Above: an aerial view of Townsville port, the Strand, the CBD and the famous local landmark Castle Hill, looking westward to the ever expanding urban sprawl.

Above: the Anglican Church of the Ascension, cnr of Fulham Rd and Mill Drive, Heatley, Townsville.

 We are an Anglican Church community that is 40 years young and is always looking for ways to connect with its local community and this part of 'cyber space' is one way in which we can do that. Please take your time to see what we are about and you are welcome to introduce yourself both on line and, if you are able, come and join us during one of our services/activities.

Diary Dates: May/June

Church Army Partnership

1-8 June then 13-19 July

At the beginning of March the Reverend Martin Morgan, CEO, Church Army Australia visited our parish to listen, consult, get a feel for our situation and also enthuse us as we begin a partnership to reach out into the Upper Ross area.

Martin has hands on experience of church planting in country NSW and heads up Church Army's strong focus on evangelism, which as he says is really simple. Their sole focus is on telling people about Jesus. Church Army works where most churches don't. They reach out to Australians who are unlikely to ever hear the gospel. This work is gritty, confronting, exhilarating and rewarding. Their mission is “To send and support evangelists called to reach people beyond existing churches across Australia with the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

The Church Army story originally began in London, England in 1882. An Anglican Minister, Wison Carlile, started the  Church Army to reach out to those people who were not effectively being reached with the Gospel of Jesus by existing Churches. He was committed to winning people that were often overlooked by the churches; the “least, the last and the lost”. Church Army Australia has been active since 1932, when their first Evangelist, John Cowland started to reach the people of Australia with the message of Jesus. Since then, Church Army has been used by God to present the Christian Gospel to many thousands of people and allow them to start trusting and following Jesus Christ.

Martin took the time over the weekend to listen, consult, get a feel for our situation and also enthuse us as we begin a partnership to reach out into the Upper Ross area.

The dates set down for an initial thrust are 1-8 June then 13-19 July. The aim is to run some training and start work in the Upper Ross area, which will mean some local Christians ready to take the Evangelism of this area seriously and new groups of new believers established and multiplying. This has the Bishop's blessing. The Reverend Peter Adkins and Captain Tim Scheuer will lead these two missions.

Click on this link to download a PDF of the flyer with the Registration form for this Church Army Training:

After Easter, for 6 weeks (basically in the weeks up to Pentecost), the Rector encourages as many parishioners as possible, either in a home group or on their own, to take part in a study on reaching out beyond the boundaries of our church.  We will also be using a booklet prepared by the National Task Force on Mission:  Time to Grow, doing Church Differently.

May God bless this developing partnership between our parish and Diocese and the Church Army.

Ministering  Communities  in  Mission  (MCiM)  and the challenge of the hour!

 Back in 2007 Fr Ian McAlister spoke about the Living  Stones Network  of Dioceses across  Australia  that sought to collaborate with  each  other  in  revitalising  the  Main  Game  (Mission and Ministry to the uninitiated) at congregational level. This is still a strong agenda for those committed to the revitalisation of the Anglican church. How we respond to this challenge and set of priorities will determine the future health of our parish here at the Ascension. Our Portfolio approach to the sharing of ministry leadership within the parish has served us well and still continues to help to coordinate some vital ministry activities. However in three discrete areas of church life: Outreach, Study & Spiritual Development, and Welcoming, we no longer have portfolio leaders represented on parish council. The training of Pastoral Carers and now the focus on evangelism training and outreach in the Upper Ross with Church Army means that we have not dropped the ball completely, so to speak. I have been heartened by the response to the challenge of Pastoral Care and the commissioning of licenced carers. These persons are a great resource for sustaining future growth.

By the way I encourage as many as possible to come and hear the Reverend Andrew Evans next Saturday (10am to midday) as he shares the wonderful story of the growth of his church in Adelaide. Growth cannot be sustained unless we have a strong network of love and care.

However, as we have seen in the study most Home Groups have been doing these past weeks, the challenge of being shaped by God’s mission and seeing Fresh Expressions of church emerge amongst us, is one that is stretching our limited human resources even more!

The Reverend Peter Adkins, who is coming with Captain Tim Scheuer to help us in this great task senses that the Lord has given him a word about Townsville to "Call forth the evangelists" with a reminder that "My power is made perfect in weakness" He says that “Peter Wagner estimates that 10% of the body are gifted by God to do the work of evangelism – T4T (the Training for Trainers programme that he and Tim will be using with us) reckons about 20%. So they are there in the church. I reckon they need envisioning, example and opportunity (and of course the stirring of Gods missionary spirit)”.

In response to some of my recent observations Peter and Tim have adjusted their programme to use part of their certificate training unit on making disciples, what they call a pathways model-  It utilises peoples' existing networks of relationships  and activities they are involved in  and helps them to become more intentional and active in leading people to know Jesus through contacts made in these relationships and activities, from a potential contact,  through being involved with Christians in an activity, through to being given opportunity to embrace the gospel and then become a disciple.  Peter says that he thinks that “it will help tap into where a number of your people are at and move them on in their outreach”. Peter believes, and I agree with him that “the church began as a pioneer movement - then was tamed and domesticated and as it became too closely wedded to the powers of the day, nominality infected it. As everyone was nominally Christian and went to the parish church and were pastored and taught each week by the clergy becoming "the Flock" - the gifts of evangelist fell into disuse & the call to mission was lost. Now we are post Christian and the church is in great decline, we are beginning to re-discover the call of God for each church to be a missional community. God is making new wineskins that are doing that. I think the question for the established church is can it recapture the call and actually become mission shaped and become a "new wine" cask? My observations are:  a few are willing   - many won't be.  May the church of the Ascension be one of the former!”

Amen to that!

So in the light of all the above, we can see the relevance of what Fr Ian McAlister described as the four hooks on which the Living  Stones Network hung:

1. God’s  mission is  at  the  heart  of  the  life  of  every congregation;

2. Every baptised person is gifted for ministry;

3. God’s mission is best served when all these gifts are recognised and enabled;

4. These ministries are best enabled when leadership is both trained and structured.

Yes, you say, that’s all very well but isn’t this just another name for Parish life? Ian said that there are “4 very good reasons why the answer to that question is ‘No’:

a. Change is  a  significant  part  of  the  agenda of  Ministering  Communities  in  Mission  (MCiM),  whereas the  traditional  model (the  clergy were  paid  to  be good  while  the  people  were  the  consumers) reinforced the status quo;

b. Accountability  and  mutual  support are  written  into  MCiM  relationships,  as  issues  to  do  with  Resourcing and  Finance,  whereas  the  traditional  model  ensured that  Parishes  and  Dioceses  were  in  competition with each other;

c. Locally-formed clergy and appropriate training for this emerging  leadership  is  paramount,  whereas  the traditional  model  reinforced  the  idea  that  ministry came from somewhere else;

d. The  focus  of  Mission  and  Ministry is  spelled  out  and sealed  in  a  covenant  of  on-going  learning  for  both clergy and laity, whereas the traditional model meant that once you were launched, you were on your own.

MCiM is not a silver bullet that will solve all our problems but it is a model that works and will keep working.  MCiM  is  not  just  another Good Idea of some boffins somewhere down south; it is  one  of  God’s  New  Things  for  this  time.  MCiM is not about filling up old wineskins with some new-fangled wine, it’s about new wine and new wine skins”.

As St Paul reminded the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:18) he also reminds us today “God has committed to us the word/ministry of reconciliation” May we be good ambassadors for Christ!

Simon Hattrell, the Seventh Sunday of Easter, 20^th May 2012.

 Anglican Parish of the Ascension, Heatley.

Mission Statement

....that we offer ourselves to God

as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,

to be sent out

in the power of His Holy Spirit,

to live and work to His praise and glory.

The Resurrection by Chris Higham. Chris's website gives permission for anyone to use his art:

http://www.christian-art.org.uk/cgi-bin/ca.cgi?page=home.html

PARISH PRAYER AND PRAISE POINTS FOR HOME GROUPS FOR MAY 2012

1. Pray for the Rector, all other clergy and their families and the Church Wardens Jim, Pam and Bob, portfolio co-coordinators and Parish councillors, and everyone who contributes to the worship, smooth running of Parish affairs and the upkeep of the buildings.

2.  Give thanks for the visits to the Parish by The Reverend Peter Adkins and Captain Tim Scheuer of the Church Army, in June and July, Pray for God’s blessings on this outreach in the Western suburbs that we will see many lives touched and brought into the Kingdom. Pray for our Home Groups as they now engage with what it means to ‘do church differently’ and to be shaped by God’s mission in the current 6 part Study Series.

3.  Pray for Bishop Bill as he leads the diocese especially in the light of the Diocesan Future Direction (2010-2014) strategic plan. Pray for strength and wisdom, good health and safety as he leads the Diocese in implementing the decisions of the Extraordinary Synod.  Ask for blessings on all those who will be called on to do this work, and especially pray for our fellow parishioner Alan in his role as Diocesan Treasurer.

4. Pray for the visit of Pastor Andrew Evans to the parish on Saturday morning (10am to midday) the 26th of May. Andrew will share the story of the growth of his church in Adelaide, Paradise Community Church, one of the largest Churches in Australia, and how vital Home Groups helped to sustain that growth.

5. Pray for Defence personnel, especially the chaplains in this city, and for all those who are serving overseas particularly in Afghanistan as part of the Mentoring Taskforce not forgetting those who have been recently reunited with their families. Pray for all families during this period of readjustment.

6. Pray for the Café Church Outreach held monthly, on the first Sunday of the month at 6pm and for Ange, Trevor, Simon, Barbara and Rod as they lead this.

7. Pray for Chaplains and RE teachers as they continue their ministry in the schools, as the new school year gets under way. Pray that the seed sown will result in changed lives.

8. Pray for those who teach our children who participate in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Sunday School and the Little Fishes play group. Pray for all teachers and leaders as they begin a new year.

9. Pray for the 9am All Age Worship service every 4th Sunday of the month and for all who lead and participate in this service and that they will be inspiring occasions.

10. Pray that we will focus as a parish on those areas of our ministry and life that need development and attention in the light of our new 2012 Natural Church Development profile. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we work on a new Action Plan based on the Reverend Dr Ralph Bowles' debrief at the end of April. Download PDF

11.  Pray for Father Simon and Barbara as they prepare for their retirement and for the Parish nominators as they and the Wardens work with the Bishop in seeking a new Rector.

12. Pray for the Saturday morning Parish prayer meeting at 8am on the first Saturday of each month.

13. Pray for a positive response to the challenge of Faith Promise giving to the various mission organisations that we are committed to supporting.