing, sharing family life, vegging and indeed, vegemiting.?

Today was particularly interesting and significant because the group Steve’s gathering together met for their regular fortnightly get-together.? Upwards of thirty people squeezed into? Steve and Jill’s? house and garden.? They’re all interested in what’s happening, and wanting to think seriously about household, missional church.

It was exciting to see so many people, so keen to think about being church together.? I was struck by the diversity of the group, particularly in terms of age and lifestage.? In Sheffield, most of my experience of planting household church has been with a very young demographic.? A potential strength of this bunch is clearly the breadth and maturity of the people.? Some great men and women who have seen and learnt a lot already, some great families – men, women and children.

Of course, that presents its own challenges.? These are not young, green, Christians.? They are, as far as I observed, wise, insightful and experienced.? That means that they have their own well thought out, valuable perspectives and reasons for being involved.? The hope and the need is that people will, before anything else,? be involved because they love Jesus and his people.? Steve will have to work hard to articulate the distinctive values of TCH, and the whole group have an important job in figuring out how they are going to work in sprawling, suburban Perth.? ? But I was struck again by? the importance of? simply opening up? your home, encouraging people to feel at home with you? by bringing food, washing up,? helping themselves and others to? coffees and letting kids loose in your garden.?

Now…I do love Vegemite.? It’s like Australian Marmite, but unlike Marmite, I don’t think it’s made with the? leftovers of the beer-brewing process.? ? I was told today that for every man, woman and child in Australia, 5000 bottles of beer are consumed per? year (can I have remembered that right?!), so perhaps there are no leftovers for the Marmite making process.

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written by Steve