Good news – after a one year hiatus (due to the WHAC weekend away last year) we’ll be back at Men’s Convention this year.

The program looks great, with two excellent speakers in Gary Millar and Paul Grimmond, talking about Work. We’re going to go to the middle weekend, and you can either go up on the Friday night and stay in the WHAC mansion, or just go up on the Saturday morning and join us at the mansion for a coffee first thing. Either way, Steve Lange is the man to see.

Another Lewis

In some more good news, Miles Benjamin was born to James and Jane Lewis during the week. It is great news, and we pray for them and their ministry at Christ Church Bexley.

Official PARISH REAP Launch – THIS WEEK

We may not cut any ribbons, but this week is the official parish REAP launch. So if you haven’t done it yet, then now is a good time to jump on board the REAP train.

The REAP journals contain a bible-reading plan for the year and provide space for us to go through the 4 steps (Read Explore Apply Pray) of thoughtful bible reading:

• Read a passsage from God’s word everyday
• Explore God’s word as we think about what it means,
• Apply God’s word as we reflect on we should live in light of that word, and
• Pray as we ask God to help us change.

Many of us at WHAC are already using it, and hopefully more will start this week. You can take a look at them up the back at WHAC. They’re only $8.

Annual Women’s Autumn Dinner

UPCOMING EVENTS AND REMINDERS

February 11th - Paintball. Chris is the guy to see.

February 24-25th - Katoomba Men’s Convention. This year it’s on Work, see Steve for details.

Feb 26th - Connect Group Leader and Co-leader Training 2-4pm @ NAC.

March 25th - Easter Mission. So many of the details are secret at the moment. But what I can say is that we will be holding a big family Jazz night with a very accomplished musician, among other cool lead-in event to Christmas.

Updates are in Orange

Download PDF – 645 CG 2012 Draft 8

If any queries, please contact Steve (steve.cimarosti(att)gmail(dot)com)

Connect groups start next week (7th, 8th Feb)

This is a day focussed on ‘Building Relationships and Sharing our Faith’. We all want to do just that but somehow we lack confidence or don’t know where or how to start. To that end Sarah Sholl, CMS Missionary with her husband and family working with women in Mexico and Jacquie Marshall, working with her husband in Vinegrowers, a new disciple making ministry, have been asked to lead sessions. Both these women have a passion for encouraging women to grow in Christ through reading His word together. It’s going to be a practical, hands on day and would be a great opportunity for the women in our church. Come and learn to discuss the Bible with confidence after attending this innovative seminar.

For catering purposes we will need to know numbers. Please RSVP by Friday 17th February to the MU Office PH: 9284 1439 – Email:office@musydney.org.au

Program for the day will include

* The Why of 1 to 1

* The How of 1 to 1

* Experiences of ministry 1 to 1

* Group workshop practising  1 to 1

* In pairs practising 1 to 1

*  Question Time

The conference is free and morning tea and lunch are provided.

Please pray for Neil as he prepares to teach us, and then for me and for yourself and for your friends to listen well, and take this teaching personally, not just theoretically.
We are meant to be changed by what we hear from God’s word – pray that Neil and you and I and your friends at church will be changed.

The weekly blog from Northmead Anglican Church’s Senior Minister

(This is normally printed in the order of service each Sunday)

(Comments welcome – see below)

A new year begins. I know 2012 began on 1 January but the Northmead Anglican Churches really begin all programmes about a month later.

I trust you had a joyous Christmas and a beneficial break. Our family had a crazy end to the year with Sarah’s marriage to Troy coming just 3 days after our Christmas celebrations. It was a great day and Robyn commented that she has never seen a happier-looking bride. Troy didn’t look too glum either! Thanks to all who prayed for the day and all who helped.

We enjoyed 2 weeks away with some families from NAC. Only one seriously wet day in 2 weeks! Great fellowship with people we love only marred by serious tiredness until well into the second week. Would have loved another week but glad to be back.

This week we welcomed the Courtney-O’Connor family to NAC. Blair will be standing alongside the Youth Leaders and the 645 Leaders with some help from Mike Allen and Leah. Pray that Blair will settle in quickly and be a great encouragement to our Youth and 645 Leaders.

Leah has settled into sole leadership of our Children’s Ministry and has begun meeting weekly with me. We are praying for her as her wedding to James gets closer and she gets new programmes under way while being a resource about Youth Ministry for Blair and Mike.

Leah will have some valuable administrative assistance from Carol Barton who returns to our church staff for 2 days a week. Pray that Leah and Carol will work together efficiently for the glory of Jesus and the benefit of our children.

I trust you have benefitted from our series on the Book of Ruth over the holidays. It was a joy to preach on chapter 1 but the last couple of verse of chapter 4 reveals the importance of this part of Israel’s history and indeed the history of the salvation of the world.

The salvation of the world is where we go now. This week we begin a four-part series called Ready, Set, Go! God’s plan for the redemption of the universe includes his people. We are part of his plan. Of course, he does most of the work and can bring about his plans without our aid, but in his kindness he has called us into partnership with him in his great plan.

We must understand our part! There is great joy in standing alongside our great God as he works out his great purposes for the salvation of the universe. But this requires knowing what his plan is and how he intends us to play our part. We don’t get to decide what our part is. God is God even in this and he defines our part.

The rest of the year we do what we always do at NAC. We listen to God’s word through which he brings about his great purposes. We’re looking at the Book of Joshua as we continue to move through the history of God’s work in the world.

Following Joshua we look at Matthew’s Gospel as we follow our pattern to study one of the Gospels every 2 years. Later in the year we look at 2 Peter, Jude and 2 & 3 John before we look at Judges.

Tighten your seat belts! It’s a great year we begin.

Neil

There are others in our congregation who aren’t in great health – I’m sure you know some of them – so please remember to pray for them all also.

ON SUNDAY
The second in our series  “Ready, Set, Go!”
Last Sunday, Neil set out for us the reasons why ‘someone’ (you, me, us) needs to go.
This week he’ll help us to “get ready to go.”

Please pray for Neil as he prepares to teach us, and then for me and for yourself and for your friends to listen well, and take this teaching personally, not just theoretically.
We are meant to be changed by what we hear from God’s word – pray that Neil and you and I and your friends at church will be changed.

Serving at 5.00pm

Please be praying, talking and thinking about how you will serve God and his people at 5.00pm.
Think, welcoming, children’s church, mowing & grounds maintenance, doorknocking, mixing desk, computer operator, SRE, Playmorning – there are plenty of options. You could talk about this in your small group!
Sometime in the next few weeks, you’ll get to tell us!

USING THAT NEW DIARY
Northmead Christian Education Association
Prayer for Northmead & Parramatta High Schools
Saturday 18th February
7.30 – 9.00am at NAC
Pray about becoming a financial contributor to the association.

For Men:
Katoomba Men’s Convention
on 3 weekends 18/2, 25/2, 3/3
Think about getting some 5.00pm guys together.
The website can give you the information you need.
www.mkc.kcc.org.au

For Women:
Vinegrowers Conference
Saturday17th March
$60 inc. Lunch
St. Anne’s Church Ryde.

If you’ve read Col Marshall’s book “The Trellis and the Vine” you’ll be familiar with the idea of growing  people rather than building structures. Small group leaders &/or their wives have probably read this.
If you haven’t read it, then I urge you to do so – men and women.

“We want to understand people as we minister to them from the Word. We want to grow disciples of Christ throughout their lifetimes, and particularly, on this day, we want to see the women of local parishes equipped to lead others in this life-long growth.”

Mary Andrews College is sponsoring this event with Col Marshall as the speaker.
“stimulating, eye-opening and motivating” are the words used in the flyer!

I understand that some women from WHAC are planning to go and this theme ties in with the ideas of one-to-one discipleship that we’ve been talking about in our congregation recently.

If you would like to come, please let me know as there is a discount for 10 or more women from the same church. RSVP 12/3


For Women:
Annual Western Area Dinner
Bowman Hall, Blacktown
Tuesday 20th March
Kara Gilbert will speak on “Dangerous Discipleship”
$20 per ticket – early bookings are recommended.

For Us All
5.00pm Weekend Away
27-29 April

This week we start a new series on Mission. Over these four weeks we will be looking at: God’s Mission, Our Mission, Reaching our Community, and Reaching the World. It should be a great way to start the year, and the perfect lead into our Easter Mission.

Australia Day

Unfortunately we received a message at around 6:30am that the Australia Day celebrations at the 3rd Settlement Reserve had to be cancelled. The ground was too wet to hold any significant event. It was of course such a shame that after so much preparation, by so many members of WHAC, that we didn’t get the opportunity to mix with our community. But, with the Easter Mission coming up we will have a lot more opportunities coming up. Stay tuned for more!

Parish Calendar

The annual parish calendar has been uploaded for this year, and you can check it out here. It’s not a comprehensive calendar (for instance WHAC hasn’t put their upcoming events on there), but it is very useful if you have family members in the kids and youth programs at NAC.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND REMINDERS

January 29th – Connect Group Leader and Co-leader Training 2-4pm @ NAC.

February 1st – The Boardroom. A meeting just for the blokes that we have at the Winston on the first Wednesday of every month. It kicks off at 8pm, and it’s a good time to chat as Christian men about what’s going on in the world, and you are encouraged to invite your mates along.

February 11th - Paintball.

March 25th - Easter Mission. So many of the details are secret at the moment. But what I can say is that we will be holding a big family Jazz night with a very accomplished musician, among other significant events…

But what is mission?
Is it George and his mates going to Africa or India?
Is it Mike & Tania signing up with CMS?
Is it for the ‘special’ Christians or the ‘really serious’ ones?

Couldn’t possibly be me!

As mentioned last week, on Sunday we begin a Sermon Series called “Ready, Set, Go!”
Why?
Jesus said to!
And Neil will take us through the scriptural basis for mission.

But what is mission?
Is it George and his mates going to Africa or India?
Is it Mike & Tania signing up with CMS?
Is it for the ‘special’ Christians or the ‘really serious’ ones?

Couldn’t possibly be me!

DON’T FORGET!
dinner after church

Serving at 5.00pm
Please be praying, talking and thinking about how you will serve God and his people at 5.00pm.
Think, welcoming, children’s church, mowing & grounds maintenance, doorknocking, mixing desk, computer operator, SRE, Playmorning – there are plenty of options.
Sometime in the next few weeks, you’ll get to tell us!

USING THAT NEW DIARY
Northmead Christian Education Association
Prayer for Northmead & Parramatta High Schools
Saturday 18th February
7.30 – 9.00am at NAC
Pray about becoming a financial contributor to the association.

For Men:
Katoomba Men’s Convention
on 3 weekends 18/2, 25/2, 3/3
Think about getting some 5.00pm guys together.
The website can give you the information you need.
www.mkc.kcc.org.au

For Women:
Vinegrowers Conference
Saturday17th March
$60 inc. Lunch
St. Anne’s Church Ryde.

If you’ve read Col Marshall’s book “The Trellis and the Vine” you’ll be familiar with the idea of growing  people rather than building structures. Small group leaders &/or their wives have probably read this.
If you haven’t read it, then I urge you to do so – men and women.

“We want to understand people as we minister to them from the Word. We want to grow disciples of Christ throughout their lifetimes, and particularly, on this day, we want to see the women of local parishes equipped to lead others in this life-long growth.”

Mary Andrews College is sponsoring this event with Col Marshall as the speaker.
“stimulating, eye-opening and motivating” are the words used in the flyer!

I understand that some women from WHAC are planning to go and this theme ties in with the ideas of one-to-one discipleship that we’ve been talking about in our congregation recently.

If you would like to come, please let me know as there is a discount for 10 or more women from the same church. RSVP 12/3

For Women:
Annual Western Area Dinner
Bowman Hall,Blacktown
Tuesday 20th March
Kara Gilbert will speak on “Dangerous Discipleship”
$20 per ticket – early bookings are recommended.

For Us All
5.00pm Weekend Away
27-29 April

WHAC is once again helping out at the Australia Day breakfast at the 3rd Settlement Park, Corner Oakes Road and Edison Pde, beginning at 7am. We’re running a stack of activities, such as face painting, kids craft, throng throwing competitions, plus we have a stack of WHAC goody bags to hand out.

Please come along, and if you have one, please wear your red WHAC shirt. It’s a great opportunity for us to connect with and serve our community, and let them know about WHAC.

PAINTBALL – Need NUMBERS THIS WEEK

Don’t forget that WHAC is going paintballing on the 11th Feb! Tickets are free, so you will just need to buy your own ammo. Put it in your diaries and make sure you tell Chris on Sunday that you’re coming.

BBQ and Swim

After our last Sunday meeting a number of us enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the Castleys. The kids especially enjoyed it, with the slide into the pool, the trampoline, water pistols and the sausages being some of the highlights. We’ll have another one of these in about a month. If you’d like to volunteer to host please do, and please remember that everyone is welcome.

Community Connections

We’re currently in the process of planning a major outreach initiative leading up to and including Easter, and we would value your prayers. Please ask that God would help us to plan wisely, and that God may use these events to bring many to understand and embrace God’s great love for us.

REAP Journals

With the new year firmly underway, and with many of us now starting to get back into our usual patterns, it’s a good time to jump on board with the REAP Journals to help us to thoughtfully explore God’s word every day.

The REAP journals contain a bible-reading plan for the year and provide space for us to go through the 4 steps (Read Explore Apply Pray) of thoughtful bible reading:

• Read a passsage from God’s word everyday
• Explore God’s word as we think about what it means,
• Apply God’s word as we reflect on we should live in light of that word, and
• Pray as we ask God to help us change.

Many of us at WHAC are already using it, and more are starting each week, and you can take a look at them up the back at WHAC. They’re only $8.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

January 26th - Australia Day Breakfast and Activities 8am-10am

February 11th - Paintball.

March 25th – Easter Mission