ONE HEART, ONE SOUL, ONE SPIRIT (part 2)

Originally Posted on September 20, 2011 by St Barnabas Anglican Parish of the Bluff
A commentary on Community and Growth
Towards the goals of community
If one has no clear goals, vision and mission then one is going no way. This applies to our individual lives and the parish of St Barnabas as a community.  A community needs to know where it is heading too and whether it agrees with this direction. It cannot it be imposed otherwise conflict will arise.  Just same as being in a marriage, it is fair and good to live together but that is not the end of the story. The couple have to agree on the direction, values and objectives of the family. This may even involve writing these down and visiting them from time to time. Our visioning Sunday is one way of writing down things that we would like to do as a collective in the parish, and from time to time visit what we have written down.  What is written down is shared with others that are why we as a parish have a website(www.bluffparish.co.za/) to share these ideas with parishioners and even those who are looking for a spiritual home. We are on twitter to twit (@bluffparish)  what is going on every day in the parish as things  happens, we are on Face Book ( Bluff Parish-St Barnabas)  as a parish we  know that to be technologically savvy in our time is to be apt or apposite and street wise.  Sharing of ideas means that tensions in the community are removed because like in a marriage tensions will arise because couples are not sharing ideas and we as community of the parish need to be sharing ideas whether we agree or do not is a different matter altogether.  This means that we need a vision and a mission that is why currently we are running a bible study and this will culminate with a visioning Sunday. Followed by  a planning morning to beheld on the 5th of November 2011 and parishioners and parish groups are invited( Sides persons, youth, Junior Church, Parish councillors, Wardens, Men of the Parish, AWF, MU, St Agnes Guild, Bernard Mizeki Guild ,Lay ministers, Staff, Sacristan) . Visioning Sunday takes place on the 23rd October 2011 and it will happen in all the four services, (0700, 0900, Junior Church, and Xhosa Service) our shared values should respond not just to the needs of the parish but those who exist outside the boundaries of the parish. “I am convinced communal life can flourish only if it exists for an aim outside itself. Community is viable if it is the outgrowth of a deep involvement in a purpose with is other than or above that of being a community.” (Vanier 1982: 9) When we moved beyond ourselves (meaning talking just about ourselves) then we will grow, we will spend more time responding to God as we serve the poor, the outcast in the community and those in need. “There is a vital link between the two poles of community: its goal and the unity of its members.” (Vanier 1982:9)

Fr. Barnabas Nqindi