Should our congregations have an identity?

I'm the pastor of a small church plant, SOUL Presbyterian Church and we worship together in the city of Hobart. I arrived a year and a half after our mother church Cornerstone Presbyterian and it's minister, Campbell had started the church. The goal is for SOUL to eventually become independent financially, with its own session of elders. SOUL is part of the Vision 100 network, which ultimately wants 10% of Tasmania to be attending "gospel-based churches" and sees planting lots of small churches as a way of achieving that goal.

I recently read this blog post and it got me thinking about our church's identity again. In it Trevin Wax interview a couple of pastors about the idea that our churches should be multi-ethic. Most of Tasmania is Anglo, (white Australian) but there notable class divisions, the flannelette curtain being an obvious one. One of the exciting things about SOUL which reminds me of Melbourne, are how many nationalities are represented in the congregation. However the congregation is overwhelmingly University educated and about two thirds are unmarried. We meet at 5pm in the city but most people drive although a few walk or ride. Our services are simple and we share a meal afterwards which together I think creates a relaxed atmosphere.

One of my goals, Vision 100's and the Presbyterian Church, and rightly so, is to grow God's Kingdom. What that looks like on the ground is lot tricker. Should congregations be homogenous units? (Is that a worthy means and a noble end?) Should we target a specific group or pick a particular time-slot or geographic area? Certain things are always going to be the glue for particular groups. At SOUL I suspect it is similar life experiences. But our time-slot, our preaching, our music and our developing sub-culture will end up excluding someone, so how much do I work against our natural tendency to homogenise? I have a feeling that this year will be one where the churches in our 'network' think more about our churches identities and our wider goals for our Tasmanian church planting. 

That's the way a Friday should end!

I came home to a tasty birthday cake from Amy and I received this landscape 'North Hobart Restaurants' by Caroline Amos, as a birthday gift from my parents, I love the colorbond roof, the overcast sky and the way the mountain looms up over the city.

Pilgrim Hill Association

We formed the Pilgrim Hill Association on Saturday 30 July, 2011.  I'm one of the founding members and the secretary of the committee.   Pilgrim Hill, to loosely paraphrase the Phantom, for those who came in late, will be a Christian hostel nestled in the foothills of the Mount Wellington and overlooking Hounville, Tasmania. It'll be a sort of bush L'Abri, a place for both regular travellers who'd like to stay somewhere a  little exotic and a haven for spiritual travellers who'd like have to a discussion over a meal.  The plan is also to have an Artist residency which will include accommodation and workshop space.  Peirce and Christina Baehr will be the first managers of Pilgrim Hill and will live onsite. They'll report to the association whose membership is open to anyone who supports the ethos of Pilgrim Hill.  We're about to contract 1plus2 Architects to build a self-sustaining complex on the hill and now have the ambitious task of raising the funds to build the hostel and begin operations.

• Pilgrim Hill Facebook page
• Pilgrim Hill Blog

MONA

David Walsh, in creating MONA, said he was creating a "subversive adult Disneyland".  Although what's being subverted isn't clear, I gather he wants to deconstruct various traditional expectations of aesthetics, sexuality and morality. I remember visiting the previous museum of antiquities, with it's small carefully labeled exhibits and wondered if Walsh's big project would led to an improved experience.  I expected to be impressed and shocked but was underwhelmed and somewhat annoyed. The smell of pooh (from the 'Cloaca a machine' exhibit) while viewing Nolan's massive 'Snake' was disconcerting.  I was  impressed by the 'Kyptos' installation but surprised by the amateurishness of some of the pieces but this is probably more of a comment on the pathetic state of modern Art and culture then Walsh's ability to choose fine pieces to display.  Some of the pornography was predictably off-putting and often misogynistic.  The lack of explanatory labels was both annoying and confusing, leading me to photograph what I thought was some sort of modern Art installation but could of been light fittings or climate control devices.  However, the lack of labels is also Walsh's most cunning cultural maneuver. People will be temporarily impressed then forget the Mac-truck stuck in the hallway or feel momentarily that they were in some sort of Twin-Peaks-inspired nightmare after some of the exhibits.  But it's this phenomenon represented also by the National Museum in Canberra of confusing or deliberately ambiguous exhibits that's the most morally dangerous thing about MONA.  The presentation, communication and explanation of culture and history is vitally important for a civilisation.  Most of Walsh's exhibits aren't very subversive; for example the Koran with a stone inside is carefully tucked away in a corner on one level (and don't expect to see an exhibition of the Mohammed cartoons any time soon). Clearly it's the overall cultural impact of chaotically displayed and deliberately ambiguous Art work that is most subversive.

Cross of Christ

Cross of Christ 2010 from Vision100 on Vimeo.

This is a promotional video for an evangelistic rally to be held in Hobart at the Oden on December the 17th.  I along with several others was recruited to say what the Cross of Christ meant to me, I'm about the third to appear.

Election round up

So that was (almost) the 2010 Federal Election. Independent candidate Andrew Wilkie surprisingly won Denison.  I've plotted the two party preferred vote totals for each of the polling booths, below, using data from the AEC, red for Jackson and yellow for Wilkie. It's almost as though there are two electorates; a Labor stronghold in the north and a swarth of Wilkie territory from Creek Road to Kingston.


View Wilkie vs Jackson in Denison in a larger map

Interestingly Duncan Kerr held Denison for 15 years and than bequeathed it to Jackson with a solid 15% margin.  In this election there were several cross currents, a solid gaffe-free performance from Abbott, disillusionment with Labor's unfulfilled promises, resentment in NSW and QLD with local Labor governments and groundswell of Green voters. Much of this didn't touch Tasmania, which voted solidly for Labor in the House of Reps and at the Senate level.  (Sadly Guy Barnett lost his seat.)  This makes the backlash against Labor in Denison all the more interesting. As I noted before during the election Labor seemed to be treating Denison casually, focusing instead  some cursory attention on Bass and Brandon which were assumed to be more marginal.

Politics: Voting in Tasmania, Senate

I like our federal system; which has a senate that is based around the representation of interest groups as opposed to representation of specific geographic areas.   For Tassie this year we have an interesting line-up, some of the usual suspects and some very left field candidates, some of who didn't bother to provide any contact details at all the to Australian Electoral Commission. It looks like this will be a 'number them all below the line' election.  I'm predictably a conservative voter but am interested by the range of parties contesting the election and who is and isn't putting in the effort. The Senate ballot paper is as follows:

• First up the Senator On-line party, advertising itself as the first party of the interwebs, which made the lack of an email address for our Tasmanian candidates on the AEO page all the more strange.  At the moment they don't seem like a serious option.
• Then the Australian Democrats.  I like parties that stand for something, in their old guise their role of watchdogs seemed valuable but I think ultimately their slightly left of centre platform has been overshadowed by the Greens. 
• For the Liberal Party it's some of the usual suspects, Abetz, Parry and then Barnett.  I like Barnett, he's personable and not afraid to state where he'll stand firm and where he'll bend, one of the advantages of being a senator I guess.  Abetz always responds to our letters and has advocated for Christians who are being persecuted overseas but often seems sidetracked by the forestry issue. I wish Barnett had topped the list because the way preferences work he's lucked out by being at the bottom of the list, he also helpfully put together Making a difference: A practical guide to lobbying.
• Lisa Sigh from the Labour Party must also be cursing her luck, by appearing at the bottom of the Labour ticket. She lost her seat at the state election and is now having a tilt at the senate. Labour will probably win the House of Representatives so to keep everyone honest I won't be voting Labour very highly either at the Senate level.  Somewhat annoyingly and strangely the Labour candidates are listed separately, Polley, Urquhart and Sighn
• While I feel like I'm becoming a single issue voter, I'm very wary of single issue parties.  The Shooters and Fishers Party are the next party on the list. I'm no pacifist and so am not opposed to access to weapons but I don't like fishing, maybe Mikey should vote for them!
• Chrisine Milne from the Greens ends up holding positions or saying things I generally I don't agree with.  Amusingly, although not for Penelope, the Greens website doesn't even bother mentioning Penelope Ann the other Green candidate! I think it's possible to care for the environment without voting for the Greens.
• As an Anglican minister I'll probably won't be voting for the Secular Party of Australia, who have quite a well organized website. Secularism sometimes works, Australia Post should be able to equitably deliver parcels to both Buddhist temples and Christian churches. However what are secular values, aren't values intangible?  What moral system do these values presuppose? etc 
• The Democratic Labour Party are the remnant of a Labour splinter group. They've never had much success in Tasmania, interestingly their preferences in Victoria helped get Steve Fielding into the Senate.  
• Family First are running two candidates in Tassie this election.  I was annoyed neither candidate bothered to provide contact details and Steve Fielding acts more like a politician seeking re-election then a principled conservative. I think Family First are only running candidates to keep their name on the ballot paper, their website doesn't even mention them! 
• The Climate Skeptics are another single issue party and while I admire their skepticism, they're never going to get much political traction, maybe they think justing getting the name onto the ballot paper is enough to make people think but then why bother be a political party if your not going to get anywhere? 
• Dino Ottavi is the only independent running in this Tasmanian Senate election.  I remember fondly the days of Brian Harridine giving the major parties trouble, I also like the fact he had a large family and was softly but firmly spoken.  I have no idea who or what Dino stands for, Google wasn't a lot of help.

Politics: Voting in Denison, House of Representatives

Now that I'm working in the city, we've moved to Battery Point deep inside the Federal seat of Denison. It's been a safe Labour seat for over a decade, held by Duncan Kerr, who is retiring at this election.

• Labour is running Jonathan Jackson, who is the son of the former Labor Attorney General, Judy Jackson.  It'll be surprising if he doesn't win the seat, trading on the family name and building on the safe margin built up by Kerr.  I think the casualness of the Labour campaign is illustrated by Jonathan's lightweight page on the ALP website, it doesn't even have his contact details! 
• Liberal's Cameron Simpkins, who responded to my email about abortion with a phone call, doesn't have a massive chance. Although he seems to be attempting to steal some of Labour's thunder by recently announcing his support for gay marriage.  Simpkins said he'd support making Medicare statistics about abortion available and would "probably" vote in support of reducing Medicare funding for abortion. (Cameron's page while at least having contact details isn't very substantial.)
• Andrew Wilkie, who ran in Denison for the state election and has an admirable stance against problem-gambling, might have a chance given his profile and a slight groundswell of resentment by the electors of Denison at being treated like a seat where even the "drover's dog" has a chance at winnin for Labour.  I'd like to vote for Andrew but I didn't get the response I was hoping for in an email exchange about abortion.  His website is the best of the bunch. 
• The Greens are running Geoff Couser, a "Sandy Bay doctor," which is a very cunning way of saying hey, we're mainstream now, no more dreadlocked protestors. Frustratingly his page was also policy and contact-details light, I had to SMS him my question about abortion. Geoff like Andrew wants to make Medicare abortion statistics available but wouldn't vote against medicare funded abortions. 

There are many issues in this campaign and I feel pulled in multiple directions.  For example I think the mining tax is a great idea, minerals are non-renewable resource and the profit the miners are making is above and beyond normal profit margins, so a larger tax that will go towards superannuation seems sensible.  However I feel strongly about the abortion issue and know that generally it'll be the more conservative parties that will take a line I support.

Simpkins wasn't very precise on the phone and furthermore the Liberal party allows for conscience votes on these things so his verbal stance on abortion can't be guaranteed.  Peter Tucker over at the Tasmanian Times says Jonathan Jackson wining Denison is a done deal, with the slimmest of vaguest possibilities Wilkie might win.  The following order therefore seems to make the most sense.

1. Andrew Wilkie
2. Cameron Simpkins
3. Jonathan Jackson
4. Geoff Couser
5. Mel Barns (Socialist Alliance)

My home town

Bernie, a fellow blogger, currently studying at Moore College, and I are both Margatians. He recently found some important research about Margate. (Take that mainlanders!)

Romans 5:12-21 Sermon

A sermon I preached on Romans 5:12-21 at Crossroads earlier this month.

An open letter to the new Dean

[Over the holidays I completed a week's work at the Cathedral, doing odd jobs and helping with their Christmas outreach. The Diocese of Tasmania has recently appointed a new Dean, my open letter below is an excuse to share ideas about ministry in Hobart from the Cathedral.]

Dear Rev. Humphrey,

Congratulations on your new appointment as the Dean of Hobart at St David's Cathedral. I come from a creative family and often have lots of ideas, sometimes a few of them are useful and I'd like to share them with you. As you're already aware, the Cathedral occupies a geographically and sociologically important location in Hobart. I think as Dean you should make the Cathedral the philosophical and aesthetic 'hub' of Hobart. You should target Hobart demographically. Make the Cathedral appealing to people who'd go to the Opera and who'd also be thinking about the moral issues of our society. To that end I'd advise the following:

1. Do everything in your power to keep the high quality of the music at the Cathedral and even aim to enhance it further.
2. Use the cloister, the new carpet and the old stone look great, to hold sharp and professional mid-week theological discussion.
3. Host and/or co-sponsor an annual debate with the University of Tasmania about an ethical or political topic.
4. The website is good, but build on it by using consistently good signage across all the Cathedral's activities.
5. Encourage more concerts such the recent performance of the 'Messiah.'
6. The Cathedral I discovered owns lots of cool historical stuff like Knopwood's diary. I'm not sure how exactly it could be used at this stage but it's something worth thinking about.
7. Sponsor and host (with secular funding, both government and corporate) an annual oil painting exhibition around a central "religious" theme and offer a reasonable prize with sensible judges. Done well this could become an important event.

Regards, Luke

Home, sweet home

My blog will take a temporary hiatus because after our 5th Wedding anniversary sojourn to Wilson's Promontory I fly home to Tasmania and Amy will join me a week later.

From the 15th to the 19th of December, I'll be working at the Cathedral.
From the 20th to the 27th of December we'll be staying at my parent's place. (Christmas Day with them and Boxing Day with Amy's parents.)
From the 28th of December to the 2nd of January Amy and I will be at T.C.C.!
From the 3rd to the 12th of January Amy and I will be staying with Amy's parents. (For those interested I will be preaching on Romans 5:12-21 at evening Crossroads on Sunday the 11th.)
Blogging will resume on the 13th of January!

During this time we might drop by some of our Tasmanian readers and have a cup of tea with you, others we hope to see on Christmas Day, TCC or at Crossroads.