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