| 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 19th of July, click here at 11am Sunday. Meeting ID: 291 757 7519 Password: 444240 |
Dear church family,
After a good break down at Point Lonsdale (we managed to get there before the lock down was announced), I returned to the sad news that Jean Arlow went to be with the Lord last Tuesday. We’ll be remembering her and celebrating her life at the church this coming Tuesday, however due to the government’s covid restrictions unfortunately only ten invited guests can be present. Tom’s asked me to pass on that Jean left instructions that rather than flowers, if people wanted to express their condolences they would be welcome to make a donation in her memory to the church. Please do hold Tom and his extended family in your prayers.
What difficult times these are, please be praying for our health workers on the front line, and for one another as we continue in this extraordinary year. Obviously with the renewed restrictions, we’re unable to be at church on a Sunday in person for some time yet. It seems that it may well be that we’re under these restrictions to a greater or lesser degree until the end of the year, and so we’re beginning to work on longer term strategies for continuing the mission of the church, helping you use this time to grow more and more in faith, and being a blessing to our area.
Part of this re-visioning will be happen at our Vision Gatherings – see the details of those below. We also want to be reaching out to people with the good news of Jesus, and so we’re starting an Alpha Course online from August 5 – more details coming next week, but start praying about whether this is something you would like to do to grow in your faith, or if there is someone you know who isn’t yet a Christian who you could invite. We’re also wanting to start new online small groups (more details below) – with one already looking like it’ll get off the ground in the next week or so. Now it’s more important than ever to be connecting with each other – sign up today!
Our Galatians series continues today. Up until now, Paul has been telling us we’re saved by faith and not the works of the law, but now he begins to show us some of the wonderful outworkings of this – we are ‘In Christ’ – something that radically affects our relationship with each other and with God.
See you online!
Sam Bleby
Minister | Parish of Cranbourne
St John’s Cranbourne | Christ Church Tooradin
Small Groups
These times can be isolating, and life is better together! We’re looking to start some new small groups – we’ve already got a couple of people looking to start a group, and we’d love to have a few more. If you’d like to be part of a small group, please reply to this email to me letting me know and indicating three times in the week that would be convenient for you. At first you’d be meeting online (it’s easier than you think, and if new to you we can help you get started).
Vision Gatherings
Though church is suspended in person, we want to be using this time to be planning the way forward as a community in the years ahead, so once we’re back we can hit the ground running. Thanks to all those who filled in the church community survey – you’ll get an executive summary of the results (all de-identified to keep confidentiality for those who responded) by Sunday the 26th of July. We’ll then have a series of vision gatherings which we’ll do online – you can choose whichever time best suits you:
3-4pm Sunday the 2nd of August; or
10:30-11:30am Wednesday the 5th of August;
You’ll get all the zoom video conferencing details and more of an outline of what we’re going to be doing, but please do put it in your diary now!
Children’s Ministry
Online church includes a kids activity pack that you can download here. Print it out and the kids can do activities after they’ve watched the kids talk on the same theme.
Giving
Just a reminder that you can give by envelope dropped off at the church between 2-3pm on Sundays, or you may give electronically, either anonymously or put your name as a reference, but please do also reference it as ‘giving’ to help our records.
| St John’s, Cranbourne |
| BSB: 083 214 |
| Account: 596 278 950 |
| Christ Church, Tooradin |
| BSB: 633 000 |
| Account: 138 728 704 |