It’s now Day Two for the Forge Grassroots Mission Festival in Melbourne. Somewhere around 350 to 400 people have gathered from around Australia to catch up with each other and keep the cutting edge of the missional church movement sharp.
Al Hirsch was in full swing on Thursday, providing a bonus day of input for Forge interns and other interested visitors, talking through his book, The Forgotten Ways. Inspired by the early New Testament church experience, and that of the persecuted churches in China, Al talked about hallmarks of strong vital missional movements. Al spent a fair amount of time in the morning setting the scene for why the church needs to get its act together as incarnational and missional (being sent beyond itself). The afternoon was focused on developing common values, beliefs and practices expressed in practical ways.
Al reflected on the dangers of hierarchical approaches to church expressed in high views of ordination, and attempts to reproduce the Old Testament temple approach to worship. At the same time he expressed concern that ‘house church’ models were limited because they lacked the broadness of community found in the extended household models of the New Testament.
Al has spent the last year in the United States, on a speaking tour and working with leaders there. It was interesting to note his concern about the tendency of some emerging church leaders to lose a sense of confidence in the gospel. Moving past faith into doubt, Al suggested, would put the brakes on any sense of healthy movement. I’m not sure I agree with Al here. Yes, when we stop standing for anything positive we often stop looking beyond ourselves. But there is a season for reassessing and deconstructing before redeveloping expressions of faith that can be held with integrity and passion.
More to Come
It’s not too late to turn up at the Forge conference - at 488 Swanston Street, Carlton, Melbourne. I’ll be taking workshops in the afternoon on ‘post liturgical, post charismatic, post alt worship’, working with Cheryl Lawrie in the basement car park of the Uniting Church Centre, 380 Little Collins Street, 1.30 - 4.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday. Cheryl and team have set up a ’sacred space’ art installation with a focus on life in the city. In the same space Adrian Greenwood and the Praxis team have set up a cafe and exhibit focusing on ending sex traffic.
Chicago/Christchurch creative agency TimeZoneOne has launched a viral campaign promoting Spruce Beer, focused on Waitangi Day, New Zealand identity and beer.
A creative experiment focuses on developing a new brand capturing the essence of New Zealand identity. Rejects include All Black Jock Strap Ale (too yeasty), Crowded House Bitter (too bloody Australian), and Ernest Rutherford Lager (unpleasant fall out). Second on the list of accepted beers is Kiwi Bush-Bee Beer (part bumble part killer). First place goes to Captain Cook’s Spruce Beer, first brewed by Captain Cook in 1773, designed to prevent scurvy.
The spot suggests that 8 out of 10 doctors now agree beer solves most health issues.
Spruce Beer, is a New Zealand beer based on Captain Cook’s original recipe and was first made in Dusky Sound, New Zealand, 1773. It is flavored with ’spruce’ (rimu) and tea tree. Spruce Beer is brewed for Heritage Foods (NZ) Ltd. by Wigram Brewing Co. in Christchurch.
Rugby Racing and Beer
A New Zealand folk song recorded by Rod Derrett in 1965
When I was just a little kid,
Knee high to a keg,
My Daddy took me on his knee.
He drained his glass and closed his eyes
And gave me very sound advice
On how to be a good Kiwi.
“Get to know your football sides
And learn to spell from Moore’s race guides
And don’t forget down under over here
Because of your great parentage
You have a national heritage
Of Rugby, Racing and Beer.”
Rugby, Racing and Beer,
Rugby, Racing and Beer,
Down under we’re mad over our
Rugby, Racing and Beer.
Old Uncle Charlie went to see
The Doctor yesterday
He cried, “You’ve got to help me Doc and quick,
I’m seeing spots before my eyes,
My head feels twice its normal size,
And every Sunday morning I feel sick.”
The Doctor took one look at him
And said, “Well Charlie things look grim,
I hate to have to tell ya but I fear,
You’d better write your will tonight,
‘Coz you’ve got kiwi-itis,
That’s Rugby, Racing and Beer.”
Rugby, Racing and Beer,
Rugby, Racing and Beer,
Down under we’re mad over our
Rugby, Racing and
Rugby, Racing and
Rugby, Racing and Beer.
I’ve just published a couple of articles in Journey, the monthly magazine published by the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland.
Jingle All The Way focuses on the role of advertising around Christmas - how do churches respond? I look at ways in which companies have used the Christmas story - what some would call the secularization of Christmas. And then I look at how Christian organisations have used the festive season to develop a connection of good will with the wider community. My concern is that Christians can become possessive of the Christmas celebration rather than seeing an opportunity to build relationships of trust.
Cheryl Lawrie, of [Hold] This Space, has an excellent article in The Age, Melbourne’s newspaper, titled “Away with the Manger“, suggesting that churches not try and compete for popularity over Christmas.
My second article for the month told the story of our first Christmas after the death of our daughter Kristen, in 1992. Lloma and Ken Harnett, fellow grievers in Tokoroa, pulled together a team to host a Christmas Day lunch. I’ll post the article here shortly.
