from pastor pete (15 january 2006)

From Pastor Peter
If you had the freedom to do anything you wanted what would you do and where? This is the kind of question I regularly ask others and so I thought I’d share with you how I would answer that question myself.
I can say with all honesty that I cannot imagine anywhere or any job that I’d rather be doing that Pastor of Church in the Market Place and here’s why.
The number one reason is that I believe God wants me at CMP. I’ve been utterly convinced for the last few years, before I was even appointed as Pastor that God wanted me here and I’ve got to say it feels good to be where God wants me.
The second reason is that God is really starting to bless the work we are doing here. One indication of that is what has been happening in the Morning Worship Service. In the last year we’ve gone from an average of around 70 to around 105. To me this indicates that we are creating an environment that is helping people know and grow in God. In addition it’s been really exciting to see people moving forward in their relationship with God by getting baptised, taking on a ministry task or joining a small group.
The third reason is that I’m really excited about the vision that God has been planting in my heart and in the heart of the church leaders. There are three aspects to this vision. The first is the ‘connect@cmp’ aspect. This is a slogan that summarises what I believe is the essence of our church mission statement. (See the website at www.cmponline.net for more details.) What we at CMP are about is connecting people with God, connecting people with others who love God, and connecting people with understanding who they are in God.
The second aspect is the goal we’ve set before ourselves, that by 2010 we will be a congregation of 300 disciples who meet in 30 small groups and 3 congregations. This aspect is really about the belief that we need to make room for others. As one well known author has written, ‘if the love of God means anything at all, it means at least this, that there is room for one more person.’
The third aspect is the biblical description of the early church found in Acts 2:42-47. I believe that God is calling CMP to become a church that could be described like the early church was described.
So what
Being and becoming the church that God wants us to be means that each of us need to make the decision to become servants of God and give at least some of our time and resources towards this end. That means we might need to become a Youth Leader, a Newcomer Greeter, a Prayer Warrior, help out on the Sound Desk, set up chairs and tables, start a new ministry, join a small group, become a Small Group Leader, join the Worship Team as a singer or playing a musical instrument, or any one of a number of other things.
Achieving God’s vision for CMP will not happen is we sit on the sidelines, it will not happen if we grumble or complain, it will not happen if we never get involved. Achieving God’s vision for CMP will only happen as we individually and corporately get involved in doing what God is calling us to do.
Bless ya from Pastor Pete