FAITH5

Here is a simple faith practice called the FAITH5, or Faith Acts In The Home.
The FAITH 5 connects church to home, faith to life, and parents to kids in a powerful way. The five steps of the FAITH5 are:

 Step One: Share highs and lows. Name something good and bad you experienced today. Can't think of a personal one? Check out the headlines from the news and teach empathy and compassion for the broader world.



Step Two: Read a verse from your Bible. 







Step Three: Talk about how the verse relates to highs and lows. Unpack the verse a bit. What does it mean in your own words? How might it relate to where you are today in your highs and lows?




Step Four: Pray for one another's highs and lows, for your family, and for the world. Simply talk to God, thank Jesus for the good, and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in specific problems.





Step Five: Bless one another.  One way is to trace the sign of the cross on one another's forehead or palm as a reminder that you belong to God and to one another. Another is to speak a scripture – E.g. “You are a child of God and he loves you.”

There are some videos online about this at https:https://faithink.com/the-faith5-steps

2019 Christmas letter

Sue insisted I write the Christmas letter in December this year rather than the 31^st of February like last year so here goes.

 we have now completed nearly 21 years in Napier and are pleased to be here.   David is well settled in Napier with an accounting job at Blue Rock accounting and a hankering for buying a house.  We helped a little bit with the deposit and flatmates help him pay the mortgage.  It is 3 bedrooms on a nice small section   It is walking distance to the supermarket and Greenmeadows shops.

God has started doing some new things in the church, bringing in several people from other nations (Thai, Chinese, Indian…) into the church so that has been a bonus.  We have also had several international students coming along which is great.  Sue still works with the international students at EIt as the Homestay Coordinator.  She is often under pressure as student numbers remain high.  We have had our usual series of students stay with us.  Currently we have a Japanese and a Chinese student plus Kiwi John who has been with us a few years and we expect another from Vietnam in late January.  One delight was to go and visit several of those who have stayed with us when we took a month’s holiday to go to Cambodia and Vietnam and Taiwan.  Sue was pretty nervous about our 3 days’ transit in Hong Kong but that passed peacefully.

Highlights of the trip involved meeting several ex homestays and some amazing scenery.  Haulong Bay is a beautiful place and the day we spent on a bicycle meeting locals in Hoi An is probably the other highlight.  We did an intrepid tour for 12 days and enjoying meeting the other 10 who traveled with us.  If you are our Facebook friends, you would have seen lots of pictures and if you aren’t yet it is not too late to go and look back over our photos and comments.  The third highlight was going to Taiwan to meet with Judith Jackson for a week.  Judith was Sue’s first friend at Bible college and has worked in Taiwan for over 30 years.  She took us to meet some of her High school groups who were great fun.  We also got to see some of the sights including this sunset at the salt fields.

I have enjoyed the year saying no to most extra responsibilities from the Presbytery other and find having time and energy to concentrate on the people of Napier is enough.  I still go to the gym a few times each week along with a long walk or bike ride along the cycle trails.  Sue is still enjoying walks and was tempted by a puppy as it is over 2 years since her beloved Misty died but our Chinese student is allergic to dogs and going away would have been unfair to leave a new puppy.  Sue has had a few trips to nelson now her mother has turned 91 and both my parents celebrated their 80^th Birthdays in the past year.

Paul and his wife Mary are still in Gisborne and also enjoyed a holiday to Vietnam this year.  Paul continues as a Chef at the Vines and Mary is still at the BNZ.  They are coming down for a few days before Christmas and we will go there after Christmas before a week in Nelson with Sue’s mother.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas a peace-filled New Year.  Greetings from Brett & Sue Walker

Velcro Churches part 2

here is  a followup Post on Velcro Churches
One writer used Velcro as an acronym

V= Valuing every person as a gift from God
E= Engaging every Guest intentionally
L= Leading people to encounter Jesus -
C= Connecting them to community
R= Relationships are the key to people becoming a part of the Church
O= Organizing Small groups for on going care.

Making our church a Velcro Church

Velcro Churches

by Rick Chromey

It’s funny what a walk in the woods can do.  George de Mestral, a Swedish electrical engineer in the 1940s, was fascinated with burdock seeds and how they attached themselves to his dog and clothing. George studied the special “hook” design of these seeds and subsequently created Velcro.

Velcro is sticky stuff. The tiniest patch has substantial strength and countless uses. You can hang pictures. Seal clothing from cold or rain. Secure shoes and batten down covers. You can even use Velcro to stick a body against a wall. Velcro is a lot of fun.

Ironically, when Velcro is separated and isolated, it loses all its stickiness. It’s just a patch of nylon hooks and polyester cloth with the potential for connection.

Humans are like Velcro. Isolation happens, but like snowflakes, watch what happens when we stick together. We get stronger. We last longer. We seal and secure. We even have fun. God specially designed humans for connection and community. We have relational hooks. In fact, if we don’t belong, it’s so long.

I’ve introduced my “Rule of Threes” before but let me expand and explore these principles because they’re markers that guide social “stickiness” (attraction and retention). It’s what draws, pulls, invites, joins, and caps.

3 MINUTES (FIRST-TIMER): It only takes minutes for a visitor to decide if he or she will return. It’s why guest relations or “front-door evangelism” are key. A visitor has only two needs to scratch: security and pleasure. First-timers (regardless of age or context) want to know if your church is a safe place—physically and emotionally—and will it be an enjoyable experience. Failure to meet this need produces discomfort, and that’s enough to look elsewhere (one and done).

3 VISITS (FOLLOWER): Returning guests usually need just three experiences to decide to “camp.” By now they feel good about your church but are carrying a different need to feed: belonging. Does the guest sense connection and community? Are they making friends? Failure to meet this need produces disconnection and a potential exit.

3 MONTHS (FRIEND):  The path to “membership” solidifies at the three-month mark when guests now view themselves as “regular” members who sense community. At this point the need shifts to new wants: grace and dignity. The new member desires to feel freedom (“Can I be me?”) and value (“Am I important?”). Too many churches like to rush these new “friends” into leadership roles for which they’re ill-prepared or ignore them as they refocus on attracting and retaining “newbies.” However, failure at this point produces disappointment and that can create bad attitudes and unexpected departures.

3X3 or NINE MONTHS (FAMILY): Usually by the nine-month mark, a regular attender is ready for leadership roles. They’ve attended long enough to understand routines, core beliefs, traditions and values. They feel a part of the family. The need now shifts to empowerment. Is this a place where I can grow, contribute, and make a difference? Failure at this juncture introduces disengagement and retreat.

3 YEARS (FAN): Productive contribution and leadership is what creates a raving fan. As Jesus modeled, it takes this long to disciple a core member to reproduce the vision and values of your church. If this doesn’t happen, the individual will likely give up and move on. A “fan” is a church’s best evangelist, worker, and leader. Fans draw attention and affection. Fans invite others into the vision. Fans fan the flame that grows attendance, enthusiasm, passion, and commitment.

The Rule of Threes.

Like Velcro, they’re the hooks for true connection.

And they’re always working.

Rick Chromey

Rick has a Doctorate of Ministry and is the author of Sermons Reimagined.