Name

Lauren Kress

What was your life style like when you decided to follow Jesus?

I grew up in the church and so had always aimed at focusing on Christ and doing what was "right" (as children tend to see things in black and white - right and wrong), with parents and grandparents in the church, my lifestyle did involve, very much, Following Jesus. When I was twelve I started to study the bible in more depth, to try to get a better and more mature grasp on Christianity and god's word, this was the time that I guess I made a more conscious decision to follow Jesus.

What year were you baptised? What age were you?

2003, I was thirteen years old.

Where did you begin to worship and what was your first impression of the church?

Worship is something that I believe does not revolve around the church, but around God. So I guess I could say I began to worship God in my everyday living, through a conscious awareness of god's presence in watching me work, play, talk argue... He was and is watching everyday of my life. The more I grew, the more I understood that worship was not just part of church on Sunday morning, but a part of my life...a BIG part of my life, and therefore my daily life did and does continue to change and shape accordingly. I had always been a part of the Eastside Church of Christ, and so on Sunday as public worship and fellowship with other Christians, I worship there. I have to admit I cannot remember my first impression of the Church; it has always been there, and apart of my life, from as early as I can remember.

What difficulties / challenges did you have in striving to be like Jesus?

My anger has always been a hard thing for me to control, I guess the other would have to be keeping God at the centre of my life at busy or stressful times. There are many, many more, temptation is something we all have to cope with and overcome, and it is in overcoming it , together with other difficulties and challenges that have strengthened my relationship with God, and helped me to grow towards my goal, the common goal all Christians share, to be Christ - like.

What challenges did you have in feeling part of the Lord's body?

Disagreeing with certain decisions the church has made, not feeling as though I had a voice and worrying that I was not playing a role in the church - not using my talents. Currently I am questioning and researching the role of women in the public worship services, as at present I disagree with the way this is handled by the Church, I suppose this is a challenge, but I have been going back to God's word and that is helping a lot. I have realised that despite disagreeing with certain practises in the church, I am apart of the Lord's body, and it is not about me disagreeing or agreeing with the church, that revolves around god and my relationship with him instead of the Lord's body, I believe, is a place in which we come together to worship God, celebrate and remember Christ's sacrifice and fellowship together building relationships with each other and loving each other.

What principles of the Restoration movement (restoring Christianity to be as it is in the New Testament) are important to you?

That the bible is seen as the one and only true guide, that it strives in not adding or taking away from God's word, that it is a movement attempting to restore the practices and principles of Christianity that Christ and the apostles taught of, mimicking the practices of the early churches.

What did you think about having no musical instrument in worship?

It doesn't bother me either way, if the church agrees that it's against God to use instruments in a public worship service, then we shouldn't use them in order to not make people within the church feel uncomfortable or feel that he or she is displeasing to God. I think there are more important issues to focus on, and I think God is pleased when we worship Him, whether with or without musical instruments.

What spiritual interests did you have before becoming a Christian?

As I mentioned earlier, I always felt I was a Christian, so my spiritual interest has always been in Christ.

What is important to you, in how you walk in Jesus today?

That I have a purpose in life to fulfil, God's purpose for me, and as long as I keep my focus on Christ, surrendering to Him, then God's purpose for me will be fulfilled. Striving to continually grow in Christ and have a strong relationship with god in which I can discuss my thoughts throughout the day is very important to me, but I guess to sum it up in the most brief terms it is to love God with all my heart, soul, strength and mind and loving my neighbour as Christ loved me... in the end it's all about Love!!! I think if all of us can get love covered, then we pretty much have every aspect of Christianity covered.

Where do you worship today? Approximately how many brethren?

Eastside Church of Christ, Bondi Junction. I think there are about 60 people.

What roles do you carry out in the church?

Well, being 16, I guess up to about this year, I have always considered myself "too young" to have "enough" knowledge to have a role in the church. Don't get me wrong, I did play roles in the church, perhaps I was just "too young" to recognise that I was doing them. I talk a lot so I guess I'm pretty ok with the whole fellowship side of things, and I like seeing where people are in their lives. I guess that was my only real role in the church when I was younger, talking and encouraging! Now I'm trying to discover other things I can do, for example, a few Sundays ago I took my first official bible class, I really want to start working with younger girls and encouraging them to carry out more roles in the church. I'm also trying to encourage and get to know people more now, I think relationships are a really important aspect in the church. This is only the beginning though, I really want to discover more roles I can play in the church - perhaps my current study on women in public worship will lead to more ways that I can contribute to the church!