Friday, August 20, 2010

Tasmanian hospitality?

I am spending the weekend with the Presbytery of Tasmania, speaking with them on the topic of Your place or mine: hospitality as mission, staying at Port Sorrell, which I am told is beautiful. (My initial scoping, with some really insightful comments is here).

I am speaking four times as follows:
– Luke 10:1-12: Aim: Introduction to a Biblical frame for hospitality as mission at their place, grounded with two congregational stories.
– Luke 14: Aim: explore practices of hospitality at tables, grounding with 3 practices and two stories for congregational life.
– Luke 19: Aim: speaking the gospel at another’s table and the challenge to contextualisation of God’s story.
– a workshop exploring a range of tools important for leaders and leadership teams in the journey of change.

It has been quite energising, yet quite demanding, putting it all together. Two books I’ve found most helpful have been Amos Yong’sHospitality and the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices, and the Neighbor and Soul Banquets: How Meals Become Mission in the Local Congregation. Plus the Opawa story, cos hospitality and food were key in that missional story. I hope and pray it all clicks and in God’s unique ways, helps this part of God’s family.

Posted by steve at 12:46 PM

2 Comments

  1. Thanks for knocking at our door and saying peace. It was a great weekend with insightful, thoughtful and provoking thought. We were blessed by your presence with us. The storms abated and the sun came out and shined upon us and each of us has a thought a memory or a symbol from the weekend. As I walked around the lake at Camp Banksia I found an old marble partially buried in the ground, almost hidden from view. As I picked it up I remembered the many times as a boy I had played marbles and enjoyed the fun. I began to flick the marble, to aim it at imaginary groups of other marbles, to enjoy the moment. Perhaps we need to rediscover the fun of mission as we live, as well as the challenges, the frivolity as well as the seriousness, the pleasure as well as the pain. I have kept the marble from Camp Banksia-my symbol of the banquet.
    go well
    andrew

    Comment by Andrew — August 23, 2010 @ 10:51 am

  2. Thanks Andrew. It was great to meet you.

    I think there is story brewing in that marble you found!

    I find it a most nourishing experience. On the Sunday afternoon I picked up Tassie chocolates, cheese and wine, so my family have now also deemed it nourishing!

    steve

    Comment by steve — August 23, 2010 @ 5:37 pm

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