Punk_Monk

Transit US 2007-2008

The US Transit class of 2007-2008 has written up some of their thoughts on their Transit year.

When responding to enquirers this year about just what Transit is, Salem Settlemeyer always began by stating, "Transit is not a program.  It's an experience."  As much as the rest of us Transites grew prophetic in predicting this reply from his mouth, often meeting eyes across the room either in jest or eye-rolling, we have come to the end of our journey together, and the truth is, he was (mostly) right.  We've trekked with each other through three cities, through personal dramas and personal differences, through the shedding of the old and the gaining of the new, through each other's crap and glories.  The experience we've shared cannot be given justice in this summary.  But here goes...

The full article

Transit UK 2007-2008

Here's a report written by this year's "graduating" Transit crew with some insight into what the year was for them.

We’re sitting  in the beautiful kitchen of a huge, picturesque 17th century manor house tucked away in the countryside near Bristol, listening to the Goo Goo Dolls and trying to think of something to write here, about Transit.  And it’s hard. For the last 10 months, we’ve been trying to describe Transit.  That was the number  one question we tried to avoid: “What is Transit?” and “Are you studying?  Working?” Um, no.  And….no.  Like facebook, it’s complicated.

We all came here to the UK to do Transit, each of us with different reasons, whether it was to learn about Boiler Rooms, or just to learn more about Jesus and be discipled.  The UK Transit class of 2008 consists of 10 students, 2 hosts, and 2 kids.  We came together from 7 different countries: New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Canada, England, Wales, and the United States.  It’s been a cross-cultural experience simply living together.

On our ten month discipleship training programme/experience, we became a part of our Boiler Room communities and volunteered in schools, in youth clubs, and with creative mission projects.  We prayer-walked and prayer-carded.  We got involved in several 24-7 Prayer weeks, including ones in Auchterader, Egham, Belfast, Aberystwyth, Guildford, and Southampton.  We purposefully found ways to be “intentionally missional” in our greater communities.  We practised hospitality; our doors are always open.  We travelled around on mission weeks, even as far as the Czech Republic.  We had weekly teaching times, and more intense, monthly training.  We read the Bible together as a narrative.  We had many early mornings of prayer and late nights of watching films or chatting about the tough things of life.  That’s what we DID on Transit.

In all this, Transit has been about learning.  Yes, it was 10 months of learning.  That we are the clay and He is the Potter, and that it sometimes hurts to be moulded into the image He wants us to be.  That “as iron sharpens iron”, so we sharpen and influence each other-- and it’s not always pleasant. (Think of iron against iron - not a nice sound.)  And I think the most important thing we learned was (here it is, Transiters!) that life is supposed to be about loving God, loving others, and sharing the gospel with the nations.  I think that’s what Transit centred on.  In all our activities, that’s what we were challenged to do.  Love God as we go about our lives.  Love others out of that place of loving God.  And do our part - whatever that might look like - in taking the gospel to the world.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may be able to test and approve what God’s will is-- His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

It’s like that.  It’s been an inward journey for all of us.  God renewed our minds in different ways, and He transformed our very beings.  We are leaving very much changed from who we were a year ago, and all for the better.  This chapter of our lives is finished, but there is more in the story for us.

Uniting Prayer

By Adri Roos

Two drunk girls walked into the prayer-room in a former ‘Accessorize’ shop in Northern Ireland at about 11pm. ‘What is this?’ they demanded loudly. Realising that the former handbag shop was now a space for prayer, they ran out into the street excitedly and with a loud ‘Come in, let’s pray to God!’ invited others in. Welcome to Belfast. 

In a city with such a heritage of racial and religious violence, I was surprised to find myself part of such a different storyline - filled with hope. With McDonalds on the right and the Vodafone shop on the left, prayers are rising from the High Street, attracting teenagers, young mums and old grannies. Some visitors are surprised to find such united Christianity in a place like Belfast, others are extremely excited that prayer has moved out of the church buildings and into the streets. 

The Methodist church, which owns the building, has opened the store as a place of prayer available to all, regardless of political or religious labels. The sign outside simply reads ‘24-7 PRAYER: HERE NOW…’ and that’s exactly what is being done: night-and-day intercession, in the shopping center, for three 3 weeks without a break.  The walls are covered with colourful prayer requests: Please pray for my drinking problem. Please heal Ronnie’s depression. I need accommodation. May I find true love. These prayers aren’t sectarian – they are simply human, heartfelt and honest . 

One lady was overheard saying ‘I feel like I have a crown upon my head’, later we discovered that she had become a Christian whilst chatting to some of the hosts in the room. 

One of my favourite encounters has been seeing Julia’s* face every day. She’s an elderly lady with big hair, a big smile and a big heart. She came in for a cup of tea, a bit of banter and a ‘wee prayer’. We loved spending time with her, hugging her and sharing God’s goodness and kindness with her. 

I also prayed with Lydia* for accommodation, asked God to be close to Ben* in the midst of his bi-polar condition and smiled as I heard a group of teenagers pray before they went out to their ‘Christian rave’. The room united such beautiful diversity; old and young, Catholic and Protestant, smiles and tears, everything from glow-sticks to knitting needles. 

This is such a time of opportunity for Ireland and, as 24-7 grows across this divided island, we know for sure that all true transformation begins in prayer. 
 

*Names were changed

Relational Community

How does worshiping a triune God impact how we do community?  If God is relational in Himself and invites us into that relationship, how does that shape how we do community?

The posted talk Trinitarian Dance will give you some good thoughts to address this question.

Mission on Ice

Rob Ellinger writes that mission isn't always in the big things, but sometimes it's the small moments of being obedient, even if it's not that comfortable.

Mission on Ice

Mission as a Lifestyle

 By Rosie Frazier

Ah, mission.  If I am honest, that word strikes fear into my heart, even though I know it shouldn't.  To me, mission meant going up to strangers and having a conversation with them and directly steering that conversation towards God.  The trick is to get to the “God” part as quickly as possible, because as soon as the person realizes you're trying to convert them, they will disengage and run away from you at top speed.

Mission as I knew it was my job, my assignment, my chore even.  And we don't usually like jobs, assignments, or chores.  We do them to get them done, we get through them, looking forward to when this job can be over so that we can then go do something we really enjoy.  

But I don't want that to be true about mission!  I don't want mission to be my job or chore in that painful, “I-have-to-do-this” sense.  I want mission to be what I do, but more importantly—who I am. 

Isaiah 60:1-3:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the Lord rises on you and His glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

When I read these verses, I get excited about what mission could be!  I know that many people have already learned the truth of these verses and are living out “mission” wherever and however that might be for them, street evangelism or not.  (This IS a form of mission, and a successful one, please don't get me wrong.  It has just never worked for me.) 

But I am still learning.  I know that mission isn't something I should fear. There are only two things  God tells us to do in this passage: “Arise” and “shine”.  The other actions happen around us or to us.

--our Light comes  (v.1)
--the glory of the Lord rises upon us (v.1)
--the Lord rises on us (v.2)
--His glory appears over us (v.2)
--Nations come to our light (v.3)
--kings come to the brightness of our dawn (v.3)

There's a simplicity to it that amazes me.  First we obey and ARISE.  We receive God's glory on us, His light, His presence, Himself.  And then we SHINE.  As a prism takes in light from the sun and bends it out again into a whole spectrum of colours, so we also must receive God's glory into our lives in order to shine with it out into the darkness.  And this light that shines out of us from God—it is attractive, just like a rainbow!  Hey, “nations will come” to our light!  People can't help but be drawn to rainbows, and in the same way, God created us to show His glorious Light to the world in a variety of different ways, as colourful as a rainbow, and just as beautiful!   

And I believe that God's glory comes on us in the place of prayer, in the awesome presence of God Himself.  Moses went up onto the mountain and talked to God, and when he came down, his face was glowing.  I mean, literally glowing.  The Israelites were so terrified that Moses had to cover his face with a veil every time he wasn't chatting with the Creator.

I want mission to be like that!  Not that I want to scare people (God can take care of that) but I want mission to be something that I can't help, because it's simply how I live.  Moses couldn't help glowing- bless him - it was a side-effect of  being with Almighty God.

I cannot accept mission as being a passive thing, however, and that is not what I am saying.  But there is a simplicity to mission.  We get into God's presence, He rubs off on us, and we look a bit more like Him as we go out into the darkness that covers the earth.

Glasnost Community of Skopje

Scot Bower writes of the Skopke community in Macedonia:

However, Skopje is special; its people are friendly and honest, it’s relaxed to a near horizontal position.  I'm not exaggerating- just try making arrangements to meet a Macedonian for coffee! Life is lived very much in the moment. Until, that is, they get behind the wheel of a car. Then you take your life into your hands, their ‘manyana, manyana’ attitude is forgotten and every second counts. I found the best way to drive with a Macedonian was to wear sunglasses (that way they don’t see me crying) and to sit on my hands. It doesn’t pay to let them know you’re a touch nervous!

The full article is on the 24-7 website.

Skopje has to be the only 24-7 community with its own tattoo studio (named Punk Monk, no less).  They have their first location and are looking strategically at larger locations that could contain the small cottage -industry style businesses they have planned.

They have a blog:
Glasnost blog

They also have a video:
Glasnost video

Training Opportunities

24-7 currently have several training opportunities available related to boiler rooms.

SPRINGBOARD

Springboard is an intense residential program being offered in the UK.  In June there will be a Leaders course and starting in January there will be a Communities course.

24-7 LEARNING - WEB BASED TRAINING

We are currently half way through our first web-based training course on Prayer - which is going really well.  We are planning a second 8 week course based on community, beginning Sunday 11th May.  If you'd like to take part, you need to find a group to do it with (4 or 5) and book in.  Full details are available for download.  Download 247_Learning_Community.pdf

TRANSIT INTENSIVES & TRANSIT FUEL USA

I've just heard about an exciting course which is being run by the Source Community in Minneapolis.  Transit Fuel USA is a 10 week internship in Minneapolis from 21 May to 28 July.  It includes 3 intensives (24/7 National Gathering, UMT, Drum&Easel Art Intensive) and 2 tracks:   1) Urban Outreach / Prayer   -   2) the Arts.  If you'd like to find out more check out the 24-7 Prayer USA website or visit the Source Community.

24-7 TRANSIT UK

We are planning a new Transit UK course from September 08.  One major change to the UK course coming up is that you will be able to take both a full-time and part time (where you also take a part-time job) option.  Places are already going fast, so do get in touch.  Again, there is an early payment discount available and potential bursaries if the fees are a problem.  New details can be found on the 24-7 Prayer Global Website.

The Task Remaining

by Phil Evans

Kairos is a greek word meaning ‘now time’. A time of opportunity. 

12 students from the 24-7 Transit course in England spent the last week on a training residential looking at the challenge of Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Pluralism reigns in the western world at present, with many people believing that the world is designed and destined to have different worldviews. Jesus’ words shatter the illusion that his kingdom is for some and not for all. Sociologists and anthropologists from across the world would explain the different swell of religious belief to be geographically located due to political circumstances.  They see it to be the result of a dominant ideology or the inheritance of a cultural evolution. The reality is that right across the globe people groups are responding to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in situations that many have defined as animistic or Muslim, to name but a few.

To illustrate this, I'd like to share a report I recently received from a friend working in a frontier mission context (names are removed for the safety of those involved).

"About 3 months ago, the people we were working with became frustrated not knowing who God is and sent a delegation to us to find out how they could know God. They met some of our disciples and came to our training centre. Through interaction with us, the 7 people all believed in Jesus and went back to their village. One of these guys brought out a second group and they all believed and went back. We had not heard from them for over a month but this week they came out and reported that they have baptized 60 or 70 people recently after teaching them how to become Christians and leading them to Christ. The government found out and brought down a big stick and about 10 or more have backed off so that only 60 or more are meeting each week for fellowship."

The area where that report came from was visited by a 24-7 prayer team just 2 years ago.

All over the world, people who have never heard of Jesus Christ are responding to the message his people are bringing. The great commission is being outworked in such varied places as North Africa, China, and India, but still after 2000 years we’re only just over half way.

The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was visiting the U.S.A last week. During his trip, he spoke at the JKF Presidential library where he addressed many of the world’s most pressing issues. ‘Global problems’ he said ‘need global solutions’. Mr. Brown could very well have been speaking to us, the Church.  The universality of Jesus means his great commission leaves the church with a global challenge. The son of man has left us with a global remit requiring a global approach.

Prayer is the single most strategic weapon available to the church in these days. As Jack Hayford said: "Prayer can change anything. The impossible doesn’t exist. His is the power. Ours is the prayer. Without Him, we cannot. Without us, He will not."

As we came to the end of the week we digested the implications of what we had learned. The psalmist wrote ‘Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession’.

All we have to do is ask.

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For more information on Kairos, go to the Kairos website

Trinitarian Dance

With a title like that, how can you NOT listen to the talk?  Andy Freeman explores the trinity.  What does it mean to have a relational God?  How does that translate to our own relationships and ministries?  Why is the mystery of God is important?  Why is it important to cultivate wonder?

Download trinitatian_dance.mp3
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