This week I will be away on my annual clergy retreat. During this time I will be praying for you all who are part of Lifestreams. Please pray also for me and especially for Anna looking after three children on her own!
Annual retreats are required for all licensed clergy in the diocese. They are to be times of prayer, reflection and rejuvenation in the Spirit of Christ.
A Prayer of St Francis
Most High, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart.
Give me true faith, certain hope
and perfect love,
sense and knowledge
that I may carry out
Your Holy and true command.
Next Sunday
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday. After three weeks of exploring Christian stewardship we have an opportunity to consider our response. Please consider taking time to pray in particular over the coming week; not only about how much God may be calling you to contribute to the church's financial needs, but also for the Parish to wisely and imaginatively use our resources in Christ-centered ways.
Back to Church Sunday
If you haven't already, remember to grab a BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY invitation card. Each card comes in two halves. On one half you can invite a friend to church on 12 September. The other half is a prayer card by which to remember to pray for the person you have invited. Inviting someone is great, but praying as well is even better. In the final count we pray that people would be brought into a refreshing relationship with God rather than join a church in the same way that one would join a club!
Roster
I won't have time to send out roster reminders this week, so be sure to check your roster. If you cannot serve please find a replacement and let Marion at the St Barnabas' office know by email.
It is likely that the readings will differ from those in the roster; in this case a special email will be sent out to readers throughout the parish mid-week to let the readers know.
Workshops
With Alister's sudden departure and the news of Lifestreams' return to St Barnabas' our planned worship workshops have been significantly disrupted! Watch this space for further details; we may wait until we have returned to St Barnabas' before holding anymore. There appears to be strong interest for testimonies and lay talks among Lifestreamers, so it would be wise to have one good workshop on that subject. Please let me know your perspectives.
God bless you all over the coming week.
Andrew
Annual retreats are required for all licensed clergy in the diocese. They are to be times of prayer, reflection and rejuvenation in the Spirit of Christ.
A Prayer of St Francis
Most High, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of my heart.
Give me true faith, certain hope
and perfect love,
sense and knowledge
that I may carry out
Your Holy and true command.
Next Sunday
We will be celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday. After three weeks of exploring Christian stewardship we have an opportunity to consider our response. Please consider taking time to pray in particular over the coming week; not only about how much God may be calling you to contribute to the church's financial needs, but also for the Parish to wisely and imaginatively use our resources in Christ-centered ways.
Back to Church Sunday
If you haven't already, remember to grab a BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY invitation card. Each card comes in two halves. On one half you can invite a friend to church on 12 September. The other half is a prayer card by which to remember to pray for the person you have invited. Inviting someone is great, but praying as well is even better. In the final count we pray that people would be brought into a refreshing relationship with God rather than join a church in the same way that one would join a club!
Roster
I won't have time to send out roster reminders this week, so be sure to check your roster. If you cannot serve please find a replacement and let Marion at the St Barnabas' office know by email.
It is likely that the readings will differ from those in the roster; in this case a special email will be sent out to readers throughout the parish mid-week to let the readers know.
Workshops
With Alister's sudden departure and the news of Lifestreams' return to St Barnabas' our planned worship workshops have been significantly disrupted! Watch this space for further details; we may wait until we have returned to St Barnabas' before holding anymore. There appears to be strong interest for testimonies and lay talks among Lifestreamers, so it would be wise to have one good workshop on that subject. Please let me know your perspectives.
God bless you all over the coming week.
Andrew