31st March 2019
It was excellent to see such a good gathering (around fifty) at our Annual Vestry Meeting last Sunday. I reported on the flourish of new ministry taking place (such as new Bible study groups and Kids’ Club) and our new staff members in Kat and Stephanie. The wardens reminded us of continued work on our […]
24th March 2019
Given the State election yesterday and our Annual Vestry Meeting today, this is rather a political weekend! Somewhere in Aristotle’s Politics (I am pretty sure), it says that politics is the art of living together. Our political processes are our way of working out how to live together: what rules and principles to live by, […]
17th March 2019
In our time reading the Bible with the ministry staff team this week, we came to Hebrews 7:7: “Without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater.” For me this crystallised a recurring thought I have had lately, that it really is difficult for us late modern Australians to think in terms of an order […]
10th March 2019
It was excellent to see such a good turnout to the Ash Wednesday communion and seminar last week. I was encouraged by everyone’s presence, and I hope and pray that we were uplifted by the service and spurred on by the seminar to seek God through our devotions (“quiet times” of Bible and prayer) during […]
3rd March 2019
At her first meal with the von Trapp family in The Sound of Music (a movie I have watched dozens of times), Fraulein Maria admonishes them for not saying grace: “Excuse me Captain, haven’t we forgotten to thank the Lord?” Shamed into it, the Captain complies with Maria’s earnest desire to give thanks for the […]
24th February 2019
The season of Lent this year begins on Wednesday 6th March (Ash Wednesday). Lent represents the forty days (in practice a few more than forty) leading up to Easter, and is traditionally a time of heightened awareness of sin, often with a degree of self-denial, in order to focus on our relationship with God. This […]
17th February 20192019
It has been a good few weeks of launching the year’s ministries. Both Youth and Kids’ Club have had their first gatherings for the year. I was thrilled to see around twelve children at the first day of Kids’ Club last Wednesday, some from St Jude’s and others from further afield. Everyone enjoyed themselves while […]
10th February 2019
I have been speaking for quite a while now about one of the themes for 2019 being a fresh emphasis on small group Bible studies. Now it is time to put all of that talk into action! Our groups are starting up for the year, and I want to invite you to try one out. […]
27th January 2019
The meaning of Australia Day seems to vary significantly from person to person. For some there are the Aussie values of mateship, and … well, mateship is the main one, isn’t it? I sometimes wonder whether there is a bit too much self-congratulation in this approach to Australia Day. Mateship is a great value, but […]
3rd February 2019
Welcome to St Jude’s on our Vision Sunday. I have been looking forward to this day when our Sunday School and choir return from holidays, our new look evening service starts up, and we get excited about the year’s ministry. Excitement! Excitement is something that we often experience. In our highly sensory age, we’re constantly […]