Singing the Faith
In the mid-20th century singing was a joyful and sustaining expression of faith – and the words we sang were powerful.
This new book by Dr Judith Raftery explores the history and meaning behind the lyrics. Written with real warmth and a depth of scholarly understanding borne of years of study, Singing the Faith sheds light on Churches of Christ’s thought and practice.
The 6-part study guide encourages readers to reflect on the words we sing and the role of singing in our faith lives – no matter what our style of music.
Simply follow this link to obtain a copy through the Australian Churches of Christ Historical Society.
http://www.cctc.edu.au/Historical/Singing%20the%20Faith%20ORDER%20FORM.pdf
Support for New Zealand – Christchurch Appeal
There have been some inquires regarding how we can help our brothers and sisters in New Zealand following the recent devastating earthquake in Christchurch. The Associated Churches of Christ, Christian Churches New Zealand are working closely with four churches in Christchurch, and have set up an appeal to which we can contribute. Even though the pictures and articles have drifted away from the news cycle, we are keen to begin to ramp up our formal support now, as this can be a time where those who have been through disasters can feel forgotten by the outside world.
As more information arises, I will pass it on. Please note that this is not a tax deductible appeal.
If you could forward this around your networks that would be very much appreciated.
Here are the details:
Name of the organization – Associated Churches of Christ, Christian Churches New Zealand
Address – 40 Saxton Road, Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand, 7011
Account number – 02-0704-0254543-00
Bank name – Bank of New Zealand
Bank address – Trafalgar Street, Nelson, New Zealand, 7010
Bank Swift Code – BKNZNZ22
Reference – Christchurch Relief Fund
http://www.ccnz.org/
Craig Brown
ACCIM Announces First Indigenous Executive Director
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Board of the Australian Churches of Christ Indigenous Ministries (ACCIM) is excited to announce the appointment of Phillip Moncrieff as its new Executive Director, following on from the much respected and loved Avon Moyle, who retired in December 2010 after almost 25 years in the role.
Phillip Moncrieff’s appointment is of special significance. Phillip is the first ever Indigenous Executive Director of ACCIM. Phillip’s term will be an interim position for two years, as the Council of Churches of Christ in Australia (CCCA) facilitates a review of all Indigenous ministries within a Churches of Christ setting, with ACCIM as a valued partner in this process.
Phillip is 48, originally from the Carnarvon region of Western Australia, with a wide variety of relevant work and church-related experience. He was educated in Perth, at technical college, then at the Curtin and Murdoch universities. His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science (in Community Management & Development), partial (deferred) work towards a Master of Philosophy, a Certificate in Advanced Christian Leadership in 2003 from the Haggai Institute (Hawaii) and a Certificate in Governance with the WA Register of Aboriginal Corporations (2004).
Phillip has had extensive work experience in various settings, the majority of which have involved working with or in support of Aboriginal Communities and Indigenous issues. He is also a gifted musician, evangelist and storyteller.
This is a historical moment in ACCIM’s ministry. We appreciate that we are about to enter a time of transition and we look forward to the challenges and ministry opportunities that lie ahead.
You will be informed in due course when further information is at hand regarding a farewell to Avon and Des Moyle, and the induction of Phillip Moncrieff.
THANKS TO YOU ALL!
The families of the late Gordon Stirling wish to thank all those who sent messages of condolence, emails, tributes on The Open Table, and letters of acknowledgement, and those who attended the Thanksgiving Service on 24th January, for your support and empathy. We know many of you cut short holidays, traveled from interstate, and/or took time off work to attend the service, and we feel overwhelmed by that support. Others of you, who found it impossible to attend, sent messages, and we feel grateful for that. We hope this suffices as ‘thanks to you all’!
Jeanette Morris, Beth Butler, and Doug and Heather Mudie.
Congratulations to Wal Fordham (OAM)
Australia Day 2011 Honours List
The Governor-General, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce AC, Chancellor of the Order of Australia, has approved awards announced today in the Australia Day 2011 Honours List.
Included in these awards are 441 recipients, who are receiving awards in the general division of the Order of Australia, in recognition of their diverse contributions and service to fellow citizens in Australia and internationally.
“I want to give my strong support to the awards made through the Australian Honours System’, Ms Bryce said. “They elevate the concept of giving to others. They heighten our respect for one another, and they encourage Australians to think about the responsibilities of citizenship in our democracy.”
“Awards in the Australian honours system represent the highest level of recognition accorded by our nation for outstanding achievement and service. The Honours announced today recognise community values and celebrate what is important and unifying in Australian life”, Ms Bryce said.
Emeritus Professor John Hay AC, Chairman of the Council of the Order, said the diversity of service across all fields of endeavour was recognised today in the Australia Day Honours List.
“These awards are public recognition of people who provide outstanding community service and whose achievements enhance national identity. By their actions they demonstrate the qualities of positive role models. The recipients are not only worthy of respect but encourage emulation. These awards also recognise the ‘quiet achievers’ in our midst. They are people who serve the community, but do not seek accolades”, Professor Hay said.
“The Order of Australia relies entirely upon community initiative for submission of nominations. It is important that the honours system continues to uphold the national ethos of valuing diversity and recognising the contributions made by citizens to Australian cultural and social life, regardless of background”, he said.
“All Australians are encouraged to nominate fellow citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the well-being of others for national recognition in the Honours List.”
(Those awarded)
MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA
Mr Wallace Munro FORDHAM, Rowville Vic 3178
For service to the community through a range of aged care and service organisations.
Chairman, Victorian Churches of Christ Community Care, 1984-1990; Deputy Chairman, 1976-1983; Board Member, 1974-1990.
Queensland Flood Appeal
Queensland Flood Appeal and update
Churches of Christ in Queensland has launched a flood appeal, and we are calling on people to dig deep to help those in need in the affected communities.
Recent flooding in many parts of Queensland has had a devastating affect on local communities throughout the state, including St George, Emerald, Dalby, Bundaberg and Rockhampton. In St George, flood levels have been estimated to reach 14 meters this week, while in the other regions locals are now faced with the clean up of homes and businesses. Residents at Warrawee Aged Care Services will be evacuated and relocated to Moonah Park Aged Care Services in Brisbane in the interim. The aged care facility will be closed from January 6 until further notice. A brief update is in the attached special edition of Networking.
Donations can be made to the Care Community Foundation Flood appeal by calling 1800 600 900 or return the attached appeal coupon by fax to (07) 3878 1268, or post to: Care Community Foundation, PO Box 508, Kenmore QLD, 4069. A direct bank deposit can be made to: Westpac Bank, Account Name: Churches of Christ Care, BSB: 034 055 Account Number: 153472. For online donations, go to www.care.cofcqld.com.au.
Remembering Gordon Stirling
As many of you would be aware, yesterday Gordon Stirling died. In conversations I have had since then, Gordon has been spoken of in glowing terms. Some even suggested that it was the “end of an era”. Gordon was a church minister, lecturer, editor of The Australian Christian, mentor and friend to many in our Movement.
Above all that he was a beloved member of his family.
I met Gordon only a handful of times, the first time as a nervous, new editor of The Australian Christian. Gordon was a gentleman, wise and encouraging. He, as I came to discover, was also a one of the leading lights in interpreting the DNA of Churches of Christ. When it came to explaining ‘who we were’ Gordon was clear, concise and prophetic.
It would be great if we could collate all the things that are being said about Gordon to present them to his family before the memorial that will take place on January 24th. Feel free to comment here about how you knew Gordon, or were influenced by him.
Thanks
Craig Brown.
Reconnecting Through Communion
Dr Greg Elsdon (former CCTC Principal and currently working with St Paul’s City Mission in Adelaide)
The regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper has been central to the Church’s practice and self-understanding from the very beginning. Every time we gather around the table of the risen Lord we are confronted once again with the love of God and the responsibility we have as Jesus’ followers to give ourselves in service to the world God loves so deeply. Jesus’ words, “do this in remembrance of me” identify the Lord’s Supper as the place where we recommit ourselves, time and again, to the risen Christ, to each other, and to the mission of God in the world.
It would not be altogether misleading to suggest that Churches of Christ came into being as a movement in order to proclaim an open Lord’s Table around which all could be united in worship and celebration. The founding fathers and mothers of our movement had become impatient with the formal religion of their day. They experienced it as oppressive and lifeless. One expression of this was the highly discriminatory and legalistic regulation of who was permitted to attend the Lord’s Table – and who was not! All too often the male clerical class had used the Lord’s Supper as a very efficient, but abusive form of discipline, social control and manipulation. Early pioneers such as Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton Warren Stone had a vision for a Church free from such life-sapping practices. And this vision, not for a new Church, but for the restoration of the original, expressed itself powerfully in the reformation of the understanding and practice of the Lord’s Supper – free from the autocratic control of the increasingly secularized clergy.
When, as Jesus’ followers, we gather around his table, at his invitation, we are called to remember him. It is around this sacred table that we discover who we are and experience the nourishment we need for the many tasks and challenges of life. It is here that we experience as nowhere else the deep, and ancient, and life-transforming hospitality of Yahweh and his messiah, Jesus.
Remembering, or re-activating the memory of Jesus is foundational to how we understand ourselves and how we are live our life in the world. This is not a call to reconstruct the past as it was, but a call to build the present and shape the future guided and directed by our remembrance of the one in whose life, death and resurrection we catch a glimpse of the Kingdom of God – the Reign of God yet to come – but already with us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
God’s ancient people Israel were often challenged by their prophets and their wise ones to remember where they had come from, to re-count their stories of deliverance and salvation, to re-member … and in doing so, be nurtured once again by their recollection of God’s faithfulness and unswerving commitment to his people. Remembrance is no less important for the church.
In these dawning years of the 3rd millennium all Christian traditions, denominations and movements are being forced to rethink their identity and mission. What does it mean for us to be Christian? What does it mean for us to be Churches of Christ? I believe that if we are to have any future worth hoping for we must move into that future inspired, guided, empowered, and nurtured by our courageous re-activation of the memory of the Jesus. And surely it is as we gather around the Lord’s Table that this ‘re-membering’ begins.
Re-membering is not just about recollection – it’s about re-connecting, it’s about being re-membered; re-connecting with the people, events, ideas and values which have made us who we are as a people. ‘Re-membering’ is about overcoming the fragmentation and alienation which so often characterizes our life together because we have forgotten who we are and why we are – and most importantly, we have forgotten to whom we belong.
What happens when we remember Jesus? Anything at all? Just vague thoughts or fuzzy feelings? Or does our re-membering of Jesus stir within us thoughts and feelings and hopes that inspire and call us to give our lives in service to the world?
The remembrance of Jesus experienced around the Lord’s Table is often a very selective remembrance. Re-activation of the memory of Jesus will call us to review the way we think, the way we live our lives together, and the way we share this planet with the many others who view life so differently to us: “Jesus’ invitation to remember him with bread and wine was no sentimental request for personal reasons. His request for remembrance was that his followers should always keep in mind all that he stood for, all that he was, all that he taught, not for his sake but for theirs.” (Gordon Stirling)
Do our practice and experience of the Lord’s Supper foster the remembrance of Jesus in a way that actually gives shape and texture to our life together. Or have we, for whatever reason, contented ourselves with cheaper, safer ‘memories’ which leave us unchallenged, unchanged and distinctly dis-connected from the vital, living memory of Jesus.
There is a trend in some Churches of Christ to omit the Lord’s Supper from church services because it is not ‘seeker sensitive’. Now please don’t misunderstand me, I’m all for ‘seeker sensitive services’ – it’s just that I can’t think of anything more sensitive to the needs of people searching for something more in life than to invite to share freely in this celebration of God’s inclusive, life transforming hospitality. Sensitivity to the needs of ‘seekers’ does not require the abandonment of the Lord’s Supper – but I suspect it will require a reformation in the way we understand, practice and experience it.
The Lord’s Table is also a place of corporate commitment. As we eat the bread we declare that together we are recipients of God’s grace and together we will share it with others. As we drink the wine we declare that together we will allow the memory of Jesus – the way he lived, the values he embodied, the grace he demonstrated – the memory of Jesus – to shape our life together in the world.
And so in a very real sense the Lord’s Supper is a missional meal – a table set for those who understand that they are called to share freely with others what they experience in the presence of the risen Christ. Surely it’s unacceptable for us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as God’s provision for our most fundamental needs, without at the same time being moved by those whose lives at so profoundly needy? “How can I be comfortable participating in a sacrament that so powerfully symbolizes the fair, even and inclusive distribution of resources, material or otherwise, when I participate in a social structure that is increasingly failing in the same area? How can I be comfortable proclaiming, through my participation in the Lord’s Supper, a belief in the Gospel principle of justice whilst at the same time staying silent as the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows ever wider around me? How can I be comfortable acting out a drama that remembers the justice-making ministry of Jesus to all people, when my own actions exclude justice from those I fear or those whose ideology and beliefs differ too radically from mine?” (Mark Butler)
It seems to me that our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is profoundly inadequate and dis-empowering if it does not include regularly an opportunity for people to declare their commitment to work together as a congregation in the service of the world.
Few people would deny that the church is need of reformation – re-formation. May I suggest that the reformation the church is desperately in need of will not be sparked merely by energetic attempts to be ‘contemporary’, or slick programs promoting the church as ‘relevant’ — but by faithful and thankful celebration of God’s gracious hospitality experienced around the Lord’s Table.
And there is no reason whatsoever why this rediscovery of a lost treasure should not be characterized by energy, imagination and creativity. I’m certainly not advocating a regurgitation of outmoded, time-trapped, irrelevant forms of worship that will never connect meaningfully with the experience of contemporary Australians. On the contrary, as Gordon Stirling reminds us, “If we have used our God-given imagination to create dynamic, contemporary services, surely we can use that same imagination to ensure that the Lord’s Supper is still given the same significant place in the life of the church that it has held now for twenty centuries.”
Dr Greg Elsdon. This article first appeared at the Shaping Our Identity site in 2009.
How Open Is Our Table?
How Open Is Our Table? by Edwina Blair (Women’s Ministry Leader in NSW & Assoc. Pastor at The Coast Community Church )
The image of communion as an Open Table is one that brings to mind images of friendships, intimacy and relationship. It reminds me of those occasions when all are welcome and gather to feast and celebrate that which unites people in a particular moment in time.
For some this occurs regularly at home, for others it comes at a Christmas lunch or a much anticipated family wedding. The invitations go out, the table is set, the meal is prepared and then the moment of feast comes, culminating at the table where nourishment, relationships and memories are created, shared and restored.
Communion has similar elements and could be considered a simple feast. It consists of a piece of bread and a miniature glass of juice yet it is so much more than that. It too is a culmination of a relationship (with our ever-available Savior) and also a moment to remember.
I could hazard a guess at the number of times I have taken communion so far in my 40 years but all that would do is communicate my age and the lifetime I have spent in the church. Over the years I have experienced many settings of the Open Table and all of them were significant at the time, but it was the time the Open Table was closed to me, the time I was denied access, that I most remember.
It was the day when I was not welcome at the table.
My husband and I are both Churches of Christ Pastors, yet one Saturday we both sat in a church pew with a few others while the rest of the church walked forward to the altar to share in communion. It was a family wedding in a Catholic Church in Ireland and we had been told before the service that we were not to participate in this part of the service. Instead, we were to sit and watch everyone else meet at the Table and remember Christ’s death on the cross because we were not Catholic. We were both visitors and family so we graciously respected the traditions of this church and our hosts. I understood why the Table was closed to us on an intellectual level, but I was not prepared for the emotional effect of my exclusion. I was not used to these feelings at the Table and it was great cause for reflection.
Communion on that day was not an Open Table for me even thought the host of this meal, my Lord and Saviour, intended it to be. The traditions that existed around me at that time determined that I was denied access to the very thing that existed to be celebrated and to remember the access that had been purchased for me at such cost. It was the first time I really appreciated what it felt like to be denied access to Jesus.
In the Gospels we often see people attempt to limit access to Jesus. It may not have been by physical means but rather by the barrier of discouragement or shame. Martha tried it when Mary wanted to sit at Jesus’ feet, the disciples tried it when the sinful woman came to anoint Jesus, and the crowds tried it when the woman with the issue of blood pursued Jesus for healing. Jesus himself welcomed them as people and He welcomed their desire to draw near to Him. Jesus does the same thing at the Table each time we draw near. We, however, need to ask ourselves whether we are creating a barrier to people receiving and accepting their invitation to the Open Table?
Are our attitudes and expectations such that they communicate that the Open Table that should be open to all that believe is actually closed by other spoken (or unspoken) criteria?
We, part of Churches of Christ, pride ourselves on the Open Table…it is part of what defines us so it is important for us to take a moment and ask ourselves whether we have created any barriers to others seeing the Table as an open one.
Those in the Catholic Church that Saturday would have been certain that it was not appropriate for us to join them at their Table. In that instance I respected their decision even if I disagreed with it but it made me wonder how many people feel that exclusion in our services every Sunday because they feel for some reason that the invitation is somehow not for them?
We are the people of the Open Table. Is that what we are truly communicating?
An Open Table: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Dr Andrew Menzies is Principal at the Churches of Christ Theological College
When we gather around the table of our Lord, there is nothing that we can do or say to add to or subtract from what is going on. The Lord’s Table is a meal that we are simply to receive. Period. Simply by fronting up and participating in the Lord’s Table we are doing three things. We are remembering, proclaiming and participating in the deep reconciling work of God in Christ for the world. There is nothing that we can do to add to what happens in the Lord’s Table. For above all else, the Lord’s Table reminds us that what matters is already done.
Eugene Peterson in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (2005) reminds us:
“The Eucharist stands as a bulwark against reducing our participation in salvation to the exercise of devotional practices before God or being recruited to run errands for God. It is hard to get through our heads, but the fact is that we are not in charge of salvation and we can add nothing to it.”
The repetition of Jesus’ words, “Do this” regarding our participation in both the bread and the wine bring rhythm and familiarity to us. These two simple words remind us that all we can do is partake in the elements because all else that matters is already done. There is nothing more that can be done.
However to speak about what is done is not to say that this is a meal that is just about looking backwards. To do that is to miss much of the point of the meaning of The Lord’s Table because what lies inside this celebration is profoundly eschatological. Taking the bread and the wine reminds us that we are moving towards the culmination and fulfilment of world history. Perhaps we look backwards too much when we celebrate The Lord’s Table. After all, most times I participate in this feast it is sober, solemn and silent. Arriving at this sort of practice is completely understandable as we approach the holy subject of our Lord’s last supper and the events that occurred after that meal.
Perhaps an analogy of driving a car might help me make my point. When we drive a car we have a large windscreen in front of us through which we survey the road ahead. We also have a small rear-vision mirror which gives us perspective, and helps us avoid any surprises that may jump at us from behind. If we don’t spend most of our focus on looking ahead, we crash. If we don’t take the occasional glance behind us we are in danger too.
I suspect that our current practice of celebrating around the Lord’s Table encourages us to spend too much time looking backwards at the cost of receiving hope for the journey ahead. This is why we Protestants use the symbol of the Cross without a crucified Christ still on it (a crucifix). We need to recapture the meaning of an Open Table that our founders intended. Listen to one of the founders of the movement that in Australia became the Churches of Christ, Alexander Campbell who said in The Christian System (1839),
“All Christians are members of the house or family of God, are called and constituted a holy and royal priesthood, and may, therefore bless God for the Lord’s table, its loaf, and cup – approach it without fear and partake of it with joy as often as they please, in remembrance of their Lord and Saviour.”
Campbell went on to rebuke Protestant Christians in general for their joyless celebration. He described their celebration of the Lord’s Table like, “mourners in a house of sorrows”. He reminded them that, “The Lord’s House is his banqueting table, and the Lord’s Day is his weekly festival.”
Celebrating this meal takes us to Calvary but it does not keep us there. We are launched forwards into the future purposes of God and importantly others are invited to join us in that destination. The Lord’s Table reminds us that we are each uniquely called to participate in God’s ministry of reconciliation in the world. We no longer need a priest because each of us now participate as priests. We can each now welcome others by opening our table to them as a sign and foretaste of the advance of Christ’s Kingdom and the unity of his church. As John Mark Hicks says in ‘The Lord’s Supper as Eschatological Table’, in Evangelicalism and the Stone-Campbell Movement (Vol 2): Engaging Basic Christian Doctrine (2006),
“The table is a place where sinners can not only experience the gracious message of the gospel through eating with the community of faith. The community of faith, just as Israel in the past, receives aliens at its table.”
Our celebration around the Lord’s Table is not meant to keep us at death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It points us forward to the promises of what is yet to be fulfilled in this world because of what was achieved at Calvary. It points us forward to participate in what the Triune God is up to and bringing to completion. A future that is only possible precisely because of Calvary. Ours is a hope that assures us that when the human project is at its darkest, God is still God and is good and is our future.
This is why a pre-Crucifixion supper presenting only brutal possibilities filled with betrayal and despair brings us such genuine hope. This is the ‘Spirit of renewal’ that comes amongst us with possibilities of healing, restoration and unity. This is not a romantic pipe dream. This is a real encounter with the Risen Lord earthed in the most hopeless of beginnings. It starts with followers of Christ unifying around the Lord’s Table with nothing but bread and wine and points to a future filled with destiny, hope and promise.
