Our World Needs Ethics

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CREDIT: Raniel Diaz (via Flickr)

How do you know what is right and what is wrong?

This is one of the biggest challenges that we all face every day.

Some people will say that humans have a deep-down understanding of what is right and wrong.

Maybe it’s come from our upbringing, as we follow the example of parents and friends.

Or perhaps it’s from our society, as together we try and work out the ‘norms’ of acceptable behaviour through dialogue and discussion.

Yet, when we use crowdsourcing to make decisions about ethics, we place a great deal of faith in our own ability to make true judgements.

Sadly, history is full of examples of when people have got it terribly wrong.

This is why we need an anchor for our ethics… and this is why the Bible is so important and useful.

The Bible is grounded on the idea of love: love for one another that comes from God’s love to us.

Through the Bible, God helps us know our weaknesses, and he shows us how to be saved from the just punishment we deserve as we all, naturally, live independently from him.

That’s why the Christian scriptures are so deeply practical for people of all ages.

And this is why the officially-approved curriculum taught in Special Religious Education (SRE) is so deeply valuable for children in our public schools.

The best place to learn right and wrong is to turn to the Bible.

And the best thing about the Bible is that in those words we learn about true love and true forgiveness, as we hear how Jesus gave his own life as a sacrifice for us.

This is the best lesson any student can ever learn.

JODIE McNEILL

How to Build the Church 2: What on Earth is the Church? Exodus 19:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29 Jodie McNeill – 26 & 27 January 2019

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How to Build the Church

2: What on Earth is the Church?

Exodus 19:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29

 Jodie McNeill • 26 & 27 January 2019


We feel more ____________.

The ______ has so much to offer.

There are lots of ______________ of church.

‘Church’ just means _________.

God’s people have ________ through history.

Christ is in ______, where church is.

Every local church is the ________ church.

The church isn’t a ________.

The church isn’t a ____________.

The church isn’t a ______.

Our building is just a ________.

We shouldn’t focus on our ____________.

We gather for church __________ each week.

It’s _______ when we gather for church.

We are _____ connected.

Download a copy of the PDF of this outline here:

How to Build the Church 2: What on Earth is the Church? Exodus 19:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29 Jodie McNeill – 26 & 27 January 2019Download

Church news for 26 January 2019

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Our Bible Talk

This weekend Jodie is continuing our series, ‘How to build the church’ as he speaks on the topic, ‘What on Earth is the Church?’ from Exodus 19:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29. Next weekend he continues the series on the topic, ‘Why is God building his Church?’ from Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

Mission of the Month

Anglicare is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall, or by providing goods through the ‘Tin Bin’ at the entrance to the church.

The Pulpit Bookstall

We’ve relocated The Pulpit Bookstall to the hall so that you can spend more time perusing our great range of Christian books over dinner or morning tea. We’re getting a whole range of new books soon, so now is the time to get the book you’ve been eyeing off!

Congratulations to Jemimah and Jacob

Jemimah McNeill announced her engagement to Jacob Mierendorff. They plan to be married in July this year.

9am Sunday Begins!

Our new 9am Sunday service begins this weekend. Now we can sleep in and still get to church on time 🙂

New Kids’ Ministry next Saturday

Next weekend we’re going to have two, different kids’ ministries on Saturday nights. During 5pm service our children will continue to move to the hall for their programs, but now there will be one group for the younger kids, and a special group for Upper Primary.

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 $6272.00, leaving a gap of $28.00.Olimometer 2.52Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $98,802. Compared to that total we received $109,200, leaving a gap of $-10,398.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.

Connecting with our Community

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Jodie McNeill and Mongo Delamont from Jamberoo Rural Fire Service

As we celebrate Australia Day, it’s a great reminder of how many people give up their time and energy to serve our community.

I’ve recently got to know a bunch of wonderful locals, who spend countless hours of their time to help protect life and property.

Jamberoo Rural Fire Brigade members are always on standby for a ‘fire call’, ready to drop everything to attend a blaze or an incident in our area.

Recently, some of the brigade members were risking their lives as they extinguished the petrol tanker in West Wollongong, and only this week some of us travelled to Tumut as part of a strike team to assist in a large blaze in Southern NSW.

Plus, this weekend, brigade members will be using fire for a different purpose… cooking sausages on the BBQ for breakfast on Australia Day in Reid Park.

I joined the Jamberoo RFB last year, as I wanted to connect more with our community as we seek to serve each other, especially in times of crisis.

This is everything that is great about our village: the willingness to sacrifice time, energy, and safety, to serve others.

This kind of service gives us a glimpse of what it is like for Jesus, the Son of Man, to serve us. We read in the Bible:

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Bible, Mark chapter 10, sentence 45.

Jesus’ rescue mission was costly, because it meant he sacrificed his own life in order to save the people who came to him for help.

And this is the most courageous act of community service we’ll ever experience.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 26-27 January 2019

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This weekend you can sleep in because our Sunday morning service moves to the all-new time of 9am!

Be sure to join us as we look carefully at God’s word to find out ‘What on Earth is the Church’, our next instalment in our series called ‘How to build the Church’.

During our services we also love to think hard about issues, and so our weekly question time this week has these questions:

1. Where was the Tower of Babel, and is it still standing?

2. How tall was the Tower of Babel?

3. Was it significant that Jesus appeared first to women after his resurrection?

During our 5pm service we’ll have a kids’ program, and then nearly everyone gets together for a tasty meal afterwards. Then after dinner, it’s youth group.

Our 9am service this weekend will also feature the Lord’s Supper, then espresso coffee and morning tea.

We’d love you to join us!

Join us for the Commencement Service

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We’d love you to join us this Tuesday night at 7pm for the official commencement of Rev. Jodie McNeill as the full-time Rector (Senior Minister) at Jamberoo Anglican Church.

Jodie’s been the part-time Senior Minister for the past four years, sharing some of his time as Senior Minister at neighbouring Oak Flats Anglican.

But the time has come for Jamberoo to have its own, full-time minister, and so from the start of this year, Jodie is now focusing all his energy on the parish of Jamberoo.

We’d love you to be with us this Tuesday at 7pm for a formal service, where our local Bishop Peter Hayward will officiate at this significant event.

We’d also love you to stay around afterwards for one of our famous suppers, to enjoy food and fun together in celebration.


How to Build the Church 1: The Battle of the Builders Genesis 11:1-9 and Matthew 16:13-20 Jodie McNeill – 19 & 20 January 2019

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THE _____
BUILDING IS AT OUR ________
COMMON LANGUAGE SEEMS A ____________
BEING ________ IS A GIFT
WE WITNESS TECHNOLOGICAL ____________________
THEY WANT TO BE ________
WE WANT TO MAKE A ___ FOR OURSELVES
THEIR TOWER ATTRACTED GOD’S ________
GOD ____________ THE PEOPLE
JESUS ASKS THEM ABOUT HIS ______________
PETER CORRECTLY ______________ JESUS
PETER GETS A NEW _______
THE CHURCH IS THE ONE, ___________ GATHERING
JESUS WILL ________ HIS CHURCH FROM ATTACK
THE KEYS ARE THE _____
LIFE ON EARTH IS _______________ TO LIFE IN HEAVEN
JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES TO KEEP THIS A ______
THIS FULFILLED THE OLD TESTAMENT _________
A GATHERING FOR ____
THE ________________ OF BABYLON
WHICH ___________ ARE YOU PART OF?

Download a PDF of this here: 1 The battle of the builders – Jodie McNeill 19-20 January 2019Download

Church news for the week beginning 19th January 2019

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This weekend’s Bible talk

This weekend Jodie is kicking off the brand-new series, ‘How to build the church’ as he speaks on the topic, ‘The Battle of the Builders’ from Genesis 11:1-9 and Matthew 16:13-20. 

Next weekend’s Bible talk

Next weekend Jodie will be continuing our series, ‘How to build the church’ as he speaks on the topic, ‘What on Earth is the Church?’ from Exodus 19:1-9 and Hebrews 12:18-29. 

Mission of the month

Anglicare is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall, or by providing goods through the ‘Tin Bin’ at the entrance to the church.

Working Bee

Thank you to all who have participated in our epic, week-long Working Bee from Wednesday 16th to Monday 21st January. If you’re still free, we’re continuing the joy through to this Monday. If you’re able to join us for an hour or two (or a bit longer) then please phone James Rosten, our Working Bee Keeper.

Erringtons away

Graham and Lesley are now on leave until Friday 25th January.

Commencement Service

This Tuesday 22nd January at 7pm we’re hosting a special service for our church and our community as we invite the Bishop to formally welcome Jodie as our full-time Rector for this year. Pray that God will use it to help people know about the exciting new stage of our parish. We’d love it if you could please bring along a plate of food for Tuesday night to share, if possible.

Orange Summer Night

This Sunday afternoon 20th January please come along to Rayne and Tim’s at 5:30pm for a BYO meat/drink BBQ followed by an evening swim at Little Lake inlet or Warilla Beach. Address is 165 Shellharbour Road, Warilla and parking is great either on the road, or a few houses down at the Oval. Please let Rayne know if you are coming.

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 $6272.00, leaving a gap of $28.00.Olimometer 2.52Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $98,802. Compared to that total we received $109,200, leaving a gap of $-10,398.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.

Are you prepared?

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CREDIT: Karen Cox via Flickr

The end of January is often a time of preparation.

People all over Australia are getting ready to send their kids back to school, or to go back to work themselves.

They are organising Australia Day parties and outdoor activities for the end of Summer, before life gets busy again.

Tim and I are very much a part of this as Tim prepares to go back to school to teach in a few short weeks and I plan and prepare for the youth ministry here in Jamberoo, as well as pursuing some other part-time work alongside my ongoing visa applications!

But the Good Lord in his Good Book tells his people to be preparing for something different, and not just in light of Summer coming to an end.

Scripture tells Christians to be ready because the Son of God is coming back.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-44)

So what does being ready look like?

It’s about knowing that Jesus, the Son of God, is coming, and living a life to honour him full of faith in him and his saving grace.

It’s about making every decision in life as though Jesus might come back today.

So as you prepare for all sorts of things in the coming days and weeks, ask yourself if you are prepared for Christ’s return.

RAYNE ORANGE

Coming up this weekend 19-20 January 2019

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This weekend our Senior Minister Jodie McNeill will be speaking on “The Battle of the Builders” as we kick off an all-new series called ‘How to Build the Church’. 

During our 5pm Saturday church service we’ll continue our popular weekly question and answer time, and Jodie will be answering these questions:

  1. Aren’t the books of Ruth and Esther named after women?
  2. If humans are lower than angels (Hebrews 2:7), and angels are sent to serve humans (1:14), then where do humans sit in terms of importance?
  3. If God is all-powerful, then why can’t he choose to ignore people when they reject him?

Our 8am Sunday service will be morning prayer from the ‘Sunday Services’ book.

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. Or come along on Sunday at 8am for a classic Anglican service.

See you at 5pm this Saturday or 8am this Sunday, God willing!