It is the beginning of the great 50
days of the Easter Season. We had a wonderful time of worship and
celebration at New Wine Easter Sunday. We had around 27 people in
attendance and we were reminded that we are "Risen People"
because we follow a "Risen Lord". Risen People see life
differently because we understand everything from an eternal
perspective. Risen People value things that last. Chiefly we value
our relationships with the Lord and each other. We also understand
that Risen People are created to reproduce other followers of Christ.
Thus, at New Wine our challenge and purpose is to "Love God and
Love People".
Last month I attended an Anglican Church Planters Conference in Wheaton, IL. We were challenged to intentionally work on reproducing Christians and in turn churches. The Anglican "123 Challenge" is that every congregation strive to help start one new congregation in the next two years using one of three methods. The methods are one, by joining with a group of congregations in supporting a new work in the area. This is called the "Jurisdictional Method". The second is by birthing a new congregation by sending out members of our own congregations to start a new work. This is the Congregational Method. The third is called the "Pioneering Method", where you sponsor a missioner to start a new work around a target community or service.
I was encouraged realizing that New Wine is already about the business of reproducing even using forms of these methods already. We have been instrumental in helping several people enter the work of ministry in the past. Mike Cupp is currently planting a new work; Grand Rapids Anglican Church. We pray for them, advocate for them in our new Diocese and I am in a mentoring relationship with Mike as they get started. This is a "Jurisdictional" model of planting. But we are also raising up another young man, Cameron MacMillan from our midst who is just completing his Parish Discernment Process and will probably be going off to seminary this Fall. Though it is years away Cameron and Hannah are being sent off by us to do a new work either as an Apologist and Christian Writer or academician or possibly a church planter. This may fit in the Congregational model definition. And currently we are raising up Tim Goodrich, one of our own, who is looking to develop an intentional missional community via establishing a Christian business, a cobbler shop, in the heart of an economically depressed city. His vision, which we believe the Lord is giving him, is to intentionally build relationships with artisans in the city, mentor young urban students and possibly form an intentional residential community around a "rule" that mirrors some of St. Patrick's methodology while evangelizing Ireland. This is a Pioneering strategy.
Our newest cell group meets in Clio, north of Flint, at Roxbury Court Apartments. We meet on Thursday night with Sim, Fran and Peggy from our church giving leadership. Several other residents join us in our study on "Grace". Holy week they took a break from their study to host our Maundy Thursday service. Crammed into the third floor lounge we held an "Instructional Eucharist". Other members of our congregation came and we all sensed the Spirit amongst us as Christ made Himself known to us in the "breaking of the bread". This was not the first time we have held our special service offsite and at one of our cell groups. One year we actually went to the home of an elderly aunt of a member. She was shut in and Catholic, but appreciated communion being brought to her. But as we all left she was overheard saying, "Does the priest always bring his whole family with him?" We love living out of the "box" taking the church to people. Its a new way of doing church.
