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This workshop, held by United Theological College’s Clive Pearson in Bathurst Uniting Church was not based on the film featuring Meg Ryan, but on Paul’s epistles.

Paul wrote 14 letters in the New Testament — the first were 1 & 2 Thessalonians and his last was Romans. His authorship has been questioned with regards to some letters like Ephesians and Colossians.

Seeking to nurture people in faith and hope

The workshop attendees heard how Paul’s epistles were his response to specific issues (internal and external problems) that had emerged in the churches he started. Paul’s presence was conveyed through his letters to the communities; they followed the Greek pattern of Greeting, Thanksgiving, Body, Exhortation, Personal Postscripts and Doxology.

Paul was faced with a huge task in seeking to nurture people in faith and hope. There were no creeds, no systematic theology and no New Testament as we know it.

We might add that there were no mission statements or strategic directions! He had to develop his own biblical and theological core ideas along the lines of how we understand baptism, wisdom, justification, resurrection, law and grace, faith, freedom, how to imitate Christ, the nature of humility, the being of the Church, and so on. These are the symbols that provide the architecture for his letters.

What are the particular issues facing your congregation?

Paul was also interested in how Christians lived out their faith in the wider community. For pastoral purposes he used people’s names and local events and landmarks like running the race at Philippi.

After the introduction, the audience was asked, What kind of letter might Paul write to your congregation? What are some of the things that might be raised in a letter to the Bathurstians? Or the Oberonites? Or the Grenfellas?

The following questions got them thinking: What are the particular issues facing our congregations? How does the congregation now engage with a public ministry in the wider neighbourhood? What key theological and core Christian convictions do we wish to advocate? What is it about the human condition as it is lived out in this particular time, in this particular place with this particular people that requires forgiveness, healing, wholeness, justice, freedom, reconciliation, mercy, graciousness ... the presence of Christ?

Letter from Paul to your congregation

In groups, congregation members were then given the task of writing the letter (from Paul to the Bathurstians) and it was quite interesting how each group perceived the current issues faced by the church — its strengths and weaknesses.

It was a great weekend of teaching, preaching and fellowship that was well received by the congregation and with many positive comments. There were a lot of people who regretted not attending the workshop but who now look forward to another opportunity next year on the Gospel of Mark.

Living is Giving supports the United Theological College and congregations throughout this Synod.

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Image: Two Danish Letterboxes by Rupert Brun, licensed creative commons