NWC Ideacast with Rev. Neil Trainer
In NWC Presbytery’s 2019-2023 ministry plan and budget approved in October, Calvin PC in Shoreline was featured as our Story Closer-up regarding Studio E3: Congregational Revitalization/Renewal. In December, Corey sat down with Neil to talk about this decade of journeying toward the vocational clarity they now enjoy.
We recorded the conversation and want to share it with you. We will share one short segment each day between December 26 and January 2. Neil’s testimony provokes reflection and hope, just the kind of stimulus to accompany us as we anticipate a new year of life and ministry in Christ. We hope you enjoy it!
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Part 8: Tenacious! Stubbornly committed to Jesus is the Lord of the Church. Neil Trainer (3 min)
In this last segment of Neil’s reflection he exhorts us to hold onto and spotlight Jesus as Lord of the Church. Listen to his reflection and ask yourself: Are there ways in which I wrestle away God’s agency from God and try to take it on myself? Could I invest more energy in listening for the voice of Jesus for direction? Or might I be in a season where Jesus is saying, get moving, take a step, go where I’m leading you in order to see what I’m trying to show you?
Sometimes we wait upon the Lord and other times we just do what God has been showing us to do! Jesus is Lord of the Church…we are not…thanks be to God! How is Jesus leading you? What next step do you need to take? Or is now a time to wait upon the Lord?
May you be blessed in 2019 with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in your own life and in the ministry you serve.
Check out a slideshow about Calvin’s vision and the process they went through here. Rev. Trainer originally presented this to NWC Presbytery’s Commission on Ministry.
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Learn more about this ministry connecting pastors, sessions and congregations with the resources they need to move in the direction of renewal and revitalization.
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Learn more about this ministry that engages, equips, and encourages congregations, ministries and leaders being called to discern and potentially start a new expression of Christ’s church.
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Woven Together — Stories of Dissonance, Sacrifice, and Liberation
Ruth and Naomi’s lives were woven together in a season of despair and displacement. Environmental trauma, poverty, forced migration, food insecurity, personal vulnerability, and power differentials continue to shape our shared human experience now as it did then. God interlaced the threads of Ruth and Naomi’s individual stories, each with unique messiness and unpredictability. Through God’s weaving, these women learned mutual sacrifice, found healing community, and shared liberation. Our threads – our stories – are made to be woven together on God’s sacred loom; each thread, unique and complex, spun out of God’s grace and love. Our call is to recognize the value of each thread in all its complexity, each thread’s necessity to God’s design, and our lifetime commitment to the work of freedom and faith.
Registration is now open. Learn more about NEXT Church & find resources.
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