What did we do before e-mail? It has become the main way that communication happens within Beach UC. When I opened my in-box on Monday morning I was greeted by 59 new messages. You might be thinking that I hadn’t been on my e-mail for a few days but no, I had cleared most of my messages on Sunday! This is cause for celebration because it means that we are communicating with each other. Along with the e-mails, there are phone calls, small group discussions, one-on-one conversations, even a few text messages; and on occasion, a letter.
One person shared with me this week their reaction to the news that as we come together to worship there would be 2 opportunities to engage the ancient biblical story. These two groups would be called Genesis and Revelation. Apparently their spirits soared at the idea of having different ways to engage the story on a Sunday morning.
However, this person’s spirits plummeted as they read on and realised that the Genesis and Revelation groups were differentiated by age. Genesis being mainly the young people with a few adult learners; Revelation being the mature learners with a sprinkling of teenagers.
Both Abigail and myself would be thrilled to bits to have people choose which worshipping community they join, depending on which mode of engagement excites them. Just because an activity has been designed primarily for younger learners does not mean that adults will not find it meaningful and vice versa.
So have you heard of Shiprah and Puah? They were mid-wives to the Hebrew people during the time of their enslavement in Egypt. They disobeyed a direct order from the Pharaoh and saved the lives of many male babies, one of whom was probably Moses. The Revelation group will be considering how we are mid-wives in our own lives, giving birth to hope and sometimes civil disobedience.
The Genesis community will be exploring an idea contained in this excerpt from a poem by Joyce Mead:
There is always the possibility, of not obeying orders;
Of being mid-wives, at the risky birth of hope.
So if you have questions, feedback or suggestions for the ministry team, let us know. Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you on Sunday.
Blessings, Karen
TOMORROW is our 2010 Annual Christmas Bazaar from 10am-2pm Saturday, November 20th. DON'T MISS IT!
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