Happy Fathers Day for this weekend. While Father’s day won’t be the focus of our Sunday Church services, I hope you can join us this Sunday. Let me encourage you to read this excellent article by Sandy Grant on Positive Masculinity. https://sydneycathedral.com/news-blog/positive-masculinity
Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 5)
Did you know that every week nearly a thousand children and youth in our local public schools are taught about God’s love for them in Christ and how to live as his disciples?
It’s an incredible joy to be part of this ministry myself, and also to see our volunteers faithfully and joyfully preparing and teaching in these classes.
This year at Picton High School the Year 7, 8 and 9 classes have had a steadily growing attendance as they have learned about the Big Picture of the Bible and also about the life and work of Christ through the gospel of Mark. The lunchtime group have been focussed on thinking about what real love is – understood through the sacrificial love of Christ! Jake Berry has been doing a great job with these classes, along with his trainee, Miriam. I hope that you have been praying for this work and will pray for Jake and Miriam.
I want to present you with a great opportunity to further support this work:
During June, any donation towards the Wollondilly Schools Ministry Board will not only be tax deductible (as it always is), the first $10,000 donated before 25th June will also be doubled by campaign backers! That means if you donate $100, it will be matched by a $100 donation from our campaign backers, and you get a tax deductible receipt for your donation!
All donations will support Jake’s ongoing teaching of Picton High School SRE, as well as paying for Primary School SRE resources.
To donate, simply go to this website: https://sre.org.au/wollondilly.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
Would you like to be baptised or (if you were already baptised) make a declaration of faith? Let us know by the end of February (earlier the better) so we can prepare you for baptism on 10th March. We’re planning to gather down at the Bargo River (car park from Charlie’s Point Rd, near the intersection with Rockford Rd) at 2pm on Sunday 10th March for a baptism celebration.
Today, let me introduce you to the next exciting phase of our Church life together!
I call him Jake (well, that’s actually his name).
Jake represents the next exciting phase of our Church life together because he’s undertaking a two year Ministry Training Apprenticeship starting in January. We are a Church that strives to help all people find life in Christ and we do that by equipping our members to serve and love one another with the good news of Jesus. Our greatest asset is our people and we need to be investing in training and developing leaders across all areas of our Church life.
The Ministry Training Apprenticeship is not about what we can get out of Jake, its about giving Jake experience and training across a broad range of Christian ministry to help him consider how he might serve the Lord with his life.
You’ll recall that Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Matt 9:37-38. Would you join me in praying that the MTS programme will allow us to raise up and send out workers into Christ harvest field from among us?
It will cost approximately $50,000 to employ Jake as a Ministry trainee next year. Half of this will be paid for from our Church budget, the other half will be fundraised by Jake himself. You can support Jake by signing up to pray for him or by contributing to our MTS Support Fund.
Blessings,
Ben
This week I can’t decide what to write to you about, so you get all three…
1) Join me in praying for HSC students as they start their exams today (pray particularly for Skye, Adeline, Tim, James and Hunter – connected to our Church and youth group – NB: they might not all be participating in the HSC, but all will benefit from prayer).
2) Join me in carefully considering our vote and praying for the Voice Referendum this weekend, perhaps using our Archbishop’s prayer, listed below.
3) The NSW Government has committed to introducing legislation to ban ‘LGBTIQ+ conversion practices’ this November. While this in itself, is a good thing, a whole lot of healthy Christian practices might be caught up in the legislation – such as prayer, preaching and spiritual guidance based on deeply-held biblical beliefs about gender and sexuality. Therefore, we are being urged to speak up about this issue and call upon our parliamentarians to ensure this does not take place. For more information and for easy to follow guides in how to write, call or meet up with your local MP, go to this website: https://contactyourmp.org.au/.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
Here’s a prayer from our Archbishop on the upcoming Referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, along with some resources to Help you think Christianly about the topic (please note these resources represent both YES and NO arguments):
“Gracious Lord, The Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, we pray for our nation. We lament the damage done to the original inhabitants of this land, since European settlement, including the loss of life, land and language. We recognise sins committed and harm done. We praise you that you have built your church among the First Peoples of this land and we rejoice to be brothers and sisters in Christ with them. Hear our prayer as together we consider the referendum on recognition and the Voice to Parliament. Preserve us in love, respect and mutual service. Give us a spirit of wisdom and discernment as we cast our votes. Father, whatever is decided, we beg you for clear and lasting progress in addressing inequality and closing the gap for First Nations peoples. Bless Australia, we pray, as the gospel is proclaimed, that we may be reconciled to you and to each other through him who died for all, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, in whose name we pray, Amen.”
The Voice: A Christian Consideration, by Michael Jensen
No, Not This Way: One Christian Response to the Voice Referendum, by Sandy Grant
Sometimes I feel down about the lack of progress or impact we make as a Church. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news our world needs to hear – but so often people don’t want to listen. We believe our lives should be transformed in every aspect by the gospel, and yet sometimes we struggle to make reading our Bibles a priority.
Remember Ezekiel. He toiled for years and years preaching to a people who wouldn’t listen. He sacrificed much in service to his Lord and yet was warned before-hand that he wouldn’t see any fruit in his lifetime. But Ezekiel had truth and the power of the Lord on his side and so he persevered. He was vindicated (33:33). He brought hope and promise that the LORD would come and rescue (34:11). He promised a new heart and the Spirit of the LORD (36:26)!
So be encouraged. In a world of loneliness and uncertainty let us shine forth the gospel of the glory of Christ! In a world void of hope – let us live and speak the story of Jesus Christ, which brings us purpose and meaning and hope. Let us speak of resurrection power as God’s Spirit brings life to dry bones – fills our lives with purpose and meaning and unites us with himself into the true and living family of God for eternity!
Yours in Him,
Ben
PS: Have a read of Ezekiel 37 (this Sundays passage) and then listen to Lauren Daigle’s song, letting the life giving power of God fill you with hope:
Celebrate Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) with us by enjoying some FREE pancakes and a cuppa at Wilton Anglican Church. 4-5:30pm on Tuesday 1st March.
We’re so excited to finally be able to share news with you of our Church Reopening plans! It is such a joy to gather as God’s people, to hear from his word, to sing and pray and love and encourage one another. While many of these aspects (singing!) will only come back in a staged way, there is now a very bright light at the end of the COVID-tunnel.
You might be excited too, you might also be feeling frustrated, or nervous and worried, or any number of other things. That’s OK. This time has not been easy. It affects all of us differently, and we all have different circumstances and concerns to deal with. I hope and pray we can support and love each other well in this staged re-opening process. Consider checking in how others are going. Perhaps give them a call and a gentle encouragement to join you in coming back to Church.
Please take time to read and reflect on these reopening plans and to pray and plan for when you will be able to re-join us for Church services. If there is anything unclear or if you want to discuss anything with us, please don’t hesitate to call.
Join us in praying for our nation and our state as we step our way cautiously out of this COVID-19 pandemic. Pray most especially that in a time where many of the things we’ve trusted and relied upon have been shaken, people will be drawn to the unshakeable truths and hopes of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28-29
We have so much to look forward to as a Church family! Scott and Britt Williams will join us early next year; we continue our focus on training and developing leaders; and we encourage every single one of us to be growing in our faith in Christ and serving one another in love.
Yours sincerely,
Ben, along with Nick, Milton and Andrew (wardens).
Picton & Wilton Anglican Churches
See below both pdf and jpg versions of our Church reopening plans:
Click here to view our reopening plans (back to Church 31 October 2021)
Greater Sydney (including Wollondilly) is under a ‘Stay at Home’ Orders. I’m sure this has frustrated many of your plans (as it has ours) and is difficult news to hear. We won’t allow these orders to stop us from fellowshipping together, although it will have to be online.
Here is the plan for this season:
1) We’ll have only ONE Church service, 9:30am livestreamed on our Youtube Channel: http://youtube.com/PWAChurches/. You will be able to comment on the ‘live chat’ to interact with us and each other. However, please be mindful that this ‘live chat’ is a public space and we have no control over who else might be watching or commenting. If you can’t make the livestream at 9:30am you can always watch it later in the day.
2) After the service, we’ll have an informal Zoom gathering, with the opportunity to chat in small groups and for the kids to play some games together in a ‘kids room’. Please click on this Zoom link to join this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84252476839.
We’ll be sure to communicate our plans as things develop. Thanks for your prayers and understanding.
Yours in Christ,
Ben
