Faithworks 1 in Blair Athol | Community organisation

Faithworks 1

Locality: Blair Athol

Address: 5 Clifton Street 5084 Blair Athol, SA, Australia

Website: http://www.faithworks.net.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation

25.01.2022 You are allowed out to get food, and as a food relief agency, but please adhere to all government restrictions and call in today to get a good range of free food from the team at Faithworks Assist.

24.01.2022 Another song with lego video clips that my son Ezekiel created. Song: Good fight Band: Unspoken Video: Ezekiel Kurtzer

21.01.2022 FREE FRUIT AND VEG - UNLIMITED TODAY OCTOBER 2 only at Faithworks Assist - 5 Clifton Street Blair Athol Until 3:30pm only

18.01.2022 What are you doing for lunch today? My family and I will be at Fremont Park, Elizabeth Park for lunch from 11am. We've got plenty of food and drinks and are happy for you to join us.

16.01.2022 To all my Christian friends, leaders and pastors, I write this letter to explain that despite rumours I have not left the church, I am more connected now than I... ever have been in the past. In the past I served within the institution known as the Church, I held a credential; I pastored; I attended most meetings, working bees, prayer meetings and I even financially gave well beyond the expected tithe. While I may not be one of the big named pastors, I actively restored churches, planted churches, and assisted struggling churches, predominately within the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. I am grateful for the good things that organized church has had a part of in my life. I have not left the church, I have simply stopped attending an institutionalized form of church. In other words, I stopped going to church, and now I relate more as the church rather than go to church. Yes, indeed, I don’t go to church on a Sunday morning; instead, most Sundays I open my own home for lunch and fellowship, we share scriptures, testimonies and pray for each other. During the week I’m always giving away food and sharing the gospel with anyone that wants to hear it, surely this is church in an active form. Church with a different pattern from organized church, but still a form of church. I have pledged to follow Jesus no matter where that may take me, to walk by faith rather than sight, this pledge brings about some challenges and my decision to stop going to church was one of them. It was not made quickly, it happened over some time. But it got to the stage where I just leapt out of the boat of manmade protection and safety and decided to walk on water in obedience to Christ, so to speak. I naturally thought it would be a lonely journey, but I needed to obey him, over man and manmade traditions and institutions. I was wrong about it being a lonely journey, when I got out of the boat of the institutionalized church, I found many others who love Jesus but don’t fit into the paradigm and culture of a traditional church. I can assure you that I still love Jesus, I love him so much I couldn’t keep going to church; I couldn’t keep doing the pattern and traditions of church, I needed to be his church and encourage others to do the same. While I am more connected now than before, my connection has changed from one out of expected tradition and paradigm, to one out of genuine love, concern and compassion. It is with this attitude that I write. For several years now, I have had questions about the effectiveness and purpose of the programs and the pattern of the church. There was one time, that I can remember when I was in my car, in a car-park and sitting there I began to pray for the church. Within minutes I was weeping and groaning, with actual physical pain in my stomach I was feeling physically sick. I cried out to God one word why? Why was I so distressed? Why was I weeping? Why was I feeling this way? The answer came quickly, I was seeing many of the western world churches a bit like God does. I genuinely believe that God weeps over the state of the church. He loves the people in it, He loves all that it can be, but He weeps, He sobs and anguishes over what it has become. I understand that this is a generalization and a very personal experience and not everyone may have the same experience or feel the same way; nor does every church in the western world fit that generalization, but we need to understand that there is a pattern that most traditional churches follow. Why do we follow such a pattern? Could this pattern change, and should it change if it is not effectively achieving the very purpose of the church? For example. If I said that I was going to plant a church, the predetermined pattern for that plant would be something like: rent or buy a building, have a band playing music (worship), take up an offering, preach a sermon, and do the same thing next week at the same time. However, would it still be a church if instead, we invited people around for a meal, studied the Bible, prayed for and encouraged each other? I believe so, and not only that, I believe it is a bit closer to what Jesus and the New Testament church frequently did. I have discovered new freedom and a lot less pressure to perform, and less stress over attendances, buildings, and finances by removing the requirement to be a part of and a leader in a traditional church. What I do now is relational and offers a different form of ministry with a group discussion rather than a one-man led sermon; a different form of accountability with organic relationships forming; a different way to worship with the focus being our lives and not just music; a different view of other church gatherings with no competition but rather understanding that even though others may have a slightly different flavour, if their focus is still Jesus and his kingdom then they complement what we do. Yes, I may be building to a different pattern to that set out by the traditional church, but is it biblical and effective? This is the question we all need to be asking of every church group. For what I am doing, I would answer yes, I see the gatherings that I have as biblical and effective. The effectiveness is seen in the building up and encouragement of the believers and, also in evangelism. After all, it is easier for your neighbour to connect with you over a meal than it is through a church service. I would like to make two more very important points: 1. I do not write this to create an argument and I hope that any comments will not be argumentative or condemning, I don’t believe that’s what Christianity should be about. While I believe that there is much scripture that confirms what I am currently doing, I wanted this letter to focus on my personal faith journey and therefore I have avoided sharing lots of scripture to study. This will also hopefully avoid a scripture war trying to back-up our views and preferences. Please note my lack of sharing scriptures in this letter does not reflect any differences or grievances I have with the bible; I will make it clear, I believe in the bible, that it is the inerrant word of God our Father and creator. 2. A short note to people who know me and have related to me from my involvement in the Australian Christian Churches or Assemblies of God in Australia. I may not see many of you anymore since I no longer attend your meetings on a Sunday morning, nor am I invited to regional, state or national conferences; but I still desire to relate and are always happy to catch up and chat over the phone, coffee or a meal. Please don’t abandon me because I am building to a different pattern, I am simply a man walking in faith and following Jesus and that we should have in common. I am always happy to meet up, give me a call or message, of course, this invitation is not limited to just my friends from the Australian Christian Churches, it expands to all those who know me from any denomination, church movement or other means. Bruce Kurtzer simplechurch.com.au

13.01.2022 https://www.trybooking.com/BLSFH

09.01.2022 What is simple church? (watch the video) Interested in simple church and near Adelaide click here: https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?embed&eid=662617

08.01.2022 Church should not be a theater with a script. It’s a lifestylean authentic journey with the Lord Jesus and His disciples. It's organic. www.trybooking.com/BLJRY

07.01.2022 https://www.trybooking.com/BLJRY

06.01.2022 You are allowed out to get food, and as a food relief agency we are allowed to be open. So adhere to all government restrictions and call in today to get a good range of free food from the team at Faithworks Assist.

06.01.2022 We cant return to something that we are meant to be, when we return to God then we are His Church

06.01.2022 Im looking forward to church on Sunday. It will be another bbq at a park spending quality time together and encouraging each other in our Christian life. I love organic church.

02.01.2022 Adelaide - South Australia

01.01.2022 The Prosperity Gospel. The Prosperity Gospel is another example of modern paganism. It is just cloaked with "Christian culture," and it uses "Christian vocabula...ry" so that it doesn't seem so foreign. Let me explain: Pagans give things to their gods (offerings & sacrifices) so that he will do something for them (crops, money, success). How many times have you heard a preacher say, if you tithe, fast, or give an offering, God will provide you with what you ask for? Anytime we try to manipulate God into giving us what we want, we are on a slippery slope of rebellion & paganism. We find ourselves worshiping a god who is not worthy of our adoration because the bribes of men easily manipulate him. Disciples are supposed to surrender TO God's will, not manipulate God to obtain their will. True worshipers worship him because of who He is, not what he can give them. Suffering and hardships will come, but He is good. You can trust in His goodness and know He has a plan for our lives. Search your heart. Is your relationship with God built on surrender and trust or manipulation? If it is the latter, confess that to Him and let Him lead you into a more healthy view of God. Surround yourself with people who have remained faithful to God even in the midst of suffering. They can always give us perspective on how to be faithful no matter what. Quoted from J Taliaferro Author "Letters to an apprentice - a culture of mentorship"

01.01.2022 CHRISTIANITY - WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU. We live in a world that’s all about me. What's in it for me? What do I get out of it? Yet the Spirit and the flesh are in o...pposition to each other, therefore it should never be about our fleshly desires for those that live by the Spirit of God. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please Galatians 5:16-17 The gospel is not selfish, but selfless. It's not about having our desires met, or having God bless our self-made ambitions and goals. When Jesus called the fishermen He provided them with a miraculous catch of fish, He increased the fish for the fisherman and then expected them to leave all the fish behind to follow him. They surrendered everything to follow Christ, all their income and income making sources were left behind. Yes God loves us so much that He sent Son to die for us but it's not about having Jesus live in our lives it’s about us surrendering our lives, our will for His. I think an error in our western culture church is that we highlight inviting Jesus into our lives and avoid teaching the surrendering of our lives for Jesus. Jesus called us to follow Him, not invite Him to fit into our lives. His disciples gave up everything to follow Him, yet today we tend to keep everything and just add Christ as another thing in our lives. Repentance is not just saying sorry and continuing with whatever you were doing with a fresh assurance that you are and will be forgiven; it’s a complete turnaround, and in the case of Christianity it’s a complete surrendering of your life to serve Christ. We need to think differently and not in conformation with the world. We need to renew our minds and see greatness as servanthood; and success and prosperity as expansion of Gods kingdom, not ours. Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 This flies in the face of much of our western church culture and traditions. I, myself have been guilty of accepting and promoting traditions that have made it all about us instead of about Him. I was stuck and held in by teaching from wise men that had philosophies that sounded Christ-like but missed Christ, by traditions that had been passed on through the generations that were accepted as normal but had very little to do with the New Testament church. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. Colossians 2:8 Jesus has too many fans and not enough followers. Too many supporters and not enough disciples. This happens when we don’t teach the need to repent, to surrender, and to follow Him. And that’s exactly what He is calling you to do. The truth is that there is a real God, real heaven, and a real hell. And God wants you to be forgiven of your sins and follow Him. Not just so that you can avoid hell and make it to heaven, (although that should motivate anyone to repentance) but also that you will be able to receive His Spirit and be empowered and equipped to follow Christ. Surrendering your life to live for Him is the greatest reward you will ever find this side of heaven. Jesus has invited you to be reconciled to Him, He has done everything He can, now it’s up to you to respond to His invitation. Don’t just say an empty prayer, repeating words without any meaning to you. Get on your knees, cry out to Him, repent, and surrender to Jesus. Then allow His word (the Bible) to renew your mind, culture, and traditions. Join Christs team now. Bruce Kurtzer