URBANarmy

A new word for me - commensality. Aspect of hospitality around a meal table, concept of not competing while residing in or occupying the same area as another individual or group having independent or different values or customs.

Nearly ten years on Hirsch and Frost have much to remind us of! "... by attractional, we mean that the traditional church plants itself within a particular community, neighborhood, or locale and expects that people will come to it to meet God and find fellowship with others.… By anticipating that if they get their internal features right, people will flock to the services, the church betrays its belief in attractionalism. … If we get our seating, our parking, our children's program, our preaching, and our music right, they will come. This assumes that we have a place in our society and that people didn't join our churches because, though they want to be Christians, they're unhappy with the product. The missional church recognizes that it does not hold a place of honor in its host community and that its missional imperative compels it to move out from itself into that host community as salt and light." (Hirsch and Frost 2004)

It was good yesterday to be reminded that central to all that we do as church is integrated mission, it was also challenging to be reminded how easy it is to forget and lose that sense of being. It reminded me of van Gelder's work and becomes #7 of my looking for 10! Thanks for an encouraging day IHQ Programme department! Van Gelder points out how important it is to maintain an understanding of the relationship of the 'nature - ministry and organisation' of church. The order has to be right when considering the development of a missiological ecclesiology. In other words it is important when considering who we are, that we don't get hooked up on what we look like and how organise ourselves before we understand first who we are and what we have been called to do! "In developing a more fully-orbed missiological ecclesiology, three aspects of church life must be defined and related to one another: what the church is - its nature; what the church does - its ministry...

This prayer of Ignatius has cropped up several times while away. Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will. A Prayer of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

I have been working my way through a self study retreat based on Gordon MacDonald's book 'Resilient Life'. The last few days have been defining the essence of what a resilient person looks like. Resilient people :: run free from the weight of the past :: understand the importance of repairing the past :: respect the power of memory :: practice repentance :: are quick to forgive :: overflow with gratitude :: squeeze the past for all it's wisdom The guiding questions are not without challenge and are humbling as I dig deeper into the core of who I am. As I sit in the 24/7 prayer room I find myself praying and asking what would a resilient church look like?

Ashbrook in his book Mansions of the Heart - points out Two dimensions of our community life that he says should become intentional as a minimum. :: We need to instill a 'climate' of openess, vulnerability and journey - requiring transparency from leadership :: We need to be intentional about helping people establish meaningful relationships. 241

A rehash from last week but on reconsideration these three points have stayed with me and so represent 10:3 :: a commitment to serving the whole person, to helping the marginalised, to fighting for justice :: a call to a lifestyle that counters the societal pressures of consumerism :: Holiness teaching as a lifeline to a generation that has become disillusioned by societal and moral failures. "We must find the words to articulate that teaching ... and the language of our lives must be spoken particularly loudly"

... community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own (see Philippians 2:4). The question, therefore, is not "How can we make community?" but "How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?" Henri Nouwen