The Star

 

About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

 

… And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. (Matthew 2:1-2,9 NLT)

 

For as long as I can remember, we have always put a star on top of our Christmas tree. The star reminds us of God’s star in the sky – pointing the Wise Men to Jesus.

 

In ancient times, many thought that a new star marked the birth of a special king into the world.
In this case, God gave the Wise Men a star to let them know that the promised Messiah had been born: the King of the Jews. 

 

Through this special star, God was shining out a message to the nations that Jesus was not just born as King of the Jews, but for ALL peoples of the world – including the foreign Wise Men, you and me!

 

On finding Jesus, the first thing the Wise Men do is drop down on their knees, bow down before this Child, and worship him as THEIR King and THEIR God. The real star of Christmas is Jesus. 

 

Jesus says: "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) People who follow Jesus are different from those who don’t, because Jesus lights up their lives. As Jesus lights up our lives, we are like stars that keep pointing others to Him. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. (Philippians 2:15b-16a NIV)

 

Pr Rolly Stahl

 

This Sunday at Good Shepherd

This week’s message will be “God’s promise to be with us” as we continue the series ‘God’s promises in Jesus’

Podcasts of weekly messages are available at www.paravista.org.au

 

Bible Readings: Isaiah 7:1-16 and Matthew 1:18-25

 

 

School Holidays have begun!

Our Children’s Ministry programs are now on School Holidays. Our 2014 Kingdom Kids and Baby Zone programs will be launched at the Back to School Service on the 2^nd February 2014. Playgroup will also start up again on Wednesday 5^th February. For more information on any of these programs, please contact Beth Einthal on 8263 5087 or Beth.Einthal@paravista.org.au.

 

You did it!

We are very excited to announce that $230.15 has been raised by you, the congregation members of Good Shepherd Para Vista, to cover the cost of our Christmas Eve Packs for Kids. Praise God and thank you for your generosity. This means a lot to us and will also mean a lot to the children who receive the packs.  

 

Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader

 

Prayer requests

Prayer requests are not included in the weekly news. If you would like to view the current requests refer to the email that alerted you to this weekly news. If you have a prayer request please email churchequiries@paravista.org.au with your request.

 

Christmas and New Year’s Eve Service Times

Christmas Eve – 5.00, 6.30 and 8.30pm

Christmas Day – 9.30am

New Year’s Eve – 7.30pm

 

Great Car Parking News This Christmas!!

The School Oval is now available for car parking on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here’s an idea! Imitate other families and a particular small group, who gather for fellowship on the oval and enjoy a ‘picnic’ after the service.

 

I thank and praise God for those whose generous Christmas gift to visitors is to park on the school oval or at Mattiske’s car park.

 

YOUR NAME IS A GIFT

Warmth, friendliness, openness, welcome, cordiality, generosity are all synonyms of hospitality.

Christian ethics are described in scripture Romans 12:9-21. Great words of wisdom, all do-able! However I refer particularly to verse 13(b) “pursue hospitality”. 

 

One minor way which has high impact in which you can show hospitality is by wearing your name badge*. It is and will be especially at the Christmas services, truly a gift to those who are visitors or new worshippers. For me and the other members of the Pastoral Ministry Team to be able to correctly call you by your right name is a gift!

 

Barry Klaer - Pastoral Care & Fellowship Team Leader

 

*If you do not have a name badge, you can order one through the front office or by writing ‘name badge’ on your welcome card.  Please nominate your choice of magnetic, clip or pin backing. Cost: $9:50 per name badge.

 

From the office

 

Regular Electronic Giving (REG)

Have you updated your REG? Over half our weekly offerings are made through REG. For those who are altering their giving through REG or wish to start giving via REG the appropriate forms are available from the information rack at the rear of the auditorium.

 

Christmas whirlwind

Last chance! Can you be available on Tuesday 24th December at 9.00am to assist in giving the church grounds a bit of a dust off. Please bring along a petrol driven blow vac that needs a dust out with safety equip and join the group to create an inviting appearance to our church facility for Christmas.

 

CEBU News

Due to the efforts of the fund raising team and your generous support of the CEBU Mission a sum of $3500.00 was donated to the foundation for use where most needed. The response from the foundation came back ’wow - that is wonderful, thank you so much.’ Thank you to all who have supported and been involved in this project over the past 12 months.

 

Office closure over Christmas

The office will be closed from 3pm on 24^th December 2013 to 9am on Monday 6^th January 2014.

 

Christmas Blessings from all the staff

This is the last edition of the weekly news for 2013. First edition for 2014 will be for Sunday 12^th January. The editing deadline is COB Wednesday 8^th January 2014. We thank you for all your support in 2013 and pray that Christmas is a blessing to you and all your family. May 2014 be a year of peace and an opportunity to reach out into our community to share the gospel that all may know Jesus and worship him.

 

Vacancies

 

SA Council of Churches: Office Administrator Vacancy

Applications are invited for the role of Office Administrator: General Administration, for 18 hours a week over 3 days. The role is responsible for the coordination, provision and development of a broad range of clerical and administration services for SA Council of Churches and Chaplaincy Services SA. Position Description available at www.sacc.asn.au

Email applications addressing the selection criteria to:

Geraldine Hawkes, Executive Officer 

Email: sacc1@picknowl.com.au.

Closing date: 3pm Wednesday 15^th January 2014.

 

ALTERNATIVE CARE WORKER LCC Level 4 (1.0 FTE)

12 month contract, based at Glynde

An opportunity exists for a person with relevant experience to assess and train those who apply to be foster carers and to process referrals for the placement of children in foster care throughout the service area.

 

Please apply on-line through the LCC website only by 9.00am Monday 6^th January 2014.

 

For a Job Description and on-line Application Guide please visit: www.lccare.org.au

 

Notice Board

 

Christmas Show on Channel 9 for the Children

Lutheran Media’s Little Shepherd TV show will be airing on Channel 9, Sunday 22^nd December. Order your Little Shepherd DVD for $10. Be quick, there is a limited supply. 1800 353 350 or luthmedia@lca.org.au

 

Influencers Conference 2014

24^th to 26^th January at the Influencers Church, 57 Darley Road, Paradise. Register online at

http://www.influencersconferenceaus.com or see the Church notice board for more details.

 

Lutheran Women of South Australia RETREAT 2014

Located at the Australian Lutheran College,  Ward Street, North Adelaide

From 17^th to 19^th January 2014. RSVP required by 8^th January 2014.

For enrolment forms or more information, please contact Ruth Oster on 8265 0221 or email kroster@senet.com.au

 

 

 

“Christmas is the day that holds all time together”

 

 

Everything beautiful

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

                   A time to be born and a time to die,

                   A time to plant and a time to uproot,

                   A time to kill and a time to heal,

                   A time to tear down and a time to build,

                   A time to weep and a time to laugh,

                   A time to mourn and a time to dance,

                   A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

                   A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

                   A time to search and a time to give up,

                   A time to keep and a time to throw away,

                   A time to tear and a time to mend,

                   A time to be silent and a time to speak,

                   A time to love and a time to hate,

                   A time for war and a time for peace…

 … He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 10-11)

 

It is hard to understand that God operates differently to us – time-bound creatures. It is also hard to see how everything can be beautiful in its time. It is sometimes hard to accept the season that we are in – especially if it is a season of mourning, of death, of uprooting or of throwing away. Yet God is in it all and above it all.

 

It is easy to live life always wanting to be in the next season. We think: when Christmas is over, I will have time to see my friends or spend quality time with my kids. When Uni is over, I will have money to be generous. When life isn’t as stressful, I will be able to be more encouraging and selfless. But if we are constantly thinking this way, we will miss what is happening to us now. We will miss what God has for us in this moment. We will miss the beauty.

 

My challenge for you this week is to stop thinking in the future and think in the now. What has God placed in your life right now? What do you have influence over? What season are you in? Through Jesus’ death and his resurrection every moment has been redeemed. How can you bring God into this season? What beauty is in this moment?

 

Emma Kluge

Inspired by Steven Furtick’s message Take Your Turn

 

This Sunday at Good Shepherd

This week’s message will be “God’s promise of hope” as we continue the series ‘God’s promises in Jesus’

Podcasts of weekly messages are available at www.paravista.org.au

 

Bible Readings: Hebrews 6:17-20; John 14:1-6   

 

 

Baby Zone:

We’d like to invite children aged 0-3 and their families join us in our end of year Christmas Celebration this Sunday 15^th December. Our final session will be held on the school oval and playground as our current room is no longer available. We ask that parents and carers (who wish to have their children involved) stay so that everyone can be safe and accounted for in a more open space. We are looking forward to moving into our new room early next year. Our 2014 Kingdom Kids and Baby Zone programs will be launched at the Back to School Service on the 2^nd February 2014.

 

Playgroup:

Thank you to everyone who came to our end of year ‘Carols and Community’ party on Wednesday. We were blessed to have Mrs Kluge and her receptions from the school join us and were especially grateful to the year 6’s who came along to run some games and activities. I would personally like to express a huge thank you to Beth Einthal, Hannah Stewart, Keren Sutton and Tammy Messner who have faithfully run and served in this ministry over the past few years. We will be sad to see Beth step out of the coordinators role at the end of this year but wish her all the best as she starts in her new leadership role within the church. Our 2014 Playgroup program will start up again early February next year. More info to come.

 

Only $27 to go!

It has become a tradition at our church to give the children a Christmas pack as they enter church on Christmas Eve and Day, as a way to include and bless them in the service. Just over $200 has already been donated to cover this expense, which means we only have $27 to go!!! Please place your donations in the ‘Kids Christmas Packs’ money house located on the Kingdom Kids sign in table in the narthex. Thanks in advance for your support in this way. We’d also like to thank the years 7’s at GSLS who helped us put the packs together on Monday. What would normally take Beth and I a day or two to complete was done in in less than 2 hours. They were amazing!  

 

Laura Carson – Children and Family Team Leader

 

Prayer requests

Prayer requests are not included in the weekly news. If you would like to view the current requests refer to the email that alerted you to this weekly news. If you have a prayer request please email churchequiries@paravista.org.au with your request.

 

Christmas Service Times

Christmas Eve – 5.00, 6.30 and 8.30pm

Christmas Day – 9.30am

 

Christmas Cards

Sue Schenscher will be selling cards this coming Sunday after both services. There will also be some Christmas decorations for sale.

 

Cebu Mission Fundraising Team Report

Thank you so much to all Para Vista Church members for your wonderful support again in 2013. Please see the Church Notice Board for the full report.

 

From the office

 

Relocation of the library and Baby Zone

This week saw the relocation of the library to the new area at the rear of the education centre.  Thank you to the band of helpers who made this possible. Access to the library will now be via the education centre. The store has been shifted allowing work to commence on the new Baby Zone in the old library and store.  

 

2013 Budget

 

Notes

• Income was above budget in October with Offerings $1,008 over budget.
• Expenditure was $3,112 over budget. This was primarily caused by catch-up superannuation payment of $5,188.
• Other expense items were in line with budget except ministries and plant which were both below budget.
• Projected budget deficit is based on actual to end of October and budgeted amounts for October and November.

 

 

Notes

• Income and expenditure figures are currently not available for November.
• Offerings in November were $1,344 below our budget.
• Although REG was below plan it was the 2^nd highest monthly amount for the year.
• Sunday Offerings were above plan.
• We are currently $10,402 behind our budget to end of November.

NOTICE WANTED

To keep our light shining brightly, our large sign at the front of the church gets changed twice a week by two faithful servants. Unfortunately both would like to take a break over the Christmas New Year and January period. We would love this message to keep reaching into the community and are looking for volunteers to assist. The sign change takes approximately 20 minutes to change and all the equipment and quotes will be supplied.

 

If you are able to assist even for one day during this time, can you please mark your welcome card with “church sign” or let the office or Stephen know of your availability.

 

Notice Board

 

Influencers Conference 2014

January 24^th to 26^th at the Influencers Church, 57 Darley Rd, Paradise. Register online at

http://www.influencersconferenceaus.com or see the Church notice board for more details.

 

Lutheran Women of South Australia RETREAT 2014

Located at the Australian Lutheran College - Ward Street, North Adelaide

From 17^th to 19^th January 2014. RSVP required by 8^th January 2014.

For enrolment forms or more information, please contact Ruth Oster on 8265 0221 or email kroster@senet.com.au

 

SA Council of Churches: Office Administrator Vacancy

Applications are invited for the role of Office Administrator: General Administration, for 18 hours a week over 3 days. The role is responsible for the coordination, provision and development of a broad range of clerical and administration services for SA Council of Churches and Chaplaincy Services SA. Position Description available at www.sacc.asn.au

Email applications addressing the selection criteria to:

Geraldine Hawkes, Executive Officer 

Email: sacc1@picknowl.com.au.

Closing date: 3pm Wednesday 15 January 2014.

 

 

 

 

“With God, there is hope even in the most hopeless situation”