Weekly News: Feb 8, 2013

Friday, February 8, 2013

10th February 2013

“Delight in the Lord your God and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

When I first read this verse I was a little confused. It seemed to contradict other parts of the bible that I had read like Matthew 16:24 that tell us to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus. I mistakenly thought that this verse was about getting what we wanted as opposed the Matthew 16:24 which seemed to be about denying what we wanted.

As is the case with many things, my first assumption was mistaken. This verse is not telling us that if we have desires now, we just have to delight in the Lord and then he will give them to us. The process looks a little different than that.

It says first that we should ‘delight in the Lord’. Let’s think through what that means. To delight is to take pleasure or satisfaction from something. If we are delighting in God that means that we are finding our satisfaction in Him. The second part of the verse then says ‘he will give you the desires of your heart’. To desire is to wish or long for something, one definition says that it is a ‘longing or craving, for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment’.^{^[1]} Are you beginning to see a link? To desire is to crave something that brings satisfaction and to delight is to take satisfaction from something.

If we ‘delight in the Lord’ then we take satisfaction from the Lord. As we take satisfaction from the Lord, He becomes our desire. This in turn means that our desire is fulfilled because we are already ‘delighting’. A little confusing but if you are still in doubt a further reading of Psalm 37 soon clarifies the verses meaning. Verse 5 says “commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him and he will help you.” (NLT)

The core idea of these verses is that we should draw near to God and find our delight in Him. As we draw near and delight – our desires become His desires and our ways become His ways. We learn our heart’s true desire – an intimate relationship with God. And as a result of that we commit our lives to Him.

Emma Kluge

Image is from tumblr

Prayer Requests: Not included in this newsletter, but if you would like to view the current requests, refer to the e-mail that alerted you to this Newsletter. 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 start a new series “Soul Encounters on the Way to the Cross”. This week’s message is “Close encounters of a Divine kind”. ‘As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning’. (Luke 9:29 NIV)

Bible Reading: Luke 9:28-36

Podcasts available at www.paravista.org.au

Kingdom Kids

Kingdom Kids is kicking off this week, please feel free to come and visit with your kids! We have some fabulous new resources which will be using this year – we will be beginning the first year of a three year program which extends across all the zones and takes the children on a journey throughout the whole bible!

· Kindy Zone will be held in the school (in Bethany Kluge’s classroom)

· Kids Zone will be held in the school library

· Kool Zone will be held in the classroom next to the school library.

We need at least 3 more volunteers (helpers) for Kindy Zone/Kids Zone/Kool Zone (3-12yrs). You would be rostered on with a Team Leader on Sundays and all of the planning will have been done by them. You would need to come at about 10am on the Sunday you are rostered on and enjoy spending time with the kids on their faith journeys.

As part of Child Safe requirements, parents need to complete a new Child Participation form for their kids as soon as possible. Please fill one out when you pick your kids up on Sunday and return to the Team Leader or myself.

Baby Zone

Baby Zone is starting back this week and will be available for children 0-2yrs in the Education Centre. We have an exciting program this year and look forward to encouraging your kids in their faith journey and having fun with them!

We praise God for Tanya Harrison who will be Team Leading Baby Zone this year! This ministry has been without a team leader for at least 12 months so this is very exciting news!!

We desperately need at least one more volunteer for this ministry to run well and the commitment is not a huge one. Please say a prayer for this ministry and consider being involved. You would be rostered on about once every 4-6 weeks from February to November. New resources are being used so there will be very little planning involved for you! You would need to come at about 10am to set up the room and activities on the day you are rostered.

Playgroup

Little Lambs Playgroup started this Wednesday and had an amazing vibe! It was great to see some new faces and lots of familiar ones. We will be having fun with Easter this term, please feel free to pop in and visit. We are also enjoying some fabulous new equipment from a government grant we received last year!

Playgroup is held Wednesday morning 9:30-11:30am in the Church hall, please come and say hi!

If you would like some more info about children’s ministry, please give me a call or send me an email (I work Thursdays). We would love to see more Grandparents and families (Mum and Dad) get involved where you can be rostered on together and enjoy kids’ church as a family! If we work together and have a larger number of volunteers, these ministries can run efficiently, the responsibility can be shared and the kids get so much more out of them!

Beth Einthal (Relief Children and Family Ministry)

Thank You Recently, 4 wonderful young people came to our home to do some gardening. In the heat, they pulled weeds, dead-headed the roses and shifted a pile of sand. Appreciation and thanks go to Felicity, Bridget, Tennyson and Richard. TOP JOB GUYS - Jenny and Roger Cossens

From the Pastoral Paddock:

LAST OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER

"Disability 101 – Foundations for enabling the church".

Based on theological spine, not legislation,

“My family never told me what I couldn’t do or what was off limits. They just sat back and found out what was possible. Growing up with a disability doesn’t bring with it a sense of shame or self-doubt; it’s only when we learn to interpret the faces of the people around us, or when our environment offers no chance of interacting on an ordinary level, that we learn such things”. Kurt Fearnley, Paralympic gold medallist.

Lutheran Disability Services (formerly Amandus) invites you

to this workshop which gives practical information to assist your church to grow as a place of acceptance for people with disabilities. This workshop has been produced by CBM and is one of a range of materials available for that purpose.

In his Australia day address, Paralympic gold medallist, Kurt Fearnley OAM said in part, “In Australia, 45% of people with a disability live in, or near, poverty; more than double the OECD average of 22%. We rank 21^st out of 29 OEDC countries in employment participation rates for those with a disability. We rank 27^th of the 27 in terms of the correlation between disability and poverty”.

As Christians we should be up front in serving the disabled. Australia has a miserable record for care and understanding of the disabled. This is your opportunity to learn how to change that!

Date: Saturday, 9^th February 2013

Time: 9.00am – 1.00pm (be ready for a 9.00am start)

Venue: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 388 Montague Road, Para Vista

Cost: $15, which includes materials and morning tea

To register

Contact Barry Klaer or phone LDS on 8212 7766 or email admin@ldssa.org.au

Barry Klaer

Pastoral Care

Women's Fellowship

The next 'sit & stitch' afternoon, to finish patch work quilts for blessing at the Lutheran Women of Australia Convention in April 2013 and then to be handed on to Lutheran Community Care for distribution to those in need, will be on 12th March 2013 from 1pm - 4pm in the church hall.

From the Office

Volunteer required

Do you have office filling skills? Would you like to pass on your skills for others to use. The Administration Manager is looking for a volunteer to assist in setting up a current filing system that can incorporate electronic and paper files that is easy to use and time efficient.

Please contact Stephen or the office via email at churchenquiries@paravista.org.au or phone 08 8263 5087 during office hours.

Woodworking skills

Do you have artistic flair with timber? I am looking for someone to create Wooden Bowls for the Gluten free bread on the communion trays. Please contact Stephen or the front office on 8263 5087 or via email szanker@paravista.org.au

Cebu Mission Fundraising Team

Pancake Day - Sunday 10th February after both morning services. Pancakes are $1ea with maple syrup or lemon juice and sugar. All proceeds to CMF in the Philippines.

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH BARBEQUED *BANGERS

Five new teachers, an LSO (Lutheran School Officer) and canteen manager were installed at the 10:30am service last Sunday. Nell Quirk is teaching years 1 and 2, Christie Corbett and Mel Hooker years 3 and 4, Shane Poole years 5 and 6 and Lisa Katsikitis is teaching German. Amber Barrett was installed as an LSO and Helen Munro as canteen manager.

We thank God for the blessing of these new staff members at the Good Shepherd Primary School.

Sumptuous Salads

After the service and as a way of welcoming the new teaching staff and new students another day of fellowship and dining was had over a gourmet lunch of absolutely delicious cuisine. Let me rave about the salads! Delicious, superb, outstanding…yummy! To all of those who prepared salads, a huge thank you! We were overwhelmed with accolades.

The Hospitality team are also very much indebted to those who assisted in setting up the hall and those who helped clean up during and after lunch. We are most grateful and appreciative for all of your help.

(left) What a great job done by the cooks! Alan Wheeldon, Mike Hancock and Jim Seidel cooked nearly 300 snags and 250 rissoles.

(right) Graeme Tscharke over the sink while Trevor & Helen Bridge and Bron Klaer serve the meat.

(left) I think Jonathon is saying, “You’ll need sauce on that son!” (Right) Belinda assists her children with the cutlery.

(Right) With a bigger family to feed, Bruce has to do a couple of trips to the servery for food.

(left) Keith Hooker, husband of newly installed teacher Mel about to enjoy a coffee.

(Right) “The boys in the band” Ben, David, Tony and Aled singing for their lunch.

Keith Hooker, husband of newly installed teacher Mel about to enjoy a coffee.

*(‘Banger’ is another word, -probably originating out of the United Kingdom for sausage – hence the meal of bangers and mash being sausage and mashed potato)

Barry Klaer

Pastoral Care & Fellowship (Hospitality)

DIARY NOTE:

The next community lunch is planned for March 24^th (Palm Sunday) Fish and salad. Reminder in your diaries to invite your friends

Vacancies

Ministry Support Officer

Immanuel Lutheran Church

(Office Administrator/Secretary)

For a more detailed job description please contact, ILC chairperson David Schutz on

0439 047 271 or at dschutz@bigpond.net.au

Applications close 5pm Wednesday 20^th February 2013.

Congregational Life Director (0.5) and Adult Education Director (0.4)

St John’s Lutheran Church, Unley

While these positions have separate roles, there is the possibility of combining them into a 0.9 position for the right candidate. Position Descriptions and further enquiries to Pastor Rob Schubert rob.schubert@lca.org.au

(08) 8271 9556 or mob 0412 184 803

Applications for this position close on 8^th February

Administration Positions Vacant

Lutheran Disability Services is seeking applications for the following positions:

· Administration (Property) Officer- SCHDSC Level 4. Permanent 3 days/week.

· Administration Assistant- SCHDSC Level 3 Permanent Full time.

If you are interested in working in one of these rewarding positions please contact the office for a copy of the position description relevant to your interest.

Phone: 82127766 or email: admin@ldssa.org.au

Applications close by Friday 1^st March 2013

Notice Board

Please see Notice Board for more Information

2013 LCA Yearbook “Where Love Comes to Life”

Keep up with who’s where and on what in the LCA.

Limited supply of books @ $20 now available from the Church Office.

Friends of Lutheran Archives meeting Topic: Hermannsburg Mission: setting the record straight. Speaker: John Strehlow (grandson of missionary Carl Strehlow). John examines the widespread criticism of the Mission over the taking of land, conversion to Christianity, and the loss of Aboriginal culture. His momentous biography of his grandparents will be on sale ($100). At Bethlehem House, Sudholz Place, Adelaide, on Monday 25^th February at 7.30pm. Supper. Gold coin donation.

Concert – dedication of the new Allen Digital Pipe Organ - the first of its kind in southern Australia.

at Zion Lutheran Church 15 Glynburn Road, Glynde Sunday 10th February from 2pm to 4pm.

Items. A classical organ recital; an oboe solo with organ accompaniment and a contemporary choir with piano accompaniment displayed by the organ. Admission by gold coin donation. For further information: contact Fay 8261 6347 (if you get the answering machine, leave a message and Fay will call you back).

Fringe Event at St Michael’s Lutheran Church - 3 Balhannah Rd, Hahndorf

‘The Idea of North’— a quartet of musicians, serious about their music without taking themselves too seriously. Their instrumentation: voice (soprano), voice (alto), voice (tenor) and voice (bass), with a little bit of vocal percussion thrown in. They have a beautifully distinct sound and style, but they cross many musical genres: jazz, folk, gospel, pop, classical, comedy. Friday 22^nd February, 8—10pm (Champagne available on the night).

Adult: $38.00, Concession: $31.00, Child: $18.00, Group: $33.00, Booking information—FringeTIX (www.adelaidefringe.com.au) Phone: 1300 621 255. Contact Sharon 8388 1225 in the office for further information.

Grassroots Training Workshops