Archive for the ‘Cape Town’ Category

Posted on May 27, 2010 - by Stephen Murray

VOX Intensive

This is something exciting that I’ll be involved in next week…

VOX Intensive:

One of our key identities at VOX City Church is that of ‘learner’. We aim to be a community that is constantly coming before God and his word and attempting to learn how we might better serve him in our city. In view of this value we’re holding a 3 day intensive where we will, in community, enter into a deliberate time of learning, discussion and experience centered on values that are core to us at VOX: Gospel, Community, Mission and City.

We want to encourage people to join us if they are able to as we cover these key areas in this learning environment. You can join us for either all or part of the intensive. However spaces for the intensive are limited so please RSVP asap.

Programme for the Intensive:

Wed 2nd June:
10am-1pm Urban Force Event at Common Ground Church (need to register separately for this).

2:30pm – 3:30pm Gospel in Three Perspectives (VOX Offices)
3:30pm – 4:30pm The Gospel Grid (VOX Offices)

6:30pm – 9pm Attend one of the VOX Missional Communities (Green Point, Rondebosch, Claremont, Woodstock).

Thurs 3rd June:
9am – 10am Debrief of Day One (VOX Offices)
10am – 11am Context: Overview of Cape Town (VOX Offices)
11:30am – 1pm Engaging with Story (VOX Offices)
2pm – 4pm Context: Getting a Feel for the City (Leave from VOX Offices)

5pm-8:30pm Township Experience (Gugulethu)
9pm-11pm Long Street Night Experience (Long Street)

Friday 4th June:
10:30am-12pm Debrief Day Two (VOX Offices)
1pm – 3pm What is a Missional Community (VOX Offices)
3pm – 4:30pm VOX City Church DNA (VOX Offices)

7:30pm-9:30 VOX City Church Vision Night (Baran’s 36 Burg Street)

Please let us know if you plan to attend any of the sessions by emailing us at info@voxcc.com

Posted on May 6, 2010 - by Stephen Murray

This City

“This City Visual Art Exhibition” puts on display the works of a number of artists from a wide range of disciplines.

The title doesn’t so much refer to a particular subject or topic but rather headlines a collective of artists who have been gathered for this short, eclectic show – artists, who may not normally put their work up side by side, are sharing the same space to show the diversity of this beautiful city and its amazing people.

There will be also be some live music down at &Union.

St Stephen’s Church, 110 Bree Street, Cape Town (map)

Friday: 6pm – 10pm
Saturday: 10am – 2pm
Saturday: 6pm – 10pm

Artists:

Further; Lester Atkinson; Janna Prinsloo; Mike Scott; Steven van Niekerk; Roxi Bredenkamp; Brett Atherstone; Joanna Court; Frank Moodie; Brigitte Spring-Parfitt; Susan Hall; Grethe Bredenkamp; Nick Mills; Viv King; Roxanne Amos; Claire Jones; Andrew Breitenberg; Sam Beningfield; Cyrelda Victor; Leon Oosthuizen; Zeke du Plessis; Maria Schoeman; Leanne van den Heever; Louw van Eeden; Craig Lewis; Lindsey Boucher; Karen Uys; Linka Prosch; Natalie Florentino; Taryn Reynolds; Nicola Davidson; Dayna-Gay Tate; Marko Petrik

Posted on April 28, 2010 - by Stephen Murray

Seeing your City with God’s Eyes

I spend most weekday mornings in the inner city of Cape Town. It’s probably my single most favourite place in South Africa, maybe the world. Where else can you experience the buzz and excitement of a vibrant city and at the same time be at the foot of a majestic mountain? I spend a lot of time in coffee shops enjoying the mix of people, the sounds, the tastes and the general feel that seems to emanate from this diverse city. There’s so much to love here.

This morning we had perfect weather in the city, sun was shining, no wind, not too hot, not too cool – just perfect. I went for a walk down St George’s Mall (think outdoor paved street – not suburban shopping mall). Somewhere along the walk I had an epiphany (as you do on days with extraordinarily good weather): I don’t see the city the way God sees it. Let me explain…

Here’s my view (the crass version): The city exists for me, it exists to fulfill my desires – and they’re numerous. My desire to feel like I’m at the centre of an important city at an important time (basically the desire to feel important). My desire to feel hipster – this city is full of them/us? My desire to feel in community – there are people everywhere. My desire simply for fun – it’s a seriously cool place to hang out. The city exists for me.

God’s view of the city: The city exists for God’s glory and his purposes. Now a quick walk down the streets and you might be mistaken for thinking that the city exists for the exact opposite. So there’s huge economic inequality, racial tension, broken sexuality, anything but what you’d expect to bring glory to God.

I think the pre-fall trajectory of scripture suggests to me that God’s intention is that this city and all the creativity that comes from the hands of men should be for the glory of God and the furtherance of his purposes. In terms of God’s plans for the world I don’t think that trajectory changes after the fall – the difference now is that we mess everything up by our open rebellion against God. For me then to see things through God’s eyes is to put on pre-fall goggles and see what he wants for this city and not what I want from it.

Seeing the city through God’s eyes means seeing the economic inequality and wanting to be involved in addressing it. Seeing the city through God’s eyes means seeing the racial tension and wanting to be an agent of peace. Seeing the city through God’s eyes means  seeing the broken sexuality and wanting to be a healer. It means seeing all the good things in the city and rejoicing in God’s common grace so obviously evident here. It means seeing what should be instead of seeing only what I selfishly want.

I want to see this city through God’s eyes – I want my desires to be changed.

Posted on September 18, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Part of Our Presentation

This is some of what we presented at the church planting center last Tuesday morning. We made everyone here fall in love in Cape Town.

Posted on April 6, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Missional Thinker Interviews

One of my friends, John Scheepers, has become a little tired of constantly reading on various blogs about what people are doing on the missional front in the States and the UK and reading preciously little about our local scene. So he’s trying to compile a series of interviews with people pursuing missional approaches to ministry here in Cape Town, South Africa. Kicking off the series he decided to interview yours truly. Hopefully this might be something of a window into missional conversations here in South Africa and particularly Cape Town.

Posted on April 3, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Dudes Should Want to Live in My City

AskMen.com ranked Cape Town at 27th out of the top 29 cities in the world for guys to live in. That’s pretty impressive for us little known ‘developing’ country to have our most cosmopolitan city in the top 29. Especially impressive in that we beat cities like Hamburg (28), Edinburgh (29) and other cities like Seattle, Singapore, Perth, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Munich which didn’t make the list. Beer must be too expensive in those places.

Posted on March 23, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Praying Over Your City

We’ve got a team of theological students with us for the week as we prepare for the first preview service at Point Community Church this weekend. After spending the day talking through demographics and ministry philosophy we took the group up Signal Hill to look out over the city of Cape Town and spend a few moments in prayer about the impending week and the plant in general. What’s weird is the feeling that seems to come over me when I’m in high vantage places looking down over the area I preparing to minister in. I almost always have an overwhelming compulsion to pray, pray and pray desperately for this city (and also about my own sin as I look at the task ahead). I was just wondering if any of you other budding church planters out there ever have similar experiences?

It’s just amazing how when I get that visual view of the city and can take in the size and magnitude of the task the Lord just seems to compel me to pray. I pray that he’ll continue to burden me with the task of prayer throughout this endeavour.

Posted on March 7, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Point Community Church Blog Goes Live

Bit by bit things are coming together for our little church plant. There’s a whole world of practical things that need to get done that no seminary will ever teach you about. Anyway, one more of the pieces in the puzzle is now available to the public: Our church’s blog. So pop around and check us out.

Posted on January 19, 2009 - by Stephen Murray

Connect with Point Community Church

With everyone cracking into gear at work in this new year I thought it would be a good time to share what the majority of my time will be made up of this year (and for a few years to come) and how you can connect with the work.

This year Jacques Erasmus (the lead-planter) and myself (co-planter) are hoping, God-willing, to plant and establish Point Community Church in the Sea Point and Green Point areas of Cape Town. At the end of this month our first three gospel communities (we shamelessly plagiarised that name from the Crowded House guys) will hopefully be up and running. So in order to get connected with us or stay up to date with how we’re doing check out our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

Posted on December 24, 2008 - by Stephen Murray

Top 8 for 2008: Everything

Who was I kidding? There’s no way I’m going to find the time to write a series of ‘top 8 for 2008′ posts between now and the end of the year so instead I’ll simply cram them all into one post. So here you have it, my top 8 for 2008 of everything!

Top 8 things I did or experienced in 2008:

1. Got married! (October)
2. Got engaged! (March)
3. Started planning and implementing a church plant (All year – but especially last three months)
4. Heard Piper, Driscoll, Chandler and Mahaney at the Resurgence Conference at Mars Hill in Seattle, spent time at the Journey Church in St Louis and met a whole lot of great peeps from Acts 29, and others, in the States (February)
5. Was taught Deuteronomy by Gary Millar – the best Old Testament teacher I’ve been taught by to date (September)
6. Road up Sani Pass – my first real 4×4 experience behind the wheel (October)
7. Decided to stay in Cape Town long term – gotta love this city (March)
8. Had my thinking about the gospel deepened and enriched ten times over by Tim Keller through numerous mp3s, articles and the odd blog comment (throughout the year)

Top 8 Blogs I followed in 2008 (See my 2007 list here):

1. Church Planting Novice – Jonathan Dodson. A newcomer to the list, this blog has been perfect for where I’m at in my thinking at the moment. So much wisdom and insight from a guy on the ground.
2. Between Two Worlds – Justin Taylor. Last year’s number 1 drops down one place – but still a great blog.
3. Tim Chester. Up from last year’s number 7 spot. Tim’s writing never stops enlightening, challenging and encouraging all at the same time.
4. John Scheepers. Give it up for the Saffa bloggers! John is a friend of mine who writes a great blog and brings a welcome voice to the South African Christian blogsphere.
5. Drew Goodmanson. Down from #2 – sorry Drew. Drew doesn’t post very often, but when he does its almost always worthwhile.
6. Justin Moffat. Another newcomer to the list. Justin writes an informative and challenging blog with an Anglican slant – I’ve enjoyed it a lot this year.
7. Michael Jensen. Michael drops down from last years 3rd but still turns out great post after great post. Plus he sent me a copy of his new book which I’ll be reviewing here shortly.
8. Jason Allen. Jason was one of the first people I became ‘blog friends’ with when I started blogging. I’ve always enjoyed his blog and the sanity he brings to some current trends that rage through the church blogging world.

Top 8 Books for 2008 (books I read this year – most of them are older than 2008 – please note that the books are a little one-sided topically because most of my reading this year revolved around my dissertation):

1. Total Church – Steve Timmis and Tim Chester. Ok so I first read it in 2007 but I’ve read it several times this year because of my dissertation and I still think its the most important book I’ve ever read on ecclesiology.
2. The Reason for God – Tim Keller. The first apologetics book that I feel comfortable giving to my friends.
3. Planting Missional Churches – Ed Stetzer. Great book with practical insight. Really helpful for where I’m at.
4. The Forgotten Ways – Alan Hirsch. Really good yet at times frustrating. I’m on the same page as Hirsch with a number of things – I guess I’m just a bit more conservative on one or two others.
5. Breaking the Missional Code – Ed Stetzer and David Putman. Another great help on all things missional.
6. On the Incarnation – Athanasius. I delved into a bit of church history this year and thoroughly enjoyed this one.
7. The King of God’s Kingdom – David Seccombe. Dr Seccombe (Doc) was my New Testament lecturer this year and so I got a chance to have a crack at his book. It’s a great overview of Christ in the gospels.
8. Jesus and the Victory of God – NT Wright. Vintage Wright – I don’t agree with him at every point but this is an important book.

Top 8 places I visited in 2008

1. Seattle, Washington, USA
2. St Louis, Missouri, USA
3. Castleburn, Drakensburg, KZN
4. Sani Pass, Lesotho
5. Lost City, Sun City, North West Province
6. Franschoek, Western Cape
7. Betty’s Bay, Western Cape
8. Durban, KZN (my old stomping ground)

That’s my year in a nutshell. It’s been the year with the biggest changes in my life to date. Not only did I get married but we decided to stay in Cape Town and plant churches here rather than in Durban. Things have come a long way in the last 12 months – here’s to an equally exciting 2009.

Merry Christmas all – have a great one!