We are excited to announce a public meeting featuring Creation Ministries International speaker, Mark Emerson.
(Click on Mark’s name to read his bio.)
Date: Friday March 13th
Venue: St John’s Presbyterian Church, Forest Street, Bendigo
Time: 7:30pm
CMI materials available to purchase after the meeting. Watch for updates and latest news on this..
These are desperate times and the best approach is always to go to God.
Our PCV Moderator, Elder Colin Morrow, has shared the following with the people our denomination throughout our ravaged State;
It’s time now for the whole of the Presbyterian Church to turn to our Lord and King in prayer. Plead with Him to end this fire storm that grips our nation. Like the disciples in the boat in Matthew 8, we now plead with our Lord to save us, save this nation, from this storm that doesn’t threaten to sink the boat with water but rather burns and causes continued destruction and loss of life as fires rage. Our prayer, unlike the pleading of the disciples in the boat, is not lacking in faith as we know that He has all authority in heaven and on earth.
He has also invited us all to join him in this prayer;
Lord God, we turn to You in our hour of need. Please end these fires. Bring to an end this time of emergency. Protect those fighting fires. Protect and provide for those who have either lost loved ones or have lost all their mortal possessions or are threatened with the loss of them. Lord, may it be that out of this time Your church will rise up to help those in need and may Your Spirit go before us as we would share of the eternal hope found in You. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
We’ll be praying too on Sunday morning January 5 at 10:30am, humbling ourselves before Almighty God and pleading for His protection upon locals, tourists, fire fighters, emergency service workers, communities and everyday people affected by the bushfires. Come and join us as we do that together.
Well, 2020 has arrived…with more of a ‘blaze’ than a ‘bang’. There’s no question that these last few days have been more than difficult for many people in too many parts of Victoria and NSW.
If it is true as C.S. Lewis once wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world”, then the events of these last few days must surely tell us something.
The following article found on the ‘Australian Presbyterian’ website, written by our Moderator General, Rev Dr Peter Barnes, is well worth a look, even if it is a ‘little’ (just 6 weeks) out of date.
May it lead you to the only One in whom we can put our hope…
It might surprise you to read that Christmas is not about the nonsensical items of snowmen, reindeer or the North Pole. Have you noticed that it’s summer here? Besides, Christmas isn’t about the weather, either – cold or hot. It’s about Jesus, sent by God to be the Saviour of His people.
The Bible says in Hebrews 1:1-2 that, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”. When God spoke through the prophets, he often gave them a glimpse of something that would happen in the future. So, the prophet Isaiah foretold that ‘the virgin shall conceive and bear a son”. Seeing that God knew exactly what he was doing, Matthew 1:21 tells how this was fulfilled in the birth of the One they would call Jesus. Of Him it was said ‘for He will save His people from their sins’.
If the Old Testament prophets looked forward toward the day of His birth and if the New Testament writers recorded the fact of His birth, then it must be that Jesus is the centre of everything that God has said and done – and that must mean that Christmas is all about what God sent us in His Son, Jesus.
No wonder the angels sang at His birth. No wonder they spoke of ‘good tidings of great joy’ for ‘all people’. It’s little wonder then too that Jesus is still the reason for the Christmas season. And why is that? Because He is still doing what God sent him to do – saving God’s people.
Do you know the One who makes Christmas make sense? He saves. Seek Him now.
Due to a forecast temperature of 44°C on Friday, we have decided to cancel the BBQ and Carols event out of concern for our guests. Stay safe.
Christmas Day service is still planned for 9.30am.
Come and join with us on Sunday November 24th at 10:30am when we’ll be wrapping up our Playgroup, SMILE Playgroup and Sunday School year once again with our annual Celebration Service! Lots on for the children and a yummy shared lunch to follow in the hall…!
Every year, the Church and Nation Committee of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria puts together a world-class collection of speakers who address topics at the very heart of current public debate – all with the purpose of equipping God’s people to address our ever changing culture with the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This year’s Colloquium is no exception. You can read about the full line up of speakers and their topics here.
The dates are November 15th and 16th. The venue is the Assembly Hall, 156 Collins Street (next to Scots’ Church, Melbourne) and is easy accessed via public transport in the CBD. Lunch is provided in the purchase of full or part registrations on both days.
Register now to reserve a place!
The start of the September school holidays are not so far away now, and with their arrival comes… PYV’s North Camp!
You can click on all the details of the Camp, including the venue and costs and registration here.
In the meantime we are happy to play ‘host’ to the North Camp Leaders’ Training Day, tomorrow! May God richly bless the day of learning and preparation!
You probably won’t be able to locate Hohidiai on a map. That’s because it isn’t a place as such. Hohidiai is the name of a wonderful ministry in the North Maluku Islands of Indonesia where through the provision of education and free health care, many lives are being changed.
You can read about it all here and also get a taste for the sounds and music of this part of the world by coming to hear the Hohidiai Choir who are on tour (even to Bendigo!) with a variety of hymns, songs, traditional dances and testimonies.
You can catch them at the Kangaroo Flat Baptist Church, Church Street, Kangaroo Flat, on July 17th at 7pm. There will be a stall with traditional Indonesian items for sale and an opportunity to donate as well.
Although the 2019 Federal election results have returned the Coalition government, many in our nation are still concerned for the future of religious freedom in our nation.
Last year, representatives from Barnabas Fund held many meetings in our capital and regional cities (including Bendigo) to invite the local churches to think and pray about and act on this important issue.
The ‘Barnabas Fund 2019 update’ tour is coming to Bendigo and we are pleased to be hosting the meeting. The details are;
7pm, Tuesday night, June 18th at Bendigo (St John’s) Presbyterian Church (corner of Forest and Mackenzie Streets)
The 2019 Update plans to look at what Barnabas Fund is currently doing, re-cap on Australia’s history and foundation of freedom and discuss ways in which Christians may be strengthened against increasing difficulties each may face.