The project was based on a survey of 31 people. All the participants remained anonymous and gave permission for their answers to be used. The 31 people may or may not be Christian, but I would assume that most of them are as the majority of participants were people in my circle of friends or friends of friends. You can view a selection of the responses in the project itself, but for interests sake I thought I would publish all of the answers given.

These are the answers to the fourth and final question, What is one word you would use to describe Church?

• Christ
• Jesus
• God
• fellowship
• hope
• Heavenly.
• Jesus
• Jesus
• God
• relationship-centred

Continue reading below the break for the rest of the responses.

• Community
• Grace
• Love
• Spirit-ual
• Bride.
• Family.
• Redeemed
• community
• Christ
• Sustaining
• Fellowship
• Family
• Love
• Living
• Family
• peaceful
• Fellowship
• Family
• Family

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. “Church Is” Survey Results Q2: What do you like about Church?
2. “Church Is” Survey Results Q1: What is Church?
3. “Church Is” Survey Results Q3: What don’t you like about Church?

You can read more about the three weeks of serving advertising here.

This video was shown during Public Meetings

These videos were embedded on the EU’s Facebook Page for people to watch if they wanted to find out more about how the 3 people interviewed served.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. How Will God Use You? At Your Church
2. How Will God Use You? In Your Holidays
3. EU Advertising: How Will God Use You?

You can read more about the three weeks of serving advertising here.

This video was shown during Public Meetings

These videos were embedded on the EU’s Facebook Page for people to watch if they wanted to find out more about how the 3 people interviewed served.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. How Will God Use You? In The EU
2. How Will God Use You? In Your Holidays
3. EU Advertising: How Will God Use You?

You can read more about the three weeks of serving advertising here.

This video was shown during Public Meetings

These videos were embedded on the EU’s Facebook Page for people to watch if they wanted to find out more about how the 3 people interviewed served.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. How Will God Use You? At Your Church
2. How Will God Use You? In The EU
3. EU Advertising: How Will God Use You?

The project was based on a survey of 31 people. All the participants remained anonymous and gave permission for their answers to be used. The 31 people may or may not be Christian, but I would assume that most of them are as the majority of participants were people in my circle of friends or friends of friends. You can view a selection of the responses in the project itself, but for interests sake I thought I would publish all of the answers given.

These are the answers to the third question, What don’t you like about Church?

• The negative connotations associated with the Church. I do not like hypocrites in the church either.
• When it becomes confined to a building
• Nooothing
• not much.
• arguments, moralism, judgement, arrogance.
• That not everyone in the world realises what they’re missing out on.
• Division, idolatry, mundaneness, boringness, quenching the spirit,
• Sermons can be hard for those who are not auditory learners.
• when people make you feel like you’re alone

• The cliques that can form, sometimes people (including myself) can feel excluded and it does not help in creating a welcoming environment for newcomers
• Significant, deep, life change happens slowly – and I’m often the slowest to see it.
• Awkward small talk
• The people, while God’s children, can still hurt me and I can still hurt them.
• It’s often anthropocentric.
• When people think it is limited to a Sunday night, a particular building, or the efforts of a few paid ministers.
• Wherever there are people, there are frustrations. I get frustrated with how our church doesn’t get on board with social justice in our community.
• There are not a great deal of things to not like about church, but I guess a few things would be the competitive nature of some churches to out-do one another or the exclusivity that some people want as a church.
• The Church is often unmotivated to spread the gospel and expand the Kingdom.
• Cynicism, judgmentalism, church politics, pressure to be “perfect”
• Boring Sermons.
• I don’t like when church is more of a business than a family. Or when the church forgets it’s mission to love and serve other people and only loves and serves itself.
• That it includes imperfect people who do imperfect things and that I am one of them.
• When people are too embarrassed to sing
• sometimes sermons can be very forceful or make you feel guilty
• - segregation of congregations/services – same structure every week – little dedication/commitment by some members
• The (often) rigid schedule the service often runs to.
• When people do not care enough for others
• Divisions in the Church.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. “Church Is” Survey Results Q4: What is one word you would use to describe Church?
2. “Church Is” Survey Results Q1: What is Church?
3. “Church Is” Survey Results Q2: What do you like about Church?

Each week during Public Meetings, there will be a video shown around a theme (serving at Church, in your holidays, or in the EU). This video is a short 3 minute summary of interviews we did with 3 people who serve in that area. The aim of this people is to get them thinking about the many different ways that God can use us to serve his people and his world.

At the end of each of these videos, people are directed to the EU’s Facebook Page where they can watch longer interviews with each of the 3 people from that week about how they serve, and find out more information about serving.

I’m going to share these videos over the coming weeks, and I’ll link to all of the posts below.

1. Week 1 – How Will God Use You? In Your Holidays
2. Week 2 – How Will God Use You? At Your Church
3. Week 3 – How Will God Use You? In The EU

I’m sad that I won’t get to see these videos in Public Meetings as I’ll be on a teaching internship, but I really hope and pray that God will use them to stir people’s hearts to serve him!

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. How Will God Use You? At Your Church
2. How Will God Use You? In The EU
3. How Will God Use You? In Your Holidays

The project was based on a survey of 31 people. All the participants remained anonymous and gave permission for their answers to be used. The 31 people may or may not be Christian, but I would assume that most of them are as the majority of participants were people in my circle of friends or friends of friends. You can view a selection of the responses in the project itself, but for interests sake I thought I would publish all of the answers given.

These are the answers to the second question, What do you like about Church?

• I like the idea that there are people all over the world who have the same beliefs that I do.
• Preaching that calls me to repent and believe. Godly conversations and praying with bros and sisters in Christ.
• Learning about how to implement what the Bible says into my own life. And the great people.
• Lots. I like the Bible, music, talking with christians, and sharing with them what it’s like to be human with a different purpose.
• people, a community of forgiveness and grace, music
• Being able to participate in Christ’s very sacrifice on Calvary, and experiencing the most intimate union possible with Christ on earth. (the Eucharist)
• Community, worship, service, discipleship, misson
• It reminds me of how awesome God is.
• we aren’t alone

• The family that I have there and being able to grow and continue in my walk with other believers
• I am reminded each week of the simple but epic fact of the Gospel of Jesus’ Lordship, and challenged to apply it and have it applied to me in a community of grace.
• Growing together in knowledge and love
• Church has those who will be with us in the new Creation.
• It’s theocentricity.
• That we are a spiritual family with unique gifts and roles that all contribute to make a unified whole!
• Covenant community, being built up to love one another better, being nourished by His word, being shown grace, accountability, refinement, FUN
• What I love about church is the time of fellowship, of growth and reflection, of praise and thanks. It is a time of great encouragement as well as a time for us to be challenged in our faith and trust in Jesus.
• It’s amazing to live in community with people who you will be able to share eternity with.
• Friendships, camaraderie, support, opportunities to serve and encourage others
• Being encouraged through the preaching and the conversation afterwards
• I like that in church I am accepted for who I am. I am not expected to be anyone else, but me. I am loved and cared for, and have an adopted family that I love as much as my own family.
• I am encouraged in good deeds, kept accountable in my failings, and reminded to keep my focus on Jesus and the hope of eternal life I have in God’s promises.
• Joining together with my brothers and sisters to worship our great God
• the amazing sense of calm when you walk in, that you’re being looked after
• - Christian community – Meeting with and encouraging other Christians (and being encouraged) – Worshipping God corporately – Hearing and being challenged by faithful teaching of God’s word
• Fellowship, encouragement and a challenging sermon.
• People of one heart
• Fellowship, learning about the Word together, praising God together.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. “Church Is” Survey Results Q4: What is one word you would use to describe Church?
2. “Church Is” Survey Results Q1: What is Church?
3. “Church Is” Survey Results Q3: What don’t you like about Church?

The project was based on a survey of 31 people. All the participants remained anonymous and gave permission for their answers to be used. The 31 people may or may not be Christian, but I would assume that most of them are as the majority of participants were people in my circle of friends or friends of friends. You can view a selection of the responses in the project itself, but for interests sake I thought I would publish all of the answers given.

These are the answers to the first question, What is Church?

• The church is a word used to describe followers of Jesus Christ.
• A place where Christians can worship God, be encouraged and equipped. A place where salvation comes to the lost
• The redeemed elect united to Christ and gathered in heaven. We also meet on earth.
• A way to connect with other christians, a house for your spiritual family.
• Church is meeting with christians with aim for fellowship and worship
• The kingdom of Jesus being perfected by the work of the Holy Spirit
• The Church is the Pillar and Bulwark of the Truth.
• Gods people gathering together
• A Church is not a building. It is rather a community of people who accept Christ Jesus as their Saviour and are willing to show God’s Grace others. This community gathers together to profess that Jesus is Lord, through worship, prayer and biblical teachings.

• “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead.” – Justin Martyr c.155AD
• God’s people meeting in God’s place
• A body of people who seek to build each other up in Christ – through prayer and encouragement – as they worship together and grow in God’s Word
• The new covenant people of God, gathered in temporal local community and eternal heavenly community
• Gods people gathering together for His glory
• Church is Christ’s body – we are the group of spirit-ual people who do the work of Christ in the world, particularly spreading the Good news of God’s salvation and training others in obedience to Christ.
• The collection of believers, whereever they gather, to worship the Lord.
• Christ’s body of believers praising God, learning from His Word, and loving and supporting one another in Christian community.
• God’s redeemed people
• Church is not a building, temple or a meeting place, BUT it is the group of people meeting together to study God’s word and have fellowship with one another
• The Church is the body of Christ, made up of believers – a community.
• A meeting together of God’s people
• The regular formal public gathering of an identifiable community of Christian believers.
• Meeting with God’s people to spur each other on
• The church is the people, and NOT the building. It is the followers of Christ being the hands and feet of God, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless and loving people as God loves them.
• For the Christian, church is the gathering of those who are part of your family in Christ to build each other up and equip you to bring Jesus’ good news to the world.
• Do you mean the local or the universal?
• place of peace, calm, love, goodwill, where people can worship together, or just reflect on being a better person
• Church is the gathering of God’s people
• The body of Christ gathered together to bring God praise.
• God’s people meeting together
• A gathering of God’s people.

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. “Church Is” Survey Results Q4: What is one word you would use to describe Church?
2. “Church Is” Survey Results Q2: What do you like about Church?
3. “Church Is” Survey Results Q3: What don’t you like about Church?

I’m in my final year of University and I’m hoping to be employed as a full time primary school teacher next year. However, in NSW, it is very rare to get a full time teaching job (unless you’re willing to move). Most grads don’t start their teaching careers in a full-time permanent position but rather start with casual work, which then turns into a block of casual work, which may then turn into a temporary or full-time position.

This has been stressing me out a bit when it really should have been, that is until God spoke to me through a sermon at Church last Sunday.

Up until then, I had thought that I needed a full-time position, so that I could build relationships and serve God through those relationships, and if I didn’t get a full-time job that I wouldn’t be able to serve God as I wouldn’t be able to build relationships, I’d just be going in and out of schools all the time.

So last Sunday’s sermon was on Philippians chapter 1, specifically verses 12-30. One of the key arguments that Paul makes in those verses is summarised in verse 21.

For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Paul is currently in prison for serving God, and knows that he would rather be with God in heaven (who wouldn’t!?), but for now he knows that his life is about being fruitful for God.

Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me;

Philippians 1:22a

We as Christians exist in this world to serve God and be fruitful for him. Our purpose is not to serve God and live for him the way we want to, but to live for him and serve him how he wants us to.

This really hit me. Until Sunday I’d been thinking that there was only one way for God to use me, which is ridiculous as God will use me to serve him in whichever way he chooses. I don’t need to have a full-time teaching position to serve God, I just need to be willing to serve him.

I am really thankful for God showing this to me, I am really thankful that God will use me fruitfully, and I’m really thankful that I’m no longer burdened by stress.

To sum up, God is good!

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. Zone of Awesomeness
2. Zone of Awesomeness

I’ve had this post drafted for over a year now, so I think it’s just about time it got published.

These links below are 5 resources that I used to try and make my meetings better. Check them out to help you run your meetings.

• How To Run A Meeting That Doesn’t Suck
• Meetings
• Setting The Tone For Effective Meetings
• Tips For Running The Effective Meeting
• Half The Meetings, Twice The Productivity

Hope you find them useful.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in running meetings, it’s that an agenda is vital in making meetings purposeful.

What’s one thing you’ve learnt about running meetings?

Related posts from calumhenderson.com:

1. Jonah 1 – Running From God
2. Connect Card Animation
3. Online Reflection at Uni