 Thank you to all who joined us in person and online for our ANZAC themed Church Service last Sunday. Thanks again to Commodore Jim Dickson for sharing with us some of his wisdom and experiences in the NAVY.
This Sunday we are focussing on DV Awareness. We are joining with the Anglican Church all over Australia to highlight the issue of domestic violence affecting people in our churches and celebrate the work the church is doing to prevent and respond to those who suffer. Research commissioned by the Anglican Church of Australia found that more than 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men in our churches are impacted by some form of violence in their home. It also found that very few victims felt they could approach the church for help or that their minister would respond with support. (I was once in their shoes!). The Anglican church has made Ten Commitments to prevent and respond to DV, beginning with training leaders and clergy, Creating resources to change church culture, Lead national prayer, advocacy, and awareness campaigns, and launching programs to help churches respond well and prevent harm. But the work has only just begun. Addressing domestic violence is a generational piece of work because even now, many children are growing up in homes where they witness domestic violence. We have a great deal of work to do. DV AWARE SUNDAY gives our church an opportunity to shine a light on the problem and to share the hope of God’s good news for those who suffer. We read in Luke 4: 14-21 of Christ's proclamation of his good news: that God sees and cares for those impacted by injustice and suffering and declares that such injustice has no place in the kingdom of God. As a church, we also want to be those who see and care for those impacted by domestic violence and to work together to create a future where everyone is safe, respected, and enabled to flourish as God intended. Let’s bring hope, shed light and say with one voice that domestic violence has no place in our homes, our relationships and in our churches. See you on Sunday. Love and Peace, Rev Tanya
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Give thanks to Lord, He is Good, His love endures forever.
I personally am so grateful to live in Australia and consider that we are truly blessed to live in this country. I acknowledge our freedom and privileges here have come at great cost to so many people. May we all continue to seek to live together well on this land. This Saturday is ANZAC Day, and we will continue on Sunday to reflect and remember those who have fought for this Country. We will hear from Commodore Jim Dickson OAM, MBE, whose NAVY Career began with Cadets at age 13 at Cerberus. After 41 years of Service, he retired as Naval Officer in December 1991. May we be blessed as we hear about his own experiences and observations from his early days till now. I will also bring brief reflection on Matthew 8:5-13, highlighting the extraordinary faith of a centurion ,and illustrating that faith in Jesus can transcend social, cultural, and religious boundaries. May we grow in our own faith and trust that Jesus’ word alone has power to transform situations. May we be encouraged to approach Him confidently with all our needs. May we follow the centurion's example and learn more fully to trust boldly and act in faith, expecting God’s promises to unfold. Rev. Tanya Is it sane to believe in the resurrection? That's one of the questions we've been exploring as we've been looking into 'The Case for Christ' as journalist and Pastor, Lee Strobel puts it.
Last week Tanya explored the four 'Es' that make up Strobel's case for believing the evidence of the resurrection to be true:
If you're still wondering whether it's 'OK', 'legit' or 'sane' to believe this evidence, have a read of this article by Greg Clarke from the Centre for Public Christianity. (It first appeared on ABC Online Opinion & Analysis). This coming Sunday, we're going to dig a little deeper into the Early Accounts and ask the question - can we trust what the bible says about Jesus? We'll be exploring some principles of Ancient History manuscripts, their origins and transmission. At the end of all that - the biggest, most important question any one of us can ask ourselves is this: If Jesus really did come back to life, what am I going to do about it? How you answer that will change your life. Rev Amy  What a wonderful Journey we had together over Easter. Thank you to all who joined us for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The Church was full on Sunday.
It was awesome to see many visitors coming to celebrate the resurrection with us. I don't know how many actually believe the resurrection happened, so we want to spend the next two weeks exploring the historical facts and evidence for the resurrection. We begin this Saturday night with watching The Case for Christ movie together at Church at 6:30pm. You can watch the trailer HERE. You may also like to join us for Pizza at 6pm? (Please let us know if your coming for Pizza). In the movie which is based on a true story, a Journalist sets out to prove the resurrection didn't happen. The evidence he found convinced him that it did happen. He was moved from being an atheist to become a Christian, and has since become a Church Minister. The movie reminds us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the central claim of the Christian faith. It is not a peripheral doctrine, an optional belief, or a metaphorical idea that can be spiritualized away. Paul states clearly in 1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain”. Everything rises or falls with the resurrection. If Jesus rose from the dead, Christianity is true, and the world is forever changed. If He did not, the Christian faith collapses. Come take a closer look at the resurrection with us and please invite your skeptical friends along. All welcome! Rev. Tanya You may also enjoy this song which affirms what Christians believe (The Creed - Hillsong) : Listen HERE  Good Friday is my favourite day of the year because we get to remember the lengths Jesus Christ went to, to show us the love of the Father. There is no greater love than laying one's life down for one's friends. We are Jesus' friends and I am completely blown away by his sacrifice made for me, and you, and all. That's why I love Good Friday, taking the time to ponder on this intentionally and more deeply. We are truly and deeply loved my friends! Let that really sink in!
It's my prayer that each of us draws closer to God this Easter. To aid this, you are warmly invited to attend our Maundy Thursday Interactive/ reflective service (Lamb Pizza is served at 6:30pm - please register for that). On Good Friday we will reflect on the responses of those present at Jesus' crucifixion and ponder our own personal response afresh. And of course, Easter Sunday we rejoice in the resurrection and ponder what that means for our lives today. After Easter we are showing the movie "Case for Christ" which speaks into any doubts we have around Jesus and the Easter story. And beginning May 11 we will run the 'Life Explored' Course at Slims Pizza Restaurant on Monday nights. I love being on this Journey with you as we journey to the cross and beyond. May you and your family enjoy a blessed Easter. Rev Tanya |
