By Jack Chui
[This post is a bit disjoint because its just some of my raw thoughts blended into a Christmas sharing, plus my inadequate writing skills]
The end of year / Christmas season is meant to be a period of wind down, but for ministry it can tend to be the wind up as Christmas is a key church season. The weekly STAY cell groups, organising outreach for Friends of Refugees, STAY retreat, socials and meet ups with other leaders has left me bit tired even weary and looking forward to a break.
While it looks like the group does too much and has done so throughout the year, it has been a sign of a lot of activity and life (thankfully not all of it driven by me). My tiredness while concerning is a sign that I and others around me have put in a lot of work and given it to their capacity (or even beyond) to build the Kingdom of God on earth. All this was not unexpected with a growing group and it has been a privilege and honour to oversee it all and share in some of the joys that have come from it.
If I look back since the half year report card I wrote this year, I would say STAY and Friends of Refugees has gone through a time of maturity. Nothing has majorly changed in what the different ministries do since the start of the yea and everyone seems to be getting use to the pattern of activity and work that's required. Of course, there have been some changes within the ministries itself which is exciting to watch however the 'excitement' that was there at the start of the year where 'we could do anything' was a commonly used phrase has mellowed away.
Such is likely a cycle for such ministries (I've never been through such amazing growth in youth/young people's ministry before) but such growth cannot keep going forever or at least in the same way. The STAY and Friends of Refugees groups are about the same size, with newcomers replacing those who have to leave Melbourne city. While the numbers are the same, the relationship dynamics are changing as the time in the group increases and so there's a greater need for pastoral care.
The people in the ministries are no longer totally made up of people I know very well as they have gotten too large to have time to spend with each one getting to know them. I have relegated myself to the operational parts of organising (which I seem to be getting better and better at because its the primary thing I do) and getting to know the leaders so that they can go out and do the real work of bringing God to young people. It doesn't sound the most exciting life, but like a good servant, I've been trained to just keep going.
There were times when I complained about the amount of work that I needed to do, that there was no one else to do it, and if there was they were just not available to be able to help. There was pressure on other areas of my life - relationship, family and work to fit everything in and I'm blessed with their tolerance. I learned though, that I shouldn't be complaining if I'm doing this for God and His Kingdom. As St. Augustine said - Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you.
I hear people who I've encountered in ministry talk about the amazing community and family feel of STAY/Friends of Refugees and how it has welcomed people from everywhere to journey and serve together. For me, I am most happy that the ministries has helped fulfil some of my personal vision for it - and that is for 'the lost sheep'. I've talked about it from time to time and its an interesting impression which God has reminded me of very early on this year about 'the lost sheep'.
I wondered about how my personal vision of 'lost sheep' could be accommodated by STAY/Friends of Refugees and the other leaders within them. The simple vision of STAY is to bring God to young people. Jesus mission was primarily for the lost sheep - those who are lonely, outcast, sinners, the difficult... I just want to do what Jesus did and bring others to do the same.
STAY and Friends of Refugees are full of lost sheep now and the amazing thing about it is just watching them change through God's work in the ministries and through the year. There are people in STAY whom I never thought I would be able to meet or thought would come to a place like STAY, and yet, some of them end up 'staying'. The leaders have grown so much, some from next to no leadership experience into seasoned warriors. Many have shared their testimonies privately and some more publicly which is very encouraging as a sign that the ministries are bringing God to young people. I hope that the focus on 'lost sheep' will keep the heart of STAY / Friends of Refugees in the right place to be able to fulfil God's mission through the ministries.
When I look in STAY however, I don't see the lost sheep any more because they're all with the 99 (together in the group). The lost sheep are outside the group in places we haven't reached. There are many out there who are still to be reached and so I feel that is where I might go to see where this 'lost sheep' vision might take me.
STAY and Friends of Refugees are in a position where I'm not leading everything (like I just about was at the beginning of the year) and for the leaders to grow and for STAY / Friends of Refugees to grow, they will need their leaders with bigger visions and more energy to take it to where God wants it to be used for. By stepping away more, I won't be holding the ministries to what I am capable of because the ministry like all things can only grow as much as the leader. Part of this direction is due to my personal tiredness (what I'm feeling at the moment) but we'll see where God takes me next year =)
It has been a wonderful year in STAY and Friends of Refugees and I'm glad to have been a part of it with each of you. Thanks for your prayers, support and company through the year and I wish you and your families a most blessed Christmas and Joyful new year.
Sincerely,
Jack
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