On February 21, it will be 125 years since the first "Divine Service" was held at a new Anglican Church built at Mt Gravatt. This original service represents the beginnings of what we know as St Bartholomew's Anglican Church, Mt Gravatt. It is a reminder that this church has had a long history of committed and faithful ministry and mission to the broader community. On Sunday, February 20, we are going to take the opportunity to celebrate this history while at the same time we turn to the consideration of how God is now calling us to "Be the Anglican Church in Mt Gravatt; To Know Christ and To Make Christ Known."
These celebrations will be low key, reflecting the context we are currently in. I believe there is an opportunity to use this anniversary to ask the question "Where are we now?" as part of the first steps of developing our Mission Action Plan. We will do this in a few ways, which I am inviting the church community to be a part of.
This Sunday, you will see a timeline has appeared on the church's back wall. It invites people to reflect on the history of this parish. You might even like to add your historical memories. Most importantly, it will ask what we are currently doing in the church and our community. In this section, we will ask you to contribute so together we can paint a picture of our current mission and ministry as a church and as individuals. There will be pens and post-it notes that you can use to make your contribution.
Also, on this day, we hope to commission what we are calling MAP reflection groups. These groups are intended to facilitate aspects of our Mission Action Plan process as we ask where God is calling us and how we get there?
We are also taking further steps to provide more regular live streams of our worship. We intend to stream the 9 am service on this anniversary celebration day. I hope that you can join in this celebration in whatever ways are possible for you at this time.
God’s Peace
Michael Stalley