Is the Fire diminishing? What about the fire in you?

Yesterday (19 Aug) some of us were at the SACCRE Core Team leaders meeting. We were posed the question "Is the 'fire' diminishing?"

It got all of the groups thinking. The youths had 2 groups, whilst the adult leaders split into North, East, West Serangoon and City districts. We were called to share whether the 'fire' was diminishing or not?

As we shared, most said that the fire was there, but there are various obstacles each group faces. As we shared, we learnt about the things we could do to keep the fire 'burning'. But it was a humbling experience cos you hear all the great and many things we need to do, and just wonder how we're ever going to achieve them all. Yet I realise too that all we need to do is implement one change at a time, I believe that everyone can work towards improvement, and growth. It really needs leaders to be focused and steady, realistic and with a great presence of mind to really discern and plan a ministry's growth and direction.

And so I encourage everyone to continue to work hard in your own groups and if you don't have one.. find one to call your own. With somewhere to serve, you'll grow and really see God's hand working in others and -- yourself!

Here's a summary of the points I took home:

- 'Fire' .. There's many definitions. Fr. William Goh defined it as being deeply Passionate. Leaders must be convicted about what they believe in and do.
- Attitude. Even when times are poor, we need to have the positive attitude to carry on.
- Vision & Planning is essential to growth - Vision for a harvest and work towards it.
- Have a spiritual buddy. Leaders need spiritual accountability and support too.
- Affirm and encourage everyone, from leaders to normal members..
- Do evaluations and debrief meetings - write down the points to look back later
- Attend other group's prayer meetings to help give them feedback and also gain some for your own group
- People who serve: You need to be open to receiving evaluation and want to improve
- Strong intercessory helps keep the passion burning
- Take prophecy time seriously. Discern on it. God may be leading the group in a certain direction if you jot them down and reflect over it.
- Create a safe have for people to introduce other people to the group
- Love - we want people so say of us: "See how they love one another"
- Worship Team: must be prepared spiritually before any session to lead others to deeper worship
- Get participation from MIA Members (invite them back)
- Get everyone's commitment (priest, parish, etc) - this gives you support and will also help the fire to burn brighter

And Finally... the ONE MAJOR POINT that every group mentioned was simply that we all need a PERSONAL PRAYER LIFE. Fr. William Goh even went so far as to stress that we should do 1hr of prayer every day! 1hr! Must be really tough for some of us!

So with all these insights, bros and sisters, let's work hard to make our prayer meetings a place which is vibrant, empowering, full of God's presence (and overflowing), creative, and to have Real Love.

So if we ask whether the fire is diminishing, the best question to ask is - DO 'I' Have the Fire in me?

Let God touch you today with the Fire of his Holy Spirit!

God Bless!