Church news for the week beginning 22nd September 2018
This weekend’s Bible talk
This weekend we continue our series on ‘Romans: The Heart of Truth’, with Jodie speaking on the topic ‘The future of Israel’ from Romans chapter 11 verses 11 to 36.
Next week’s Bible Talk
Next week we take a break from our series on Romans, and Simon Chaplin will be speaking on the topic “XXXX”from XXXX.
Mission of the month
Church Missionary Society (CMS) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.
Parish Council
Our Parish Council meets at the special date and time of this Wednesday, 24th September at 6.30pm at the church. Please remember them in your prayers.
KBECET Fundraising
Thank you to all who contributed to the KBECET fundraising efforts. The following was raised: Pie Drive – $3,350 & The Police Band Concert – $3,300.
Ladies’ Dinner
The next Ladies’ Dinner will be held on Tuesday 16th October with guest speaker Nicky Fortescue, who will speak on the topic of ‘Taking grace, giving grace’. 7pm at Oak Flats Anglican, cost $15. Please visit www.oakflatsanglican.com/ladiesdinner to register.
Children’s and youth programs in holidays
During school holidays our normal midweek children’s and youth programs take a break until 20th October. However we plan to continue a mini-program during the 5pm Saturday service as required.
Giving update
Each week we need to receive $1200.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $1305.00, leaving a gap of $-105.00.
Pray for our police
Each year, the 29th day of September holds special significance for police throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.
It is a day for police to pause and honour those whose lives have been lost while performing their duty as police officers.
This important day is also a time to remember other police officers who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances.
And so, this week, let us pray this prayer, together:
Our heavenly Father, we thank you for your providential care of our world and the peace and security that we enjoy in our land. We especially thank you for the Police Force of New South Wales. Despite the corruption of the human heart and the prevalence of lawlessness and sin, we thank you for these guardians of justice in our society.
We pray for the members of our Police Force as they maintain law and order in our state. Give them the courage to expose unrighteousness, wherever it is found, to pursue justice for the common good, to deal with all without fear or favour, and to act with wisdom and compassion in all their work. Protect them from danger in their duties, shield them from temptation, and enable them to be role models for all whom they serve.
We also pray for police chaplains as they minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of our Police Force members. May they act with compassion, wisdom and love as they support police officers in their line of duty.
We offer our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, who alone brings order to the human heart, peace to a troubled world and the hope of eternal life for all who put their trust in him. Amen.
ARCHBISHOP GLENN DAVIES
Coming up this weekend 22nd – 23rd September 2018
This weekend we continue our series on ‘Romans: The Heart of Truth’, with Jodie speaking on the topic ‘The future of Israel’ from Romans chapter 11 verses 11 to 36.
At our 5pm Saturday service we will have an opportunity to meet one of our church members, which is always a great encouragement to us all.
We will also have our weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:
- What is “unwanted, same sex attraction”?
- What is “spiritual death”?
- If we say to God, “choose me”, then will that work?
Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion Second Order AAPB service.
If you’re wanting to check out our church we’d really love you to visit us on Saturday at 5pm for a contemporary service with kids’ program and dinner afterwards. Our youth group ‘Alive’ is taking a break for the holidays, but will return next week.. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.
If you can’t make it in person, you’re welcome to jump online to watch the service (with the same sermon and many other items) at www.oakflats.tv.
See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!
Church news for the week beginning 15th September 2018
This weekend’s Bible talk
This weekend we continue our series on ‘Romans: The Heart of Truth’, with Jodie speaking on the topic ‘God’s faithfulness’ from Romans chapter 11 verses 1 to 10.
Mission of the month
Church Missionary Society (CMS) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.
Jamberoo Inter-church Service
Join with fellow church-goers around our village and valley in our quarterly inter-church service. This Sunday 16th September 7pm at Jamberoo Uniting Church, with supper to follow.
Giving update
Each week we need to receive $1200.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $1305.00, leaving a gap of $-105.00.
Welcoming without affirming
CREDIT: Photo UNED, via Flickr.
Last weekend Mandy and I attended the ‘Anglican Future Conference’ in Melbourne.
One of the keynote speakers, Wes Hill, encouraged us to think about the challenge of having our churches open to including people who experience unwanted, same-sex attraction.
He encouraged us to be ‘welcoming, not affirming.’
We are to be welcoming to people with all sorts of backgrounds and experiences, but do so in such a way that we do not affirm behaviour that is against God’s will.
As a basis for his encouragement, he led us through a Bible study on Romans 9 to 11, where he outlined the remarkable way in which God’s gospel makes believers go from spiritual death to life.
And when God acts to save his people, his salvation is unifying.
We who were excluded as non-Jews have been included into the nation of Israel, and it had nothing to do with how faithful we were to his law.
In fact, he included us in order that we might be dependent on God’s grace, not on our own merits.
The result is that “we must forsake our looking down on others.”
For this reason, our church welcomes LGBTQI+ people.
God’s saving message of his love and mercy is for everyone: we are all welcomed, but our sin is not affirmed.
For as we read in the Bible:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 9b-11)
JODIE McNEILL