When I was 6 years old, I asked Jesus into my heart, with the assurance that I would go to heaven to be with Jesus when I died. That was the way my Sunday School teachers explained it to me. As years went on, I wondered if somehow that childhood understanding was inadequate.
As more years have passed, and I’ve also understood myself a little better, I can see that God, who made me a person who experiences the world primarily through my feelings and my future-oriented thoughts, was reaching out to me to draw me to himself, in a way I could grasp – or take to heart.
Recently, I have been listening to an audiobook by Sam Alberry ‘One with My Lord: The Life-Changing Reality of Being in Christ‘ (it’s only 4h 16min). He writes about how he has come to see the many times the Scriptures speak of our union with Christ. That when we become a Christian, we are not only declared righteous through Christ’s death in our place, but we are made one with him!
I’ve had the words of the song ‘Christ is Mine Forevermore‘ going around in my head recently. A song about walking with the Lord, composed with a gentle walking rythym. Is Christ mine? As I listened to this book, and read the Scriptures with the lenses that Sam Alberry says he can’t now help but wear, I see time after time mention of the Lord as ours – ours in a relationship like, but so much richer than earthly marriage. A union that cannot be broken!
Some words from the song that touched my heart:
‘And mine are keys to Zion city
Where beside the King I’ll walk
For there my heart has found its treasure
Christ is mine forevermore’
Yours in Christ,
Sharon
We had a great weekend away last weekend. Rick Lewers reminded us of the security and assurance we have in Christ as he spoke to us from Romans 8 about our Adoptive Father, Atoning Son, and Awakening Holy Spirit. It was a great time of fellowship, with meals together, games, activities and the Amazing Race.
This week we are preparing to relaunch our Bible Study Groups and hoping you will sign up to join one. It’s always a tricky process and we’re bound to make mistakes, so don’t get offended, just let us know and we’ll sort things out. We’ve had a go at putting groups together, based on the survey we did and now we hope people can either confirm what we’ve suggested for them, or cross their name out and sign up to a different group on the paper forms at Church on Sunday. If you’re name isn’t on a list, its just because you didn’t complete the survey earlier, you can still sign up to a group.
Our goal is to have as many people as possible benefitting from the bible teaching, fellowship and encouragement that a Bible Study Group can offer. Of course, we realise that not everyone can or will be part of one, and that’s OK.
Most groups will start meeting in the first week of March.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
What do you want for your friends and colleagues? A fun life full of adventure and achievement? A big house and a comfortable retirement? They can achieve all those things and still wind up facing hell and the judgement of God at the end. What do you want for your children or grandchildren? Success in their careers and in their relationships? To afford the Australian dream of a house of their own? They can achieve all this and still wind up facing hell and the judgement of God at the end. Life is long, but eternity is far longer. Let’s pray and strive to help our friends and family know Jesus, that they might have full life in him now, and eternal life to come. But how can we help our friends and family, our children and grandchildren come to know Jesus? That’s where our ‘Growing Conversations about Jesus’ course comes in. Over the next 4 Thursdays we’ll consider how to prepare the soil, plant the gospel seeds, water the soil and grow and nourish the gospel message in the lives of our friends in gentle and loving ways. Be equipped to make an eternal impact on the lives of those around you – and start now in praying that God might be at work in their hearts to put their faith in Jesus.
Blessings, Ben
Join us Thursdays 10am at St Mark’s, Picton, or 7pm at Wilton Church starting tomorrow 6th February.
Let me tell you about our focus for the next few months as a Church, and how you can be involved:
—February – Training and Prayer: We’ll be running training for Bible Study leaders on Monday nights during February, and training for everyone in ‘Growing Conversations About Jesus’ on Thursday mornings and evenings. We hope you will join us in praying everyday for 3 friends to come to know Jesus and be saved.
—March – Conversations: During March we’ll keep praying and looking for opportunities to speak about Jesus with our friends. We’ll be re-launching our Bible study groups so we can encourage each other to grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus and our life in him.
—April – Invitations: The following events will be great opportunities to invite the friends we’ve been praying for during February and March to come find out more about Jesus:
- 15 March – Colin Buchanan concerts at Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre
- 28-29 March – ‘Hope for the Illawarra’ – Youth, Kids and Adults Events at WIN Entertainment Centre – https://www.hopefortheillawarra.com.au/
- 5th April – Jesus, Beer and Pizza Men’s Event
- 12th April – Women’s Event
- 18-20th April – Easter Celebration Services
—May – Follow-up: Hope Explored Courses at both Picton and Wilton during May and June to help our friends find out more, make a commitment to Jesus and get connected at our Church.
We’d love you to be involved by coming along to our February training, and by committing to pray daily for your 3 friends.
Blessings,
Ben
I’m not ready for this year to begin. I’m feeling a bit discouraged and a bit inadequate and a bit sick. I’m praying that this inadequacy will drive me to depend on Jesus. I’m asking for his help to persevere. I’m thankful that God loves me just as I am and will use people like you and I despite our weaknesses and failings. One of the wonderful things about our God is that he’s there for us in the good times and the hard.
I’m reminded of Isaiah 40:28-31:
‘Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.’
This year we have several events in February to help you and I fix our eyes on Jesus and the task at hand. I hope you can join us for our training opportunities and/or Church weekend away.
Blessings,
Ben
Compassion Australia is an inter-church, non-demoninational evangelical Christian organisation. Their ministry is holistic child development in partnership with local churches, in over 25 developing countries around the world.
Through sponsorship, Compassion assists children and their families living in poverty, regardless of their beliefs, gender or background. This has been occurring for over 60 years and 2 million children worldwide are benefiting from this ministry.
Picton and Wilton Anglican Church members sponsor 45 children, 37 of which are in the Philippines. A Compassion trip is being planned to the Philippines in 2026. Register an ‘expression of interest’ to Debbie at Church. Money not required yet. Let her know the size of your group and the details of your sponsor child and where they are located.
Follow the link below to see what’s happening in that part of the world…..
https://www.compassion.com.au/where-we-work/philippines
From Debbie,
Our Church Compassion Rep.
NB: if you prefer to watch, instead of read, here is a link to this Budget 2025 announcement on YouTube here:
Picton and Wilton is a growing area with lots of people who need to hear about Jesus. We need to grow our Church and ministry in order to serve this growing population.
In 2021 we made the big decision to employ a full time assistant minister, doubling our expenses and setting ourselves a 5 year goal of becoming a sustainable 2 minister Church by 2026. We employed Scott Williams to invest in developing the youth and young adults ministry and build a team to plant a Wilton morning congregation.
We’ve seen incredible fruit flow from this decision:
- Friday night Youth Group has gone from strength to strength – with 34 youth attending KYCK this year!
- We’ve seen a growing group of teenagers and young adults involved and serving at the 5pm congregation.
- 10am Church was started last October, just over a year ago and has already welcomed many new families and individuals…
- We’ve been able to encourage and equip several young adults to pursue ministry, with 6 attending the MTS Recruit conference and Jake Pearse becoming our first full time MTS trainee.
Thanks for your generosity in both money, time, and prayer that has enabled all this to happen. We’ve tracked well towards our goal of having a surplus budget in 2026. In fact, things were going so well that we decided to employ Jake Pearse this year for 2 years as our first full time MTS trainee.
But over the last few years cost of living increases have changed the goalposts. Wages are currently increasing approximately 4% per year, and insurance costs are increasing 14% next year alone.
We’re doing our best to keep costs low – we have volunteers cleaning, helping our with administration and we’ve been successful in grant applications to fund projects.
In order to keep on track towards our goal we’re proposing a 20% increase in budgeted giving for 2025. If we achieve this we’ll have a small budget deficit next year and then a surplus budget in 2026.
We’re not imagining that everyone can increase their giving by 20%. Some of you are already giving as much as you’re able – we really appreciate your generosity. Some of you are regular givers but maybe haven’t reviewed your giving in the last few years – perhaps you could prayerfully consider how much you’re giving and make an adjustment. Some of you aren’t yet giving regularly – and we’d love you to consider investing.
So, as Parish Council plans for a 20% giving increase in 2025, we’d love your feedback. Please click on the button below to fill out our quick survey, or you can simply speak to someone on Parish Council if you prefer.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
About 6 months ago my ministry coach challenged me about the regularity of my Bible reading and prayer. I confessed to him that the urgency of the to do list often meant I skipped over reading my Bible and praying in the mornings. He asked me what I thought the consequences of that would be and helped me realise how much it mattered.
If I’m not regularly being refreshed by the Word of God, depending on him in prayer and growing in intimacy and love for my Lord Jesus, then I will over time dry out and become hollow. My ministry will be hypocritical and ineffective and I’ll burn out because my motivation will be all muddled. This will have a huge impact on our Church and on the lives of hundreds of you. It matters a lot that I keep up these healthy spiritual disciplines. I’ve enjoyed being more consistent in reading my bible and praying and the confidence and joy in Jesus that has given me.
I want to ask you: how are you going at reading your Bible and praying regularly? Have you stopped to think about how much it really matters and what the consequences will be if you don’t do something about it? What will be the consequences on your children if you can’t be their healthy spiritual leader? What will be the consequences on your friends and family if you aren’t encouraging them towards life in Christ.
It really matters – so what are you going to do about it?
Yours in Christ,
Ben
Recently I’ve had one song going around and around in my head – but it’s a good one! The chorus goes:
‘On that day, we will see you, shining brighter than the sun.
On that day, we will know you, as we lift our voice as one.
‘Til that day, we will praise you, for your never-ending grace.
And will keep on singing, on that glorious day.’
Many in our church family are facing sickness, death and sorrow, in their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. For all the weariness and feelings of hopelessness that can come upon us, this song declares:
‘What a blessed hope, though now tired and worn
We will spend eternity around our Saviour’s throne
Though we grieve our losses, we grieve not in vain
For we know our crown of glory waits beyond the grave’
Whenever I visit my family up north, I come away with a healthy dose of ‘eschatological awareness’! That is, in the face of their weariness, mental illness and the reality of impending death, they cry (often!!) ‘Come, Lord Jesus!’ or ‘Take me home, Lord Jesus!’ It’s not a cry I hear in many other places, or from my own lips. And yet they are on the right track.
In the opening sermon of the 2 Thessalonians series, Scott challenges us to consider our intimacy with God. Do we know him? Are we growing in our knowledge of him? We are called to grow in this intimacy with God together, as his family. The more we know him, the more we will long to be with him!
So, as we sing together this Sunday, let’s sing heartily and whole-heartedly of all God has done for us in Christ, to make us his people, and to give us a future hope, beyond this weary and worn life.
‘Hallelujah, what a day it will be!
For at home with You, my joy is complete
As I run into Your arms open wide, I will see
My Father who is waiting for me’
‘On that Day’ by City Alight https://youtu.be/pF4qFdxD4kM?feature=shared
Yours in Christ,
Sharon (Picton 9am Congregation Member)
Our Church is not a social club – we have a purpose. We are part of God’s great plan, helping people to find Life in Christ. This plan is urgent and vital. Without Christ we will face God’s judgement and condemnation. Jesus offers, not just forgiveness, but peace with God, hope and purpose.
Life in Christ comes primarily by the work of God’s Word and Spirit in our lives as we encourage each other to repent and trust in Christ. This is the heart of all of the activities and groups that we run.
Our core activity is the Sunday gathering of God’s people in our three Church congregations. But as these congregations grow, its hard to facilitate deep relationships of trust and accountability. Our mid-week Bible Study groups are a great way for these deep relationships to form and for deliberate discipleship and encouragement to take place.
At present, less than 50% of our Church members are in Bible study groups. Some people aren’t in groups because they don’t have time, some because they fear groups will be too academic and boring (they have ‘study’ in the name after all), and some for other reasons. We believe these groups can be really helpful and so we want to make a deliberate effort in term 1 2025 to invest in the leaders of our groups and to encourage more of our members to join a group.
The plan looks like this:
Rest of 2024 – PREPARE: Survey members to understand the barriers to joining a group and investigate how to make the groups the best they can be with the outcome of Christian growth, not just ‘bible study’.
February 2025 – TRAIN: a month dedicated to training current and potential group leaders, and encouraging everyone to consider joining a group.
March 2025 – RELAUNCH: We’ll relaunch our groups with more support for leaders and hopefully a greater participation rate.
Please pray that this plan to relaunch groups will help us in our purpose of people finding Life in Christ. We look forward to hearing your feedback on all this and working together as God’s people in Picton and Wilton.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
