Come Holy Spirit MESSENGER June & July 2018 GREENOCK LUTHERAN PARISH
Like Father, Like Son Children love imitating adults. Pastor Detlev Vosgerau Many kids when they were young played dress-up. The girls would put on mother s high heels, slap some lipstick on and parade around the house pretending to be all grown up. The boys slipped into dad s suit coat and pretended to be wise and stern as they meted out discipline to the other siblings, just like dad. Kids love imitating their parents. God our Father calls us not to pretend, but to be like him, to know him so well, to be so filled with his Holy Spirit that his nature permeates ours. St. Paul encourages us: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Ephesians 5:1) The fact is we are God s children through faith in Jesus Christ. The invitation now is for us to be like Father, like son, and I should add daughter. We can live a life of love, forgiving others as God has forgiven us. Forgiveness and love is what we have received from God. The forgiveness and love we now give and share reflects God s nature.
It is who our heavenly Father is, and we naturally as his children want to imitate him. So may our prayer always be: Father, make me more like you, kind, tender-hearted, patient and forgiving. Amen. Pastor Detlev Vosgerau 0417 480 069 or Parish Office 8562 8098 Please call to arrange for home or hospital visiting. Web: www.greenockparish.org Email: greenockoffice@internode.on.net Parish Notes Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor 12:27 Parish AGM: Executive consists of Chairman, Geoff Saegenschnitter; Vice-Chair, Rhonda Schild; Treasurer, Peter Neldner. Prayerful request extended that a person will step up to fill the position of Parish Secretary. Professional Standards Department: Each Church Council to manage the requirements for their congregation/leadership team. Direct enquiries to the LCA SA/NT District Professional Standards Department, phone 8267 5211, psd.sa-nt@lca.org.au Please read the weekly Bulletin for further events and gatherings in our Parish and further afield. Bulletin is on the Greenock Parish website (see above). Nain Notes Church Council: Chairman - Geoff Saegenschnitter; Vice Chair - Michael Obst; Secretary - Kevin Schild; Treasurer - Trish Seymon; Extra Members - David Materne & Margaret Linke. Lay Assistants - Ray Obst & Kevin Schild; Synod Delegate - Trish Seymon; Greenock Parish Worship Planning Committee - Rhonda Schild & Margaret Linke; Mission correspondence contact - Tracey Obst. Intercongregational Fellowship for the next 2 years is with St John's Cambrai. Nain Picnic - Sunday 21st October 2018. We will continue to support our ALC student - Joseph Theodorsen and family. Please keep them in your prayers as he continues his studies.
Gnadenfrei St. Michael s, Marananga By Margaret Koch ON TOUR AT OUR STORE : Why would twelve ladies from the Greenock and Gnadenfrei Ladies Fellowships be at the Nuriootpa Foodland Co-op Store but not for shopping? It was a very different location for the regular combined Fellowships meeting on Tuesday afternoon 24th April. A Bible study and short meeting was held in the upstairs Board room. Then the Co-op Operations Manager guided the group upstairs and downstairs (with a lift) giving explanations about the back rooms that you can never see on a shopping visit. It helped to understand the great improvements in the past six months in Our Store. Plenty of questions of course! The tour ended with an afternoon tea in the Café provided by the Café staff. Bible study in the Board room Afternoon tea in the Café. QUIZ NIGHT CHAMPS : The Greenock Bible Society Quiz Night on Friday 11th May was a fun night for many Parish people and raised $1060 for Bible Society projects. The winning team of Cathy and Grant, Jenny and Peter, Margaret and Geoff, and Roberta took an early lead on the other six teams. 90/100 - and no need for a tie-breaker. Next year - get your table organised early. FUTURE PLANNING MEETING : On Sunday 17 th June, following the 10.30am service, there will be a pooled lunch and refreshments in the Hall and then Pastor will run discussion of current and preferred future of the congregation. Open to all members.
The word Pentecost is Greek and it means "50th day." Fifty days after Easter Sunday, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (tongues of fire and a rushing wind), and the beginning of their Earthly ministry to make disciples of all nations.
Assistance sought for PNG Project Goroka Regional Hospital, Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, was visited by Tim, Justin and Kara Tscharke. They saw what these people have to live with when it comes to providing and receiving medical care. With only 1 hospital for 300,000-400,000 people, there were patients everywhere - a few beds, soiled mattresses where available and little else. The hospital just doesn't have the basics that we take for granted. As they took all this in, God was speaking to them and calling them to make a difference. Since their return they have secured 2 x 20 foot shipping containers which will be filled with quality surplus supplies from the old RAH and a Catholic Nursing Home. Helping collect items from a Catholic Nursing Home were Ken Tscharke, Tim Tscharke, Justin Tscharke, Gavin Luke and Neville Sharpe (also Lynette Heinze, taking this photo). Cost for the entire project is around $20,000 (containers $3,322 each. Plus freight). Tim made comment recently that $15,000 has been raised to date. Any assistance from members of the Parish would be very much appreciated. Envelopes at each church, marked Tim Tscharke, which are to be forwarded to the Parish Treasurer, Peter Neldner. Appeal will close at the end of May. Baptism Funeral Parish Register Charlie Jeffrey McDonald, son of Chris and Amy and brother of Riley and Noah, was Baptised at St. Peter s Lutheran Church, Greenock, on 8 th April 2018. Pastor Detlev Vosgerau officiated. The funeral of Ronald Frank Bachmann took place at St. Peter s Lutheran Church, Greenock, on 19 th May 2018. Pastor Detlev Vosgerau officiated. ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MESSENGER TO LYNETTE BY WEDNESDAY, 25 th JULY, 2018 THANKS!