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As we approach Christmas, I am thinking that there is no better time for us to allow the light and life of Jesus to shine through us. We are called to be like Jesus. He wants us to reflect the glory of the Father in all we think, say and do. We are being fashioned into the likeness of Jesus more and more as we understand and come to know more and more His love for us. “Our lives are to be filled with his love. Our minds are to be transformed by His words. And our hearts are to be devoted to serving him alone.” (Craig Denison).
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we behold His glory, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree to another. “As we devote our lives to seeking the face of our Heavenly Father, we will naturally become more like him. We are created to be like our Heavenly Father.” (Denison). We are changed and transformed by devoting ourselves to the Word of God, and to being in His presence. This is where our identity comes from. This is where we discover who we truly are. Not from the world. Not from lobbyists or law-makers, or social trends. Our desire as Christians is to allow the love of to God transform us more and more into his likeness so we reflect more and more the image of Christ to the world.
I pray that as we approach the Christmas season, we will truly be reflecting that light and life into a worried, wearied world. May God’s love and peace be your portion as we set about planning and preparing for the festive season.
Glenda Noordam
Well, here we are in December. Exams are over for our high school students, the year is winding down, and preparations for Christmas are getting under way. It is going to be a different type of Christmas celebration this year for many of us, I am sure. So whether we have our tree up yet, or have finished our Christmas shopping, let’s keep focused on the real meaning and message of Christmas. We began the year with he message of “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” And this is how I want to finish the year out – keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. He is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. In Australia, we elect a Prime Minister every three years. It is an important day for our nation, and sometimes highlights the deep divisions in our society. In between times, we elect our state premiers, and then our local government representatives. As we draw near to Christmas in this Advent season, no matter what political party we vote for, or how divided we might be over our political leanings, or even our religious affiliations or denomination, this is a time for Christians to unite in worship and adoration and with the highest allegiance to our King Jesus, His life, message and ministry, His death and resurrection. This is a season to put aside the things that divide us, and look instead to the One who unites us with His love and kindness. Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the King.
Isaiah prophecies of a king who would come and reign in justice and righteousness. We see this hope in this well-known passage from Isaiah 9:6-7 (NLT) “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulder, And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His Government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity.”
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s armies will make this happen!
The gospels of Matthew and Luke both want us to know from the start that Jesus has come as the anointed one. The Christ, the promised King. Not born to nobility, not rich, or powerful. But born to a humble family and raised by a carpenter. He came to establish His kingdom here on earth, not by force, but through love, forgiveness and sacrifice. He calls us to yield our lives to him and offer Him our meagre gifts and talents for His service. Let all that we do honour Jesus, the Messiah, the King, and may we all receive a fresh vision for God‟s Kingdom coming here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Glenda Noordam
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
Last Sunday, believers gathered at the Civic Park in Warragul to pray and worship together. It was a milestone event – and a hopeful glimpse into the not too distant future when we can see our normal church services begin again. It was good to see different churches represented with a crowd of around 200 gathered in small groups scattered across the park. Testimonies were shared, and a simple gospel message presented. It is good when God’s people dwell in unity, because there, God’s anointing flows, and he commands a blessing and life is the result. It has also been good to take part in worship sessions that have been available on zoom and will continue over the month of November. Churches from all over Victoria have been represented by different worship leaders who have praised and prophesied, declaring freedom, and ushering us into God’s presence, praying for an end to the pandemic, and for God’s people to rise up and churches to reopen. Those who have joined these sessions have witnessed to a real sense of unity, even though we have not been in the same location. I believe the church is gearing up for a great surge forward as the troops begin to reassemble, and I think that Gippsland and other regional areas will lead the way through prayer and worship as congregations gather once more.
I think there is a great sense of tiredness over people as this year comes to an end. I hear people sighing. I see anxiety on their faces and hear tension in their voices. It has been a long year. I believe that Jesus is calling us back into action – but not out of duty or expectation. It is more about that He is calling us to action from a place of peace, rest and safety. As we worship, pray and respond to God’s Word, together we will find that our strength returns. We will find our energy replenished, and our enthusiasm restored. He is our strength. He is our encouragement. He is our joy. That is why we must respond to Jesus’ invitation to yoke together with him and find, as it says in the Message translation of Matthew chapter 11 “you’ll recover your life”. He says he will show us how to take a real rest, and that we can learn from him “the unforced rhythms of grace.” I want to encourage you to be intentional about finding quiet moments to just sit with Jesus. Listen to His voice, be encouraged by His word. Trust and obey as my Nana used to sing. Jesus wants us to walk and work in rhythm with Him… but more about that on Sunday.
I pray that as I write this, “all is well with your soul.” We cannot always control the things that happen around us, but we can choose to breathe, to rest in Jesus, and put our trust in Him. May God bless you and give you His peace.
Getting ready for Christmas – don’t forget to start organising your Christmas display for our “Nativity” competition. Also, we need helpers to set up and pack up our Christmas service on December 20th. Please register by calling 51261569 if you are available to help put up lights, decorate Christmas trees or pack our goodie bags.
We apologise for the issues with our online service on Sunday morning. No one is sure what happened between recording and uploading, but we hope you were able to catch the replay on You Tube. Thanks to the tech team who do such a wonderful job. In short … you can’t win ’em all!!!
We are still offering to view the online service together at MNLCC on Sunday mornings. Please book ahead if you would like to be there. It is a treat to be able to worship, pray, sing and take communion together.
Glenda Noordam
Dear friends and family,
November 11th 1918, after four years of continuous warfare, the guns of the Western front fell silent. During this time, 330,000 Australians served overseas, and more than 60,000 died. This was a huge price to pay for the victory, and for the freedom we now enjoy. This day continues to be dedicated to Australia and the other allied countries, commemorating those who have fallen in war. For just a minute at 11.00 am we stop and bow our heads in remembrance of those brave men and women. We should be ever grateful. Lest we forget.
I am forever grateful for our military services-the brave men and women who gave their lives for our country. They gained our freedom, and today we live in a safe and free nation. But I am also forever grateful for what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. As we see the chaos and fear and negativity around us, I pray that today we will remember who we are and what we have in Christ. We have every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ. We are positioned in Christ, we are people of the resurrection, living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us live like we believe this. Let us remember the goodness and kindness of God and let us remember that we are sons and daughters of the Living God, seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We are kings and priests in His Kingdom. Let us remember who and whose we are this day. Let us remember that whatever happens in the realm of politics or crisis, or famine or fire, Jesus is the Lord. He is on the throne. We are part of His kingdom. So, on Remembrance day as we pay respects to those who have gone before – and yes, we respect and honour them – let us also remember that today we can celebrate our Christian heritage – celebrate our Spiritual kingdom and all Christ has gained for us. Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but Jesus is our King forever, and all he has gained for us is ours eternally. This is our hope. This is our song. This is our battle cry – Jesus is Lord! Let us never forget.
Glenda Noordam
Hello family,
It is a bit hard to know what to write just now, as we are waiting to see what the next level of de-restrictions will look like. I do know, however, that as someone wise once said, “this too shall pass.” This global event will pass. We will get back to somewhat normal lives, and life will go on. It has been tough, and very difficult for some. But here we are, almost at the end of the year, and it seems we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
We are making plans to get back into physical fellowship as soon as it is possible. As I outlined last week, this will come in the form of small Sunday gatherings of up to 20 people and will look at the possibility of outdoor services as Summer approaches. Small groups are on the agenda, and some groups are already gathering. If you would like to be part of a small group who will gather at our church on Sunday morning (up to 20 people per group), could you please let me know and we will certainly open up the service for folk to watch the pre-recorded service and at least worship and take communion together. If you would like to join us on Sunday at 10.00, please RSVP by calling 51261569 to reserve your spot. We would like to give preference to people who cannot access the online options. If there are more than 20 people, we can open up for a second meeting at a later time. And, hopefully, we will have more good news after the next official government health and safety announcements are made.
Don’t forget to start planning your Christmas light and nativity display. I can’t wait to see your homes lit up and telling the wonderful story of Christmas as you get creative with your nativity scenes. We will run the competition through December and announce winners at our Christmas service on December 20th – so mark the date in your calendar. We are planning a Christmas with a difference on our church block, so keep watching this space for details which we will give shortly.
In the meantime, remember we have a loving God who is with us always – in good times and in not so good times. Let us remember to trust him with everything. As Philippians 4:6 tells us, “Have no anxiety at all; but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.” We can face each challenge, knowing that our loving heavenly father is present to comfort, give wisdom, heal and give us grace. We pray for no fear and for truth and for our government to rule with fairness and good judgement, making the best possible decisions on behalf of our state. Let us always act with compassion, empathy and kindness and always give thanks as we pray and bring our requests to the Lord. Let us uphold one another often in prayer. And let’s remember to begin and end each day counting and recounting the blessings of God in our lives.
Love to you all,
Glenda.
Hi there everyone,
Well, we have some things to look forward to as restrictions begin to ease, and it becomes more possible to meet in person for religious gatherings. Still, we are only allowed to have 20 people in a service inside – and 50 people outside, but hey, it is something to work with. As we have a leader‟s meeting next Monday evening, we will discuss all our options, and then make a decision about launching our “new normal” look church. At this point in time, it looks like we will have a mixture of forums for meeting, thanks to your input from the survey. Thank you for your participation in the survey, it was good to hear from you and to see where we, as a church, are up to.
1. Small groups/home meetings incorporating a couple of family groups. This will be a time to view the Online service together, take communion, pray with one another, and have a cuppa or share a meal.
2. A small “in house” service of up to 20 people, watching the online service together, participating in the worship and communion, but I am not sure about staying for fellowship – we will have to check and follow the guidelines at the time.
3. An outdoor service of up to 50 people where we can join together in worship and communion – may be not every week, but at least once a month.
So, watch this space for updates and a launching date. These are still just ideas being formed, so please be patient while we continue to formulate the plan forward. Please contact us if you have any questions or ideas.
With Christmas not too far away, I would like to mention another fun idea. As we will not be able to have our usual Christmas celebration, the suggestion has been made to do some different things to make it a time of fun and fellowship. One idea is to have a Christmas lights/decoration/Nativity competition. You can be as creative as you like and involve the whole family. You would take a photo of your Nativity scene, and we will upload the photos to our Facebook page or website. We will present a prize to the winning home. So get busy designing your nativity scene. I look forward to what you come up with. Please do not go to a lot of expense – let your imagination soar. We will get back to you with more details in following newsletters.
How is your week going? I have already had testimonies of people reaching out and being prepared to share the love of Jesus with their neighbours and friends. Have you been “wowed” by God this week?
Please let us know what is happening in your life.
So, here is trusting that we will be able to meet together again in the not too distant future.
For now, God bless you and keep you in His care.
Love to you all,
Glenda
I have been thinking about why people do not seem to continue to grow in their spiritual walk, and today as I was chatting with a person, it dawned on me that part of the issue was that while they were keen to read the word, and desired to change, the problem was that they had not succeeded in applying what they had learnt to their life. For real transformation to take place there needs to be committed application as well as considered information. I have heard it said that “information plus application equals transformation”. We need a revelation of the information, practiced in application to produce transformation. This totally concurs with the word of God. This makes a working, scriptural formula for success. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” We also read in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” It seems to me that it is good to read and learn and study and get some understanding of the word of God. But that same word needs to be applied to our lives and to our situations. But it will not change your life if you do not exercise it and live it out. I know some younger Christians who do not know great passages of the Bible. They may only know one or two verses – but they take what they know and apply its wisdom. This is how we grow. This is how we mature. This is how we overcome. If we want to overcome, we must live in the victory that Jesus has won for us. “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Jesus has won the victory for us. He has given us his word to use, but he requires us to live it out and apply it to our lives. This is how we overcome. Where have you seen the word of God applied to your life this week? Who would like to share a testimony of overcoming, or seeing an “aha” moment where the word applied brought transformation?
Don’t forget that this week is mission giving week. Giving can be made through Moe New Life Christian Centre banking details which are on the newsletter, our webpage and our Facebook page. Let us be open and generous as we give to increase God’s work both here and through the Murle Education Program. Also, through November, we will take our annual offering for The Bible League, so please prayerfully keep that in mind.
Please make sure you join us on Friday night, 23rd October for our online “zoom’ meeting with Tas Walker from Creation Ministries International. He will be speaking on the subject “Dinosaurs, The Bible and You.” The link will be supplied in this newsletter. You will need to download a zoom app to participate. If you need help to do this, please let us know before Friday and someone will assist you to set it up. There may be someone you could join with to view the meeting if you do not have the internet facilities to join by zoom.
Anyway, I hope that this week has been filled with God’s wonderful surprises and that you will continue to be blessed. This Sunday I will be speaking on rediscovering the “WOW” factor.
God bless and keep you in His care.
Kind regards,
Glenda.
Hi everyone,
As I was praying today, I couldn’t get away from the idea that this is prime time to be sharing our faith. This does not need to be a scary thing. For believers who have encountered the love, forgiveness, and the transforming power of God in our lives, sharing our stories should come quite naturally. 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us to be prepared to “give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with all gentleness and respect.”
Has your life been changed as a result of meeting Jesus and committing your life to Him? Have you experienced His forgiveness, acceptance, answered prayer and seen His hand moving in your life? People want to talk about Jesus. People want to see and hear authentic accounts of what God has done for you. People may not want to be “preached at”. But they really do want to hear the good news of Jesus, and what he has done for them. Just like Peter cautions us here, we should always share our story with gentleness and respect. People are at different stages and some may be more receptive than others. Even Jesus encountered people at different stages of receptivity. The rich young ruler asked Jesus “what must I do to be saved?” Jesus spoke to him, sussing out what he knew and where he was up to in his spiritual journey. Then he challenged him to “go and sell all you have and give it to the poor”. He was able to put his finger right on where the young man was up to. Then we see Jesus encounter with Nicodemus, the woman caught in adultery, the woman at the well, and Zaccheus. So many lives changed as they were confronted with the words of Jesus.
Just remember, it is not you or I that “saves” a person‟s soul. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. But it is our job to “sow the seed”. For some, they will hear and respond to the gospel readily and with joy. For others, like the rich young ruler, they may walk away sad because they are not ready to give up their lives or accept the demands of the Gospel. There may be people we know who we think would never be interested or may seem so far away from God. But remember what Jesus said about this young man. “What is impossible for men is possible with God.” This gives us great hope that as we continue to pray for our family and friends, the Holy Spirit will bring them to the point where they are ready to receive.
So who are you going to pray for and believe for this week? Trust that God will bring you opportunities to share His love and give you the right words to say as you tell others about God’s wonderful, forgiving love.
Glenda
Hi everyone,
Greetings in the lovely name of Jesus.
This is just a short catch up to say Hi and remind you all that you are loved, you are thought about, and we are praying for each of you.
We are attempting to catch up with each and every person on our church fellowship list to “take our pulse” and see how we are all going. This is happening by way of a personal phone call from the church leadership team to you, ready to have a chat, catch up with your news, and conduct a short survey as to how you are engaging with church life, online meetings, and your views on being part of a small group. As restrictions begin to ease, we are looking at creative ways to enjoy fellowship with each other, and to reconnect on a personal level. Social distancing and isolation have created a very “abnormal” state for believers who love community, love to worship together and love to share God‟s word.
It is our hope to create a network of small groups where this connection can take place. At the moment, we can only have up to 5 people from our “bubble” in our homes, but hopefully soon we will be able to extend that as we move from “step three” into our last phase before going to what the government is calling “Covid normal”. It is a good thing to be connected with other believers that we can worship, pray and share with, and it is our hope that through the formation of these small groups, this will be able to happen. So, watch out for our call, and I look forward to many “mini churches” being planted in our streets and towns.
Colossians 4:2 encourages us to “continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving”. The NLT says it this way, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Paul goes on to ask the church to pray that they will have many opportunities to speak about God’s “mysterious plan” of salvation, and that they will be able to share the good news clearly and boldly. I pray that for us all, too. That we might al-ways be prayerful, alert to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and that we will be ready to share the good news of Jesus with our friends, family and neighbours. Verse 6 finishes by saying, “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” As we witness for Jesus and share his love with those around us, we must not be contentious or argumentative, but wise, gracious and loving.
God bless and keep you in His care.
Till next time,
Love to you all,
Glenda.