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
Category: newsletter (Page 1 of 17)
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:
- If you are sick, stay home for two days and rest. Take Sambucol (for zinc) and a natural antiviral
- 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
- 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
This has been a week full of milestones!
The 2 year anniversary of the Picton Community Pantry – serving our community by providing a place for low-cost groceries and connection. The conclusion of our first ‘Taste and See’ course and many guests making steps towards faith in Jesus. Application to several Federal, State and Local Council grants to support our ministries. And an application to the Urban Renewal Pilot Program. If we are successful in our application, then we will gain support in developing our Wilton Church property to better serve the rapidly growing community around us with the good news of Jesus Christ!
This year we’ve really felt the need for space. Our Wilton morning service Kids Program’s have struggled with many children in smaller than ideal spaces, and both our Wilton congregations have often used every chair in the building on a regular Sunday. We recognise that this is just the beginning of what God has in store for our little Church in a large and growing suburb, and so we need to make plans.
Parish Council are taking a first step by asking for financial contributions to buy 50 more chairs. We are exploring possibilities to increase or make more flexible the Kids ministry spaces, and we are beginning to explore the longer term project of a whole new Wilton Church building for the future.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
It’s Compassion Sunday this week!
We look forward to welcoming Compassion’s Church Partnerships Manager, Spiro yet again (and sponsor of 25 years himself), to talk to us about the work of Compassion’s child sponsorship programs, which occur all around the world.
Our church family sponsors quite a number of children in the Philippines (as well as some in other countries), and for the first time ever this year (just last month), 15 of us had the opportunity to see for ourselves, the work Compassion is doing in the Philippines.
Join us for church at any of the 3 services this Sunday, to hear from those who went to the Philippines last month, as they share their insights from the week-long trip. From visiting projects, to home visits, to Sunday church, to meeting our own sponsor kids, to a dinner hearing from 4 young people who are now alumni, find out how Compassion’s work is impacting those who live in the Philippines.
If you don’t currently sponsor a child but are thinking about it, we will have Child Profiles from projects we visited as well as other places. If you are unsure about sponsorship, pray about it and have a read of the link below, which has very helpful information:
17 Questions Most New Sponsors Ask, Answered (https://www.compassion.com.au/journal/questions-most-new-sponsors-ask-answered/)
Hope to see you Sunday!
Debbie.
Your Compassion Rep.
As of the 7th of May, I’ve been a mum for 6 months! Here’s a collection of reflections from this new mum.
1. I have such little control…
Starting from when I went into labour, to the temperament of our baby, to how much (or little) he sleeps, all the way to what he will do with his life, and how quickly he grows as time disappears.
2. …So dependence on God is a must
Jake and I can strive to be the best parents we can be, and aim to teach M everything we know about the gospel, but at the end of the day his salvation lies in God’s hands alone. Relinquishing control can be daunting, but what a relief that God has it in his far more capable hands.
3. God sees me
At 3am when I’ve barely slept, and it’s just me and our little milk monster awake, it can feel eerily quiet and alone. I have been comforted by Psalm 121- God does not slumber. He is awake with me, watching over me and sustaining me. This also gives me peace to rest (when I can) because I know that God is watching over M even in the moments that I can’t.
4. God sees my child
God knit him together in my womb. He knows M even better and more intimately than I ever can. This leads me to whisper prayers in the small moments.. “Lord, why is he crying, help me to give him what he needs”.
Being a mother is truly a gift.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums, young and old, seasoned and new. It is an honour to be one of you this year.
– Ineke
I’m really excited that many among you (lay people – not the official ministers) will be preaching during our series on Colossians! The great thing about Jesus is he has made God accessible to anyone who puts their faith in him. We saw in John’s gospel that after Christ’s death and resurrection the disciples could have a direct relationship with God the Father (John 16:26-27). That means there is no need for a special priest or mediator to stand between you and God – Jesus is the mediator and provides direct access to God. He has forgiven our sins and reconciled us to God, our Heavenly Father. We also have the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, so that, in Martin Luther’s words, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it”.
In Ephesians 4 we read that the Church leaders main job is to ‘equip God’s people for works of service’. I’m praying that you’ll be inspired by our brave brothers having a go at preaching this term to consider how you might serve among us with the gifts God has given you!
Yours in Christ,
– Ben
