In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus gives some counter-cultural teaching in relation to the way God’s people ought to view money. He spoke of a different place to invest, reminding us that heavenly treasures will never be stolen, eaten or fade away. He also spoke of a different Master to serve, reminding us that we cannot serve God and money. It should be obvious to the world that believers do not view money the same way as the world does, simply because we are called upon to have a whole different set of values to the world and give as much as we can for the advancing and growth of the Kingdom of God.
Author: Philip
From start to finish: The highlights (and lowlights) of the renovations to the Bendigo (St John’s) Presbyterian Church Hall
Here’s our tale…if you’re interested, read on!
May 2011: The Ministry Development Committee (MDC) of the PCV announced that $1.2 million worth of Capital Grants would be available. PCV congregations were encouraged to apply.
June 2011: The Board of Management submitted an application for a Capital Grant of $150,000 to upgrade kitchen and toilet facilities (one of many applications from numerous PCV congregations that totaled $6 million!).
August 2011: The Board was advised that their application had been short-listed and requested to submit a more detailed application with plans and funding proposals. The Board resolved to apply, subject to a good response to an appeal for pledges toward the project from the congregation.
October 2011: Noting that $38,200 was pledged, the Board agreed to continue with the application process. Kevin Slater (building designer/draftsman) was engaged and plans were drawn up and approved by the Board.
November 2011: Congregation and Presbytery approval was obtained for Stage 1 works and the Board submitted its application to the MDC. It was agreed that Stage 2 works (the lowering of the hall ceiling) be considered at a later date. The application was successful (rated by the MDC as ‘one of the best’) with $140,000 awarded for the project. The Board began the process of getting quotes from builders.
February 2012: The Board applied to Presbytery for permission to apply to the PCV’s Board of Investment and Finance (BIF) for $50,000 of the monies available from the sale of the Wycheproof Manse to ascertain if Stage 2 could be funded. Firm quotes for Stage 1 were received and clarified by the Board.
March 2012: Robert Phillips’ quote for Stage 1 works was accepted by the Board and arrangements were set in place for the works to begin in April. Active termites were discovered in Upper Room and the project was indefinitely postponed until the termites had been treated.
June 2012: After some months of slow progress, a new pest control company was engaged and it was confirmed that the termites had been eradicated. A starting date on the project was set for July 9. A working bee was held to remove furniture and items from the Hall, Upper Room, stage and kitchen to facilitate this commencement. The Board engaged a structural engineer to assess the possibility of Stage 2 works.
July 2012: Stage 1 renovation works began. Regular fortnightly meetings between Board reps and Robert Phillips began and a green light was given by the engineer for Stage 2.
August 2012: The Board resolved to recommend that Stage 2 works proceed and a quote from Robert Phillips was accepted by the Board. Approval to proceed was also obtained from the congregation and the Presbytery.
September 2012: Despite being informed that its application to use some of the Wycheproof monies had been denied by the BIF, the Board resubmitted another application to Presbytery to be forwarded to the BIF for these funds. Stage 2 works were completed!
October 2012: Use of the new toilets was permitted and the old toilets were demolished. The Board called for a working bee to put furniture and items back into the hall, new kitchen and Upper room. Finally, approval from the Presbytery and BIF to use $50,000 of the Wycheproof monies 🙂 The new kitchen and the renovated hall were used for the first time by the congregation on October 21. The large cupboard in the hall was removed and the concrete ramp with rails followed. Everything completed – inside and out (except kitchen roller shutters)! Opened 28/10/12!
“Thanks be to God!”
End footnote: The Kitchen roller shutters were installed on Monday October 29 🙂
Opened!
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!
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.
‘Worldly ways; causes, consequences and cure’ (James 4:1-10)
There’s something wrong when the water is in the boat, or when the world is in the church. In this last message from ‘Sundays@Six’ for 2012, Rev Philip Burns highlights the real issue from James 4 and where the solution to it all lies.
Annual Naval service report
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!)
‘Wisdom: The good and the deadly’ (James 3:13-18)
When is wisdom not wisdom? When it’s the wrong kind of wisdom! Did you know that there is such a thing as heavenly and earthly wisdom? Can you tell them apart? James enables us to do just that…
‘Chasing after the wind’ (Ecclesiastes 1:1-18)
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)
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)
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.