Westserve

The first three weeks

It’s hard to believe that the first three weeks of work at Springwood Anglican has just about passed.
Here’s some fairly random reflections on that period (for SWAC people reading this – you may want to find something more interesting to browse!).

One reason I was keen on the position at Springwood was that it would present some fresh, new challenges while allowing me to work broadly in the field(s) of my ‘expertise’.
Certainly being pastor to two substantial congregations is a challenge. Simply learning who does what, where, and the names of around 250 people is a challenge in itself. But I’ve also had to jump in pretty quickly and get to work on some strategic decisions for one congregation.
Church @ 5 was only started in February 2006, and has done well to grow to it’s current size of 50-55 people. Mainly consisting of singles and marrieds with no children, they are ready for the ‘next step’ – and working that out is one of things I’m working on now.

Factory Night Church is a different animal altogether. The biggest single congregation at SWAC, FNC has a real buzz to it. It clearly has a lot of talent in terms of muso’s meeting leaders and many others who provide sound, visuals, welcoming, etc, etc.
The singing is brilliant, and they are an engaging group to speak to in the Bible talks – despite the fact that I feel I need to walk around when speaking in order to make eye contact with as many possible.
Getting to know everyone at this group is hard work. And that is reflected in the cumbersome system that exists to try and facilitate pastoral care for new people, members who ‘drop out’, etc. More on that aspect later.

One of the big changes for me personally is working in an office. For 28 years I’ve worked from home, and the change is proving harder than I thought. Going to work in the morning means remembering to take everything I need, because despite being here three weeks, I just haven’t had the time to set my office up properly. I also don’t have enough office furniture of the right type, and so half my stuff is at the house, half at The Factory.
Annoying.
I have to say that working at an office has pros and cons.
Pros

• Being able to focus more easily on the task at hand.
• Having other staff members around to ask questions and bounce ideas off.
• Having ‘front office’ volunteer staff and resources to draw on (I don’t have to fold my own talk outlines!).
• Generally, a more structured work environment.

Cons

• Small, slightly claustrophobic office with no windows to the outside (and mine is one of the bigger ones!).
• Noise. I’m right next to the (big) copier/printer, and the Ministry Centre is used by many groups throughout the week.
• Interruptions to concentration. It’s great having others around, and I enjoy the many conversations, but sometimes, I really need to just focus…
• When our lovely front office staff can’t be in for some reason, and all the phone lines start to ring simultaneously at 9:00am!
• I can’t have my espresso machine there! Seriously tragic. Poor Morris is left languishing at home.

But overall the positives of working here are far outweighing the negatives.
I’m really enjoying connecting with the team here. I value Graham’s (Senior Pastor) detailed approach to things, and his care for staff members individually.
We have been warmly welcomed by people here, and people have expressed a genuine desire to work with us and to connect with us personally. I just hope they are patient enough while I continue to get my head around all the details of life and ministry here. It will come, but I may be a tad slower than others!

It’s has been a truly hectic period since last November, but we are very conscious of God’s gracious provision and help in making such a smooth transition to life at Springwood. We are excited to see what He has in store for us here.

Some more reflections to come.