Survey

We conducted a survey among a cross section of church members at Grace. We gave people ten categories of church life & asked them to vote on what was the most important factor of church life for them, with number one being the most important to number ten being the least important. The results confirmed what we had already thought, as well as reaffirming the areas we need to put our time into. For any who were not able to make the AGM or other meetings where the survey took place here are the results. A fairly balanced bunch of people I would think.

1. Preaching & Teaching

2. Worship (singing & music)

3. Community/Friendship

4. Children's/Youth Work

5. Charismatic/Pentecostal Gifts

6. Authentic Culture

7. Warm Welcome

8. Non-Denominational

9. Informal Atmosphere

10. Volunteer Opportunities

Favourite Sounds

What's your favourite sound & what does it reveal about who you are? I suppose I should say that my favourite sound is an old hymn or a rousing contemporary faith anthem. And I do love to hear & sing these and how often my eyes fill up & I get a lump in my throat when the spiritual reality they evoke hits me. Or maybe I should say my favourite sound is a recording of an old preacher preaching the gospel...and I love that too. But......

I have two favourite sounds. One is the cry of the curlew, a wild bird that lives in the Irish wetlands. It has a haunting melancholic cry and I often hear it's call out as I walk by the waterfront. It reminds me of the creative hand of God & everytime I hear it & I wonder how anyone can deny the diversity of His creation or suggest that it all came from a big bang.

The other sound I really enjoy is the sea area weather forecast on BBC Radio 4. How sad am I! They read out all the sea zones around the coast of Britain & Ireland with evocative names such "South East Iceland", "German Bight" or our own Cork zone "Fastnet". When the wind is howling outside and the rain is lashing against the window on the winter evenings and I am at home by the fire with my family I thank God that we are all safe & cosy unlike those poor fishermen on the high seas some of whom never return from the storms. Maybe that's not the best "favourite sound" for a church leader to have but there you have it!

Whatever storms come your way this coming new year may you have the safety & comfort of God's presence for yourself and your loved ones. Even as the psalmist says in Psalm 91 "a thousand may fall besides you, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you"

Amen!

Number Five

With the worldwide economic crises hitting Ireland as badly as the USA and other property fixated economies, I was surprised to read the latest United Nations World Rankings on Quality of Life. While this was based on data from 2007 it does still show a bigger picture of life in the world, taking into account a number of issues rather than just money. These include life expectancy, crime rates, literacy and school enrolment as well as GDP. Norway is number one, with Niger as the last. Ireland has come in at number five with the USA coming in at number thirteen. Nice to think life is still fairly good here, even with the hardships of recession.

Sushi Baby

Dunnes Stores, our local multiple supermarket chain has started selling take away Sushi. I really like all types of sushi (raw fish with seaweed wrap & rice) and I was overjoyed to think that I can enjoy my favourite fast food without traveling into the city centre for it. But...then I thought most people's favourite take away is McDonalds & here am I salivating for raw fish. What kind of a weirdo am I? Well, a more healthy one maybe but weird none the less in the Irish sense. So rather than hide my eccentricity in shame I have decided to air it publicly and be the person I am openly. Hence this blog entry. Not that anyone is really interested in my eating habits anyway. But I wonder, would I be considered a weirdo in Japan too?

Meet the Ancestors

The 1911 census returns for Ireland have just been released online. I've been looking up my ancestors, all from West Cork, & was pleased to find a great, great Grandfather alive in his late eighties way back then. All were Farmers, Catholic, & mostly Irish speaking.

So many of their children died though, according to the census. Infant mortality was horrific, nearly 50% from what I could make out. I wonder how they coped with these deaths? Did religion give them any comfort? I suppose it did to some degree.... But what a tragedy that there were no Spirit filled churches around in Ireland back then, certainly not in Cork. Not just to offer the possibility of healing of the body, but also healing of the soul, and healing the broken heart.

Thank God for the liberating Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Death is always a terrible reality for anyone, anytime to deal with. But, with the power, & the comfort, of the Holy Spirit available freely in Ireland today, I'm glad 1911 was not my time era.

The Lisbon Treaty

How to vote in the upcoming Lisbon Treaty referendum on October 2nd? Last time around almost all the discussion in Irish Christian circles was on voting no. However we decide to vote in October, there is another side to the discussion that for some reason has not come into the debate so far. And, we have a big difference this time as well, with guarantees from the EU on Abortion, Military Neutrality, and other issues which we didn't have before. This has caused me to reflect on how the EU has helped the cause of Irish Christians.

Membership of the EU has ushered in equality for religious minorities in a way that had not existed for us in Ireland before. Irish Christians are no longer a tiny marginalised minority who have to keep their heads down dealing with a pro catholic government that is suspicious of so called "new religions". The EU has changed Irish attitudes, sometimes for the worst with a very liberal agenda, but also for the good, as Irish Evangelicals/Pentecostals are seen as a minority to be respected & if necessary, to be protected. This was very evident last year when the Department of Education came up with plans to open non catholic primary schools for the children of African Pentecostals. What a sea change! For us at Grace we see how everything from the right to legally marry people in our church, to the ability to be recognised as a registered charity has come about only by equality legislation directed from the EU. I'm old enough to remember both the suspicious official attitudes and the legal impediments that existed in Ireland against religious minorities before EU equality kicked in.

The opening up of free movement for people to live & work anywhere within the EU has seen a huge influx of Christians from central & eastern Europe, and elsewhere, into the Irish Churches. Our numbers in the State as a whole have doubled, mainly due to immigration. This has been a great blessing to most Irish churches as many of these brothers & sisters have been eager to help & to give to the local church. If it were not for the previous EU treaties, they would not have been able to come to live in Ireland.

Almost all economists agree that full EU membership remains the best hope for Ireland to achieve economic prosperity again. I know some Christians think this is a terrible thing to hope for, but the alternative is worst. I do not relish seeing decent Believers unemployed and struggling to make ends meet or for the awful 1980's reality to return of our young people having to emigrate again. The word of the Lord to His people in Babylon was "pray for the prosperity of this city, for if they prosper, you too will prosper".

I'm not advocating either a yes or a no vote for Lisbon. But I would like to see the debate take place with a bit more balance and an honest recognition of the effects the EU has had on Irish Christians, both the positive as well as the negative.

Why the Green & Ag Caint as Gaelige?

We're making a bit of a fuss again about St. Paddy's Weekend this year at Grace. Every year we get asked why? Wear the Green on March 15, and on March 17 (Sunday & Tuesday). The St. Patrick's Outreach on Tuesday, traditional Irish music & song & the Irish language on Sunday morning. Ag caint as Gaelige arís sa cruiniú ar an Domhnaigh. Well it's a lot of fun but.....it is a celebration of the real Patrick who introduced & spread Biblical Christianity to Ireland. The historical character who brought real change and the hope of the world into Ireland. And it's our national holiday!

Isn't the real question why are so many Evangelical Churches in Ireland ignoring it?

Secret Ballots

The results of the leadership vote are sealed & delivered here at Grace Cork. Mike & I are delighted to be returned with such an overwhelming mandate of 99.6% yes vote. So, we continue on with the work, the ministry, the hope of the world being revealed in our corner of the Universe. Not the easiest of processes but so well worth it in the end. Thanks everyone......

Vulnerable Vote

When this Church was founded 12 years ago by a small group of friends (11 of us in all) I personally felt it would be healthy and more transparent if every three years we would have all the adult membership vote by secret ballot on whether or not they believed those in leadership should continue or not. And also to nominate new people to the various leadership roles when necessary. In February 2009 we are in the midst of going through this process again, with Michael & myself up for re-affirmation.

It's not an easy season for either of us. In fact we both feel a bit vulnerable and exposed. But neither of us would have it any other way. "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to all of us" the book of Acts records. And there are a number of other NT scriptures about this such as Acts 1 & Acts 6 etc.

We have gotten a bit of flack about this from time to time from some leaders of other churches over the years, as well as a few eyebrows raised. Maybe they are insecure in their own situations. But....who better to be accountable to than to the people you serve and who see you up close week after week. Having a denominational overseer in another country or even another city seems a bit unreal to me. You may get the odd person in your own church with a grudge over something or other but the vast majority of Christians vote by their conscience. And if you are serving the Lord and His people then it's in His hands anyway.

I was asked what would I do if I was voted out. I'm not fully sure. Am I too young to write my memoires? I think the Lord isn't finished with me yet, whatever the outcome of the vote. I just want to serve Him, and if that means cleaning the toilets before or after Church that's fine Nothing worse than a pastor/church leader with grand notions about himself. Anyway...I heard Fianna Fáil might be looking for a candidate or two fairly shortly.

The Prophet Killers

Paul the great New Testament writer gave some brilliant Godly advice to the younger Timothy, encouraging him to "watch his life & doctrine closely". His words are just as much needed today as they were 2000 years ago.. There are still con men around who are out to rip off or control sincere believers, and there are many who push heretical doctrines that can deeply warp our relationship with God or even cause us to make ship wreck of our faith. We need to examine our conscience on a regular basis, to repent of sin in our lives & after that to rest in His amazing Grace. When we hear a teaching we need to go, like the noble Bereans, and search the scriptures for ourselves, to see if what was said is true. In other words to"test all things". All of this is good and part of the normal Christian life. But some just keep on going and don't know where to stop. They cross a line from testing to constantly attacking. Taking on the garb of the Pharisees they are just like them. Jesus cried out against them in Matthew 23 saying "Woe to you Pharisees & hypocrites...direct descendants of those who murdered the prophets....whom you kill or flog or pursue from town to town".

In their eyes and hearts there is always a threat and a danger and somehow they are the ones God has called to put the rest of the church right. They are the ones who are protectors of the "truth". Anyone who disagrees with them is in league with the devil. Only they, and perhaps a tiny number of others (it's always a very small group) can keep the rest of us from certain disaster. They have inherited the mantle of "tithing mint & cumin & garden spices yet neglecting justice and the love of God" Luke 11:42

At Grace we have thankfully been spared this type of constant judgment for the most part. We have only had the odd brief encounter with the Prophet Killers, who usually moved on into wonderful isolation where they kept themselves "holy" and uncontaminated from the rest of the Body of Christ. But I have seen the destruction they have left behind in other churches and movements. Vicious! In my experience the Prophet Killer has a lot of turmoil going on in their own lives and as a coping mechanism they turn their focus to projecting their frustrations on others. As it's not acceptable in Christian circles to simply slander and attack in a raw and naked way, these people disguise their carnality in "Christian" clothes and become instead a self styled "watchman on the walls".

When you see someone cross the line from Biblical Follower to Prophet Killer, here's what Paul said to Titus in chapter 3. "Avoid foolish controversies & quarrels because they are unprofitable and useless. Warn the divisive man twice. You may be sure such a man is warped & sinful. After that have nothing to do with him." Biblical wisdom or what!