Are we like social services?

I’ve said it and I’ve heard others say it. “The danger is in serving our local community that we can land up being social services to our local community and not talking enough about Jesus. “

Social services and others in similar rolls on the whole do a great job and I have considered it a privilege to work with these professionals. Below is not an attempt to knock their vital work, it is however an attempt to reflect on how like social services the church isn’t.

We’re not like social services because………………….

We live and share the same community.

We are in it for the long term.

We don’t call people ‘our clients’ or ‘service users’.

We don’t have two mobile phones one for work and one for friends.

We don’t have a high turn over of staff.

We call those we serve our friends.

Most of us don’t get paid to do it.

We don’t judge people even if we’ve seen similar sets of circumstances in other people’s lives.

We are open after 5:30pm

We don’t make, coerce or threaten people to engage with us.

Those we serve have met our children.

We don’t count people, results or outcomes.

I guess if the church is being the church I can’t see why people would think we were like social services.

I guess if the church was like the above it should scream Jesus without saying it.

I guess if we think like we’re being like social services it not that we not talking about Jesus enough, rather we not serving enough like Him.

As I’ve reflected on this I’ve realised I was wrong to say could we could be seen as an extension to social services.

I’m sure we’ll continue to work along side socials services, but not as an extension, as the church of Jesus Christ.

Look what i'm growing

The picture will amaze some people as they can see I’ve got a veggie patch, as I’ve reflected on peoples annual attempt to grow fruit, I’ve seen some similarities between growing fruit and veg and growing a church.

I’ve cleaned the ground

But not eaten from it yet

I’ve exposed the earth

I’m still hungry

I’ve added manure,

But still nothing grows

I’ve worked to get ground ready to plant

I’ve Planted and chitted,

But still no fruit

I’ve planted seedlings and read about how they should grow!

Some have grown others haven’t

Some I really thought would take and others have surprised me.

I’ve passionately weeded and weeded anything that harm my crop,

(sometimes not sure if what I’m pulling up is what I’m meant to be growing!)

I’ve watered and tended,

(Can anyone tell me why my tomatoes have yellow on the leaves?)

I’ve panicked about late frosts; torrential rain and baking hot sun,

Still no fruit?! Still no harvest?! Still no church?!

Am I failing or doing it right?

I'm crying!

only because i've been cutting onions for the dad's parenting course graduation BBQ which is at our house tomorrow.

We are so humble at the number of community contacts we have already. PLease be praying that they move into real friendships.

We don't just want to be seen as profession people, but we desire to have close two way friendships with local people, we are slowly starting to see this, pray we have the wisdom to not get too busy and maintain the personal touch with those God have called us to serve.

Finding God truth in unexpected places

That other day I was reading a stars book with Caleb and we came a story in which one of the main characters said "great love has no-one than this: to lay do his life for his friend". He wasn't quoting from the bible, but he words were from the bible. (John 15v13)

As we move around Harold Hill we find that we are seeing and hearing God even if those speaking don't know it!

Please continue to pray for us, exciting things are happening.

I hope you hear God Speak to you in unexpected ways this week.

rich.

Caleb also wanted to post a video!!

sorry it's been a while

Sorry it’s been so long since we blogged! The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur with chicken pox ahoy among the kids and sickness bugs, oh the fun. We can hardly believe that Easter is nearly here, time has flown. We’re organising an Easter event at the pub which we’re hoping will be lots of fun. A bit more challenging to share the Easter story but praying that people will learn something new. We certainly are and thinking hard about how to explain the Easter story. In the last month or so we’ve had the opportunity to meet up with other Urban Expression teams which has been great. We’ve really enjoyed spending time with others in similar situations and learning from them about urban mission. We’ll do our best to update this more often over the next few weeks.

A