In the week-to-week business of a local church, it's easy to become insular. You know other Christians are out there, but since you rarely engage with them, it feels like it's just your small band of believers at work in the world.
Not so in Dunedin. Down there, the CCCNZ churches are doing good things together.
Not so in Dunedin. Down there, the CCCNZ churches are doing good things together.
It started when the leaders of Caversham Community Church decided to invite other churches to an evening service. The invitation was not simply to attend, but to join in and mesh their talents with everyone else's.
Every church said yes. So on May 15th, Cornerstone International Bible Church, Riverside Chapel, and Queens Drive Gospel Hall joined with Caversham to celebrate.
Such was the willingness to unite, the worship team became an amalgamation of each church's musicians and singers. The band became the embodiment of what the evening was all about.
One of the big upsides of the gathering was the reconnection of old friends, people who knew each other from way back but had lost touch. For many, the sense of togetherness was palpable. Simon Lim of Cornerstone, commented: "On our own, it's easy to feel small and isolated. But when our churches came together, you realise that we're part of something bigger. It was quite moving."
Every church said yes. So on May 15th, Cornerstone International Bible Church, Riverside Chapel, and Queens Drive Gospel Hall joined with Caversham to celebrate.
Such was the willingness to unite, the worship team became an amalgamation of each church's musicians and singers. The band became the embodiment of what the evening was all about.
One of the big upsides of the gathering was the reconnection of old friends, people who knew each other from way back but had lost touch. For many, the sense of togetherness was palpable. Simon Lim of Cornerstone, commented: "On our own, it's easy to feel small and isolated. But when our churches came together, you realise that we're part of something bigger. It was quite moving."
That combined service became the springboard for other joint initiatives. Next time, it was Riverside Chapel that took the lead. When their elders learned that Tom McIvor was to be the guest speaker at a Cornerstone morning service, they organised to have Tom speak again in the evening and invited all the churches to come over to Riverside to listen.
Once again, it was the most enriching time. As people reconnected, the supper conversations threatened to spill over into Monday!
With every joint initiative, the lines between US and THEM or OUR STUFF and THEIR STUFF becomes more blurred. Need to baptise some people but don't have a baptism pool? Easy, says Queens Drive Gospel Hall; come on over and use our pool and run the celebration service at our place. Which is exactly what Cornerstone did.
Because together works better in Dunedin.
Once again, it was the most enriching time. As people reconnected, the supper conversations threatened to spill over into Monday!
With every joint initiative, the lines between US and THEM or OUR STUFF and THEIR STUFF becomes more blurred. Need to baptise some people but don't have a baptism pool? Easy, says Queens Drive Gospel Hall; come on over and use our pool and run the celebration service at our place. Which is exactly what Cornerstone did.
Because together works better in Dunedin.
