This week I think we are all feeling a little lighter as restrictions are eased, and life has some semblance of returning to normal. This means that as a church, we are able to begin re-grouping and gathering, even though numbers are still restricted, as a church community for worship services. Our Sunday services will return to being live streamed from this coming Sunday. We can accommodate about 30 to 40 people, with covid-safe distancing, signing in and sanitising. Masks still must be worn inside if distancing is not possible, but we hope to be able to provide enough space to allow some freedom. Please let us know if you are coming as there are limited places, but we look forward to seeing as many as are able to make it. Let us celebrate our faith as we worship together. “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord!!”
This month, we are raising funds for the Bible League, providing Bibles for persecuted Christians. The gift of $10.00 will provide one Bible for each family. Please use MNLCC bank details to make your donation, using the word “Bible” as your reference. Thank you so much.
We are also getting ready for our Christmas celebrations. Our main Christmas event will be on Sunday evening, December 20th. This will begin at 5.00 pm with a barbeque tea, the Love Gippsland Coffee van, and games and activities for the children. The service will begin at 7.00 with a children’s program followed by carol singing and lighting the Christmas tree. This year, the Christmas tree will hold some special ornaments – Christmas stars that represent the 14 children supported by the Murle Education Foundation. This year has been a struggle to raise the necessary funds for maintaining their school fees and requirements, food, clothes and accommodation. We are asking for families to commit to sponsoring one child for the next twelve months. We hope you can join us in this worthwhile project. As a special Christmas “bonus” we would love to send the students some “pocket money” in a card. This would be a treat they would rarely experience – having some money of their own to spend however they wish. We would like to send about $20 to each child in a Christmas card. The youth and girls group are helping with this project, so if you would like to give towards this, please either deposit through the MNLCC bank details, or you could drop off a cash gift to MNLCC on Friday evenings.
This newsletter seems to be full of projects that are calling to us for donations. I pray that you will prayerfully consider these requests, as each one will mean so much to the recipients, and your generosity is an expression of God’s love. This week Thanksgiving is celebrated in America. I am so glad that we do not need a special date to remind us to be grateful and give thanks for all of God’s abundant blessings. May God bless you as you give – pressed down, shaken together and running out all over.
God bless you each one and keep you in His loving care.
With love,
Glenda