In June, we had the privilege of running a 1 hour SRE session for the high school of APCS. We looked at how God has always had a heart to care for people and He demonstrated this ultimately by sending Jesus to redeem us. We had an encouraging response to the session and hope to run these SRE classes more regularly in the future. Also in June, we ran a day of DVD training sessions for the Godspace SRE curriculum, updating our skills and adding two new qualified teachers to the team.
In July, we held our annual church camp combined with a fellowship ski trip at Talbingo. Some folks went up to Selwyn Snowfield for the day, and then the two‑day camp followed on from that. This year’s speaker was Michael Hutton and those attending had a wonderful time catching up with the Hutton family. We also enjoyed a combined church service as we celebrated our unity in Jesus as our Passover lamb and looked to the perfection of the eternal fellowship we will share in the future.
A few men enjoyed the Farmers Camp at Ridgecrest in July, where Andrew Carmichael shared briefly, and the Canberra Men’s Conference in early August where they heard challenging messages from the book of Judges. Some women enjoyed the Orange Christian Women’s Conference in late May where a lasting impression was made by the speaker from Galatians regarding the freedom we have in Christ. A group of women are also heading the Canberra Women’s Convention in October to hear messages from Acts.
We have had three successful gatherings of seniors for the Prime Time morning teas. Our friends enjoyed conversation and delicious morning tea while being presented with the gospel of Jesus through the means of family history, a thermomix demonstration and a series of book reviews. At the other end of the scale, the Youth Connect Group has continued weekly, enjoying supper and board or card games and hearing the good news of Jesus presented in various relevant ways, including physically nailing our sins to the cross. Early in Term 3 we had a night of fellowship around a bonfire.
It has been encouraging to see how God’s people in Ariah Park continue to support and serve one another in many and various ways. We have been hearing God’s Word through a series on the book of Hebrews, as well as from a few lay preachers. Another highlight of church fellowship was the annual Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch? event where only the organiser knows who is going where right up until the guests arrive at each host’s home.
Coming up, we are looking forward to a Mission Night, the tour group from Wagga Baptist having a look around Ariah Park and the church, and preparing a float and contributing to gospel music for Heritage Celebrations held in Ariah Park on 30 Sept – 2 Oct.
In your prayers for us you could also include prayer for:
* Those involved in SRE and Chaplaincy at Ariah Park Central School and SRE at Barmedman Primary School.
* The introduction of regular high school SRE sessions at APCS.
* Our dedication to the study of God’s Word in private and together through KYB and other Bible studies, including the trial online Bible study using a Facebook group format.
Comments
Post a Comment