Weekly Update 27th July
This week we send out Roger, Phil and the Uganda team.
The Uganda team will be addressing a number of needs including:
– Mental Health Training
– Continued training of the BaTwa women assisting them to have income generating capabilities
– Working with the Vocational Training College including delivering 60kg of hand tools.
– working with the Diocese on creating income streams for men. An update on the request to support the Mental Health Training for the Uganda trip – the full costs have now been met. Thank you for your generosity and prayers, may God use this training to His glory.
Uganda Prayer needs
1) Health of the team
2) Clarity of communication both ways
3) Safety for those involved
4) The mental health training
5) Success for each of the projects and teams
Please uphold them in prayer – Graham Beer is the contact for the Prayer Cover roster.
Derek is now back in the US and would love to stay in touch via his newsletter derekrust@icloud.com to join the list.
Thank you to the Welcome team who met for training last week. It was great to share the importance of hospitality and welcome in God’s economy.
3D Kids launches this Wednesday afternoon. Please cover this activity in prayer. Additional helpers would be very gratefully received, we will know more after Wednesday about the likely number of students who will be participating and could do with some extra help. Pray for families who will bring their children, pray for children attending that they will hear the good news of Jesus, pray for safety and harmony in the running of the program and pray for Sally and her team that what they say and do will be to God’s glory.
Little Sheep resumed this week with a new theme of plants in different environments. After wandering through the jungle we are headed next for the rainforest. Pray for our faithful team especially for health and stamina, pray for the families that are part of Little Sheep that they may come to now the love of God through our serving them, pray for safety and harmony. We always welcome new helpers. An opportunity to organise craft once a fortnight is available or to come to have intentional conversation with parents.
If you need to complete a Safe Ministries refresher course, Crookwell have one on Saturday the 4th of August. Talk to Sally for details. You can also complete either the induction or the refresher course online – link will be available on our website. If you are intending to work with children in any capacity a Working With Children Check is also required. The link for this will also be on the website. Sally will also be helping people to apply for the WWC number after church this Sunday.
Prayer Points
* Pray for those affected by drought especially those in NSW and Qld, for farmers and their families, for hay carters and for rural communities.
*Pray for Paul and Robyn as they return home this week – first service back is August 5th
*Pray for those involved in the Walkathon and for those who will be helped with the funds raised for the Anglicare Emergency Appeal
*Pray for SRE in schools throughout the region, for the SRE teachers, for the High School SRE coordinator Jen Schabel and the Primary SRE coordinator Mick Hookham who will report to us next Sunday 5th August about the work of SRE in Goulburn
Opportunities to help
– join the kitchen team
– join Little Sheep team or 3D Kids team
– train for AV setup or to run PowerPoint
– volunteer at the Bookshop or the Artisan’s Table
– join Gill for prayer from 2.30 on Sundays or join setup team from 3.30
A recap of Sunday’s message
Readings Mark 6.30-34, 53-56, Ephesians 2.11-22, Psalm 89.8-13
As we think of the farmers struggling to care for their flocks in the face of drought we see God;s care for us. In the same way that farmers put feeding their sheep before caring for themselves, God gave Jesus life in exchange for the life of us the sheep of His pasture. Even in the midst of being pursued by fans, Jesus the man, looked with compassion on the lost sheep of Israel with pity and chose to heal them before resting himself. Not only does Jesus the shepherd lay down His life for the sheep, He then picks it up again to lead them in to the kingdom of Heaven.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians that now the shepherd has reached out His hand to gather in all the lost sheep, both those of Israel and also now, those who were once excluded from the covenant. Instead, through the death and resurrection of Jesus we are now one body through Christ, one death for the salvation of all, Jew and Gentile, all saved by grace through faith. We are reminded of this in the communion – we are one body in Christ for we all share in the one bread.
We face many struggles and many challenges along the way, relationships, finances, disappointments, health, as Christians they don’t disappear but we can take them to the Lord in prayer knowing that He will help us to bear the load and will heal us.
Too often we exclude others as the Jews did because ‘they are not like us’. Jesus reminds us again and again that he didn’t die for ‘people like us’ he died for all regardless of status, regardless of education or income or ability. Our church should reflect this grace of God extended to all. We all know people, we all have contacts with people from a whole variety of communities, backgrounds etc. We need to pray for those we know and meet, and we need to invite them in as fellow children of the Father. Remember Derek’s 1-1-1? Pray for 1 person for 1 minute at 1o’clock.
We have been blessed with God’s grace, His love, with Spiritual gifts, and each of these blessings has been intended for sharing with others. We need to use our gifts in the relationships we have, to build trust with each other and to share the good news of Jesus. As Derek says ‘build a bridge of trust that can bear the weight of truth’. All of us have the commission to go and to tell. All of us have opportunities that no one else does. Trust that God’s timing is perfect. If someone is asking you for help, then you are the one God intends to have help them even though you feel inadequate. It is in our weakness that God’s Spirit works through us best. He will never ask of you what He does not equip you to do.
As you go through this week, consider those you come in contact with and what God is asking you to do. It might be as simple as asking someone, ‘Can I pray with you now?’. Be strong and courageous, don’t fear having the conversation, the victory has already been won. Keep asking and God will keep answering.
We are one in Christ, there are no longer any barriers.
May God bless you richly this week,
Your F5 Team,
Robyn, Paul, Gill, Sally, Ruth, Don, Karen, Ken
