Over the
last few months we have been on a journey as a church developing a new logo and
branding for all our communication. Our goal is to communicate something of our
story to the community through our logo and design work. While most of this has
happened behind the scenes the use of our new branding will become more visible
over the next few weeks.
Five key
words have been chosen to summarise our story. They are acceptance, love, hope,
serving and growing. These words will often appear in the design work of our
communications as a way of letting people know who we are and what we are on
about as a church.
The
challenge for all of us at Good Shepherd is to play our part in ensuring that
these words are who we really are. While people may be drawn to us through
these words they will stay when they see we are who we say we are.
Leadership
consultant Lolly Daskal recently tweeted, “People may doubt what you say, but
they will believe what you do.” We could paint these words all over the church
building and that would mean nothing to our community if we were not living
them out. Jesus said, “Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another.” (John 13:35) It will be our actions that show we are
disciples not our words.
So how
can we better live out our story of acceptance, love, hope, serving and
growing? Is it just about trying harder? While focussed effort is needed and
would bring some short term improvement, the key to us consistently telling our
story is living in God’s story to us in Jesus.
Jesus
makes this connection in his command to love. “A new command I give you: Love
one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) While Jesus’ love for us gives
us the benchmark to aim for it is also the source of our love for one another.
1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” Our story of love as a
church flows out of God’s story of love for us.
While
discipline and intentional effort is needed to share our story with the
community, our motivation and empowerment for this will flow out of God’s story
to us in Jesus. How can you let God tell his story with greater clarity and
regularity in your life?
Pastor
Noel
This Sunday at Good Shepherd
This
week’s message is “My way or God’s way”
as we continue the series ‘Choices
on the way’.
Bible Readings: Matthew 26:36-46
This Sunday Kingdom Kids will be
celebrating Easter!
All zones will be meeting
together to learn about what Jesus did for us at the first Easter. Parents,
grandparents, carers and anyone is invited to join the kids in this journey
through four different stations with a final gathering all together in the School
Library.
The themes of each station will
be:
·
Jesus loves us so much
·
The Cross – It is Finished
·
Empty Tomb – An Amazing
Discovery
·
Jesus is Alive – This Changes
Everything
·
All together – Gifts of Praise
Baby Zone
The new Baby Zone room will be painted on Sunday 13th of April after church. (School Holidays)
The new Baby Zone room will be painted on Sunday 13th of April after church. (School Holidays)
Please let me know if you are
interested in helping with the painting or if you have any painting equipment
we can use!
Thank you to everyone who has
already donated items for the new Baby Zone room! There are still lists of
things that we could use for our program for the whole year below. If you have
any of these things and can spare them, our little ones will make good use of
them!
·
Packets of seeds of herbs or
flowers and small pots - “God Makes Growing Things” is the theme for
April.
·
Dolls (babies
only, i.e. not Barbies)
·
Doll blankets and other baby
doll accessories
·
Toy people (too large to
swallow, i.e. “Little People”)
·
Toy cash register
·
Toy picnic basket and toy
picnic set
·
2 small torches
·
Stuffed toy animal sheep, cow,
donkey and camel
·
Variety of plastic or washable
play/dress up hats
If you have any of these items
that you would be happy to donate to the room, please leave them in the Baby
Zone room by the shelves or pass onto Beth Einthal or Tanya Harrison, Baby Zone
Team Leader.
Kindy Zone Team Leader
We are still praying for someone
who would love to lead Kindy Zone and be part of a passionate and fun team!
Please consider if this might be you and get in touch with me (beth.einthal@paravista.org.au) for a chat!
Step Up
Is running again this year in
May for children now in Year 5 at school. The Step Up program helps to prepare
children for admission to Holy Communion. The first session will be a shared
lunch held on Sunday 4th May with four sessions on Fridays May 9,
16, 23 and 30, all held in the school library. Please contact the church office
on 8263 5087 or email Beth (beth.einthal@paravista.org.au) for further information, or to register your child.
Beth Einthal - 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.
Easter
Service Times
Maundy
Thursday - 7.30pm
Service with Holy Communion
Good
Friday - 8.45am & 10.30am
Good Friday Experience
Easter
Sunday - 8.45am & 10.30am
Celebration service with Holy Communion
Hot cross buns needed
for Good Friday
As part of our Easter celebrations we will be
serving hot cross buns for morning tea on Good Friday. If you are able to bring
a bag of hot cross buns, cut and buttered that would be greatly appreciated.
Please put the buns in the kitchen before service so those preparing morning
tea can get them ready to be served.
SA District
Convention of Synod
We are still looking for anyone who is interested in
attending the SA District Convention of Synod.
You would be representing Good Shepherd congregation. We are entitled to
5 delegates. At present 3 people have indicated they would be interested in
attending.
Issues affecting the church in SA and NT are
discussed. You can participate in the discussion or simply listen and then vote
on behalf of the congregation.
The Convention this year will be held at Mawson
Lakes from the Friday May 2nd thru to Sunday May 4th. All
fees associated with the Convention including meals are paid by the
congregation.
If you can’t attend all the sessions the Board is
happy for you to attend when suitable for you.
If you have any questions please contact John
Dolling or Keren Sutton.
Noticeboard
Evening Classes at
Australian Lutheran College!
These 4 week classes are being held on every Wednesday night throughout
May (7, 14, 21 & 28) from 7pm – 9pm. The cost is $40 per person ($25
concession).
These Evening Classes can be attended by anyone for personal interest or
professional development.
The topics on offer in May are:
- Does the Old Testament leave a disturbing legacy? – Dr Peter Lockwood; Lecturer in Old Testament
- Baptised to live: living your faith in your daily life – Dr Andrew Pfeiffer; Head of the School of Pastoral Theology
- Frodo’s God: the theology of J.R.R. Tolkien – Dr Mark Worthing; Senior Researcher at the Australian Lutheran Institute for Theology and Ethics
Hymns & Classics
6.30pm Saturday 12th April 2014
St Paul’s Lutheran Church, 10 Main Street, Hahndorf
Featuring the Hahndorf
Town Band & Hahndorf Community Choir with guest performances from organist
Alexander Paine and soprano Phoebe Paine
Neighbourhood watch
The next general meeting will be 14th April 2014 @ 7.30pm in
the church hall.
The Guest Speaker will represent the Police Bomb Response (Explosive
coordination Section) and talk about explosives and what to do if you find any.
Why not attend a meeting and find out how you can help keep our area safe.
MINI MOVIES
on www.facetoface.org.au or
www.youtube.com/luthmedia
How do you make sense of suffering? Just when life seemed to have fallen
into place, Pastor Stephen Abraham was knocked down with Chronic Pain. Lutheran
Media through Face to Face brings you a series of five mini-movies about
his struggles and the hope that keeps him going.
Listen to FACE TO FACE and invite others to do the same.
Download or listen online at www.facetoface.org.au
“Embracing God’s love for us is the key to loving others”
