Upcoming Scheduling Requests

Respond to Requests

Get Happy

Hind, Melissa3 Aug, 20140 comments

I don't know about anyone else but I reckon this next blog is worth a look to start the week!  Take some time to watch this 3 minute video from Ps Steve Furtick.  It'll make you smile!  Just cut and paste the link below and it should open.

From Steve Furtick's Blog "When we start to think about what our Savior has done for each of us, in spite of our own sins and failures, our hearts can’t help but celebrate and worship. Recently, we opened our worship experience with a performance of the song “Happy” by Pharrell, and our creative, production, and worship teams joined together to create an energetic atmosphere that prepared us to praise God with a heart of joyfulness."

http://vimeo.com/97868508

Grace anyone?

Colbourn, Cheri20 Jul, 20143 comments
 
LET’S SAY GRACE… Having people over for dinner.
 
Eating a meal with others is wonderful thing to do!
 
Coming around a table, indoors, outdoors, on a deck or a picnic rug, is part of our culture and makeup! And it’s not that hard.
 
One of the best things I heard when we started this Church was a lady who was new who said, ‘I don’t know everyone, because I’m new, so I’m going to invite people around so that I can get to know them’. And Stu and I were one of those people.
 
We did the same thing, didn’t know everyone when we came to Canberra, so we held a Connect group in our home and ate with the people that came. They all knew each other, and we then were in a comfortable position because it was our home. We had a small loungeroom and second hand chairs, but it made for good memories and we’re still friends with some of those that came.
 
Our Foyer at Church is great. It’s big and fits many people in, but the chats we have can be rushed, noisey, interrupted or just quick hello’s.
 
Somewhere in our ‘meet and greets’ there comes a time when we need to say, ‘we should have you over for dinner (or lunch or brunch or breakfast). So what do you need? A table and chairs of any description, food, drinks and well, that’s it. That’s the basic need for having someone over.If you have that, then you are off to a great start. Here’s how to expand it and all the things you can do with it:
 
# Find out from the people who will be coming from their family. Include the kids, cause their loads of fun; include visiting family members (we’ve done that a few times).
 
# If in doubt of conversation happening, invite another family over.
 
# Find out what everyone likes to eat and serve accordingly. It’s not hard to take some stuff out or add some special things in. The extra effort you go to, makes a huge difference to your guests and says ‘you are important’.
 
# Be prepared. If you are rushing home from work when they come over, set the table the night before, clean your toilets and bathroom then as well, and then all you have to do is cook.
 
# If for some reason you can’t get to the shops or your meal bombs out, takeaway works!!
 
# Set the atmosphere. Pray over the night first and for your guests! Candles; an already set table; drinks on arrival; some finger food to start with; music; flowers; the meal cooking in the oven; everyone dressed and ready; no one in the shower hehe…. work out what’s you and how you want your house to feel and then go with that.
 
# One of the things I love to do is set special spots for the kids. So, kid napkins, plates and or coloured cups. It makes it special and the kids love it.
 
So, then they arrive!  Seeing it’s your house, do the talking. Welcome them in; let them know where they can put their stuff; have toys ready if necessary; have a dvd ready if necessary; ask if they’d like a drink; let them know that they can eat the nibblies; show them where the toilet is; keep up the conversation, and be the host from beginning to end.
 
If your guests ask if they can bring anything, then the one thing I like them to do, is bring the drinks. That way, they’ll bring what they like to drink and you can always have a bottle of what you’d like to drink.
 
If you want to serve water, fancy it up and throw a few lemons or limes in, or cucumber and mint!! Hello for yummy!!
 
Conversation will be a huge part of your night. Keep it going and flowing, step out of your comfort zone and ask questions, let your guests talk about themselves, again, if you don’t think you can do just one couple, invite another couple or family over and they can help with the conversation.
 
And there you go. Ask them over again, especially if they are new to Church. Maybe the next time over, ask them to bring a salad or dessert to help you out.
 
One of things you might find is that you might ‘invite over’ more than ‘get invited over’. That’s life… move on and don’t close your house because of it. Be the giver and blesser, be the one that opens your house up no matter what invites you get and in 10 years time or more, you’ll look back and smile at all the people that have walked through your front door to dine or party in your house. I couldn’t even begin to count how many people that has been for us, but it makes me smile to think that we have them over and blessed them in some small way.
 
This is one of things I’m sure God love us to do. He loves His people, who get to be family, getting together and getting to know each other on a different level outside His House, breaking bread, eating, communing and conversing! And as the verse below says ~ with great joy and thankfulness, praising God!’
Acts 2:46-47  They worshiped together regularly at the Temple each day, met in small groups in homes for Communion, and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness,47 praising God. The whole city was favorable to them, and each day God added to them all who were being saved.

 

Happy saying Grace at your place, Ps Cheri xo

 

Network Pastors Sunday Service Role

Hind, Melissa8 Jul, 20143 comments

 

Network Pastors Job Description as promised!:)

 

Network Pastor On Duty Job Description

 

To provide oversight and pastoral leadership before during and after Sunday service.

 

Pre Service:

  1. Check with Team Leaders for any issues, provide encouragement and problem solving as needed.

  2. Ensure Runsheet's are given too or placed on the chairs of:

  • Ps Nick and Melissa

  • Worship Leader

  • Band Leader

  • Network Pastors On Duty

  • MC 

 

3. ​​Start Prayer and Lead Prayer Meeting at 9:00am (see notes for running prayer meeting)

 

4. Check Stage and Foyer for any last minute clean ups eg. is the stage clear of drink bottles and paper?  Is the foyer neat and tidy free from any previous events equipment?

 

5. Attend pre service meeting  

 

During Service:

  1. Move Pulpit on and off stage as needed.  The MC does not need the pulpit unless previously arranged.  Pulpit is sometimes needed for tithe and offering please check pre-service, otherwise it can be bought up on stage when the preaching begins.

  2. Be aware and ready to respond to any issues, moments that may need help segueing .

  3. Coordinate any altar call ministry.  This includes: arranging catchers, coordinating Pastors to pray for people, ensure tissues and modesty cloths are used.

  4. Take the Church Attendance Roll.  Click off members from membership list.  You can filter it down to Church Members, New Members and Potential New Members.  Write down as many details as you can into the guest notes section.  Include description who they are with and/or names if you can.  We always do another check during the week to make sure we are accurate in our stats.  We always end up adding 10 -15 names after the initial roll is taken from kids church and visitors etc.

 

Post Service

  1. Manage any altar call time after service.

  2. Ensure all new Christians are offered a free hot drink whilst being counseled and help New Christians Leaders in organizing this time of the service

 

Notes for running prayer:

  1. Always come prepared.  Don’t just “turn up”  It takes preparation to run a prayer meeting

  2. Pray using scriptures    

  3. Run a mini altar call - ask people with needs to respond and be prayed for

  4. Be aware, one person praying for the duration of the meeting will not keep people focused

  5. Find a way to engage those attending

Some ideas to do this:

  • ask different people to pray

  • ask team leaders to pray for their specific areas

  • ask connect leaders to pray for people

  • separate into small groups and pray for needs

  • separate into team groups and pray as a team

​

 

Thanks guys.  See you Sunday:)








 

QUESTIONS ANYONE?

Hind, Nick6 Jul, 20145 comments

Learn the art of asking questions. 

 
Questions are perhaps your greatest tool for pastoring people. On average, most people talk a lot more than they listen. Sometimes we feel this is justified because people need advice, or have even asked for it. Great - share some information, but unless you lead people on a journey of discovery it is unlikely to stick.
 
Revelation is what changes us, not information. And revelation is the full realisation of truth for ourselves. You can’t just attach to someone else’s revelation. It needs to come alive for you if it is to bring change.
 
So lead people with good questions. This helps them process their thinking and come to their own conclusions, guided by you.
But this is an art form and doesn’t come easily. It is not really natural and we’ve often had far more experience not doing this than doing it well.
 
Ask leading questions. Ask people what they think.
Here are some examples to get you started:
 
- what do you think about the way you responded in that situation?
- is that decision going to get you closer to where you want to be or not?
- what do you think God might be saying to you at the moment?
- what would you tell someone else who was facing the same situation?
- how have you dealt with situations like this in the past?
- what might be the right decision here, not just the convenient one?
 
Practice asking great questions! It makes you seem heaps more intelligent than just talking lots! 
 
 

Presence

Hind, Nick9 Jun, 20142 comments

JPEG Image

Presence

 
 
 
 
 
 
The first step to pastoring is being there. Can’t do anything without presence. 
Two ways we can understand and apply this
1. literally being there
2. being present in mind/spirit
 
Pastoring does not have to be complicated. In fact, it usually only gets complicated when we haven’t done the simple things along the way. We need to be proactive. Be in people’s world so you can guide and help in the right direction instead of trying to pick up the pieces later on. And this doesn’t need to be an overbearing influence. Don’t try to tell people how to do life - unless they ask for that. Give them an ear, share life with them, let them watch you, pray together. Be present.
 
And the other way is to be present in a spiritual sense. Carve out some time to deliberately think about and pray for people. Pause for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit for a simple word for them. Send a text with a scripture for them. Nothing complicated - let God do the work! You’ll notice incredible results from the simple act of taking 10minutes to think, pray, wait on God and then communicate with someone what God has said.
 
Pastoring is a deliberate and proactive business. Go for it guys! 
Upcoming Events
  • Loading...
View Full Calendar