Comments on: Radical Community http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/19/radical-community/ Musings & messages on everyday worship, Jesus, and the stuff of life. Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:49:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: JC http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/19/radical-community/comment-page-1/#comment-4286 JC Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:55:01 +0000 http://www.thephilfiles.com/?p=685#comment-4286 Loved this short, helpful piece on community. I am teaching small group this evening in our continuing series on community, but just as I opened this article I was pondering how to plan for this study and get everything else done today. Thanks Phil and thank-you God, I now have a good set of passages to base our study on!! Community is so important yet so difficult to accomplish, I am glad to see the focus of these recent articles on community. Loved this short, helpful piece on community. I am teaching small group this evening in our continuing series on community, but just as I opened this article I was pondering how to plan for this study and get everything else done today. Thanks Phil and thank-you God, I now have a good set of passages to base our study on!! Community is so important yet so difficult to accomplish, I am glad to see the focus of these recent articles on community.

]]> By: treacy clayden http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/19/radical-community/comment-page-1/#comment-4269 treacy clayden Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:44:57 +0000 http://www.thephilfiles.com/?p=685#comment-4269 i am fotunate in my church that we have a new pastor (he has been with us 1 year) who takes the church as a community/family very seriously he has set up a pastoral care team, this team is responsible for about 20 members each we contact any one we dont see in church for 1 week and check there ok, offer help if ill,lonely, upset be some one or something in church. this can take the form of shopping, housework practical matters, or financial help, prayer, or just someone to talk to. if there is a problem with someone or something in church we have a mediation service, and a group of about 25 qualified christian counsellors who cover all aspects of christian and secular life. we have found it has made us all bond more as a church the numbers of people leaving have dropped dramatically, and the numbers of people attending prayer and life groups and social occasions has risen, our church is now open every day for advice prayer or just to drop in and have a coffee and we are encouraged regularly to love one another and not to gossip about each other i am fotunate in my church that we have a new pastor (he has been with us 1 year) who takes the church as a community/family very seriously he has set up a pastoral care team, this team is responsible for about 20 members each we contact any one we dont see in church for 1 week and check there ok, offer help if ill,lonely, upset be some one or something in church. this can take the form of shopping, housework practical matters, or financial help, prayer, or just someone to talk to. if there is a problem with someone or something in church we have a mediation service, and a group of about 25 qualified christian counsellors who cover all aspects of christian and secular life. we have found it has made us all bond more as a church the numbers of people leaving have dropped dramatically, and the numbers of people attending prayer and life groups and social occasions has risen, our church is now open every day for advice prayer or just to drop in and have a coffee and we are encouraged regularly to love one another and not to gossip about each other

]]> By: Maggi Curry-Williams http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/19/radical-community/comment-page-1/#comment-4267 Maggi Curry-Williams Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:21:42 +0000 http://www.thephilfiles.com/?p=685#comment-4267 I can honestly say that the church I belong to is striving diligently toward this type of community. Our Senior Pastor through his transparency and love for people, has done an exceptional job of teaching these principles. Through recognizing our own shortcomings and supporting people through their, we are growing... Although I"m sure there are many who attend who have not subscribed, the leadership of the church espouses the tenets you mentioned in your article. The church is known as warm and friendly, forgiving, embracing,...loving... striving. All are encouraged to share their testimonies and to Invite people to church. We are studying unity and harmony Ephesians in Bible Study ... It has changed my life and I am challenged to share Christ and to be more like Christ. It is possible... all things are... with Christ! I can honestly say that the church I belong to is striving diligently toward this type of community. Our Senior Pastor through his transparency and love for people, has done an exceptional job of teaching these principles. Through recognizing our own shortcomings and supporting people through their, we are growing…

Although I”m sure there are many who attend who have not subscribed, the leadership of the church espouses the tenets you mentioned in your article. The church is known as warm and friendly, forgiving, embracing,…loving… striving. All are encouraged to share their testimonies and to Invite people to church. We are studying unity and harmony Ephesians in Bible Study … It has changed my life and I am challenged to share Christ and to be more like Christ.

It is possible… all things are… with Christ!

]]> By: Deborah Butler http://www.thephilfiles.com/2009/01/19/radical-community/comment-page-1/#comment-4261 Deborah Butler Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:07:42 +0000 http://www.thephilfiles.com/?p=685#comment-4261 In my community and surrounding towns, the churches don't have outreach, other than the clever quotes that are on display on the "billboard" in the yard. You won't see anyone handing out bulletins, and you won't see anyone handing out the tracts. If you were to walk into a church, if someone didn't know you personally, no one would speak to you, and the congregation would just look at you in amazement, as if to wonder what in the world you are doing in their church. To me, community means reaching out and inviting people to your church. It means encouraging them to come and be a part of the service. Service-that is an interesting word. Look it up in the dictionary-the meaning will give you a whole different perspective. Community is people looking for some way to help others that need a leg up. What did Jesus do? He traveled around looking for people that needed salvation-needed whatever, and He gave it to them. That is what we should do, as a community. That is my definitiion of community. The service of looking for people to help. Looking for people to invite to church, and then welcome them with open arms, like Christ would. You won't see that in my town. In my community and surrounding towns, the churches don’t have outreach, other than the clever quotes that are on display on the “billboard” in the yard. You won’t see anyone handing out bulletins, and you won’t see anyone handing out the tracts. If you were to walk into a church, if someone didn’t know you personally, no one would speak to you, and the congregation would just look at you in amazement, as if to wonder what in the world you are doing in their church. To me, community means reaching out and inviting people to your church. It means encouraging them to come and be a part of the service. Service-that is an interesting word. Look it up in the dictionary-the meaning will give you a whole different perspective. Community is people looking for some way to help others that need a leg up. What did Jesus do? He traveled around looking for people that needed salvation-needed whatever, and He gave it to them. That is what we should do, as a community. That is my definitiion of community. The service of looking for people to help. Looking for people to invite to church, and then welcome them with open arms, like Christ would. You won’t see that in my town.

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