Amplification and acceleration are two words I had not thought much about previously, but over this last year as a growing number of thinkers and commentators have observed that global pandemics don’t actually, in and of themselves, change culture or technology, but they amplify everything and acceleration what was already happening. So, what has this to do with QPBC and our Global Focus Weekend?
On the plus side.
If these commentators are right, and I think they are probably more right about this than they are wrong, then what does this mean for church, for mission, for discipleship? I think it means there are huge opportunities, but also significant challenges. Positively, the amplification and acceleration effects mean that questions people have about life and its meaning and purpose have come to the fore in an amplified way, and their journey to faith accelerated. That has certainly been our experience these past few weeks in the Partick Alpha. Significantly, this effect is global …all over the world people’s hunger for God has been amplified and people who once seemed resistant to the good news of Jesus are coming to faith.
An Opportunity?
This amplifying and accelerating dynamic also has a downside, the closing of many workplaces, here and abroad, has been accelerated and feelings of despair and hopelessness amplified. Yet, in all of this, we are carriers, bearers of hope. The world has always needed to hear and respond to the message of hope we find in the Gospel, yet the zeitgeist of despair presents an opportunity for our message of hope to be amplified.
Questions to Ponder
Perhaps in preparation for the weekend, it would be good to think about what God is amplifying in your own life, what is being accelerated?
Perhaps we would let this shape our prayers for ourselves and others?
Perhaps you could pray that the work of the Holy Spirit through our mission partners and project partners would be amplified, that His work of bringing people to Christ, seeing captives set free, and life in all its fullness come would be accelerated.
Guest Preacher
Bob Ekblad will be sharing God’s word with us on Sunday. Bob is well known to many of us at QPBC, but for those who don’t know him, he primarily works with people on the margins, often with experiences of being in jail, in the Seattle area where he is based, as well as overseas. Bob has been working with people who had lost hope and become acquainted with despair for many years and has learned what it is to be a bearer of hope in dark places. I’m looking forward to what he is going to share with us, I hope you are too.
Global Focus Offering.
It is great to have many mission partners and as a church be involved with many wonderful mission organisations. Part of our commitment to these people, projects, and organisations is that we help support them financially.
I am very conscious that as a church you dig deep and give generously, indeed sacrificially. Each week we say we are grateful for all your generous, ongoing giving and support to QPBC, and we absolutely mean it. Our giving to our mission partners and partner projects is impossible without this on-going support, and it is impossible without taking our annual Global Focus Offering.
Obviously, on Sunday we can’t pass around an offering bag or plate as we would normally do, so how can you give to the Global Mission Fund?
You can use ChurchSuite. If you go to the giving section use the pull-down menu and you will find a fund called “World Mission”.
However, ChurchSuite charges for processing payments, so the very best way to give is to make a direct bank transfer to the QPBC bank account and label it as World Mission. If doing this, our bank details are:
Sortcode: 80-07-34
Account number: 00782303
Don’t forget the Quiz
Saturday night is the night to wear your thinking cap as we will be hosting an on-line Global Focus quiz on YouTube. Simply go to the QPBC YouTube channel at 6:30pm and remember to have pen and paper handy to jot your answers down. It will be rambunctious!
Together in Prayer
It has been great meeting on Sunday nights 7:30 – 8pm for a time of concentrated prayer with each other. This Sunday will be different!
Firstly, we’ll start at 6:30pm. As many of our mission partners as can will join us online and we will rotate around break-out rooms where you can hear from and pray with our mission partners. It is going to be a really special time, so I hope you can make it along.
[same Zoom code as we have used for Together in Prayer in previous weeks]
Brodie