Lincoln Road is a diverse place and LRBC is a part of that. There are 55 fast food outlets. There is a hospital and we hear the sirens as we praise the Living God on Sunday mornings. There is more than one school, childcare, kindergarten. There are at least twenty sets of traffic lights. Lincoln Road is a major artery of our city – for the people who live on the capillary streets and for Auckland. We are centred at a crossroad. We are surrounded by people of every creed and every nation. It is a vibrant, living atmosphere and in this place we are encouraged and empowered to build the Kingdom of God.
Our vision captures the essence of how we seek to operate as a church. It boils down to what our relationships, friendships and family interactions strive towards. This plays out in many different ways. Some are talented musicians, who play on Sunday mornings as we sing together. Some are tireless workers who give time and energy to the upkeep of the building. Some pour their effort into connecting with children in the community through programs such as Iconz. Some are gifted encouragers who send cards or simply listen. God has given us these gifts so we give them back as praise.
Sometimes, in the moment of yet another conflict at work, another messy child, another mistake, another distraction, it can be hard to believe that we are growing towards Christ-likeness, that we are Jesus’ hands and feet in our community and that we work together as a team. It is easy to lose sight of what it means to build the Kingdom of God.
We meet on Sundays and throughout the week to remind each other and ourselves of God’s great love for us “that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8). And more: we meet to challenge each other to grow our God-given gifts and passions to build the Kingdom of God. We use what we are given, whether that is a thoughtful mind or hard-working hands and God helps us to reach the unreached who live and work all around us.
And because we as individuals are part of this little church on Lincoln Road, we are part of a huddle of churches in Auckland, a group of churches in New Zealand and a whanau of churches in the world.
The world is a diverse place.