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New facilities at St. Andrew's, Gisborne
Harry Swadling writes:
One of the interesting features of doing a four month interim ministry at the Gisborne Presbyterian Parish has been to inherit, virtually as the first user, a newly renovated office and minister's "space". Ken Wall, who put up with all the inconvenience of the workers in his space, headed off to Cambridge with the work almost completed. I have been asked to comment on the new facility.
St. Andrew's is a well-situated church, a short distance from the heart of Gisborne but right next to a major supermarket. The congregation has adopted a policy of openness, not only in terms of theology but also in social terms and towards the wider community. They seek to make their services and facilities available to a wide variety of groups and the buildings are well used.
What has been done is to open up the front of a hall creating a warm friendly environment. The minister's space is comfortable and yet private, ideal for confidential interviews. It is linked to the office by an internal door and there is a network for the computer systems. There are modern tea and coffee making facilities available to all users.
It is clear to me that many people come into the facility for a variety of reasons. It is also clear that the facility conforms well with the Parish Mission Statement which is: "We are a diverse community called together by Jesus Christ to welcome, love, serve and care."
When I put on my critical hat, I would make two comments. The first is that no matter how good the facilities are, it is the people who staff them that make the most difference. Gisborne is well served by a welcoming team who are clearly committed to the ideals of the Mission Statement. In cases where the facilities are equally good but the staff remain cold and distant, it is clear that no facilities in the world will make any difference!
The second point is that there can be a danger in restricting mission to availability. At some point and somehow, the Gospel must have an impact on those using church plant if mission is to happen. It is the intention that parish volunteers are available to make a cup of tea and chat with those visiting the office. This seems to me the point where mission will occur. This will be enhanced by visual material which invites people to explore aspects of the Christian faith and outreach activities in the Church.
In the meantime, I am going to enjoy four months of great facilities and the good company of an excellent staff!
Riding A Dead Horse
A little reminder from "Rumours" newsletter:
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Buying a stronger whip.
Changing riders.
Saying things like "This is the way we have always ridden this horse."
Appointing a committee to study the horse.
Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
Increasing the standards to ride dead horses.
Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
Creating a training session to increase our riding ability.
Comparing the state of dead horses in today's environment.
Change the requirements declaring that "This horse is not dead."
Hire contractors to ride the dead horse.
Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.
Providing additional funding to increase the horse's performance.
Purchase a product to make dead horses run faster.
Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.
Revisit the performance requirements for horses.
Say this horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.
Promote the dead horse to a supervisory position.
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