Steve Taylor describes fresh expressions, Aussie style.
Here in South Australia as a Uniting Church, we've had a fair few overseas folk talk to us about fresh expressions and new forms of church. It's one thing to hear from international visitors; it's another to have a genuinely local conversation. So the fresh expressions task force organised 'Putting legs on the local fresh expressions of church' as an attempt to gather around an ongoing local conversation. The event was to some extent based around UK Fresh Expressions vision days but with a specific South Australian flavour.
The day kicked off with an hour introducing concepts and thinking around fresh expressions. This included discussing the 'Who?', 'What?', 'When?', 'Where?', 'Why?', 'How?', and what fresh expressions mean in light of Uniting Church.
About 25 people attended the event at Christ Church, Wayville, which was billed as a day for strategists, wonderers, sponsors and dreamers. One person drove six hours from the Eyre Peninsula to be there (it is Australia after all!). Others drove two hours from Murray Bridge or an hour from Strathalybn.
We then broke for lunch. All participants had been invited to bring local produce to share. This was a stunning success with lots of creative local flavours being offered, among them free range eggs, olives, citrus tarts and doughnuts.
We then listened to three local fresh expressions of church tell their stories.
- Eco-church, nine years old, meeting outdoors with a commitment to the body in worship and a desire to bless the city and think ecologically.
- A yet-to-go public group wanting to plant a faith community in a local school, currently meeting to pray, to experiment, and to spend time being human within their local community.
- The Esther Project, using story and alternative worship to engage the arts community.
Again, a wonderful reminder that there is some fine local 'produce' in fresh expressions. It also reminded us of the uniqueness that is fresh expressions and the ups and downs as well as the importance of experimentation and being open to change.
This was followed by time in groups to explore more of what we had heard. There were three types of conversation: the stakeholders, the dreamers, the doers, talked about what they would like to say to each other in light of fresh expressions.
Getting back together once again, we were nourished by the reminder of the diversity that is in the body of Christ and the need for us to value the vital roles of different people.
We then finished in worship led by a fourth local fresh expression: Candlelight Reflections. They had created a beautiful space for music, reflection and meditation.
Plenty more to do, but this was an enjoyable beginning.