A report from Amé, Feb 2010

2010 presents us with endless possibilities, opportunities and openings to engage in local, national and international mission. Already there seems to be an underground growth of passion and energy bubbling at the grassroots level; people are being stirred by God’s word to take up the call of Jesus and expose their faith to the world as they work for His justice. In the last few months I have witnessed this fresh surge of motivation, which is an exciting place for us as we embark on a new year of following Jesus and prayerfully asking Him to guide our actions. As part of my involvement in the internship program I was asked to be a member of the Outreach Group, which originated from the ‘On the Way Together’ process. This small group of people exists to facilitate missional and outreach activities in the wider community, and I have been quite amazed by the capacity that our community holds to truly impact our world.

This year I see my internship as a chance to support the ministries and mission projects that are currently alive amongst us already, as well as to join with new initiatives that are beginning to develop. It is difficult to articulate everything that I dream of doing because in some ways I feel that God has jam-packed my heart with so much, so I will try to share a little bit of my hopes with you.

In particular I am looking forward to igniting some enthusiasm around social justice in Australia and exploring avenues that our community can take to educate ourselves about Indigenous issues, build relationships with Indigenous communities and advocate for Indigenous rights. As disciples living in a post-colonial nation, I believe that we have a calling to this ministry.

Another outreach opportunity that has arisen quite recently is the invitation to further build our connections with Glen Waverley Secondary College and meet the needs of its students. As a consequence of the hard work and dedication of a small group of pancake chefs, a strong relationship has already been forged with the high school through fortnightly free pancake breakfasts. We plan to continue this project and branch out into new ways of serving the school community this year. These actions are so important when we are trying to bring Jesus into the wider community, because the most powerful thing that we can do to empower young people is to value the gifts, insights and talents that they contribute.

The first five months of the internship has been an eye-opening experience, where I have observed and participated in the behind-the-scenes work of a church. Part of this journey has been working out where I fit into the bigger picture of God’s reality and in many ways I now have more questions then I initially began with. However, expecting to be surprised and challenged is the way I like it, and I hope that by the conclusion of this year I will be even less certain and more trusting.

Ame Pocklington