Love your neighbour?

When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan he really did blow many misconceptions about who your neighbour was. The lawyer who asked Jesus 'who is my neighbour', was wanting to somehow limit the command, possibly to the Jewish community. Jesus rejects this view and sees that all people are his neighbour. In fact it is the person who he considers a non-neighbour is the one who truly loves others. We need to be like this and love people who aren't like us.

The mis-measured church?

How do we measure 'success' in church life? Often it is number of people or money. These are obviously important but it makes church feel more like a restaurant/business than a family. How should we measure family/church life? Can it be done?

Music Time Teacher

We are looking to employ a Music Time Teacher on Monday mornings. We are having a great outreach to new mums through this home- grown pre-school ministry and want it to be able to continue and grow in 2008. For more information about Music Time check it out here, download a full job description here and check out the ad in Southern Cross here.

Funeral for Evelyn Lorimer

Evelyn who was a resident at Swanton House died suddenly last week. Her funeral will be at the church today at 1.30pm (Tuesday, 15 January) and people are more than welcome to join us. I will be speaking from John 11:17-27, particularly focusing on Jesus' promise and question:

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Evelyn Mary Lorimer 11.9.1923 - 10.1.2008

Wanted - a computer with dual video output

We are looking for a computer that has two independent video outputs (or three even) for our words-to-screen software. If you have a suitable computer that you could donate please email me.

Christ Files coming this Easter

This Easter a documentary will be airing on TV looking into the historical evidence for Jesus. Check out the promotional preview here.

Summer Fellowship

On Wednesday Night we start our Summer Bible Study Fellowship. It is a Bible Study Group that lasts for 4 weeks before our main Bible Study Groups start up. We will be looking at the significance of Jesus death and resurrection in Mark's gospel. If you want to come along the dates are Wed 16, 23, 30 Jan and 6 Feb at the Rectory from 8-9:30pm.

This Sunday: baptism of Alexis Wood, farewelling Jen Leahy

Jen Leahy has accepted a ministry position at a school in Armidale and so we will be farewelling her his Sunday. It has been great to have her amongst us this last year and we will be praying for her in this big step in her life.

Shayne and Rebecca will be having little Alexis baptised this Sunday. We will be welcoming their friends and families for this very happy day.

Environmentalism: 24/7 or 24 seconds?

I'm sick of environmentalism taking over what seems to be all our ethical concerns. Sure we need to burn less fossil fuels, have better designed houses for heating and cooling etc, etc. But it seems that these concerns have hijacked the entire of the ethical concerns of our nation. What about poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS. Instead of letting environmental concerns fill our minds 24/7 they need to shift to 24 seconds a day.

Visit this January

If you are looking to visit a church this January please come along one Sunday morning, it would be great to see you.