Throughout the Bible we constantly see God work in his universe by his powerful word
through his Holy Spirit.

So, since this is God’s chosen instrument, we devote ourselves to
proclaiming the word of Christ faithfully, according to how he has revealed
himself in the Bible.

So, we, with the Apostle Paul, declare that we are, “not ashamed of this Good News
about Christ” for “it is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.
(Romans 1:16)

And with Paul, we resolve to, “tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching
everyone with all the wisdom God has given us” so that we might “present them to
God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.” Colossians 1:28.

Our vision is that each person in our village, valley and region will know
how to follow Jesus and why it matters… and it should come as no surprise
that this will come true as we proclaim Christ faithfully… all of us!

That is why the word of God features at the centre of our Sunday services, and is at the
heart of all we do as we seek to connect with this world that needs to know Jesus.

This is why we encourage every member to be a part of a growth group, so that each of
us might become mature in Christ, as well as providing an ideal place to introduce
newcomers to our Christian community.

In all of this, we are determined to faithfully proclaim Christ, because if we preach a
version of Christ or Christianity that is not consistent with what is taught in the Bible,
then we rob the gospel of its power, and we end up presenting a false message to a
world that needs to know Jesus.

Whether you’re a pulpit preacher or an everyday Christian with a story to tell, may the
Lord give us many opportunities to know and tell the gospel in 2023.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Garry Knight via Flickr.com)

As we launch a new year, it’s a perfect time to recommit to a deep dependence on our sovereign Lord, as individuals and as a church.

Recently our staff have drafted a mission statement that seeks to help our church focus on three areas that we know will lead us towards our vision to see each person in our village, valley and region know how to follow Jesus and why it matters.

The first of the three phrases says we will “pray to our sovereign Lord.”

Since we believe that our Lord God brings all growth and that he is the one who brings a person to trust in him, this means that we want to be active and enthusiastic in asking him to deliver his promises.

As we grow in prayer, we find some great inspiration in Paul’s letters.

So, in Philippians he prays, “that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” (Philippians 1:9)

And for the Ephesians he ask them to pray for him, that God would give him, “the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.” (Ephesians 6:19)

And in Colossians he asks them to pray that, “God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ” and that he “will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.” (Colossians 4:3-4)

As we launch into 2023 may our church be passionate in praying that our love will overflow, that we’ll grow in knowledge and understanding, and that we’ll have many opportunities proclaim God’s message clearly.

Will you join us in praying like this in 2023?

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: t-bet via Flickr.com)

I love the classic carol, ‘O come, all you faithful,’ but the sense of being ‘joyful and triumphant’ sometimes feels artificially upbeat.

I know that the song taps into the excitement of coming to Bethlehem to behold the one who was born the king of angels—the Word of the Father now in flesh appearing.

Yet, in our moments of weakness and weariness, this confident chorus can clash with our cries for help.

Indeed, we recall the words of the baby who grew to be a man, who said:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

With this in mind, we have welcomed the creation of a new carol entitled, ‘O Come All You Unfaithful,’ by Bob Kauflin and Lisa Clow.

Here are some of the phrases in the song:

O come all you unfaithful, come weak and unstable, come know you are not alone; O come barren and waiting ones, weary of praying, come see what your God has done; O come bitter and broken, come with fears unspoken, come taste of His perfect love; O come guilty and hiding ones, there is no need to run, see what your God has done; So come though you have nothing, come He is the offering, come see what your God has done.

The sentiment is completely different to the triumphant cry of the classic carol… and this resonates with us in a way that touches our weary and troubled hearts.

This Christmas, come to the boy who became a man, who invites you today to find rest from your burdens as you trust in him and experience afresh the freedom of forgiveness and the certainty of eternity.

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Takashi Hososhima via Flickr.com)

This week our staff team headed off for a two-day retreat to prayerfully reflect on the ministry of our church and our mission for the future.

We considered together a ‘Biblical Theology of Edification,’ that helped us think about how Jesus is building his church (Matthew 16:16) and the role that we are to take.

Then, we reflected on our vision statement, and from this, we began work on an accompanying mission statement to help us think about how we should seek “to see each person in our village, valley and region know how to follow Jesus and why it matters.”

From this we drafted this mission statement, for your reflection and comment:

Our mission is to:
Pray to our sovereign Lord;
Equip people for ministry, and;
Proclaim Christ faithfully.

It’s still a draft, and we’d love your feedback and thoughts as we consider what God expects us to be doing as we take our part in the building of Christ’s church.

But these are the reasons we chose these three words to summarise our role.

Firstly, we want to genuinely depend on the Holy Spirit as we pray to our sovereign Lord about all things… and especially for our vision of our village, valley and region.

Secondly, we’ll focus on equipping every person in our church and beyond to take their part in the ministry that will work together towards the vision becoming a reality.

Thirdly, we’ll devote ourselves to using ‘the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God’, as we proclaim Christ faithfully to all.

Over the next three weeks I look forward to sharing a short reflection on why these are the three things we should focus on as we seek to see our vision become a reality, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God.

What do you think of the mission statement? How will it challenge how you think about our church?

JODIE McNEILL

(Photo credit: Kentucky National Guard via Flickr.com)

At the recent gathering of leaders at our Sydney Anglican Synod, we affirmed our commitment to seek reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

We want to support and encourage every person, parish and Diocesan organisation to partner in Indigenous Ministry through the development of an Action Plan.

As we develop this plan, we pray that it will encourage the development of personal relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with a view to walk alongside them, as well as partnering in prayer and partnering financially and in other practical ways with one or more Indigenous ministries.

To make this happen, I’m looking to gather a group of people to help us develop such an Action Plan, and if you’re willing and able, please let me know.

After we establish that group, I’m hoping we’ll have a fresh look at ways to appropriately include acknowledgements of country in our ministries.

In the meantime, the Bush Church Aid Society has developed a Reconciliation Action Plan that can help us prepare our own plan at Jamberoo Anglican.

Within that document is this Acknowledgment of Country statement, which I have adapted for our own context.

As we gather here, we acknowledge the triune God, the Creator of heaven and earth and His ownership of all things. We recognise that He gave stewardship of these lands upon which we meet to the Wodi Wodi people of the Dharawal Nation. In his sovereignty, He has allowed other people groups to migrate to these shores. We acknowledge the cultures of our First Nations Peoples and are thankful for the communities that we share together now. We pay our respects to their elders and leaders, both past and present, and those who are rising up to become leaders. 

JODIE McNEILL

(This artwork is featured on the cover of the Bush Church Aid Reconciliation Action Plan, and is created by Artist Melissa Lilley, a Yankunytjatjara woman from South Australia)