Monthly Bulletin. November Visit by John and Jill Morshead our CMS Missionaries Saturday 12th November

Transcription

1 Monthly Bulletin November 2016 Visit by John and Jill Morshead our CMS Missionaries Saturday 12th November 1

2 In This Issue Greg s Thoughts Greg asks the question - Have you ever told yourself to just breath? Page 3 Trev s Reflections Trev asks the question - Where should God be? Page 4 Rob s Column Rob considers the question - Why did God make mosquitoes? Page 5 Events Visit by John and Jill Morshead Pop-Up Christian Bookshop Gifts of Life, Hope and Opportunity Caritas Christmas Breakup Working Bee Wasabi Anyone? Page 6-8 Membership Matters Used Postage Stamps Mission Boxes Volunteers Needed - Bunnings BBQ Offering Tracker egiving Pages 9-10 Children and Youth News and events update Page 11 Ministry Team Rector, Senior Minister and Archdeacon of Bendigo Greg Harris Associate Minister Trev Bell Children and Youth Minister Rob Edwards Honorary Clergy Rev Geoff Chittenden, Ven John Geldart, Rev John South, Rev Dr John Steele, Rev George Thomas, Rev Tom Williams, Wardens David Bruce, Gordon Hensley, Joan Pape, Secretary to Parish Council Teghan Pearse Treasurer Rob Bath Holy Trinity Services Sundays 8am Holy Communion Wednesdays Fridays 9.15am Holy Communion 1st and 3rd Sundays; Morning Prayer 2nd and 4th Sundays; Praise, Prayer and Proclamation 5th Sundays 11am Family Church Lord s Supper usually 3rd Sunday 6.30pm Contemporary Service Lord s Supper usually 3rd Sunday 10 am Holy Communion except in January 2pm Seniors Afternoon last Friday of each month except January and December Home Communion by arrangement with the Rector and occasional services at Bendigo Retirement Village, Elm Living and Freedom Aged Care. Cluster South East Bendigo is in a cluster arrangement with the Strathfieldsaye Community Church Priest in Charge Steve Weickhardt Please note, any complaints of unprofessional conduct and especially any allegations of abuse should be referred immediately to the Director of Professional Standards (free call). This office has been established in terms of the Victorian Anglican Provincial Abuse and Harassment Protocol, in order to provide independent, objective advice and procedures for the proper handling of such matters. 2

3 Greg s Thoughts Just Breathe! Have you ever had to tell yourself to just breathe? As I write this article I am sitting watching the sun come up over the horizon and I can quite clearly hear my gracious heavenly Father saying Greg, just breathe! As we come to the end of the year, from October to basically Christmas lunch, I feel my pulse is racing. It is because there is still a lot of normal activities occurring but on top of those are extraordinary activities like planning for next year, end of school events, budget preparations, preparing Christmas celebrations and the like. And the closer we get to Christmas the more we seem to try and get done because we know January will be a quieter time. And yet again my gracious heavenly Father knows I can t sustain that pace and so his Spirit continues to remind me - Greg, just breathe! There is a song sung by a Christian artist (Jonny Diaz) that speaks to this idea and he has this beautiful line: Chaos calls - but all you really need is to just breathe Come and rest at my feet and be - just be If you know the story of Martha and Mary well from the gospels you will know that Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and spends time in his presence and she is commended for it. Are you anything like me at this time of the year? Is there a still small voice of the Holy Spirit saying - go and get that cup of tea and just sit here a moment and let us talk - yes chaos is calling but just breathe. Now I am not saying this is easy or that I get it right all the time. Primarily I have to trust God that he will give me the time to do what needs to be done (which may not equate to what I think needs to be done). And if you are wondering if I have some super-spiritual way of being in the presence of God then you will be sorely disappointed. My practice is what I mentioned earlier. I sit down with a cuppa and just breathe, and simply say Lord I m sorry - I m here now. Greg Harris Greg Harris is the Rector and Senior Minister at Holy Trinity Bendigo and Archdeacon of Bendigo HT Leadership Team Annual Dinner 3

4 Trev s Reflections Where Should God Be? As we have been moving through God s big story sermon series it has really hit me afresh that humans are constantly turned aside from following God by turning to idols. An idol being something set up in the place where only God should be. Where should God be? God should be number one! In the past people actually had metal or ceramic idols made which represented the god that was being worshipped. Most of us in Australia don t have these types of idols, ours are more modern. Do you know of any examples of modern idolatry? Perhaps take for instance the photo Coffee is God that I found in Daylesford this week or one of my football coaches wearing a t-shirt football is life. Most people are not as bold and public in our setting up of other gods as these two example but none the less many of us have them. So what do we do as a Christian in response to idolatry? First ask God to show you by his Holy Spirit if you have any idols set up in your life. If you find that there are, ask him for help to put them down. Remember the part of the 10 Commandments You shall have no other gods before me? Exodus 20:3-5 reads as follows: You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God. It is only God who is worthy of our worship and he truly deserves our lives given in service to him, it should go to no other. Come let us return to the Lord with all our idols cast aside. God Bless Trev Bell 4 Trev Bell is Associate Minister at Holy Trinity Bendigo

5 Rob s Column God s Creation Part 2 Bzzzzzzzzz Slaaaaaap I can t stop itching. I m being eaten alive! The mosquitoes are going to carry us away. I don t like mosquitoes! These were just some of the comments that were said by a group of children that I accompanied as we rode our bicycles through the Bendigo state forest last week. Everywhere we rode, we found mosquitoes, or should I say the mosquitoes found us! I m not sure how many times have I been asked the question, Why did God make mosquitoes (along with flies, cockroaches, snakes and spiders)? but we read in Genesis 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. As annoying and irritating as mosquitoes are, God made them and they have a place in the ecosystem that God made. For one thing, the birds, bats, dragon flies, fish and other wildlife are just a few of the animals that enjoy eating them! We have a black spider that lives under our pergola that has doubled in size over the past two weeks from the mosquitoes that it has caught in its web! God has a plan for every creature in the world and God has a plan for us! YOU are a part of God s creation and he is pleased with how he made you! At times we can feel as though we are annoying, worthless or of little value, but God made each of us 5 for a reason and we are valuable to God! So, the next time you slap yourself because a mosquito has landed on you, or you can t sleep as you can t find the mosquito that is buzzing around your room, you can be comforted by the fact that God made everything (including you) and it was Good! Rob Edwards Rob Edwards is Children and Youth Minister at Holy Trinity

6 Events Visit by John and Jill Morshead Our CMS missionaries John and Jill Morshead are back for their final deputation. NEXT SATURDAY 12th November there will be a bring and share dinner at Strathfieldsaye Community Church at 5.30 pm. They will then be speaking at the early morning services the next day at Holy Trinity. Pop-Up Christian Bookshop Thurs 1st Dec 1pm until 4.30pm Fri 2nd Dec 10am until 5.00pm Sat 3rd Dec 9am until 12.30pm Sun 4th Dec After 8am service and before and after all other services that day Mon 5th Dec No bookshop Tues 6th Dec 10am until 4pm The idea is to have a temporary bookshop in the foyer of church with books sourced from Koorong to give us all a chance to buy Christian books for Christmas. Any profits will go to CMS. Bookshop times Wed 30th Nov am until 4pm 6 Wed 7th Dec until 4pm Thur 8th Dec 1pm until 4.30pm Fri 9th Dec 10pm until 5pm Sat 10th Dec 9am until 12.30pm Sun 11th Dec After 8am service and before and after all other services that day

7 Events Gifts of Life, Hope and Opportunity Our big mission focus during November and up until Christmas is TEAR Australia through TEAR s Useful Gifts program. Choose a gift. Send a card. Fight poverty! How it works Every gift you buy from TEAR s Useful Gifts represents a contribution to a long-term development project, helping people gain the skills and resources they need to address local problems and come up with sustainable solutions. It s the original way to buy a goat and other poverty-fighting gifts. Caritas Caritas Christmas Breakup Thursday 15th December at 6.30 pm Golden Square Hotel Cost $25 Please RSVP to Val Densworth H: Caritas is a group for women. At Holy Trinity we are committed to fostering a healthy community amongst our seniors, as well as positive relationships with the wider church community encompassing people of all ages. Working Bee We will have our annual Get Ready for Christmas Working Bee on Friday 25th November from 4pm onwards. As always there will be a number of jobs to be done and come when and for as long as you can. 7

8 Events Wasabi Anyone? When was the last time a church function involved smearing salmon with hot wasabi and not a jelly slice to be seen? In October over 100 people sat down for a Japanese themed meal at South East Bendigo as part of a visit by the Jackson family who are the parish s link missionaries. The Jacksons, who are missionaries with the Church Missionary Society, have been serving in Kobe Japan for the past 9 years. On the menu for the night was a traditional dish called Yakisoba along with salmon, chicken and avocado sushi. Yakisoba is BBQ pork strips, onions and fried noodles flavoured with a Tonkatsu base and served on large share platters. After the well-received meal everyone moved into the decorated church where Brad and Michelle Jackson gave an insight into a day in the life of a missionary in Japan. Of particular note were the large differences between Japanese and most western culture and the effect that it has on ministry. Due to societal expectations many Japanese work incredibly long hours and with very little time for any other activities - including gathering for church. Another interesting cultural aspect is the expectation that when a gift is received the person will give a gift in return - which has a huge effect on understanding the free nature of grace in the Christian faith. The themed night was the third such night held at Holy Trinity in recent years with the 8 other two being Pakistani and Indonesian themed. Everyone is looking forward to which missionaries will be returning next and what gourmet treats might be in store Spanish anyone?

9 Membership Matters Used Postage Stamps Did you know that CMS raise missionary support by selling used postage stamps? The lead up to Christmas is a good time to start doing this as many of us will receive Christmas cards by mail. All you have to do is to cut the stamps off letters you receive and hand them into the church office. There is no need to detach the stamps from the paper they are attached to, that will be done later by someone else. (Note: please don t leave any stamps in the church foyer, rather take them to the church office). Mission Boxes It is time to return mission boxes. Please bring them back to church or to the office Volunteers Needed - Bunnings BBQ We are looking for volunteers at the Bunnings BBQ on Saturday 10th December. Could you tell Evelyn Wood, Trev Bell, or Rob Edwards if you are able to help for a one or two hour stint. 9

10 Membership Matters Offering Tracker Offerings for September were $42, Offertory Budget per month $ egiving Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec If you would like to make your regular contributions to our parish through direct debit bank transfer there are egiving brochures in the church foyer that provide information on how to do that. Our parish bank account details are: Name: Anglican Parish South East Bendigo BSB: Account Number: Electronic Giving Cards If you use the direct debit method for your offering and you would also like to engage in the act of giving during the service you attend, there are Electronic Giving Cards available in the foyer for you to place in the plate during the time when offerings are taken. Contact Us O: E: office@southeastbendigo.com Web: southeastbendigo.com 14 Keck Street Flora Hill Bendigo

11 Children and Youth Year 7-12 s During the School term,.thrive. meets for socials activities with a God Spot on the first and third Friday nights at Holy Trinity from 7:30-9:30pm unless told otherwise. 4th Nov - Activities at Church Saturday 19th Nov Amazing Race 10am - 2pm Amazing Race around Bendigo! BRING YOUR FRIENDS ALONG Teen Bible study 13th and 27th Nov Meet after Family Church. Bring $1 for chips Contact Rob Edwards for more info..on or rob@southeastbendigo.com family church SEEKERS SEEKERS is the children s segment during family church, where we seek to see what the Bible says and how it applies to our lives! During term 4, we will be following the sermon series and looking at God s Big Story with a few extra topics! Sun 6th Nov - Grandparents Day Sun 13th Nov - Topical Sun 20th Nov - God s Big Story 6 Sun 27th Nov - Topical This month s Memory Verse For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 The Teens (and leaders) would like to say a HUGE THANKYOU to everyone who supported, donated and encouraged us as we participated in the World Vision 40 hour famine! For their famine, some went without food, some didn't speak (yes it was quiet in those houses) and others went without technology (some even fasted from a number of these things). All up we raised $812.80! Well Done!! 11

12 This Bulletin is kindly sponsored by INTERSPORT BICKNELLS 46 Williamson Street Bendigo VANSTANS PHARMACY cnr Hammer & Neale Streets Flora Hill GLENN TAYLOR Accountant & Tax Agent Personal & Business Income Tax Returns Financial Statements BAS & Self Managed Super Funds HANDYMAN SERVICES Bendigo Gordon & Nola Hensley Proprietors or HOMESTEAD MOTOR INN & APARTMENTS cnr High & Alder Streets Golden Square David & Glenys Stewart 12