Coming up this weekend 25-26 January
This week we have special guest Mike Williamson speaking to us.
Next weekend we are starting a new series called the Judgement of God that I will be leading for the next four weeks.
We are taking a break from our regular question and answer segment, but feel free to keep asking questions via emailing office@jamberooanglican.com or your response slips at church.
Please join us on Saturdays at 5pm for our family service where we have a kids program and dinner where everyone is welcome. Or why not try out our Sunday morning service at 9am for a more classic Anglican feel, followed by morning tea and hot espresso.
Grace and peace,
Jodie
Sticks and Stones
Whoever first said “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me” was obviously unaware of modern-day social media.
Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, there seems to be a keyboard courage that leads people to write things online that they’d be far-less-likely to say face-to-face to their victims.
That’s why cyber-bullying is such a problem in our midst, and it seems that our authorities seem unwilling or unable to do anything to stop it.
Our political leaders are often the target of ‘mean tweets’, the kind of bullying that is condoned and encouraged by the general populace.
It must be hard for the politicians and public figures to endure the direct attacks themselves, but the cost for their families is too great.
Words are powerful, and can have a genuinely physical impact on those who hear them.
Tragically, we saw another example this week when Wilson Gavin, a 21-year-old activist, was so brutally attacked online that he chose to take his own life.
Words of hate are felt like daggers in the heart.
This is why James wrote that, “among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” (James 3:6).
It is a sober warning to all people that we must be wise and loving with how we speak and what we write online.
For as we read in the Psalms:
Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. (Psalm 34:12-14)
JODIE McNEILL
(Photo credit: Leo Hidalgo via Flickr)
Coming up this weekend 18-19 January
This weekend we have special guest Wicky coming to speak to us and give an update on KBECET, our mission for the month of January.
We are taking a short break from our regular question and answer segment, but feel free to keep asking questions by emailing office@jamberooanglican.com or via your response slip during our services.
Come join us at 5pm on Saturday for our family service, we have a kids program followed by dinner for everyone. Or try out our more classic Anglican style service on Sunday at 9am, followed by morning tea and hot espresso!
Grace and peace,
Jodie
Church News for the week beginning 11th January
OUR BIBLE TALK
This weekend, we have special guest Moussa Ghazal speaking to us and asking the question “Where is God in the bushfires?” This is a not-to-be-missed event that will help us understand more about the place of suffering in God’s world, and how it is that we can understand tragedy in the light of a good and sovereign God.
Next weekend, we have another special guest, Wycliffe (Wicky) Onyango, coming to speak and give an update on KBECET.
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Our mission of the month is KBECET (Kiama Board for Employment of Christian Education Teachers). You can support the KBECET ministry by donating and buying from the mission table in the hall.
JESUS IS___ TRAINING
Join with the Anglican churches in the Southern Illawarra for a not-to-be-missed night of encouragement and equipping to be able to use the ‘Jesus Is___’ tool to talk about Jesus in a relaxed and powerful way. Monday 3rd February 7-9pm in the Shellharbour Civic Centre Auditorium. Entry Free.
GIVING UPDATE
Each week we need to receive $3100.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $3168.00, leaving a gap of $-68.00. 
Electronic giving is a great way to give! It helps us prayerfully plan our giving, and then the bank will help us keep that commitment, even when we may be unable to attend. To give by direct transfer then these are the details. Account name: Church of England Jamberoo. Account number: 10081274. BSB: 062562.
Praying for our Servos
In this time of national disaster, it’s very important that we pray for the many people who serve us in our emergency services and other associated organisations. To help you pray, here is the prayer I wrote for our Tuesday ‘Bushfire Emergency Prayer Service’:
Heavenly Father, we bring before you the many people who lead and serve in our emergency services, and ask that you would protect and strengthen them in this time of crisis.
We pray for the members of the Ambulance service, who render help to firefighters and victims, and for the health and medical staff who provide first aid and long-term care.
We pray for the volunteers in the Rural Fire Service, who continue to battle tirelessly and sacrificially, and for Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, who with his team, has showed such leadership in keeping everyone informed and safe, as he manages this disaster.
We pray for the police force, and their assistance in helping evacuate and direct traffic and respond to incidents, as well as maintain law and order in this challenging time.
We pray for the defence force, who have supported all agencies from air, land and sea in many roles and capabilities.
We pray for NSW Fire and Rescue, who battle to protect and save people, animals and buildings, and for their executive management team and incident controllers.
We pray for those in the National Parks and Wildlife Service who help care for animals and assist with fighting fires.
We pray for the SES workers who restore safety to communities and clear hazardous debris.
We pray for the forestry corporation, fighting fires and managing millions of hectares of state forest.
We pray for the many people who have pushed for donations and have given time, equipment and money to assist those in need.
We pray for the many people who work behind the scenes in communication centres, who have the difficult job of determining where valuable resources need to go.
We pray for the people who update apps, warning and Facebook pages, and for the people in the media, who together work to keep information coming in times of need.
We thank you for the service of all who have travelled afar from interstate and from Canada, the USA, New Zealand, to assist us in this time of disaster.
We pray also for our Prime Minister, our Premier, our Mayor, and for all those who serve with them at this time, as they make important decisions to coordinate the firefighting and relief efforts.
And we also pray for the family and friends of all firefighters who have to say ‘farewell’ with fear and pride to a loved one, and hold down the fort while they are gone.
We pray for protection and strength for all who lead and serve us in this bushfire emergency.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
JODIE McNEILL
(Photo credit: ‘Highway Patrol Images’ via Flickr.com)