The Joy of SRE

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Possibly the most remarkable hour of my week is spent at Jamberoo Public School each Thursday afternoon as I enjoy the privilege of teaching SRE (Scripture) to 18 kids from Kindergarten through to Year Two.

Within my class there are some children from church members, some kids who have attended our church once or twice in the past, as well as a bunch of kids who can’t remember ever having set foot in a church.

My role is simple: to help every child in my class have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Protestant Christian… which is what their parent or carer has nominated as their faith.

I sometimes find it hard to teach students across the educational span of three school years, and it can also be a challenge to instruct children with almost no foundational understanding of their faith.

But what makes this hour so remarkable is the number of times that I see the children experience significant ‘aha’ moments about Jesus and what it means for them.

For example, this Easter as we considered the death and resurrection of Jesus, I asked the class, “did Jesus really die,” to which half said, “no,” and the rest said, “yes.”

From this, I explained why Jesus really died, and why he really rose from the dead; from which I explained what that meant for them if they trust in Jesus as their king.

Scripture is such a great part of our state school system, as it means that families can take advantage of public education, whilst still having the opportunity to have tailored religious education for their children.

Keep praying for the kids we teach each week, and ask our Father to use our words to bring these young people to a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo: Our special Easter Scripture Assembly this year in our church, with our special guests from Moore College)

Coming up this Sunday 18th June 2023

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This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jodie McNeill preaches to us from 1 Corinthians Chapter 11:17-34 about ‘The Supper of the Lord’.

After our 9 am service we’ll be enjoying brunch together, and after our 4 pm service we’ll be having dinner.

We’d love you to join us in-person if you’re able, or watch our livestream at watch.jamberooanglican.com.

Here are the questions that Jodie plans to answer on Sunday:

1 What does Hebrews 1:14 mean?
2 When he died, did Jesus go down to hell before he was raised?
3 Does the ‘perfect law’ in James 1:25 refer to Jesus because he perfected the law?
4 Why did God speak to his Old Testament people through the visions of prophets?
5 What should I do if I want to make peace with a Christian who refuses?
6 Is there an eternal cost to Jesus for our salvation?
7 In Matthew 18:20 Jesus says he’s present with two or three, but what about one?

If you’d like to submit your own question to be answered in church in the future, then simply hit ‘reply’ to this email.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Church news for the week beginning 11th June 2023

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OUR SERMON

This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jacob Mierendorff preaches to us from Luke 15:11-32 about ‘The Lost Son’.

EQUIP WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Join with us for a special, in-house livestream of the Equip Women Conference on 17th June. Please contact with Gab Holmes (0418 685 169) or Mandy McNeill (0425 222 339) if you are interested in coming along.

GUEST PREACHERS

On 2nd July, Dr. Mark Earngey (Head of Church History and Christian Doctrine at Moore College) will be our guest preacher. The week after on 9th July, Rev. Michael Kellahan (Executive Officer of Gafcon Australasia) will be preaching at church. Two big Sundays not to miss!

MTS INFORMATION NIGHT

Our church is hosting a regional information night about MTS Apprenticeships at 7pm Tuesday 27th June. Come along to find out more!

MORNING PRAYER

Join us at 7 am every day (except Sunday) at zoom.jamberooanglican.com as we gather to read the Bible, pray, and encourage each other as the new day dawns.

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity’ by Rebecca McLaughlin.

Going to school, hanging out with friends, or scrolling through social media feeds, teenagers are sure to face real challenges to faith in Jesus Christ. And whether you consider yourself a Christ follower or not, these questions can seem like deal breakers.

Backed by state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, this book doesn’t dodge tough questions. Instead, it invites teenagers to ask their hardest questions about Christianity and to find surprising, life-giving answers.

We have physical copies available for purchase over in the church hall.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. For April, our average weekly giving was $5112.00, leaving a gap of $1188.00. Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $163,800. Compared to that total we received $144,998, leaving a gap of $18,802.

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: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 356831. BSB: 032605.

Safeguarding Kids

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Every three years our Archbishop summons every licensed and authorised church worker in the diocese to be refreshed in their understanding of faithfulness in ministry.

Last Wednesday, our staff team gathered in Figtree for that event, to hear about the important need for churches to help safeguard kids from abuse by providing ‘protective behaviours.’

This is a life skill that gives kids a basic understanding of what should and shouldn’t happen with their ‘private parts,’ so that in the tragic instance of abuse, children will already know what is unacceptable… even if they’re not old enough to be taught everything about sex.

Our presenter on the day was Andrea Musulin, who has been working for the Perth Catholic Archdiocese for a decade (and the WA Police for thirty years before that,) during which time she has prepared a number of excellent resources that are available for free download from safeguarding.perthcatholic.org.au

Whilst the resources are obviously written with a Roman Catholic audience in mind, the overall content is ideal for all Christian parents/carers as well as church leaders.

Two resources for leaders and parents/carers include, ‘Protecting God’s Children,’ and for teens, ‘Love, Sex and Relationships.’

In addition, there’s a terrific kids’ story book called, ‘You Are God’s Marvellous Creation,’ that I would particularly recommend to parents/carers to consider reading to their younger children around the age of their first years of school.

It was heartbreaking to be freshly reminded of the abuse of children that has occurred in churches, schools and other environments, and again it brought us to repentance as we recognised the harm that had been done by church leaders.

Let us pray that God would help us to do everything possible to make our churches as safe as possible for children, and to incorporate protective behaviours in their lives as a way of safeguarding them against potential abuse.

JODIE McNEILL

(Image credit: Safy Tashkandy, illustrator of ‘You Are God’s Marvellous Creation.’)

Coming up this Sunday 11th June 2023

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This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jacob Mierendorff preaches to us from Luke Chapter 15:11-32 about ‘The Lost Son’.

After our 9 am service we’ll be enjoying brunch together, and after our 4 pm service we’ll be having dinner.

We’d love you to join us in-person if you’re able, or watch our livestream at watch.jamberooanglican.com.

Here are the questions that Jodie plans to answer this Sunday:

1 Should Christians try to impose biblical morality on society?
2 What does ‘heresy’ mean?
3 Are Christians born mentally and spiritually three times, or two?
4 Who is the Man of Lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12?
5 Is Satan an angel?
6 Why was Satan in the ‘meeting’ with God and the angels in Job 1:6?
7 Will the followers of all the world’s religions ever live in true peace?
8 Is it possible to bring back the church bibles?
9 Can we read the passage before is it preached on?
10 Will we celebrate birthdays in heaven?

If you’d like to submit your own question to be answered in church in the future, then simply hit ‘reply’ to this email.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Church news for the week beginning 4th June 2023

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OUR SERMON

This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as our overseas mission partner Adrian Lovell preaches to us from Luke 24:13-35 about ‘The Road to Emmaus’.

EQUIP WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Join with us for a special, in-house livestream of the Equip Women Conference on 17th June. Please contact with Gab Holmes (0418 685 169) or Mandy McNeill (0425 222 339) if you are interested in coming along.

THE LOVELLS ARE HERE!

Our mission partners the Lovells are joining us at church from 4-8 June. They’re also presenting at a special mission night on Tuesday 6th June at 7 pm, so keep the night free.

MTS INFORMATION NIGHT

Our church is hosting a regional information night about MTS Apprenticeships at 7pm Tuesday 27th June. Come along to find out more!

MORNING PRAYER

Join us at 7 am every day (except Sunday) at zoom.jamberooanglican.com as we gather to read the Bible, pray, and encourage each other as the new day dawns.

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity’ by Rebecca McLaughlin.

Going to school, hanging out with friends, or scrolling through social media feeds, teenagers are sure to face real challenges to faith in Jesus Christ. And whether you consider yourself a Christ follower or not, these questions can seem like deal breakers.

Backed by state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, this book doesn’t dodge tough questions. Instead, it invites teenagers to ask their hardest questions about Christianity and to find surprising, life-giving answers.

We have physical copies available for purchase over in the church hall.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. For April, our average weekly giving was $5112.00, leaving a gap of $1188.00. Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $163,800. Compared to that total we received $144,998, leaving a gap of $18,802.

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: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 356831. BSB: 032605.

Coming up this Sunday 4th June 2023

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This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as our mission partner Adrian Lovell preaches to us from Luke Chapter 24.

After our 9 am service we’ll be enjoying brunch together, and after our 4 pm service we’ll be having dinner.

We’d love you to join us in-person if you’re able, or watch our livestream at watch.jamberooanglican.com.

If you’d like to submit your own question to be answered in church in the future, then simply hit ‘reply’ to this email.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

A Loving Church – 21: Men & Women in the Church – 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 – Jodie McNeill – 21 May 2023

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Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

Today we’re told men and women are the ____

The ‘pill’ deeply _______ our society

The case _______ the sexual revolution

Men and women are _________, and that’s good

Let’s ____ one another, as we disagree

Women should _____ their heads, but not men

The Corinthians are to ______ Paul’s teachings

These relationships have a _________

_____ but different

The man dishonours Christ if he ______ his head

The woman dishonours the ___ by not covering her head

Prophesy is a form of ______ in the church

They have different _____ but the same worth

The men and women are _________ on each other

Hair length means something _________ today

We are to enjoy and embrace our ___________

Head coverings mean something _________ today

Today, it’s about our ________ not our hat

The female speaking should recognise ____ leadership

We’re not the ____, and that’s wonderful

A-Loving-Church-1-Corinthians-11-2-to-16-Men-and-Women-in-the-Church-Jodie-McNeill-•-28-May-2023Download

Church news for the week beginning 28th May 2023  

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OUR SERMON

This Sunday we are going to be hearing from God’s word as Jodie McNeill preaches to us from 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 on the topic ‘Men and Women in Church’.

GONG MEN’S DAY

If you are a bloke, please join us for Gong Men’s Day on Sat 3rd June at Figtree Anglican, 9am to 2:30pm, including lunch. Tickets $55/$45 (concession). Brian Rosner will be speaking on the topic, ‘The Self Made Man?’ as he tackles Christian identity. Register at www.gongmensday.org

EQUIP WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

Join with us for a special, in-house livestream of the Equip Women Conference on 17th June. Please contact with Gab Holmes (0418 685 169) or Mandy McNeill (0425 222 339) if you are interested in coming along.

THE LOVELLS ARE COMING!

Our mission partners the Lovells are joining us at church from 4-8 June, with Adrian preaching on the 4th at our services. They’re also presenting at a special mission night on Tuesday 6th June, so keep the night free.

PARTNER WITH JACK TO FIJI

To give to Jack’s Fiji mission head to www.year13.net/student-fundraising 

MTS INFORMATION NIGHT

Our church is hosting a regional information night about MTS Apprenticeships at 7pm Tuesday 27th June. Come along to find out more!

MORNING PRAYER

Join us at 7 am every day (except Sunday) at zoom.jamberooanglican.com as we gather to read the Bible, pray, and encourage each other as the new day dawns.

MAY BOOK OF THE MONTH

‘The Everlasting God’ by Broughton D. Knox.

The Everlasting God is one of those mind-shifting, life-changing books that has become a classic that rightly belongs in the personal library of every Christian.

Dr Knox’s very helpful explanation of predestination and ‘free will’ is worth the price of the book alone, but he also encourages and challenges us from the Scriptures by showing that God is living and true, is infinite in power, wisdom and goodness, is three-in-one, reveals himself to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, and is rich in mercy and grace.

We have physical copies available for purchase over in the church hall.

GIVING UPDATE

Each week we need to receive $6300.00 in order to meet our commitments. Last month, our average weekly giving was $5112.00, leaving a gap of $1188.00. Up to the end of the last calendar month we needed to have received $163,800. Compared to that total we received $144,998, leaving a gap of $18,802.

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 NEW details. Account name: Jamberoo Anglican Church. Account number: 356831. BSB: 032605.

Saving Our Region

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One of the great things about the Anglican parish system is that every place on the planet is under the responsibility of a minister and a parish.

And so in our context, the parish of Jamberoo extends from Jerrara to Carrington Falls and from the top of Mount Terry down to the other side of Saddleback. That’s the bit of the planet for which our parish takes responsibility.

But it mustn’t mean we don’t have a heart for the lost who live outside our parish boundaries.

Interestingly, more than half of our members live outside our parish region, and some people travel up to half an hour to get to our church.

At the same time, there are people who live in the village and valley of Jamberoo who travel to churches in other parishes as well.

All this means that members of Jamberoo Anglican shouldn’t have any hesitation in inviting people to come to our church, even if those people live half an hour away.

And that’s because we know that our most natural relationships are with people who live in the streets near our home, or who work and learn in our schools and workplaces, many of which are a good distance from our church.

That’s why we pray that each person in the village, valley and region knows how to follow Jesus and why it matters… and that area extends from Lake Illawarra down to Seven Mile Beach, and from Carrington Falls across to the Blowhole.

We are praying that the hundred thousand people who live within 30 minutes’ drive of our church will know how to be saved by Jesus.

And as we pray, we delight in knowing that there are many good, Bible-believing churches within this area, and we pray for them as we partner with them in this mission.

So, what’s stopping you inviting your neighbours, friends and colleagues to church in Jamberoo?

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Ky0n Cheng via Flickr)