Newsletter

Sunday 17th June, 2012 THIRD SUNDAY OF PENTECOST 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 back in action again ……... Collect Almighty God, give us such a vision of Your purpose, and such an assurance of Your love and power, that we may ever hold fast the hope which is in Jesus Christ our Lord; Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Readings read by Hal S-C Readings 1 Samuel 15:34—16:13 and2 Cor.5: 6—10 GOSPEL Mark 4:26—34 r 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. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Michelle and Jack,. Hazel Looney, Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Barb Capon, (home now) premature baby Hayley Haig , Genevieve Forster. . HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Barb Capon, Robyn Keynes HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— Norman Currer (2010) Beryl Errington (1993) Richard Osterman (2006) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Birth of John the Baptist Readings Isaiah 49: 1—6 and Acts 13: 22 –26 GOSPEL Luke 1: 57—66 & 80 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 5.45pm Evening Prayer with Wendy and Sue SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome MOTHERS’ UNION - meets third Thursdays each month at 2.00pm Walking Church First Saturday of each month at 4.00pm at Belair National Park gates near railway station bridge. Each Friday morning, coffee and tea will be served in the Parish Hall from 8.30am to 11.30am so please come along and bring a friend or neighbour for a relaxing chat among friends. Only $2.00 for your tea or coffee and biscuit. 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 Stephanie Lloyd 8278 4260 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814 The ABM - A Auxiliary, in Adelaide, has arranged for the annual 'MIDWINTER LUNCH' to be held in the hall at St George's Church, St Bernard's Road, Magill, on Friday 22 June beginning at 11.45 a.m. The guest speaker will be Bishop Ian George, talking about "Mad Moments in Ministry". This promises to be an entertaining event in support of ABM's missionary work. Joan Durdin has tickets at $12.00 per person. Transport can be provided if needed. POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Min Araki or Ron Keynes Sunday after Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Caroline Sw Intercessor Wendy M Sunday after Reader Neil T Intercessor Mary V SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers Iris Downed Brass Joan Durdin Cleaning Susan Lee Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 17-20 July and 29/10-14/11 And do not forget the St. Barnabas’ College event at the Cathedral this evening. From 6.00pm. Cheese and wine in the Cynthia Poulton Hall and the service at 7.00pm. Matthew Anstey will be preaching. Special Note: News broke last weekend that Brad and Jo have another infant, and Brad has been appointed to Kangaroo Island as priest there. We offer our very best wishes to then as they begin ministry there. In the pew sheet for the last two weeks, I requested that you notify me regarding the amount that you gave in your Planned Giving envelope on 15th of April, this year. The envelopes which were missing have now been located. Therefore, you are no longer required to notify me about the amount you put in the envelope. I am going to take new measures to prevent a similar incident in the future. Thank you and my apologies for any inconvenience caused. Min Araki Recorder "I would like to say thank you so very much to my friends in our congregation for your cards, visits, best wishes and prayers after my recent accident. It all helped me to cope with the long recovery time and I appreciated your support very much indeed. I do hope to be back with you all very soon. With my love and heartfelt thanks, Barb Capon. RONBLOG on the readings today In all my debates and discussions about the Faith with those of atheistic and other leanings, the issue for them has been their perception that faith of any sort is superstitious or close to it, and so they underline the resultant wisdom of being atheistic. Whenever I raise the main issue presented by Judaism and Christianity, and point to the huge issues underlined in today’s readings, there is a total blank in any reply for they are not interested at all. It is a strange hiatus, from where I sit, and the ‘problem’ has nothing to do with superstition. Atheists (like many other critics of the Faith) seem to have no answers at all when the focus is away from their favourite myopic issues. Both Judaism and the Christian Faith are hammering constantly the need for truth, justice, integrity and compassion. Today’s readings and their focus has always been a stunning emphasis for life, again from where I sit, for the most simple of reasons. That is to ignore this direction is to choose the sort of life that offers not only great chaos, but little or no hope for any future for any of us humans. However, this aspect of the Faith has tended to be overlooked, or avoided even by Jewish and Christian adherents, For the latter, it appears to clash with the Atonement theology. Little could be further from the truth. So much of Jesus’ teaching had to do with the Kingdom of God (or of Heaven if you follow Matthew’s Gospel.) To sidestep that emphasis is to miss most of the point of the Gospel. Obviously if it comes from the mouth of our Lord, then full attention is required. When added to the fact that much of the OT prophets focussed on such issues, then to miss the point is inexcusable. As I have reiterated often, both Judaism and Christianity have very strong emphases on matters political, and on fundamental issues of human relationships. If and when I act unjustly or unfairly, I am not responding to the Faith. On top of that, I am not glorifying God, I am not reflecting His characteristics, I am not bearing witness to the point and purpose of the Gospel. What a waste!