I am so thankful that this past month has brought along highlights interwoven with reflections and learnings.
The first highlight comes from serving in welcoming along with my Growth Group. Our 5pm congregation recently moved from the Cathedral back to the Parish Halls – which is where we met pre-COVID. This move presented each Growth Group with the opportunity to serve one and other in welcoming before the service and packing up after the service. Our Growth Group had the pleasure and privilege of going first. I was super encouraged by everyone as each of us became more intentional in looking out for newcomers, been more intentional about who to sit next to, and been more intentional in striking up a conversation with someone who is new or standing alone after the service.
Seeing our team pray and live out Romans 15:7 (ESV) “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” has been an encouraging highlight for me. This has prompted me to reflect on how I am welcoming on weeks when I am not rostered on for welcoming, how am I been intentional in sitting next to and striking up a conversation with a newcomer or someone that is sitting or standing alone? Please pray for me that I would be welcoming people as Christ has welcomed me to Him, for the glory of God, not out of duty but out of love, for each and every week.
The second highlight comes from serving alongside my fellow MTS intern, Nathan Xing. We were invited by Campus Bible Ministries (CBM) from Western Sydney University (WSU) to come and teach the students. I assisted Nathan as he delivered training on how our Church does corporate worship (music) ministry. During the training, we read through Psalm 96, seeing how God’s people are praising God for who he is: “For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.” (v4). It was such a joy to work alongside with my fellow intern in the facilitation and the delivery of how are we thinking about corporate worship (music) ministry.
On a personal front, this has challenged me to reflect on the worship songs that I listen to in my personal time. It has challenged me to pay more attention to the song lyrics – in particular, what the lyrics are saying about God, how are the lyrics pointing to Jesus and being more conscious in choosing which songs to put on my playlist and listen to.
The third highlight comes from my utmost thankfulness from all the training that I have been receiving in the past month and since I started out as an MTS intern in January.
In our most recent weekly MTS training, we read from Ephesians 6:17-20 and looked at what growth group prayer should look like. While reading through the ministry paper, one thing that reasonated with me is that our prayer should reflect as God speaks to us through his Word. The paper raises the question: “How rude would it be to have a conversation with someone then to interact and respond with nothing they have said?”
This has really convicted me to reflect on how our growth group has been doing our group prayer and also how I am doing my prayer in my quiet time and when reading the bible with someone 1 on 1. One learning takeaway is that I ought to be more present when reading God’s Word whether alone, with someone or in a group and letting God’s Word shape my prayer.
Please pray that I would grow in my relationship with God through the reading of his Word and as I engage and respond to His Word through prayer.
The Marsden Fund 