Crossing the boundaries
After years of having the house behind us vacant, someone finally moved in late last year. The new neighbour introduced himself as he was shutting the gates one day. He told me he did paving as a job. Since that time our paths had not really crossed. I was hoping they would so we could get better acquainted and I also wanted to ask him if he could spare a bucket full of paving sand so I could fix some sunken pavers at the front of my house.
Finally, our paths crossed last week when he was hooking up his trailer. I could have walked past but I decided to cross the boundary and walk into his driveway to say hullo. In the course of the conversation I asked if he could spare some paving sand. He was more than happy to quickly sweep up the left overs in his trailer and give it to me. After a bit more talking he came around and looked at what needed doing. Generously, he offered to come over the next day and fix it for me which he did. It was good to get to know him a little better as he worked on my front path.
While this may sound strange coming from a person who stands up each week and speaks to hundreds of people, I find that I am a little shy when it comes to talking to neighbours I don’t know. I suspect this is true for a lot of people as I think I have initiated nearly every conversation I’ve had with my various neighbours. People are generally wary of crossing that invisible boundary that exists between my turf and your turf. Yet I’ve found that when I have made the effort my neighbours have been welcoming and accepting. My efforts to do this last Friday ended up with my neighbour offering to fix my paving. I had not gone to speak to him with this intention but it came about because I was willing to take the risk.
When we make the effort to cross a boundary, surprising things can happen. You can end up with new friends or in my case receiving some needed help. In regards to matters of faith, there can be this invisible boundary that says, “Faith is a personal matter, so don’t talk about it.” Yet surprising things can happen when you ask God for the courage to cross that boundary. In recent times some people in our church have courageously crossed that boundary and invited others to church. Their courage has been rewarded by people accepting their invitation and attending our church.
While it is true that there are people who are closed to coming to a church, there are still those who will come if invited. If we think it is scary plucking up the courage to invite them, it is even more scary for them to come into our church. They too have to cross a boundary to step into a very unfamiliar environment. A personal invitation together with the assurance that you will meet them at the door and sit with them can go a long way to helping them make that boundary crossing from outside to inside our church.
With Easter only three weeks away, who might God be calling you to cross a boundary for by inviting them to one of our services? You may be surprised by the outcome if you do!Pastor Noel
Prayer Requests
For privacy the prayer list is not included in this Blog but if you would like to view the current requests refer to the e-mail that alerted you to this site. If you have a prayer request or wish to be covered by prayer please email churchenquiries@paravista.org.au with your request.
This week we continue the series, “Jesus crosses the boundaries”. This week’s message: Jesus Crosses the Boundaries to Deliver Us from Evil. Many are intrigued by the supernatural, with stories of angels, demons, ghosts and spirits, spells and incantations. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling is a case in point, along with TV shows such as: Angel, Buffy, Charmed, Crossing Over, Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural, and Twilight. Such fascination is also evident in the hundreds of thousands of people who attend body-mind-spirit festivals and psychic fairs each year. Why are people fascinated with the supernatural?
Bible Reading: Mark 5:1-20 (Deuteronomy 18:9-15)
Lenten Service
Lenten service will be held in the church at 4.00pm Wednesday 21st March 2012.
Kingdom Kids at the 10:30am service for ages 0-12.
Kingdom Kids
We have 2 weeks left in Kingdom Kids before our 2012 Easter Celebration (to be held on Palm Sunday). We hope you can join us on Sunday to learn more about the way God protects us.
Kingdom Kids Easter Celebration
We will be having a joint Easter Celebration on Sunday 1st April. This will also mark the end of our term 1 program and the beginning of the holidays. Kingdom Kids will kick off again in term 2 on the 29th April. Please invite your friends along to our Easter celebration so that they too can hear the message of Easter. We would like to ask for a gold coin donation per family to cover the cost of resources (that the kids will be able to keep).
Egg Cartons needed…
THANK YOU to everyone who has donated egg cartons. We now have enough to put together our 2012 Kingdom Kids Easter resource.
Baby Zone
Please continue to pray for this ministry as it is still without a leader and a full team.
Play Group is for families with young children (0-5).
Come along this week to play, laugh, learn and grow as we kick off the second week of our Easter program. Wednesday mornings from 9:30am-11:30am in the church hall.
We are still looking for someone to oversee morning tea. Could this be you?
· Exiting new resources coming soon!
Step up to communion 2012
Invitations to our 2012 Step Up To Communion course will be sent out in 2 weeks. All school families and church members with children in year 5 at school (or around the age of 10) will be sent an invitation. If you are not a member of the church or have a child who is interested but not attending the school, please write ‘step up’ on your welcome card. I will make sure you receive all the information needed.
Move Urban Dance
Participants, there will be no dance in week 10 of school ( 5th April). Classes for term 1 will finish on Thursday 29th March. They will start up again on Thursday 26th April.
Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader
8263 5087
Women's Fellowship
The meeting on 3rd April will be a bus outing to Vadoulis Garden Centre, Gawler and includes lunch. Bus leaves Para Vista church at 11.00am and returns at 3.30pm. You will need to bring $8.00 for your bus fare plus lunch money and extra if garden shopping.
Another date for your diary is the LWSA Convention at Loxton on Thursday 3rd May. If you are interested in this day bus trip, please phone Jan on 8264 8288.
Small Group Launch follow up
Sunday 19th February was our Small Group Launch for 2012. A few weeks leading up to this, people could fill out a flyer: Are you interested in trying out a small group?
- Just over 25 people registered interest in a small group. These have been followed up, with some already incorporated into existing groups – and others waiting for a new group to start.
- Two new groups have started up.
- Hopefully two more groups will be starting up over the next few weeks.
- While we did not have a formal lunch, two groups decided to gather together in the hall for lunch on Sunday 19th February.
This year I’d like to raise the profile of small groups. This could be by way of articles in the weekly news - or stories shared in our weekly worship. If you or someone in your group has a “good news” story as a result of being part of a small group, I’d love to hear it! Likewise, if you’ve found an excellent resource, PLEASE let me know!
Lent Studies – Crossing the Boundaries
Pastor Noel and I are enjoying preparing and preaching in this series. I’ve received several positive comments about the Bible Studies. Thank you!
One group is meeting weekly to go through the studies on Crossing the Boundaries. Fabulous! Lent is a season to refocus on Jesus and share that with other Christians. Furthermore, meeting weekly for 5-6 weeks in first term helps a group connect relationally and gain momentum for the rest of the year.
If you want copies of the studies please contact the church office. The material can either be emailed to you, or printed out and left in your pigeon hole.
Joy in Jesus!
Rolly Stahl Associate Pastor - Discipleship and Small Group Ministries
Mission news
Cebu Mission Fundraising Team
Pancake Day on Sunday 25th March, after both morning services. Come along and enjoy a yummy pancake or two, with maple syrup or sugar and lemon juice, whichever flavour your tastebuds demand!
Pancakes still at $1 each!
There will also be a stall with Bible covers, Jewellery and Bags all made in the Philippines by the people in the poverty areas. The bags are beautifully made using 'ring pulls' from cans! Come check them out!! All monies raised will be donated to Cebu Missionary Foundation.
Our next event will be our major fundraiser for the year, so please mark Saturday 26th May 2012 on your calendar and plan to come along (bring your friends also) to a
'Night with The BordererS'!
Tickets will be available soon. Watch this space for more information.
The Fundraising Team would like you to consider being part of our team, especially if you have been to Cebu. We need an extra member who has a passion for helping the poor and who is willing to help out with our fundraising events. Please contact Joan McCarthy, Team Leader on 8262 7429 or see me at church.
From the Office
Positions vacant at Good Shepherd
The following positions are available at Good Shepherd:
Worship Material/ Media Production – 7 hours
Preparing multi media material for services.
Preparing written material for services.
Preparing other publications as required.
Maintain procedures complying to the position.
Reception/ Publications – 9 hours
Reception duties and associated administration tasks.
Preparing and publishing the Weekly News for distribution in written form and via the internet.
Preparing other publications as required.
Maintain procedures complying with the position.
Although these are advertised as 2 positions they could be combined into one position.
They could also be reconfigured differently.
- Reception – has to be on a Tuesday for 2012 - 6.25 hours
- Worship Materials/Media Production(6.5 hours) + Publications – (3.25 hours). This is the most desirable outcome but these positions could be 2 separate positions. These positions are on a Thursday/Friday
Full details are available on our web site under members section, log in paravista password jesus
Positions close Wednesday 21st March 2012.
Some reflections for the fourth week of Lent
John 3:16-21
'For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
There is not judgement against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgement is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.'
Those of us living in large western cities rarely experience ‘pitch darkness’ like those living in remote communities in Australia and around the world. When we have our eyes open and we are in total darkness we can feel disorientated and afraid. We wait for just a glimmer of light to orient us again and to assure us that we are safe.
The gospel of John often uses the image of light and darkness to help us understand the self giving love of God who wants to comfort us in our darkness and bring us light. God went through the darkness of Jesus’ death to bring light to the world. We can hold onto that light to orient us when things seem dark in our world and we can be that light for others when they are going through dark times.
Our sense of being in darkness is not only caused by the physical absence of light. Psychological and emotional turmoil, mental or physical illness, grief and loss and our inability to cope with what life throws at us can plunge us into depression and hopelessness that can feel like a black hole. When this happens it is very hard to see even the pinpoints of light that others try to shine. When it happens to someone in our family, our workplace or our community, we often don’t know how to bring any light to the situation and our well meaning cheeriness can sometimes make matters worse.
Staff at Lutheran Community Care often encounter people experiencing a time of darkness and they work carefully to listen and respond to their needs. Often there are multiple needs as those who are not coping emotionally cannot face the practical demands of life, such as buying food and paying bills. In the work they do the staff are inspired by God’s love which brings light and freedom from fear.
Over many years LCC has also provided support to individuals wanting to learn how to respond appropriately to those who may be going through dark times. Workshops on basic helping skills and responding to grief and loss have been run through many congregations and community groups. Many people have been encouraged to reach out with glimmers of light to those around them.
Your contribution to Food Parcels+ enables those in the community to learn new skills and allows the staff to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those who come for support.
Use the tear off donation slip at the bottom of the letter in the March edition of the Together magazine, visit the website at www.lccare.org.au, or telephone 08 8269 9333 to make a donation today.
notice board
Easter Camp is a camping experience aimed at young people who want to challenge and extend their faith journey. Whether you’ve never been to an Easter Camp before or you’ve made the pilgrimage countless years, you won’t be disappointed if you choose to come along on EC12 – Out of the Ashes.
For those of you who won’t be coming to Easter Camp this year, perhaps you’d like to support this ministry through prayer – or by making a donation to help cover the fees of our camp parents, pastor and cooks. If so, please email eastercamp@lyv.org.au for more information.
When: Maundy Thursday – Easter Monday, 5th – 9th April Where: Kinglake Ranges Wilderness Camp (approx. one hour north of Melbourne). Who: Campers aged 16-30 Cost: $185 for students, $200 for workers. Website: http://www.lyv.org.au/eastercamp.php (for more information, download a registration form or register online)
Copies of the March edition of the E News from AbMinSA (Aboriginal Ministry SA) are available from the information area.
Friends of Lutheran Archives Special meeting. Topic: Re-enacting the Klemzig story. Hear about the Polish re-enactments of the departure of the first Lutherans from the Klemzig district to South Australia in 1838. Dr Anitta Maksymowicz will tell why the present-day Poles are interested in this and show a DVD of the events (see article in Together). (Note change of venue) At Concordia College Chapel, 45 Cheltenham St, Highgate, on Monday 2nd April at 7.30 pm. Gold coin donation.
The Lutheran Church of Australia will be conducting the 2012 Board for Lutheran Aged Care Australia conference in Adelaide from 2nd -4th May 2012. Information and registration forms are available from the information area.
Vacancies
Please check the church notice board for details of all job vacancies
Lutheran Disability Services
Is seeking a Team Leader- Supported Accommodation
TRINITY PLACE RETIREMENT VILLAGE
Is seeking a Chief Executive
Church Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9.00am – 3.45pm
