Church news for the weekend 17-18 August 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This week Jodie continues our series on the book of Acts called ‘Launching the Church’. Today’s talk is on Acts 4:32-6:7, called ‘The Attack of Satan’.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week Jodie will continue our Acts series with the fifth talk on Acts 6:8-7:60 entitled ‘Stand up for Jesus’.

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Support CMS through the ‘Mission Table’ by buying or donating stuff.

COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY KIDS CLUB

We’re running a four-day kids’ club during school hours on the second week of the school holidays (8-12 October). If you’re available to help let us know via response slip. And get the word out to everyone!

REAL WOMEN, REAL STORIES

Come along to our first Ladies Guild afternoon tea this year on 25th August 2-4pm in the hall. RSVP Mandy 0425 222 339. Grab some flyers and invite your friends!

PARISH COUNCIL

Deferred to this Tuesday night at 7pm.

LADIES GUILD MEETING

This Sunday 18th August 3-4pm. All women invited to join to plan the afternoon tea the following week.

DINNER DONATIONS

From now on we’re just asking for donations for dinner, with no fixed price.

NEW WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING

Join us each Saturday morning 7.30-8am in the hall. 30 minutes of prayer, plus a cuppa if you’ve got time.

NEW VISION GATHERING

At the new time of 8-11am Saturday 7th September in the hall for prayer, planning, review, training, and brunch!

LANDSCAPING WORKS UNDERWAY

Praise God for the terrific new landscaping works. Please avoid the grass areas until the new lawn grows. 

SIGN THE ABORTION PETITION

Please take a moment to sign the Archbishop’s petition to NSW parliament about the proposed changes to abortion.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $5882.00, leaving a gap of $418.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $245,700. Compared to that total we received $221,466, leaving a gap of $24,234.Olimometer 2.52

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.

Building the Church

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If you’ve seen our church this week then you’ll know that we’re under construction!

We’ve made the lawn at the front of our hall into a level area, and we’ve also built some built some new gardens and have improved the driveways and car parking.

We’re praying that the new lawn at the front of the hall will be even better for our weekly Saturday night dinners and Sunday morning teas, as well as our kids and youth programs and other events in the life of our church.

We’re also praying that the new trees, shrubs and flowers will help make our grounds look even nicer and inviting.

But the ultimate reason we’re doing this is because we want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable visiting our church.

Our church is a church for everyone in the village and valley of Jamberoo and beyond, and we want the whole community to feel at home with us.

We want this to be a place where everyone can gather with us to listen to God speak through the Bible, to speak to him in prayers, and to encourage each other as we sing, share and support each other in the loving community of Christ Jesus.

The building works around our church are very visible and exciting, but the greatest building works are happening as people hear the word of Jesus and accept his invitation to follow his loving leadership as their Lord.

That’s the kind of church building that matters the most, for the Bible tells us that God’s people “are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.” (1 Peter chapter 2 verse 5).

So, when you see the awesome new landscaping around our church, remember that it’s a personal invitation for you to come along and be a part of the biggest building project in the universe!

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 17-18th August 2019

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If you’ve seen our church grounds this week then you’ll know that we’re under construction! We’ve been doing all sorts of earthworks as we’ve started to make the grounds around the church look nicer and become even better for all the things we love to do together. But, we’re still totally open for business!

This week we’re looking at a time just after the first Easter when the church was under attack from Satan. He tried to stop the growth of the church through persecution from religious leaders, and then from internal selfishness and corruption, and then finally from distraction from the main activity of speaking about Jesus. We’ll see all this as we look closely at Acts 4:32-6:7.

Plus, in our usual Question and Answer segment, I’ll be answering these questions that you’ve asked over the past few weeks:

1 How can we repent of all our sins if we can’t remember them all?

2 Is it bad for a Christian to want to date a non-Christian?

3 How can we love our neighbour if we don’t love ourself?

4 Can people predict the return of Jesus?

5 If someone believes in Christianity as well as another religion, will they go to heaven?

6 Did Jesus go to hell in the time between his death and resurrection?

7 Would the Bible writer have gone to hell if he made a mistake about Judas’ destiny?

8 Does Acts 4:19 show us how to respond to rulers who tell us to act contrary to God’s ways?

So, be sure to come and join us at 5pm Saturday, for an all-age service with kids’ program, hearty dinner, and youth group. Or come at 9am Sunday for a classic-style Anglican service with some great espresso afterwards.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Grace and peace, Jodie.

Acts: Launching the Church 3: The Launch of Persecution Acts 3:1-4:31 Jodie McNeill – 10 & 11 August 2019

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Riding the wave.

The church was _______ in every way.

We live in a world that is ______.

Peter and John meet a ________ man.

Peter brings _______ to the man with a word.

He went walking and leaping and ________ God!

Our supernatural God does ____________ things!

The creatures ______ their creator.

The name of Jesus is ________!

The death of Jesus was according to ____.

Their sins will be forgiven if they say _____.

Repentance brings ___________.

The Old Testament said this would ______.

The Jesus movement was _________!

The apostles faced the same _________ as Jesus.

Peter courageously points them to _____.

The Jews saw the _____ of Jesus’ name.

They prayed the ____ of God back to God.

They prayed for ________ not protection.

Opposition starts outside but heads ______.

Download a PDF copy of the outline (with fancy drawings) here Download

Church news 10-11 August 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This week Jodie continues our 18-week series on the book of Acts called ‘Launching the Church’. Today’s talk is on chapter 3 and 4, called ‘The Launch of Persecution.’.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week Jodie will continue our Acts series with the fourth talk on Acts 4:32-6:7 entitled ‘The Attack of Satan’.

MISSION OF THE MONTH

Support CMS through the ‘Mission Table’ by buying or donating stuff.

YOUTH CAMP

Our ‘Alive’ youth camp is on this weekend.

COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY KIDS CLUB

We’re running a four-day kids’ club during school hours on the second week of the school holidays (8-12 October). If you’re available to help let us know via response slip. And get the word out to everyone!

REAL WOMEN, REAL STORIES

Come along to our first Ladies Guild afternoon tea this year on 25th August 2-4pm in the hall. RSVP Mandy 0425 222 339. 

LADIES GUILD MEETING

Sunday 18th August 3-4pm. All women invited to join to plan the afternoon tea the following week.

DINNER DONATIONS

From now on we’re just asking for donations for dinner, with no fixed price.

PARISH COUNCIL

This Tuesday night at 7pm.

NEW WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING

Join us each Saturday morning 7.30-8am in the hall. 30 minutes of prayer, plus a cuppa if you’ve got time.

NEW VISION GATHERING

At the new time of 8-11am Saturday 7th September in the hall for prayer, planning, review, training, and brunch!

LANDSCAPING WORKS COMMENCING

From Monday this week we’re embarking on the new landscaping project.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $5882.00, leaving a gap of $418.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $245,700. Compared to that total we received $221,466, leaving a gap of $24,234.Olimometer 2.52

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.

None of our Business?

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Over the past week my Facebook feed has been filled with Christians stating that the abortion bill should be defeated so that all citizens in NSW should be subject to the ethics of the Bible.

But what right do Christians have to influence laws that affect people who don’t share our religious belief?

At one level it is simple: Christians are citizens like anyone else, and we have a right and responsibility to voice our opinions and influence the decisions of the politicians who represent us.

However, some argue that the Biblical worldview does not apply to those who are not followers of Jesus, and therefore Christians should focus on the behaviour of believers, not the wider population.

Yet, the reason we get involved in social ethics is ultimately out of love for others, and in particular, love for those who are unable to protect or defend themselves.

The Bible makes it clear that unborn children are as valued to God as those who have successfully made it out of the womb, and that this applies to all people, not just Christians.

And therefore if some people believe that it is acceptable to kill another person who is unable to defend him or herself, then the loving response of Christians is to try and stop that unloving and immoral behaviour.

This is why we are passionate in pursuing ways to try and protect unborn children from being killed by immoral decisions made by politicians.

What’s more, this is why Christians have been so vocal and active in trying to prevent any changes to law to make it easier to kill an unborn child… and why we weep at the decision this week that will make it easier than ever to abort healthy babies in the moments before they were due to be naturally born.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 10-11 August 2019

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We’d love you to join us this weekend at our church, whether your the first time ever, your first time in a while, or maybe you’re with us most weekends. We’d love our church to be your church, if it’s not already.

Right now we’re in a series called ‘Launching the Church’, where we’re looking at the New Testament book of Acts and how a gang of a few hundred believers in Jesus quickly grew to many thousands in just a matter of weeks. This week it’s chapters 3 and 4, with the topic ‘The Launch of Persecution’, as we see how the extraordinary kick-start from the Day of Pentecost led to an amazing miracle, which then led to some pretty intense opposition from the legal eagles.

As part of our weekly church we have a ‘Question and Answer’ spot, where I get to answer questions you’ve asked last week about the Bible talk, or really, anything at all. Here are the questions for this coming weekend:

1 Where does the Bible say that the Holy Spirit is a ‘he’?
2 How did the Bible writer know that Judas went to hell?
3 After Pentecost, did the believers speak their original languages?
4 How long did it take to baptise 3000 people?
5 Why were people healed after touching Jesus?
6 Can Christians perform healing miracles today?
7 What stops Christians performing healing miracles today?

You can see that I’ve really got my homework cut out for me this week! So come and hear my answers and have your world expanded as you consider how God is working in his world.

So, we’d love you to join us at 5pm this Saturday with dinner, kids’ program, and a great, all-age service. Or come at 9am Sunday for a more classic-style Anglican service, with terrific espresso coffee. See you this weekend, God willing!

Grace and peace, Jodie.

Acts: Launching the Church 2: Launch Day Acts 2:1-47 Jodie McNeill – 3 & 4 August 2019

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Big day.

_________ was a very big day for the church.

The Holy Spirit led them to _____.

It is a gift to hear words in your own ________.

Pentecost reversed the curse of _____.

The hearers were _______.

Joel promised that God would pour out his ______.

God used signs and wonders to _______ his son.

God _________ his sovereignty and our responsibility.

_____ could not hold onto Jesus.

Psalms are _________ about God’s king.

The resurrection was a ____, supernatural event.

The hearers had to _______.

We all must ______ of our sins and turn to Christ.

We long for _________ to know Jesus!

We see church at its ____.

Pentecost was a one-off _________ for the church.

Download a copy of the PDF of this outline here Download

News 3-4 August 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This week Jodie continues our all-new, 18-week series on the book of Acts called ‘Launching the Church’. Today’s talk is on chapter 2, called ‘Launch Day’, as we look at the events of Pentecost.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week Jodie will continue our 18-week series on the book of Acts with the third talk on chapters 3 and 4 entitled ‘The Launch of Persecution.’

MISSION OF THE MONTH

CMS is our mission of the month. Support at the ‘Mission Table’ by buying or donating stuff.

YOUTH CAMP

Our ‘Alive’ youth camp is only next weekend, 9-11 August at Burrill Pines on the South Coast. Talks are on the topic “A Christ-centred Identity”. Cost is $150 (with subsidies available). This is the last week to register. Invite your friends!

GEOFFREY RUGGLES’S FUNERAL

The funeral of Graham Errington’s stepfather will be held in our church this Wednesday 7th August 11am.

MINISTRY TO THE INTERIOR

Would you be willing and able to occasionally cook a meal for a friend of our church or a member of our village or valley who is in need? Indicate on the response slip, or tell Shani on 0417 424 445.

COUNTDOWN TO HOLIDAY KIDS CLUB

We’re running a four-day kids’ club during school hours on the second week of the school holidays (8-12 October). If you’re available to help for some of that time please let us know via response slip. And get the word out to everyone you know!

REAL WOMEN, REAL STORIES

Come along to our first Ladies Guild afternoon tea this year on 25th August 2-4pm in the hall. RSVP Mandy 0425 222 339. 

LADIES GUILD MEETING

Sunday 18th August 3pm-4pm. All women invited to join to plan the afternoon tea the following week.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. In the last calendar month, our average weekly giving was $5882.00, leaving a gap of $418.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $245,700. Compared to that total we received $221,466, leaving a gap of $24,234.Olimometer 2.52

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.

What About Me?

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This week several NSW politicians introduced a bill to try and change our abortion laws.

The bill proposes that when two medical practitioners agree, a termination can occur right up to full-term after they have considered “all relevant medical circumstances, and … the person’s current and future physical, psychological and social circumstances…”

In other words, a doctor can cause the death of an unborn child if he or she believes that the mother’s psychological or social circumstances might be affected now or in the future if the child is naturally born.

There is no question that raising a child can be hard when everything is ‘normal’, let alone when there are difficult psychological or social circumstances for the parents.

But this debate would never happen if we were discussing the plight of a child who was already born.

Imagine if politicians were proposing that a three-month old infant could be euthanised if they were causing psychological and social difficulties for her mother?

Yet, a child who was four months younger and still in the womb could be killed by two doctors if this bill is passed.

The only reason we’re having this debate is that some people think an unborn baby is not human, and therefore can be removed and disposed of from the mother’s body.

What is it that makes a politician or doctor so sure that a foetus is not worthy of medical care and protection, simply because it hasn’t been able to have the opportunity to be safely delivered?

The reality is that God, who created us all, says that an unborn child is to be valued as much as a child who has been safely born.

The Bible is clear on this, but some of our politicians confidently believe that what God says about this matter is to be ignored.

Please pray that our politicians will listen to God and their consciences and vote to defeat this bill before more babies are killed by the very medical practitioners who made a vow to protect human life.

JODIE McNEILL