| To get to our online services, click here. You can always find them by going to our website: www.cranbourneanglican.org.au/online-service. If you’d like to join us for a virtual morning tea (video conferencing) 11am Sunday the 10th of May, click here at 11am Sunday. Meeting ID: 291 757 7519 Password: 444240 |
Dear church family,
I pray your week has been good and included some encouragements and blessings. I think we’re all looking forward to hearing what the national cabinet decides today on the easing of restrictions. I’m not expecting we’ll be able to meet again in church as usual for a month or two yet, but it’s good to see the first steps towards that hopefully unveiled today.
One of the things that has been interrupted for many during the restrictions has been the exercise regime – but in our reading from Philippians 2:12-30 this Sunday Paul suggests a workout we can all do no matter where we are and no matter what the circumstances. Paul says:
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
We need to hear the call to work out our faith carefully, and we’ll explore what that does mean and what it doesn’t a little more on Sunday. But the thought for today is this: we have an awesome God, infinitely glorious and holy and good – who loves you and is at work in you right now. Eternity has touched your day!
Every blessing for the weekend, and see you for church online.
In Christ,
Sam.
Happy Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is of course this Sunday (early warning for those who haven’t yet bought the flowers or the card) so happy mother’s day! We’re so thankful to God for all the mothers in our church community and in our lives – what a blessing you are to us all. Even though we might be missing out on the gatherings with family we might usually have, I pray you are well celebrated nonetheless.
I’m also mindful that for some this can be a difficult day – particularly those who would like to be mothers but aren’t, or those who have lost little ones, or those for whom this will be your first mother’s day without your mother. Our prayers and hearts are with you as well, may God give you comfort and peace.
Vision and Mission Process
Thanks to all those who have filled in our Internal Church survey. While I’m the only one who will see the raw data, the Ministry Advisory Committee will look at all the collated and de-identified responses and use them as we begin to fashion a Mission Action Plan as we look to when we can re-open the doors. An important part of our vision process is gathering together in person listen more to each other and discern where God might be leading us as a church, so we plan to do that later when that’s possible.
Listening to the Community
In the meantime, we’re pushing forward with the process, and our next step having listened to God and listened to each other, is listening to the wider community. To help us do this, your Ministry Advisory Committee has been designing a survey that you can send to your non-church friends and family. We want to hear from people who aren’t Christian in the Casey area as to what they feel are the greatest needs in the community and what kind of things they feel would be useful for the church to offer, and they’d be more likely to attend. We’ve designed it to be very non-threatening and very easy to either email the link or pass on to a neighbour. The survey will be released next week, but in the meantime, can you be praying that God would lead you to identify the two people you know who you could pass the survey on to? In my experience, this has yielded some of the most useful results of the vision process.
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost (from May 21st to May 31st) for more people to come to know Jesus.
During the 11 days of Thy Kingdom Come, it is hoped that everyone who takes part will:
- Deepen their own relationship with Jesus Christ
- Pray for 5 friends or family to come to faith in Jesus
- Pray for the empowerment of the Spirit that we would be effective in our witness
If you would like to be part of this global prayer, you can download a prayer journal here, or pick up a printed copy from Monday next week from the church.
Kids Ministry
Sunday church online:We’ve included kids talks in the service and some activity sheets to download for the kids which you can download here (so you can print them off early and get set up before time!) or you’ll be able to find these at our online church page on our website every Sunday from 9am.
Giving
God provides!
Thanks so much for the way in which you have responded in this time of need – our weekly giving, while still down a little, is now comparable to the levels it was at before the restrictions. Given that we are unable to meet together at this time, that’s a wonderful testimony to your faithfulness and the goodness of our God in providing. It also looks like the church will be eligible for the government’s jobkeeper program, and the diocese has given us a moratorium on repayments and is contemplating waiving Synodal assessment for the last half of the year. So despite the loss of rental income and the difficulties of giving during this time, I’m confident our church will be in a reasonable position to ride this difficult time out. Thank you, and I thank God for His goodness to us.
Just a reminder for those who aren’t giving online, you can come and drop off your envelopes between 2 and 3 at St John’s every Sunday afternoon.
| St John’s, Cranbourne |
| BSB: 083 214 |
| Account: 596 278 950 |
| Christ Church, Tooradin |
| BSB: 633 000 |
| Account: 138 728 704 |