News 8-9 June 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend we continue our series ‘Hope Beyond Chaos’ as Graham Errington delivers the sixth talk ‘The Son from Hell’, from Judges 8:29-10:5.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week we will continue our series on Judges as Jodie opens up Judges 10:6-12:15 as we hear the talk ‘The Limitations of Negotiations’. 

MISSION OF THE MONTH

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

PARISH COUNCIL

Meeting this Tuesday night at 11th June 7pm in the church hall.

GONG MEN’S DAY

Saturday 15th June 8.30am-2pm at Dapto Anglican Church (meet at our church at 8am to car pool). Cost $40 ($30 concession) includes lunch. Speaker: Sam Chan. Full details at www.gongmensday.org This is a not-to-be-missed event for the men of our church. Please go to the website to book your own ticket.

LADIES’ GUILD

Rescheduled meeting is this Saturday 15th June at 3pm at the church. All ladies welcome to pray, plan and prepare for ministry to women and families throughout our village and valley.

INTERCHURCH GATHERING

We are hosting the first of the all-new gatherings this Sunday 16th June at the new time of 3pm.

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 $5509.00, leaving a gap of $791.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $273,000. Compared to that total we received $245,588, leaving a gap of $27,412.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 are you looking forward to?

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Time is running out before Jesus returns! (CREDIT: Dash Huang via Flickr.)

How would you answer the question, “what are you looking forward to in life?”

It seems likely that the younger you are, the bigger the list!

If you’re at school, then it may be that you’re looking forward to finding a job, getting married, travelling to faraway places, buying a home, parenting children, or maybe even more.

If you’re in middle age or a bit older then perhaps you’re looking forward to enjoying an ’empty nest’ or the opportunities of retirement and beyond.

If you’re older still, then maybe the list of things you’re looking forward to is much shorter.

Yet regardless of your age, the number one thing that followers of Christ must look forward to is his return.

Someone once said, “Live like Christ was born yesterday, died today, and is returning tomorrow.”

If you knew Jesus was coming back in a few hours’ time, then how would it change the way you lived your life in these final moments? How would it change your priorities?

The Bible teaches us that Jesus will return like a thief in the night… at a time when we least expect it to happen.

In the Bible, God gives us some tantilising tidbits about what it will be like when Jesus returns, but ultimately the most important thing we can do is be ready for that day.

And the way to be ready is to be turn away from a life rebelling against God, and to turn to Jesus as loving leader of your life.

And as we wait, we should warn people about the dangers of dying without knowing Jesus.

For when it comes to Jesus’ return, it’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’.

And this is certainly something to look forward to.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this week 8-9 June 2019

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This long weekend it will be great to have you with us at church. We’re going to hear from Graham Errington on the topic ‘The Son from Hell’, as we continue our journey through the Old Testament book of Judges in chapter 9.

We will also be hearing answers to the questions that were asked from members at our church last week. Actually, we had 14 questions… but I’m only going to answer half of them this week (and roll over the rest in the weeks after). They are:

1 Do Christians in other countries preach the same things as we do in Australia?
2 Can people be healed or “converted” from homosexuality to being heterosexual?
3 Did God make us so that Jesus would die for us all because he wanted Jesus to die?
4 How can you tell if God is working in someone else’s life?
5 Doesn’t God get sick of having to forgive us all the time?
6 Do we have “free will”?
7 Did Gideon crush Zeeb in a winepress?

It’s also an opportunity to share in the Lord’s Supper at both of our church services, which will help us remember afresh the amazing moment in history when Jesus died for us to forgive us for everything. Amazing stuff.

So, be sure to join us at 5pm on Saturday night for all-age church with a creche and kids’ program, followed by a hot and tasty meal together. Or come along at 9am on Sunday morning for a slightly-more ‘classic’ Anglican service, which will be followed by espresso coffee and lots of time to chat and encourage each other.

And, of course, if you’ve never joined us before, or know someone who’s not come to church for a while, then this is a perfect weekend to join us!

Grace and peace, Jodie.

5: The Making and Breaking of a Leader Judges 6:1-8:28 Jodie McNeill – 1 & 2 June 2019

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The opportunity to ____.

God uses _______ to lead his people.

The Lord answers their cry with a ______.

Friends show us love when they ______ us.

The angel gives Gideon the opportunity to ____.

Gideon ______ his own ability.

Gideon desired a supernatural ____.

The Lord tells Gideon not to be ______.

There is no room for ______ to other gods.

Gideon goes from zero to ____.

God answers both Gideon’s requests for _____.

We are _______ for believing without seeing.

The victory will be clearly from ___ not man.

His human power _________.

Gideon is _________ he will be victorious.

All good things come from the Lord, for his _____.

Gideon decided to pursue these enemies for _______.

Gideon makes a gold object of _______.

Gideon finally leads the people ______.

There is only one leader who got it all _____.

Download a copy of this with pretty pictures to colour in here:Download


News 1-2 June 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend we continue our series ‘Hope Beyond Chaos’ as Jodie delivers the fifth talk ‘The Making and Breaking of a Leader’, from Judges 6:1-8:28.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week we will continue our series on Judges as Graham Errington opens up Judges 8:29-10:5 as we meet ‘The Son from Hell’. 

MISSION OF THE MONTH

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

SMS MESSAGES

Our ‘Elvanto’ system is now connected to SMS. If you don’t have email, we can connect with you through your mobile. If you don’t have an email, please advise your mobile number on a response slip. 

LADIES’ GUILD

This Saturday 8th June 3pm at the church. Come along to help plan how you can serve our community with love and good deeds, to the glory of God.

GONG MEN’S DAY

Saturday 15th June 8.30am-2pm at Dapto Anglican Church (meet at our church at 8am to car pool). Cost $40 ($30 concession) includes lunch. Speaker: Sam Chan. More details at www.gongmensday.org This is a not-to-be-missed event for the men of our church. Please go to the website to book your own ticket.

INTERCHURCH GATHERING

We are hosting the first of the all-new gatherings on Sunday 16th June at the new time of 3pm.

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 $5509.00, leaving a gap of $791.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $273,000. Compared to that total we received $245,588, leaving a gap of $27,412.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.

Do You Need More Joy?

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True forgiveness brings deep joy (CREDIT: Martin Talbot via Flickr)

Depression and anxiety are at plague proportions in our modern, affluent land, and no matter how hard we try, we can’t seem to get the joy we need.

Even though we have greater wealth, improved health, longer life-expectancy, and the opportunities to connect with countries across the globe, we seem to be sadder than ever.

I was reminded that a great antidote to many mental ailments is becoming drawn into a partnership with something much bigger than the individual.

On the one level, this means that joining an outwardly-focused club or community organisation will mean we are led to focus less on ourselves and more on others.

But on a greater level, this means that when you come to be a follower of the maker of the heavens and the earth—God, who holds the universe in his hands—you then have an invitation to see your own concerns deeply met as you lift up your head to worship the one who loves you deeply and gave his son to die for you.

Yet, even those who are followers of Jesus will find themselves in times of depression, when joy seems hard to find.

Psalm 51 tells us that in times of sin, we can be overwhelmed with guilt and sadness… and that as we humbly ask God to forgive our sin, we need to then seek something more: joy.

As David prayed,

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice.” (Psalm 51:7-8).

As the burden of sin is lifted from our shoulders, we can know afresh the deep, deep love of Jesus, and can experience true, deep joy in the forgiveness of sin and the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus.

JODIE McNEILL

Coming up this weekend 1-2 June 2019

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This weekend we’re going to hear the story of Gideon, one of the most famous leaders in the Bible, and the man known for millions of Bibles in hospitals and motels throughout the world. We’re going to consider his dramatic rise to leadership, and then the events that saw his decline.

In all of this, we will have a fresh reminder of how much God loves us and forgives us, even when we fail to serve him as we should. That’s the theme over and over again in the Old Testament book of Judges, and we’ll see more of it this weekend.

As always, we’ve got a stack of questions that you asked last week, and I’m looking forward to answering. They are:

1. Why does God love us when we constantly sin against him?
2. Why did God make us when he knew we would reject him?
3. Why doesn’t God prevent people from making stupid mistakes?
4. Does God love everyone or only Christians?
5. What was the first Christian song?
6. What’s the difference between submitting and serving?
7. Can you be gay and still come to church?

We’d really love you to join us at 5pm Saturday for an all-age and stage church service, with kids programs for toddlers, infants and primary, followed by a hearty dinner for all, then youth group. Or come along on Sunday at 9am for our classic Anglican service, complete with espresso coffee and great morning tea.

If you’ve not come to church for a while, then this is the perfect weekend to join us. Or if you’re a regular, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to serve each other and enjoy the delights of our community.

Grace and peace, Jodie.

Hope Beyond Chaos 4: The Chorus of the Saved Judges 5:1-31 Jodie McNeill – 25 & 26 May 2019

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The joy of an __________  victory.

We sing when we are overcome with ___.

Singing expresses a deep _____.

It’s a joy when people gladly ______ their leaders.

Our praise is to be heard by ________.

The Lord ________ them victory.

We don’t believe in ______.

Drought reminds us of our __________ on God.

The Lord sent a ______ for Israel.

In their ________, the Lord was with them.

They took ________ by remembering the Lord’s victories.

Despite their military power, the enemy was ________.

The evil man is ____________ by God’s woman.

She _________ the horrors of rape in war.

The Lord ______ their battles and was victorious.

Get a copy of the PDF of this outline (with pictures to colour in) hereDownload

News 25-26 May 2019

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OUR BIBLE TALK

This weekend we continue our series ‘Hope Beyond Chaos’ as Jodie delivers the fourth talk ‘The Chorus of the Saved’, from Judges 5:1-31.

NEXT WEEK’S TALK

Next week we will continue our series on Judges as Jodie opens up Judges 6:1-8:28 with the title, ‘The Making and Breaking of a Leader’

MEN’S BREAKFAST

It’s not too late to join us at 8am this Saturday morning at James Rosten’s house, 1 Sproule Crescent. Just turn up with your $10 and get ready for an overload of cooked breakfast goodies!

MISSION OF THE MONTH

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

SMS MESSAGES

Our ‘Elvanto’ system is now connected to SMS. If you don’t have email, we can connect with you through your mobile. If you don’t have an email, please advise your mobile number on a response slip. 

LADIES’ GUILD

Saturday 8th June 3pm at the church. Come along to help plan how you can serve our community with love and good deeds, to the glory of God.

GONG MEN’S DAY

Saturday 15th June 8.30am-2pm at Dapto Anglican Church. $40 ($30 concession) includes Lunch. Speaker: Sam Chan. Details www.gongmensday.org This is a not-to-be-missed event for the men of our church.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

There are no birthdays this coming week, but happy anniversary to Rayne and Tim Orange, and Trevor and Robyn Lucas, both celebrating on the 27th May.

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 $5509.00, leaving a gap of $791.00. Olimometer 2.52 Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $273,000. Compared to that total we received $245,588, leaving a gap of $27,412.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.

The Canadian Church Crisis

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There is hope for church in Canada (CREDIT: chrisinphilly5448 via Flickr)

It’s hard to believe that the Canadian church has wandered so far from its roots.

Back in 1603, a French man by the name of Samuel de Champlain crossed the Atlantic to try and colonise the ‘New World’ and preach Christianity throughout the land.

As a result, the church heavily influenced family, state and culture in Canada.

But only fifty years ago the ‘Quiet Revolution’ swept the country, leading to a widespread rejection of Christianity.

Today, Prime Minister Trudeau continues to push complete acceptance of non-Christian values such as homosexuality and abortion.

Now, less than one in ten Canadians call themselves Bible-believing Christians, and in places like Quebec, it’s as low as 2%.

Things are so bad that Canada is now considered a top priority for missionary organisations, such as the Southern Baptists in the USA.

The decline in the church has worsened as the reputation of the church is damaged through scandals, such as sexual abuse in the Catholic church and the appointment of United Church pastors who are atheists.

From this, countless churches have shut down, leaving many towns without a Christian presence.

Yet, there is a movement of church planting that has swept the country, giving new life to many cities and towns.

Student ministry in universities has had a tremendous impact on people in a stage of life where they often leave the church.

Many churches continue to faithfully serve God, even through trying times. 

Please pray for a new emergence of Christian leaders who will spread the gospel and lead the church with Christ at the centre.

Pray for colleges like Briercrest, which seek to faithfully teach the Bible to university students and train people for gospel work.

DEREK KLUMPENHOUWER