On Saturday I spoke at the Adventist church in Benalla (VIC). A great little town, a neat country church – close to the town centre; and a warm welcome given to all who came near the place! A simple Bible study and worship experience – singing led by a little family, with the husband\/father playing a guitar; enthusiastic and sensitive Bible reading (reading whole chapters about how Jesus related his goodnews to wealthy people like Levi Matthew, Zacchaeus, etc); a kids’ zone; a kids’ story – for 12-15 children under 6-8 (I would guess!); hymns sung to the music of an organ (yes, an organ! I know, it’s a while since I’ve done that, but it was upbeat and enjoyable!) – and I preached! But three features really attracted my attention –<\/p>\n
1. The announcements<\/strong>. It was evident this gathering was connected – involvement in community events, a water ski day on the Murray River for friends, a Bible reading group in a home for neighbourhood women, a DVD afternoon, support for the elderly, prayer for a friend diagnosed with cancer, etc. <\/p>\n 2. The friends<\/strong>. Some introduced friends they had brought to worship. ‘My friend is part of my ladies’ Bible reading group’, one elderly lady told me. ‘We’ve been getting together for years!’ <\/p>\n 3. The food<\/strong>. There was variety. Some families had ‘a kid’s birthday party to go to!’ Others were visiting friends in the community – but, 20-25 stayed for lunch. A great meal. Mostly elderly, some not well – some broken. This was family for them. A weekly meal shared – and they’ve been doing this for 6 years.<\/p>\n This little country church is missional. Yes, they meet in a church building – but they are not waiting for people to come to them, they are taking church into the community<\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Saturday I spoke at the Adventist church in Benalla (VIC). A great little town, a neat country church – close to the town centre; and a warm welcome given to all who came near the place! A simple Bible study and worship experience – singing led by a little family, with the husband\/father playing… Continue reading