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This Sunday we are looking at the purpose of the local church.
If someone were to walk up to you and ask, “What is the main purpose of Mount Eliza Anglican Church?” What would you tell them? Many people around us don't understand or know the purpose of the Church and it's up to us to show them and be Christ's light in the world. Our Mission statement is "To know Christ, To make Christ known". Our website says: Mount Eliza Anglican Church is a community of believers, passionate about sharing the love of God with others. We believe in the life-changing love of Jesus and it’s relevance in the world today for all people. We can't wait to meet you! Is this true of us? We are to be like local missionaries in our own homes, family, networks, neighbourhoods. How are you going with that? Personally, I am doing well in some areas and feel like a complete failure every now and then. I am grateful for God's grace, mercy and patience with us. I am sure God wants us to grow as disciples of Him and make more disciples who will in turn make more disciples. Next year I plan to be coached intentionally for helping our Church become a disciple-making Church. Next week I plan to read the bible with some new Christians to help them grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. This Sunday, I'll remind you of what the scriptures say about the local Church and our mission in the world. I hope we will be encouraged and appropriately challenged. Blessings on your day, Reverend Tanya
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Not too long ago I was on holidays, travelling the island of Bali. While Indonesia is largely known as a Muslim country, the island of Bali has very strong Hindu roots. I joined an Intrepid small group tour for part of my trip - it’s a great way to explore & experience new places without having to organise anything yourself! (Winner!) On this trip we got to visit some lovely Balinese locals, see their home compounds and learn about their beliefs and culture. There are temples everywhere in Bali. Each family compound has a temple for their personal use. Each village has a community temple and each city has multiple temples. At the entrance to these temples are two rock gates. They’ll often have various statues out front too, and they are always two - one on either side for ‘balance’, one for good and the other for evil. The locals make daily (often multiple times!) offerings to leave out for good spirits to give them blessing or to appease bad spirits. It makes me even more astounded and thankful that Jesus has made an offering to God on our behalf (his own sacrifice in the cross) that is acceptable for all people for all time, for those who choose to accept the gift it is. It always gives my heart a painful twist to see a people so devout in their faith, yet so far away from salvation. There are many people all over the world who are far from God but think they are close, perhaps even here in Mount Eliza. I hope that we might be a church in Mount Eliza that everyone knows because of our faith in the good news of Jesus, and I pray that our local community here will know us from each one of you - openly & lovingly sharing the gospel in all you do and say - so that more people might be truly saved. Amen! Amy This Sunday we come together to celebrate 160 years of God's faithfulness to the Mount Eliza Community. I feel so privileged to be Vicar of a Church that is still growing vibrant and strong after all these years.
The Church has gone through ups and downs and many changes over the years. Parishioners have come and gone yet the one constant has been God's continued faithfulness. I'm reminded of Psalm 100:5; “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” And Psalms 145:13; “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” How blessed are we to have a great God who preserves His Church and sustains His people for His ministry! This Sunday we will look back at God's faithfulness in the past, celebrate what He is doing in our midst today which includes seeing 3 people confirmed and 2 people received into the Anglican Communion, and we will look forward to the future with Hope and Trust in God's continued faithfulness to us. God does not change. We can trust Him for our future. Bishop Paul and some of our local MPs along with many who have had some association with our Church in the past will be attending so I hope you and all of our congregation will be sure to welcome them fully. We will continue to celebrate after the Church service with Music and Lunch in the Hall. Huge thanks to all our wonderful people volunteering their time to make this such a special and memorable occasion. Blessings on your week. Rev. Tanya |
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