Newsletter

Sunday 23rdJanuary, 2011 - Epiphany III
Australia Day Celebration
Our Celebrant and preacher is Warren Huffa
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. We invite you to join us for breakfast after the 8am service, or morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls

Sunday School resumes at 10am on Sunday 30th January! Wacko!

COLLECT FOR EPIPHANY III
Loving God, the light of the minds that know you, the life of the souls that love you, and the strength of the hearts that serve you: help us so to know you that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may faithfully serve you, whose service is perfect freedom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS Isaiah 9: 1—4 and 1 Cor. 1: 10 –18 read by Caroline S
Gospel Matthew 4: 12—25

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Hal S-C
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Phyllis Morecroft, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Eddie Barber and Chris Contro. Yvonne Myers is not all that well either..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jane Raymond, Andrew Kelly, Lucy Thomas and Kirby Huffa
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY – Lucinda and David Hale, Rosemary and Sean Conlon
YEAR’S MIND—Sylvia McDonald (1994)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY - Epiphany IV
Micah 6: 1—8 and 1 Corinthians 1: 18—31
GOSPEL Matthew 5: 1—12
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Don Caddy or Craig Deane (Craig away!)
Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Jill Hilbig

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Neil T Intercessor Warren H
Sunday after Reader Trevor T Intercessor Marg P

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Jan Tregenza Brass Margaret Carruthers
Cleaning Susan Lee

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE and BIBLE STUDY in recess until February 2010
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568 or Iris Downes on 8278 3260

NEXT BBQ AFTER CHURCH
After service today there will be the traditional Australia Day BBQ. If you have not put your name down, there may well be room for you anyhow ….. and even some tucker!

And then there is
Anne Roller, winner of the Nativity Set recently wrote to Jan T to express both her gratitude for winning, and her intention as teacher of Reception Class at Walford, to use the Set each year to discuss Christmas Day. Isn’t that great!

Are you interested? Fr. Ron has been wondering about starting a Bible Study Group (at Seacliff Park possibly—more likely in Belair), asking if there are people interested in such a project. Some folk have answered positively and we may move quietly from here. Both day, time and place are open for discussion.


From the Ron Blog—Epiphany III Almost an aside on the readings

I recall a sermon way, way back in my youth, preached not by me but by a College lecturer. Whoever it was emphasised the number of times that Jesus exhorted people to ‘Fear not.’ In fact just a few verses before the start of today’s OT reading, these words occur:
Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy,
and do not fear what it fears, or be in dread.
But the LORD of hosts, him you shall regard as holy;
let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Now this passage has nothing to do with being afraid of death and hell, as some old time preachers might like to stress. It has to do with fear of invasion from external forces, armies, dictators and tyrants. Fear not, do not be afraid; a constant exhortation in all of Scripture.
Now this is a factor worth exploring, for it has to be said that in all modern expressions of tyranny from Hitler to Stalin to Saddam Hussein and more, fear has been the common controlling factor that enabled such men to retain their hold over people. On top of that, what appears to have been the propaganda weapon that assisted such horror was their common tendency to convince people that the ancient verities of justice, truth, compassion and integrity were no longer valid, and in fact were dead.

The Judaic/Christian Faiths have, in word if not always in deed, maintained the reality of those ancient and unchanging virtues. In fact, I think it may be true to say that whenever the adherents of whatever religion have wandered from their own values; they have tried to downplay what people, generally, would know to be real.
As one who was rather young during World War II, I found it fascinating and well as enormously encouraging to hear of and occasionally meet Christian pastors and priests from Hitler’s Germany who stood up to the abuse and threats from Nazi hoodlums. (It was equally horrifying to find that there were rather more clergy of all denominations who ‘bowed the knee’ for the sake of their own survival.) Postwar, we had the experience of sitting at the feet of those who upheld their faith and their integrity, and to read the writings of those who did not.
I do not know how I would respond and react to huge pressure to submit to violence, so I can never stand in judgement on those who surrendered, but I do have the vision offered both by Scripture and such people to be aware of when falsities are being presented as gospel, and spin is offered instead of reality. And that, surely is the first rung of the ladder of being strong to hold out against untruths – and tyranny.

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QUEENSLAND FLOODS
We have received news from the Primate about the flooding in Queensland and its effect on the Dioceses of Brisbane and Rockhampton. An extract from the Primate’s letter is given below. Archbishop Aspinall has also advised that his Emergency Relief Fund is accepting donations for flood relief. The details are as follows: Payments may be made by:
cheque made out to "Archbishop’s Emergency Relief Fund" and sent to ANFIN, GPO BOX 421, BRISBANE, QLD 4001, or Electronic Transfer
Account Name: Archbishop’s Emergency Relief Fund
Account BSB: 704-901
Account Number: 00014858

Memo from St. Peter’s Cathedral…….
On Monday 24 January from 5.30-6.30pm the Cathedral will be holding an hour of prayer for the victims of the flooding throughout Australia. There will be a time of formal prayer every quarter hour (5.30pm, 5.45pm, 6pm, 6.15pm and 6.30pm) with opportunities for silent prayer and the lighting of candles in between. Prayer and reflection resources will be provided. People are welcome to drop in for as long as they like, from a few minutes to the full time, as we join in solidarity with those who have lost so much.


Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday late afternoon please