IRELAND UPDATE

Pray For London / from 24-7

Eurochurch Net Gathering

I got permission to leave the GEM Europe Council meetings early so I could drive on to Interlaken to take part in the bi-annual (every other year??) Eurochurch Gathering.  This is a forum hosted jointly by DAWN, Together In Mission, Reaching the Unchurched Network, and Eurochurch Net organizations..and in many ways it is a unique gathering of church planters, mission leaders, researchers and trainers.  I attended the first three DAWN  gatherings in Europe more than fifteen years ago..but haven't had a chance to get back into this network for well over a decade.  So it's a delight to reconnect with some old friends and to make some new ones...and to put faces on people I only "know" on-line through email and blogs.   

Martin Robinson, Andrew Jones, Carey Uhler (Lisboa Matrix), Lana Graff (Crossroads Amsterdam), Andreas Wolf (research coordinator for DAWN and eMRG) and many, many others (nearly 75) people are here.  My GEM co-worker, Jason Holm (GEM Germany field leader)  is with me..which is great because there are a LOT of German speaking people here.  But there are others from Poland, Italy, Portugal, France, Spain, Switzerland (of course), Norway, the U.K. and beyond (missing lots of people).

We had a really valuable work group this morning talking about transferable principles on discipleship.  One of the key themes that came out was the reality that you can't experience discipleship apart from community.   It's about relationship with God and with others.  Also highlighted the fact that it's not simply about transferring information...but more about coaching and training into a way of life...   Great comments from a very broad and experienced group of disciple makers.  I'm loving the opportunity to listen and trade ideas.  Looking forward to more as Andrew Jones leads us in worship and discussion tonight..

And there's unlimited wifi connection in every session (which means I can blog and email and Skype during the sessions).  Actually had a really good Skype sub-discussion with Andreas Wolf on some related issues during one of the sessions.  Totally interactive!!  This is how conferences should be.  (I once was in a gathering where  you could IM, email or text (mobile phone) your comments during a sermon and they would be projected up (within reason of course) on the screens...  Sometimes the speaker would interact with them...).

On top of all of the above.....Wilderswil (above Interlaken) is just unbelievabley beautiful.  I've been a lot of places and seen some incredible scenery.  But seriously.  This is way, way near the top of my personal list.   I drove some hikers up the valley today..and we just couldn't stop talking about the landscape.. Just GOT to bring Cheryl back here and soon.   The pictures I took yesterday don't even come close...  But click  HERE anyway..just to get a sample. 

So what do you do at a GEM Conference?

Good question.  This is the one time of the year when all of our Europe based staff and many of our North American staff (US/Canada offices) come together.  Over the course of the week we take time to re-connect, report, renew vision, listen, support, pray, and train together.  In particular I'm looking for others within GEM who are longing to see new simple, organic communities of Christians established and then multiplied across the nations of Europe..  And there are increasing numbers of these..  One of the fun things for me is getting together with some of the newer staff and asking questions..and listening as they share their hearts for the countries and people they serve.  We're already talking about setting up an unofficial "alternative" Simple Church conference for GEM staff and national partners who are pursuing new expressions of church.

As part of the Central West regional team and as one of the GEM Ireland/UK field leadership team Cheryl and I also take time to try to meet with the individual workers and couples from the countries that we interact with and facilitate (Austria, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, U.K and Ireland).  Today we had lunch with the Metcalfs who live near Sheffield and help run a Christian camp / retreat center called The Oakes.  We go in trying to help and encourage but usually we're the ones who come out encouraged by the quality and life committment of our co-workers and the news of what God is doing.

I'm also working with the GEM Europe Council and the GEM Board Presidential Search Committee.  Click HERE to see some pictures from the past day..

June-July 06 / the Pictures

Click HERE for a slideshow of some of the highlights of the past few months...

Including:  visits from friends and family and travels out to the west of Ireland; GEM Central West Leadership Team meetings in Dublin; Mike's 22nd birthday; Eoin (of course!) GEM's 4th of July BBQ..and and even a few snapshots of our family in S. Cal.