Funky Fred has to go!

Fuel prices worldwide are hurting many people; Louise and I have decided that it's time to let Fred go. Who on earth is Fred, I'm sure a number of you are asking? Fred is my beach buggy!

Fuel prices have kept me from driving it to much and have caused us to think about other forms of transport. Part of my life now as a student pastor will include visiting people throughout the week, some locally, some further out in Paradise Beach and Aston Bay. So, we've stepped out in faith that Fred will sell and have purchased a scooter. Winter is fast approaching which means that not many people are buying buggies, but in the same way as I've had to sell for fuel reasons, some people who own these huge great bakkies are looking for a in-town run-around. So I'm hopping that a sale won't be far away.

It's my first time riding any kind of motorised bike properly so I've been a little be cautious with my riding but recon that I will soon get the hang of it. I'm enjoying it and the fact that the fuel costs will be a lot lower means that I will use it a lot more often then Fred. Wasps here in South Africa don't look like those of the UK, black and yellow stripped but I do when I'm out and about in town. Check it out man!

I've posted a whole load of recent photo's of various things on my photo blog, so why don't you check it out? http://mlk30.blogspot.com/

New challenges

As some of you will know, I have recently been called by my Church (http://jeffreysbaybaptist.blogspot.com/) to serve as a student pastor. This is great for Louise and I and I'm hoping it will open up doors that will give us more opportunities to minister in our area.
One challenge that my senior pastor has given me is to really push small group ministry in our Church. Louise and I have been blessed with the opportunity to birth our Churches small group ministry but growth has been slow, As a Church we recognise that such a ministry may well be key to growth, not only towards maturity of members but also congregational growth in our Church coupled with the further advancement of God's Kingdom in our community. So, pastor Roy has challenged me to take it up a level to which I'm looking at ways of doing so.
I'm very thankful to all those in our Church who have stepped up to serve as small group leaders; I want to acknowledge them and encourage these guys by supporting them in anyway that I can. Part of that will be to regularly visit them as they hold their groups. Tuesday I went to visit Harry and Tina, two of our senior members who are running a small group in a retirement complex called Jeffrey's Rus. What a delight it was for me to be welcomed into their group. Harry is 87 years old and has so many great stories to tell about his life as a Christian. In the group we focused on discussing the previous Sunday sermons and how they impact our lives.
In order to encourage growth in the membership of small groups and development of new small groups, I want to challenge those in our congregation, who aren't part of existing small groups, to take time to explore them. To do this I will need to do some advertising, and to a point, some selling. I also need to look out for new leaders with a view of forming new groups. If any of you who read my blog have any ideas that might help me in my challenge, please make contact with me, I'm interested in advice from those who have developed such a ministry in their church.
God bless ya.