I am very excited about preaching to you from the letter to the Ephesians today and over the coming weeks. We will be reminded that being a Christian really is the highest possible privilege for a human being. I hope our hearts will be moved to praise our great, kind and loving God.
This week I would like to give a strong plug to Bible study groups. A Bible study group is a small group of people gathering to support each other in the Christian life, as they read the Bible, discuss, share and pray together.
Some of the great things are:
- Getting to know a small group of church members much better than is possible at a Sunday gathering.
- Hearing ordinary Christians (not just the minister!) express their faith in their own words.
- Thinking hard about a Bible passage for yourself, through guided questions.
- Praying together.
I often say that if you have one timeslot to devote to Christian fellowship per week, come on Sunday. But if you can spare a second timeslot, come to Bible study. It is a great complement to the fellowship we have on Sundays.
This year we have five Bible study groups.
- Mondays – KYB (“Know your Bible”) for women, led by Jacqui Guy and Philippa Skuja – starts Mon 8th Feb at 7.30 pm in Parish Room.
- Tuesdays – Women’s evening group, led by Kat – starts this Tuesday, 7.15 pm at the Rectory.
- Wednesdays – Mixed evening group, led by Andrew S – starts this Wednesday, 7.30 pm at the Rectory.
- Thursdays – Women’s morning group, led by Kat – starts this Thursday, 10.00 am in Parish Room.
- Thursdays – Mixed evening group, led by Andrew G – starts this Thursday, 7.30 pm at the Goddards’ house (Townhouse 2 St Jude’s Close)
I’ve been grateful to God for more and more people joining groups over the last few years, and I’m praying this will continue. Talk to a leader if you’re interested.
In brief:
- The first Working Bee of 2021 is on this Saturday, 8.30-10.30 am. There is plenty of weeding and edging to do in the garden, some lawnmowing, as well as cleaning and tidying inside. Bring along garden tools if you can. Morning tea is also an important feature!
- The Prayer and Information Afternoon for the our new all-ages informal service is on today at 4 pm in the Parish Room.