Bulletin Announcements – 21 September 2014
Children Ministry Announcement: Sunday school will have holiday program for today, 28/9 and 5/10. We advise Year 5 and Year 6 students to join 9am Service during those weeks. Term 4 will start on 12 October. Play Group term 4 will start on 7 October.
Strathfield 9am Ladies Fellowship Bible Study. Sunday 28th September 10.45am to 12.15pm at the home of Becky Tong in Homebush. The study will be from chapter 3 – “A Blind Beggar”.
AGM Announcement: Notice is given hereby to all members to attend an Annual General Meeting called by the Diaconate, to be held on 5th October 2014 at 12:30pm, at the Chapel of the church. In the agenda of the AGM, beside election of deacons and other regular items, there will be a special motion, “To call Rev. Dominic Ku to be a full time minister of WSCCC primarily serving Strathfield Mandarin congregation. His term will be three years and renewable. ” (As this is a special resolution, 75% majority votes are required to pass.) Proxy Forms can be obtained from any deacon or minister and should be returned to deacon or minister or by fax or email to WSCCC. Deadline of Proxy Form to be received as valid vote is 3rd October 2014, 12:30pm. Any Proxy Form received after the deadline becomes invalid and will not be counted. All members please see the ushers after the service for a copy of the WSCCC Annual Report (one copy per family please) and the AGM Agenda.
Rev Keith and Janette will be away on holiday from Thursday 25 Sep to Thursday 2 Oct. For urgent pastoral matters please contact Rev Ariel or the Deacons.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:18-19)
Our sinful nature is a foul beast, it causes us to do evil things and brings anguish to our hearts. No good it is and no good comes from it. It contains nothing of value. It is a worthless, ill, and nasty thing. An abhorrence to God and a horror to our Lord Jesus. Yet, it lives within us; guiding and shaping, manipulating and suffocating us. It stifles our good intentions, it frustrates our godly souls, it smothers the Spirit of God within us. At times I can just feel it crushing my soul, distressing my mind. Like Paul my good intentions can quickly turn bad. Which one of us can say we are immune from our sinful nature? If we did it would be a lie. In v25 Paul eventually concludes that he desperately needs Jesus to save him but before any of us can conclude the same we must first admit that we’re so desperately lost without him!
from Pastor Ariel