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Mission Statement: A Community of Faith

The Faith Development Missional Group was formed to help people both within and beyond the GWUC congregation in their spiritual journeys individually and communally. All who want to learn more about developing their relationship with God's Divine Presence are welcome in our community.

Our aims are:

• Encouraging and facilitating opportunities for people of all ages to grow and develop their relationship with God and its impact on their life in an ever-changing society.
• Empowering people to share their faith questions and providing safe places for people to wrestle with these questions.
• Listening to what people are 'seeking' and empowering and resourcing them to search for answers.
• Encouraging people to seek opportunities at all times to share their faith and help those around them to grow in their spiritual journey.

(This statement also appears at FaithDevelopmentMission)

Key Propositions for Growth

• Discipleship formation process for those seeking baptism, confirmation, seekers of faith and others seeking to grow in discipleship
• Small groups for learning, faith sharing, prayer and missional action.

  • In 2011 a new bible study group was formed

    In 2011 an individualised study of scripture on a need basis was launched

• Regular regional learning events
• Resource library
• Leadership development
• Age specific activities for children, youth and young adults

What might GWUC look like in 2013 if we were faithful to these propositions? GWUC is abuzz with faith conversations. Worship and community activities, meetings and neighbourhood engagement reveal a congregation committed to growing people in faith, calling them to discipleship and discerning our vocation as part of the mission of God.

Parents seeking to have their children baptised, young people seeking confirmation, and others seeking to deepen their discipleship are engaged in a program of formation for discipleship. The 3-4 month program involves personal reflection and discussion about the bible, Christian faith and practice, vocation and discipleship, and the UCA. Participants have a mentor with whom they meet regularly to reflect on their learning and faith experience. The program has become so popular that many long-time members of the congregation have taken the opportunity to participate and reaffirm their baptism as part of their ongoing journey of discipleship.

The congregation values the faith development of its children and young people. To this end it hosts a Christian education program that teaches the stories of the faith and encourages thinking about how they influence life in the 21st century at appropriate levels for the age of the participants. Emphasis is given to the call to discipleship and helping children and young people discover their vocation in life. Children and young people are also encouraged to participate in activities that support others and connect with the wider community. Christmas Alight and the Easter Event provide opportunities for engagement with other children in the neighbourhood.

Every member of the community participates in a small group. Through learning, sharing, prayer and missional action the groups call people to discipleship, build their faith and support them so that they may confidently take up their vocation as part of the mission of God. Participants reflect on how what they are learning interacts with their life experience. Questions and doubts are addressed openly and encouraged as signs of growth in faith. The groups take into account the needs, interests and contexts of participants. Some meet every week, others meet less frequently. Some meet for a period of time; e.g. during Lent or Advent, others prefer the occasional one-off learning event.

The groups reflect the diversity of maturity, faith experience and thinking about God that is to be seen at GWUC. Some groups seek to encourage members to discern their vocation and to exercise their gifts in discipleship. Some provide opportunities for in-depth study of the Bible. Some seek to develop contemplative spirituality. Some encourage creativity. Some support members in their efforts to live out their faith at work and in the neighbourhood. Some are activity based, enabling members to participate in missional service in the neighbourhood. Some of the most popular groups meet over coffee after each worship service to discuss the points raised in the Scripture readings and the sermon. People are finding that their life makes sense when they see through the lens of Jesus. They have a growing confidence about reflecting faithfully on contemporary issues and in sharing their faith experience with others.

Other long-standing groups (FISH, UCAF, Bible study, etc) have renewed their life to better emphasise learning, faith sharing, prayer and missional activity. Councils and committees of the congregation have also undertaken to make space in their meetings for intentional learning, faith sharing, prayer and missional action. These practices have brought new life and spirit to the groups.

Not everyone learns best in a small group. The congregation is concerned to provide multiple learning activities that reflect the diversity of learning styles, experience and levels of participants. Faith at Home leaflets, personal devotional guides (e.g. With Love to the World), and seasonal study and meditation resources are provided for those unable to participate in a regular group and those seeking to develop a personal spiritual discipline. A resource library containing DVD’s, music CD’s, recordings of local learning events and a wide range of books is well-used by church members and our neighbours.

The church also hosts spiritual retreats, practical workshops, guest speakers and other learning activities to meet specific needs. Many of these have grown out of conversations with our neighbours. Each year we host a major learning event to the local community and neighbouring churches are invited. This may be a weekend ‘conference’, a week-long ‘festival’, a short term intensive course or a series of studies. Where possible our learning events are filmed for broadcast to our rural partners and added to our resource collection.

Many folk have become so excited by their learning and growth in discipleship that they have sought to engage in further study. The congregation supports them by hosting tutorial groups and providing coaching as required. The congregation regularly sponsors and hosts a short term intensive course as part of the CTM’s web of learning. We have become a regional hub for the Lay Preacher’s course.

After five years of sustained growth in faith GWUC has been transformed. People of all ages regularly participate in preparing and leading worship. Stories of faith are shared happily during worship, in New View and on the website, in groups and in casual conversations. In fact people are so excited by what they are learning and experiencing that the faith conversations are spilling over into the neighbourhood. Most have engaged in discernment of our vocation – as individuals and as a community – and are now actively involved in projects with the neighbourhood. We have a far greater awareness of how our Christian faith makes a difference through our involvement in our neighbourhoods, families, work places and organisational life.

We rejoice at the growth in faith that is happening in our community. We are surely becoming a sign, foretaste and instrument of the reign of God in our neighbourhood.