Connecting in 09 starts in 08

Next year needs to focus on research, prayer and training if our churches are going to be ready for the Connect 09 mission.

One thing I really like about the Connect 09 program, which the Synod enthusiastically endorsed in September, is that we can all be involved. Here is what I am hoping will happen in our churches next year.

First of all, I hope that 2008 will be a major research year. All our churches are located in communities, suburbs, villages. Who are these neighbours of ours? What is their age group? What are their customs? What are their interests? There are dozens of questions we can ask.

Some of them can be answered through knowledge of the census; others require exploration and observation. In some places it will be helpful for people to be allotted a street to survey. In others we need to talk with shopkeepers, professional people, the local council and institutions such as schools.

Second, I hope that 2008 will be a major praying year. The great work we are undertaking will be hindered by our unwillingness to engage in serious prayer. We need deliberately to lift up our eyes from our usual prayer subjects – the sick, our family, our friends, our missionaries, our leaders, our church – and pray for ‘greater Sydney’ (for our Diocese includes Wollongong and much else beside). I do not mean that we should cease to pray for other worthy subjects. I mean that we need intentionally to add prayers for the blessing of God on our region in this next couple of years as we try to connect people with Jesus.

I found it very useful in the light of my own challenge to sit down again and re-order my prayer life. For myself, I saw seven subjects (one each day). They were: first, friends and acquaintances who need the gospel; second, my street, suburb and workplace; third, unreached people groups in Sydney; fourth, unreached geographical areas in Sydney; fifth, ‘gatekeepers’ – people of influence; sixth, institutions; seventh, nodal points such as commercial districts. No doubt you could do better than me. But the aim was to pray for the region. As I did this, my eyes began to be opened to the opportunities and challenges which surround us. Prayer opened my eyes and moved my heart.

I often hear it said that we do not need to work so hard in our area because it is already so heavily staffed with Christian workers. I do not think that this is a true observation, but in any case let me offer this comment. We need to think about the strategic importance of a city like Sydney. Given its size, wealth, location, ethnic mix and importance, the evangelism of Sydney and its region could have a massive impact in our nation and in our world. One in five Australians live here. Already and rightly we are supporting cross-cultural work elsewhere in the world. But we also need to mission here – and then we will be able to redouble our efforts elsewhere. Will you plan and pray at once?

Third, I hope that 2008 will be a major training year. We need to establish how we can best bring the word of God to our location. Already there are effective tools for us to use. Then we need to have practical hands-on experience in doing just that. I realise this is a daunting challenge. But again and again we have found that actually making contact with people to share the word of God in a suitable way is not resented and is often welcomed. Get ready for 2009 by asking what training is being planned for 2008.

Two other things. The first is this. If we are going to cover the Diocese, we are going to need to help each other. Savvy churches will already be thinking of ways in which they can rope in the assistance of teams from other places to help with the load – but be aware that you may be asked for help back the other way. It would be excellent to start planning now to give two weeks of your holidays in 2009 to this work – perhaps a week where you are and a week somewhere else.  I have started a Mission Partnership Fund to give practical expression to this desire to help each other.

Secondly, the diocesan structures will do all that we can to support the churches in this. Plans are on the way for a website to which people can be directed and which will help connect them to Jesus and to the local church. I hope that we will also be able to back the program through the media, so that people will know what you are doing before they encounter you. Already we have had a number of people asking for their copy of the Bible, through having heard about it in news reports!

Have you started to pray yet?

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