15th October, 2017 PEOPLE ARE VITAL: UNITY

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1 15th October, 2017 PEOPLE ARE VITAL: UNITY We ve just completed the series called Jesus is Central, and now we begin a series on the second part of our mission statement: People are Vital. Theconnec on of these two themes reveals something incredibly gracious, empowering and accessible about God the Father. He, who is all powerful, all loving and everywhere at once, chooses us to partner with him in the spreading of His kingdom. He chooses to needus,inourfrailes,ourweakne ses,and ourlimitedphysicala ributes.asdrew men onedlastweek,godhaschosenthe local church to be the primary way He gets the message across about Jesus. We are all vital to that aim. Wearealvitaltoourcommunies hearing the good news about Jesus Christ throughourac onsandourwords,ourlove and our unity. So,aswetrackthroughthela er half of Ephesians over the next six weeks, we are going to see that we all have di? erent rolestoplay.a lofushavedifferentgi s,al of us can shine the light of Christ to others, all of EPHESIANS 4:1-6 us need to learn to submit to one another and all of us have a role to play in reducing the darkness in our world through prayer. To do this, Paul imagines the church as one that is united. Not uniform, but united. Paul pictures the church as the body of Christ, doing the ministry of Christ, speaking the words of Christ and showing the character of Christ. The body imagery of Romans, 1 Corinthians and here in Ephesians, reminds us that we serve a bigger story than justtheproclam a on ofourown m inistries orourowngisorourownpasions. However we serve God, we do so to proclaim the reality of the presence of Jesus on this earth. We are united in this cause to proclaim Him because we are empowered by Him to con nuetoshow theme sageofgod slove in any way we can. In ourcom m uni es. In our schools. In our workplaces. In our homes. Letuscon nuetostrivetobeunited as a church here at Ringwood that lives up to the reality of being the body of Christ. Craig Brown

2 Welcome to Ringwood Church of Christ. We believe that everyone is made in God s image and is loved by Him, regardless of background, wealth, race or creed. We welcome everyone and would love to get to know you more and hear about your story. As a community, we want to be the body of Christ in our neighbourhood, speaking the words of Christ and acting out of the compassion and grace of Christ. If you have any questions about us, please ask. WORSHIP THIS MORNING 10AM Worship Leading: Max Moody Song Leader: Gaylene Hawkins/Cam Moss Speaker: Craig Brown WORSHIP THIS EVENING 6PM Worship Leading: Leah Nicholls Communion: Cam Moss Speaker: Andrew Menzies 10.00am service & 6.00pm service Thank you thank you to Peter Alsop and the team who helped with our Spring Clean of the Church Buildings yesterday. A special thanks to our Burmese friends from the ECCM Church and all who worked tirelessly. It s lovely to see our church looking so refreshed. How do we welcome people to Ringwood! There have been a number of conversations with different people over the last few years about the nature of the welcome people experience when they visit our church. These conversations have ranged as anything from physical space to the systems and processes we have in place. We d love to take these conversations to the next level by sitting down with interested people to brainstorm and develop some ideas over the next few months. If you re interested in exploring this, join Linda Mill in the L-shaped Room (opposite the Parent s Room) of the church on Thursday 19 th October, 7.30pm.

3 PRAYER ACTION Please pray for David Jamieson as he recovers from a stay in hospital. Give thanks for the celebration of Baptism of Cam Moss last weekend, and for those who are considering baptism over the coming weeks and months. Please continue to pray for Students and Teachers working through this end of year season. Please continue to pray for the Fete, for Andrea and her team - for a wonderful day of fun and community. Please continue to pray for the ongoing health of Fred Morris. Pray for those who often struggle with chronic pain, often unnoticed. Special prayer for Danny, Linda Mills brother-in-law, as he faces significant back surgery. Continue to pray for those displaced in Bali and Vanuatu with erupting volcanoes. Pray for calm and peace to prevail as Liberian elections proceed, as this is the?rst election run entirely by the country s institutions and security forces since the civil war. Pray also for calm in the wake of civil unrest in Spain as Catalonia seeks independence. Pray for healing for those who are suffering with anxiety and depression. Pray too for those who are suffering from colds and hayfever. Pray for those who have been recently bereaved. Pray for their ongoing comfort in times of change. Please pray for more leaders for Underground Station as this term gets underway today. Please pray for those our church connects with through Meals and Op Shop as they have resumed this week. Give thanks to those volunteers who faithfully serve in reaching out in this way. Pray for Leah Nicholls and leaders as they direct the Kids Production coming our way in December. Please pray for Graeme Addicott as his partner Qier (Chia) Peterson passed away on Wednesday this past week. Please pray for comfort for Graeme as he makes preparations, and transitions in this season. Please pray too for Warren Stone, and the wider family, Michael and Jenny on the passing of his father, grandfather, Ron, who passed away last week.

4 WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY : 12.30pm-2pm (Returns 18th October - Studying James) The next movie opportunity will be: God s Own Country at Croydon ~ 6.30 Thursday Oct 19 th Please rsvp your attendance the day before and confirm the time. Text or Ring or (timbo_marriott@hotmail.com) Friday 20th October The Old Cheese Factory Berwick Cost $ am 3.30 pm Meet at the church at 9.30 to travel to Berwick Cheese Factory where we can buy a coffee when we arrive and then tour the old factory and the gardens. We will have a BYO lunch at the Berwick Botanical Gardens weather permitting. We will take tea and coffee to have with lunch. BYO lunch. Please phone the church office or sign up on the sheet on the noticeboard. SUNDAY ROAST The next Sunday Roast will be on Sunday, 22nd October, immediately following the morning service. This is for any seniors who may live alone and rarely cook a roast dinner for themselves, and wish to enjoy a time of fellowship. The cost is $ Please put your name on the Response Sheet on the noticeboard. Hope and Healing after abortion. Open Doors Counselling will run their next Rachel s Vineyard retreat weekend on Nov 10-12, These small group retreats have brought hope and healing to thousands of women and men worldwide struggling with grief and guilt after an abortion. If you or anyone you know might be interested in attending please contact Open Doors on or anne@opendoors.com.au. Registrations must be completed by Oct 28. You can find out more and view a video about the retreat at

5 Youth Suppers Thanks to everyone who helped out by providing youth suppers for Term 3. It worked brilliantly and the youth loved what was prepared for them by the wider church community - and the youth leaders loved being able to focus on the youth rather than food preparation. It was so successful that we re asking for help with it again in Term 4 which starts up again on Friday, 13th October. Dates we need filled are: 13 October, 10 November, 17 November and 24 November. If you can help out on any of those nights please let Craig know. Term 4 kicks off this week so we re especially keen to hear from anyone who can help out with supper this week. Follow the Star - Christmas Movie Screening When: 2nd December Where: Knox Cinemas Time: 1.30pm (time will be confirmed the Monday before) Cost: $13 each Tickets must be finalised by Thursday 16th November and paid for by Thursday 30th November. Call or the office to book your tickets now. Ph or office@ringwoodchurch.org.au Breakfast Club Supplies Rachael Moore s school runs a breakfast club for many students who come from financially disadvantaged homes. If you can spare some of the following goodies from your cupboard that would be really helpful: strawberry, blackberry or apricot jam, maple syrup, honey, vegemite and chocolate topping (if you can keep to these items that would be great as there are strict allergy guidelines in place). Thanks so much - you can direct these to the office or give them to Rachael directly.

6 Saturday October 28th, 9am - 2pm It s that time of year again, time to book a stall at the annual Fete. Book a stall to sell your own handmade items Book a stall to support a mission or charity Book a stall to raise funds for an area of church ministry (need ideas? Let me know) Call me or me to reserve a table. Let me know if you have any special requirements, ie. close to a power point, room for a rack or a backboard. If you have a heart for an area of church ministry or of mission in Australia or overseas, think of what you can make to sell and raise funds for that cause. Be part of a great day. Andrea Salmon Ph andrea.quaife@gmail.com Please keep your spring cleaning going and save those things that others can use for our Trash and Treasure, Op Shop or Re-Gifting stalls. For preference we would be grateful if you would deliver these on Thursday, 26 th, and Friday, 27 th Fete Rosters Rosters for different stalls are on the noticeboards. Please think of which areas you would like to be part of (so many choices!). We would love as many people as possible be involved, and it is a great way to support our church and wider community. It may just be for an hour or so but we cannot run the fete without a significant number of people helping out on the day. We will need people to: Help move furniture and set up the church on Thursday, 26th from 4pm onwards, To set up Trash and Treasure, Barbecues, Book Stalls etc on Saturday 28th from 7am onwards To man stalls from 8.30am-2pm 28th October: Cake stall, Plant Stall, BBQ, Book stall, Jumping Castle, Popcorn, Fairy Floss, Face Painting, Trash and Treasure Most importantly from 2pm on the 28th as many hands as possible to help clean up.

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8 GREAT GIFTS CATALOGUE Opportunity is available to purchase Great Gifts from the new Gift Catalogue. Gifts that bring real change For Relief and Development For Church Partnership For Indigenous Ministry Pick your catalogue up today from the Mailout Table. OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD - SAMARITAN S PURSE: Open up a whole new life through the power of a simple gift 1. Find a shoe box, or you can purchase one for 50 cents from the Punithan family, in the foyer, following each 10am service. They will also have instructions on how Operation Christmas Child works. 2. Determine if a boy or girl will receive your gift, and what age that child would be. 3. Follow some simple guidelines, fill the box with a variety of simple gifts that will bring delight to a child. If you would rather make a donation, please take an envelope marked Operation Christmas Child and place this in the offering bowl.

9 VANUATU APPEAL In response to the devastating Volcanic activity in Vanuatu, GMP is launching a Churches of Christ Overseas Aid (COCOA) Emergency Appeal in an effort to raise some critical support for the thousands who have been displaced from their homes, families and communities.? The Vanuatu Government has ordered the entire population (approximately 11,000) of Ambae, an Island in the north of Vanuatu, to be immediately evacuated. Many in evacuation centres are still waiting to be transferred to safety. Some have already been evacuated to Santo and are being managed through the Vanuatu Churches of Christ Emergency Response team.? Oneevacueecommented;? "They were so frightened every-time the volcano erupted, the ground shook like an earthquake and the sound was so strong children cried. They were all hungry, very tired and frightened as they were evacuated from their village."? GMP is responding to requests from the Churches of Christ Conference office in Vanuatu and $10,000 has been made available immediately. Initially funds will be used to support evacuees in Santo and dispersed through the Churches of Christ in Vanuatu and the Vanuatu Council of Churches Disaster Response program. The greatest need for assistance will come as people return home and as schools are reopened. The priority will be on safe water, reestablishing gardens and providing education and health services.? The specific details of the response are being developed in partnership with the help of our friends in Vanuatu. This is an emergency situation and so some of our response will cover some of the gaps in the immediate provision of relief and support.? We understand many of our supporters already contribute financially to the work of GMP, and for that we are truly grateful. If in addition you are able to partner with us in this emergency we, and the people of Ambae would be deeply thankful.? Here are a couple of ways you can donate if you wish. Bank Transfer OR Account Name: ACOC-GMP Ltd BSB: Account: Customer Reference Line: Donor's Name / Project you are supporting Pop a donation in envelope clearly marked GMP Vanuatu appeal and place in the offering bowlwe will ensure that your donation is passed to GMP for processing.

10 For those who may have missed this from last week s service ( ), you may like to get your tongue tied around this The Prodigal Son - in the Key of F Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow forced his father to fork over his farthings. Fast he flew to foreign fields and frittered his family's fortune, feasting fabulously with floozies and faithless friends. Flooded with flattery he financed a fullfledged fling of "funny foam" and fast food. Fleeced by his fellows in folly, facing famine, and feeling faintly fuzzy, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy foreign farmyard. Feeling frail and fairly famished, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from the fodder fragments. "Fooey," he figured, "my father's flunkies fare far fancier," the frazzled fugitive fumed feverishly, facing the facts. Finally, frustrated from failure and filled with foreboding (but following his feelings) he fled from the filthy foreign farmyard. Faraway, the father focused on the fretful familiar form in the field and flew to him and fondly flung his forearms around the fatigued fugitive. Falling at his father's feet, the fugitive floundered forlornly, "Father, I have flunked and fruitlessly forfeited family favor." Finally, the faithful Father, forbidding and forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch forth the finest fatling and fix a feast. Faithfully, the father's first-born was in a fertile field fixing fences while father and fugitive were feeling festive. The foreman felt fantastic as he flashed the fortunate news of a familiar family face that had forsaken fatal foolishness. Forty-four feet from the farmhouse the first-born found a farmhand fixing a fatling. Frowning and finding fault, he found father and fumed, "Floozies and foam from frittered family funds and you fix a feast following the fugitive's folderol?" The firstborn's fury flashed, but fussing was futile. The frugal first-born felt it was fitting to feel "favored" for his faithfulness and fidelity to family, father, and farm. In foolhardy fashion, he faulted the father for failing to furnish a fatling and feast for his friends. His folly wasnotinfeelingfitforfeastandfatlingforfriends;ratherhisflaw wasin his feeling about the fairness of the festival for the found fugitive. His fundamental fallacy was a fixation on favoritism, not forgiveness. Any focus on feeling "favored" will fester and friction will force the faded facade to fall. Frankly, the father felt the frigid first-born's frugality of forgiveness was formidable and frightful. But the father's former

11 The Prodigal Son - in the Key of F Cont d faithful fortitude and fearless forbearance to forgive both fugitive and first-born flourishes. The farsighted father figured, "Such fidelity is fine, but what forbids fervent festivity for the fugitive that is found? Unfurl the flags and finery, let fun and frolic freely flow. Former failure is forgotten, folly is forsaken. Forgiveness forms the foundation for future fortune." Four facets of the father's fathomless fondness for faltering fugitives are: 1) Forgiveness 2) Forever faithful friendship 3) Fadeless love, and 4) A facility for forgetting flaws Timothy E. Fulop Dean of Faculty, Columbia Theological Seminary Box 520, 701 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA Worshipful, faithful and regular giving to God s work consider I authorise Ringwood Church of Christ, 13 Bedford Road, Ringwood to charge my credit card for $ being my offering for today. Or My regular offering amount of $ to be debited from my credit card each week/month. (Please circle the appropriate option) Card No: Visa Mastercard Direct Debit or Internet Banking Ringwood Church of Christ Inc. NAB BSB: Account No: Pushpay Name on card: Signature: Card Expiry Date: / Contact No:

12 Birthday Greetings - October Sunday 15th Craig Brown Monday 16th Shirley Dowling Tuesday 17th Chris Lomman, Madeleine Armstrong Thursday 19th Barbara Cheal Saturday 21st Daryl Edwards 10AM Next Week - 22nd October 6PM PEOPLE ARE VITAL: GIFTS BUILD UP THE BODY EPHESIANS 4:7-16 Speaker: Worship/Communion: Song leader Bible Reading: Communion Helpers: Band: Singers: Audio: Projection: Morning Tea: Communion Prep: Flowers: Welcoming: Offering Counters: Drew Nicholls Andrea & Ken Salmon Penny Martin Chris Lomman Trish Burch, Peter Alsop, Belinda Carter, Barbara Harrison, Gwen Thomas, Peter Thomas, Joe Kutka Dave Wilkins, Dan Graham-Prowse, Sue Green Andrew Whitby, Georgia Wilkins Karen Kepert, Jon Fraser, Christine Prentice Gary Scott Allan Swan Belinda & Brian Tanfield Pauline Lomman Gail & Bob Simpson Doug Goddard, Laurie Hannah Phil Joyce, Cameron Palmer NIGHT CHURCH: PEOPLE ARE VITAL: GIFTS BUILD UP THE BODY Speaker: Worship Leader: Communion: Vocals: Band: Audio: Projection: Drew Nicholls Emma Willkins Georgia Wilkins Bron Newnham Emma Wilkins Georgia Wilkins Mitchell Salmon Tim Allred Darren Evans Aidan Salmon Daniel Wright Alex Murray NOTICEBOARD: Accommodation required. Op Shop: Wednesday/Thursday (10.00am pm) Oasis Meals: - Thursday (12.00pm) SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES 8.30am Communion & Study 10.00am Morning Service 6.00pm Evening Service