The 2014 TT Tour reached St Mary’s in North Stifford on Sunday 23 March.
Owing to the nature of the venue, the format was changed, but the conversation that ensued was no less engaging. Tim Harrold based a talk, entitled Transforming Thurrock, around the starting point of the Great Commission of Jesus to his disciples – to make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, who make…
The reading was taken from Matthew 28:18-20 (see below).
Here are some of the salient points:
Transforming Thurrock
Questions
- What is God saying? (to Thurrock, to North Sifford, to where we are, to us as individuals?)
- What are we going to do about it?
- Who are we going to tell?
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
How do we let God transform us by the renewing of our minds?
- New wineskins for new wine
- New forms for new people coming into the kingdom
- New thinking for new ‘post-Christendom’ era
Statement 1
Jesus said I will build MY church – Jesus commanded WE go and make disciples
Matthew 16:18
… on this rock I will build my church…
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
Conversation:
- What did Jesus say he will build?
- What did Jesus commission us to do?
- Have we been building church and neglecting to make disciples?
- Can converts be converted into disciples who make disciples who make disciples…?
Challenge:
- What is God saying? (to Thurrock, to North Sifford, to where we are, to us as individuals?)
- What are we going to do about it?
- Who are we going to tell?
Let God transform us by the renewing of our minds to see Thurrock and North Stifford transformed
Statement 2
The question is NOT “what does church look like?” The question IS “what are we doing with it?“
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Conversation:
- There were no buildings, no clergy, no Sunday services…
- But today we do have buildings, clergy, Sunday services…
- So how do we stop being the church we want and start being the church God wants?
- Start where we are: preserve the mature wineskins for the mature wine, but provide fresh wineskins for the fresh wine
Challenge:
- What is God saying? (to Thurrock, to North Sifford, to where we are, to us as individuals?)
- What are we going to do about it?
- Who are we going to tell?
Let God transform us by the renewing of our minds to see Thurrock and North Stifford transformed
Statement 3
All priests are equal, no priests are more equal than others – we’re in a priesthood of all believers
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…
Conversation:
- Who are the saints?
- Who are the priests?
- We’re all in this together, NOT just the ‘professionals’
Challenge:
- What is God saying? (to Thurrock, to North Sifford, to where we are, to us as individuals?)
- What are we going to do about it?
- Who are we going to tell?
Let God transform us by the renewing of our minds to see Thurrock and North Stifford transformed
Statement 4
If there’s life in it, let God use it – if there’s no life in it, let God change it
John 10:10
… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Conversation:
- What are we doing?
- Is it working or does it need changing?
- Is it dead or alive?
- Is it a good idea or a God idea?
- Does the activity need replacing with something fresh?
- Are we telling people about Jesus or just inviting them to church?
Challenge:
- What is God saying? (to Thurrock, to North Sifford, to where we are, to us as individuals?)
- What are we going to do about it?
- Who are we going to tell?
Let God transform us by the renewing of our minds to see Thurrock and North Stifford transformed
Transformation Thurrock exists…
- to facilitate united prayer
- to resource united mission
- to equip disciples who make disciples
- to make disciples who make more disciples
Romans 12:2
Church of Thurrock – Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your (collective) mind. Then you will be able to test and approve (that is, to demonstrate) what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will – which is transfoming, transformative and transformational!
>>> The Christians who gather at St Mary’s are working with the community of the Village of North Stifford towards a Well-Dressing event in August. This involves asking all the community to get involved in building a well which is then ‘dressed’ in a design made of flower petals, mostly grown by the community. This is an ancient tradition still commonplace in the Peak District. Rev Andy Higgs will lead a procession along the main road of the village to the Green, where the well will be set down. Andy will then pray prayers of thanksgiving and blessing for the provision of fresh water and all that flows out of that. This links in with a dark episode of North Stifford’s history when the plague was inadvertently introduced to the village in the 1660s by someone who bought some infected clothes from London: 200 people died, and the vicar had the village quarantined to prevent further spread.
More details of the project will appear on http://www.northstiffordvillage.co.uk (from where the above photo comes).
For general info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well_dressing.
Next Sunday (30 March), the TT Tour will be at Seabrooke-All Saints Mission Shaped Community (Thurrock Christian Fellowship), All Saints Centre, John Street, Grays
Where has the TT Tour gone and where is it going?
The 2014 TT Tour is growing all the time, and looks like this:
- 16 February – Fresh Hope Community (St Margarets’ Fresh Expression), Stanford le Hope – DONE!
- 2 March – Grays Methodist Church – DONE!
- 16 March – St Cedd’s, Stifford Clays – DONE!
- 23 March – St Mary’s, North Stifford – DONE!
- 30 March – Seabrooke-All Saints Mission Shaped Community (Thurrock Christian Fellowship), All Saints Centre, Grays
- 6 April – Grays Baptist Church
- 13 April – New Covenant Church, Grays (starts 11am)
- 4 May – St Margaret’s, Stanford le Hope
- 18 May – St Mary’s, Little Thurrock (starts 9.30am & 11am)
- 18 May – Corringham Salvation Army – East Thurrock United Service (starts 3pm)
- 25 May – Grays United Reformed Church (part 1)
- 8 June – Grays United Reformed Church (part 2)
- 29 June – Destiny Chapel, South Ockendon
- 13 July – Tilbury Pride Mission Shaped Community (Thurrock Christian Fellowship)
All dates in between these (apart from Easter Sunday, 20 April) and after up to and including 20 July are currently available.
The content is suitable for any fellowship Sunday service or prayer meeting no matter what your style or where you’re ‘at’.
If you’d like to book Tim and the TT Tour, please call 07929 878 089 or email him on tim@transformationthurrock.com.
The presentation – which is adaptable – is made up of three sections and lasts about 45 minutes. It follows this simple structure:
Information – Powerpoint presentation
- where we’ve been
- where we’re at
- where we’re going
- Interaction – small groups
- what is God saying?
- what are you going to do about it?
- who are you going to tell?
- Intercession – for Thurrock and the UK
- proclamations of blessing
- prayers of protection
Information – Powerpoint presentation
