An update from The Journey April 2024 It’s been a while but hopefully a few photos and stories will give you a feel of what’s been going on with The Journey. Food and Forest Below is our new logo for TABLE - a project creating places of belonging and faith for 18-30s around hospitality. We have been encouraged by some funding to trial in 3 new cities in 2024. FOREST CHURCH - We continue to meet outdoors once a month inviting Christians and seekers alike to experience God’s presence and find our story among the trees, bushes and bees!   The photo above is from a walk that Paul Eaton (T ..read more

Care for Creation by Dr Josh Findlay We’ve talked a lot about what is needed, at all different sorts of levels, for us to take creational care seriously, so I wanted to shift the focus today to thinking about how we think about creation. Jack D. Forbes was an indigenous American historian, scholar and activist. In his book, Columbus and Other Cannibals, he writes: “I can lose my hands, and still live. I can lose my legs and still live. I can lose my eyes and still live. I can lose my hair, eyebrows, nose, arms, and many other things and still live. But if I lose the air I die. If I lose the su ..read more

Summary of stand out values and how Christ defines our mission and form of church ..read more

Hey family, we’re looking at our values as a church community at the moment, and this week we are looking at global justice. Jacques Ellul once wrote “Think globally, act locally.” I think that’s a good phrase to have in mind. In a globalised world, what it means to act locally in a way that is actually just relates to having a realistic perspective on what the global picture is actually like. So with that in mind, let’s overwhelm ourselves for a moment with just a smattering of some of the injustice and existential crises of our time. We have, for a while, had a target of staying below 1.5 d ..read more

How can you grow in hospitality? What is the role of hospitality and God’s mission? What is the best hospitality you have received? What is the worst ..read more

Simplicity is a posture of the heart. Matthew 6:19-28 19 ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full o ..read more

Ministry literally means service. So, we're talking here about serving one another and the world. My sense is that we as the journey can sometimes act in love, but with the brakes on. It doesn't feel especially over the top! maybe you agree or don't! I like to do things over the top at times, and I think we need more of that in our midst. Grace is outrageous, lavish, expensive and unreasonable. Jesus said " what good is it if you are good to those who are good to you? Even the sinners do that!" Elsewhere Jesus said we're to love our enemies. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile all of hu ..read more

As human beings we all need to be seen. It's been nice to have people notice my new glasses, the first pair in 4 years. It's a simple example of the blessing of being noticed! We all have a need to be heard and accepted and known. We've all experienced being ignored or worse dismissed. We've been on the receiving end, and if we're honest we've been on the giving end too. We've failed to "see" people , welcome them, recognise their holy presence and listen properly. Being seen is important for our community to be healthy - feeling isolated can lead us kinds of problems. it's also important in ..read more

To follow Christ is to follow his great command expressed in these words: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c]  38  This is the first and greatest commandment. 39  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d]  40  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” The last few years I’ve been intrigued and drawn into better understanding economics and our monetary system. You might be thinking “Alan, stick to your station, you’re a pastor, not a economist”, but bear with me as ..read more

God’s desire is that we live in his love. He is a God of relationship that has designed us to love another as Christ has loved us. Here are some questions to chew on: What goes wrong when we do not live in community? What’s the most authentic expression of community you’ve experienced? What elements of community do you struggle with? What’s the role of organising in community life? What kind of community story do you want to be part of? How could you adapt to shape your life around community and God’s mission ..read more