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Worship Online Sunday 15th November: Count your blessings…

Hello friends,

Welcome to our online worship service.  Last week we looked at the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids … one of the three parables towards the end of Matthew’s Gospel which share a theme of “faithful waiting.”

This week we explore another of these parables … the parable of the talents …

The parable of the Three Servants – Matthew 25:14-30

Here is this week’s service

Thanks to Claire for helping out with the reading and prayers this week.

Sisters and brothers, don’t hold things too tight … don’t bury your life … risk living joyfully as people blessed with the grace of God … sharing good news in all your living … in word and deed!

Adnythamathanha woman Rhanee Tsetsakos spoke about her journey with Dr Deidre Palmer on the Called by God webinar in October 2020.

Dismissal and Blessing 

Thank you, Lord,
for all the gifts you have entrusted to us.

Help us to always remember
that all we have comes from you
and can be joyfully used for your good purposes.
In the name of Christ,
Amen.

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Worship Online Sunday 8th November – Waiting, waiting…

Good morning friends, Grace and Peace to you.

Jesus often taught by telling parables … short stories containing a message that have a capacity to transform us …

Sometimes the meaning of a parable while confronting is pretty straight forward, think, for example, of the parable of the Good Samaritan …

But today we are going to look at a parable which is not so easy to interpret … the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids …

I am going to argue that at its heart the parable contains a counter-cultural message … that in God’s kingdom there is a place for waiting … faithful waiting

Remembrance Day this Wednesday

Paul reminded us that it will be Remembrance day this Wednesday.  The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne is hosting a virtual service – details here

NAIDOC Week

A week of recognition and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.  Here is a reflection on NAIDOC week 2020 written by  Alison Overeem of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in Tasmania:

NAIDOC Week Reflection

There are many events planned for NAIDOC week and you can find out more about them here:

NAIDOC Week Events

One of these events is the launch of a new song which you can listen to here:

And you might also enjoy this version of Amazing Grace by Paul Kelly and the late Gurrumil:

A blessing in the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

Go in peace, and remember:

goodness is stronger than evil;

love is stronger than hate;

light is stronger than darkness;

life is stronger than death;

victory is ours

through Christ who loved us.

Amen.

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Justice calendar 2021

The Justice and International Mission Cluster’s 2021 Social Justice Calendar is now available. It includes significant dates, such as NAIDOC Week, Refugee Week and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Find it here:

Social Justice Calendar 2021

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Pilgrim news

Pilgrim Theological College said farewell to 11 students at a valedictory service hosted via Zoom last week.

While these students are at the tail-end of their studies, you may be interested in beginning your own.  Pilgrim also have shorter courses which are a great next step for deepening your faith learning and discipleship.

Enrolment for 2021 is now open and the timetable is available here.

Pilgrim also welcomes Monica Melanchthon into the role of Academic Dean for the next two years.

More information:

https://pilgrim.edu.au/

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Time for remembering

The annual Time for Remembering ceremony invites people to come together to commemorate loved ones lost and injured on our roads, give thanks for those who survived, and pay tribute to all who work tirelessly to reduce the road toll.

This year the 20th annual ceremony will be held via Zoom on November 15 from 12pm-1.30pm.

Register here:

https://events.humanitix.com/time-for-remembering

 

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NAIDOC week reflection

Leprena Centre  Manager Alison Overeem has written a poetic reflection for NAIDOC Week, which starts on Sunday. This year, the theme is Always Was, Always Will Be in recognition that First Nations people have occupied and cared for Australia for more than 65,000 years. Alison asks that we learn the history of First Peoples and hear and honour their stories. “It’s in knowing this connection to Land, through this lens of discernment the true lessons are learned. Honour the land and the stories sitting within Country wherever you may be. May our Churches and agencies discern, for it is in Nature’s classroom that we truly learn.”

NAIDOC Week 2020 reflection

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Farewell to a St Luke’s icon

The Moreton Bay Fig Tree on the corner of Scenic and Barrabool Roads

Today we farewelled an iconic Moreton Bay Fig tree that has stood on the corner of the St Luke’s property for many years. The decision to take it down has been really hard – St Luke’s has a proud history of caring for our environment.

In the last 12 months several branches have fallen during windy conditions, and the roots are making it increasingly difficult for City of Greater Geelong to keep the footpath safe for the increasing numbers going past. We sought advice from an arborist, landscape architect, and consulted with the City of Greater Geelong – all agreed with the final decision. To quote our landscape architect who admired the tree “unfortunately it is the wrong tree in the wrong place.”

As our carpark needs resurfacing to fix a number of hazards that have developed, we have taken the opportunity to redesign the whole corner with assistance from a local landscape architect to:

  • Introduce a native rain garden on the verge to help manage the water run off from the car park
  • Plan a range of new native trees and shrubs around the edges of the carpark to offer shade, animal habitat, and not impede traffic visibility at the roundabout
  • Incorporate trees into the carpark itself to provide shade and reduce urban heat

You will see lots happening in the coming months, as we work to continue to upgrade our site to be a great resource for our local community and the many users who come from across the region to participate in the many groups who use our buildings.

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Peter Wheeler is a Westfield Local Hero – thanks for your support on behalf of Uniting Barwon

Good News

A huge congratulations to Uniting Barwon’s Local Hero Peter Wheeler!

https://www.westfield.com.au/geelong/story/7EbYH4xMp60mDUW1K5dWU1/peter-wheeler

The votes have been counted and Peter is one of the 2020 Westfield Geelong Local Heroes! Thanks to everyone who voted for Peter, Uniting Barwon will receive a $10,000 community grant to support the community programs Peter has set up at the Uniting Barwon Op Shop in Wendover Avenue Norlane.

Peter would like to thank all those who helped to promote the community voting and all those who did vote. Thank you all!