A Faith That Is Public

Having moved to a city with good communications, I’ve made it a priority to “just pick up the phone,” rather than email friends. It’s been great to have some longer chats and hear where people are at in their journeys. Interestingly, most of my friends have, during the last three years, changed churches.

One pal from my college days is Martin Duffy, who is currently planting a church on the Central Coast of NSW, north of Sydney. I was encouraged to hear about the developments with his young church and how light it was. Not spiritually or theologically light, because it is far from that. No, how structurally and administratively light it was. In a follow-up email he shared a little more of some the experiences the church has been having and with his permission, I’ve reproduced the following, concerning their Easter services earlier this year.

“This Easter I led my young church into the streets. On Good Friday rather than another sermon, we simply carried a 14 ft cross through the streets and the esplanade of Terrigal as a prophetic act (i.e., “I will give you the territory on which you place your feet- Joshua”).

Young adults we did not know joined with us. Four people were spontaneously baptised on Terrigal Beach. We know of back-slidden people who simply saw the cross that day and headed back to God.

Some mocked us – the majority gave us an almighty cheer (It was an anti-Islam thing); but, it was the most memorable good Friday I have had by the length of the street, and all agreed.”

[tags] Evangelism, Missional [/tags]