THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Transcription

1 November Welcome to St John s Welcome to St John s today, especially if you are visiting with us for the first time. If you leave your details with us, we d love to keep in touch with you. Today we welcome Mark Short from the Bush Church Aid Society. THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT The Lighting of the First Advent Candle We are comforted, because the Light of the World has come to us. INTRODUCTION On this day we bear witness to the light of Christ with all the faithful of every time and place. With Isaiah and Jeremiah, prophets of Israel, we await the promised salvation of the Lord, and look for the coming of the one who will bring justice and righteousness to the earth. FROM THE BIBLE Jesus said: I am the light of the world. Who ever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Amen. TOGETHER: Christ is the world s light, he and none other; Born in our darkness, he became our brother. If we have seen him, we have seen the Father: Glory to God on high. The First Candle is lit. The Word became flesh and lived among us, And we have seen his glory. Alleluia! PRAYER Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Your son Jesus Christ came into our world in great humility. On the last day, when he comes again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, may we rise to eternal life, through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever Amen.

2 Tears and Hope: Thank You Thanks to all who came to the Tears and Hope service on Monday night. It was a very special and very unifying night. The podcast of Ed s talk, and the Statement from the Parish Council is on the St John s website. The text of the Parish Council statement is accessible on the St John s Facebook page. Partnership with HammondCare The period of time for public submissions on the HammondCare Development Application has now closed.the City of Sydney Planning Department will now assess those submissions. We expect that they will make a determination on the project soon, and that we will know in the next few weeks about the future of the project. Thanks to all who made a submission in support of the project. Please continue to pray! Hearing Loop We have recently installed a new sound system in the church, and as part of that we have reactivated the hearing loop. This makes it easier for people with hearing aids to hear what is being said at the front. To activate the hearing loop you need to be sitting in the right part of the church. If you sit on the right hand side of the aisle, in the area in front of the sound desk, the hearing loop will work. You may need to turn on the T-switch on your hearing aid. Let us know if you have any problems with it. Information Nights to Volunteer at Roughies Want to volunteer at Rough Edges? Come along to one of the (compulsory!) information nights: Wednesday December 14, Wednesday January 18, Tuesday January 24 Contact Penny at roughedges@stjohnsanglican.org.au for more info.

3 St John s Community Services Annual General Meeting This is a notice for members of St John s Community Services Ltd. I am writing this letter as the Chairman of St John s Community Services Limited (ACN ) (SJCS), to inform you of an important change at our company. Earlier this year, SJCS applied to change its reporting year which, since incorporation, has been from 1 July 30 June. Our new financial year will be 1 January 31 December. The reason for this application was to align our financial year with the reporting year of the St John s Anglican Church which will allow for more streamlined reporting. This, hopefully, will be more efficient and less expensive. The Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC) has granted this request. The consequence is that, for 2015/2016 years, we will be reporting on the 18 month period from 1 July December Financial reporting will then return to 12 month periods: 1 January 31 December. Reporting periods have been and will be as follows: /07/ /06/2014 (12 months) /07/ /06/2015 (12 months) /07/ /12/2016 (18 months) /01/ /12/2017 (12 months) Because of this change, the Annual General Meeting for 2015/2016 cannot be held until the accounts are complete and audited which means it will be held early in I will advise the date of the AGM as soon as it has been determined. If you have any queries relating to this change, please don t hesitate to contact me at Edward.vaughan@stjohnsanglican.org.au Edward Vaughan

4 A Word on our Finances You may recall earlier this year the Wardens and Parish Council made an appeal, because our financial giving was behind budget. As a church we rallied, and got back ahead of budget. As you can see from the figures on the back page of this bulletin, we are again behind budget, and our giving is trending down. If this continues we ll finish the year behind budget. This has consequences for us as a church, and our status as a parish in the Diocese. Once again, can we ask you to prayerfully consider your giving to the ministry of our church, and consider making a regular donation, especially via regular electronic transfer? The details are on the back of the bulletin. Kids Christmas Fair Instead of Christmas Markets, this year we ll be running a Kids Christmas Fair, from 3-6pm on Sunday 11th December. There will be a Jumping Castle, Pet Zoo, Quizworks Puppet Show, Bollywood Dancing, giant Snakes and Ladders and Jenga games, Face Painting, Sausage Sizzle, Messy Games, Bell Ringing and much more. We would also like to have a bake sale or offer a Devonshire tea to parents on the day, if congregation members are able to cook items for sale to the public. Please let Brad know if you are a baker and can help out! Our Christmas Events and Services Sunday December 9.30am Messy Church Christmas Sunday December 3-6pm Kids Christmas Fair Sunday December 7pm Christmas Carols Thursday December 7.30pm Rough Edges Christmas Party Saturday December 11pm Christmas Eve Service Sunday December 9.30am Christmas Day Service

5 Isaiah 40:1-15 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 6 A voice says, Cry out. And I said, What shall I cry? All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. 9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God! 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. 12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counsellor? 14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? 15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

6 World News: INDONESIA: Toddler killed and four others injured in church bombing 16th November 2016 Three-year-old Intan Marbun died following a bomb attack on her church on 13 November by an Islamic extremist, and four of her friends were injured. On Sunday 13 November, an extremist suspected of links with Islamic State bombed Oikumene Church in the Sengkotek district of Samarinda, provincial capital of Borneo's East Kalimantan province. Intan Marbun sustained 75% burns and died the next day. Four other children, aged two and three, were hospitalised. Three of the toddlers (named only as Alvero, Triniti and Anita) sustained serious injuries and the fourth was discharged soon with light injuries. Church member Johny Hatagalung told International Christian Concern, "Suddenly, at about in the morning, we heard an explosion from outside. People were running out using the front and back door of the church. Women were crying and terrified. We saw four children were burned injured badly while one was only lightly injured. These children were calling their parents and crying, 'Why they did they do this, Mummy? I did not do any wrong.'" Police confirmed that the main suspect is a convicted terrorist who was released on parole in Jo Bin Muhammad Aceng Kurnia (32), also known as Juhanda, reportedly visited a mosque before driving to the church on a motorbike. He was wearing a shirt with the slogan, "Jihad way of life". Arriving at the church, he threw a Molotov cocktail into the car park where children were playing after the service. Kurnia attempted to escape by jumping into a nearby river, but members of the church chased him, made a citizen's arrest and brought him to the police. Reports claimed that between four and 15 others were also arrested in connection with the attack. The next day, police spokesman Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar said the police were investigating possible links between 15 people and the alleged perpetrator, saying, "We suspect they are connected and have communication links with the perpetrator, Juhanda." He added, however, that no evidence had been found that they were involved in conducting the attack, and that their status was still that of witnesses in the case. In 2012, Kurnia was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his involvement in the "book-bomb" plot, in which Islamic radicals planned to post bombs disguised as books to a cultural centre and a church near the capital Jakarta, on the island of Java. He received remission during Eid, when some sentences are traditionally reduced, and was released in July He was arrested again in September 2014 after he was found with an Islamic State flag in Parepare, Sulawesi, when he was allegedly attempting to find and kill his wife. A resident of Sengkotek, he is said to have moved from Bogor City (60km south of Jakarta) last year.

7 The bombing of Oikumene Church was the second church attack in Indonesia this year. In August, a suicide bomber failed to detonate his vest at a crowded Roman Catholic church in Sumatra, but injured a priest with an axe before being restrained. Growing religious intolerance Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world, and although most Muslims are moderate, the activities of radical groups have been increasing and religious intolerance is on the rise. The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace has noted that recorded cases of religious violence are increasing significantly in Indonesia on an annual basis. These threats do not only affect the Christian minority: just hours after the church bombing, two bombs were detonated at a Buddhist temple in West Kalimantan, injuring three, and a Roman Catholic church in Java received a bomb threat. Read more about the background in Church in Chains' Indonesia Country Profile at Jakarta's Christian governor accused of blasphemy Indonesian police have named Jakarta's governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as "Ahok", as a suspect in a blasphemy investigation. A Christian from the Chinese ethnic minority, he was deputy governor and succeeded Joko Widodo in 2014 when the latter became president. Mr Purnama has been accused of insulting the Quran in his campaign for the governorship elections, to be held in February If he is found guilty he faces up to five years in prison. Police said they would not detain the governor, despite calls for his arrest from Islamist groups, but barred him from leaving the country during the investigation. Mr Purnama told reporters: "This is not the end, there will be a court process which we hope will be open. We will still take part in the election." In a speech in September, Mr Purnama said Islamic groups using a Quranic verse to discourage support for him were deceiving voters. Some interpret the verse as prohibiting Muslims from living under the leadership of a non-muslim. Islamic groups said he had criticised the Quran and lodged complaints with the police. Mr Purnama later apologised. Earlier this month, at least 100,000 people took part in a protest led by the Islamic Defenders Front in Jakarta calling for the governor's resignation and prosecution. Some called for violence and even for his death. The group is threatening larger protests until he steps down. There have also been social media calls for violence against the governor, and the campaign against him has taken on anti-chinese overtones. (Ethnic Chinese make up about 1% of Indonesia's population of 250 million people.) However, Mr Purnama remains popular for his reformist policies and stance against corruption. (BBC, International Christian Concern, Jakarta Post, Release International, Time, World Watch Monitor)

8 Supporting St John s Support the ministry here by setting up a Direct Deposit with your bank to: St John s Anglican Church BSB Account Number Weekly Offertories Budget 2016 Actual Surplus (Deficit) 20th Nov 16 $1,490 $1,405 ($85) 20th Nov 16 YTD $70,030 $67,920 ($2,110) Rosters Service 27th November 4th December Celebrant Brad Lovegrove Ed Vaughan Deacon Bill Knight Bill Knight Communion Assistant Ed Vaughan Jenny Coleby Brad Lovegrove Jenny Coleby Speaker Mark Short Brad Lovegrove Reader One Felix Chong Joanna Knight Prayers Bill Knight John Kippax Welcomers Morning Tea Joanna Knight John Schiffer Elizabeth Warren Brough Warren Joanna Knight Jenny Coleby Kaarina Kippax John Kippax We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet. Our Sunday services 11am Communion - A classic Anglican service 6pm - Contemporary Worship Messy Church am on the first Sunday each month Getting in touch St John s Darlinghurst 120 Darlinghurst Rd., Darlinghurst NSW 2010 PO Box 465 Kings Cross 1340 Parish Office Tel: admin@stjohnsanglican.org.au To use the Hearing Loop, sit in the pews on the right hand side of the aisle (as you face towards the front) in the area in front of the sound desk.