Bulletin Announcements – 2 March 2014
Church Retreat 2014 – March 14-16 at Stanwell Tops. Registration now closing on Sunday March 9. Our booking with the Conference Centre requires us to have a minimum number of 350 attendees. As our current number of attendees is just over 200, the church is faced with an unexpected charge of approximately $18,000 to meet the cost of the minimum numbers. Therefore, we have been allowed to extend our registration for only 1 more week. A great program for the weekend has been organised with separate talks for the English, Chinese and Youth. Creche and also kids program has been organised. A combined fun filled Entertainment night is also being organised for Saturday night. If you have not signed up, now is the time to do it!
Children Ministry Announcement: 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 (today 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.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” (Exodus 32:1 NIV)
This is why the Golden Calf was made. The issue as Israel saw it was “that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,…” After all, the mountain trembled, was filled with thunder, lighting, smoke, and a huge trumpet blast, and that was even before Moses went up! So who knows what happened to him up there?! So what was Israel to do? Make another Moses of course “who will go before us.” You see, Israel was not turning towards evil when they apostatised (followed after other gods), they were just trying to replace the good leader that God gave them. Often that’s the case with our greatest sins. Not that we’re turning towards evil but that we’re trying to replace the best God has given us (Jesus) with something good. In the end, be it our jobs, our health, our wealth, our families, if they come before Jesus, it’s still Idolatry.
from Pastor Ariel