Bulletin Announcements – 16 February 2014
Today: Four Keys to Happiness – Love – we continue the third in our series of 4 talks on happiness and Sam Chan will be speaking. Invite your friends
CHURCH RETREAT: Growing Together, Serving Together! – Church Retreat on 14-16 March 2014 to be held at Stanwell Tops. Save the Date! Rego Today! Last day to rego is Feb 23rd (next Sunday)– don’t miss out!
Children Ministry Announcement: Term 1 has started for Sunday school and Play Group. Please fill in the enrolment form for your children. Parents, please pick the children up from our Sunday school area right after the service. We also ask assistance from our congregations to keep the Sunday school area quiet and with minimum traffic during our Sunday school time. We value our children’s concentration during the session.
kidstime@cp is restarting!! kidstime@cp is a playgroup for parents, carers and families with children who are not of school-age. There will be craft, story-time, singing and more! It will be held on Tuesdays 9:30-11am in the church hall during school term, starting THIS WEEK 18th February. BYO morning tea for your own children. For further information, please contact Steph Chan (stephaniegchan@gmail.com).
Ladies – Equip 14 (Why # Wise) is open for registration. Venue – Rose Hill Gardens, James Ruse Drive. You can register online http://www.equip.org.au/program/ or contact Solan for further information.
Baptism: Those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and desire to be baptised, please see Rev. Keith Noldt or a deacon about commencement of baptism classes. The WS baptism service is in May.
Team Zambia Sharing Afternoon (2nd March -2pm to 4pm – WSCCC Strathfield Upper Hall). In January, a group from strathfield 9am went to Zambia for a short term mission trip. Find out about what we did and learnt at a special sharing on Sunday 2nd March.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5 NIV)
Although these verses are not difficult to understand they are profound indeed. Simply stated, it means that your righteousness (being in a right relationship) with God is not earned as a wage but given to you freely (as a gift) by faith (trusting) in Him. Not difficult at all until you try to put it into practice! The reason for this is we often see our good works as wages earned; God now owes us. So obeying our parents, working hard at school, at work, or at home, helping a friend or neighbour in need, raising our children the right way, our little charitable donations, and of course not swearing when others would are our little wages earned. And some Christians are even worse! They add church attendance, baptism, serving, leading, and financial giving to the list. The thing is we often miss the key part of this verse; “to the one who does not work…” You see, being in a right relationship with God is a matter of putting your feet up, with your hands behind your head, and just trusting in Jesus.
from Pastor Ariel