What would your own neighbours say about you?

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?

I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." Jesus of Nazareth

It's hard to change the world if you can't even help out in your own neighbourhood.

Life Together - a primer.

PURPOSE:
This event aims to paint the theological and ‘how-to’ picture for local churches on how to be active participants in the building and transformation of their communities/parishes. Through the voices of civic leaders, theologians and local practitioners, we will endeavour to create wonder, tension and questions about what your church can be in its neighbourhood.

The event will stop at various points to allow for participants to reflect on their key learning’s AND design their next step for furthering the conversation or action-planning within their respective faith communities. Our desire is that this be the first of many conversations and launch you into networking opportunities that will enable you to take action and become a Good Neighbour.

DATES:
Calgary: October 12, 2011
Edmonton: October 13, 2011
Time: 3:30 – 8:00 p.m.

LOCATIONS:
Calgary: TBA
Edmonton: City Hall
Guests: City Leaders, and Paul Sparks of Parish Collective
Partners: Church Planting Canada, The Salvation Army, Forge Canada

COST:
Full day – $50.00
Supper and Evening – $30.00
Registration Deadline: September 26th, 2011 – http://lifetogethercedm.eventbrite.com

Life Together - getting started!

Identify your neighbourhood and attend to it.

Look for “kingdom seekers” in your neighbourhood and extend hospitality to them.

Look for what God is doing in the neighbourhood and participate in it.

Recognize the larger body of Christ and encourage it and be encouraged by it.

Typical qualities of organic neighbourhood church life:

Three to fifteen households from a neighbourhood involved.

Core (“bounded”) group defined by a set of practices which are a reflection of the group’s commitment to Jesus as Lord.

Participant (“centered set”) households take part in some of the life and activities of the core group and are invited into the bounded set.

Regular activities of a group may consist of: meals together, meals together with the neighbourhood, caring for the needs of those on the margins of the neighbourhood, Bible reading, celebration gatherings, fun and international mission events involving the neighbourhood, etc.

Informal and small group connections which are recreation, discipleship or care based.

We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community. Dorothy Day

Love your neighbour because Jesus says to...

Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. You gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything. Thomas Merton

Every crisis happens in the context of a community

How are you helping (or hindering) your neighbourhood conflicts and challenges to get resolved?

The greatest impact we can have for the Kingdom of God is to show mercy, sympathy, kindness, compassion and forgiveness on a daily basis to those closest to us - our family and our neighbours.

Don't be afraid to get up and do something about a bad situation in your neighbourhood. Don't look to others to fix the problem but look to God for the strength.