InterSections

inform - inspire - unite

NEWS

Let’s all stay connected. And let’s all be real.

News Bible Bowl 2020, NSW.    Emma-Jean Bargholz

This year has forced many events to adapt to the circumstances brought about by the pandemic. Some events have been cancelled, others have been postponed. In order to go ahead, the Bible Bowl had to adapt.  So this year it was a little different. 

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The Bible Bowl is hosted each year by the Southwest Church of Christ in Sydney.  The 2020 Bible Bowl was held online because we were unable to meet in person. People from seven different churches logged on to watch and participate in the competition. They included people from the Southwest, Eastside, Macquarie, Bairnsdale, Western Melbourne, Canberra and Holland Park congregations. 

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This year the focus was Joel, a book which is only 73 verses long. All in all, the event was fun and engaging, and everyone had a chance to compete. In the end, Canberra won the Bible Bowl this year. We’re looking forward to another great event next year!

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Emma-Jean is part of the Bible Bowl Committee and a member of Eastside Church of Christ in Sydney.     emma.nash@hotmail.com

Camp Revive 2020  – 'Let’s Be Real', VIC.   David Chao

This year’s Camp Revive was unprecedented. On Saturday, 26 September 2020, we gathered on Zoom for a virtual online camp for the first time ever. We focused on reviving our connections with one another. The topic was: ‘Let’s Be Real.’ It was good.

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Forty-eight ‘campers’ from over 14 congregations (interstate, US, Singapore) joined the event. It was midnight for some of our campers across the globe. For the first time, distance and time weren’t limitations. How exciting and encouraging it is to witness youths and young adults from our Christian community come together in such a way to have fun and reassure each other!

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Our 2020 camp theme was dress up or dress crazy. I had a set up in my living room and was dressed in a formal shirt, with bowtie and trackies – while it felt like 2 degrees Celsius in Melbourne. As ridiculous as it might have looked behind the scenes, the event was a success. The virtual activities we engaged in included playing Pictionary, charades, and a home scavenger hunt. Being behind a screen didn’t hinder the intensity of our camp spirit.

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We also had the privilege of having Christian Bargholz, an impressive speaker from Eastside Church of Christ this year. Drawing from Ecclesiastes 4, Christian reminded us that God designed life for companionship not isolation, and for intimacy not loneliness. We discussed the importance of real relationships with real people and how the challenges of a pandemic have affected us.

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This year’s Camp Revive was a necessity rather than a luxury in these challenging times. While we’re physically apart, we’re able to be more socially connected than ever. Let’s all stay connected. And let’s all be real.

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David Chao is part of the Camp Revive Committee and a member of Belmore Road Church of Christ, Melbourne.   dav077553@hotmail.com

We're on Facebook.
Kate Jennings

InterSections is now on Facebook! The new InterSections by Klesis Facebook page launched recently. It’s now building up an online community. The page serves as a new avenue for sharing InterSections journal articles on social media. It also regularly posts encouraging Scriptures and is a hub for connecting with Christians and churches across Australia. 

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You can follow the page by going to www.facebook.com/InterSectionsbyKlesis. There you will get regular updates on new articles, provided in a format that’s also easy to share on your own Facebook page. We would love to have you join!

Kate Jennings is the administrator of the InterSections Facebook page, and a member of Canberra Church of Christ.     kates@hotmail.com  

Webinars: Churches & the pandemic.  Alan Rowley

On 18 July and 15 August, Klesis Institute organised and conducted a three-hour Zoom webinar for a number of church leaders. This was to enable them to have conversations and share ideas on how their congregations are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The webinars brought together elders, deacons, church leaders and interested church members for a time of conversation. Altogether, 57 people from 18 congregations participated.

The first half of the webinar examined three questions:

1. How has worship and Bible study changed for your congregation during the pandemic?

2. What other aspects of ‘being church’ have changed?

3. What do you envision the post-restrictions ‘new normal’ to look like and what changes might your congregation implement in response?

The webinar used break-out rooms to allow groups of participants to exchange information and ideas. Each breakout room then shared their conversations with the entire group. The conversations were wide ranging. One common theme was the widespread use of technology (Zoom, Facebook, Youtube, etc) to facilitate worship, Bible study, and other church activities. Participants were also thankful to learn new ideas that they could take

back to their own congregations.

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In the second half of the webinar, Evertt Huffard presented a session on how to become resilient churches during and beyond the pandemic. He also shared a range of resources to help churches stay healthy. Evertt is former Dean of Harding School of Theology (affiliated with Churches of Christ in the United States). He has been an elder, missionary, lecturer and still consults to Churches of Christ around the world.

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Alan Rowley helps organise Klesis events and is a member of Belmore Road Church of Christ in Melbourne. burlington.ajr@bigpond.com