Next Wednesday on the 31st of October most folk in Australia will be thinking about Halloween. Some say it’s just an “innocent” and fun event themed around spooky figures such as ghosts, devils and the like.
My wife and I have decided years ago not to get our family involved with the Halloween celebrations as it has some very dark and cultic tones. Dr James Dobson (Focus On The Family) shared this link to a blog by a Christian mother who felt torn between the “do I” or “don’t I” get involved with Halloween.
But here’s the bigger point to consider. It would be a shame if we as Christians associate the date of 31st October with arguments for/against Halloween but neglect to remember The Reformation. This is what we should honour every 31st October. It’s a great time to read up again about the Reformation. There are some great Reformation movies to watch as a family like the movie ‘Luther 2003.’ Being a ‘Reformed’ Church also gives us a special connection to the Reformation era. This is why our church will host a combined Reformed Churches service (for all the Reformed Churches in our Classis) at ECU this Sunday afternoon at 4.30pm. Please join us on the day. If you can help with providing some refreshments please sms Sanet Rudman on 0416 873 405.
On Sunday morning in our usual 9.30am service we will celebrate Lord’s Supper together. Do join us as we partake of the Bread & Wine together and so remember the grace and sacrifice of Jesus displayed for us on a cross.
As mentioned last week – our Church Council is looking into appointing two new elders. As Grace Church members you are invited to prayerfully consider and nominate names for these positions. ‘Besides prayerfully providing spiritual oversight to the church, these elders would help oversee our Small Group ministry & Outreach alongside our current elders.’
Do you own a motorbike? Do you have friends or neighbours who love to ride motorbikes? This Sunday Sunday we will have the Christian Bikers group ‘Band of Brothers’ visit our church. They will be sharing about their group and the outreach work they do. If this is an area that interests you, be sure to come along on Sunday and use the opportunity to network with them. Consider inviting friends along that love biking as well. It’s going to be special. Congratulations to Danielle Ray Del Val (daughter of Roy and Kristine) who made her public Profession of Faith and was baptised last Sunday. It’s always a special occasion in the church to celebrate with families and individuals reaching these significant milestones. On Sunday 28 October we will celebrate Lord’s Supper together. That afternoon at 4.30pm we will host a combined Reformed Churches service at ECU. Please join us on the day. Grace Church will provide something to eat for everyone. If you can help in this regard please sms Sanet Rudman on 0416 873 405.
Tonight Cecile and I will be attending a ‘pastors and wives’ dinner hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. This is part of preparations they are making for a city wide evangelistic crusade happening in February 2019. Do join us in praying for this initiative. We all know how much Australia needs the light of God’s gospel in this day and age.
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Psalm 90:2
Hi Church Family
The last two weeks Cecile and I spent in QLD visiting family and also presenting the Genesis Music Project in 5 different locations. It’s amazing to see people being captivated anew by the Genesis account of our origins. We also spent 5 days at the Creation Super-conference where I led worship every morning and we listened to speakers from around the world speak on matters of Creation and the Bible. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during this time and for all the messages of encouragement we received. I count myself fortunate to be part of Grace Church and I’m excited and looking forward to being back at our own church this Sunday.
There are many special events planned for our church over the next few months so make sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss out on any of these exciting events. Also pray for our Church Council as we meet again tonight at 7pm that God will continue to lead us in matters relating to church leadership and governance. This Sunday we will be baptising Danielle Ray Del Val (daughter of Roy and Kristine) and she will also be doing her Profession of Faith. We commit her and her family to the Lord and celebrate with them in this special marker reached in the life of Danielle.
Next Sunday we will have the Christian Bikers group ‘Band of Brothers’ visit our church. Some of them attended a Genesis Music event some months ago and from that a friendship formed as we started networking together. This group is passionate about evangelism and outreach and they will share a testimony of their work during our Sunday service on the 21st October. If you own a motorbike – please ride it to church next Sunday and come park it outside the front along this visiting group. If you have friends who love to ride a motorbike this is a great opportunity to invite them to attend at service at Grace Church.
On Sunday 28 October we will celebrate Lord’s Supper together. That afternoon at 4.30pm we will host a combined Reformed Churches service at ECU. Please join us on the day. Grace Church will provide something to eat for everyone. If you can help in this regard please sms Sanet Rudman on 0416 873 405.
The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9
We are living in exciting times. God is stirring the hearts of so many people in our church to live lives for his glory. One example of this was seen last week when we had a visit from Gerard Goiran, Director of Manoah House (our W.A. Reformed Churches Old Age Home based in Gosnells.) Gerard shared in our Sunday service how they are desperate for new board members to continue the work of Manoah House. I met him after church and he excitedly shared with me that 3 capable men put up their hands to get involved as board members. He said “we went from a desperate situation of lack into one of abundance – all in the space of one church service.”
On a different note – I need to update you about our Kalgoorlie Church Plant. After 14 years we will be closing this church plant when Pastor Jaco Classen leaves end of October. Over the years the work has proven to be meaningful as Sunday services, pastoral care and practical help was afforded to folks there, most of them new migrants from South Africa. Pastor Jaco was also able to make a big difference as an area chaplain for the district. However, since the migrant influx wained, and many of the core people moved out of Kalgoorlie, the church has lost a lot of its momentum and has shrunk significantly in numbers – to the point where it is now unsustainable. This was compounded by the fact that Pastor Jaco Classen accepted a call to a Reformed Church in Tasmania. Since making public his acceptance of the call, most of the folks remaining in the church plant indicated that they would be moving to other established congregations in Kalgoorlie. While over the past few years the church plant was able to cover all their ministry costs, of late the burden has fallen on Grace Church to pick up the shortfall of the declining giving. After much prayer and deliberation between our Church Council and the Leadership in Kalgoorlie, it was decided to wrap up the work as it became clear that it’s no longer sustainable. This would also allow Grace Church to look at an alternative church plant initiatives in future – perhaps somewhere in the Northern Suburbs of Perth (where we only have one Reformed Church vs 7 in the Southern suburbs.) *Next Sunday Pastor Jaco Classen will visiting Grace Church as we say goodbye to him prior to him taking up the work in Tasmania. We’ll also commit him and his family in prayer.
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.” Rev’ 3:7-8
Planet earth. It’s a tough place to live in sometimes. Sin stained and filled with brokenness. Even God’s people – those who are saved and made new – feel the strain of this world. It makes us realise we aren’t home yet. We are simply pilgrims passing through on the way to our heavenly dwelling.
Yet every time we notice beauty in this world, perhaps the wild flowers, or our children smiling, or listening to a stirring song – it’s like we are given glimpses of heaven. A small deposit of something greater and more majestic to come. If like me, you’re having a challenging week, look up, notice the flowers as your drive home and be reminded that there is still much to be thankful for in world. Let’s celebrate the small mercies of the Lord while we wait for the big breakthroughs to come. Life can be tough, but we are a tough people. In Christ we are over comers.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the church wide training day held last Sunday. It was such a blessing to see so many ministry groups meet all around the place. Training was held in some groups while others held team meetings to review and plan ahead. We’ve also had a few more volunteers sign up to join a ministry team. It was a big step in the right direction to better equip and strengthen our church. May the Spirit of God stir us to continue building stronger and more effective ministry teams so that God can use us in greater ways to build and advance His kingdom.
Last Sunday I kicked off a 3 part series on Freedom. We looked at Freedom in the heart – how Christ sets us free to be freedom agents in this world. This Sunday we will look at Freedom in the church.
Church is all about Koinonia – the gathering of the saints. As a church we are also called to gather in the lost and broken. May God help us to see that we are to live in such a way that we will impact the people around us. Jesus is our best example how to accomplish it. He shows us what it means to be a church that is free to ‘win, build and send.’
This Sunday we will celebrate Lord’s Supper together. It’s a special time where we can reflect on the Grace of God, be reminded of our duty to be gracious to others and find renewed strength in the Lord.
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. – Acts 2:42
This Sunday we will be celebrating Father’s Day with a special ‘Donuts with Dads’ treat available to enjoy over a cup of coffee after the service. Sunday will also be the 2nd day of Spring which means we’ll be seeing more wild flowers and blossoms on display in nature. May this Sunday be a day where our hearts are filled with inspiration and thankfulness for our fathers and the beauty of creation around us.
Please remember our ‘church wide training day’ scheduled for Sunday 9th September. It’ll be at most an hour after the morning service – from 11.30am to 12.30pm. As mentioned before, it’s an opportunity for our different ministry groups to get together as teams, to give input how we can improve what we do, as well as the opportunity to provide some training related to our different areas.
This week we will host a prominent speaker – Martyn Iles – at our Sunday service. Martyn is a young, gifted speaker from a conservative Christian background. He is also a preacher who speaks with passion from God’s Word and how it relates to a world that is becoming more and more hostile towards Christianity. Myles started the ‘Human Rights Law Alliance’ (defending Christians who are prosecuted in AUSTRALIA for living out their Christian convictions.) He is also the managing director of the ACL (Australian Christian Lobby.)
The following Sunday I will start a series in the lead up to September 23rd where we will join other churches across Australia to host a Freedom Sunday service. More details to follow in the weeks ahead.
In closing I want to speak a word of thankfulness to our church for helping with the funeral arrangements of Jan (jnr) v d Laan. As many of you know Jan & Joy v d Laan (previous members of our church) received the sad news last week that their son ‘Jan Jnr’ had passed away. They hastily flew back to Perth to make funeral arrangements. In a few short days so many logistics had to be sorted out, but thanks to the support of family and friends – and our Grace Church community – we were able to assist the family in this time of need. Yesterday we had the memorial services for Jan. Though it was a sad occasion, much comfort was given and received as many people gathered to remember his life and to say their good bye’s. May we all continue to prayerfully uplift Jan and Joy in their time of grief.
