Tuesday 21 October 2014

Living as a Community on Mission

Sunday was extra special and a bit different for us as we were joined Live via Skype by Adam Bradley from Life Church in Peterborough, England. He spoke to us as a group, sharing the story Nehemiah and helping us to see how closely this account of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem relates to our journey here in Helsinki, as we seek to see this city and the lives of the people who live here rebuilt, restored and transformed to the glory of God.


After 120 years of desolation the city of Jerusalem and its walls were in a bad way. Not dissimilar to the city of Helsinki, which although architecturally looks very modern, clean and well kept, like most European capital cities, is spiritually run down and in need.

1.    Adam's initial challenge to us came from the first three verses of the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is not afraid to ask the big questions and to understand the grave situation Jerusalem found itself in. This was a great provocation to us to also ask the big questions. What is really going on here in Helsinki? What is the state of spiritual desolation in Helsinki? What are the issues causing people to live broken lives here in the city? 
This question focused discussion afterwards about how we can try to ensure we remain purposeful and intentional and avoid passivity, as we seek to bless the city according to some of its biggest needs. These are excellent questions to ask for any going into any new or cross cultural church planting situation. 

2.   In chapter 2 verses 17-18 we see a wonderful attitude of people’s willingness to commit, roll their sleeves up and put their hands to whatever they could do to help at that time. The response of the people is we’re with you, let’s get started! As an extension of the first point they acknowledge the reality of the situation but readily commit to serving the vision by doing what they can do now.
Adam reminded us that “pioneers feed themselves on the bread of vision”! Although we are currently small in number, a bright compelling vision for the people of the city of Helsinki should enable us to roll our sleeves up and take steps in doing what we can do now, even if these things cause us to feel out of our depth.

3.   Throughout chapter 3 we see a remarkable picture of a group of people willing to play out of position. Not restricted or limited by their egos or perceptions of natural talents, they are so compelled by and committed to the vision to see the walls rebuilt, that they are happy to play whatever part they can towards that goal. We don’t hear: well I would help, but that’s not my gifting actually, rather a resounding: here I am, send me!

4.   In chapter 4 verse 6, we read that in the face of huge opposition and adversity they worked with all of their hearts! In just 52 days they had accomplished something remarkable in repairing the walls. There are sacrifices to be made when living as a community together on mission. Partway into our building program here in Helsinki, we need to continue to work together in partnership, and ask: what does it mean for us to be an all of your heart Community? Everyone is needed as a vital part of the team and we all have significant roles to play.
Cobbled together technology & resources at our end [note the projection tablecloth on the wall]! but an amazing message from Adam, heard loud and clear in our apartment in Helsinki all the way from Peterborough!    

5.   At the beginning of chapter 4 we read about people who are willing to live on the edge of defeat. They were ill-equipped, outnumbered, unskilled and building with broken stones and shoddy materials. They were not master builders by any means and as a consequence they were making a less than perfect job of repairing the walls, but they repaired and secure the walls all the same. This is an extremely challenging picture. Rather than fall into the trap of waiting until they were 'ready' to begin the project, the people regard this as a project of faith. They choose to consider the promises of God much more highly than the reality of their own skills, tools and materials.

This presents a huge challenge to me and to us as a small church plant group.  As a relatively risk averse person, I could easily look at our current situation and think we’re a long way off doing anything. We are not properly equipped or resourced, we are not particularly trained, we don’t have finances in place, we don't have the physical space, and the on-going challenges just of living here leave us all with very little free time or energy. We could easily fall into the trap of looking at these factors and talking ourselves out of doing anything on the basis of not being ready. But those rebuilding the walls in Jerusalem understood that they were working within the promises of God. With that in mind, they’re best off not entertaining thoughts about whether they were equipped, or what would happen if they failed. This is not an excuse for a slapdash, anything will do attitude, but we must never allow perfectionism to paralyse us into inactivity.

We too are here based 100% on the promises and provision of God. Time spent hearing stories of others in the group, of how they came to be here and their journeys from various far-off places around the world, would convince you that we’re all here in Helsinki at this time for God ordained reason, and to be part of a bright compelling vision, which He is calling us to partner with Him to see realised. That’s why we are here. Not because we’ve got it all together, with all the equipment and all the answers!

6.   So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.
Nehemiah 6: 15-16

One can’t help but feel excited when reading these verses, that despite their seemingly disadvantaged initial position, not having equipment, materials, or expertise, the walls were actually finished and they had done it!
It’s so exciting to be on mission in community. What feels like a rollercoaster at times is also an opportunity and a privilege to get to experience special moments like this, were against all the odds, by feeding ourselves on the bread of vision and working together with all of our hearts, we get to see Gods seemingly impossible promises being fulfilled again and again!

Thanks Adam! It was such a blessing to have you join us on Sunday!
You can hear more from Adam by checking out the Life Church webpage or by following him on twitter.


Please pray for us as the group discuss and explore ways to further serve the community around us and engage with the big questions about the current situation here in Helsinki. Possible issues to pray into:
  • We have a number of small-scale project ideas to bless and connect with the community around us. One of these ideas is to start a regular Finnish speaking conversation group. This would help us to regularly meet others, particularly forming links with non-finns, who can easily feel socially or culturally isolated. 
  • Many of us now have deepening friendships and relationships with colleagues, neighbours and others. Please pray for boldness and opportunity for a greater measure of the Gospel to be shared within these relationships and to see these individuals to understand their need for God and miraculously come to faith.
  • As I mentioned, we are small in number, lacking in time and in resources. Please pray for grace that as we faithfully try to plant the small amount of seed we have, that God multiplies this and causes an unprecedented harvest. Pray that we will be a community which is willing to step out, take risks, work with all of its heart and is not preoccupied with all the areas we lack in.

Follow on twitter: @Kevin_J_Jones

If you feel you would like to help financially, this can be done through The City Church Canterbury. Contact Simon Clark to discuss the best way to do this.


Friday 10 October 2014

A Tale of Global Relations

Brittany, Ben & lovely Eowyn

Our friend Brittany has written this piece. She, husband Ben & two year old Eowyn moved to Helsinki from the US a few months ago & have become great buddies of ours. We're grateful to God to know them! I'll let Brittany tell more of their story. She's a great writer & a super photographer...


Hello! Happy fall to you! My name's Brittany. Ben (my husband) and I have been a part of Kev and Lydia's church plant for the past five months. Kev and Lydia have given me the opportunity to share a bit of what God has done here and I was delighted at the chance to share personally how we've seen God at work. It's a real pleasure getting to share with you. Thanks Joneses for the opportunity.

Back stateside my husband and I [the planners that we are], wanted to find a church home before we moved to Helsinki. I searched a lot of web pages, but was lacking all sorts of peace with the search. We were ending our nights a bit discouraged and had a rather bleak outlook of what we would find in terms of Christian community once we arrived here in Finland.  One night, I was searching for ‘Helsinki mom blogs’ (because moms know all the hidden gems, right!?) and google randomly led me to the very blog you’re now reading. How’s that for Divine appointment?

I remember reading through page after page of this blog and turning to Ben and saying “I found it!” I wrote a comment on the latest of Kev and Lydia’s posts asking for more information and then a few weeks passed. They were out on Holiday, but despite the silence I was pretty set in my resolve that we need not look further. We found our people. We got a lovely response shortly after and our relationship began. We started corresponding amidst boxes and packing slips, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that Jesus found us community before we even made it across the pond. I kept thinking “God is clearly the God of Helsinki.”

About a week after we moved, we had our first meet-and-greet with the Joneses. The day itself turned out to have its own epic tale that foreshadowed the wild, yet clearly God-ordained friendship that would continue to grow over these next several months. Our interactions with the Joneses have continually made our hearts rest easy, regardless of the fact that we have several kids to wrangle and that our deep conversations are often patch-worked through toddler mediation and English vs American-English translation (Like Pants vs. Trousers!) Good thing Kev has such a good wit.  Needless to say, we’re a lively bunch.

Yet, God has carried us. God has used the Joneses in countless ways, even in redeeming the ‘wait’ that we struggled through preparing for Finland. (We were waiting over a year, and had major bouts of discouragement during that time.) To discover that the Joneses wouldn’t have been here if we'd moved when intended and to see the way God used the delays for our good has caused my heart to be slow to assume I know how a story ends.

On that note, a little back story: When I was 16, I had a prophetic word spoken over me that I would get to speak to dignitaries from all over the world. Back then, I was planning on majoring in Global Relations and this important prophetic word fit like a puzzle piece in my 10 year plan. Years passed, and here we are in Helsinki, Finland. A few weeks ago, we got to participate in the NEW Europe Weekend; a conference hosted here in Helsinki.  My husband and I got the pleasure of meeting so many of you and many of your children loved on our little girl.  It blessed us. Thank you.
A glimpse of God's family; friends from far & wide joined together, worshiping & dreaming of mission in the nations  
























I never did major in Global Relations, and in many ways, I forgot that prophetic word spoken years ago. Then, on Sunday, after meeting so many of you from Estonia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the UK and so many other nations, I felt God remind me of that word and say: these are my dignitaries. It has been a deep pleasure to get to mingle with Joneses and so many of you who read this blog. You are God’s chosen people, his royal priesthood, his dignitaries being sent all over the world. I’m humbled to be able to be in community with you. I’m glad to learn that the way I predict a story’s end is often so different from God’s reality. The prophetic words that a teenage girl interpreted to bring glory to self, was rather fulfilled much more beautifully by God’s glory in his loving community. I like that story better. Getting to see how God has used time, and place and even struggle as crucial aspects to His design in bringing His Kingdom has brought so much hope to my heart. I especially love how He uses His people.
Prayer for many church planting & pioneering situations happening across Europe     

The Helsinki Church plant is still in its early stages, and while I think God has clearly placed vision of where He wants to lead His people here, I also am encouraged by Kev and Lydia in their wisdom in waiting to see how God reveals His story for Finland. I’m excited to see if perhaps even a few of you reading this are about to be a part of this story here, and I’m eager to see and hear the ways God writes His BIG story of bringing all His people to Himself.

I'm learning the beauty in God creating a culture of remembrance throughout the Old Testament. Hearing and seeing of the ways God has shown up past-tense gives me hope in the present that he'll keep doing just that. Hopefully as the days get darker and we struggle through winter, church planting, or just living lives in a fallen world, we'll make a practice of remembering the chapters God has already written in our stories and the ways he's already redeemed. May we be sharp at remembering and quick at retelling of his works. 

From what I’ve seen so far, it really is a beautiful tale.

Follow on twitter: @Kevin_J_Jones
Email: finlandvision@gmail.com
Connect via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helsinki.Plant