Category: newsletter (Page 1 of 14)

It’s November! When did that happen?

I’m always surprised how quickly the year rolls around again. In a world of constant change and busyness, it’s important to remember that God and his promises are powerful and unchanging.

The lead up to Christmas provides us with a particular opportunity to present Christ and his love to our community and I’d like you to set aside time in your busy schedule to be a part of this*.

You could volunteer to help collect Toys n Tucker at Picton mall on 28 or 29th November, to make hampers for local families in need in our community. Or you could volunteer to help with Wilton Carols on 13th December. If you could sign up today, right now, by clicking on these links**, that would really help us with our planning.

Praying that as the year ramps up for you – you can keep Jesus at the centre where he belongs.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

*I’m asking Church members to volunteer – not just the random website reading public, if that’s you – then hi, we love you and thanks for reading!

** Links available in the email version, not on website

I’m writing to share some exciting news and invite you to partner with me in ministry in 2026.

As you may know, I am finishing up as the MTS apprentice for Picton and Wilton Anglican (PWAC) at the end of 2025 and will start studying at Moore College in 2026. I will be staying on as a student minister at PWAC, doing one day a week of ministry. This will be an incredible opportunity to grow in understanding God’s Word, serve His people, and be equipped for a lifetime of gospel ministry.

This season of training is made possible through the generous support of people who believe in raising up the next generation of gospel workers. I’m seeking a team of financial and prayer partners who will stand with me as I continue this work. I need to fundraise $11894, which is my salary for next year.

Would you consider supporting me financially, either through a one-off gift or by becoming a regular monthly partner? Every contribution, big or small, is a great help and I truly appreciate it.

Please let me know by sending me a message or email if you are able to support me next year so I am able to plan accordingly.

Thank you for considering partnering with me in this work and to those who have been supporting me on my MTS journey. I’m so thankful for your encouragement, friendship, and prayers as I continue to serve and grow in the gospel.

In Christ,

Jake

God is powerfully at work among us!
It was so great at our Baptism Celebration service to witness our friends testifying to God’s work of salvation in their lives.  What a powerful reminder of the work God has done and is doing in our own lives and to give thanks and continue to trust in him.  It’s also a huge encouragement to be prayerful and confident about the work God will do in the lives of our friends and family who don’t know Jesus yet.
Our Archbishop, Kanishka, began his Synod address this year with the phrase, ‘I believe in conversion’.  The God who made the universe and placed the stars in space, the God who in love sent his only son into the world, to live and to die on the cross and to conquer death and rise to life.  This God can certainly call people from death to life as they turn from their sin to put their trust in Jesus Christ.
So join me in praying that many more of our friends and family will turn and trust in Jesus and be saved.  Join me in praying that our next baptism service we will not just run out of chairs, but that God’s praises will ring out from among us in ever increasing measure!
In Christ,
Ben

Everyone needs to know Jesus and receive life in his name. And God has a plan for how they will come to know him. Do you know what that plan is?

You.

You, God’s people, are God’s plan and method for sharing the good news of Jesus with the world. That’s why we’re launching our ‘Prayers for 2’ strategy.

Because God is the one who saves people, and because he does it through the efforts of his people in relationship, the best place to start is prayer.

Prayer calls upon God to be at work by his Holy Spirit in the lives of our friends, and a habit of prayer motivates us and mobilises us to depend on God, to be aware of our friends need for Jesus and seek opportunities to share the good news with them.

Our goal as a Church is to have at least 60 of us praying daily for 2 minutes for 2 of our friends who don’t yet know Jesus and have life in Christ.

So grab a ‘prayers for 2’ bookmark at Church (or convert it to a fridge magnet) and begin praying!

In Christ,
Ben

Pic: A really bad selfie from our Term 4 Prayer and Praise Night.

I’m not much of a political person, and I had never heard of Charlie Kirk before the shocking news of his death hit the headlines last week.  I still don’t feel qualified to say much about it, but I was amazed by two statements made at his funeral:
Firstly, Charlie’s wife, Erika said:
““My husband, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. That young man, that young man.  On the cross, our Savior said: ‘Father, forgive them for they not know what they do.’  That man, that young man, I forgive him.  I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do.  The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love, love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”
The second statement that caught my attention was made in response by Donald Trump:
“He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them, that’s where I differed from Charlie: I hate my opponents,”
Trump may have been speaking in jest, but these two statements make clear that we have a choice about how to respond to people who disagree with us, or harm us or simply hate us – and as Christians we are guided by the way Jesus Christ has treated us. 
‘While were were still sinners… while we were his enemies… Christ died for us.’ (Rom 5:8-10)
Yours in Christ,
Ben

I thought I might take an opportunity to update you all on my MTS journey, as well as in my personal life.
 
Firstly, I am now into my final four months as your MTS apprentice. I cannot believe how fast the two years have gone, I feel like it has flown by! Some of the ministries I am currently working on is helping manage our bible study groups and support the leaders of those groups, giving a talk at the aged care services in October and researching my Genesis sermon, as well as doing my regular weekly ministries. 
 
Secondly, my plan for next year has been to go to Moore College and last week I received my letter of acceptance so that will be going ahead. I am very excited to deep-dive into the bible and be taught by some very experienced lecturers. I am a little apprehensive about returning to full time study as it has been over 10 years since I last did formal education so your prayers for that would be greatly appreciated. 
 
I am also planning on becoming a student minister at church but will need to fundraise my salary for that. If this is something you would be able to give towards I would greatly appreciate it and could you please let me know so I can plan for this. 
 
Finally, the end of the year will look a tiny bit different as Ineke is expecting to give birth in November! We are very excited to be welcoming a baby boy to our family and look forward to becoming parents for the first time.
 
Thank you for all your prayers for both myself and Ineke, we are truly grateful for the support we have experienced as we have stepped into full time ministry.
 
Yours in Christ,
Jake

Wasn’t it great to meet together all in one place!
Just over 180 of us met together for Celebration Sunday at Wollondilly Anglican College last week to share, pray, sing and hear from God’s Word.  From the Connect card feedback it was clear that everyone loved gathering all together as one, hearing some interviews to get to know a few people and particularly having Ajax the puppet help with the sermon.  We hope to continue Celebration Sunday as an annual event.  
It was certainly strange for me to have Sunday evening free!
The sermon from Colossians 1:28 encouraged us to be part of God’s great plan to save the world through Christ.  It challenged us to consider how we are growing and how we can encourage others to take the next step of growing and maturing in Christ. 
He is the one we proclaim!
How are you going?  How are you growing?  
Yours in Christ,
Ben

Do you turn to Christ?

This is the first question our confirmation candidates will be asked this Sunday evening as they stand up publicly to confirm the promises made on their behalf at their baptism.

They’ll be asked whether, by God’s grace, they will strive to live as a disciple of Christ, loving God with their whole heart, and their neighbour as themselves, until their life’s end?

We will have a chance to support them in this public commitment to follow Christ and be encouraged in our own life in Christ. So please come and support our confirmees this Sunday evening 5pm at Wilton and be encouraged to stand for Christ in your life!

Peter Hayward, our regional Bishop, will be preaching at all 3 services, but the confirmation service will only be happening at Wilton 5pm.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

*Photos of last few years confirmees.

Greetings from Tanzania!

My work is almost finished for this visit. On Friday, I will stay with Helen Hoskins overnight then Saturday travel the rest of the way to Mwanza for my journey home.

It is with mixed emotions when I leave. So much we can do here.

A small percentage of the population are Christian and the harvest is huge.

The parishes are so welcoming and hospitable. It is hard to accept their food and gifts because of their poverty but I would not offend them. It is their culture.

The training went very well. Over 120 in attendance each day. We have reached 80 villages so the expected impact is exciting. My work now is to monitor success and direct help where needed.

The parishes know I could not do this work without support of others. They thank you and praise God for all at PWAC.

Ann Shephard (W10 member and President of Community Development Projects)

It’s a common refrain when visiting poor communities to exclaim, ‘they don’t have much, but they are so happy.’  How have we in the Western world become so advanced and so wealthy and yet so unhappy?  So many things that we pursue in life do nothing to contribute to our wellbeing or level of happiness. 
One of the key areas that we ought to focus on is relationships.  God made us for relationships – and positive and purposeful relationships are key to our flourishing and our happiness.
Over the next 6 weeks* at Church we’re going to be looking at relationships: friendships; family; romantic relationships; parenting, sexuality and gender; to uncover how God made us and how he wants us to live.
Some of you will be excited and interested to hear God’s wisdom on relationships, others of you might feel nervous or ashamed or guilty because of your experiences or perhaps the way Christians or the Church have dealt with you in the past.  All of us have baggage we carry, and sins we’re ashamed of, but we all need to hear God’s guidance because God loves us and his way is best.  My intention is to speak directly, carefully and sensitively from the Bible about this subject, and I pray that you will find it helpful, challenging and encouraging.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
*with a few interruptions in between.