Bulletin Announcements – 23 February 2014
CHURCH RETREAT: Growing Together, Serving Together! – Church Retreat on 14-16 March 2014 to be held at Stanwell Tops. The Registration period has been extended by 1 week and will close on Mar 2. Please assist the committee by finalising your registrations and payments before the close so that numbers can be confirmed to the Conference Centre.
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. 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/Confirmation: Those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and desire to be baptised to make a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ, 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:
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18 NIV)
When the Creator God says to His creatures; “Come now, let us settle the matter,” you would think that some kind of dark and dreadful judgement is in store. Yet here, in this verse, God chooses to wipe our sins away. He cleanses us instead of judging us. He purifies us instead of condemning us. It is truly astonishing! And certainly we should ask why?! And the biblical answer is because He love us, and it’s in and through His Son Jesus that He has expressed this love to us. But if God has chosen to unconditionally “settle the matter” in such an astoundingly merciful way why is it that some Christians live as if He hasn’t? They live under guilt instead of forgiveness, or they go about sulking instead of praising, or they feel neglected instead of loved. Why? Well, I suppose it’s because life can so easily distract our eyes off Jesus but then that is also why God keeps telling us in so many ways; “Come now, I have settled the matter in Jesus!” It’s nice that God keeps reminding us, isn’t it?
from Pastor Ariel