It has been great to see that the video of last week’s organ recital has continued to attract interest. I think it’s now St Judes’ biggest hit on YouTube! If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find it here
In-person church re-starts on Sunday 7th November at 9 am and 4 pm. As permitted by the NSW Government, these services are open to everyone. Praise God!
We are also gradually opening up some other activities during November. There is a Ramble on Friday 5th, a Working Bee on Saturday 6th, and Friendship Group on Friday 12th November. Please note that, because of NSW Government requirements, all of these activities are only open to the fully vaccinated.
Once we are into December, many more restrictions will be lifted, including that we will be allowed to sing as a congregation in church! This is enabling us to plan for a relatively normal December. We are going full steam ahead with plans to hold the Carols Picnic which was held for the first time last year. The date is Sunday 12th December, 4 pm. Please plan to come, and email the church office if you would like to help with set up, pack up, BBQ, admission or in any other way.
A bill to permit euthanasia in NSW has recently been introduced into our Parliament. While I recognise that congregation members will have differing views about this, I would like to encourage you to pray that this bill does not succeed. It may, on the surface, seem to be promoting compassion by offering a pathway to prevent suffering by those who are terminally ill. However, euthanasia is not ultimately compassionate. Our bishop, Michael Stead, has written on this subject in the current issue of Southern Cross (page 33). I encourage you to read his article and to let our State MP, Dr Marjorie O’Neill, know that you oppose the legislation. She is conducting a survey here.