Today’s Messages 9:30am (Eaglehawk) & 10:30 am (Junortoun) Ps Andrew Johnston “The Christmas Secret – Simeon’s Perspective”, 10.30am (Htoo Moo Plaw - Jun) Ps. Hae Bo NO EVENING SERVICE Christmas Eve 6 pm (Junortoun) Christmas Day 9 am (Junortoun ) Next Week 9:30am (Eaglehawk) & 10:30 am (Junortoun) Q & A Panel 10.30am (Htoo Moo Plaw - Jun) Ps. Hae Bo NO EVENING SERVICE Welcome Visitors We’d love to meet you, so please stay for a cuppa after the service. If you have children, we have various programs running during the services. Please speak to a ministry leader for details. Welcome to church today, it’s great to see you here. I trust your time with us is a blessing as you seek to worship God in new and meaningful ways. I can remember as a child thinking that the lead up to Christmas went on for eternity. My mother would have the plum pudding hanging in calico in the laundry (I’m not sure if this would pass OH&S standards these days), the bottles of drink for the punch were in the cupboard, White Christmas and mixed lollies were sitting there ready to be eaten, not to mention the presents under the Christmas tree. What is in that beautifully wrapped box under the tree anyway? Frankly, it was all too much for the eyes of a very excited young boy, the anticipatory waiting just seemed to drag on. I can imagine this is how Simeon must of felt as he waited for the coming of a Saviour. We read in scripture that the God “…revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he seen the Lord’s Christ”. The anticipation of a Messiah coming to save a lost world, must have dominated Simeon’s thinking. “I wonder if today is the day? I wonder if that young pregnant women over there is the one carrying the Messiah? I’m getting old, surely the time is near?” must have been questions that frequently crossed his mind. According to Luke, Simeon did experience the fulfilment of a promise and found himself overwhelmed with joy as he held baby Jesus in his arms. What a moment that would have been, the Son of God, 40 days old, there in his arms. Little wonder he found himself saying, “With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation…A God-revealing light to the nonJewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel”. The Christmas season is a wonderful time of the year. A time to catch-up with family and friends, a time for the giving and receiving of gifts, a time to enjoy a well-earned break, a time to indulge in some culinary delights and most importantly a time, to remember the greatest gift that has been bestowed upon us in the history humanity. Today as we continue our series “The Christmas Secret”, my prayer is that our hearts and minds will be transformed by an incredible God and the witness of a man named Simeon. Blessings Ps Andrew Weekly Prayer/Praise Please be praying for: • Jimmy Rieffel who continues to struggle with health issues. • The Hernan Family as they grieve the loss of Mark and Janette’s sister-in-law last week . • Please continue to pray for Merilyn Hosking’s brother as he recovers from heart surgery. Last week was not a good week. Doctors are struggling to keep fluid retention under control. • The distribution of Hampers: Pray that they will be a blessing and encouragement to the families who receive them. • Sarah Barker who has been suffering headaches. Please pray for healing. • The Christmas Services: As people receive flyers they will make those services a part of their Christmas. Pray for their impact on people’s lives and for the teams and leaders who are preparing them. • The new Karen Pastor Hae Bo as he transitions into his new role. • Pat (who attends Serving Christ Together) as she faces surgery on Wednesday 17th December 2014. • Preparations for January church activities at both Junortoun and Eaglehawk. Praise: • For the 50 years of Pastoral service by Pastor Morris. • Alison Apostolou’s cousin Susan Smout who has been responding well to treatment for pancreatic cancer. • The preparation of 62 Hampers last week to be distributed to needy families. A big thank you to all those who have been involved in children & youth ministries throughout the year; your input really is appreciated. It’s a time of life that is so vital for faith development, and as a church we want to do all we can to enable young people to encounter and experience Jesus Christ personally. We want to give more people the opportunity to be involved in 2015, and if you think this is an area of ministry you are passionate about please contact Dave Gillett. Christmas Lunch 12noon @ BBC Junortoun Campus December 25th …don’t have anywhere for Christmas Lunch? Then come and join us for lunch. Call church office for further information 5449 3033 Church Council Notes December, 2014 Correspondence Keith Bailey advised that a request had been made by BUPA aged care facility for our Church’s assistance in conducting services at BUPA. Council approves and endorses this involvement. BUV have advised that we have been granted only one day funding for the Eaglehawk Campus Pastor for the coming year. Council is committed to maintaining the current level of pastoral assistance and is investigating ways to fund the second day. Sewage line A request to run this the length of the Junortoun property on the left and across the back, has been made by a neighbour. Council has asked Dave Gascoigne to investigate this further, and come back with more information. School Council is exploring the possibility of commencing a primary school at the Junortoun campus, and plan to bring more information to the church in February. Quarterly Mission Love Offering Gift vouchers now available for purchase at Life Essentials, 214 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo. 5441-4747 Great for Christmas, birthdays etc. See Community board for more details. The Quarterly Love Offering for our mission partners will be taken up in the services in both campuses TODAY Sunday December 21. This is an opportunity for those who prefer to give quarterly to support our Mission Partners. We currently require $7,780 by the end of December to reach full allocation for our mission partners for this quarter. You can also give next week by placing your offering in an envelope marked ‘Mission’ and placing it in the ordinary offering or by direct credit (see back of bulletin for details) with the reference ‘Mission’. Tuesday night prayer meeting has ended for the year. The team will start meeting again on Tuesday 13th January 2015 in the pastor’s lounge. All welcome. RENT Unit available for rent in Quarry Hill for 6 months. Available immediately. Contact Barb Anderson 54394039. Save your Christmas stamps. Leave at the Connect Desks at Junortoun & Eaglehawk. Volunteers will be needed for approximately one and a half hours on Boxing Day (26 December) to help CARE hand out information. People willing to assist will receive FREE entry into the cricket for that day, a CARE T-shirt and on-the-job training. If you’re interested: please send a quick email to [email protected] with your contact details (mobile and email). Needing a Christmas gift idea? Operation Christmas Child FOR RENT Lovely 3 bedroom home in Golden Square available to rent for 12 months, available end of December. Contact Josh on 0407 530 123 for more A Story of Simple Gifts (by Franklin Graham) available for purchase for $25. Contact Judith Bish at [email protected] or 0413 685 176. details. Direct Payments are available for those who prefer to use this method for regular offerings, Global Impact Card support, or special gifts. Direct Credit: Bendigo Baptist Church BSB 633 000 Acc No. 127248490 CHURCH STAFF Senior Pastor: David Lovell 0408 413 026 Administrator: Carolyn Marriott 0429 672 231 Director of Community Care: Matt Parkinson 0418 698 693 Associate Pastor: Dave Gillett 0407 418 226 Associate Pastor: Leighton Gates 0432 057 090 Associate Pastor: Andrew Johnston 0447 818 630 Associate Pastor – Eaglehawk: Brock Gravener 0439 349 821 Youth Ministry Worker: Mike Peautagitama 0402805674 Playgroup Ministry Worker: Louise Nott 0438 025 031 Children’s Ministry Trainee: Emily Hinson 0419 335 852 CONTACT DETAILS Office: 03 5449-3033 Website: www.bendigobaptist.org.au Email: [email protected] Life Essentials: Manager - Rod Meadows. Ph: 5441 4747 214 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo 3550 Gilead Counselling Centre: Mark Boyd. Ph: 5441 1494 214 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo 3550
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