Picton & Wilton Anglican Churches

6:30am was a bit early to be departing home on a Saturday morning.  It was cold, but it was worth it.
Last Saturday about a dozen of us went along to Katoomba Men’s Convention (Basecamp).  We had a great day building ‘the courage that carries the cross’ by fellowshipping together, hearing talks from Genesis and about how Family Systems theory and depending on Jesus can enable us to be resolute for Christ and for those around us.
If you grab your ticket today or tomorrow for next year, there is a super-early bird rate of only $95.  We can either go up for the Friday evening session and camp, or just go for the day and have dinner together afterwards like this year.  There are cheaper and closer Men’s Conferences around (and maybe that will work better for some of us next year), but there is something special about gathering in Katoomba with over a thousand blokes to sing God’s praises and hear from his Word.
I just bought my ticket – Let’s go men! – https://brushfire.com/kcc/basecamp27/631422
Yours in Christ,
Ben

The Archbishop has encouraged me to write to you about the religion question in the Census, which takes place next Tuesday (11 Aug).

There is a dedicated campaign to manipulate the census results by persuading people to not to tick one of the denomination / faith group labels on the census unless they are regular practicing members of that denomination or faith. The campaign also seeks to steer religious people away from ticking (in our case) the ‘Anglican’ box and instead writing in a generic label such as ‘Christian’. This matters because the government uses census data to make decisions about policy and resourcing matters, including, for example, Chaplaincy funding.

According to ABS, the religion question is measuring religious affiliation, not religious practice. Religious affiliation is the faith group you associate with, even if that differs from your active practice or participation.

It would be ideal if every person attending a Sydney Anglican Church indicated on the census that they are Anglicans. Theologically, of course, we prioritise our identity as Christians. We rightly consider that ‘denomination’ is a secondary matter. But for the purposes of the census it is most helpful if people attending Anglican churches nominate Anglican, rather than inadvertently dilute this result by a non-specific indicator such as ‘Christian’.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

More info here: https://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/filling-in-census-accurately

Two weeks ago a new Church started in Wilton. The Sanctuary: Wilton Baptist Church launched on 19th July and will be meeting monthly all this year as they build momentum towards weekly services next year. This is not competition, this is partnership, these are brothers and sisters proclaiming Christ, this is God’s Kingdom growing in Wilton! You may have met Pastor Alex Lisk, we introduced him at Wilton Carols and he’s been teaching SRE at both Wilton Public and Picton High Schools.

Join me in praying that many would come to know Jesus and grow in him through the ministry of The Sanctuary and that God would be raising up people to partner with Alex in leading and growing this new Church for Jesus! If you’re interested in checking this new Church out, please reach out to Alex or go along to one of their monthly gatherings. And if you do, make sure you speak to Scott or I about it. Since Church is family, changing Churches is a big deal and something to pray about and work through carefully.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

How has the book of Colossians impacted you?
Has the reminder of the hope held out in the gospel given rise to growth in faith in Jesus and love for all God’s people?
Has the supremacy of Christ given you comfort and assurance, knowing that the world isn’t spinning out of control, even when things go wrong in our lives?
Have you been reconciled to God by Christ’s physical body through death so that you now and forever stand holy in the sight of God, free from the burden of guilt and shame?
Are you able to rejoice in living for Christ, even when its hard – knowing that you are part of God’s great plan and can serve others freely?
Are you able to persevere living for Christ and continuing to trust in him and not in yourself even as you go on and mature in the Christian life?
Are you helped to set your heart and mind on things above, knowing that your identity and self-worth are found in Christ and not dependent on your social status, bank balance or popularity in this world?
Are you resolved to devote yourself to prayer and to make the most of every opportunity to speak with grace and saltiness to others about Christ?
Take a moment to reflect and perhaps read over Colossians.  Pray for God to continue to be at work in you by his Word and Spirit!
Yours in Christ,
Ben

Oh! sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples! Psalm 96:1-3
How wonderful it is to worship God every day and to declare that Jesus is Lord “among the nations.” As the body of Christ, we show our obedience to this call by sending, giving, praying, and going as we carry the hope of Christ next door and around the world. Following Jesus’ call to serve “the least of these,” CDP* walks alongside local church and community leaders in some of the poorest regions on earth, equipping them with the skills to show others how to solve their own problems and reach out to those who do not know God’s love is for all.
CDP must trust God for provision of what is needed, to do what He calls upon us to do, and so His Spirit works in the hearts of people. Whilst CDP goes, it is your sending, giving and praying that make it possible.
When we trust and see God answering our prayers, it is our joy to bless His name and declare that He is Lord. CDP is truly blessed when we see “his marvellous works” transforming the lives of people both physically and spiritually allowing them to develop a deeper faith in God.
Having people from PWAC who share this journey with us is vital to remind us we are not
alone.
Yours in Christ,
Ray, Ann, Geoff and Michelle.
*CDP is Community Development Projects: https://www.cdprojects.org/.

With the Football world cup commencing last weekend, many of us are looking forward to the excitement that comes with the tournament.

Being a sports fan is often a lesson in managing expectations – either high or low. One week your team or favourite player is unbeatable, the next you’re wondering why you ever started supporting them in the first place.

The reality is that sport mirrors life in many ways. Life is filled with highs and lows – the longer we live, the more we realise that life is rarely a straight line upward. It is often a series of mountaintops and valleys.

The wonderful thing about the Christian faith is that God never pretends otherwise. Jesus never promised His followers a life free from difficulties.

In John 16:33, Jesus says the opposite:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”.

I find great comfort in the honesty of those words. Jesus understands the reality of life in a broken world. He knows there will be disappointments, setbacks, heartaches and struggles.

One of the reasons sport can be such an emotional rollercoaster is that we place our hopes in outcomes we can’t control.

But placing our hope in Jesus is different. Unlike our football teams, Jesus never loses. He never changes. He never fails. His victory has been secured through His death and resurrection

Yours in Christ,

Kieran, Member of W10, Parish Council member, and mad-keen Southampton Supporter.

I love singing at church! Even more than that, I love hearing the voices of others singing around me. When I have the privilege of leading singing from the front on Sunday mornings at Picton, I delight to hear the voices of my brothers and sisters in Christ singing right back at me. 

Our singing as the gathered people of God, is worship of God. But it’s also God’s way for us to teach one another. 

We’re up to that part in Colossians with one of my favourite verses in the Bible: “Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” As we sing to God with thankfulness in our hearts, we also teach and correct one another. Most often, in our songs, that correction will be of our thinking, to reflect God’s glory, rearranging our priorities to have Christ at the centre of our lives, reminding our forgetful hearts of the sin that entangles us and the good that God has for us to do. 

So as we gather today, sing up! Lift up your thankful hearts to the Lord, and in doing so, encourage those around you to do the same.
Yours in Christ,
Sharon

“Brothers and sisters, care for one another.” Those are the words of Dr Phil Greenhalgh, retired Emergency Physician, Royal Flying Doctor Service veteran, faithful member at our 10am service, and keen helper at Kids Club. His message to us this winter: “If you’re contagious, stay home.”
1 Corinthians 12 is clear — the church is a body whose parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. Caring for others isn’t optional. Caring is what church does and among us are people who cannot fight off the sicknesses you just shrug off.
Phil is unimpressed by the famous Codral commercials urging us to “soldier on”, dose yourself up and push through. He’s on record: “The commercial that says to soldier on with whatever rubbish is all about money! It is just profit for the chemist.” The message he prefers is simpler and older: “stay home, stop the spread.”
Phil’s Top 3:

1. If you are sick, stay home for two days and rest. Take Sambucol (for zinc) and a natural antiviral
2. If you have aches and fever, test at home for flu, COVID, and RSV. If it’s flu, see your GP and get a script for Tamiflu ASAP
3. Stay warm, eat well, avoid stress, get your flu vaccine

We’ll see you when you’re well. There’s no guilt in staying home. Your seat will be here, your church family will be here and the coffee will still be hot. The body of Christ loves each other in practical, unglamorous ways, and staying home when you’re sick is one of them. As Phil puts it: “He has watched over me for 75 years. God is good. Praise him!”
Scott Williams (Asst. Minister) & Phil Greenhalgh

It’s amazing how hard Paul works (Col 1:29) for people he hasn’t even met!
His goal is to present everyone fully mature in Christ.  The main way he does that is by proclaiming Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom (Col 1:28).
As a Church our goal is to help everyone find life in Christ.  That means we put energy into teaching God’s word to one another, discipling one another and loving one another as a Church.  But it also means, we put energy into people we haven’t met yet coming to know Christ in our evangelistic efforts, and we are a welcoming and inclusive community.
There are increasingly more people coming to our Churches, and it can be overwhelming to be constantly meeting new people.  Let me encourage you (our regulars) to persevere in welcoming and caring for new people and to have a heart of generosity and a big view of God’s growing Kingdom.  Think about sitting next to and introducing yourself to a new person.  Ask them about who they are and why they came along.  Introduce them to others.  Below is a draft version of our Welcoming Pathway – so you can help them know what to expect and how they can get integrated into our Church family.  If you have any questions or ideas about how we can do this well, please let me know.
Yours in Christ,
Ben