9th July, 2017 CELEBRATING SPIRITUAL GIFTS: SURPRISING ENCOUNTERS ACTS 8:26-40

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1 9th July, 2017 CELEBRATING SPIRITUAL GIFTS: SURPRISING ENCOUNTERS ACTS 8:26-40 Later God s angel spoke to Philip: At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza. He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit told Philip, Climb into the chariot. Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, Do you understand what you re reading? He answered, How can I without some help? (Acts 26-31) Philip and the Ethiopian came from two very different ways of life, and yet for a short time they travelled together and studied scripture. You could say they were thrown together We know very little about either man. Philip is one of the seven who were set aside to help look after the widows in the Christian community. We later hear about him teaching and preaching to large crowds in Samaria. Philip was open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and was obedient to instruction. The Ethiopian, a wealthy court official, was a seeker. He had travelled a very long way in search of something, and this search took him to Jerusalem. But even in Jerusalem he had not found what he was looking for. He had been able to obtain a scroll and was studying it when Philip was sent to help him understand what he was reading. He, too, was open to the Spirit as Philip told him about Jesus. After this encounter, as The Message puts it, he had what he d come for and went on down the road as happy as can be. We can only assume that this man of influence would be in a position to tell others, as he travelled and when he finally reached home, about all that he had learned about the God of Abraham and Jacob, and now Jesus. Their encounter had far reaching effects. What effect do our encounters with people have? Marg Goddard

2 Welcome to Ringwood. We are not a perfect church. But we do love the Lord and seek to take his life, call, ministry and hope seriously. We seek to THRIVE in his favour through an attentiveness to the Word, joining in community, seeking to recognize and exercise our gifts and connection with the wider neighborhood. WORSHIP THIS MORNING 10AM Worship Leading: Matthew Moore Song Leader: Penny Martin Speaker: Marg Goddard WORSHIP THIS EVENING 6PM Worship Leading: Drew Nicholls Communion: Emma Wilkins Speaker: Penny Martin 6.00pm When we look explore the Psalms and the language and subtleties used, we see more than just poetry, but heartfelt, life exposing, soul restoring words that speak to the movements and flows of the journey of life.. SPIRITUAL GIFT DISCOVERY Brochures are available in the foyer. Grab one to use and talk to Marion to arrange for encouragement and the translating of a spiritual gift into experiments of delight in God. There are books on this topic available to borrow from the office if you would like to learn more. Offering Envelopes For people who are wanting make use of Offering Envelopes for their tithes/offerings there is a supply available on the mailout table, near the pigeon holes. For more information please see Anne Morley. To order copies of the sermon on CD, please find an order form in the attendance register. Leave in the register and these will be processed and available, usually within one week. If you would like to offer a donation to this ministry, please place this in the offering bowl.

3 PRAYER ACTION Give thanks for the fun, community connection, spiritual vitality, energy and pure joy of the holiday program Give thanks for the quality of leadership shared between age groups and gender in this place. Pray for those who have been making decisions and considering the importance of Baptism. Give thanks for areas of encouragement, responsiveness, kindness, discipleship, leadership formation and prayerfulness that are part of the DNA of Ringwood. Pray for those connected through the church who are preparing for marriage over the next 6 months. Uphold families in our network with special health needs. Pray for those seeking support and clear answers to health issues. Give thanks that Stephen Carter s new kidney has been increasing its functional capacity. Pray for the Eldership and Ministry team as transitional leadership arrangements are increasingly entered into. Pray for John and Chris as they prepare to leave the church that has been home for 1/4 of a century. Pray for our world. Pray for the raising up and sustaining of community builders and peacekeepers. Uphold those who are raising the children who have been orphaned in areas of war, famine and disease. Give thanks for those who have taken on the roles of aunties and uncles, brothers and sisters, mums, dads and grandparents. Pray for our nation as issues of equity, egalitarianism and shared commonwealth are increasingly under question. Pray for nations with difficult, belligerent and twitchy leadership. Pray for the strategic wisdom of those who feel they have lost their country. Pray for our indigenous leaders and for the opportunity for a new kind of national conversation. SPECIAL COMMUNION SERVICE Next Monday Communion will be TOMORROW. MONDAY, JULY 1.30pm. Please note the change of date is due to the Children s Holiday Program

4 WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY : 12.30pm-2pm (In recess for the holidays) SENIORS OUTING (At Church) 21st July SPECIAL Guest Graeme Robin Cost $ am 2.30pm Meet at the church for Morning Tea at Our guest speaker will be Graeme Robin. He has had a very interesting journey following his wife s passing some years ago. Graeme has a heart for the children of today and their future. A two-course lunch will be provided. Please phone the church office or sign up on the sheet. RSVP by 17 th July. SUNDAY ROAST The next Sunday Roast will be on Sunday, 30th July, 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. NEW ROSTERS: New Rosters are now available in a smaller version to reflect the earlier than anticipated departure date of John. These are created with prayer, hope and good will to encourage the faithful rhythms of worship, service and praise. Please let John Sharpe or Drew Nicholls know if there are any concerns and also if there are any swaps as the roster unfolds.

5 MINISTRY TRANSITION It was announced by our Ministry Team Leader, John Sharpe last week that he has been called to Mornington Church of Christ and because of this a new concluding date for John and Chris has been decided. John will now be concluding on August 13 th. One of the consequences of this has been a slight delay in the availability of the new rosters to allow for the necessary changes. A Roster Part A from July 16-August 13 is now available and Part B from August 20 onwards will be available ASAP. Here is the transcript of the full announcement: Transition in Ministry toward a new exit date: John Sharpe I have deeply appreciated the many people who have been committed to praying for a new chapter for Chris and I in our transition from Ringwood Church of Christ. The last 25 years of our commitment here has been extraordinary and we have felt very loved and supported. It is quite an incredible journey to look back on with great joy and delight. When transitions begin you can never quite know what new directions or surprises might emerge. I have been in conversation with a range of churches over the year to prayerfully consider and discern what next. It has only been in very recent weeks that one of those churches has developed a clear sense of call. I have only been able to confirm this recently. The leadership of Mornington Church of Christ have submitted my name to that congregation to be their Ministry Team Leader in a full-time capacity for a 5 year appointment. Because of their need to have me begin before the end of the year and my need to have an appropriate break and use remaining holiday entitlements before I step into that role there is now a new exit date. My final Sunday at Ringwood will be August 13th. The Ministry Team and Eldership are working proactively with a range of contingencies for the interim space. I encourage your ongoing prayer and support of this committed, skilled, competent and very gifted group of people. Ringwood is very rich in leadership resources. Chris and I will continue to live in Ringwood East for the foreseeable future. Mornington is a very different church with very different opportunities and challenges. Your ongoing prayers are very, very welcome. Janet Dickson and Julia Fullerton invite you to come and celebrate the launch of their books, "Searching for Paradise" and "Navigating the Impasse." When: Saturday 22nd July, pm Where: Ringwood Church of Christ 13 Bedford Rd, Ringwood.

6 Minutes of the SGM Sunday, June 25 th, 2017 In accordance with the Church Constitution please note a copy of the minutes from the SGM is currently posted on the General Noticeboard for your perusal/comment for two weeks. If you have any comments can you please address them to Shannon Cheal, Church Secretary. My Suitcase Heart Reflections on a quarter of a century of Ministry at Ringwood Church of Christ - Part 1 There is a little line in The Weepies song Slow Pony Home that just says I ve held so many people in my suitcase heart I ve thought about that image a lot in recent months and thought that over the next few weeks I d share something from my overflowing suitcase. I have met some incredible people and witnessed some transformational God stories since I can t list them all, but here are a few and the things I have learnt from them. I can still picture the tall, quiet and kind figure of Ted Moore. Ted with his Akubra hat, his vegetable garden and his stealth like ways of simply blessing others. It was the lovely box of fresh home-grown vegetables that first alerted me to the gem that Ted was. His wife had died some time before I ever met him and I learnt that for many, many years he took a train to Sunbury to visit her in the asylum there every weekend. I admired Ted for his steadfast faith, his uncomplaining generosity of spirit and his ongoing acts of stealth kindness. Visiting Ted was like an introduction to Ringwood when it was a village I learnt from him that for many it still is. They have maps of friendships, connections and a shared history the rest of us have no idea of. I loved that man and will always cherish him. The first person I visited here who was dealing courageously with mortality and palliative care was Eleanor McNaughton. What an extraordinary person she was. It was her desire that the church be blessed from her estate. The Baptistry bears the only memorial plaque we have. There was something about the way that God worked through her final days and the funeral service that spoke to her ex-husband Arthur Hicks who then became a generous and regular worshipper here at Ringwood. He was the first person I had spent time with who had a clear word from God that he would not wake up from heart surgery. So he set his house in order, made peace and he was right. I remember where all these people sat in church and I often acknowledge these friends in the cloud of witnesses these faithful, complex, kind people that the Lord encouraged, uplifted, loved and prepared for a future of Grace. John Sharpe

7 We are using a new way of convenient giving. Push Pay enables you to give in a moment. Anywhere, anytime. Even as part of Sunday offerings as the bowls are being passed around. A simple way of partnering with us, it allows you to easily give a one time gift or recurring gift and you have the ability to give from your smartphone anytime and anywhere during the week. It gives you the control of your credit card instead of giving out your information to others. We will also be using it to pay for Holiday Program and other events as they come up through the year as well. It s easy to give: 1. Text ringwood to on your phone and it will send you a link to setup your online giving. Or 2. Download the App and search for an organization - Ringwood Church of Christ and follow the prompts Or 3. Give via the Pushpay website You can choose the option that suits your transaction best and you can add a description if required. If you have any questions please contact Anne Morley. 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:

8 10AM Birthday Greetings - July Sunday 9th Claire Newnham Monday 10th Dan Graham-Prowse Tuesday 11th Bruce Graham, Sophie Sinnatt Friday 14th Ben Alsop, Sienna Palmer Saturday 15th Enzo Privitera DNA: THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD NEWS MATTHEW 5: Speaker: Worship/Communion: Song leader Bible Reading: Communion Helpers: Band: Singers: Audio: Projection: Morning Tea: Flowers: Communion Prep: Welcoming: Offering Counters: Next Week - 16th July John Sharpe Pat Greig Chris Sharpe Paul Arnott Marion Evans, Michelle & Rodney Kemp, Gail & Bob Simpson, Cathy Glover, Belinda Carter Dave Wilkins, Dan Graham- Prowse, Lachlan Salmon, Brass, Sue Green Jon Fraser, John Newnham, Grant Monro, Georgia Wilkins Gary Scott Allan Swan Pat & Bruce Greig Maureen Spencer Helen van Hulst, Janice Campbell, Doug Goddard, Laurie Hannah Phil Joyce, Colin Pritchard Speaker: 6PM NIGHT CHURCH: LIVING IN THE PSALMS Drew Nicholls Worship Leader: Cameron Moss Communion: Vocals: Band: Audio: Projection: Drew Nicholls Cameron Moss Sue Sinnatt Andrew Guy Darren Evans. Jacob Carroll Mitchell Salmon NOTICEBOARD: Voluntary Secretarial position available for Men s Shed, see noticeboard for details. Kitten free to a good home - Contact the office. Op Shop: Wednesday/Thursday (In recess for holidays) Oasis Meals: - Thursday (In recess for holidays) SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES 8.30am Communion & Study 10.00am Morning Service 6.00pm Evening Service