Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Upstream Communities.
What are you?
We are both a 'missional community' and a church. What that means in practice is that we are a group of people who see the Brighton area as a place God has called them to. But we are also developing Christian communities that others can slot into and participate in.
Can Anyone Join?
Yes.
To be a part of the core team you would need to be a regular participant in a DNA peer group.
To be part of community activities simply come along when they are on.
Everyone is welcome.
How Did You Get to Brighton?
Right back in 2002 5 families who were at that time part of the Lesmurdie Baptist Church sensed God leading them to leave the hills and move to a new area to start over.
The families all bought land in stage 18A of the Brighton estate and the first began moving in around September 2003, wth the last arriving in April 2004.
Where are your Sunday services?
We don't have any.
Why not?
We are lazy.
No seriously... The biggest motivation in coming to Brighton was to connect with people who would not normally attend a Sunday church - the vast majority of Australian people - and help them find ways to connect with God that resonate with them.
We do meet in homes - just call 0400044236 to find out where we are this week.
There are plenty of people already doing 'Sunday church'. If that is what you seek then the menu is wide and varied. We are committed to exploring other ways to develop Christian comunity outside of the typical Sunday gig.
If you are looking for a regular church then we are able to point you to plenty of excellent churches nearby who worship in a more conventional manner.
Are you affiliated with anyone?
We are an official project of the Baptist Churches of Western Australia and we are also in partnership with SUWA who cover us for insurances and legalities any time we run an event.
What is your purpose?
We are unashamedly committed to helping people encounter Jesus Christ and the kind of life that is found when we live according to his priorities.
We believe this is where real purpose and meaning is found.
To that end we will try and live lives that reflect his priorities and ideals in the local community.
Why Upstream Communities as a name?
We are seeking to create a number of different Christian communtiies that will meet at various times during the week and help people grow in their ability to follow Jesus.
We recognise that one size does not fit all when it comes to meeting together hence we hope to develop multiple communities.
'Upstream' as a concept came about because we see it as the calling of Christ to live counter-culturally in our world - to be in the stream, but to swim against the dominant current.
So in a world where bigger is better, wealth is worshipped and busyness is next to godliness we hope to challenge those values and live differently.
What do you believe?
Pretty normal / orthodox Christian stuff. If you want a statement of faith then we can send you one.
You can read the WA Baptist Churches statement of faith here
Where is your church?
Ok...
We don't have a building and probably never will. A church is a community of people so our 'church' is located all round the local area.
A building is really just a place to meet and we tend to think that we are best served by using our homes or by sharing community facilities with other groups rather than tying up lots of money in bricks and mortar.
Who is the minister?
We don't have a minister in the traditional sense of the word.
Why not?... Don't you guys do anything normal?
Over the years we observe that churches have relied heavily on paid clergy to do the stuff that the people are actually quite capable of doing themselves.
What we do have is a team leader who allocates a couple of days a week to leading the team, looking for ways to connect in the community and doing some general oversight.
Our hope is that we will all share the load of what it takes to be connected in the community.
Do you want my money?
Depends... how much have you got?!
We might not be after your money, but the fact is that God is. What we do with our money speaks volumes about what we value, so while there is no forum in which we take an 'offering', we are committed to using money in a way that honours God.
Quite simply, that involves giving a fair bit of it away with a focus on helping those who are in need.
I'd like to know more but I'm a bit unsure of getting involved in any of your stuff. What can I do?
Get in contact via email or phone and we can sit and have a coffee together and figure out what is best for you.
