Newsletter for Sunday 16th December 2018

Newsletter for Sunday 16th December 2018

 

                             

 

                                                                                                  

 

Sunday 16th December 2018

 

Greetings and welcome to this week’s newsletter

 

A Note from Linda

This week we will be commissioning our Christmas angels.  As part of our advent series of ‘Angels Among us’ we will be blessing our community with surprise little gifts of joy for people to find in the form of a knitted (or crocheted) angel.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed by knitting, crocheting, donating wool and inviting others to knit for us too!  Please don’t forget to bring them along on Sunday.  I wonder how many angels we’ll have to send out? I’m looking forward to seeing how extravagantly generous we will be!

 

We’ve been encouraging everyone to share messages of peace, either through the quote shared last week or by taking a photo of yourself with angel wings and sharing that.

and.. Don’t forget to bring your feather back with you! (We have more feathers for those who don’t have one yet).

 

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary… The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God… For nothing will be impossible with God.” – Luke 1: 26-56

Zechariah freaked out when the other-worldly creature appeared to him. But Mary was simply “perplexed.” Why would such an incredible message come to a common girl just barely a woman?  Then her reply to such a foretelling about her purpose in life was also simple:  “Let it be so.”  Have you ever struggled with finding your purpose and being at peace with it?  Or are you yearning for more peace in your life and relationships? #morepeace in the world happens when all of us feel #morepeace within ourselves and live out that message each day.

 

“…an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1: 18-25

Every angel seems to use “do not be afraid” as an opening line.  But perhaps no one needed to hear it more than Joseph.  What was happening to him was the stuff that ruins lives.  As a man, he had all the rights to abandon Mary and preserve his dignity.  The stakes were high–who would believe this?  Keeping up “appearances” can rob us of our #morejoy.  Let us be messengers of encouragement and steadfast support, as Joseph was, for that which the Spirit is birthing in the world.                                                                                                                  Blessings, Linda

 

Sunday Evenings                          16 Dec: Spirited Sunday at the Rezz (see below)

23 Dec: Prayer Walk

30 Dec – 20 Jan: no evening services

27 Jan: Prayer Walk

 

Spirited Sunday – 16 December

The next Spirited Sunday is on this week at The Rezz.  Arrive and order food around 6.30 with music from around 7pm.  Gerald and Lenard Pederick will present a programme of jazzed up Christmas carols.  Come hear new and surprising arrangements of old Christmas favourites, and learn about the story behind some of these.

 

Messy Church  –  Thanks to our Messy Church team who ran a wonderful Messy Christmas last Sunday.  Numbers were a little lower this month (around 28) with many other things on at this busy time of year.

A reminder that Messy Church is a new worship service that we run every second month.

It is intergenerational – that is, for all ages, and it is interactive and fun and there’s a free meal!

Our next Messy Church will be on February 10.

Annual leave and summer office closure

Please note that both Linda and Sharyn will be taking annual leave:

Linda: 28 Dec – 21 Jan (returning 22 Jan)   Sharyn: 21 Dec – 28 Jan (returning 29 Jan)

The Church Office will be closed from 21 Dec to 28 January;  there will be not be a newsletter during this time.

For urgent pastoral concerns please contact Brenton Summers 0400 632 829.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you all.                                                                                                       Sharyn

 

Blue Christmas

We will once again hold a Blue Christmas service – a service of remembrance and hope – with Campbelltown Uniting Church, Dernancourt Uniting Church and Resthaven.

To be held on Wednesday 19th December at 7.30pm at Campbelltown Uniting Church.  All welcome, especially those who find the festivities and joy of Christmas difficult as they remember loved ones sadly missed or are lonely.

 

Rosters for Jan/Feb/Mar

I will be putting together the church rosters for January, February & March 2019 this coming Wednesday (19th Dec).

Please contact me asap if you have any dates to consider and/or if you wish to add your name to any roster.

We particularly need people for Sound Roster, Flowers and Building Stewards.            Thanks Gus Robin

Tel: 8337 0011, Email: jg.robin@bigpond.com

 

Annual Victor Harbor Holiday

Just letting our church community know that a group of families are going down to Victor Harbor for a week from the 5th January, 2019, and everyone is welcome to join us.  We are staying at the Adare Caravan Park, Wattle Drive, Victor Harbor from the 5th -12th January.  Please contact the Adare Caravan Park (08 8552-1657) if you would like to make a booking or contact Di & Trev Curtis (0419-862-606) for more information.

 

Thank you and Christmas is coming

With Christmas now approaching, it is a time to remember those members of our community who are less fortunate.  To assist them at this time of the year, the Uniting Communities Eastern Services is seeking ongoing support of its annual Christmas Appeal.  To prepare 150 Christmas Hampers, food items with a “Christmas theme” are being sought.  These items for the hampers may include Christmas puddings, cakes, fruit mince pies, long life custard, canned ham etc. Monetary donations will also be greatly accepted and used to purchase such items.

For more information contact Brenton Summers

 

Third Sunday in Advent

Love in action for Syrian Refugees

Through the Christmas Bowl, we heed the urgent call to bring transformative love to the people of Syria by providing emergency food, healthcare and training for families most in need.   Our gifts will make a difference as we reflect God’s generous love in Jesus for the whole world.

 

Tear Fund Useful Gifts

Don and Brian will be at the Tear Fund table today and right up to Christmas with catalogues and cards to enable you to identify with needy people and communities that could be transformative for them.

At the same time your loved one or friend to whom you send a card will be participating too as they enable a family to establish a veggie garden, receive a fuel- efficient stove or receive the gift of a goat .The options are many.

 

 

Used Stamps

Hope you are all saving your used stamps

There is a box in the front foyer of church where you can leave them.  Thanks!

STAY AND PLAY

STOCKTAKE and CLEANING DAY

22nd January 2019  –   10-00am onwards

COMMENCEMENT DATE 2019                     5th February

 

Our last Stay and Play for 2018 was celebrated at Lovell’s Reserve, picnic style with 40 people in attendance.  What a wonderful morning of play activities for the children and lots of socializing for the carers. Thanks to Jan Robin, 25 knitted angels were distributed to the children and team helpers, as well as books Linda organized from the Bible Society and a CD of photos to remember their year at Stay and Play.  Please consider how you could help in 2019.

WE NEED YOU!           bruceandjoy@bigpond.com

 

Uniting Church Calendars   –   Please pick up your free 2019 UCA calendar from the foyer.

 

“Triple C’s, Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?   Hang on in folk.”

 

 

Electronic Giving – Forms are available or speak to Treasurer Glen Luestner for more information.

 

Pastoral care – Please contact a member of our Pastoral Care Oversight Team for assistance:

Rev Linda Driver 0458 500 656 Bob Stevenson 0400 641 242

Brenton Summers 0400 632 829 Ann Brown 0413 581 554

 

Prayer Requests – Can we support you in prayer? Here’s how:

Prayer Chain – send an email to, or call Brenton Summers, who will pass your prayer request on to a group of people who faithfully pray in response to Prayer Chain emails.

Confidential Prayers – if the issue is more personal you are invited to contact Linda for individual prayer or one the members of the Pastoral Care Oversight team (Brenton Summers, Ann Brown, Bob Stevenson and Linda). All prayer requests going to the team will be kept strictly confidential within this team.

Prayers for Others (Sunday Worship) – Linda provides our Worship Leaders with prayer points as appropriate. Prayer points are also sourced from the Prayer Chain. If you have something you would like to be included in Prayers for Others, please contact Linda. “We are all called to pray for one another, and so we are all encouraged to offer to pray for, or with others, especially if they share a concern with you.” (James 5:13-16

 

Wider Church News- Please use the link to UC e-news at http://sa.uca.org.au/uc-e-news/

 

Website – We encourage you to visit our website: www.athelstonechurch.org.au

 

Newsletter contributions – Please email newsletter@athelstonechurch.org.au by 5pm Wed.

 

Lectionary readings

9th December – Mal 3: 1-4, Luke 1:68-79, Phil 1: 3-11, Luke 3: 7-18

16th December – Zep 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Phil 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roster

  16th December 23rd December
Preacher Linda Meg Edwards
Worship Leader Ann P Di
Singers Jeff/Jeanine/Lynton N Ann B/Nola/Yvonne/Ruth
Keyboard Gerald Shelley
Guitar Grant/Scott Chris/Dave
Data Projector Dave Samantha
Flowers Carole Jenny Riggall
Door Stewards & Offering Coralie & Brenton Sheralyn & Pat
Notices Brenton Brenton
Scripture Reader Jenny R Ray Walter
Offering Count Jeff D/Lynton N Glen & Don
Tea & Coffee Jan & Gus Jenny & David
Sound Tara Don
Building Steward Eric Hurrell Richard Read

 

What’s on 24th  –  30th December

Monday 6.30 pm

11.00 pm

Family Service

Carols & Candles Service

Auditorium

Auditorium

Tuesday 9.30 am Christmas Day Service Auditorium
Wednesday      
Thursday      
Friday      
Saturday      
Sunday 9.30am Worship Auditorium
    No Evening Service  

 

Events