What Being In A Growth Group Means For Me

I have been a part of a Growth Group/Bible Study group now, either as a member or a leader, for nearly 30 years.  I have been in many varied groups, from mixed young adults, to men only, to mixed groups. Currently I am co-leading, with Karen, a mixed group of adults – some married, some single.

I have seen so many things happen over those years, not the least of which is the way God has moved and shaken me up to mould me into the person I am today.

Growth Group participation is a given for me as a Christian, I simply cannot do things on my own and what better way to do it then with a group of people who share the same values and reason for living that I do.

So, here are some of the benefits of being in a Growth Group that I see, in no particular order:

Supper. In business they say the best discussions are had around the coffee machine, so never underestimate that time where we socialise beforehand with a cuppa and a biscuit; mind you it seems to only be the men who eat up!! We meet about 15 minutes before the more formal time and it’s a great way to chat and catch up with what’s been happening during the week gone and helps build the relationships, particularly for any new members.

Accountability. Sometimes in life we need other people to keep us on track and spur us on to accomplish our goals. A Growth group is perfect for doing that. We can be honest with each other and share our worries and concerns in a confidential environment without judgement but in a way that enables us to be accountable to someone who cares.  

Social Events. Once a term we strive to have a meal together. Occasionally we study the Bible as well as eat, but mostly we just enjoy a meal and a chat together and share conversation. It’s another great way to get to know each other better.

Studying the Bible and hearing different perspectives. We spend about 45 minutes to read and study the Bible, varying the way we study it, from following along with the current sermon series in Church to using Life Guide study notes on books of the Bible or topical subjects or characters.

I like the idea of hearing other people’s point of view. Our group is a diverse mix of so many different people who are Christians – e.g. age, gender, office workers, work from home people, some have degrees; some run their own business, some are crafty, some excel at hospitality. We are all at different stages of our journey. The one thing that is not different is we are united by our love for the Lord and a desire to grow closer to Him each day.

It is refreshing to hear a different point of view on a scripture I have read numerous times before. That is one way we grow as Christians.

Encouragement. Another primary reason I go to Bible study each week is for the encouragement I receive from the people in our group.

Sharing personal struggles and seeking advice. Over the course of the years, I have shared our stories of loss, our fears, temptations, and weaknesses. Sometimes a member of the group might offer a helpful suggestion, and sometimes there is no answer. That's when we are able to support each other, and love each other through times of struggle, to pray together, and encourage one another as best we can. There aren't always answers, but knowing you’re being held up in prayer can go a long way to calming fears.

Praying for each other. Usually after studying the Bible we spend about 30 minutes writing down and sharing our prayer requests and of course praying for each other, usually in groups of 3-5 people. We stress the importance of confidentiality that what’s shared in the group stays in the group. We also encourage everyone in the group to use these in their personal daily prayer time; it helps to know others are praying for you.

Celebrating life's many blessings. Over the years there are so many great things that happen to us and our Growth Group experiences many of these together. Our groups have been: a source of encouragement, support, Godly counsel, and friendship that can never be replaced.

Outreach Focus. One of the key things I love about our group is that we want to grow and serve God and see how He wants to use us. Some years ago we felt led to head up the Anglicare Food Drive collection in the Barden Ridge area on behalf of our church. We listened to the call to action and as a result we have been blessed to see God work so powerfully each year. So many contacts have been made in the community, so much help from so many people in our Church, and every year we seem to hear more touching stories. It’s fantastic to see so many other groups and individuals share our vision.   

Growth groups are a sure way to get to know others in our church community more intimately. We are a large church and there is no way you can get to know every person. But you can get to know every person in your group, well. And we can support each other and share each others’ burdens in a group. We don’t always do that perfectly because none of us is perfect. But we can do the best we can with the gifts that God gives us in the intimate nature of our groups.

Nigel Beckman

To Brand or Not to Brand?

Menai Anglican Church......St Paul’s Anglican Church Menai........Menai Anglican........St Paul’s Menai, whatever you choose to call our church, the name is not what people in our community associate with. 

People go to church and continue to come to this church, for the people, the Bible-based worship and the friendship, not the name, not the brand, not the building. A sense of community is what we all hunger for. Humans are not designed to be solitary. As people begin to seek God it can be a daunting and uncomfortable process to first set foot into a church and be greeted by people they may not know.

So why do we need a brand, a logo, an identity and why don’t we just concentrate on getting our worship right and our hearts in the right place to be able to genuinely welcome newcomers and to reach out into our community about the Good News of the Gospel message?

We live in a material world (as Madonna sings) and in this material world we are surrounded..... no bombarded..... by brands, logos and identities, all day every day. It is so common that we sometimes fail to even notice the branding. Railway stations are easily identified around the world by simple branding, as are airports and other landmarks. We don’t identify these as brands, but rather location identities to help us find our way around.

Most churches, whether they seek to have a brand/logo/identity or not, do in fact have a cross somewhere on the building. This identifies them as churches to people who pass by. The cross is a symbol of Jesus sacrifice for us and it has been used on churches for many years. The cross is a powerful symbol or icon and means a great deal to a Christian. This is our branding, whether we like to admit it or not.

Almost from the start, in 1982, when the first flyers were circulated to the few houses in the Menai/Illawong/Alfords Point area advising of a ‘New Church’ starting up, we sought to have an identity. Something people could associate with us and recognise us by. We moved from Rob Barrie’s house in Hall Drive, to Bangor Community Centre, to Bangor Primary School, as we grew and outgrew facilities. Finally we settled in Barden Ridge (or Lucas Heights) on our current site. Our signage out the front was typical Anglican style. Even today, our blue and white Menai Anglican Church sign carries the traditional logo or branding of the Sydney Anglican Churches.

Under the guidance of Rob Barrie we developed a vision for the church in the 1990’s which, was simply, “Menai for Christ”. Around the same time we started using a logo for the church which reflected this vision. This logo was:

 
This logo was used by the church on newsletters, letterheads and other communications, both internal and external for several years. The incorporation of the ‘t’ into a cross was a reference to our Christian faith.

After the construction of our new extensions at Barden Ridge, the church building became a symbol or logo for our church. This is still used in many of our ministries. 
 
The next stage in our logo or branding became the use of the stained glass imagery. This has become the standard in our current website and our current electronic news items. In this version of our ‘branding’ the abbreviation of our name from Menai Anglican Church to MAC found its origins
This branding looks like this:
 
As we move into our new branding for our church, (which has evolved from the work of a representative group of parishioners) there has been a great deal of thought and prayer involved in finding an image that truly represents what we stand for. Our new vision for our church is
‘Introducing Jesus : Changing Lives’

We needed an image that presents Jesus to our members and our community in a way that is approachable, welcoming and easily recognised. The making up a cross from a wide variety of colours is, in some way, symbolic of how we all come to the cross from different places and backgrounds, but the cross is what binds us together.
Our new logo is:

I started asking why do we need a church logo. The fact is that we have always had one and it is important for us to recognise the importance of having a symbol of our church which people in our community can identify and relate to.

A church logo, although not an end in and of itself, is a powerful means to assisting a church’s vision. As Kent Shaffer of Church Relevance puts it, “A great church logo in and of itself does not create great church branding. But it does give a church the foundation needed to build a solid brand.”
Our new logo is a positive, colourful and contemporary symbol of our cross and the people who come together under it. As we move forward this symbol will become a positive image in our
community, if we are prepared to embrace the vision and believe we can make a difference by “Introducing Jesus and Changing Lives”.

Ian Johnson

Generosity

The New Testament has lots to say about how we handle our wealth.  One of the striking aspects for me is that we're told that giving should be a joyful exercise [2 Corinthians 9:7].  How does that work?

Well, when we are generous with our wealth a number of great things happen.  

Firstly, our generosity brings praise to God [2 Corinthians 9:12-13].  I guess that real sacrificial giving, such as the Macedonians exhibited, is so rare that it will point people to the God who inspired it and to his gracious character [2 Corinthians 8:8-9].  

And then Jesus tells us that our generosity frees us from the strangle-hold that our money often has on us [Matthew 6:19-24].  It helps us to learn tot rust God [Matthew 6:25-34] and if that doesn't make you joyful, nothing will.  

Furthermore the Bible is clear that God blesses the generous. Not that he will make us money-rich but he will bless us [2 Corinthian 9:6, 10-11].  And who could not be pleased that their giving contributed to people being introduced to Jesus and getting their lives changed [2 Corinthians 9:13]!  

There is no better investment in existence than that, and we don't have to pay for the advice, there is no brokerage fee and the market is never going to collapse.  The bottom line is that our generosity is for our own good.  It brings joy and blessing if our heart is in God. 

Bruce Dingwall, Senior Minister

12 Ways You Can Support Young Christian Parents

Our second baby suffered from chronic reflux and colic to the point where, at just few weeks old, his oesophagus was ulcerated. He slept for 40 minutes every four hours and screamed for most of the other three hours and 20 minutes until we all collapsed from exhaustion late each night. Needless to say, these were the toughest months of our lives personally and as parents. We’d only been Christians for a few years and I can say unequivocally that we would not have survived without the practical and spiritual support of a few godly women from our church.

Times of crisis for young parents, however, are not the only times the Church should offer help and support. If you’re a Christian parent with older children and teens, you’ll no doubt remember what it was like to be sleep-deprived and financially-pressured as you tried to navigate parenthood for the first time. But mentoring, supporting and loving less experienced parents in your church goes beyond giving sound advice. In fact, most young parents would probably say that advice was all they got!

How do we, as fellow Christian parents, offer practical and spiritual support to other parents in our church communities? Here are some suggestions.

Spiritual and Emotional Support

1. Offer encouragement. When you’re struggling with fatigue or feeling overwhelmed, there’s nothing more helpful than words of encouragement. ‘You’re doing so well with your little boy. He’s such a delight.’ ‘Good on you for making it to church today. I remember how hard it is to get out the door with a baby.’ ‘I love the sound of your little ones singing, laughing and saying “Amen”.’

2. Be genuinely interested. It’s easy to say ‘How are you going?’ to people as you pass, without stopping to find out the real answer. It may take a few times to get a real response, but showing genuine interest over time will mean that you’ll be able to identify where best you can support and serve a fellow parent.

3. Offer advice only when invited. When your baby is not sleeping or feeding well, when your pre-schooler hits and bites, or when your older child is hyperactive, there’s a myriad of well-intended but ultimately unhelpful advice. Even if you think you might have the answer to their problem, hold back and perhaps ask, ‘Would you like some ideas that could help?’. This will give them the opportunity to say ‘no, thanks’. Don’t be judgmental: begin your advice with ‘It might be helpful to try …’ rather than ‘You should have done …’.

4. Be honest and empathise. Don’t say you know how they feel if you really don’t. Sometimes just listening and then praying for God’s wisdom with them can be a wonderful relief for parents trying to sort through the issues themselves. Resist the urge to say ‘Oh I had the same thing when my kids were young …’, and then divert the conversation to a diatribe of your own experiences! Be open to sharing your mistakes too. Sometimes our churches can look like they are full of perfect parents who have their act together, rather than ordinary people with real struggles, who sometimes fail.

5. Point people in the right direction. If you can see that a young mother is depressed or their husband is not coping, encourage them to seek professional help. Your church may have a pastoral worker or counsellor, but if it doesn’t, offer to help with the baby while the mum or dad sees their family doctor or a psychologist. Be gracious but not pushy. Many women with Postnatal Depression feel like they should be able to cope without help and find admitting that they can’t cope means they are a failure as a mum.[1] Follow up to see how they are managing and ask for ways you can practically help and pray for them.

6. Be a positive role model. We can learn a lot from more experienced Christian parents just by seeing what they do with their own children. We’ve personally adopted quite a few practices from respected friends with older children - everything from pocket money chores and bedtime routines, to how to teach our children to pray and understand the Bible. Be careful of gossip and voicing criticism of other parents or their children; not only is it unhelpful and unbiblical, it fails to present church as a place of grace and acceptance.

Practical Help

In researching this article, I asked many mums and dads what practical support would be most helpful to them as new parents. The following points may help in formulating support networks for parents in your church.

7. Be available. It’s not always convenient when we have our own family commitments, but the desperate call for help doesn’t always come at convenient times. I remember being courageous (and desperate enough) to phone a lady from church at 6pm one night when I felt I could no longer cope with a screaming baby. It’s better for desperate parents to call a support person at these times rather than harm or leave their child alone. Of course, in less stressful circumstances, being available to help out with babysitting for doctor’s appointments or just to give mum and dad a few hours’ break can be a real blessing.

8. In-church services. Crèche and cry room rosters can be the hardest to get people to volunteer for. It is hard to get to church with one or more children (particularly after a sleepless night), but when you spend the service rocking an unsettled baby, it can all seem too hard. If you see a parent standing at the back of the church or outside rocking a pram, why not offer to take baby for a walk while they listen to the message? Offer to read a book to a toddler sitting next to mum, or to hold her baby while she gets herself a coffee and catches up with friends after the service. Don’t give noisy children and their parent sour looks of disapproval during the service—we want families to feel wanted and comfortable enough to make the effort to attend church.

9. Bible Study and playtime groups. If you’re a parent of school-aged kids and don't work fulltime, consider helping out for a few hours each week with the playtime group or Bible study groups attended by young parents. It may be the only time that week these parents get to read their Bible and study God’s word, or just connect with other parents. Playtime groups are often open to non-Christians, so you’ll be doing evangelism as well!
10. Don’t ignore the dads. Few Christians dispute the wisdom and benefits of mentoring. Titus 2:3–5 specifically targets women’s relationships with one another. But it also applies to men who could support and encourage other dads in your church community. Try meeting him for coffee before work to talk and pray together. A quick text to follow up or a phone call might be all that’s needed to make a guy feel like someone cares. The same suggestions on advice and listening above also apply to men!

11. Dinner and date nights. Many churches already have a food roster for people who are sick or in need. Consider offering this ministry to new parents in the first few weeks, but think about what is most helpful about this provision: delivering the meal hot and ready to eat at a time agreed that afternoon; heat’n’eat meals for dads running to and from the hospital; adding plain extras for fussy toddlers and pre-schoolers who only eat sausages or chicken nuggets! The best meals I remember during this time included cheese and biscuits as an entrée and chocolates for coffee afterwards: indulgences we couldn’t afford at the time! If you have responsible teenagers, encourage them to babysit older children free of charge, so that parents can have a restaurant dinner locally or go for coffee and dessert once baby is fed and sleeping.

12. Clothes and kit for loan or to keep. Not everyone is financially equipped to buy the necessities of a new baby (particularly unexpected ones like single mums or single-income families). Even the loan of a capsule or baby seat while you’re not using them can be a real blessing. It can be as simple as advertising the need in the church newsletter and being the contact person to facilitate the exchange.

As Christians, we need to show God’s love to everyone in our church community and beyond. With our own experience as parents, we can easily identify and relate to the trials and joys of those following behind. Let’s use those life lessons and God-given gifts to build a strong network of support for all parents - one that differentiates us in a positive way from the secular playtime and mother’s groups available outside.

Reproduced from the Growing Faith Website http://growingfaith.com.au with the kind permission of the author - Julie Firmstone.  Julie Firmstone is a member of Menai Anglican Church and the Assistant Director of Publishing at Youthworks Media.