Gather Collective is really interested in how we impact our locality. As part of the Pioneer Network we value their insights into community engagement and an embodied faith. So we really enjoyed Saturday morning at the recent national online conference and the two speakers, Joe McSharry and Lukundo Fagade, who shared their experience of loving where they live.
Watch them below
If you need to know what God is like you look at Jesus. Jesus says that he does what he sees the Father doing. The prophet Isaiah says that God loves justice. So how would we anticipate that being demonstrated in the accounts of Jesus life. Dave Roberts introduces a new series on Jesus and Justice and suggests that their are rich veins of wisdom, compassion and embodied faith in all that we learn about Jesus and his grace towards women, children, people from other ethnic groups, the excluded and the poor.
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If you need to know what God is like you look at Jesus. Jesus says that he does what he sees the Father doing. The prophet Isaiah says that God loves justice. So how would we anticipate that being demonstrated in the accounts of Jesus life. Dave Roberts introduces a new series on Jesus and Justice and suggests that their are rich veins of wisdom, compassion and embodied faith in all that we learn about Jesus and his grace towards women, children, people from other ethnic groups, the excluded and the poor.
It was a first for Gather as 3 of our ladies attended the online Women Leaders Conference. Here is a report from from Ruth Kenward.
It was a great day with rich and relevant content for this challenging season.
The opening session, Replenished to Rebuild – was based on Isaiah 43:14-21 – the new thing God is doing: “NOW it springs up; do you not see it?” It was spot on. We’ve had the rug pulled out from under us, and we need to be refreshed by drinking from HIM, so that we can overflow to others at a time of huge societal need.
The session I attended on communicating via a screen was full of sound practical advice, which we can share with everyone at Gather as so many of us take a turn at preaching. (I’m a wee bit terrified at the thought of having to watch back video of myself to check my style, but recognise it needs to be done!)
The final session was on resolve and resilience, and we certainly need those things right now. Ness Wilson introduced us to the idea of a glass cliff (as opposed to glass ceiling), the notion that women often find themselves being recognised as needing to be in leadership during a crisis. The strength of female leadership during the current crisis is certainly evidenced by e.g. Jacinda Adern, Nicola Sturgeon and others. Ness encouraged us with the parable of the talents, reminding us NOT to bury our gifts! She said: “Step up. Choose growth, which will cause the kingdom to grow.” And this applies to ALL of us of course. She also said: “Fear drives us to underestimate ourselves and overestimate the risks. If we cling to our comfort zone we will never do what we’re capable of, and we NEED to replenish so we can rebuild the church, our society and our ravaged communities… We are charged with a God assignment – we need to pick it up, own it and walk in it.”
Inspiring – and confirms that Pioneer is already the rich source of sustenance and support for us that we hoped it would be!
Jesus retreats several times in the Gospel accounts to pray alone. This often happened before major decisions or challenges. What can we learn from Jesus actions that will impact our lives today. What journeys into silence could you take. Dave Roberts shares his insights.
This week Caroline talks to us about the examples of other people and our community. How can their journeys inspire us in our journey with God.
Ruth Kenward shares on the journeys and retreats of some ancient Irish saints. How did their retreat from the world shape them for profound impact on their return to their locality and influence many others further afield. How you could retreat so that you can advance?
This is the third in our Journeys with God series
Dave Roberts shares in the second of our new series on Journeys with Jesus. The focus is on John 4:4 and Jesus willingness to go to Samaria with all risk to his reputation that might involve as he travels almost to the door of a competing temple and starts the mission that would go to the nations, through a woman. Discover how this impacts our understanding of mission and witness today.
This 8 week series seeks to help us understand the journey of faith and our own personal experience of it. What did the biblical journeys mean then and what do they mean now for us as followers of Jesus.
In Ecclesiastical imagery and symbol, the ship is the picture of the pilgrim church on earth. The best ship example would be the Irish coracle, in which monks set out, letting the wind take them and wherever they landed, they spoke to the people about Jesus.
The church was never intended to be static, but to move according to the wind of the Holy Spirit. The church is founded on the sure foundations of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed in scripture. However, each generation seeks to be authentic to those foundations in the circumstances it finds itself in.
The intention of looking at the topic of journeys is to encourage and inspire ourselves as individuals and community to respond to ‘such a time as this’.
See below for the individual talks. You can subscribe to our sermon podcast via your podcast apps – this link works best when you have a podcast app enabled.
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For the next 7 weeks we will look at the theme of Journeys in scripture. What did they mean then and what do they mean now for us as followers of Jesus. In this introduction Caroline Kimber sets the scene.
In Ecclesiastical imagery and symbol, the ship is the picture of the pilgrim church on earth. The best ship example would be the Irish coracle, in which monks set out, letting the wind take them and wherever they landed, they spoke to the people about Jesus.
The church was never intended to be static, but to move according to the wind of the Holy Spirit. The church is founded on the sure foundations of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed in scripture. However, each generation seeks to be authentic to those foundations in the circumstances it finds itself in.
The intention of looking at the topic of journeys is to encourage and inspire ourselves as individuals and community to respond to ‘such a time as this’.