"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." - Jesus in Matthew 7:6
Ahoy Church,
I was excited to notice earlier in the week that this Sunday is the first for ages for which sunshine is forecast! Join one of our gatherings and make the most of the sunny conditions 😄
The following week, Sunday August 2nd, we have our AGM right after a time of communion, prayer and worship. Everyone is welcome, but you'll need to become a member if you want to play a formal role in any decisions.
This week I had quite a lot of time to ruminate, due to sickness. One thing that crossed my mind is how similar some parts of church life are to family life.
Each year Martine and I discuss how we will educate and invest in our children. We have one phrase that we echo to each other, "One year at a time".
"One year at a time".
Each year circumstances change. Our children's needs change. There's no perfect solution for every child. Each has their own strengths.
"One year at a time" is a good way to reflect on our church family as well. Each year circumstances change. The needs of those in our church change. There's no perfect church for every follower of Jesus. Each of us has our own strengths.
Each year our AGM is a great moment to wonder before God, "God, is there anything you have for us in 2027?" We'll share some basic financial updates (expanded versions of what's in our weekly email), some reports, then pray for some key areas of our church.
I'm excited to see how God will guide us in the coming 6mths as we are open to God's guidance, or affirmation in what we're already doing.
One thing that I want to highlight is how beautiful it has been to hear many stories recently of how you are all caring for each other and those around you. There are so many expressions of "love one another" and "love your neighbour as yourself" happening in and around our church family that it's hard not to be encouraged!
As I consider all these stories, I'm reminded of the key questions we keep returning to as a church and leadership team to express our love for Jesus and desire to follow him: "Who are you walking with?"
If our love for God is visible through our love for others, then this question will always continue to shape and express who we are as a church. No matter how many of Jesus' teachings we hear or understand, nothing compares to living it out in love to others. Christianity is a lived faith. Hence, why Jesus says, "Come, follow me". In modern words, "Come, learn to do what I do".
As I shared in a previous email, 1 Corinthians chapter 13 makes it clear that this others-directed life modelled by Jesus is the way forward for all of us:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
And one of the best things about this question and the kind of life it encourages is that it "works" through every season. Month to month, season to season, year to year, the people you choose to walk with as you (and they!) follow Jesus will always matter to Jesus.
Much love, see you Sunday,
Dan
Attend our AG[l]M - Sunday August 2nd
Approximately every 12mths we are required to have an Annual General Meeting. While we're happy to do this, we aim for it to be more than a formality but part of our story of how God has and continues to lead us. Hence, my nickname for these meetings is AG[L]M, our Annual God-Led Meeting.
We'll have the meeting alongside our next monthly gathering for song, communion and sharing. There are no surprising topics to discuss, just some updates and an opportunity to clarify how God is continuing to guide us.
While everyone is welcome to attend, only members are allowed to vote, etc. If you're keen to become a formal member of our legal entity, check out our members page!
Much love and see many of you on Sunday!
Dan
Wendy Jarrott-Smith's "Sabbath" Art Display
Many of you have met Wendy at the beach church. You can visit her unmanned gallery now to explore the concept of 'Sabbath' and the ideas of RESIST...REST...RHYTHM. Comments in the visitors' book would be most welcome.
When: From now until August 28th, every day till 3.
Location: Reflection Gallery in the Uniting Church, Main Street, Montville.
Coming Up
July - 9am [Home] + 3pm [Moffat]
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Jul 26 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
August - 9am [Home] + 3pm [Moffat]
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Aug 02 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Monthly worship [inc AGM]
Aug 09 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
Aug 16 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach + Baptisms [Anyone?]
Aug 23 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
Aug 30 Sunday Gatherings: Home + Beach
September - 9am [Home] + 3pm [Moffat]
Mondays - Young Adults - Marcello + Mariela 0428 986 423
Fridays - 6am Men's Prayer - Fred 0431 437 080
Sep 07 EHD: "Emotionally Healthy Relationships" Ends
Our Mission
To help people find and follow Jesus.
Our Vision
Fully Alive through faith in Jesus. To see vision come to life, we developed FAM, our Fully Alive Model. Ideally, you can work through FAM with someone else.
Our Rhythms
Get to Know Jesus: how are you getting to know Jesus this week?
Invite people into your life: who can you intentionally open up your life to?
Gather and get involved: who can you connect, listen, share, or pray with this weekend?
Giving Up, In, and Out
Our church follows the same simple pattern of giving that we encourage each other individually: UP, IN, and OUT.
Giving UP
As a church, we give 2.5% to our denomination to support what's happening in churches like ours statewide and show appreciation for all the support they provide. We encourage each follower to consider giving "up" to support their local church - in this case ours :)
Giving IN
We give to personal/family needs within our church from our $5,000 Giving Kitty. Please alert us if you know someone with genuine needs that you're unable to meet out of your own resources.
Giving OUT
This term, we are encouraging our church to give to the family who visit us each year from the country where they share Jesus. We'll give to them as a church, and we encourage you to give to them too.
BSB: 923100
Account #: 37443010
REF: KyleG GIFT
Last month's giving: $13,043
Last month's expenses: $14,399
Balance: $69,402
Giving in : Oct 23-Jun 26: $5,000
Giving out : Oct 23-Jun 26: $20,293
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." - Proverbs 19:17
If you would like to support what we are doing and our giving to those in need, you can get started giving to Open Road to meet the needs of our church or get in touch with any questions you may have.
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