What a difference it makes to stop, look around and listen to what God is doing among us. Recently I have been spending time with Clarence Uniting Church helping them share with each other the signs of God at work around them.
People chose photos that reminded them of God being active in the life of the 
congregation. This was one of the photos chosen. Why? because “God is at work because we accept imperfection and work with what we’ve got”. Clarence is trying things like Messy Church, Reel Faith (Movie discussions) and Faith in Community groups to help each other connect their faith with their everyday life. Clarence is willing to give these things a go and learn as they go.
One of the things that stops us from trying new ways to express faith or share faith is that we think it has to be perfect. We know, from the safety of the back pew, that people are sometimes quick to criticise and slow to praise. We also know that such a culture stops us from trying new things for fear of falling flat on our faces.
What would it look like in your community of faith if participation in the life of the community, rather than perfection in performance for the community, was the focus?
Michelle Cook
Presbytery Minister – Mission Development