sustain:if:able kiwi

a snapshot of local ministry

Driving home a few weeks ago, a question was asked from the back seat of the car, about why we collected money at church and what happens to it and where does it go?

Later that week, I was due to attend a prayer and planning meeting for Soak, our first Sunday of the month evening congregation. It was a lovely, balmy evening, so I decided to walk. It’s a great privilige to be able to walk the streets of the community. A different pace, a different rythym. As I walked past the church, one of our pastoral team, drove past. He was on his way to a planning meeting, to talk about the possibilities for seeding a new local gathering.

As we chatted on the side of the road, another Opawa punter drove past. He was on his way to the Thursday evening worship practice, preparing for our 10:30 am Sunday service. They tooted and we waved and as we did, a young girl wearing a local school uniform, was watching us. She called out, “Was that man who tooted the man with and special ice cream making machine?”

And I was walked on, she biked along beside me, chatting about how cool that ice machine was and how much she was enjoying our Tuesday evening Girls Brigade. It was a great pastoral moment, hearing her excitement and gladness and listening to the relational connections she was making with local folk.

Those few minutes are in fact a wonderful snapshot of our current life as a church here at Opawa – the work that goes into our multiple congregations which bring such rich diversity to our life, our pastoral team that walk and serve our community, our growing ministry among the local community, our programs which provide community contact.

And those few minutes nicely answer that question asked from the back seat: of what happens to the offering, and of how it reflects Opawa’s heart and direction and current momentum.