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)

Last week, Jacob and I were honoured to attend the Reach Australia National Conference on the Central Coast, along with 1100 others who are committed to seeing Australia filled with evangelistic churches that preach Christ.

It was a very practical conference, as it sought to help be deliberately focused on seeing more people converted from idols to serve Christ, and to practically integrate and involve us all as we work to plant more churches.

One simple and powerful analogy spoke of the trap in finding satisfaction in filling our barns, whilst the fields remain empty.

The barns refer to our nation’s church buildings, many of which are small in size and few in number; and the fields represent everywhere else that the lost people of our nation are to be found.

It would be easy for us at Jamberoo Anglican to focus on how many seats have been filled in our church, and to consider that to be a mark of success.

But we must continue to remember that within 20 minutes’ drive, there are 100,000 people who don’t know the Lord Jesus, even though there’s at least a dozen, healthy churches in the region.

So, what must we do to focus more of our attention on seeing those lost souls saved by believing in Jesus? 

What must we do to be as sharp as possible in our message and ministry so that God might rescue the thousands headed to hell without knowing Christ?

Jacob and I look forward to sharing our lessons from this conference with you all as we join with you in prayer for wisdom in strengthening our ministry, as we seek to better equip us all as together as we work to preach Christ faithfully to his world.

JODIE McNEILL

Often, the people who have the deepest impact on us are those we know on a personal level. 

We are encouraged and challenged by those who have taken the time to get to really know us. 

We appreciate these people for their investment of time and energy. 

They show that they care, and so we tend to take notice of what they say and do. 

Such healthy personal relationships are a blessing- they make life better. 

As Christians, there is great value in taking hold of opportunities for Bible-based relationships of trust and growth. 

We benefit, and so do the people we are committed to- our spouse, our children, and the people in our mission. 

Receiving love, we are better equipped to give love.

Paul wrote to people he cared about, in whom he had invested himself. 

In Philippians chapter 4, he wrote “my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work”. 

What type of relationships can you commit to strive for?

STEVE BLIGH

Next week’s Gafcon Conference in Kigali, Rwanda is shaping up to be a momentous occasion in the history of global Anglicanism, as we come together to prayerfully chart a renewed course for the church.

The five-day conference will include around 1300 people from over 50 nations, as we come together to prayerfully depend on the Holy Spirit as we gather to hear God’s word.

Each day will have a special time of repentance, as we gather to express our grief and remorse at how many within our church have wandered from God’s way and have departed from the truth of his word.

Some Anglicans leaders have chosen to bless ways of living that God has told us to reject, and this means that many parishioners and pastors have been forced to submit to bishops who have failed to accept the word of God in all its fulness.

That’s why we need to gather to ask forgiveness for our church, and to seek God’s wisdom about the future for Anglicanism, both globally and locally.

Mandy and I are humbled to be representing our church in Jamberoo, as we participate with the Australian contingent, and we pray that the Lord will give us opportunities to serve and encourage many others during the week.

Please pray for great wisdom for all the delegates as we seek to come to a common mind about the best form of the future leadership of the global Anglican church.

But above all, pray that this conference will lead us to glorify God by proclaiming Christ faithfully, so that everyone will hear God’s call to repent and believe in Jesus as Lord.

To find out more about the conference, and to find a link to the livestream, visit www.gafcon23.org 

JODIE McNEILL

We are thrilled to welcome a team of fourteen students and two chaplains from Moore Theological College from this Sunday 26th March to Sunday 2nd April.

The ‘mission week’ is an integral part of the training of all the students as they prepare to be ministers in churches and other contexts locally and across the globe.

The theological training at Moore is world-class, and what makes it even better is the deep commitment to pastoral care that is evidenced in the strong connections with the local churches… especially those in the Diocese of Sydney.

To get a deeper experience of the training at Moore, you’re invited to attend a special ‘Ministry Minded’ evening this Tuesday night the 28th March at 7pm in our church hall.

Lionel Windsor will be delivering a theological and pastoral lecture to help stretch us as we focus on gospel ministry… especially as we consider how all of us are Christ’s ambassadors in the many areas he’s placed us to serve.

Susan An, the Dean of Women, will be helping us understand more about how Moore invests in the growth of the students, and will particularly help us understand the many opportunities for women’s ministry, especially as we embrace ‘complementarianism’ in our teaching and ministry.

We’re also going to hear from a number of the students on our team about their own journey that has brought them to study at Moore, and they’ll have an opportunity to share about how they’re praying the Lord will use them in the future.

This is one of our key events as the team is embedded in our church for just over a week… and we’re excited to learn from them and with them as we seek to have each person in our village, valley and region know how to follow Jesus, and why it matters.

That’s why we always love Moore!

JODIE McNEILL