Three updates for 2011

2010 is drawing to a close, and we have much to thank God for:  people coming to faith for the first time, people maturing in their faith, more people ‘living for Jesus and loving like Jesus’. At our evening services next weekend, we’ll have ‘Thanksgiving’ services, where we can publicly express our gratitude to God. Then we are straight into our Christmas season. Please be inviting, praying and attending! Looking forward to 2011, there are a few things to draw to your attention.

1) Church by the Bay

God has graciously opened up the opportunity for us to plant a new congregation, meeting at Christ Church, Lavender Bay on Sunday evenings at 6pm. Our aim is to start on Sunday 6 March. Why are planting a new service? A few reasons are: (a) both our 5pm & 6.45pm congregations are now reaching capacity (b) the door has opened (c) from past experience, whenever a new congregational plant takes place, the existing congregations are mobilised & energised to try new ideas, and the church plant team are given ‘ownership’ to start something new (d) ultimately, there are many people in our region who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, and a church plant will provide more opportunities to introduce these people to Jesus.

Who will be part of the church plant? I am looking for up to 40 people to join me as we start this new congregation (ideally a good mix of members from both 5pm and 6.45pm church). I’m seeking servant-hearted people who are keen to get their hands dirty and take ownership of various ministries (e.g. welcoming, sound, music, social, outreach, logistics, marketing). It is vital that we keep the team small - so that we do not ‘gut’ the existing congregations and lose the synergy and momentum God has so kindly brought about.

What are the next steps? I will gather together a team of 10 people to start planning this new service. During Jan & Feb, those who have indicated a desire to be involved will meet in Connect Groups to pray and plan. Please do pray for this new venture and praise God for his grace and mercy.

2) Key dates for 2011

We have worked hard as a ministry team to seek to streamline the calendar for 2011. Let me give you some keys dates to put in your diaries right now:

- Getaway: Our annual weekend away will be at Collaroy from Fri 18 – Sun 20 March.
- I Heart Kirribilli: Our mission week is Sat 22 – Sat 29 October.
- Training: We will combine the majority of our training for the year into two ‘Weekend Extra’ (morning of Sat 2 April, Sat 24 Sept), and reintroduce ‘Replenish’ (to replace Connect Groups in August).
- Central Prayer Meetings: We will run Central Prayer Meetings on both Tues and Wed nights (consecutively) to allow more people to attend (sticking to their Connect Group night).
- Belonging Course: We are encouraging all new members to do the 3-week belonging course before they join Connect Groups. This will run 6 times during the year.

3) Ministry Team for 2011

I am delighted to announce that Sam Jennings will be joining us as Ministry Apprentice in 2011. All other staff members are remaining as we head into 2011 (although Dave Freeman will be leaving us during the year, to pursue Baptist ministry). I continue to look for an additional Assistant Pastor and Worship Pastor, so please pray for that.

With love in Christ
Paul Dale (Senior Pastor)