Alister's Blog
If you are interested in reading more about Cafehchurch-y stuff, you might find our pastor Alister's blog interesting. Rather unimaginatively, it is at alisterpate.com
He is particularly proud of
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Cafechurch, Faith, and Mystery
In a segment filmed for Oprah Winfrey’s OWN channel, author Brene Brown reflects on why she left the Roman Catholic faith of her youth, and how she has found herself back in the Episcopal church.
One of the key points she makes is that she originally “fell in love with the faith and the mystery piece.” However, over time her experience of church, “became less about faith and mystery, and more about politics and certainty.”
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Exile?
Is the church in exile in post-Christendom, increasingly post-Christian Australia? Is that a fruitful way to think about what's going on, and how we should go about being church?
Join us on Zoom (inevitably) at 7:30pm on 27/7/21. Hit me up for a link.
Image: Ruin, Christchurch, NZ, Sue, on Flickr.com
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Winter Season
It's getting cold and energy levels are dropping - so what better time for the Cafechurch Winter Season?
13/7/21 - Movie Night. Bring your dinner, and let's watch a film in the church. Maybe: MicMacs
20/7/21 - Down the pub. Just like old times, only in the Wesley Anne.
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People of God
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10
It's a big ask, to be "God's people." What on earth could it mean?
Join us Tuesday 8/6/2021 from 7:30 on Zoom as we unpack this startling idea. Hit me up for the Zoom invite.
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A Servant People
What does it mean to be church? There are a lot of images, metaphors, models, and stories in Scripture, and this week is part of an ongoing series of evenings exploring them.
This week, we're talking about Church as Servant People. What does that actually mean? What might it look like in the context of Northcote? What is it exactly we have to give in the first place?
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The Journey Is On
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" Isaiah 6:8
What does it mean to be a people who have been sent? Sent where, sent by whom, sent to what end?
Caravan, our unplugged eucharist, 25/5/21 at 7pm for dinner, 8pm for worship.
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Community of the Spirit
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. Acts of the Apostles 2:1-3
What does it mean to be a "spirit filled community"? What are we to make of the tongues of fire? What about being able to speak other languages without all the tedious necessity of studying? And is it really true that no-one is drunk in the morning?
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Servant, Body, People, Community
There are, apparently, 96 different images of the church in Scripture, For convenience, we can group them into four sets:
- The people of God (e.g.1 Peter 2:9)
- A Servant People (e.g. 2 Corinthians 4:5)
- The Body of Christ (e.g. 1Corinthians 12:12-31)
- A Community of the Spirit (e.g. Romans 8:23)
This week, we are going to adopt a reflective stance to our image of church, always asking the question: What does it mean to be the church here in Northcote?
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Jesus the True Vine
"Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me." John 15:4
Join us as we spend time abiding together with Jesus. Just as Jesus abides in us, we abide in him.
Join us for Caravan - our unplugged communion service - at 7:00pm on 27/4/21 at Chalice - 251 High Street Northcote
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