Newsletter

Sunday 11th March, 2012
Third Sunday in Lent

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School is in action …..

Collect for Lent III
Lord our God, by Your Holy Spirit write Your commandments upon our hearts and grant us the wisdom and power of the cross, so that, cleansed from greed and selfishness, we may become a living temple of Your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS read by Arndrae L
Readings Exodus 20: 1—17 & 1 Cor. 1: 18—25
GOSPEL John 2: 13—22
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Ben L
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Lynda Knight, Dianne Cordes. Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Jake and Gail. Michelle post op in NY, Eddie Barber and Judith Manning.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rosemary Conlon, Brittany Luks, Emma Bruce, Maya Araki,
Heather Turner
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— John Walder (1988) Jack Kelly (1999) Nicholas Baker (1995) Kathleen Stauner (1995)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Lent IV
Readings Numbers 21: 4—9 and Ephesians 2: 1—10
GOSPEL John 3: 14—21

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month March 15th at 2.00pm in the Germein Room. Guest Speaker is Carlien Walter, manager of the MU Centre and Bookshop. All are welcome. Margaret Pressley Group Leader

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, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh
Sunday after Craig Deane or Don Caddy
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Hal S-C Intercessor Sue D-T
Sunday after Reader ******** Intercessor Mary V
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Iris Downes (no flowers)
Brass Rosemary Conlon Cleaning Group 2
Mark your diary please ......
(a) The Parish Annual Vestry Meeting on 25th March - reports due
(b) Wedding May 5 Private function in Hall May 6
(c) St John's drama production in hall afternoon and evening of May 31 and June 1
(d) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11

Details of Lenten Studies with Warren
Thursday mornings 10.30am to 11.45am From 23rd Feb to 29 Mar (but not 15 Mar)
Sunday mornings 11.45am to 12.30pm in the Church starting 26 Feb
Monday evenings 7.45pm – 9.15pm at the Rectory, 12 Gulfview Road, Blackwood. Starts 27 Feb

Lenten Envelopes for ABM: Many parishioners received 'gold envelopes' for their Lenten Offerings last Sunday. For those who missed out, gold envelopes are still available on the table in the foyer.

Faith of the Elders
The ‘Faith of the Elders’ Exhibition will occur on Sunday the 25tth of March at 5pm with wine and nibbles and Bishop Tim Harris opening the event. The church will become a gallery for the evening as we display photographic portraits of 12 of our ‘elders’ alongside their stories of faith and connection with the church. It’ll be a combination of faith, art, local history and celebration. Another Holy Innocents activity designed to open our doors to the wider community.

Bible study/discussion for young adults.
Stephen will be running a Bible Study/discussion group for the young adults in our congregation. We’re wanting to support these fantastic young people as they grow in faith. Please pray for the group as they meet on Sunday evenings.

The Flea Market – 19th May 2012 How YOU can help make this a successful event…..it is planned to keep the Flea Market / Jumble Sale to a manageable level with stalls mainly occupying the hall.
1) Please save items for the stalls.
2) We will serve Morning Tea (our thanks to Greg) and Joy is willing to convene a cake stall. Our Green fingered Clare and Angus have offered to run a plant stall. Can you offer assistance with cakes, biscuits and help on the day??? Suitable items for a Raffle would be very welcome – perhaps we could sell tickets prior to the event!
3) If you have any suggestions at all please share them with us.
4) Please offer your help in whatever capacity to Yvonne Caddy or Graham Baines.

RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings

Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I find it rather sad that the Decalogue, these ancient Ten Commandments, are ignored, broken and despised by so many of our contemporaries. I doubt if anyone could really call me a wowser, nor even terribly religious (a term which I hate!) but i am rather a Christian realist, and aware of the enormous value of this rune of words. People familiar with these notes will know most of my illustrations on the issue: but it bears repetition that the present-day refusal – generally speaking – to take the slightest notice of these important rules, is leading and will almost certainly lead to the complete and utter breakdown of society. I kid you not.
In spite of screams to the opposite, the Judaic-Christian Faith is not about enduring present existence for the sake of some future bliss. The reality is that the Jewish faith stemmed from the increasing awareness that the real problem of life is here and now, has to do with human incorrigibility, and that there must be an answer somewhere. While it took a very long period of time, first to get past old religious baggage, and then to try out new theories and perceptions, the outcome has been remarkably solid and sound, and of course (a word to the sceptics) those ancient worthies took on board ideas and concepts of other people. (it surprises atheists and others that the emergence of Hebrew Faith – and Christian – parallels the emergence of science: first an idea then a theory and then a testing. Actually the process was Hebrews first and science later!)
So to the Decalogue: the first few clauses underline the need for respect for God. Parallel to that is respect for each other. Sure, the Commandments may seem a little marred by the apparent concern about wives being ‘property’ – but we have all moved forward from that! But if I do not respect me, that I am certainly not giving you any value either. And that leads to chaos very smartly.
It all comes back to the basics of treating each other with dignity, justice and truth, - each of which value is incontrovertible, but very sadly lacking in both public and private life.
Never, never be ashamed of the Gospel.


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