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Hi *|FNAME|*
I hope you are doing well. There is much happening in the life of CBC, please see Belinda’s note below. But before you read-on, I need to first let you know some sad news.
David Barber passed away last Saturday (15th). We remembered Beth, Rick and Nick and their families in our prayers on Sunday. A memorial service will be held here at the church Monday 24th at 2pm, followed by some light refreshments in the hall. Contributions of ‘something sweet’ for the afternoon tea are most welcome.
Please continue to hold the family in your prayers.
Steve
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Dear Friends,
Hello! No, I am not back quite yet! I return at the end of next week – just in time for the Annual Assembly next week!
However, before I went on leave, Steve asked me to write an introduction to a discussion paper he has written (click here for a copy), with the support of the Currie Crescent Community Centre Advisory Committee and the deacons, exploring how our community of faith has been a neighbour to our wider community in the past, at the present time and what that neighbourly love and care might look like in the future.
You might remember that one of my early images for the Currie Crescent Community Centre was famous ‘Meskel Square’ intersection in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I played a YouTube clip of traffic crossing the square – cars and bikes and people going in all directions – all needing to negotiate their way rather than rely on traffic lights – in church a couple of times. You can check out that video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEIn8GJIg0E
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It might be known as the craziest intersection in the world, but it was a little picture of what our property – and our church community – has been over the years – a place where people have crossed paths and exchanged ideas and skills and laughter and fun and care for one another.
As you read Steve’s paper you will gain an appreciation of how this church has been doing this long before the Community Centre was an expression of our ministry, and in fact, how people have been crossing paths here, to build connections, to sustain life, for thousands of years.
In all this process, I strongly believe, God has been very present. It is like the story of Jacob (Genesis 28) who woke up that his dream of a stairway to heaven, and looked around at the rocks, at this place he had thought so ordinary when he went to sleep and said, “Surely God is in this place!”
As we read this paper and think about our history, we, too, will say, “Surely God is in this place!” As we reflect on the activities happening at the present time, some that has been going for many years now, and some that are just new, we will say, “Surely God is in this place!” And as we start to think and pray and plan for the decades to come – especially as we draw near to our 100th birthday as a church (2029) – we will continue to praise God and acknowledge, “Surely God is in this place!”
So, please read this paper and talk about it with others. But more importantly, keep your eyes and your ears open – for the traffic crossing all around us – and keep your hearts open, as well, for God is here in this place, God is here in the people who come here, and God is here in the people who welcome others in God’s name.
God be with you – and I will see you all soon!
Belinda
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An additional note:
Hardcopies of the discussion paper will be available from this Sunday. Also, a limited number of the books referred to in the paper are available to be loaned from the church office. Most other references have an active link you can click online.
Happy reading….
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