Knowing Jesus ⢠Serving Jesus ⢠Proclaiming Jesus
March 26th
2017
WELCOME!
Our regular services are: 8 am at St. Paul’s Classic Anglican service 10 am at St. Paul’s All age service with children’s programs 3 pm at St. Stephen’s All age service with children’s programs Ministry Contacts
Senior Minister Mark Smith 0430 393 414 [email protected] Not Available Thursdays
Children’s & Youth Minister John Young 6352 4347 [email protected] Not available Wednesdays
Apprentice Minister Samuel Ogg 0409 792 811 [email protected] Not available Wednesdays
Wardens Scott Hookham John Stevens Eric Young
0419 708 801 6355 1337 0429 664 436
Office Administration Corinne Ogg 6351 3070 [email protected] Wednesdays & Fridays 9 - 4
for Children and youth For all children yrs K-6 During School Term Tuesdays 3:15-4:30pm Youth Group for yrs 6-12 During School Term Fridays 7:30 - 9pm
Growth groups Small groups for adults to grow in Christ. Phone the office for details.
Knowing Jesus • Serving Jesus • Proclaiming Jesus Dear friends, Welcome to church! As I wrote on the newsletter a few weeks ago, one of our purposes in gathering together each week is prayer (we hold weekly a ‘service of common prayer’ – our common concerns). Our common mind in prayer is seen in regular confession. Traditional prayer services have confession straight after opening in praise. Early in the Communion service, we ask God to ‘cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit’. Morning & Evening prayer service forms are even fuller in confession – admitting we’ve wandered like lost sheep, intentionally gone our own way, doing what we shouldn’t & not doing what we should. It’s a full & broad confession. It’s not just concerned with actions – but attitudes. Those who formulated our style of service intentionally put it early in the service. It means, in the flow of every service, we get the shape of Christian life. It starts with praise & a declaration of what God is like; leading to confession & calling for mercy; then being assured by His taught Word & our relationship expressed in further prayerful thanks & requests. Confession in corporate worship is really helpful – because it reminds us sin destroys relationships. Sadly, brokenness is our story with God, our loving creator. Worse still, unacknowledged sin stops relationships ever being re-built. So often we hide from confession – with God & those we’ve hurt – because we fear the consequence. We fear the rejection. We fear the destruction. The truth is, sin has already destroyed. & at that point – only open, honest confession can restore. Confession – done well – is a thing of beauty, after the ugliness of sin. The nature of God’s mercy means we confess with confidence. John writes:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2v1-2)
Our prayer life – individually & corporately - must be shaped by the truth that sin destroys, but confession heals. Confession is the starting point of any right relationship with God. Because prayer is relational, unacknowledged sin is a barrier to our prayer life. Psalm 66v18 ‘If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened’. Holding on to sin drives a wedge between us & God. In 1 Peter 3v7, Husbands are encouraged to be considerate of their wives – who voluntarily place themselves in the weaker position of submission, even though they are equal sharers in God’s Kingdom. Husbands are warned if they aren’t considerate – it will hinder their prayers. It could mean that these inconsiderate husbands are less inclined to pray – because they are arrogant in their sin; or it could mean that God is less inclined to listen to them – because they are arrogant in their sin. Either way – unconfessed, unrepented sin – drives a barrier between us & God. Over time, unacknowledged sin, makes sin’s effect worse & prevents healing. In Luke 18, Jesus gives us another model of prayer (perhaps less well known than ‘the Lord’s prayer). The tax collector who stands far off, not even able to lift his eyes to heaven, beating his breast: ‘ God, have mercy on me – the sinner’. It is the first prayer we all must pray to start relationship with God. & it is the prayer we never progress from. ‘God, have mercy on me the sinner’. John’s words transform our prayer-life – we keep confessing with confidence. We know how God treated us when we were at our most stubborn. He gave his Son to make us pure. It’s why no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve become – you can confess with confidence. Since he’s already given what matters most, since he’s already paid what justice demands, he won’t withhold forgiveness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it perfectly:
“You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come, as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you. He wants you as you are; he does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; he wants you alone. . . . You can hide nothing from God. The mask you wear before men will do you no good before him. He wants to see you as you are, he wants to be gracious to you.”
The atoning sacrifice of Christ both recognises & condemns our sin. We don’t need a mask . We simply keep confessing with bold confidence. In Him, Mark Smith
www.lpachurch.org.au • [email protected] • PO Box 192, Lithgow • (02) 6351 3070 St. Paul’s: Railway Parade, Lithgow • St. Stephen’s: Williwa St, Portland
readings OT: NT:
Responding to God’s Word in Practice: 1. HEAD: What did you learn? 2. HEART: What did God say to you? 3. HANDS: What will you do?
Psalm 29:1–2, 10 - 11(page 394) Romans 16 (page 806)
Word of encouragement: UPDATE ON FINANCE SUB COMMITTEE A lot has been achieved by the finance sub-committee of Parish Council recently:
We have seen the amalgamation of Lithgow and Portland finances, which is more efficient and sees us united as one parish. The setting up the Enid Stahl Trust Fund to support ministry training, the first beneficiary being Samuel Ogg. The changing of the church accounts over to the local Commonwealth Bank from Glebe Investment Accounts, which closed its doors. This took a lot of time and effort to organise. In line with our aim to increase giving to mission partners the church is giving financial support to CMS, Pioneers, BCA, LCEA and Anglicare. On top of this the church have given donations received from the Christmas services to Anglican Aid with the money raised going to the Good Shepherd School in Lebanon, supporting teachers, educational resources and clothing for refugee children.
With all this foundation work done, this year should be a much smoother one for running the church finances. Having said that the finance sub-committee can’t sit back and put its feet up. We need to look at the church’s long term plan and see how we can best use our finances to achieve the outcomes set for growing God’s kingdom. One future goal is to have the appropriate staff to grow ministry within the Parish, including an additional ordained minister. Another goal for the future is to increase support to missions both here in Lithgow and Portland as well as other places in Australia and overseas. For these things to happen we will need to continue to grow our finances. God has blessed us in the last year, being the first time I can recall where we exceeded our budget. Please pray that we as a church will continue to give cheerfully and generously so spreading of the Gospel will increase both locally and beyond. Pray for Parish Council and for the Finance Sub-committee that we will use our finances wisely and the church will grow in serving and proclaiming Jesus, and more people will come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Prayer points 26th March Almighty God, grant that we, who justly deserve to be punished for our sinful deeds, may in your mercy and kindness be pardoned and restored; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 27th March Give thanks that God is a great provider. Pray for all who hunger – spiritually & physically – that God might satisfy their needs. Remember Jesus’ words: I am the bread of
life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (john 6v35) 28th March Praise God as giver of life. Remember those facing death & grieving loved ones recently lost. Pray in light of Jesus’ declaration: "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; (John 11v25)
29th March Praise God that He has opened His eternal home to sinners. Give thanks for Christ’s assurance: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14v6). Pray for those caught in looking for another way to glory. 30th March Give thanks for the guidance God gives. Ask God to lead our church in all wisdom & godliness – remembering Jesus’ words: "I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10v11)
31st March Give thanks that all around the world, people from every tribe, nation & language are living for the glory of God. Pray for the church in nations you have connections to & concerns for. Pray for the world-wide to church to hold firmly to Jesus promise: "I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15v5
1st April Praise the eternal God – that He was, & is & is to come. Praise Him as our maker, who shared in our humanity – recalling Jesus claim: ‘before Abraham was born, I am’ (John 8v58 2nd April Father, help us to be like Christ your Son, who loved the world and died for our salvation. Inspire us by his love, guide us by his example, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
John Stevens
News to share or point for prayer? If you would like the church family to hear of recent news, or request prayer for yourself, please contact the office by phone or email. Due to privacy laws we can only publish names with permission of those people.
Roster reminders for next week 2nd April
2017
Notices
BBQ CHURCH tonight 6pm Wallerawang Public School invite friends and neighbours to join us as we share good food and God’s word
World Day of Prayer ~ Thank You Thank you to all the people who helped make the Portland World Day of Prayer so successful – Your help was greatly appreciated – Mary Eves Christianity Explored (CE) CE is a 7 week course that uncovers the greatest news ever – exploring Jesus in the gospel of Mark. It runs regularly. Contact Mark Smith for details. Garage Sale April 8th – 8am – 1pm at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall to raise additional funding for work in the Philippines. Those who would like to donate could they please bring their goods on the night before (Friday 7th) for setup. You can contact Brenda on the above numbers to organise this Contact: Brenda Scott - Mob: 0458514806 Home: 63 514 805
Thank you for serving. If you are unable to fulfil your rostered duty please organise a swap and let the service leader and the office know
readings for next week OT: NT:
Jerimiah 31:31 - 34 John 17
Portland Easter Festival: - Easter Saturday, 15th April. ALL WELCOME – FREE EVENT FOR ALL AGES Assistance welcome in combined churches outreach event with running activities (even if only for a short time). On the day help in the craft/activity tent (which is run by St Stephen's), or with supervision of other activities (giant snakes and ladders, stilt walking, jaffa smasher, carpentry, prayer tent), or just being a friendly face prepared to talk about the reason for Easter. Prior to the day - bring in bottle tops (milk bottle type and especially pop-tops off drink bottles). Contact Judy Hill for details (02) 6355 7069 or 0404 485 205 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Course.
DBT skills have demonstrated effectiveness in decreasing selfharm, suicide behaviours, depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health problems. The course will run for 8 Wednesday nights (starting 29th March) in St Paul's church hall. It may be a blessing for you, or someone you know. For more information or to offer your assistance in providing supper - contact the office or Peta O'Meley (10am congregation).
Direct Giving details
Account Name - ANGLICAN PARISH Of LITHGOW DIRECT GIVING BSB -
062591
Account No. -
10085204
Lithgow and Portland Anglican Church
Please return Bibles to the back of church at the end of the service. Thank you!
2017
WELCOME!
Our regular services are: 8 am at St. Paul’s Classic Anglican service 10 am at St. Paul’s All age service with children’s programs 3 pm at St. Stephen’s All age service with children’s programs Ministry Contacts
Senior Minister Mark Smith 0430 393 414 [email protected] Not Available Thursdays
Children’s & Youth Minister John Young 6352 4347 [email protected] Not available Wednesdays
Apprentice Minister Samuel Ogg 0409 792 811 [email protected] Not available Wednesdays
Wardens Scott Hookham John Stevens Eric Young
0419 708 801 6355 1337 0429 664 436
Office Administration Corinne Ogg 6351 3070 [email protected] Wednesdays & Fridays 9 - 4
for Children and youth For all children yrs K-6 During School Term Tuesdays 3:15-4:30pm Youth Group for yrs 6-12 During School Term Fridays 7:30 - 9pm
Growth groups Small groups for adults to grow in Christ. Phone the office for details.
Knowing Jesus • Serving Jesus • Proclaiming Jesus Dear friends, Welcome to church! As I wrote on the newsletter a few weeks ago, one of our purposes in gathering together each week is prayer (we hold weekly a ‘service of common prayer’ – our common concerns). Our common mind in prayer is seen in regular confession. Traditional prayer services have confession straight after opening in praise. Early in the Communion service, we ask God to ‘cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit’. Morning & Evening prayer service forms are even fuller in confession – admitting we’ve wandered like lost sheep, intentionally gone our own way, doing what we shouldn’t & not doing what we should. It’s a full & broad confession. It’s not just concerned with actions – but attitudes. Those who formulated our style of service intentionally put it early in the service. It means, in the flow of every service, we get the shape of Christian life. It starts with praise & a declaration of what God is like; leading to confession & calling for mercy; then being assured by His taught Word & our relationship expressed in further prayerful thanks & requests. Confession in corporate worship is really helpful – because it reminds us sin destroys relationships. Sadly, brokenness is our story with God, our loving creator. Worse still, unacknowledged sin stops relationships ever being re-built. So often we hide from confession – with God & those we’ve hurt – because we fear the consequence. We fear the rejection. We fear the destruction. The truth is, sin has already destroyed. & at that point – only open, honest confession can restore. Confession – done well – is a thing of beauty, after the ugliness of sin. The nature of God’s mercy means we confess with confidence. John writes:
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2v1-2)
Our prayer life – individually & corporately - must be shaped by the truth that sin destroys, but confession heals. Confession is the starting point of any right relationship with God. Because prayer is relational, unacknowledged sin is a barrier to our prayer life. Psalm 66v18 ‘If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened’. Holding on to sin drives a wedge between us & God. In 1 Peter 3v7, Husbands are encouraged to be considerate of their wives – who voluntarily place themselves in the weaker position of submission, even though they are equal sharers in God’s Kingdom. Husbands are warned if they aren’t considerate – it will hinder their prayers. It could mean that these inconsiderate husbands are less inclined to pray – because they are arrogant in their sin; or it could mean that God is less inclined to listen to them – because they are arrogant in their sin. Either way – unconfessed, unrepented sin – drives a barrier between us & God. Over time, unacknowledged sin, makes sin’s effect worse & prevents healing. In Luke 18, Jesus gives us another model of prayer (perhaps less well known than ‘the Lord’s prayer). The tax collector who stands far off, not even able to lift his eyes to heaven, beating his breast: ‘ God, have mercy on me – the sinner’. It is the first prayer we all must pray to start relationship with God. & it is the prayer we never progress from. ‘God, have mercy on me the sinner’. John’s words transform our prayer-life – we keep confessing with confidence. We know how God treated us when we were at our most stubborn. He gave his Son to make us pure. It’s why no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’ve become – you can confess with confidence. Since he’s already given what matters most, since he’s already paid what justice demands, he won’t withhold forgiveness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it perfectly:
“You are a sinner, a great, desperate sinner; now come, as the sinner that you are, to God who loves you. He wants you as you are; he does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; he wants you alone. . . . You can hide nothing from God. The mask you wear before men will do you no good before him. He wants to see you as you are, he wants to be gracious to you.”
The atoning sacrifice of Christ both recognises & condemns our sin. We don’t need a mask . We simply keep confessing with bold confidence. In Him, Mark Smith
www.lpachurch.org.au • [email protected] • PO Box 192, Lithgow • (02) 6351 3070 St. Paul’s: Railway Parade, Lithgow • St. Stephen’s: Williwa St, Portland
readings OT: NT:
Responding to God’s Word in Practice: 1. HEAD: What did you learn? 2. HEART: What did God say to you? 3. HANDS: What will you do?
Psalm 29:1–2, 10 - 11(page 394) Romans 16 (page 806)
Word of encouragement: UPDATE ON FINANCE SUB COMMITTEE A lot has been achieved by the finance sub-committee of Parish Council recently:
We have seen the amalgamation of Lithgow and Portland finances, which is more efficient and sees us united as one parish. The setting up the Enid Stahl Trust Fund to support ministry training, the first beneficiary being Samuel Ogg. The changing of the church accounts over to the local Commonwealth Bank from Glebe Investment Accounts, which closed its doors. This took a lot of time and effort to organise. In line with our aim to increase giving to mission partners the church is giving financial support to CMS, Pioneers, BCA, LCEA and Anglicare. On top of this the church have given donations received from the Christmas services to Anglican Aid with the money raised going to the Good Shepherd School in Lebanon, supporting teachers, educational resources and clothing for refugee children.
With all this foundation work done, this year should be a much smoother one for running the church finances. Having said that the finance sub-committee can’t sit back and put its feet up. We need to look at the church’s long term plan and see how we can best use our finances to achieve the outcomes set for growing God’s kingdom. One future goal is to have the appropriate staff to grow ministry within the Parish, including an additional ordained minister. Another goal for the future is to increase support to missions both here in Lithgow and Portland as well as other places in Australia and overseas. For these things to happen we will need to continue to grow our finances. God has blessed us in the last year, being the first time I can recall where we exceeded our budget. Please pray that we as a church will continue to give cheerfully and generously so spreading of the Gospel will increase both locally and beyond. Pray for Parish Council and for the Finance Sub-committee that we will use our finances wisely and the church will grow in serving and proclaiming Jesus, and more people will come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Prayer points 26th March Almighty God, grant that we, who justly deserve to be punished for our sinful deeds, may in your mercy and kindness be pardoned and restored; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen 27th March Give thanks that God is a great provider. Pray for all who hunger – spiritually & physically – that God might satisfy their needs. Remember Jesus’ words: I am the bread of
life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (john 6v35) 28th March Praise God as giver of life. Remember those facing death & grieving loved ones recently lost. Pray in light of Jesus’ declaration: "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; (John 11v25)
29th March Praise God that He has opened His eternal home to sinners. Give thanks for Christ’s assurance: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14v6). Pray for those caught in looking for another way to glory. 30th March Give thanks for the guidance God gives. Ask God to lead our church in all wisdom & godliness – remembering Jesus’ words: "I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10v11)
31st March Give thanks that all around the world, people from every tribe, nation & language are living for the glory of God. Pray for the church in nations you have connections to & concerns for. Pray for the world-wide to church to hold firmly to Jesus promise: "I am the vine; you are the
branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15v5
1st April Praise the eternal God – that He was, & is & is to come. Praise Him as our maker, who shared in our humanity – recalling Jesus claim: ‘before Abraham was born, I am’ (John 8v58 2nd April Father, help us to be like Christ your Son, who loved the world and died for our salvation. Inspire us by his love, guide us by his example, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
John Stevens
News to share or point for prayer? If you would like the church family to hear of recent news, or request prayer for yourself, please contact the office by phone or email. Due to privacy laws we can only publish names with permission of those people.
Roster reminders for next week 2nd April
2017
Notices
BBQ CHURCH tonight 6pm Wallerawang Public School invite friends and neighbours to join us as we share good food and God’s word
World Day of Prayer ~ Thank You Thank you to all the people who helped make the Portland World Day of Prayer so successful – Your help was greatly appreciated – Mary Eves Christianity Explored (CE) CE is a 7 week course that uncovers the greatest news ever – exploring Jesus in the gospel of Mark. It runs regularly. Contact Mark Smith for details. Garage Sale April 8th – 8am – 1pm at St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall to raise additional funding for work in the Philippines. Those who would like to donate could they please bring their goods on the night before (Friday 7th) for setup. You can contact Brenda on the above numbers to organise this Contact: Brenda Scott - Mob: 0458514806 Home: 63 514 805
Thank you for serving. If you are unable to fulfil your rostered duty please organise a swap and let the service leader and the office know
readings for next week OT: NT:
Jerimiah 31:31 - 34 John 17
Portland Easter Festival: - Easter Saturday, 15th April. ALL WELCOME – FREE EVENT FOR ALL AGES Assistance welcome in combined churches outreach event with running activities (even if only for a short time). On the day help in the craft/activity tent (which is run by St Stephen's), or with supervision of other activities (giant snakes and ladders, stilt walking, jaffa smasher, carpentry, prayer tent), or just being a friendly face prepared to talk about the reason for Easter. Prior to the day - bring in bottle tops (milk bottle type and especially pop-tops off drink bottles). Contact Judy Hill for details (02) 6355 7069 or 0404 485 205 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills Course.
DBT skills have demonstrated effectiveness in decreasing selfharm, suicide behaviours, depression, anxiety, stress and other mental health problems. The course will run for 8 Wednesday nights (starting 29th March) in St Paul's church hall. It may be a blessing for you, or someone you know. For more information or to offer your assistance in providing supper - contact the office or Peta O'Meley (10am congregation).
Direct Giving details
Account Name - ANGLICAN PARISH Of LITHGOW DIRECT GIVING BSB -
062591
Account No. -
10085204
Lithgow and Portland Anglican Church
Please return Bibles to the back of church at the end of the service. Thank you!
