Category: newsletter (Page 1 of 11)

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)

This past weekend, Wilton Anglican Youth [WAY] went to up to Katoomba for the KYCK Christian youth convention. 40 of us – and over 1400 others in the shed gathered in Jesus’ name to hear from Genesis 1-3 and to sing praises to our God. In video interviews, here’s what the [WAY] teenagers had to say:

Highlights:

“Camping” – Lara (yr9)

“Lollies” – Ethan (yr7)

“The KYCK sessions” – Caleb (yr12)

“The Tigers winning” – Louis (yr7)

“The music.” – Indi (yr9)

“The music.” – Lara (yr9)

“The music.”- Mischa (yr9)

“KYCK is going good. The bacon’s warm, right off the grill. The bread’s a bit cold but that’s just because of the day today.”

Ethan (yr7)

“I’m freezing. Double jumpered currently. But in all seriousness, I ‘ve learnt that God made us with a purpose.”

Lillian (yr11)

“God made the world with intention and everything is done for a reason.”

Kiah (yr8)

“Our identity should be found in Christ because we were made in God’s image, by God.”

Jye (yr12)

Join us this Sunday to see the KYCK recap video,

– Scott Williams (Asst. Minister)

The meerkat is everyone’s favourite at the zoo.  After busily foraging around for food (haven’t they noticed that the food mysteriously appears every day at 9am) they stand to attention bolt upright and check this way and that to see that there is no danger at hand.  They’re looking out for one another, because they’re a team, because they’re family. 

I want to suggest that might be a good habit for us to be in at Church.  Not in order to notice any danger, but to notice anyone in danger: anyone who is standing by themselves; anyone looking lost or lonely; or anyone who has come to Church for the first time and will leave again promptly if nobody comes to speak with them.  I estimate that it only takes 30-60 seconds of no-one speaking to a new person after Church for them to feel awkward and decide to leave.  Then they possibly never come back.

I completely understand that there is always a friend at Church who you’re itching to catch up with, or to gloat about how you’re team beat their team in the football.  But that conversation can wait.  When the service finishes, just put that conversation on hold for a second and mimic a meerkat.

I also understand that talking to strangers is scary.  Why not be a pair of meerkats?  Try it with a friend, say ‘Hey, have you ever seen that person at Church before?  Why don’t we go and say hello?’ 

Mimic a meerkat, and you just might find an opportunity to welcome somebody to our Church, listen to their story, show them around, describe how our ‘King’s Kids’ Sunday school or youth ministries or bible studies work, or even explain the good news of Jesus!

Being a welcoming Church is not just about who’s on the roster at the door – it’s about setting a culture of welcoming newcomers, seeking to build them up in Christ and incorporate them into our family.  It’s our responsibility – all of us – and so over the next few weeks in this space, I want to explore this issue.

Yours in Christ,
Ben

What was your first impression when you walked into church for the first time? Were you greeted at the front door with a smile or was there some confusion as to where you should sit and where everything was? Did anyone come up to you after the service and have a chat? Were you followed up later on in the week with a message or phone call?

Welcoming new people into our church is a vital ministry not just for those who are the designated welcomers for that day, but for all of us who attend a service. Sarie King, the writer of a research paper into welcoming and integrating newcomers, described welcoming as “…not about greeting people, it’s about churches and congregation members practicing a ministry of hospitality and inclusion to believers and unbelievers alike, it’s about connecting them in relationship with other believers, and engaging them fully in the life, growth and ministry of a congregation.”

Our welcoming is much more than the hour or two we spend with newcomers on a Sunday. It is also the time we spend during the week reaching out to those who have come for the first time. The effectiveness of this follow up can be seen in the following quote:

“The basic finding is summed up in the ’36-hour principle’:

When lay- persons (aka not ministers) visit the home of a first- time worshipper within 36 hours, 85% of them will return to worship next Sunday. When the visit is delayed for 72 hours, only 60% return; when delayed five to seven days, 15% return… if the minister makes the first visit percentages were then cut in half.”

Last year we ran some training events over a few weekends and one of those was focused on Welcoming and Newcomers Integration. Over the following months we will be running follow up training, looking at what we have been doing well, what could be improved and any changes people may have in mind. The first training session is for Wilton 5pm congregation and will be Sunday 15th September 3:30-4:30. If you are interested in attending please let me know ASAP. We will send out more information for those who are interested for Picton 9am and Wilton 10am later.

Yours in Christ,

Jake

God’s incredible plan is to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ! (Ephesians 1:10).
We are part of something so much bigger than just Picton and Wilton (although Picton and Wilton are part of God’s great plan too).  Our partnership with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) is one way we take part in God’s universal plan for his creation – as CMS strives for a ‘world that knows Jesus’.
The Church Missionary Society (CMS) is a fellowship of Christian people and churches committed to global mission. CMS works with churches to set apart godly people as long-term cross-cultural gospel workers.
Our Churches partner with CMS in supporting Craig and Lisse in the Middle-East – you can sign up to their newsletter and/or support them financially here: https://cms.org.au/missionaries/clvn/
On Saturday 7th September I’ll be attending the CMS Southern Highlands Mission Expo at Moss Vale in the afternoon.  I’d love you to join me – you need to register by 4th September to attend and then let me know so I can give you a lift in our van.  At the expo, we’ll hear from CMS Executive Director, John Lovell aswell as from missionaries going to Taiwan and returning from South East Asia. 
Register here: https://www.cms.org.au/event/cms-southern-highlands-mission-expo-2024/.
Then on Sunday 8th September we’ll be hearing from guest speaker Graeme, from CMS in our regular Church services.
Yours in Christ,
Ben

All of us need to take care of our mental health, just as we do our physical and spiritual health. Our mental health will go through ups and downs and we’ll need to get professional help sometimes, just as we do regarding our physical health.

Whether it be anxiety, depression or other manifestations of poor mental health there are a range of ways we can get help, but the best first step is to connect with others. Healthy relationships with one another and with God gives us resilience to cope and are a good first line of defence.

On Sunday afternoon we were blessed to have Trinette Stanley, from Anglicare, present to us from both a medical and biblical perspective. She shared that with the right help and care someone with a life-long mental illness can live with good mental health and participate fully in life. She also introduced us to Rev Prof John Swinton (via Youtube), and encouraged us to think in terms of healing, not in terms of seeking a cure. Even though we may be suffering from illness (physical, mental or other) we can experience ‘healing’ or ‘shalom’ by being in right relationship with God, the creation and one another.

Trinette’s seminar has given us some tools and encouragement to help us in our mental health journey’s, and to support those among us suffering poor mental health or mental illness. I’ve already spoken to several people who have benefitted personally, including finding the courage to seek professional help.

If you want to find out more, please let me know. One great place to start if you want to get help and/or think some more about this topic is the Mental Health Resource Hub (https://www.anglicare.org.au/church-partnerships/mental-health-resource-hub/), which aims to equip you to navigate mental health and wellbeing challenges within your Church community.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

God has spoken by his Word, and we are encouraged to read and meditate on it.
In Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites that God’s commandments should be on their hearts, impressed upon their children, talked about when sitting at home and when walking along the road, tied as symbols on their hands and foreheads, written on the doorframes of their houses and more (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
The Psalms begin with a declaration of blessing to the one whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).  The longest chapter in the Bible is an extended meditation on the word of God: ‘How can a young person stay on the path of purity?  By living according to your word.’ (Psalm 119:9).
When faced with temptation, Jesus reached for the word of God: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4).
So I want to urge you to read, meditate on and memorise God’s Word. 
As we begin studying the gospel of John – I’m putting out the challenge (and the opportunity) for you to memorise John 1:1-14.  Each week in Church there will be an opportunity for someone to recall these verses by memory in front of the congregation – and if they successfully do so, they’ll win a box of chocolates.
Yours in Christ,
Ben

Kate and I went to the movies yesterday on my day off to see ‘Unsung Hero’ – and it was brilliant.  So encouraging to see a well produced Christian movie that deals with the reality of struggling with sin and pride and adversity and learning to pray and depend on God for everything.
It’s the true story of the Smallbone family – whose kids grow up to be famous Christian musicians ‘Rebecca St James’ and Joel and Luke Smallbone (‘For King and Country’).  The family are actually Australian and there are some great Aussie culture moments and jokes.  They move to America when the economic downturn of the 90’s makes it impossible for David (the Father) to find work in Australia.
My favourite moments in the movie were when one of the kids asks God to make things cheaper and seeing the Father figure humbled and forced to depend on God and others (in a healthy way).
I recommend you go and see the movie at the Theatre if you can, or when it comes out in other formats.
There’s a fuller review on the Sydney Anglicans website or in the May-June edition of the Southern Cross magazine from Church…
Yours in Christ,
Ben