Here’s a few words from Blair Franklin (Edge’s resident poet) about a new People Group he is starting up in the new year, which goes by the name Local.
The core of this group are restless to extend our Christian faith out into places where there are lots of people who don’t know Jesus. So this group was started really with a focus on reaching non-Christians. We’ve found in the past that groups of Christians who meet together and who are genuinely interested in sharing their faith with those around them, can potentially help people come to know God.
For instance, I helped run a Christian group at University a couple of years ago. A number of our group got to know a Chinese Law Student called Ling. She had a genuine heart after truth. We advertised our meetings and she came along one day. Not long after she picked up a little New Testament Bible. She started reading the words of Jesus, she was basically overwhelmed by the Christian message, and read the whole New Testament in a weekend! After that she came along to our group for the rest of her time at University. Now she is part of a Christian Church in Auckland, and attends with her husband and daughter. She runs the Chinese fellowship part of their Church and works as a lawyer in the central city. Yah!! We want more stories like this.
So a focus of the group will be on communicating the Christian faith with those who do not know Jesus. We’ll look at different ways of doing this i.e. some Christians prefer direct styles of communication, whilst others take more subtle approaches such as building friendships and serving. Every once in a while, we’ll probably hold some form of event using imaginative forms of communication to present the Gospel.
As well, we are a People Group – plenty of hang outs, Bible devotionals etc. We’ll seek to build a group which is warm and friendly, and which encouarges and nurtures each person in their faith walk. We’ll spend some time looking at issues that are particularly relevant in contemporary society such as decision making, entertainment culture and expressions of gender etc…
Love to see you if this is your gig.
Blair Franklin