International Chapel of Vienna<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nI love doing what I do \u2013 it is a great privilege and very humbling to preach the Gospel. I pastor an International church.<\/p>\n
Vienna is a great city \u2013 steeped in history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and famous for wonderful classical music. A night out in Vienna is to don a collar and tie and take in a concert \u2013 a lot different from eating a Kebab from \u201cGreasy Sid\u2019s\u201d on the way home from the flicks. The Viennese love their coffee houses, reading a newspaper for hours over a \u201cMelange\u201d, they like their Schnitzel \u2013 battered (in every way) pork \u2013 and they love their chocolate cake.<\/p>\n
Vienna is truly a multi-cultural city. The tenth biggest city in the EU, and makes up approximately 25% of the whole population of Austria. The United Nations is big in Vienna \u2013 it is the home of the International Atomic Energy Agency \u2013 famous for their weapons inspectors!<\/p>\n
But it is different. Things change when you move to Vienna, as they do whenever you move abroad.<\/p>\n
The shops are not open on Sundays and Bank Holidays \u2013 great, say all of us who campaigned for \u2018keep Sunday special\u2019 in the UK, but red-faced rush through Sainsbury\u2019s for a Bacon Sarnie after Sunday Worship, and skid to a halt when you see the lady who poked you in the eye with a flag at Church in the next aisle.<\/p>\n
You are not allowed to use mechanical equipment between 12 and 2 and after 12 on Saturdays. For those who are used to spending the Bank Holidays mowing the lawn \u2013 that\u2019s different.<\/p>\n
Customer Service is different. In the UK and especially in the USA \u2013 customer is king. In Austria, the retail operator is king. Shopping for groceries becomes like completing an obstacle course fit for the Marines.<\/p>\n
The grim faced cashier hurtles the shopping at you, whether or not it is on the floor, your head, or in your trolley. It is not unheard of; you play a rigorous game of dodge the cucumber while trying desperately to get your Bank Card out of your pocket.<\/p>\n
This is different. I don\u2019t criticise it, but it\u2019s different. I mentioned this to a fellow Brit living in Austria \u2013 who thought I was being critical \u2013 I wasn\u2019t \u2013 and he complemented them on being \u201cbrutally honest!\u201d Rather more brutal than honest I tend to think.<\/p>\n
Our church is different too. It is made up of those who are here for ever, for 3-5 years, for 2 years, for 1 visit. That\u2019s different and hard. It is hard to build a base, discipleship groups, with a transitional congregation. But I love it.<\/p>\n
It is hard to make budget \u2013 many are connected to their churches of origin and it seems like they are being asked to support two churches. This needs pastoral care in teaching commitment to the local Church as well as their own church, which includes being generous with our money. Transient, international churches like ours need support as well as indigenous churches.<\/p>\n
Some things don\u2019t change. The fact we are all sinners doesn\u2019t change. Austrians, the Internationals, the Brits need the Gospel \u2013 equally \u2013 we all mess up \u2013 we are born in sin.<\/p>\n
And God\u2019s grace that goes further than our sin is unchanging. It is the same Gospel whether in London or Vienna.<\/p>\n
We have been really blessed this summer with having a more consistent number than previous years \u2013 thank you Jesus.<\/p>\n
I love the Church. If you love Jesus, you will love His Bride. I love the fact that the Church is an urban \u2013 moving and shaking community of young people, I love the fact that the Church is a rural farming community \u2013 and I love the fact that the Church is an international discipleship community from 35 nations.<\/p>\n
I want our church to be infectious and dangerous \u2013 with the Gospel. The Gospel is the only thing that could ever have changed me, and because of Jesus I am a new Creation. But I am not an individual light bulb running around like a headless-chicken \u2013 by God\u2019s grace I am part of His beautiful Church.<\/p>\n
My prayer is that although different it is, that our church would continue to love the Bible, love Reformed theology, grow in the personal and corporate expression of the filling of the Holy Spirit, and would be a place where God\u2019s grace flows through us and touches the city \u2013 internationals and nationals.<\/p>\n
My vision is for a sending- place to the nations around. Vienna is a great cog in international travel to the Old Eastern bloc \u2013 pray Jesus that it would be an oily cog for the spreading of New Testament churches.<\/p>\n
I love what Boaz does for Ruth \u2013 he invites Ruth, \u201cHave lunch. Sit down with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was a Moabite, an outsider. He\u2019s making her an insider, dignity, and worth, and respect, and treating her with equality, and chivalry, and loving kindness \u2013 the \u201chesed\u201d of God that God had shown to him.<\/p>\n
As Charles Spurgeon wonderfully put it \u2013 Jesus is our glorious Boaz. He went all the way to grace for His Church \u2013 for us \u2013 and we have this God given command to make disciples of all nations.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today\u2019s post comes from a church planting buddy of mine, James Devenish, the pastor of International Chapel of Vienna. I love doing what I do \u2013 it is a great privilege and very humbling to preach the Gospel. I pastor an International church. Vienna is a great city \u2013 steeped in history of the Austro-Hungarian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[475,510,534,533,380],"class_list":["post-9450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-church-2","tag-evangelism","tag-gospel","tag-mission","tag-spurgeon"],"yoast_head":"\n
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