Blaxland 4:30pm
Details + Distinctives

Notes for Gathering Leaders

Thank you for leading this Gathering. At Lower Mountains Anglican Parish we gather to proclaim Christ. So our ministries aim to seek, connect, grow and send people so that together we can serve God and others. 

The Seek > Connect > Grow > Send Framework also forms the backbone of our church gatherings.

1. Seek: We draw together under God as we prepare to hear His word

2. Connect: We hear the word of God

3. Grow: We respond to the word of God

4. Send: In a continuing response to God's word we are sent into the world

For every detail of planning a church gathering, we need to ask ourselves - is this preparing us to hear God's word, hearing God's word, or responding to God's word? This places God's word at the centre, but also ensures intentional preparation and response to God's word. 

Below are directions for a variety of regular Gathering elements including; how to use the Elvanto template, how to prepare for the Gathering, music and copyright, communion, terminology, and the DEADLINE.

Tip: Put yourself into the shoes of a newcomer – what would be helpful?

• Check gathering box for special instructions or handouts.

• Foyer

  • Place Welcome Flags outside

  • Turn on lights

  • Open both entrance doors 

  • Clean-up – remove any items on bench or tables that should not be there.

• Greeters

  • Ready handouts (in the gathering box). 

  • Have Welcome brochures and Welcome Afternoon Tea postcards ready
    
    Note: If the person is clearly a Newcomer it would be helpful to take some time to give some more direction (e.g. Bible, Toilets, introduce to/sit near a member in a similar demographic)
    
    

  • Record the names of any newcomers on the Newcomer Notes clipboard

• Seek out Newcomers after the gathering – invite to supper, introduce to other members.

• Head count – before the Bible talk:  

• Mark roll (by the end of gathering, but not during welcoming) - tick/add

Please put the completed Checklist and the Marked Roll back in the box for the office.

We allocate around 4 minutes to corporate prayer at the 4:30 gathering.

It can be helpful to think of our prayer time like a concentric circle.

We pray for OUR CHURCH.

We have a list of prayer points that you can use to guide your prayers for our church.

We pray for OUR COMMUNITY (LOCAL AND NATIONAL).

Consider any current events, issues and needs. You might find it helpful to look at local and national newspapers, websites etc.

We pray for OUR WORLD.

Once again, consider any current events, issues and needs.  Please also use this time to pray for our mission partners. Their latest prayer points are available HERE.

Mission parters prayer schedule:

• 1st Sunday of the month: Campus Bible Ministries (Western Sydney University)

• 2nd Sunday of the month: David and Cathie Sandifer (Netherlands)

• 3rd Sunday of the month: Anthony and Trudi Elyard (Ethiopia)

• 4th Sunday of the month: Michael and Rani Grivas-Allison (Belgium)

• 5th Sunday of the month: Anglicare

Question Time is a fun and helpful feature of our Blaxland 4:30pm Gathering, but does not have to happen every week.

If there is Communion then Question Time should be omitted.

If the gathering is running late (for whatever reason), the Gathering Leader can remove the Question Time. Questions can always be asked over Supper.

We want to help everyone to reflect on what God is saying to us each week. The Next Steps segment provides an opportunity for this.

The below is an example of what the Gathering Leader might do for this segment. Please feel free to be creative.

AN EXAMPLE:

Connect to the Message:

Today we heard that [insert brief one-line summary of Bible talk]

We don’t want to just hear God's Word — we want to respond to it. So I want to invite every single one of us to consider: What’s your next step today?

Give Clear Next Steps:

If you're here and you're not yet a follower of Jesus…

Maybe your next step is to find out more about him. 

Maybe today, something clicked. Your next step might be to say yes to Jesus — to receive His forgiveness, his love and his new life.

If you’re already a believer…

Ask yourself: What is God prompting you to do next?

I want to ask everyone to pull out your phone or your notebook.

👉 Write down what you think is your next step. And if you feel comfortable, I want to encourage you to share it with someone here during supper. 

👉 If your next step is to find out more about Jesus or to say yes to him—please tell a Christian friend or one of the ministry team. We'd love to help you on your journey with Jesus.

Our usual practice is to have a 10-12 minute Mid-gathering Break. This provides a short and easy opportunity for us to connect with each other socially during our gathering time—especially for those who are new or are getting to know us. We do not schedule a Mid gathering Break when we have Communion or a Sunday Dinner.

Set Up Details...

• After Gathering Tidy – give the Foyer a quick tidy (e.g. replace Bibles, clear up items left behind, recycle handouts)

• Bring back inside the Welcome Flags

• Close/lock Doors (incl Kitchen).

• Turn off Air Conditioners/Close windows

• Turn off lights

• Feedback - Notes for Ministry Team/Office (e.g. is there anything we need to know – Newcomers names, something needs fixing, brochures running out etc.)