Blog Update

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March 20th, Q&A :D

New comm Q&A

March 20, 2016

1. Explanation of nomination process this year
2.  Changes to nomination process for next year

a.     Earlier nomination/voting process

b.     Ratification vote

Q&A

a.     Introductions

b.     Question period

                                               i.     What is your responsibilities/vision for next year?

1.     Michael – year ministry is to pour into year leaders and care for them, year leading is starting point for new leaders, cultivate environment of support, interyear relations (interyear PM). Current vision is for year leaders to share burdens in a more consistent manner.

2.     Christian – take care of men’s night and guys in fellowship, choose and care for men’s DGL. Vision for men to be cultivators, guys have a lot of doubt, develop men who are Christ-like servant leaders, self-discipline/accountability/encouragement

3.     Nate – focus on discipleship and mentorship, want to see atmosphere of accountability in fellowship, providing more opportunities for fellowship to serve

4.     Elliot – give God glory in everyday life and not just music, in charge of worship leaders and teams. Worship as more of a lifestyle than just music, worship that occurs within a person rather than constrained to a certain place/time

5.     Adriane – everything Christian said but for the women, preparing DGL and women for anything that comes their way, equipping DGL with wisdom for how to deal with DGs.

6.     Tracy – admin (emails, room booking), organization and communication, reviving blog??, point person for issues/concerns with fellowship, gauging health and responses of fellowship, main support system for rest of comm

                                             ii.     Why did you agree to the role?

1.     Michael – apprehensive at first b/c didn’t see himself in the role/ministry, gifted with talking and 1-on-1 meetings, discerned to use gifts to build others and developing those gifts, year ministry is an opportunity to serve fellowship and allow Spirit to work

2.     Christian – loves CCF and hearing about their lives, place he can be himself, best community he could have J, although not perfect he will strive for that, wants to use talents/gift and not hide it, sees a lot of potential in men and want to help develop it

3.     Nate – no greater honour than to serve God in a leadership role, lots of fear/anxiety/doubts but wanted to take step in faith, uncertainty about where God will lead fellowship but has trust in God and looking forward to seeing ministries grow.

4.     Elliot – worship is big part of his life, felt peace when playing music, joy to worship God and want others to experience the same, God doesn’t call the qualified but qualifies the called

5.     Adriane – God told her to do it, heart for year ministry but would not work well in that ministry, cannot hand-hold DGL which is what she tends to do

6.     Tracy – originally asked to do Women’s, cares deeply for women’s ministry but strengths not best used in that ministry, role was intimidating but gifts fit this role better

                                            iii.     To Christian: Any concrete plans to improve CCF men’s ministry?

1.     Men’s needs don’t really differ from women’s and also don’t change that much. Need for vulnerability.

2.     Next year: stratifying DGs but details not worked out yet. Move DGL towards similair direction and work towards common goal. Taking care of DGL by meeting 1-on-1 either physically, spiritually, content, or conversation. Proper training for DGL, use summer to help train DGL to better serve fellowship. Use DGL to hear feedback from guys

                                            iv.     How to improve communication amongst comm?

1.     Old comm had trouble with communication

2.     Don’t r-bomb. 1 single email. Revive CCF blog for archiving and information.

3.     Ensure long-term visioning and planning

                                              v.     How to make blog more accessible?

1.     Not comm’s fault that people don’t read it

                                            vi.     Practical suggestions for worship-oriented lifestyle?

1.     Nothing solid at the moment but will think about it over the summer

                                           vii.     Anything in your ministry that you would change?

1.     Tracy – making sure people’s concerns are heard

2.     Nate – giving fellowship more/new opportunities to lead

3.     Adriane – creating sense of community between women using bootcamp and social

4.     Christian – method of choosing DGL won’t change, stratifying DGs needs certain leaders, DGs united towards one goal

5.     Michael – ministry still fairly new, pick up where Nate left off, nothing drastic planned

                                         viii.     How to encourage leadership?

1.     Lot of things up in the air but nothing practical yet

                                            ix.     How often will fellowship be consulted about stuff?

1.     Fellowship can always voice concerns

2.     Will answer later

3.     Comm will send ministry visions over the summer

                                              x.     How can fellowship care for comm?

1.     Prayers are much appreciated, feedback is important

c.     Prayer for comm

Message: The Body of Christ

If you missed last Friday (Oct 17), here's what Zach shared to the fellowship:

This is an encouragement to the people here.  

The Body of Christ in Context to running the race of Faith (conviction of the things that are unseen) Bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth,

bringing righteousness, peace, and joy through the Holy Spirit to everyone who is here on earth

Body of Christ that is CCF…. each person as a participant of this fellowship

talk about 1 Cor 12… talks about Spiritual Gifts, the blessings that God has given us from the Spirit, if you are a part of the Body of Christ, you have a Spiritual Gift. Perhaps you don’t know but that's okay. one thing that you will hear people say is ‘if you’re not a leader then God isn't working in you, or you’re not maturing.’ but that's not true, we’re not all called or given the gift of leadership… i could go on about leadership for a while but I digress…

1 Cor 12:12-27 - One Body

12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

• talks about Spiritual gifts, everyone who is of Christ has it and therefore we must recognize we are all part of the same body, different parts.

14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?

• the key with one body is that we are all working together here, whether you like your role or not, you're part of the body and you're just as important as the person sitting beside you. Sure you can say that so and so is really great at worship, or so and so is good at praying, but "i'm only good at baking cookies"... perhaps we need to look at it with respect to other people and not oneself. ie. what if someone is studying for exams and you decided to make a random batch of cookies for them and then give it to them, spend some time and talk to them, that could make or break someone’s day, and that could have been the exact expression of Love that they needed at that time. So just because 'all you can do is make cookies', don't think you don't have a role to play in the kingdom of heaven.

18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body.

• NLT: But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
  

• important to note here... it has been reiterated. There are many people in this body of Christians, lets not forget that, its not an exclusive 'club' of people that can join, 'only people who pray are part of the body of Christ', no that's wrong, it goes on...
  
• everyone has a gift or part to play, and sometimes we don't get to choose it, He will use you as He wants and that's where it is important for us to understand obedience
  
• Obedience: compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority
  

NLT

21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other (there must be no division unity). 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

• alludes to Ephesians 4... no division, you must have unity

Ephesians 4 - Importance of Unity in the Body

4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore [a]it says,

“When He ascended on high,

He led captive a host of captives,

And He gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what [b]does it mean except that He also [c]had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the [d]saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

• NLT Translation of v11-13:  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
  
• James 1:3-4 Reference //For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
  
• it is clear that faith, the body and Spiritual gifts are linked here. We are to use our gifts as the body of Christ to BUILD UP THE BODY OF CHRIST.
  

14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

• the head is the most important part of the body, debatably, it tells everything what to do and how each thing should work, everything goes back to the brain which has receptors which tells the body how to react to certain situations, likewise, Christ is the same way.

What is going to stop the body?

1. Fatigue - its so easy to give up, to get tired of what you are doing, it is important to pace yourself, but more importantly, its key that we work in unity, in sync, have you tried running out of sync?
2. Getting injured or hit - we have to slow down what we’re doing and allow ourselves to recuperate and build back up
3. malnourishment, we need to be constantly fed and we need to constantly drink in order to keep the body going.. where are we gonna get that? John 6:35

Note.

God will use each and everyone one of us to spread His good news, and it doesn't necessarily have to be verbally spoken to everyone around you. He has those set apart, those who are evangelists, they do the talking, but you, what do you do? what do you know about yourself? Reflect on your life to see what God has been doing and how he’s being using you in the past to serve others and reflect on that. Is that perhaps the way that God wants to use you now? I don’t think it is coincidence that he has been sharing his Love with you in this certain expression just so that you can go “oh thats nice” but i believe that He uses other people to get to you, and he uses what you already have in ways that we can’t imagine. I believe that if you don’t like to talk a lot, God won’t (or will) put you in a situation to glorify His name that requires you to talk a lot. Perhaps you like serving, maybe you like praying for other people… these things don’t need to be done in public but these things need to be done. So don’t think that what you are doing is useless, because its not.

Points to take away...

1. Christ as the head
1. a body without a head goes nowhere, ie. a chicken without a head, you can cut its head off and it will still run around and it will run in circles until it dies, in that time its useless, and the chicken itself has no meaning, just running crazy until it dies. Only with the head does it know to feed itself, when to eat and when to rest. Only with its head does it know how when it is in danger etc.
   
2. importance of the body of Christ
1. work together to achieve one goal, that is to spread the gospel and share God’s love with the world, bring glory to the Lord, love the Lord etc.
2. We are called to run a race to bring the kingdom down to earth as it is in Heaven, as a body of Christians, not as single Christians doing it one at a time, but working together in cohesion.
   
   
3. each person has a part to play
1. Each person is blessed with a different gift, but what are we to use these gifts for
2. 1 Cor 12:4-7 NLT - “ There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other”
3. if we are part of the body of Christ, and our faith is growing, do we have so much faith that we would be able to walk on water? when i say that, I mean do miraculous things that would inspire more faith to others?
   
4. love is key to the body
1. Col 3:14 -  “Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
2. you gotta treat the body right and know when you feed it!
1. how do you treat the other members of the body? with Love and care and patience?
2. never skip a leg day.
3. what do you feed and what do you drink? John 6:35
4. listening to your body and how it reacts

What can you do to build up the body of Christ?

Individuals

• rebuke and encourage - vision
• cook and clean for one another - gift of hospitality
• support and walk with brothers and sisters

Fellowship

• pray for each other
• be proactive and involved in the fellowship
• celebration! good times.

Church

• share the Gospel with others and evangelize
• being inclusive and welcoming of newcomers
• forgive!
• pray.