Month: October 2012

Opened!

Philip

Yes our long-awaited renovations (99.9% completed) were officially opened today, Sunday October 28, 2012, with much rejoicing and thanksgiving, debt free!

After expressing our thanks to the Ministry Development Committee of the PCV, the Presbytery of North Western Victoria, Kevin Slater building design, Robert Phillips Builders, members of our own Board of Management, various individuals and the whole church family, the ribbon was finally cut by two nonagenarians (it’s what you call people in their 90’s) in wheelchairs, Cec Shilling and Joyce Adams. Lunch followed and what a meal!  Thanks be to God for His blessings!

 

Ordained, inducted and commissioned!

Philip

Aimee and Russ Grinter

Are these just fancy big words? Well they are, but they’re also filled with lots of meaning and importance!

After the process of nomination and election, Russ Grinter became an elder of Bendigo (St John’s) Presbyterian Church, thus strengthening our servant leadership team (the ‘Session’) during the service on October 28th.

Russ has also been set apart and commissioned for the work of church planting in SE Bendigo in 2013 (see post below).

Please join us in praying that God will equip and enable Russ for this task with much grace.

Annual Naval service report

Philip

The Bendigo (St John’s) 2012 Naval service was well attended with the message given by Commander Michael Oborn RAN, Executive Officer HMAS Cerberus, from Ecclesiastes chapter 1 (see summary and link to this message in ‘sermons’).

Michael is pictured below (centre) with Rev. Philip Burns (L) and Petty Officer Mark St Clair (R) at morning tea (in our newly renovated hall!)

 

‘Chasing after the wind’ (Ecclesiastes 1:1-18)

AudioPhilip

Commander Mike Oborn RAN, Executive Officer of HMAS Cerberus preached this message at the Annual Seafarer’s service based on Ecclesiastes 1. Mike spoke of how life can present itself as meaningless without God at the centre, and, with illustrations from his Navy career told of how the message of the book of Ecclesiastes (which presents life in this negative view) reinforces how our need to be right with our Creator.

‘Taming your tongue’ (James 3:1-12)

AudioPhilip

In tackling these verses from James 3, Joel Thomas reminds us that what we say is a big deal. Words can hurt and destroy when they should encourage and uplift.  And the problem is our all at the tip of our tongues!  It’s not enough to just keep our tongues from ‘speaking evil’. They should also ‘do good’ to others and promote the gospel.

‘A Pharisee, a tax collector and an Australian stand before God’ (Luke 18:9-14)

AudioPhilip

Russ Grinter’s message on Luke 18 concerns the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector. Jesus told this parable to warn those who trusted in themselves and looked down upon others, or in other words, the self-righteous. Because ‘God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble’, it was the tax-collector and not the Pharisee who received the grace that saves. Even within our increasingly secular Australia, self-righteousness still remains and it is still a barrier to receiving the salvation that God offers.

Bendigo Christian Union – Annual Dinner October 26th

Philip

An invitation is extended to all to join with the Bendigo Christian Union as they celebrate what God has done on campus this year and pray for the year ahead. There will be a recap of the highlights of 2012, a sending out of the 2012 graduates, thanks to the outgoing committee and welcoming of the new committee.

Guest speaker is Max McKay, a co-founder of La Trobe University, Bendigo.

The dinner will commence at 6pm on Friday, 26th October at Bendigo Pottery (146 Midland Hwy, Epsom: map). Cost is $35. All welcome. RSVP by Friday 19th October.

To register see the details on the Bendigo Christian Union’s site (see link below)

 

‘The Apostle Paul’s view on the eldership’ (Acts 20:13-38)

AudioPhilip

The text of Acts 20 concerns Paul’s meeting with the elders from Ephesus and his parting words to them. From this we can glean what Paul understood to be the role of an elder in God’s church. The elder is to minister to people with sincerity, handle the truth of the Word of God with care and protect the flock of God’s people with truth. No-one is perfectly suited to this high calling in themselves, yet this does not negate the fact the God calls and appoints men to lead His people. In the end being like Jesus the Chief Shepherd is what makes a man suitable for this noble task.