Last weekend, some the people in our church family involved in leadership in different ways gathered to reflect on our vision, values and mission. It was a special time together and a time in which we felt the presence of God. I wanted to share with you a couple of abiding thoughts I have been left with…
Firstly, I came away with a real sense that ‘authentic community’ is really strengthening here at St John’s – this thought has been growing in me over the last few months. It feels like a community with identity as the people of God at St John’s where people are known and a sense of interconnected relationships exist – and these exist across the diversity of different age groups and congregations. One of the ways this sense of community was evident was by a real sense of care and concern repeatedly expressed for those in our church family who are in need in different ways.
Secondly, we were renewed in to a call to the simplicity of relationship with Jesus. Its easy for our lives as individuals and as a church to be filled with activity, but Jesus calls us to keep the main thing the main thing and to live life from our relationship with him, led by his Spirit so that what we do becomes a response to his love and his guidance. We reflected on the fact that the essence of church in the New Testament is about communities of disciples of Jesus who gather in his presence, and are submitted to his lordship.
Thirdly, we engaged with our vision and values and had some energised and creative conversation about how what it looks like for us to live our values and realise our mission.