Reflections on Training Day July 2022
Once again, Training Day was a great time to connect with our wider movement whānau and an opportunity to hear from great speakers who encouraged and challenged us in our faith.
Our keynote speaker Alison Robinson brought us a very timely message encouraging us to keep going even when times are hard; blessing people out of your own grief and need for space.
In the session ‘God and our working life: why your work matters to God’ John Dennison from Venn Foundation encouraged us to think more deeply about our working life. We often think of there being a division between church and God on a Sunday and our working life Monday-Friday, falling into the trap of thinking the only work God cares about is that of the ordained, or the work of the church. Work is of great interest to God, so much so that it’s mentioned right at the beginning of the bible as a divine action; God worked, then he rested. God created the world and everything that is within it, so therefore our place of work is part of His creation, and our work should be a spiritual act of worship.
Alison Robinson, in her session ‘May Your Kingdom Come: Fruitful community Ministry’ shared her experiences of building community ministries. Reminding us that disappointment is part of the journey and sometimes it can take years of faithfulness to see the fruit in the ministry. She spoke of the importance of getting the right people involved at the right time when building your team – everyone has different gifts, and you won’t need them all at the same time – and the importance of building a good culture within the team.
In Christine Wanstall’s workshops, one participant reflected that they “were surprised about how specifically God spoke in the sessions. Not just through the listening exercises but through the message she brought.”
Many of the Wellington workshops will be repeated again in Palmerston North, so if you are still making up your mind about going, those who were in Wellington really encourage you to go.
And a huge thanks to all the volunteers who made the Wellington day happen, and all those who will be at Palmerston North this coming Saturday. You rock!
