My vision of how being part of a God-focused community can make a difference to our suburb

I have lived in the Gap for over 25 years. There are shared histories that living in the suburbs provides. We live on streets with neighbours who share boundaries with our homes. We enjoy the familiarity of our dog parks, our produce markets, Saturday morning garage sales, cafe culture. We have children who attend local schools we shop locally and socialise with our church family. This suburb has had its ups and downs. There have been times of crisis like the 2008 Gap Storm which devastated many families. These were times to collectively rally to help our neighbours and lend a hand with cleaning up and rebuilding.

What happens when a group of people love God well and hear His voice for our community and they walk our streets listening for the gentle whisper of God to prompt the blessings to flow to others. Jesus sent out 12 then a bit later 70 people to bless communities. They visited homes with a blessing of peace on any household that welcomed them. They prayed for the sick to be healed and carried an anointing for deliverance. They were not to focus on the people who didn't welcome them, just brush off the dust of offense from their feet as they moved to the next home.

What would happen if the churches in the suburb were not competing but encouraging each other with brotherly love. What if each church saw our suburb as our mission field and walked our streets praying for homes and families to be made whole. But praying is only one part of the vision. Asking for God solutions to the problems of life and practical assistance when needed. This is living in God's kingdom and sharing it with the people we live beside.

The Gap Encounter Rooms is a place to encourage our engagement with the suburbs of our city. We want our neighbours to see Jesus in our activities and our conversations. It is about making this grace empowered life as visible to others for God's glory. We want our streets to be curious about God and ask good questions about Jesus. This only happens when Christians step out and are not afraid to be counted as followers of Jesus.

#community #team