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The Rest

February 22,  2009  - Dale

It feels as though it is time for a little rest. The Mission Trip was a terrific time, with the usual unexpected changes and challenges. The Mission Goals launch followed last week and brought new challenges, opportunities and questions.

Church Council had a major meeting last Monday and decided to invite a person to serve as a Youth Minister  in the parish. This has come as one of the big outcomes of our planning process which began at the end of 2007. It will challenge us both financially as well as in the way we work together to help in the ministry and outreach to young people.

One of our main goals at the moment is to build the church. Starting from the inside out. Strengthening the fellowship, welcoming and including the newcomers. Especially seeking to build up the different foreign contingents and helping them mix and grow together.

And after that there seems to be the opportunity and challenge to start new congregations. At Menteng it seems we will need to do that fairly soon if the 9am service continues to be effectively full.

So maybe it is not the time for a little rest. It looks more like the time for a little more action. And there is certainly some energy and renewed drive for the work of the gospel through All Saints.

But with change and energy comes uncertainty. Will the changes be for the better? Will it involve me in more work? Will it make things more difficult? Will we have to deal with things we would prefer not to deal with? Can we afford it? Will I have to give more time? Will I have to give up something?

The answer to those questions is “Probably yes.”  But there are other questions as well. Is this something that God is doing? Has he called us to it, or are these just good (or bad) ideas thought up by people with over-active imaginations, or over-zealous agendas?  A very important question.

If God leads us along these ways we can trust him to help us along. Ah yes, trusting God is OK, it’s the other people we need to trust as well. The pessimist might say that church would be great if there were no people involved. But “God has arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as he chose.” We are God’s team for his work now at All Saints. He has picked it. And he is leading us on. The rest is ahead. Now is the time of work and struggle and obedience. Together.

Dale