Bulletin Announcements – 11 September 2016

9 September 2016
  • Ladies Fellowship: Next Sunday, the ladies are meeting up for the third and final time this year. Join us for a time of reflection, discussion and fellowship as we tackle the topic of CONTENTMENT. Date: Sunday, September 18; Time: 10:30am – 12 noon; Place:  37 Albyn Road, Strathfield. (home of Alice Cheng). Please RSVP to Lydia Tan, Rachel Law, Michelle Tat or Jocelyn Lin for numbers.

 

  • The famous Westminster Shorter Catechism says: ‘The sacrament of baptism is a washing with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, which is a sign and seal that we are joined to Christ, that we receive the benefits of the covenant of grace, and that we are engaged to be the Lord’s.’ It’s an outward sign of an inward reality.  Do you have that inward reality? Then, you have the opportunity to publically declare it in November. Please speak to one of the pastors.  A preparation group will commence in October.

 

  • Diaconate Announcement: Notice is hereby given to all members of the church that the Annual General Meeting will be held at 12:30pm on Sunday, September 25, at the WSCCC Strathfield Chapel. During this meeting, election of deacons for the next term will be held. The AGM reports, agenda, and deacon candidate profiles are available from the ushers (one copy per family please). If you prefer to receive the 2016 AGM reports by email, please contact the church administrator (Gigi) by email (wsccc@optusnet.com.au). Please also contact the deacons of your congregation for the Proxy Form for the election of deacons if you cannot come to the AGM.

 

  • Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes will be handed out today and the return date is Sunday, September 25th. Thank you for your support for this worthy project.

 

  • Sunday school Term 3 will end on 18 September. We will have holiday program on 25 September, 2 and 9 October. Term 4 will starts on 16 October. Play Group invites children 5 years and under, and their parents or grandparents, to join our ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’ on Tuesday, 20 September, 10am-12.30pm. We will have play, songs and stories, games and lunch. We are excited to see you there! PS. Please bring your Teddy Bear for the picnic.

 

Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15 NIV)

Jesus’ main point in this passage is the three-dimensional relationship that exists between you, another person, and God when it comes to forgiveness and sins; and it’s the last sentence that really stings. It’s like someone saying to you; “How can I forgive your sins, if you don’t forgive my child’s sins against you?” Parents express the same feeling when their children fight one another. When seen in this way it makes sense. It’s the same here, our relationship with others affects our relationship with God – it remains broken when we harbour unforgiveness towards others. This hit me the other day when I was harbouring resentment towards another Christian because of a sin they committed against me. Yet, when I looked at this sin in light of all the many and various much graver sins I had committed against God, I hung my head in shame. Not only did I realise, admit my guilt, and repent but I found a new appreciation of how much richer, and deeper, and remarkable is God’s forgiveness to me in Jesus.

from pastor Ariel