Baptisms are cool!

We had a baptism celebration yesterday which was cool. Very cool...actually freezing! Its more spiritual that way - you know it will stick if the water is really cold. Jimmy and Nicola are an engaged couple who joined the church plant team for cession while still sorting out their allegience to Christ. They were believers but on a journey toward becoming disciples. Imagine the celebration we had when they announced their decision to become engaged and to live apart for their engagement to honour God and each other. The community wrapped around them and provided accommodation for Jimmy when he moved out of the house they had been living in together. So it was great to celebrate their baptism together. I marry them in February '05. Leana has been a bit of a faith-wanderer. She connected strongly with the community this year, joined a small group, established a mentoring relationship with Melissa (our associate pastor) and has served in various helping roles since. She invited her family and heaps of friends to her baptism which was very cool. A touching testimony of how her Father had died when she was young and that she had raged at God for much of her life only to discover that He was a true father to her.

Message went well at the gathering later that evening. Some days you're in the groove. Good responsiveness from the gathered, including some of the families/friends of the baptised.

This week I have some nailing down to do of some key initiatives for next year. Trying to cement people to take point on small groups, outreach events and prayer ministry and have meetings related to each of these. Also continuing on the forward planning game.

Anyways, better get underway...

Jonesboy