This is our annual Bloom Together family meeting, and if you couldn’t make it, or you were there and want a refresher, this one’s for you. The vision We started where we always start: the vision is Jesus, the mission is people, and the cause is love. We want to be a community that has fallen in love with Yeshua and with people. We want to see people bloom, not just welcomed but genuinely known. We have a passion for God’s presence and for solid teaching of his word. And we want people living Spirit-led lives, where all of life is worship. We’re not bound by religion or tradition. We’re free to follow the Spirit and try new things. And the Great Commission isn’t just for pastors. It’s your commission too. Then we looked ahead. A building limits our size, but church planting doesn’t. Our desire is to multiply and plant churches along the east coast, and to raise up young church planters to do it. Comfort is the hallmark of a dying church, and we won’t stay static, because Jesus is coming back and our time isn’t unlimited. How we’re led Next, we walked through how Bloom is governed. We’re accountable to the Baptist Union of Australia, to our sending church and to government, through our board. Bek and I lead as pastors under that board, and we meet regularly with an independent professional supervisor. Under us, the pastoral team and staff serve all of you, the congregation, through small groups and teams. Where we are financially Then Troy took us through the finances, and our mission there is simple: to share the church finances with integrity and authenticity, so Bloom can keep growing, operate independently, and meet the needs of our church family and our community. The honest picture is this. The grant that helped us get started finished in September. The grant was designed to taper off as giving increases. Without it, our giving and rental income haven’t quite covered our expenses. Looking ahead, that’s about a $32,000 gap over the next twelve months. We have $37k in the bank today. That sounds like a large shortfall, but it’s about $2,700 a month, or roughly $10 extra a week from 50 people. It’s the widow’s mite: it might not seem like much, but it can turn the tide. The New Testament pattern of generosity Paul then took us through seven things the New Testament says about giving: Giving begins with the generosity of Jesus. Before God asks anything of us, he’s already given himself.It’s personally decided. We’re not setting an amount for you. Take it to the Lord.It’s free from compulsion. There’s no public test, and your response is between you and God.It’s according to ability. The question isn’t whether you’re giving as much as someone else, but whether you’re being faithful with what God’s given you.It supports those who minister, and it’s right for a church family to care for those who care for them.It supports the whole life of the church. That’s not some separate organisation; we are the church.And grace should enlarge generosity. Freedom from a compulsory percentage shouldn’t mean giving nothing. Grace should make us more generous, not less.Your next step Then we did a Giving Health Check. This isn’t about hitting a target. It’s about finding your one next step, wherever you are: If you’ve never given, ask the Lord about it.If you’ve stopped, ask him gently what’s holding you back.If money’s tight, even $5 or $10 keeps your heart open.If you give now and then, think about setting up something regular.If you already give generously, thank you. Check in with God about whether it’s still the right amount for this season.And every time you give, find the moment. Bek and I give every Saturday morning. We hit send together and pray over it as it goes. Wrapping up We commissioned 3 new lay pastors this weekend. Paul Hannan, Candice Hewitt and Johnny Harris.
