Growth Groups
Growth groups kicked off at the start of February, and I will continue to lead two growth groups this year. I will be leading an 11am congregation group with Helen (my wife) and Thomas. The goal I have set for myself this year is to be able to provide better guidance and feedback to my co-leaders, while also looking to train a few group members to be leaders in the future. I am currently leading the 8am group alone. I find that I am still learning so much about what it means to serve the older saints, but please pray that God might raise leaders to continue this group after my internship has finished.
11am growth group – a photo of our first gathering.
We gave each member a succulent as a reminder that growth requires intentional effort by God’s grace.
8am growth group – a photo of our first gathering.
Main congregation ministry
Earlier in Feb I attended (online) the Priscilla and Aquilla Centre conference. This is an organisation supported by Moore Theological College, with the purpose of encouraging the ministries of women in partnership with men. This year’s conference was focused on the ‘one-another’ commands found in the bible. One of my key takeaways was that our acts of love and service in the church are not limited to formal roles. In fact, a key part of our congregational gathering was in informal conversation and prayer with one another. I wrote a piece on this for our church news, which you can read here: https://stjohnscathedral.org.au/glorifying-god-with-the-second-half-of-church/
Something else that has been really exciting to kick off is welcoming at 11am! For the last two years, our ‘welcoming’ team had been focusing on COVID-compliance, making sure people wore masks and were checking in. At the start of this year as the government rolled back some of these requirements, we have been able to actually welcome people! By God’s grace, 11am have seen an influx of visitors over the past couple of weeks. Would you please be praying for our growth groups that they would welcome newcomers with warmth and joy.
One of my birthday resolutions last October was to lose weight. I had definitely gotten rounder around the edges in the past three and a half years of marriage. 6 months in, I have (surprisingly!) lost 10kg – from a mixture of vigorous exercise (boxing and running) and eating less at night. Out of this ‘fitness journey’, I’ve seen how it has improved my sleep, my mood, and even my personal godliness! However, I have also to learned to receive physical health as the physical gift that it is. It is a blessing and not a right to be able to develop and strengthen my body. There may very well be a time where my present physical health will be taken away from me. But what I am assured of is that my training in godliness will always hold value in all things (1 Timothy 4:8). Please pray that I might remained disciplined in my physical training, but all the more so in my training in righteousness.
The Marsden Fund 