Dear Friends, I am blown away by this church – and by all of you! Last week the former pastor of Flinders Street Baptist in Adelaide, Rev Scott Cadman, said to me, in relation to the letter we’d received from Assembly Council, that – if you have a good church – you can trust the church to work their way through a situation. “Belinda,” he said. “You have a good church. They will work their way through this.” And that Read more…
Further edits to my Sunday to Sunday. Subject: Sunday to Sunday, 17 to 24 November 2024 Dear Friends, As was mentioned on Sunday, Canberra Baptist Church has received a letter from Assembly Council initiating the process (voted on by Assembly in June) that leads to the disaffiliation of a church. As I also mentioned on Sunday, I have gone through a gamut of emotions since receiving the letter; shock, anger, grief, relief, release and resolve. What I have been experiencing Read more…
Dear Friends, Apologies for getting my months mixed up in last Friday’s Fellowship News! I hope people worked out from the date (Friday 15th) that Judith Bauer is having surgery this Friday, 15th November! Please pray for her and for Richard as they both navigate significant health challenges at present. You would also have seen in last week’s bulletin that Advent is coming! Advent is not just about cardboard calendars containing overpriced chocolates! Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas, is Read more…
I mentioned a prayer on Sunday which is often referred to as The Romero Prayer. It has a great deal in common with the teaching and the life of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, who was assassinated on 24 March 1980, as he conducted mass, for speaking out against social injustice and violence in his country, but it was not written by him. It was, in fact, written the year before Romero was killed by Catholic Father Read more…
Dear Friends, There has been a change to this Sunday’s events!We have had to postpone Rev Dr John Harris’s talk on Historic Bibles and their legacy to Sunday, 17th November, at 3:30pm, in the Lounge. So rather than lunch, we will now be having afternoon tea before the talk begins. (If you can bring something for afternoon tea on that Sunday afternoon that would be very much appreciated!)So, there is no lunch and no talk this Sunday, but on Sunday, Read more…
While Belinda is away, she has invited me to produce the Sunday to Sunday reflections.I thought I’d take the opportunity to share some of the key learnings, from this year, of the Currie Crescent Community Centre Advisory Committee. Much of what we’ve learnt came from the three tours (ACT, Melbourne and Sydney) held through the year. I’d be interested to know any comments you have…. I’ve also included a few of the photos and ‘unauthorised’ captions from the tours.
As art of last weeks Sunday to Sunday, I shared some of the key learnings, from this year, of the Currie Crescent Community Centre Advisory Committee. Much of what we’ve learnt came from the three tours (ACT, Melbourne and Sydney) held through the year. The good news is that there is more to share, please see below…. I’d be interested to know any comments you have…. I’ve also included a few of the photos and ‘unauthorised’ captions from the tours. Read more…
Dear Friends, I was visiting Dawn Waterhouse last week and she said, “Belinda, I’ve been watching all this terrible news about the Middle East. It is so terrible! Tell me, what are you doing about it?” “What are you doing about it?” It’s a confronting question, but particularly confronting coming from someone who will be 101 next birthday! “We are praying,” I said to Dawn, “We are praying on Sundays and all through the week.” And that is true. We Read more…
On Sunday we read that Solomon was concerned with the big things and the small things – the great cedars of Lebanon and the hyssop growing in the walls. My inbox is slowly filling with photos (thank you to everyone who has sent one so far!) of small things you have paid attention to this week – that have reminded you of God’s care for all creation. And as I turn on the news each evening and see the big Read more…
Dear Friends, Once again, we are holding our Blessing of the Animals service (this Sunday, 29th September) – and once again we are holding it at a time when parts of our world are marked by grief and conflict. Last year this event was in the immediate aftermath of the 7th October attack on Israel, and this year we are watching this conflict spread to Lebanon. According to the ABC news today the aerial barrage over the last two days Read more…