Hi friends,
The weather has turned cold all of a sudden, hasn't it? Some of us groan with the dread of months of cold... others of us love the thought of warm fires! Either way, I'm really excited about getting into term 2.In particular, we will press ahead with our vision and the four strategic priorities: Reach - Connect - Build - Equip.
For REACH, we will start Christianity Explored over the four Sundays in May from 11:30am-1pm. Have you got someone that you can invite along? Please pray for such an opportunity! I reckon the best way forward is to invite them along to the first week and they are under no obligation to come again if it isn't to their liking.
For CONNECT, we will have our next GTK Matthias (Getting to Know Matthias) on Sunday afternoon next week from 4-5:30pm. If you are still feeling new to Matthias, this will be a great way to meet some people and get to know what we are on about as a church.
For BUILD, we will spend the term in growth groups and on Sundays in the book of 2 Samuel. The story of David's kingship is fascinating and I'm really looking forward to getting into it with you this Sunday. If you get the opportunity, please read the first half of 2 Samuel 1 this week.
For EQUIP, there will be a few different opportunities to be equipped to serve God's people. On Friday night our incredible kids and youth leaders will be trained by Youthworks staff for a great term together. In a couple of weeks, many of the women will be able to attend EQUIP conference, and in June our men will get together to be equipped and encouraged in their faith.
A few other things to bring to your attention:
a. Some longer terms members at Matthias will remember Maxine Pauley. Sadly, Maxine died last week and the funeral service for her will be held this Friday, 11:00am at All Saints Petersham (325 Stanmore Rd, Petersham) followed by a light morning tea.
b. The tragic circumstances of Pauline's passing has raised various concerns - particularly for those who live on their own. I won't go into details, but over the coming weeks, we will update elvanto with 'next of kin' details in case of emergency situations.
c. From time to time, people in our congregations have urgent, short term financial needs. This is a reminder that we have a fund available for such occasions. We do have such a crisis at the moment and so if you are able to contribute something via the website and tag your giving 'Partner Relief Fund' that would be much appreciated.
Kind regards,
James.