8th May 2011

Cell Questions

Serving

This is the first in a two part series looking at Serving and Giving and is leading up to our Serving and Gift day on the 22nd May. Next Sunday we will be providing information about areas of serving opportunities within the church and also our current financial situation.

This week we looked at the priority of serving. We looked at two passages. The first was from John’s Gospel and involved Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The second was Paul talking about the church as the Body of Christ in his first letter to the Corinthians.

In John’s Gospel Jesus shows the value and priority of serving by washing his disciples’ feet. It’s an act done by the lowest slave in a household given the state of the roads with dust and muck on them.

In the reading from 1 Corinthians Paul talks about a number of things including that being members of the body of Christ that we are united in that body. We are therefore all of value and all equally loved by God. Out of this unity we all play different roles within the body. Each and every one of us has been given different gifts by God to use to build up the Body. It therefore means that no one person does everything. Rather, we have complementary roles and gifts that ensure the Body flourishes.

Read John 13:1-17, 1 Cor 12:12-end

1. In your spiritual life who is one person who has demonstrated what it means to “wash feet” either seeing them do it with others or yourself?

2. Brainstorm ways in which the cell builds and encourages you.

3. What area of serving do you most feel drawn to at the moment (it could be within or outside Springfield)?

4. What stops us using our God given gifts more within the Church? Is there anything that the cell or church could do more to release you to use more of them?

Out of the away day on Saturday came a number of ideas for ways that we could engage with our community. Discuss if any of these are ones that you might wish to be involved in. They are split into two groups. The first, labelled ‘passion’ are those where people are wondering if they have a call from God to be involved in. The second, labelled ‘ideas’, are those where people would like to see something happen but don’t feel a particular call to. River Ministries would be run by people who have a passion for them and not centrally. They would not be directed centrally although there would be accountability.

Discuss them and if there are people who would like more information or who would potentially like to be involved there will be opportunity to say so on the Serving and Gift day response form.

PASSION

Carshalton Day Centre:

Volunteers needed to set-up interest/activity clubs eg: film club, book club. Help either during day or particularly to extend hours of opening from 3-5.30

Divorce and Separation Recover:

HTB course

Desperate need for help in this area – nothing locally

Cinema Club:

Community Cinema. Comfy chairs, glass of wine, different styles

Street Pastors

IDEAS

Friends/neighbours – Pub fortnightly. Use relationships for them to determine activity Older People – build relationships in homes – join in with activities – tap into agencies Connect with existing Christian social organisation How to integrate people – not build ghettos? Social network map/directory in Springfield Skill exchange Evangelism training Ethics of business Baby sitting support Sharing bogoffs/help drop off shopping etc Mix + Outside-In youth Fri or Sat eve Summer Youth activities Find out what is on in community for youth and join in Sports – parent/child clubs Wine club Network around social activities Build relationships with people at existing clubs Social choir Questionnaire – natural social activities Arts social Father Child activities Joining things in 2’s/3’s to make a difference Asylum seeker/refugees Christians against poverty Drama on Streets