Also on Sunday (3/5), I went to the city center to see the Fringe Parade. You may remember that I had gone several weeks back to see the Fringe opening parade and concert, but it had been rained out. Well, the city of Adelaide decided to reschedule the parade, as it is a big community event. Jon and Katie were busy all afternoon, so I decided to go and watch it. Let's just say, I was not particularly impressed. Unlike parades in the states, which seem like massive occasions with tons of floats, bands, veterans and the what-not, this parade was really strange. It pretty much seemed like anybody could walk in it. There were random people banging on pots, a whole mess of girls wearing tutus, random dancers, an eclectic marching band. I was just expecting so much more, to be honest. I was expecting something more like Mardi Gras. Although, in the end, I am glad it didn't meet my expectations. Mardi Gras is not exactly something I should see. The parade was also really short! They moved REALLY slow to compensate for that.
So I walked away from the parade with a sun burn and a few random pictures. Interesting...
But the Fringe shows have been pretty cool thus far and I think the whole festival is really interesting.
Perhaps I am just being too critical of the parade.
In Christ,
Chris
Monday, March 7, 2011
Children's Church
On Sunday (3/5), I was asked to begin helping with children church here at Hope Valley. My assistance is needed only temporarily, but I suspect I will become a regular leader therein. (Is this not the nature of any part of church ministry? You get your feet wet and people usually start to expect more from you. It's just the nature of ministry and I am happy to do it!) So I was asked to fill in this last Sunday and I was a bit nervous about it. I have worked with a bunch of kids before (having been involved in youth ministry and education for the last four years), but never in a formal church setting and, obviously, never to Australian children. The big worry being that all my jokes and techniques would fall flat in another culture.
But I had fun and was reminded how much I like working with kids. Moreover, I don't think I did too bad--praise God, right? I hope He will always use me as an effective minister of His word to all sorts of age groups. This next week I will be taking a greater role with the children (leading the games, woot!) and we'll see what sort of impact I can have in the next few months by God's grace.
There is a big denomination-wide childrens' camp-out coming up soon. The kids pastor here at Hope Valley would like me to go and use some of my summer camp skills. Sounds like a good way to spend a weekend. Bring on the kids!
In Christ,
Chris
But I had fun and was reminded how much I like working with kids. Moreover, I don't think I did too bad--praise God, right? I hope He will always use me as an effective minister of His word to all sorts of age groups. This next week I will be taking a greater role with the children (leading the games, woot!) and we'll see what sort of impact I can have in the next few months by God's grace.
There is a big denomination-wide childrens' camp-out coming up soon. The kids pastor here at Hope Valley would like me to go and use some of my summer camp skills. Sounds like a good way to spend a weekend. Bring on the kids!
In Christ,
Chris
Driving on the Left...
You may or may not know that Australians drive on the left side of the road, opposite us in the United States. It has taken me a lot of time to get used to this concept and still find myself looking to the right first almost every time I go to cross a street. Luckily, my folks taught me well and I "look both ways before crossing the street." Up until Saturday night, however, I have not had a real opportunity to drive here in Australia. After watching Tom, Tom Crew, however, Jon decided to continue that night's adventures by making me drive home from the city center.
I must say that I didn't do half bad (at least on the driving on the left part). The real problem in Australia is the streets themselves. I find them somewhat confusing here at the start of my driving experience. There are a lot more traffic circles for example (almost no four way stops). The roads are littered with parked cars, bus lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The markings on the roads are a bit confusing as well. I am sure I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on. I am a pretty good driver in my estimation, so it is simply a matter of time before I am comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) on the streets of Adelaide.
So, yeah, the left side of the road thing was not so bad. The funniest problem associated with this is the actual set up of the car. With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, many of the controls are opposite what they would be in the States. More than a couple of times now I have gone to flick on the turn signal (a lever on the left side of the steering column in the States) and turned on the windshield wipers! It was really funny to everyone in my car. It takes some real concentration to activate the turn signal with my right hand. That will come soon as well.
My only real concern then, is what will happen when I get home! I reckon the first thing I do is accidentally turn on the wipers instead of the turn signal.
In Christ,
Chris
I must say that I didn't do half bad (at least on the driving on the left part). The real problem in Australia is the streets themselves. I find them somewhat confusing here at the start of my driving experience. There are a lot more traffic circles for example (almost no four way stops). The roads are littered with parked cars, bus lanes, bike lanes, and crosswalks. The markings on the roads are a bit confusing as well. I am sure I will get more accustomed to it as time goes on. I am a pretty good driver in my estimation, so it is simply a matter of time before I am comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) on the streets of Adelaide.
So, yeah, the left side of the road thing was not so bad. The funniest problem associated with this is the actual set up of the car. With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, many of the controls are opposite what they would be in the States. More than a couple of times now I have gone to flick on the turn signal (a lever on the left side of the steering column in the States) and turned on the windshield wipers! It was really funny to everyone in my car. It takes some real concentration to activate the turn signal with my right hand. That will come soon as well.
My only real concern then, is what will happen when I get home! I reckon the first thing I do is accidentally turn on the wipers instead of the turn signal.
In Christ,
Chris
Sunday, March 6, 2011
More Fringe!
Last Saturday (3/5) Jon, Katie, and I went to another fringe show. This one was pretty awesome. We went to see a group called "Tom, Tom Crew." I have found that they are hard to describe in words. Essentially, this is an acrobatic circus that blends elements of outstanding percussion, hip-hop beats, and beat boxing. It was quite impressive and I had a great time. Just another example of the odd entertainment you can find at the Fringe.
Here are some videos from youtube to help you wrap your mind around "Tom, Tom Crew"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlO3YzhDqkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlXBqKcOZVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfKeSNOKF0w
(there are plenty of other videos on youtube should you still be interested. It was a great show...totally worth your time. I even liked it despite not being a fan of hip-hop.
In Christ,
Chris
Here are some videos from youtube to help you wrap your mind around "Tom, Tom Crew"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlO3YzhDqkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlXBqKcOZVs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfKeSNOKF0w
(there are plenty of other videos on youtube should you still be interested. It was a great show...totally worth your time. I even liked it despite not being a fan of hip-hop.
In Christ,
Chris
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sausage and Salad Night!
So on Thursday (3/3) I spent the whole day at the Church at the work doing work (believe it or not). Jon Joyce, my mentor and host, works part time as a physical therapist and part time as the young adults pastor. As such, he wasn't in the office Thursday and it was all me. Thus, not only did I work...I worked of my own volition ;-).
I ended up staying at the Church until 5:30 or so. I had forgotten that every Thursday, the church hosts a sausage and salad night for the community (a free will donation sort of charity) at 6:00. The link sausages are grilled up just like our American hotdogs and served bread (to wrap it in) and "tomato sauce" (the word "ketchup" is very American apparently). While the salads tend to be more casserole type salads than lettuce based salads. It is a pretty good meal for pretty cheap! Being at the church so late, I figured I might as well stay and help prepare for the event and meet some people in the community. I am glad I did!
I went to help the grillers and pretty much became a master Aussie sausage grilling machine. My teachers were two of the funniest old men I have ever met--Ron and Murray. They were great and I hope I get to talk with them some more. Almost the whole time I was there they were talking about American car manufacturing (at least one of them worked for GM) and what spot in Australia was best for vacationing. They were a real riot! They shot each other down left and right and just really made for good, playful banter. I think I fit right in ;-).
I had the opportunity to talk with a bunch of other people at the event to and that was good. I am really happy to pour into this community here at Hope Valley.
In the evening, I went out with Jon and Katie to hang out with a bunch of friends who were saying goodbye to someone visiting them from the states. He used to be the worship pastor at Hope Valley and moved to the U.S after marrying an American girl. He now is a big-time worship leader at a church in Georgia. He's a good guy and I am glad to have met him.
Jon also had to play in a community pick-up game of basketball that night. I went to support him and a few others on the team and somehow got roped into keeping score on the scoreboard. This was an experience, as I really don't know that much about basketball at all. Jon's team won by a landslide so it didn't matter that I likely messed up the scoring.
In Christ,
Chris
I ended up staying at the Church until 5:30 or so. I had forgotten that every Thursday, the church hosts a sausage and salad night for the community (a free will donation sort of charity) at 6:00. The link sausages are grilled up just like our American hotdogs and served bread (to wrap it in) and "tomato sauce" (the word "ketchup" is very American apparently). While the salads tend to be more casserole type salads than lettuce based salads. It is a pretty good meal for pretty cheap! Being at the church so late, I figured I might as well stay and help prepare for the event and meet some people in the community. I am glad I did!
I went to help the grillers and pretty much became a master Aussie sausage grilling machine. My teachers were two of the funniest old men I have ever met--Ron and Murray. They were great and I hope I get to talk with them some more. Almost the whole time I was there they were talking about American car manufacturing (at least one of them worked for GM) and what spot in Australia was best for vacationing. They were a real riot! They shot each other down left and right and just really made for good, playful banter. I think I fit right in ;-).
I had the opportunity to talk with a bunch of other people at the event to and that was good. I am really happy to pour into this community here at Hope Valley.
In the evening, I went out with Jon and Katie to hang out with a bunch of friends who were saying goodbye to someone visiting them from the states. He used to be the worship pastor at Hope Valley and moved to the U.S after marrying an American girl. He now is a big-time worship leader at a church in Georgia. He's a good guy and I am glad to have met him.
Jon also had to play in a community pick-up game of basketball that night. I went to support him and a few others on the team and somehow got roped into keeping score on the scoreboard. This was an experience, as I really don't know that much about basketball at all. Jon's team won by a landslide so it didn't matter that I likely messed up the scoring.
In Christ,
Chris
Friday, March 4, 2011
Natalie...
This is Natalie...I forgot to mention that she also went to Jack's Mannequin concert a few weeks back with me and Nicole (from Camp Michindoh). She is pretty awesome too so I figured I would give her her own blog post (especially as she mocked me for not including her in the original one about the concert). So here is Natalie:
Now I feel better. I told you I would make it right, Natalie. ;-)
In Christ,
Chris
Now I feel better. I told you I would make it right, Natalie. ;-)In Christ,
Chris
Pastor's Retreat at Normanville
Last Wednesday (3/2), the pastors of Hope Valley took me along to their network's pastor retreat. A Uniting Church network is basically a group of Uniting Churches that decided to work together, help one another, hold each other accountable, etc. Each Uniting Church is a part of a network--some better than others when it comes to various doctrinal stands. The 3d Network is the one which Hope Valley belongs to and it is a solid group of ministers committed to conservative values, cultural significance, and evangelical hearts. I reckon it is a great group to be a part of.
Anyways...we all piled in a car and headed south of Adelaide to a very scenic region along the coast called, Normanville. The drive was gorgeous, with some of the most breath-taking scenery ever. I was very content. The convention hall we went to, basically a resort golf-course, was even more gorgeous, with a wonderful view of the coast and nestled in the hills. All around us were Kangaroo! They seemed to be hopping everywhere. I did have my camera this time and took some wonderful pictures and video of these totally wild animals. It is so surreal to think the Aussies look to them as we look at deer in Michigan. I was impressed though.
The retreat itself was refreshing--a good time in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship with some great men and women of God. I was most happy, however, to really get a chance to hang out with the pastors of Hope Valley. They are such unique and wonderful men, equipped in so many ways for the ministry. I am delighted to serve under them and be a part of what they are doing at Hope Valley. Soon I will be posting a bit about each one of them so you guys can know a bit more about who I work with.
We left the retreat around lunch (the retreat is a 3-day event, but we had only planned on the one day) and went into the nearby town to spend time as a pastoral staff. We went to the most gorgeous beach I have yet seen, walked along its shore, dove in for a quick swim, laughed plenty, and enjoyed the day. It was a good time. Thank the Lord for days like this, eh?
I also mooned an old man. Apparently, I am not very good at changing out of wet things with a towel wrapped around my waist. Just as I got my trunks off, down went the towel. Poor old man! The worst part was, once I had repositioned the towel, I turned around with an apologetic smile on my face and there he was just beeming a huge grin. I think I might of made his day. That terrifies me ;-).
The ride home was even more lovely, as we took a more scenic route over a large dam and along hills that skirted the coast.
That night I tried to attend swing dancing in town. I had stumbled across a swing club that met every Wednesday night. Swing dancing! Sign me up! Unfortunately, once I got there, I discovered it had been canceled due to another group renting the hall. Maybe next time, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
Anyways...we all piled in a car and headed south of Adelaide to a very scenic region along the coast called, Normanville. The drive was gorgeous, with some of the most breath-taking scenery ever. I was very content. The convention hall we went to, basically a resort golf-course, was even more gorgeous, with a wonderful view of the coast and nestled in the hills. All around us were Kangaroo! They seemed to be hopping everywhere. I did have my camera this time and took some wonderful pictures and video of these totally wild animals. It is so surreal to think the Aussies look to them as we look at deer in Michigan. I was impressed though.
The retreat itself was refreshing--a good time in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship with some great men and women of God. I was most happy, however, to really get a chance to hang out with the pastors of Hope Valley. They are such unique and wonderful men, equipped in so many ways for the ministry. I am delighted to serve under them and be a part of what they are doing at Hope Valley. Soon I will be posting a bit about each one of them so you guys can know a bit more about who I work with.
We left the retreat around lunch (the retreat is a 3-day event, but we had only planned on the one day) and went into the nearby town to spend time as a pastoral staff. We went to the most gorgeous beach I have yet seen, walked along its shore, dove in for a quick swim, laughed plenty, and enjoyed the day. It was a good time. Thank the Lord for days like this, eh?
I also mooned an old man. Apparently, I am not very good at changing out of wet things with a towel wrapped around my waist. Just as I got my trunks off, down went the towel. Poor old man! The worst part was, once I had repositioned the towel, I turned around with an apologetic smile on my face and there he was just beeming a huge grin. I think I might of made his day. That terrifies me ;-).
The ride home was even more lovely, as we took a more scenic route over a large dam and along hills that skirted the coast.
That night I tried to attend swing dancing in town. I had stumbled across a swing club that met every Wednesday night. Swing dancing! Sign me up! Unfortunately, once I got there, I discovered it had been canceled due to another group renting the hall. Maybe next time, eh?
In Christ,
Chris
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