This past Sunday I had the pleasure of speaking at Chelsea Church of Christ, sharing the journey and high’s and low’s of the community meals that we are involved in — The Dining Room and Vive Cafe.
I prepared a short talk that chronicled the journey and took my family and my father along with me. Dad was down for my eldest daughter’s, Siobhan, 10th birthday on the Saturday. It was quite an honour to have Dad listen to me — not sure if he has heard me talk before, apart from prayer and Lord’s Supper as I was growing up in the church in Brisbane.
My talk went well and I opened the floor up for any questions. Much to my delight there were several questions relating to the community’s involvement in the ministries. However, I had to point out that they were already involved with, and making a huge difference in the local community.
The previous week, Steve had shown myself and a good friend, Heather (who spoke that Sunday about her journey — read some of what she had to say about it here), around the church building where they run the Chelsea Men’s Shed each week, a Wednesday Breakfast Community Meal catering to the homeless and the community, and a Computer Lab offering training etc. In fact, for a congregation that is 95% elderly, they lead a very active and involved week with the local community.
Ironically Heather and I had been asked to share our stories when Steve had met us at Learnings from the Locals 2, a network and workshop that I ran with Holy Fools and Big House Communities. He hoped that we would inspire the small congregation to get involved with their ministries.
I must admit that I came away more inspired by their lives and efforts in Chelsea that I believe I inspired them! I hope to share more of their work with you and will perhaps some pics! If you live in the area — pay them a visit, the congregation will inspire you with their passion!
