1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

February 15, 2015
Can we
Mon
Give thanks for the opportunity to
reach out into the community with
the music outreach ministry and
the Cologne orchestra performing
tonight. Pray that good connections with the community will
continue to develop
Tue
Pray for Parish Council and Ministry team members as they begin
to discuss ministry strategies for
the year and pray for the upcoming Annual meeting on 15th March
that God might raise up the right
people for the leadership roles we
need.
help
YOU
in any of the following ways?
find out more about Jesus
doing ‘Christianity explained’
having a pastoral visit
making St Hilda’s my church
youth and children’s ministries
joining a bible study group
developing my ministry
Special comments, requests,
prayer needs or thanksgiving;
Wed
Thu
Fri
Please send my prayer needs to
the prayer chain.
Join Robyn in giving thanks for the
positive start to the year in all Kidz
groups. Thank God that Bible-time
is central and well received in all
Kidz groups, from toddlers through
to teenagers.
Ray is away for Friday, Saturday
with the Anglicare council this
weekend, planning for the year.
Please pray for the ministry of
Anglicare.
Sat
Thank God for the officers and
staff prayer meeting at Dawn de
Loas Correctional Centre on
Wednesdays. May God give them
strength and compassion as they
witness to him in difficult work.
KidzArtz planning happens
tomorrow. Please pray for Anne
and all the team as they begin to
make preparations.
Our Link Missionaries
Date ______________ 8am 10am 5.30pm
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
You are
welcome at
St Hilda’s today.
Please feel free to fill in the
comments slip attached to this
bulletin, tear it off and place it in
the offering bag or the church
mail box at the church front
door. We’d love to hear prayer
points, news, or if you are new
we’d love to get in touch and
get to know you better.
Church Info:
Minister;
Ray Robinson 4782 1608
Assocate Minister:
Mike Wells 0415 159 865
Family Worker:
Robyn Glindemann
0438 401 088
Parish Assistant:
Michelle Seers 0421 313 898
Website:www.sthildas.net
Kingsley & Veronica Box
[email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Leon & Lee Hribar:
[email protected]
Facebook:sthildaskatoomba
Kelvin & Roslyn Nicolle:
Andrew & Sarah Lubbock:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Peter & Joy Palmer: [email protected]
Shine & Jessica Thomas: [email protected]
Home Groups:
Vince Williamson 0408 289 784
Parish Secretary:
Gordon Albert 4757 4847
There’s a stunning arrogance in the Christian faith
when it claims to be true and all other faiths are
following false trails. The only thing more arrogant than
that claim, is that of those who say all religions are right.
It’s just that people don’t ‘see all of the elephant.’ The
argument goes: people see a trunk, or a leg, or a tail
and say ‘God is like this.’ but they’re blind to the fact
that it’s an elephant they are looking at and everyone’s
going to go to heaven in the end. The reason that claim
is so arrogant is that it claims to see all the elephant
and to be right where everyone else is wrong or at least
misguided.
There’s actually nothing wrong with claims about
absolute truth sounding arrogant, that’s the nature of
things. To say all things fall downwards is a very
exclusive and absolute claim and while there might be
some who get offended at people being so certain and
definitive about such things, there is plenty of evidence
to justify such absolutism. The problem with the
‘elephant’ theory is that the facts don’t justify the thesis.
People don’t just argue about if the elephant is thin or
fat, but they hold contradictory positions on the very
existence of the elephant.
continued inside back cover....
Home groups
If you have any queries please ask the
leaders.
Home Groups
Daily 9.30-10.30am Home open for prayer.
2 Warialda St. 4782 1279
Mon
Tue:
10.30 am Katoomba. Kristen Burke,
6.00 pm Leura, Sue Stones
7.30 pm W. Falls. Richard Smith
7.30 pm Katoomba. David Pettett
Wed: 10.30am Katoomba. Anne Robinson
7.30 pm Katoomba. Trevor Rath
Thu:
9.30am the church. Myra Russell
7.00 pm Katoomba. Vince Williamson
Fri:
10.00am men@shop
Join us at Bing’s BAMBOO BOX
Finance Matters
Weekly Offertory Budget: $3712
Offertory (February 8) $ 3434
Missionary Giving February 8) $35
Building fund donations for Jan: $1760
DETAILS FOR DIRECT CREDIT
OFFERTORY
Bank Name: Glebe Income Accounts
Account Name:
St Hildas Anglican Church Katoomba
BSB Number: 704-998
Account Number: 100 009 830
Reference: offertory
BANK DETAILS FOR DIRECT CREDIT TO
THE BUILDING FUND
Bank Name: Glebe Income Accounts
Account Name:
St Hildas Anglican Church Katoomba
BSB Number: 704-998
Account Number: 100 009 967
Reference: DONATION
from the cover....
You might expect God to make arrogant claims
and have every right to. The God of the bible
says; ‘I am God and there is no other’. Some
might prefer a more humble deity, one among
many. The one thing the claims of the biblical God
does, is make it easy to make a decision between
him and others; Either he is God and all others
are false, or he is a lie and the truth lies elsewhere. The claims of Christianity make it impossible to accept the ‘elephant’ theory.
I would suggest the evidence of Christianity, like
the evidence for ‘things that fall down’, gives us
plenty of reasons to make the call that the God
revealed in the bible and in history, is indeed the
one true God, who not only makes such arrogant
claims, but also demonstrates a stunning love and
sacrifice for all those who recognise him for who
he is.
There will be those who get upset at such absolutism, they prefer a god or their own taste, one
that fits their view of the world, one that they’d like
to worship. The one problem with such a position,
a problem that they don’t ever talk about, the
elephant in the room as it were, is that God is
actually who he is, not what they want him to be.
Ray Robinson
Sunday Service Feb 15
8am:Holy Communion
10am: Morning Service
Bible Readings:
Psalm 106:1-12
Isaiah 6:1-13
5.30pm Evening Service
Sunday Service Feb 22
8am:Holy Communion
10am: Morning Service
Bible Readings:
Psalm 118
Mark 11:1-11
5.30pm Holy Communion
Prayer is
available for you:
If you'd like someone to pray with you
after the service today....
The latest sermon and weekly bulletin
are also available on our website
along with lots of information about
our church and its ministries.
www.sthildas.net
Notes
Text of the month.
Without faith it is impossble to please God, because anyone who comes to
him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly
seek him. Hebrews 11:6
WORKING WITH CHILDREN (Phase 2)
All those in Phase 2 gaining police clearance and those intending to assist in Kidzartz in July
- please present your WWC clearance number to me by mid march for verification.
Thanks. Shirley Seers.
KidZArtz Planning Meeting
Anyone interested in being involved in KidzArtz this year ( 29th June- 3rd July )
or interested to find out more is invited to our first meeting on Sunday February 22nd
after the 10am Service.
We need to get organised early this year so come with your ideas.
If you can't make the meeting and want to be involved or have ideas to share please
email Anne beforehand. [email protected]
Mike Wells can be contacted on 0415 159 865 or email at [email protected]
Annual Meeting of Parishioners March 15
What is an AMP?
The Annual Meeting of Parishioners will be held on 15th March
after a combined service. The meeting is an opportunity for the
church to review what's happened in the last twelve months,
hearing reports from various groups within the church including
the financial report for the last year. It is also an opportunity to
appoint the church office bearers for the coming year.
Particularly the wardens, parish councillors, safe ministry representative, and every three
years our Synod representative.
During the meeting anybody in the church has the chance to make recommendations to the
incoming parish council regarding matters that concern them or that they would like
considered by the leadership.
NOMINATION FORMS FOR AMP
Nomination forms are now available at the back of the church on clipboards. Please fill in
and place inside the purspex in-house mail box at the entrance of the church, or place in the
offertory bags.
Worth listening to on sthildas.net
* A talk by Greg Lake on a Christian response to asylum seekers. Look for it under
Sermons 2014, 7th December.
* A talk by Bob and Eddie on giving thanks to God. Look for it under Monthly Puppet Show.
* Each Sundays sermon is usually available a few days after the Sunday.
CAN YOU HELP?
A guy we've been trying to help as a church has ended up in Bathurst gaol for a time and
needs somewhere to store his belongings or the dept of housing will throw them out. He
doesn't have a great deal of stuff (single bed, table and chairs, some clothing etc.) would
you have a dry space somewhere to store things for a while?
We will also need a couple of people to move the stuff out of his bedsit once housing has
given us the go ahead to pick it up. We'll need a trailer and a couple of blokes for half a day
in the next couple of weeks.
Chat with Ray if you think you can help.
Understanding and engaging karma-based religion
CMS WORKSHOP: St Hilda's Katoomba, 1pm, February 15
Eastern religions have fascinated many for a long period of time.
Buddhism in particular has gained many followers in the Western world.
What is the attraction in a religion like Buddhism? How do you interact and engage with your
neighbor who is fascinated by the peace loving nature of Buddhism and other religions? How
will you explain Christianity to someone from a Buddhist background?
Chamber Philharmonia Cologne
February 16, 8pm at St Hilda’s church
Tickets available at:
Megalong books, Leura. 4784 1302
Tickets at the door (cash only) from 7pm.
Can you help with supper for the Philharmonic Performance?
PRAYER FOCUS
... out of darkness, into His marvellous light ...
Pray for deliverance from the darkness of Buddhism, secularism, superstition, theological
liberalism and false teaching.
Pray for Slovenia (Boxs & Hribars), Russia (Nicolles), Italy (Lubbocks), Thailand
(Thomas’), Australia (Palmers): for confidence in Christ and His Word; for the light of Christ
to dawn in hearts and minds.
The performance will be held on Monday Feb 16th and we need your help with supper. If you
are able to help out with supper, you are welcome to stay and listen to the group for free.
Come along at 7pm to deliver your contributions. Contact Michelle Seers 0421 313 898 or
[email protected]
Service Leaders Sharing – Sunday 1st March
All service leaders are encouraged to allocate 2 hours in their diaries - from 3:00pm on
Sunday 1st March 2015.
Ray will chair this time, which will be an opportunity for sharing ideas, joys,
encouragements, frustrations in the awesome ministry of leading God’s people in our
Sunday public gatherings at St Hilda’s.
An agenda will be distributed in due course, to allow you to give some pre-thought to these
things. On the day there’ll be adequate coffee to keep your thought processes sharp!
Parish Leadership meeting dates;
Parish Councillors and Ministry team members, please note for your calendar:
The first Parish council meeting for the year will be Thursday, 12th March at the church.
Ministry team meetings will happen in February and April and the next Council meeting will
be 21st May.
St Marys group asking for accommodation.
I was wondering if you know any accommodation or house I could rent in April in
Katoomba or surrounding area.
I'm keen to take a few young people from church@5:30 (6-10) to KYCK. Ideally we'd like to
go on either of the following weekends KYCK #1: 10-12 APRIL or KYCK #2: 17-19 APRIL.
See Philip Bassett for further details. Email [email protected]
Praise God for He carries us.
Isaiah 46 says:
"I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
"Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales, they hire a
goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.
They lift it to their shoulders and carry it;
They set it up in its place and there it stands.
From that spot it cannot move.
though one cries out to it, it does not answer;
it cannot save him from his troubles."
Such truth! God carries us... praise God.
Marriage Resources.
Following the talk a couple of weeks ago on Jesus' perspective on marriage you may be
interested in making use of the following resources. If God has blessed us with a marriage
partner then it makes sense to make the most of the relationship he has given us and
strive to grow into that 'oneness' God has planned for those who are married. It does take
work but we are blessed with many resources to help us.
Wendy Konemann is a local marriage counsellor who has helped many couples in the
area her phone number is 0416 241 638
Anglicare have a counsellor on site in the Anglicare offices behind St Hilda's on
Wednesdays, Kaaren does general counselling as well as marriage counselling and can
be contacted on 1300 651 728
Australian Institute of Family Counselling - have counsellors in Sydney and are a very
good model of Christian counselling http://www.aifc.com.au/
Family Life Australia - have two events, "A Day Together" and "Love that Lasts" (a
weekend). For couples to make use of to grow their relationships and more information can
be found at; http://www.familylifeaustralia.com/conferences/day-together.html
Books and study guides are also available from Ray and the church library that
you can use to work through over time with your partner.
Some Dates for your diary;
Luncheon and Seminar; 'Christian Perspectives on Buddhism' Sunday 15th February
Mission Support Group meeting 4pm Sunday 15th February
Feb 16 8pm Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra
KidzArtz Planning meeting 11.45am 22nd February in the hall.
March 1 3pm Service Leaders Sharing
15th March 10am Joint Service followed by Church Annual Meeting.
29th March Palm Sunday. Academy Singers Event.
3rd April Good Friday
5th April Easter Sunday
19th April 10am ANZAC 100th Anniversary Service
2nd May Picnic and Service at Hartley celebrating
the first church service west of the mountains 200 years ago.
10th May Mother's Day Service 10am