Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
    you who seek the Lord:
look to the rock from which you were hewn,
    and to the quarry from which you were dug.
(Isaiah 51:1)

COVID-19 QUARRY ARRANGEMENTS
With the progressive lifting of physical distancing, we’re back on with our physical gatherings, either in multiple groups of 10, or one larger group of 20. Either way, meet back in the typical location (second Anstead Reserve carpark 300m on the right as you head south from the Mt. Crosby Rd. and Hawkesbury Rd. intersection, at 8:00am, walking toward the Quarry, but gathering at the right near the lookout.)

Whether you’re regular Christ’s Pieces Quarry crew, or a church vagrant wanting to join us in “stumbling onward rejoicing,” you’re most welcome to join us in person for our Sunday 8-11am gathering. Come with a Bible, note-pad and pen, also a chair and hat, and gear up ready to seek God together, for the life of his groaning world this Pentecost season. See https://christspieces.org/quarry/ for more. (And for a brilliant theological reflection on the opportunity this crazy season affords, read Mike Frost’s blog, “Love in the Time of Covid.”)

For those leading, this will help:

(1) Liturgy Leader … as per usual, choose a song or two, aligning with the basic liturgy, ready to play off your phone via Bluetooth or cable on Noel’s speaker. Decide on the passage for Scripture engagement that our youngins will engage also (use the liturgy from http://commonprayer.net/ with Bible book focus tbd). For June/July, we’re in a DISCERNMENT MONTH, using the ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ process here, reflecting on our stories of our church most alive here, and DNA here (cf. collage below).

(2) Lord’s Supper … for the graced meal, have ready the bread and juice/wine (consider gluten-free, also, and ensure it’s Covid-free hygiene wise) … seek the Lord for something to share as you guide this time through

(3) Learning with the Kids … First, confirm with the liturgy leader what passages are the focus. During the time we’re all doing Scripture Engagement, you’ll be hanging out with the kids and at least one of their folks … art is encouraged, and the big thing is to make it physical, using their bodies to help them learn habits to love the Lord.

Any questions or suggestions, contact Dave. And for some great ideas to prime our group gatherings, see the Oxford church community, hOME.

SUPPORTING for JUNE – JULY 2020:

We’re continuing to put aside a tithe ready to bless in and through our group those in need from losing work in the pandemic. Share your needs at https://padlet.com/david_benson/quarry and via quarrypilgrams(at)groupspaces.com.

Alternatively, if no particular needs arise, then consider supporting the Merei Translation Project or A’Rocha; see below.

In 2019 we focused on Bible translation among least-reached people groups, so they can hear and grow in the good news. In particular, we prayed for and gave to two men who are the main contributors to the Merei translation project, Norman Candy and Ishmael Raf. For those wishing to continue praying for and giving to this fantastic and strategic project, read on … .

Merei is a language spoken on the northern island of Santo in Vanuatu.  This is a 15+ year project, spearheaded by Aussies Adam and Hester Pike as trained translators with Wycliffe, working with the Merei community helping them translate the Scriptures into their own language. Norman and Ishmael have been working voluntarily on the translation project for many years.  They are also ordained ministers in the Anglican church and serve the local church without pay. They both have young families. Their current support and gifts don’t meet their regular needs, or major costs emerging through the year alongside emergencies. They supplement support by cultivating gardens and plantations in the village to derive extra income. SO, this money will go a long way, whether a once off gift, or a regular offering. Support via e-transfer: A&H Pike, Commonwealth Bank of Australia [CBA], BSB 064172, a/c # 1068 2496, Reference: Quarry4MereiTP.

Ongoing support is given to A’Rocha Australia, a community of Christian conservationists working at home and cross-culturally, cooperating with anyone who seeks a sustainable world. Donate here, and see here, here, here, and here for more on “why creation care is a gospel issue“. Start your membership process here.

TYPICAL LITURGY most Sundays: At the Quarry, 8am sharp, as per usual (with backup wet weather plans at one of our local houses, leaving from Quarry carpark).

Today’s date in Common Book of Prayer here; Kindle version here.

(Download kindle reading app for free here.)

Open Sharing Week 1st Sunday of the Month: 1 Cor. 14:26 “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.”

N.B. Quarry will run most every Sunday for all of 2020. On the odd week where core leaders are away, some of the core crew may still congregate at 8am, but it will be even more ad hoc than usual! So, rock up, find whoever happens to be around, and enjoy the worship, whether with fellow humans, or the song of praise carried by the birds.

LOCATION: 20km south-west of Brisbane CBD:
~593 Hawkesbury Rd., Anstead.

See here for driving directions. Long story short, get onto Mt. Crosby Rd., and when you reach the Hawkes and Crosby Cafe, drive 550m up Hawkesbury Rd., into the parking lot on the right. This is the Anstead Bushland Reserve. By Sunday 8:00am sharp, we walk 10 minutes (~800m) due west on the path/road, down to the Brisbane River, where we meet on the far side of the quarry. (Further directions below, and call Dave on 0491138487 if you’re lost!)

n.b. Regardless of weather, we *start* at this location (car-park 8am). If it gets/looks nasty, we’ll head to one of our nearby houses. Also, toilets are a 10 minute walk away from where we meet… be warned! We don’t run alternative programs for different age-groups (e.g. kids/youth), but all are welcome to participate.

BRING: fold-up chair, Bible, pen/note-pad, something to share (spiritually, and even physically, if you’re keen for a bite/drink after, e.g. cup of tea!). We’re a church-bulletin free zone, so it’s handy to have your mobile phone and a kindle version of The Common Book of Prayer (full & free pdf online here) ready and open at today’s date (online here). Given it’s open-air, an umbrella, hat and sunscreen can be handy!

What Is “Quarry”?

“Quarry Church”, as we’ve come to call it, is simple. Real simple.
(See About + Stories + DNA+.) Following is a picture of how we run.)

Picture a small group of people who are committed to discovering the way of Jesus, gathering at an abandoned quarry on Brisbane River, most every Sunday morning at 8am. We meander 800 metres with our Bibles, fold-up chairs and sunscreen, down to the river, settling in a shady spot for a few hours. In that time, we wait on the Lord for leading, bringing our gifts to shape where the time goes. We follow a basic liturgy with some singing, confession, praise, and Scripture reading. We spread out to privately journal, and return with our piece of the jig-saw puzzle to share. Then we celebrate as the Spirit leads us, through each other’s words, dreams and insights, in how to fit these bits together. We pray into a collective, timely and prophetic word that gives us wisdom for how we live on our frontline in the coming week. It usually comes together as we celebrate communion, intercede for the world God loves, and participate in the practice of the Lord’s prayer. Most times, by 10:30’ish, we’re just enjoying each other’s company over some bakery treats, before wandering back to the car-park by 11am. Freedom to come and go as you please. But a shared commitment to grow together in Christlikeness, and grow up in love of God, neighbour, and all creation.

No set schedule, no pre-determined outcome, this is a raw and organic gathering of the church to remind ourselves of our place in the mission of God. It cuts consumerism at its root, for Quarry Church builds on our shared efforts to dig into the word and construct something together that glorifies our Creator.

All of this is framed around a core group stumbling their way forward in the five-fold gifts upon which the community of God is built: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher (Ephesians 4:11). We’re guided by the call to return to the quarry from which we’re hewn (Isaiah 51:1), to rediscover the ancient paths and walk in them (Jeremiah 6:16). We’re convinced that Christ’s church is not established in the safe-spaces; rather, it’s in the marketplace, and at the margins where secularity and spirituality collide—places like the pagan sanctuary of Pan at Caesarea Philippi—that the “gates of hell” will not prevail (Matthew 16:13-20).

Our ecclesiology is orthodox, ecumenical and yet fits broadly in a charismatic protestant frame. Symbolically and metaphorically, the form of our gathering is inspired by Jesus’ feeding of the 5000 (e.g. Matthew 15:29-39). In our post-Christendom culture, multitudes are leaving the cities and the institutional expressions of religion, in search of the reality of God’s provision in the wilderness. As we together seek the bread of life, Jesus has a habit of taking, blessing, breaking and multiplying our meagre gifts. So, we sit down in small groups and set the table at which we can enter the hospitality of our triune God, giving and receiving that we may become food for a hungry world.

Most often we meet at the Anstead Bush Reserve  (driving directions from Brisbane’s CBD here). In case you’re running late and we’ve already headed down, see here for the exact location walking wise.

Any questions?
Contact or call Noel Payne
m: 0412156772
e: grassynoel(at)gmail.com