Baby Steps...

Had a great night last night with the cessioncommunity - here are just some of the thoughts whirling through my head:

• My brother and his wife came along - they are good friends with Melissa and Jacob so had come to support M's ministerial licensing. Greg used to be in the church in the "old days" so it was awesome to hear from him after the gathering how impressed he was with what we were doing. Credibility: a baby step. Greg works in advertising and is one of those guys who can match the theory with the practice without appearing to even think about it - he was very complimentary about the multi-media - with Greg that is not so much about what we did, but why - we had some particularly strong elements. Engagement: a baby step. Jacob emailed me this morning to let me know the upshot of their post gathering coffee. Both Greg and Jackie were taken by the significance of the communion time and how "real" the whole night was. Greg left the church because it didn't seem real to him. Authenticity: a baby step.
• Melissa got licensed. It was awesome. We've been deliberately playing up "acts of community" as we have been working our way through the (Un)Orthodox-Y series on the church - dedication, communion and then this week. It was a significant moment of community - the prayers, the gifts (I had one of the women Melissa has been mentoring do one of the presentations) and then Melissa leading us in Communion. She was really nervous but I couldn't help but feel this was a significant next step for her ministry: a baby step.
• There were lots of other great moments for me - one of our new core leaders helped out with Communion for the first time - we joke she is making everyone else look bad cos she is an unbelievable team-building leader. Liz, who joined us this year after returning from overseas ran the kitchen solo for the first time - you have to know her to understand what this means for her development. Our new children's ministry leaders stepping up for kid's ministry. New guy on bass. Young guy on the fringes running powerpoint, lights, DVD's did an amazingly accurate job. Baby steps. Lots of them.
• Then there was the influx of guests from the wider church. Is it pride for me to want them to see us at our best? There is a bit of pressure being a church plant within a small denomination. Especially when the national superintendant stands up and spells out to everyone that they're looking to church plants like us to lead the way! So, I was proud to see the team pull off a very significant gathering - from the sung worship, to the video and other visual elements, from a dinner for 75+ to the new people that had been invited, from Melissa's preaching to Jacob's worship leading. I felt a bit like the proud parent with the extended family over for a BBQ and wanting everyone to see how advanced the baby is! That, and feeling a bit like the arkward toddler trying to walk fluently as we make this church plant thing up as we go...So it was nice to see the baby walk and talk. Baby steps...

Was that the pitter patter of little feet? No it was just the cat.

Jonesbaby