God’s special agents
God has a
mission: for all people of this world to know and receive his love for them in
Jesus.
But how
does God get that mission done? Through
his people: you and me. We are God’s special agents in this world, sharing the
love and good news of Jesus. Peter gives
some excellent instructions
(1 Peter
3:15-16a NLT):
1. Instead,
you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.
At that
time, the crazy Roman emperor Nero was demanding that everyone worship him and
address him as Lord. The early
Christians refused, because they confessed: “Jesus is Lord.”
Christians
are people who worship and follow Jesus as Lord over their lives. They know Jesus loves them, they receive his
forgiveness, they let Jesus call the shots for their lives.
When
we’re trusting and following Jesus, other people will see there’s something
different about us – not “weird different” or “mean different” – but “good
different”, “cool different”, “kind different”, “decent different”.
Curious,
they might ask: “Hey, there’s something different about you – and it seems to
be connected with Jesus. Can you tell me
about who Jesus is and what he means to you?”
2. And if
someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
If
someone asked: “What’s so special about Jesus?” would you be ready to give a
clear and short reply? Peter tells us to
always be ready to share our hope.
3. But do
this in a gentle and respectful way.
By being
gentle with people, by being interested and kind to people, and by respecting
others even when they do not agree with us, hopefully we will be a positive
influence towards them one day knowing Jesus personally.
Now we
cannot make anyone believe in Jesus.
Only God can open the human heart
to receive Jesus! But as God’s
special agents our mission is to keep sharing the love and good news of Jesus
with others.
Pr Rolly
Stahl
This week we continue the series “Life
in the Word” This week’s
message is “Reflecting on the Word” “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:8-9 NIV2011)
Bible Reading: Joshua
1:1-9, Psalm 1
Podcasts available at www.paravista.org.au
Kingdom Kids:
This term we are continuing to
work our way through the bible and will be studying the following this Sunday:
Baby
Zone – Family Worship Workshop No. 2 with Matt Huckel (gaining tools
and ideas for nurturing faith at home)
Kindy
Zone – Lots and lots from Genesis 13. Kindy Zone almost had to be
cancelled this week due to a lack of helpers. Please consider getting involved
so that the program can continue to run each week. Thank you to Wendy Janetzki
who will teaching for the 3rd week in a row.
Kids
Zone – Abraham and Lot, from Genesis 13:1-14:16; 17:1-16
Kool
Zone – Isaac and Rebekah, from Genesis
24:1-66
Please have a chat to your
children, grandchildren, friends or those you see around the church to find out
more about the awesome work God is doing in the lives of our Kingdom Kids.
URGENT
NOTICE: We are finding that less and less parents (particularly within Kids and
Kool Zone) are signing their kids out on Sundays. This is not safe. Please make
this a priority so that we can ensure everyone is safe and accounted for and so
that our records can be accurate. Thank you.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: The sign in sheets are for parents and carers only!!
Please DO NOT let your child sign themself in or out. Sign in sheets are
important safety records and must be easy to read and accurate. Children will
have plenty of opportunities to write and draw their names and other things
through the kingdom kids program. Thank you.
Kindy Zone helpers: We are really struggling
to keep the program for ages 3-5 running each week due to a lack of helpers.
Please consider getting involved as a helper (no preparation involved) so that
we are able to continue this important ministry each week.
Baby Zone:
Last Sunday, 6 families enjoyed worshipping together
in Baby Zone through music and movement. Matt Huckel will be running Baby Zone
for the next 5 weeks with the aim of teaching families with young children how
to worship together at home. The kids and their parents had a ball
experimenting with sounds, lots of different instruments, stretchy Lycra and
interactive songs. If you have a child under the age of 3 please book aside
this time to come along and worship with us. You are in no way missing out on worship,
as this space will become our time of praise and worship as we learn with and
from our little ones. We ask that at least one parent attends with their child
so that the whole family can benefit from the experience. Hope to see you in
the Education Centre on Sunday.
Kids Film Series round 2
Last Sunday Emma and Jonathan filmed the kids’
responses to a series of questions relating to the upcoming sermon series. As a way to include children in worship, we would like to film their responses again
so have sent home a list of bible readings and questions for you to consider as
a family. We would like to encourage you to read through and discuss the
questions over the next few weeks. We will be filming responses to these
questions (as well as a few surprise ones) on the 30th June during
Kingdom Kids and look forward to sharing them soon. Please contact Emma Kluge
on 8263 5087 or via email ekluge@paravista.org.au if you have any questions or to let
her know that you have read through the questions below (so she knows who is
willing to be involved). Thanks
Playgroup:
We need the church’s support. Could you help with
the following?
- Set up and pack up - Could you spare half an hour to come along and help out with one of these tasks? Each week the hall is transformed into a play area for the kids, and this is a BIG JOB. More hands to help with this process would be appreciated.
- Group time leaders - Do you love to read or tell stories, sing, dance and worship in creative ways? Then this could be a role for you. Each week I look for someone to run ‘group time’ for 10 minutes, where we explicitly teach the families about God’s love through stories, music, dance, etc. If you have skills and an interest in this area, I’d love to hear from you. I am only looking for people to commit once a term.
- A coordinator. Playgroup is currently running without a coordinator, which puts a strain on the team who have to pick up all the roles a coordinator would normally take on. If you are interested in a leadership role that aims to nurture and give direction to the playgroup team, then this could be for you. The coordinator does not have to be at playgroup every week nor do they have to run playgroup on their own. We have embraced a team approach, which works well; we just need someone to pull it all together.
*You do not need to
have any previous involvement in playgroup, or children/grandchildren in playgroup
to get involved.
This term we are
celebrating different places of work. Our theme on Wednesday was ‘at the Airport’.
Our theme for next week will be ‘the Post Office’. 9:30am -11:30am in the
Church Hall. $2 per child per each week or $3 for a family. We hope to see you
there.
Laura
Carson – Children and Family Team Leader
MEMBERSHIP
AT GOOD SHEPHERD
Discovery is the vehicle
by which membership is attained – it is the “Road to Relationship and Growth”.
If you have been
attending Good Shepherd for some time and have not attended Discovery or are
new,
Discovery is for you!
Discovery runs over two Tuesday
evenings: 25th
June 2013 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Come and meet the staff over a complimentary dinner with tea, coffee and
dessert
2nd July 2013 6:50pm
– 9:00pm Complimentary
coffee & tea
Enrolment is simple: Ring the church office (8263
5087); Email, churchenquiries@paravista.org.au or write ‘Discovery’ on your
welcome card in a worship service
Cebu Missionary
Foundation Fundraising report
The team is very pleased to
report that we raised the wonderful amount of $456.20 from the fundraiser on
Sunday 26th May. A very BIG thank you to all who bought sausages and steak
sandwiches on the day and also thanks to those who bought Filipino Jewellery
and Ringpull Bags.
Our next fundraiser will be a Plant Stall on both Sunday the 23rd and 30th June after both morning services. If you have potted up some plants for the stall, please note that you can bring your plants to the Hall on Saturday 22nd June from 10.30am til 12noon. Otherwise bring them on Sunday prior to the service that you are attending, so that they can be priced. Please have them labelled with the name of the plant and the colour of the flower, if they are flowering plants. Thank you again from the Team.
Our next fundraiser will be a Plant Stall on both Sunday the 23rd and 30th June after both morning services. If you have potted up some plants for the stall, please note that you can bring your plants to the Hall on Saturday 22nd June from 10.30am til 12noon. Otherwise bring them on Sunday prior to the service that you are attending, so that they can be priced. Please have them labelled with the name of the plant and the colour of the flower, if they are flowering plants. Thank you again from the Team.
Joan McCarthy
From the Office
Facilities
update
Air conditioners - The evaporative coolers in the church have been closed down for the
winter months. To prevent accidental
usage the remote controls for each unit have been removed and will be returned
when the units are opened for summer.
Heating units - A 3 yearly service has been carried out on the gas heaters in the
manse and the church to prevent a build-up of fluff and contaminants and to
prolong the service life of the units.
Demountable buildings - God blessed us with recent heavy rains that have highlighted water
leaks into both transportable buildings.
The facilities team will be ascertaining where the leaks are coming from
and try to prevent them from causing further damage.
In your Good
Shepherd Church Library
Tools to help us unpack God’s Word
John
Drane, The World of the Bible. (Lion:
2009) 256 pages. About $10
The authors of the 66 books of
the Bible reflect the social, cultural and religious contexts in which they
lived. Understanding these contexts can greatly enrich and deepen our
appreciation of the Bible's meaning and message. John Drane provides a survey of
the many different worlds which helped to forge the pages of the Bible. He
ranges over thousands of years from the earliest hunter-gatherers to the Roman
world in Jesus' day. Areas include: courtly and military structures, home life,
social and economic relationships, ritual and cultural practices. Beautifully illustrated.
GSPV
Church Library: 220/DRA
Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth.
3rd edtn (Zondervan: 2003). 288
pages. About $20
Covering everything from
translational concerns to different genres of biblical writing, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
is used all around the world. In clear, simple language, it helps you
accurately understand the different parts of the Bible - their meaning for
ancient audiences and their implications for today - so you can uncover the
inexhaustible worth that is in God's Word.
GSPV Church Library: 220/FEE
Gordon D Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book.
(Zondervan: 2002) 448 pages. About $17.
For each book of the Bible, the authors start with a quick
snapshot, then expand the view to help you better understand its key elements
and how it fits into the grand narrative of the Bible. Written by two top
evangelical scholars, this survey is designed to get you actually reading the
Bible knowledgeably and understanding it accurately.
GSPV Church Library: 220/FEE
Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About NIV Revised and
Updated.
(Regal Books: 2012), 832 pages. About
$15.
This is a Bible handbook that provides introductions and
information on all the books of the Bible.
Readers will find essential facts and historical background, but more
importantly see how every book of the Bible points to Jesus and God’s plan to
transform everyone's life through faith in Him.
GSPV Church Library: 220/MEA
Michael Williams, How to Read the Bible through the Jesus
Lens.
(Zondervan: 2012) 288 pages. About
$17
Many Christians today experience Bible teaching in isolated,
unconnected pieces, receiving little or no guidance into how these pieces form
a coherent picture in Christ.
How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens presents Christ as the central focus of each biblical book and the primary way the Bible relates to contemporary circumstances. Each book of the Bible has an identifiable theme ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. GSPV Church Library: 220/FEE
How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens presents Christ as the central focus of each biblical book and the primary way the Bible relates to contemporary circumstances. Each book of the Bible has an identifiable theme ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. GSPV Church Library: 220/FEE
Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea at Good Shepherd
Lenna Uebergang and
Tina Pfeiffer
HOT SOUP
SUNDAY
Sunday 16th June 2013
Enjoy a variety of fresh homemade
soups with bread rolls and
‘Hexagon’ party pies & cocktail
frankfurts!
Notice Board
'Preparing for Marriage'
Courses
Saturday 15th
[9am-5pm] and Sunday 16th June
2013 [1pm-5pm] Venue: Good Shepherd Lutheran School, 388 Montague Road, Para
Vista. Cost: $160/couple if both employed; $85 if one employed; $65 if
neither employed/students. For
registrations or more information: Tel: 8331 3111; E: magill@lccare.org.au
SPECIAL REQUEST FOR FOOD
ITEMS
We are in need of specific food items for our Emergency Relief program
this winter. Major items needed include long life milk, tinned fruit, and
tinned green veggies (peas, asparagus, green beans, etc). If you are able to
help with any of these items, please take them to our Blair Athol office at 309
Prospect Road, Blair Athol.
Your job won't take care of you when you
are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
Church Web site: www.paravista.org.au
