Church News for the week beginning 16th February 2020
OUR BIBLE TALK
This week Jodie leads us as we continue our series on ‘Glorious Judgement’ and will see how God’s judgement is full of mercy and grace at Easter time.
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Our mission of the month is Anglicare. You can support the Anglicare ministry by donating and buying from the mission table in the hall
FIT FOR PURPOSE
We’re gathering a group of men to do jobs around our church property, to keep it fit for its purpose, and to grow as Christians who are fit for the purpose of following Jesus. We start this Wednesday 19th February at 9am at the church, and plan to meet fortnightly. Speak to Graham Errington for more details. We’d love you to join us!
MADE IN JAMBEROO
An opportunity to collaborate with the makers, producers, craftspeople and others in our village and valley. Friday 6th March at 6pm in the church hall.
AGM
Our AGM meeting for 2020 will be on the Tuesday 10th of March at 7pm. All are invited to this key time of celebration and forward inspiration, and an opportunity to elect Wardens and Parish Councillors.
JESUS IS__ LAUNCH
Be a part of the special ‘mission launch’ at Figtree Anglican on Saturday 14th March from 10am to 12pm, and hear David Robertson on the topic, ‘Evangelism—take the next step!’. Don’t miss out!
FREE TO BE YOUTH AND KIDS NIGHT
Friday 13th March at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. Kids at 4:30-6pm, Youth at 7:15-9:15pm, and a shared dinner between sessions. Not to be missed! Bring your friends! Featuring ‘City Alive’.
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 $3217.00, leaving a gap of $-117.00. 
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.
kNOw domestic abuse
It is tragic that one of the most beautiful concepts within the Bible is so easily distorted and used to harm others.
This concept is the equal and complementary roles within marriage that help us understand the glorious service of Jesus for the church, and his self-sacrificial love for Christians.
Yet sadly, we live in a world where sin and selfishness lead us to disobey God and to harm others for our own benefit.
This is why domestic abuse is a reality amongst people in our society, including Christians in the church.
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, including women, children and men, no matter where you live, your culture or religion, or your level of education.
But as we consider this, we must remember that domestic abuse is not just about getting angry or being in a bad relationship.
Instead, domestic abuse is a “pattern of behaviour, based on exerting power and control over another, causing fear and intimidation” (www.knowdomesticabuse.church).
The Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney has recently produced an excellent website, with printed support material, to help promote and support safer environments “that recognise equality between all people, including husbands and wives and promote a culture of healthy relationships of mutual responsibility and respect in marriages, families and congregations”.
Please visit the www.knowdomesticabuse.church website to read more about how to respond to domestic abuse in your home or in the lives of others you know.
And as this website reminds us, we must remember that the Bible “rejects all abuse, whether physical, verbal, or otherwise expressed from one person towards another and always condemns the misuse of power to control or exploit others. Therefore domestic abuse is evil.”
Are you or someone you know living with domestic abuse? Talk to someone at church you trust, or visit the www.knowdomesticabuse.church website.
JODIE McNEILL
Coming up this weekend 15-16 February 2020
This week we continue our series on ‘Glorious Judgement‘, and will see how God’s judgement is full of grace and mercy at Easter time as Jodie speaks to us from God’s word.
Each week in our services we have a question and answer segment based on your questions from the week before. Here are the ones for this week:
1 Since Jesus is part of the Trinity, why does he say in Mark 10:18 that only God is truly good?
2 Which ‘pharaoh’ is referred to in the Exodus story?
3 How did the staffs turn into serpents if God wasn’t working through them?
4 Were the ‘magic tricks’ by the Egyptians a work of the Devil?
5 Would the water that turned to blood also taste like blood?
6 Should Christians continue to celebrate the Passover or is it now obsolete?
7 Is there a difference between predestination and predeterminism?
8 How can predestination and free will both be true?
9 How can we become more brave as a Christian?
Come along to our family service on Saturdays at 5pm! We have a creche and a kids’ program, followed by dinner for everyone and a youth group for Years 6-12. 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
Church News for the week beginning 9th February
OUR BIBLE TALK
This week Jodie leads us as we continue our series on ‘Glorious Judgement’ and will see God at work in Egypt.
MISSION OF THE MONTH
Our mission of the month is Anglicare. You can support the Anglicare ministry by donating and buying from the mission table in the hall
MADE IN JAMBEROO
An opportunity to collaborate with the makers, producers, craftspeople and others in our village and valley. Friday 6th March at 6pm in the church hall.
JESUS IS___ TRAINING
Join with the Anglican churches in the Southern Illawarra for a not-to-be-missed time of encouragement and equipping to be able to use the ‘Jesus Is___’ tool to talk about Jesus in a relaxed and powerful way. If you missed the Shellharbour training this week, why not head to Figtree Anglican at 9am this morning (Saturday 8th February) or Bomaderry at 7pm on Tuesday 11th February.
JESUS IS___ MERCHANDISE
It’s the last weekend to order your own ‘Jesus Is___’ t-shirt or singlet and start the conversation! Visit bit.ly/JesusIsMerch to order online.
JESUS IS__ LAUNCH
Be a part of the special ‘mission launch’ at Figtree Anglican on Saturday 14th March from 10am to 12pm, and hear David Robertson on the topic, ‘Evangelism—take the next step!’. Don’t miss out!
FREE TO BE YOUTH AND KIDS NIGHT
Friday 13th March at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre. Kids at 4:45-6pm, Youth at 7:15-9:15pm, and a shared dinner between sessions. Not to be missed! Bring your friends! Featuring ‘City Alive’. More details soon.
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 $3217.00, leaving a gap of $-117.00.
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.
Will you wear a ‘Jesus Is___’ t-shirt?
During March and April, Anglican Christians throughout Wollongong and beyond will be wearing ‘Jesus is___’ t-shirts and other merchandise.
We’re praying that it will get lots of people talking and thinking about the identity of Jesus.
You might think that it’s a bit ‘out there’ wearing it, but a really good reason to put it on is because you want to show that you’re not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus!
As we read in 1 Peter 4:16, “…if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name”
So the first reason to wear a “Jesus Is___” t-shirt is to go public for Jesus, to be unashamed that you’re connected to Christ.
For we know it’s only by calling on the name of Jesus that people can be saved (Acts 4:10, 12), and that means we need to get people talking about Jesus.
The second big reason to go public this way is to harness the power of synergy… that we can achieve more together than the sum of our individual efforts.
One person wearing a ‘Jesus is___’ t-shirt won’t be noticed for long, but if hundreds of people from across the region do, then it will create an impact.
Or, instead of a t-shirt, you could try a small badge on your lapel, or wear a wrist-band, or a “Jesus is ___” coffee keep cup, or a bumper sticker for your car or pencil case.
You could even just change your Facebook profile picture to temporarily include the ‘Jesus is ___’ artwork.
The third big reason is that when you wear it, someone might ask you, “what’s the deal with all those T-shirts… I keep seeing them everywhere!”
And you can be ready to answer: “We’re interested in people’s opinions. How would you complete that sentence?”
Let’s pray for lots of great conversations about Jesus.
SANDY GRANT with JODIE McNEILL