Greetings!
I trust this message finds you basking in the beauty of the week, finding joy in the simplest of moments and gratitude in the smallest of blessings.
Personally, I am still on a high following our get-together last Sunday, for the Summer addition of our Family Gathering. It is both encouraging and exciting to hear the contributions of the Dalkeith Road community. So loving, so generous, so intent on creating a place for people to connect and belong. If you were unlucky enough to miss it (or would like to relive it), let me give you the gist.
Hasn’t the Lord been good to us?!
We reminisced about the many, wonderful opportunities we’ve had to come together and share life over the last 6 months. Some of my favourites were Lunch in the Hills, the Jazz Night and Romantic Impressions concerts, Baby Dedication for Maeve and Eli, and Carols on the Lawn.
A thriving School of Music and Concert Venue
Keaton shared his hopes for the School of Music this coming year. Dreams to have more than 100 lessons taking place each week, and a full schedule of concerts providing our teachers, students, and local musicians a platform (or a stage, if you will) for sharing their talents with the community. The proposed concert schedule for this year is published here, if you fancy a gander.
A new day, a new vision
Something is happening at Dalkeith Road. There’s a twinkle in our eye, a pep in our step, green shoots emerging from the soil (and this is separate from the lawn getting a makeover, as I type! Thank you Susan Watson!). We love our current vision, “new believers, whole-hearted followers”. But we can’t help but feel, we’re beginning to outgrow it. It doesn’t quite capture all that we’re made to do, everyone that we’re made to love. So we’ve started asking ourselves some big, unruly questions. What if…
What if our main ministry isn’t a church service? What if our collective purpose is to facilitate relationships, to build community and to be a point for connection and belonging?
Determined to uncover the possibilities together, we asked our Dalkeith Road family “what if?” And by golly, did you deliver! Pages were overflowing with ways we can bless and connect with our community. Tai Chi on the lawn, Jazz in the hall, food trucks in the car park, sewing in the back room, painting in the studio, and a bustling café out front, filled with the joyful sounds of children playing on the playground. All these ideas, and more, are summarised on the notice board in the hall for your reading pleasure.
So where to from here?
The “"what ifs” are boundless. And each requires some level of investment, be that time, energy or finances. So we ask that you keep Dalkeith Road in your prayers, asking God to reveal to us which of these prospects to tackle now and which to hold on to until the timing is right. And if a particular idea fills you to bursting with excitement and possibility, such that you want to invest in making it a reality, tell us! Let’s work together to make it happen. In the meantime, the staff team will be categorising and prioritising, keeping you up to date as we move forward.
A cool change…
Perhaps it was the spirit moving, or perhaps it was inevitable - gathering in a confined space on a 43 degree day - either way, the conversation moved to the exhilarating possibility that we might one day stand in the hall without sweat pooling at our feet. And that we needn’t only enjoy this privilege from May through to November. Yes, we have decided to raise funds for air conditioning! Our previous quotes and a quick Google search suggest we’ll need about $25,000 to install 3 reverse cycle units in the hall and 2 in the chapel. If this is a cause that gets you hot under the collar, we are calling for contributions! So far we have $2,500 in pledges and will be recording progress with a thermometer in the hall. Chat to myself, Grant or Keaton if you’d like to make a donation or simply transfer funds to the below account, stating “I’m so cool“ as the reference. (We will also accept a reference of “air-con“ or some such variation.)
BSB: 036-304 Account Number: 101059
Account Name: Dalkeith Road Church of Christ
Well I’ve had about as much excitement as I can muster today. Looking forward to great things with you, and another helping of Meat and Potatoes this Sunday.
Ice, ice, baby,
Simmone