2010

Dear friends and supporters,

We celebrate the marriage of Colleen and Dylan who married on January 23rd, a beautiful day. We thank Colleen for the life and love she has brought to the Whitehouse and look forward to the ways Dylan and Colleen will continue to share themselves in our little community.

In running with the theme, we celebrate the engagement of Ben and Carly! 3 weddings thus far, 4 engagements and a baby! Not a bad effort in our short existence as the Whitehouse community!

We welcome Jules into the community who has brought a brilliant energy and honesty into the house as well as Colin, Paula and little Riley. The Loves have always been part of the heart of soul of the Whitehouse and now they have taken the bold step of immersing themselves entirely in the community by living in the house. They inspire us with their willingness to do the things that other people write-off as impractical or unrealistic and bless us with their incredible gifts, passion and humour.

We farewell Pip who has taken up an exciting job in Pt Lincoln, grieving her absence but delighting in the God-given tasks that lay before her.

We miss and pray for Sam and Kelsey who following their wedding have set off for Germany as a part of Sam's studies.

And we thank God for the way He keeps meeting our needs and filling us with a strange hope.

At the moment we're spending some time focusing on the three major themes of our DNA as a house, Community, Mission and Discipleship. It's been heartwarming to see the way people have taken on board such leadership in different areas from overseeing finance and property matters to overseeing mission initiatives. Everyone contributes something essential to the life of the house and it's exciting to reflect on some of the things that are brewing in our midst. If you'd like to come and be a part of things at all, we welcome people along to our Sunday gatherings at the Whitehouse (they run from 11am until we're so hungry that we can't concentrate any more). We're looking at having a monthly structure that looks something like the following:

Week 1 - TEAR group (The TEAR Group represents the Whitehouse Community’s commitment to social justice issues as we partner closely with TEAR.)

Week 2 - Small groups (A week set aside to encourage prayerful nurture and accountability.)

Week 3 - Teaching (A week of teaching to ensure that the life of the house is infused with the depth and meaning encountered in the scriptures.)

Week 4 - Story Sharing and Commissioning (Story sharing and commissioning helps individuals to become known in community, celebrating their gifts and hopes and helps us to remember what God has done in and through us as we look to the future.)

If you're of the praying persuasion:

There's some rumblings and some conversations about the possibility of working towards having a sister community in the Adelaide Hills, hopefully up and running by the end of the year. It'd be great comfort for all of us who hate having to turn people away in need. Pray for vision, people who hear the call to be involved and a suitable property!

Pray for our young people who are transitioning into independent living, that they'd feel equipped and good living options would become available.

Pray for more funding options as we continue to dig deep to pay the rent.

Thank God for the way he's provided above and beyond with people and resources, we've seen such wonderful commitment, daring and imagination placed on the hearts and minds of the people living in the house who continue to make the house what it is, but always spur each other on so that it can become more.

Series One Finale

Television shows guarantee a cliffhanger at the end of a series, with tantalising promises of drama, intrigue and joy. Welcome to the finale of White House Community Season One.

Series one has seen the birth of a community united by a greater purpose, sustained by respect and fun and energised by beautiful hopes and promises. What a joy it's been to see stirring and dreaming turn into reality.

We have learnt that if you dare to do the ridiculous, God will do the impossible.

We have recognised that we ought to be more afraid of our faith being irrelevant and meaningless than the fact that the risks we take might blow up in our face.

We have been stirred by the challenge to ensure that listening is accompanied by action - on God's terms, not our own, but for our own sakes, for plans of good men and women will never be good enough; they will never be big enough, wonderful enough - they will always be restricted by common sense and apparent circumstances. God-plans are not subject to such limitations.

We have discovered that you can pray for as many different things as you like but it is simple faith in the goodness of God that is the greatest thing that you can be given.

And so, as we enter the final stages of season one we welcome new faces - new permanent house mates, new young people. We farewell old house mates, temporary visitors and prepare for new life and celebrate fresh love. We seek to hold on to the amazing things we have come to learn together and ask God that we would continue to be challenged, animated and guided by the radical impulse of his Holy Spirit.

Pray that season 2 would be just as life-giving.

House Update

Dear friends and supporters of the White House,

It’s been a while! We’ve been busy. A brief update:

· Our forty days in the wilderness are up, how quickly time slips by. We’ve allowed this to be a time of finding our feet, a time of discernment, a time to be shaped. There have been some things to let go of, things to hold on to. We emerge focused on Jesus’ risky, engaged, passionate and personal way of being human.

· We have our first young person moving in this Friday which is great, almost a relief. You feel a little uncomfortable talking about what you’re doing when what you’re currently doing doesn’t involve any young people! Please pray that she’d settle in nicely and feel really at home.

· Sunday gatherings have been great. We had a commissioning service of sorts last Sunday which was really encouraging, we had lots of folk praying for us individually and corporately giving us a strong sense that we’re entering into a new chapter together as a house. We’re working through the beatitudes over the next eight weeks, can’t wait. Feel free to come along any Sunday, 11am at the house.

· We have our fundraiser this Thursday night at the Capri Theatre (141 Goodwood Rd). Come along and watch "The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas" at 6:30pm, $15 at the door. Come join us back at the house after (9pm-ish) to have a tour and hear a bit more about what we’re doing if you like (83 Quinlan Ave, Pasadena).

· We have a new house mate also moving in on Friday, keep Colleen in your prayers also, she’s a real answer to prayer and we’re really excited to have her be a part of things. It's been amazing seeing relationships develop in the house, everyone is so caring, i really love living with everyone in the house, they're great people.

In terms of practical needs, couches, fridges/freezers/frozen meals are our best friends, but prayer is even better. God has been incredibly faithful in answering all our prayers, it’s hard to get our heads around to be honest, but more importantly it shapes our hearts each and every time giving us a wonderful sense of gratitude and purpose. Please keep us in your prayers, especially as we begin the next chapter with young people in our midst!

Thanks for all your beautiful support,

God bless.

Jesse