Things are s-l-o-w-l-y returning to something like ‘normal’ (whatever that was!) with some of our ministries at St John’s with some small steps in the right direction over the last few weeks…

For a start, we’ve been able to re-establish our own Youth Group that has met once so far this term and is meeting again soon. It was a great start with just under a dozen youth from Grade 6-Year 12 attending, and with the PYV Summer Camp ahead, things are looking up..!

Then, just last week, after too long(!) of not meeting, our Sunday School is up and running again, and we are looking forward to hearing from our Sunday School scholars all that they are learning from Matthew 13 over the next few weeks!

We thank our great God for His blessing in this way!

Well, today was the day! Despite it being a rather cold September morning, we gathered with thankful hearts to celebrate the Lord God’s faithfulness to us over these 150 years.

Like most churches, the story of the St John’s congregation is one of ups and downs, decline and growth, good times and hard times… and yet through it all, our God has proved again and again that He is faithful.

You can listen to the whole service and/or the message by Rev Peter Phillips on the theme of ‘God’s Word for God’s World’. Also, here’s a snap of the congregation on the day (just for posterity’s sake!).

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the formation of the St John’s congregation (you can read about this in our history), we’ll be gathering on Sunday September 11th at 10:30am. The Moderator of the PCV, Rev Peter Phillips will be preaching. Former members and friends are warmly invited to attend! Plus, there’ll be a big morning tea to follow!

Join us as we hear and celebrate what God is doing around the world with His word – especially through Wycliffe and the provision of mother-tongue translators! Details below…

With the federal election on our doorstep, it is important that God’s people continue to be informed about the significance of the Religious Discrimination Bill (RDB) and its benefits. To answer key questions, the Institute for Civil Society* (ICS) has made a three-part explainer video regarding the RDB.

You can see these videos here.

*ICS is a social policy think tank seeking to promote traditional rights and liberties, including the freedoms of association, expression, conscience and religion.

Come and join us as we pray together to the Lord for our nation and election. We’ll be meeting on Saturday May 7 and Saturday May 14 from 10am-12noon in our ‘Upper Room’ (meeting room off the church hall, enter through the car park door). Of course, you are welcome to pray at home if you can’t come. (If you intend to do this, why not let us know?)

We’re remembering those who gave up their lives for ‘God, King and country’ at our 10:30am service on Sunday April 24. Lest we forget.

‘Reality’ TV shows about how plastic surgery changes the way people look, are to me, only mildly interesting. They seem to portray a sad reflection on a society that is so obsessed with image. As they say, ‘beauty is only skin deep’. It’s superficiality at its best. Dying on the cross on that first Good Friday, Jesus wasn’t a pretty sight. He was beaten, tortured and naked. But the Bible holds out his death to us as the most amazing thing God has ever done for us! (See Romans 5:8) So why this death on a cross? To make us new on the inside! The Bible says of those who trust in Jesus, that they are ‘a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) This Easter, forget about image. Seek the One who loved you enough to die and rise for you even when you were His ugly enemy. Join us on Good Friday at 9:30am to hear the message of His transforming grace!

Yes it’s true. The St John’s congregation was formed in September 1872. Watch this space for news of our September 2022 celebrations as they come together!

“Till now the Lord has helped us.”

1 Samuel 7:12