Coming up this weekend 23rd – 24th September 2017

This weekend Graham Errington will be speaking on the topic “Which is better?” from Luke chapter 10 verses 38 to 42.

During our 5pm Saturday service, we’ll have our weekly question and answer time, and Graham will be answering these questions:

  1. Who wrote 2 Samuel, and who is the narrator in last week’s chapter?
  2. Why do we say that David would fulfil God’s promises when God always planned to fulfil things through Jesus?
  3. Why do people in the Uniting Church handle the Bible wrongly?
  4. Why do we choose to ignore the Bible’s teaching about food laws and rituals, yet choose to obey the teaching about homosexuality?
  5. Was the minister in Victoria right to not marry a heterosexual couple because they supported same-sex marriage?
  6. What are the differences between Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses?
  7. Will Jesus only come back when everyone has heard of him?
  8. What will you say to Jesus when you see him face to face?
  9. How could Jesus not know when he would return when he was on earth, since he is in a complete relationship with his heavenly Father?
  10. Why is the word LORD always in capitals in the Bible?

We will also share the Lord’s Supper at 5pm Saturday, so come along and be reminded again of the great service of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.

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, or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

Church news for the week beginning 16th September 2017

2 Samuel series continues

This weekend we continue our series looking at 2 Samuel as Simon Chaplin preaches from chapter 11 verses 1 to 27 with the title, “The sin of the King”.

Next week’s Bible Talk

Next week, Graham Errington will be speaking on the topic “Which is better?” from Luke chapter 10 verses 38 to 42.

Mission of the month

Triple Care Farm is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Our Quarterly Inter-Church Service is on again!

Join with other Jamberoo Christians at 7.00 pm on Sunday 17th for a time of prayer, singing, fellowship and reflection on the theme of Renewal, at Jamberoo Uniting Church, Wyalla Road.

Combined Celebration Service

A reminder that on Saturday 7th October we are bringing our two services together for a celebration night at 5pm and enjoying special Canadian-themed dinner and entertainment.

This combined church service will replace our 8am service on the 8th October which will not be held this weekend. Keep the date free, and bring along your friends and family for this great night of celebration!

New Midweek Service

On Thursday 2nd November at 11am we will trial a new ‘Midweek Service’ which will be followed by a light lunch. We are praying that this service will provide a format that will serve our members who often find the 8am time difficult, and that it will be an ideal service to which we might invite our friends. Keep the date free!

New Rosters

New rosters are out now. If you need a paper version, grab one from the information table, or otherwise log onto www.jamberooanglican.net to see what dates and roles you are scheduled for.

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 $5513.00, leaving a gap of $787.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $54,600. Compared to that total we received $48,216, leaving a gap of $6,384.

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 .

Your true face on Facebook

Young kids love to dress up and pretend to be somebody else.

Whether it’s Elsa or Buzz Lightyear, they love to play another character.

Adults also enjoy pretending to be someone else, often at a costume party or a masquerade ball.

Sometimes we pretend to be someone else on social media.

Even though Facebook requires the use of real names, people don’t always act in a way that matches their real-life persona.

Sometimes this can be a form of social ‘makeup’, where we try to appear our very best when we’re sharing our photos or making comments.

At other times we keep silent about our beliefs and opinions, especially when discussion rages about controversial matters like same-sex marriage.

We can also appear different to the real world when our comments, likes, and shares clash with the person we claim to be at church or in our daily communities.

There’s a constant temptation to have a different ‘face’ when we’re on Facebook.

In his first letter, the Apostle Peter warns Christians to “rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.” (1 Peter 2:1.)

This means that when we’re online we need to avoid hypocrisy by making sure we don’t have a different ‘face’ to our real-life persona.

The person we are when we’re engaging with Facebook needs to be the same person we are when we’re chatting in the real world with friends, family and colleagues.

And the motivation is simple and powerful: we “have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)

God’s word has given us a radical new life, and we are called to live this life online as well as offline, to God’s glory.

Jodie McNeill

This is an excerpt of Jodie’s upcoming seminar at this year’s MTS Mission Minded Conference called, “Can I be a Christian and on social media at the same time?”

Coming up this weekend 16th – 17th September 2017

This weekend we continue our series on 2 Samuel. In the next talk, Simon Chaplin will be speaking on the topic, “The sin of the King”, from 2 Samuel chapter 11 verses 1 to 27.

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

  1. Since God did not require or like riches, why did David give them to the Lord?
  2. What are foot soldiers?
  3. How would Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth bow down before David when he was lame?
  4. Did Mephibosheth go and fight too, since the whole of Israel fought?
  5. What happened to David’s sons?
  6. Why would the Arameans be on the other side of the Euphrates river?
  7. Would the Israelites have thought that King David had banished the humiliated envoys, since he told them to stay in Jericho until their beards grew back?
  8. Is Hadadezer the same person as Hanun?
  9. How does the Uniting Church interpret the Bible to allow same-sex couples to be leaders of their Church?
  10. Does it matter to God which Christian denomination a person is affiliated with?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Morning Prayer Sunday service and at both our services, we will have a special update about Triple Care Farm which is our Mission of the Month.

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, or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

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

Church news for the week beginning 9th September 2017

2 Samuel series continues

This weekend we continue our series looking at 2 Samuel as Jodie preaches from chapter 9 verse 1 to chapter 10 verse 19 with the title, “The kindness of the King”.

Mission of the month: CMS

CMS (Church Missionary Society) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Combined Celebration Service

On Saturday 7th October we are bringing our two services together for a celebration night at 5pm. We will be officially welcoming Rayne Orange to our church as our Youth Minister, and will be enjoying special Canadian-themed dinner and entertainment. We’ll also be having some special speeches of farewell and thanksgiving for two of our members.

This combined church service will replace our 8am service on the 8th October which will not be held this weekend. Keep the date free, and bring along your friends and family for this great night of celebration!

New Midweek Service

On Thursday 2nd November at 11am we will trial a new ‘Midweek Service’ which will be followed by a light lunch. We are praying that this service will provide a format that will serve our members who often find the 8am time difficult, and that it will be an ideal service to which we might invite our friends. Keep the date free!

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 $5513.00, leaving a gap of $787.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $54,600. Compared to that total we received $48,216, leaving a gap of $6,384.

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 prodigal son

This week I was teaching Scripture at our local primary school. The lesson was the prodigal son, and I was once again surprised by how big and radical God’s love is for us. And it wasn’t just me – the students seem to get it too!

The parable you may recall is of a son who treats his father in the most shameful manner, taking off with all his money and then losing it all in equally shameful ways. He is forced to head home with nothing.

He is met by his father who is waiting for him. His father welcomes him home with open arms. He forgives his wayward son, and then does something amazing – instead of exacting a punishment from him, he throws his son a party.

“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found”. Luke 15:24

My scripture kids were trying to work this out – “so he could do whatever he wants and get away with it?” 

It didn’t seem fair. But that is what grace is – our Father’s big “yes” to us! 

However, I asked my class a followup question: When the son came home, and received that forgiveness, and was thrown a party, do you think he would go out and do what he did again? “NO!” they all shouted.

God’s grace comes to us whatever we have done, whoever we are. But God’s grace never leaves us as we are.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Eph 2:4-5,10

Simon Chaplin.

Coming up this weekend 9th – 10th September 2017

This weekend we continue our series on 2 Samuel. In the next talk, Jodie will be speaking on the topic, “The kindness of the King”, from 2 Samuel chapter 9 verse 1 to chapter 10 verse 19.

We will also be having a special prayer time for marriage in light of the upcoming postal plebiscite, so be sure to join us.

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

  1. Would the Moab prophet have been executed since he disobeyed orders and blessed the people of God?
  2. What happened to Tou?
  3. Why doesn’t God like chariots?
  4. Was bronze worth more than silver in David’s time?
  5. Given that our wealth is irrelevant on Judgement Day, then why did David take all the gold and riches after each conquest?
  6. Why did the surrounding nations hate God’s people?
  7.  Did David completely wipe out all his enemies?
  8. How many of David’s men died during the conquests?
  9. Given that most politicians don’t believe in God, then isn’t it pointless for them to pray to him?
  10. How did David’s sons come to serve as priests when they belonged to the tribe of Judah?

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Holy Communion First 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, or come along on Sunday at 8am for a Prayer Book service.

Church news for the week beginning 2nd September 2017

2 Samuel series continues

This weekend we continue our series looking at 2 Samuel as Jodie preaches from chapter chapter 8 verses 1 to 18 with the title, “Just, right”.

Mission of the month: CMS

CMS (Church Missionary Society) is our mission of the month. Support this ministry through the ‘Mission Table’ in the Hall.

Dinner at the Bowlo

Join us this Thursday at 6pm at the Jamberoo Bowling Club for a relaxed meal together at the ‘Wok and Grill’ restaurant, for great steaks, tasty Chinese, and lots of laughs.

Combined Celebration Service

On Saturday 7th October we are bringing our two services together for a celebration night at 5pm. We will be officially welcoming Rayne Orange to our church as our Youth Minister, and will be enjoying special Canadian-themed dinner and entertainment. We’ll also be having some special speeches of farewell and thanksgiving to some members.

This combined church service will replace our 8am service on the 8th October which will not be held this weekend. Keep the date free, and bring along your friends and family for this great night of celebration!

New roster coming soon

If you’re unavailable to serve on a roster from 18th September through to 17th December please let us know via comment card, email office@jamberooanglican.com or even better go to www.jamberooanglican.net.

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 $5513.00, leaving a gap of $787.00.

Olimometer 2.52

Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $54,600. Compared to that total we received $48,216, leaving a gap of $6,384.

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 matters more than marriage

CREDIT: Wendy Longo via Flickr.com

Our Federal Government has asked us to say what we think about changing the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex unions.

As I have engaged with the hundreds of Facebook comments on our post from last week, it is clear that most of us wish this discussion would go away.

Some people want the Government to just make the changes without holding a plebiscite so that this painful discussion can stop.

Many Christians would rather we didn’t have to be distracted from sharing the news of the real hope that comes from knowing the real Jesus.

Yet, either way, it’s an important discussion to have, and we need to keep talking in a respectful way about this major change to this core unit of our society.

But in the end, there is something that matters more than marriage… and that is eternity.

Life is short, and there will be a time when everyone of us will stand before God to give an account for our life.

On that day, many people will say to God that they deserve his acceptance because they’ve done good things in life, and have tried hard to be nice.

But the problem is that no human is able to do enough good things to pass this test. Nobody.

And we all deserve eternal punishment from God, which the Bible calls ‘Hell.’

Yet, the best news of all is that if we ask God, then he will transfer our personal judgment from us to Jesus.

And because Jesus was punished on the cross in our place, it means any one of us can now have a certainty for eternity if we trust in Jesus as our loving ruler.

We need to talk about marriage, but eternity is far, far more important.

Do you have certainty for eternity?

Jodie.

Coming up this weekend 2nd – 3rd September 2017

This weekend we continue our series on 2 Samuel. In the next talk, Jodie will be speaking on the topic, “Just, right”, from 2 Samuel chapter 8 verses 1 to 18.

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

  1. In Psalm 6, was David right to tell God what to do?
  2. Was Solomon anointed as king?
  3. Why did God say he didn’t need a temple, and yet Solomon ended up building him one?
  4. When it comes to the return of Jesus, what is the difference between shock and surprise?
  5. Since Jesus is God, why doesn’t he know when he will return?
  6. When we have natural disasters like floods, should we interpret them to be punishment from God like in the time of Noah?
  7. What would you say to someone who thinks that killing in war is wrong for a Christian?
  8. What will be your response if the Government changes the marriage law and then demands ministers conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies?

We will also share the Lord’s Supper at 5pm Saturday, so come along and be reminded again of the great service of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.

Our 8am Sunday service will be a Morning Prayer 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, 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.