October 2011 - Stewardship and Leadership

Dear Friends

Stewardship

During September we have focused on Stewardship: an opportunity to reflect on our resources of time, treasure and talent; to take stock of how we use these resources in the service of ourselves and in the service of others. For most of us the bulk of our financial resources are used in sustaining our families, and a disproportionate amount of our time and talent in furthering our professional lives in the work place. The challenge of Christian Stewardship is to reprioritise the manner in which we use these resources: most of us need to allocate a greater proportion of our time to our families, a greater portion of our talent to the benefit of the wider community; and we need to direct our finances towards the eradication of personal and family debt.

As Christians a proportion of these resources need to be directed towards the Church. We often confuse Christian giving with one of the Old Testament forms of taxation known as the Tithe. Christian Stewardship needs to be based on the New Testament principles of thanksgiving, generosity, and the service of others. Christian Stewardship is a call to advance the reign of God in our society through the wise and selfless use of our resources. The Church is uniquely placed to be a vehicle through which we can do this. As Christians committed to these principles, we need to ensure the Church is abundantly resourced to facilitate our involvement in the extension of God’s reign in the greater breadth of Creation.

The vision of the Anglican community in Southern Africa is to be “Anchored in the love of Christ, Committed to God's Mission, Transformed by the Holy Spirit.” How does your stewardship of your time, talents and treasure exercised through the Anglican Church in Garsfontein (Corpus Christi) resource this vision, and effect the Anglican mission: to honour God in worship that feeds and empowers us for faithful witness and service; to embody and proclaim the message of God’s redemptive hope and healing for people and creation; to grow communities of faith that form, inform, and transform those who fellow Christ? When last did you audit your resources? As an Anglican in Southern Africa, are your resources aligned to the vision and mission of our Church?

We will be celebrating Christian Stewardship at Corpus Christi on Sunday 16 October 2011. You are asked to affirm your commitment to the mission of the Anglican Church, and indicate the manner in which you will allocate your resources to this mission, on this day.

Leadership

October ‘s focus is on leadership, and at a special Vestry meeting on Sunday 23 October 2011 we will elect our parish leadership for 2012. This will be the election of Churchwardens, Council and Synod representatives.  Areas of responsibility on Council in which leadership is required are: worship, evangelism, education, social responsibility, pastoral care, community needs, Christian stewardship, ecumenism, finance and property.  Nomination forms are available: please prayerfully consider offering yourself for election and/or nominating fellow-parishioners.

What are some of the qualities we are looking for in Churchwardens and Councillors? The Christian Leadership and Management manual put together by Hope Africa (2008:9-17) offers the following definitions of good, effective Christian leaders: a good leader will be a person of spiritual commitment and personal faith, a fervent listener to God through the mechanisms of daily scripture reading and prayer, a person of integrity and example, and have a servant spirit with all ambition surrendered to God; an effective leader will be willing to pay the price, see the big picture and know the source of their strength; a good leader is also one who shares power.

This is quite a daunting definition, but Council is a place where we draw out and develop these principles of leadership in each other. It is important to remember that all of us can develop leadership skills, and leadership is not reserved to specific people: leadership is a God given gift to everyone. Perfection is not required, commitment and availability are, and a willingness to offer your time and skill to the growth of our Church.

Blessings

Mark

September 2010 - Journeying with Jesus

Dear Friends

Journeying with Jesus

The Christian life is a call to journey with Jesus. Over the last ten weeks our Sunday readings from Luke’s Gospel have given us an insight into an important aspect of this journey, primarily that as disciples of Christ we are called to proclaim to the people we meet that the Kingdom of God is upon us. “Proclamation” is more than just an announcement: it is to live out a message. This means that our actions and attitudes are more important than our words; and that our relationship with God is visible even in the hidden moments of our lives: a somewhat daunting thought!

What is the “Kingdom of God”? None of the Gospel writers, including Luke, give us a clear, unequivocal description. Instead they portray Jesus as the visible sign of the Kingdom, and through his life – particularly in his interaction with others – we are afforded glimpses of what the Kingdom is. We begin to see that the Kingdom is about love-filled relationships that build justice and true hope in our world. The Kingdom is created through relationships that value love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, pg 144). By incorporating these values into our relationships our lives become glimpses of the Kingdom both for ourselves and for others. This journey with Jesus is one of continual discovery.

What does our journey with Jesus mean for the various other journeys we are on with ourselves and also with others? Jesus’ comment in Luke 9:62, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (TNIV) makes us fear that we will have to leave these other journeys behind. Journeys that conflict with the values of the Kingdom need to be abandoned. However, many – if not most – of our journeys are complementary, and if we are committed and available to Jesus, God draws the journeys of our life together, interweaving them with the Kingdom journey that we are called to.

Too often we forget to make our Kingdom journey the priory of our lives, and we find ourselves pulled in conflicting directions. Rather than this being a conflict in values, it is a conflict of priority. As we increasingly permit our journey with Jesus to become the umbrella under which all our other journeys are allowed to shelter, we will gradually discover over time that the various journeys of our lives are redirected and are progressively guided by our Kingdom journey. The question always is, “How?”

We need to make time to reflect upon our lives, review our priorities, allow the Spirit of God to transform us. This is the call of Christian Stewardship: a call to review our relationship with God, and to reflect upon how we give leadership to our time, our gifting and talents, to our treasure. Our use of time says a great deal about our priorities; the manner in which we deal with our relationships and utilise our belongings says a great deal about our values; our approach to life says a great deal about our relationship with our Creator, Restorer and Sustainer.

Where are you in your journey with Jesus?

                Blessings

                                Mark

October 2009

Dear friends

Stewardship

I raised three points in our final focus on Stewardship last Sunday, and I share these for thought: stewardship is taking care of something we value and enabling it to grow; the foundation of financial stewardship is knowing what God wants us to do with our lives; we need to consider a commitment of time, treasure and talent to help sustain the faith community that nurtures our ideals.

Leadership

October is the time we elect our Wardens and Councillors for next year (2010). The new Council will pick up responsibility immediately the election has been ratified at our Annual Vestry in January. Nomination forms are available at the back of the church, and candidates need to be Christians who are confirmed Anglicans and who are on the parish membership roll. Present Wardens and Councillors need to be re-nominated for election, along with new blood. These names only get onto the list if YOU put them there! Please pray, and then be proactive in placing names on the list.

I expressed my concern at a recent Council meeting that there appears to be a general feeling that things are going well in the Parish; the negative side of this has been a growing lethargy over the past two years towards either encouraging others, or putting oneself forward for leadership. I offered to create a CRISIS that would ignite a fire under us, and have everyone running to get elected in order to see to the sacking of the Rector! Council strongly advised against this (obviously!), so I need your help, please: caucus amongst yourselves and nominate people you feel will best represent the parish as either Wardens or Councillors.

The following may be of use to you in your deliberations (1 Timothy 3:1-12 from The Message):

If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he's talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God's church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

Please note that in the Anglican Church of the 21^st Century the above applies equally to men and women!

Blessings

Mark

September 2009 - Being Missional

Dear friends

Being Missional

In this early part of the 21^st century the Church is finding itself increasingly marginalised, and society perceives the Church to be increasingly irrelevant. This is a fundamental shift for which we, the Church, are largely unprepared. The last time we found ourselves quite so powerless and lacking in influence was back in the 3^rd century. A word that is being used to describe the Church in this time of changing awareness is the word “Missional”. The term itself is still finding definition, and there appears to be little consensus on the detail of this emerging paradigm, except that it is different to the paradigm experienced for almost two millennia since Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4^th century.

There are a few building blocks. A new theological field, known as the Theology of Work, is beginning to give some definition to what it means to be Church in the 21^st century. The momentum for this emerging theology is being driven by lay people reflecting on the relationship between their lives in the working world and their Christian faith. A key book in this regard is Joy at Work (A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job) by Dennis W. Bakke, cofounder of Applied Energy Services (AES). In his postscript to the book Dennis attempts to describe the integration of his faith and the secular work to which he has been called, and in so doing touches on some powerful theology that helps us understand what it is to be the Church in the 21^st century, what it is to truly be “Missional”.

Your “Missional” Call

Key to this approach is that “our daily work is a sacred calling from God”.  This is a fundamental shift in thinking because it states that working in the secular environment is a sacred calling, no more and no less than working in or for the Church. Dennis says, “I am God’s representative at my place of work and … I am accountable to Him for my behaviour and actions on the job and especially for the service or product I help provide to society.” He goes on to say that, “A church’s service to the community should be measured by the sum of the work carried out by its members. This would include both voluntary and paid work at home, in business, at church, and in other not-for-profit organisations.” Dennis points to the fact that it is the influence of Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle on early theologians such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas that leads to the idea that “Christian work” is somehow superior to work in the secular environment.

If we are to be truly “Missional”, true to the emerging paradigm of Church in the 21^st century, we need to take seriously the role that each member of the “Body of Christ” plays in representing God in the world. This requires us to change our perspective on stewardship. Our concept of stewardship is too often defined by the old paradigm in which those working in the secular world are required to resource the clergy and the missionary programmes of the Church. “Missional” stewardship is primarily about accountability and responsibility, rather than resourcing the Church; the “… local church [being] a primary vehicle for holding Christian people responsible for their vocational work.” Instead of resourcing the Church being a primary focus, “Missional” stewardship asks us to “… [manage] resources to meet physical needs”, “… [serving] the important goal  of stewarding God’s resources to meet societal needs.” In reflecting on his own church experience Dennis says, “Leaders of the church seldom discussed the need for accountability for the way we served God through our secular work.” I recognise this in my own ministry as an Anglican Priest over twenty years, more concerned that my stipend is paid and that our worship is staffed with readers and sidespersons on a Sunday; and less concerned that parishioners are meaningfully equipped to serve God in their work-a-day world from Monday to Saturday; frustrated by the 20/80 principle – that 20% of the congregation contribute to 80% of Parish life – instead of realising that perhaps only 20% of people have time to contribute, while 80% are busy serving God in the realm of homes, schools, business and government.

Scattered

The above backs up another key “Missional” concept, and this is that God sends us, scatters us into the world; that we take the light of Christ into the world and its darkness through who we are, what we do and how we do it. Too often, in the older paradigm, Sundays were sacred moments that had little to do with our lives during the rest of the week, creating a kind of spiritual/secular schizophrenia. In “Missional” thinking Sunday – the Church gathered – becomes a celebration of what God has done in our lives from Monday to Saturday; it is a time of testimony, of sharing how God has been with us, how we have seen and experienced God as we have sought to live out our calling in the scattered environment of our week.

Gathered

This then raised the question of what the church should be doing. Dennis says, “My own bias is that the church should concentrate its pastoral and administrative resources on evangelism, worship, and nurturing and equipping members for service. I suggest that churches run service programs … only in the rarest instances.” I am encouraged by this because it reflects the mission statement of our own Diocese (Pretoria), that every Parish become a forming centre of Spirituality, Mission and Ministry. My role as Parish Priest is to facilitate this process, which Dennis describes as follows: “One of the most important roles of the local church is helping people discover the work that God has planned for them and then empowering them to perform that work.”

Biblical Imperative

Underlying this “Theology of Work” is the Great Commission in Matthew, as well as the creation stories in Genesis, which Dennis describes as “… the stewardship mission of Genesis.” Too often the church gets overly caught up on the redemptive nature of God; “Theology of Work” brings our lives into balance by reminding us of God as Creator and Sustainer, too.

Questions

September is “Stewardship Month” in our Diocese: how are you accountable to the “Body of Christ” for 100% of your life? How are you resourced by the Church to be responsible for your sacred calling to represent God in the secular environment? How are you resourcing the gathered Church that it may become increasingly effective in empowering you and others in your daily lives in the scattered environment of your week?

Blessings

Mark

All quotes are from: Bakke, Dennis W. 2005; Joy at Work (A revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job); PVG, Seattle; Pages 245-275

September - Stewardship Month

As we consider how we are stewarding our lives, relationships and resources in the midst of a tough economic and social global environment, a short book by Klaus Nürnberger Making ends meet is of value. It is available from the CB Powell Bible Centre in Pretoria.

Prof Nürnberger states that poverty is the discrepancy between income and needs, and that the nature of need is that it is always greater than our financial resources. This means that even the most wealthy may be poor, and often deeply in debt! Could that be us?

We try to beat poverty by finding ways to increase our income, but in tough times like the present global meltdown, the best way is to decrease our needs. Prof Nürnberger describes needs as: basic essentials; social expectations; personal desires; pure luxuries.

He gives four tips on breaking even:

1. Orient yourself down to the less privileged, rather than up to the more privileged.
2. Don’t crave for what you don’t have, but praise God for the precious gifts God gave you.
3. Avoid debt at all costs. If you cannot afford something, simply do without it.
4. Make a budget and stick to it.

Here Prof Nürnberger suggests a budget formulated as follows:

ü       Work on a monthly basis.

ü       Get the whole family together.

ü       Be absolutely transparent.

ü       Add up all household income.

ü       Make a schedule.

ü       Allocate to specified items.

ü       Agree on priorities.

And he suggests we allocate it as follows:

ü       The money of God.

ü       Debt redemption or saving.

ü       Fixed items: rates and taxes, rent, water, light, school fees. 

ü       Household expenses: food, cleaning material, etc.

ü       Transport. 

ü       Clothing for each member.

ü       Pocket money for each member.

ü       New acquisitions.

Using these principles in the following order of priority for our allocation of available funds:

1. The money of God.
2. Debt redemption or saving.
3. Fixed items: rates and taxes, rent, water, light, school fees. 
4. Household expenses: food, cleaning material, etc.
5. Transport. 
6. Clothing for each member.
7. Pocket money for each member.
8. New acquisitions.

Prof Nürnberger says the challenge, however, in getting ourselves out of poverty are:

Ø       Can we trust God to provide for our healthy survival?

Ø       Can we trust each other?

Ø       Can we swallow our pride and be transparent to each other?

Ø       Can we overcome our selfishness and cooperate?

Ø       Can we sacrifice for each other?

Ø       Can we discipline ourselves?

Ø       Can we be an example for others? 

Stewardship of our Resources 2007/2008

Dear Friends

“Christian Stewardship is the way in which Christians exercise their duty to administer what God has entrusted to them and to serve him gladly in his Church” (from A Catechism in An Anglican Prayer Book 1989, pg 435).

Making ourselves available for Christian service is an essential part of Stewardship – a way we can all demonstrate commitment to our Church and our community. As we move steadily towards a new year, we urge you all to consider what you can do as members of Corpus Christi to exercise your Christian duty and serve with joy in the year that lies ahead:

Making your Time, Talents and Skills available is one of the greatest gifts you can give – especially in these days of trying to balance crowded diaries, fast-paced working lives and family commitments. We all, however, have something to offer: a skill or talent that can be utilised to the benefit of fellow parishioners and the Church’s Mission. It may be something as simple as offering your services as a driver to the Samaritans Group or as an extra pair of hands to the Catering Committee or helping with tea after services; perhaps you can see where your professional skills could be used to the benefit of the Corpus Christi community.

Please consider what you can do and how much time you can offer, and let us know by filling in the relevant section in the Stewardship Commitment Form. Tell us how you can help, when you can help and what activity you would like to be involved in. We will collate the information and you will be contacted.

The Generosity Giving Scheme is a vital part of the mission, growth and maintenance of parish life. We always appreciate the consideration and generosity of parishioners who support this area of “Tithing” and give steadily, constantly and regularly. It is an unfortunate fact, however, that inflation and rising interest rates impact as much on our mission, ministry and maintenance of parish life as they do on our individual pockets.

The Diocese has set a bench-mark increase of 7% for 2008. This does not take into account the need for us as a parish to increase expenditure in areas of mission and ministry – vital areas of our lives that require ongoing support. Although our budget for 2007 was balanced by a wonderful individual donation of R60,000, which enabled us to support our Missionary Deacon, we need to spread these costs more broadly next year.

Please prayerfully consider your financial commitment to the work of God through Corpus Christi. While “Generosity Giving” covers our general budget, there are many other opportunities open for you to make a substantial contribution to an aspect of growth in mission and ministry which you may find appealing. Please talk to our Rector if there is either an existing or potentially new area you would like to specifically support.

We are fortunate to have as a “home” one of the most attractive churches in Pretoria. Keeping it pristine requires that we continually maintain and develop our facilities. The Buildings and Grounds Improvements Fund is another vital area that can be supported with your “Tithe”. While we run a separate fund-raising effort for our Church Building extension and renovations (“Buy a Building Block”), contributions to the Building and Grounds Improvements Fund in 2007 have helped put new carpeting in the church, and will contribute to the renovation of the tiling around the altar, and the installation of a much needed sound system. This money in 2008 will help continue the ongoing improvement and maintenance needs of our facilities.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through him” (Colossians 3:17; TNIV).

Yours in fellow-Stewardship

Mark R D Long - Rector
Peter Davies - Churchwarden
Lex Jackson - Stewardship Coordinator
Mary Verryn - Churchwarden