Bulletin Announcements – 6 September 2015
- Salt & Pepper Fellowship is having a gathering on 19 Sept. A talk “Health Living Older” at 4:30pm and Dinner at 6pm. Tickets on sale now $20pp. Please contact Andrew Chiu or Derek Hong.
- Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes will be available for collection on Sundays 13 and 20 Sept. from Elizabeth. Please return the shoeboxes by 4 Oct.
- Our church will be part of the Rhodes community outreach on Saturday, September 26. We will have a stall with Christian materials and activities from 12-7pm, and present a programme of performances from 2pm. If you are able to help out on the day, please contact Hanji Tok (hanjitokasih@gmail.com), or just support by attending on the day at the Rhodes Market Square.
- Notice is hereby given to all members of the church for the Annual General Meeting, called by the Diaconate, on Sunday, October 4 at 12:30pm at the Chapel of WSCCC Strathfield. Annual reports and agenda will be distributed from September 13.
- Announcement from the Diaconate: Following staff appraisals, the Diaconate has agreed to re-appoint Rev Keith Noldt as a part-time minister of the church on a 3-year term, primarily focusing on the Strathfield English ministry. In addition, the working hours of Rev Ariel Kurilowicz and children’s ministry coordinator Liza Mihardja will be increased according to the needs of their ministries (each from 50% to 60% working load starting from 1 September 2015). Please continue to be in prayer for all the ministers of our church.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
“March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark.” (Joshua 6:3–4a NIV)
Imagine yourself a citizen of Jericho looking down on this strange spectacle. A whole army marching around your city not making one squeak of a noise except for those trumpet blasts. Your eyes turn to where your ears hear the noise is coming from. The Israelite army fades from view. Instead you are now looking at a glowing golden box on poles. On this box are two angels whose wings touch one another so the box is almost unseen. What a strange sight. No idol. Just a box. It almost looks like a throne. Like someone should be sitting on it. Throughout the Old Testament God’s ark, his throne on earth, takes centre stage. It is to be built the right way, carried the right way. Hidden behind a curtain in the tabernacle or temple yet put out in full display when it is on the move. It is never to be touched yet once a year it is to be sprinkled in blood. It’s strangeness lies in the strange God whom it points to. A God of holiness, beauty, and mercy.
from Pastor Ariel