Friday, March 04, 2005
The Diary of the Opawa Baptist mouse
If there was a mouse, in the house (of God), their dairy for the week would note the following.
Sunday: Some tired ladies laugh and joke about something called camp. After dark, a big, fat, sound system arrives.
Monday: Dodge some paint from the community art class. The carpet ain’t so lucky.
Tuesday: Staff team leaves a trail of crumbs through foyer at morning tea. 35 American university students leave an even bigger trail of crumbs after lunch. When it gets dark, the Board arrived. Senior Pastor tries to look sharp, but I think hes bluffing.
Wednesday: Small groups of youth (cells) are in so many rooms that I go to bed early. But the sound system cranks up for a video. Cant sleep. Get up to watch some new people at Opawa mingle over pizza, with that new bigger Pastor looking pleased with himself.
Thursday: That office person rushes around looking Crafty. And some Asian voices practice their (Conversational) English. When it gets dark, ten people arrive for a new members information evening. Again, Senior Pastor tries to look sharp, but Im sure hes bluffing.
Friday: More crumbs from the staff table. More dinner for me. Hope its quiet for the weekend. I need a sleep-in Sunday morning.
Signed: The mouse.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
festival spirituality and road trips
At the risk of upsetting a few respected friends; let me put up some ruminations about spirituality of road trips (or pilgrimage), festivals and large Christian gatherings.
But first some context. Their have been two recurring themes among Baptist youth ministry across New Zealand in the last few years. These are
a) the rise and succcess of easter camps as they grow each year
b) the rate of 20 plus’s leaving the Baptist church, either drifting to large, Pentecostal churches or totally out of church.
Could it be that these two are related; that what is happening at Easter Camps is contributing to the loss of young adults to church?
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
crossing cultures
I spoke to a group from Eastern Mennonite University. As part of their study, they have to go overseas – and so a group of 35 of them are here. I like that. A deliberate attempt to subvert being US/us[centric].
They asked me to talk with them about the emerging church in New Zealand. The whole conversation seriously disorientated me. I’m just back from stuff in the US, just back from having a funny accent and having to make cross cultural links.
Suddenly here I am, back in my home church, surrounded by American accents, suddenly having the same accent problems and having to make the cross cultural links. Talking “accented” mission, but now in my home patch! Categories of edge and centre; home and away; in flux.
)
