Bulletin Announcements – 27 July 2014
Faith Promise Giving – A total of 130 faith promise slips received totalling $146,822 of the $170,000 target. Please do continue to pray that God will help us to reach the set target to financially support our missionaries.
A RECOMISSIONING SERVICE for our missionaries, Rolf and Bonnie Lepelaar will be held at 2:00 PM next Saturday (2 August) here at WSCCC. Please show your support by attending.
Announcements from Diaconate:
+ Diaconate Announcement: At the Annual General Meeting of the church on 5 October 2014, election of deacons for the next Diaconate term will take place (5 deacons per language group). Please reflect on 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and prayerfully consider whether you are moved to serve, or nominate someone amongst your congregation to serve in our church as deacon. If you do, please first contact a member of Deacon Nomination Committee (see the names below), and ask for the nomination form & related information. The closing date for nominations is 29August 2014. Please be prayerful and prompt. The English Deacon Nomination Committees are: Lydia Tan, Les Lee, Anthony Choong, Cerise Yeung.
+ The diaconate is pleased to inform brothers and sisters that following the advice from CRS (Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service) Australia on 29th May 2014 we have asked Rev Ariel Kurilowicz to work two and half days per week from home commencing in July 2014. CRS Australia is closely monitoring Rev Kurilowicz’s rehabilitation progress and will advise us from time to time if he has the capacity to work longer hours. Please continue to pray for Rev Kurilowicz’s recovery.
+ The diaconate is pleased to announce that in our meeting on 13th June 2014 we unanimously resolved to renew Rev Keith Noldt’s contract to be the part-time Interim Minister of WSCCC to serve the Strathfield 9am English congregation for another term of 12 months from 17th October 2014. Rev Noldt has kindly accepted the offer on 9th July 2014. We thank God for His guidance and also thank Rev and Mrs Noldt for their contribution to the church. Let us pray that God would continue to bless and use them greatly in the year to come.
Ariel writes – a weekly Scriptural devotion:
Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. (Numbers 14:30-31 NIV)
These verses describe God’s punishment upon his people (the Israelites) at the edge of the promised land. Under Moses’ leadership God had delivered them out of slavery from the Egyptians. God their mighty warrior did this in gracious, miraculous, and powerful ways. Now, all they had to do was trust him as they entered the land. So why hadn’t they? Because of this: “As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder,…” These were loving caring parents. They were just trying to do what was best for their kids after all, and we’re probably thinking they were being idolatrous. Ah, but you see they were being idolatrous – they were putting their children before God! And what did they get for it? Not just missing out on the promised land but also leaving a bad example to their children and not getting to know their grandchildren. Sad isn’t it?
from Pastor Ariel