Newsletter

Sunday 9th September, 2012 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF PENTECOST Welcome to Archbishop and Confirmees 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 Collect for the day Almighty and everlasting God, increase our faith, hope, and love, and, that we may receive all You promise, make us love what You command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Bishop says the Prayer for Confirmation Ever-living God, your Spirit made us your children, confident to call you Father. Increase your Spirit within us and bring us to our promised inheritance in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Today’s Readings Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost read by John F Readings: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-8, 22-23 and James 2:1-10 GOSPEL Mark 7: 24—37 PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Dianne Cordes. Jim (fighting cancer;) Tommy Ferguson, Judith Manning, Bob Arnold, baby Mitchell, Helen, Yuri and family. Kathy Pennos, Danny Hodgson, Ann Daughtry, Dennis and Walter, Chris Barber, Natasha Campbell. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - John Kelly, David Hall, Trevor Tregenza, Mary Vandepeer HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - YEAR’S MIND— John Richardson (1997) Evelyn Goreham (1999) Stewart Leslie (1978) Iris Ferguson (2008) Murray Vandepeer (2008) William Forster (1981) PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Readings Proverbs 1:20 –33 and James 2: 18—26 GOSPEL Mark 8: 27—38 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 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. Please remember that Cheryl Wiseman takes her vows as a member of the Order of St. Barnabas and Cecelia at Melrose today. For a series of reasons, the Friday coffee morning is no more until November ….. Operation Christmas Child - Samaritans Purse Time once again to start thinking about filling a BOX for the above. I will have a few boxes in the foyer on Sunday, and will bring a Sample box for you to see. These will be needed to be brought in by the middle of October. Thanking you, Marlene Dixon. The Schools Ministry Group will be held between September 9-17th 2012. On 16th, Sara Walding, the Christian Pastoral Support Worker at Belair Primary School, will be preaching." Also as part of this there will be an after service plate collection on 9th and 16th September for Christian Pastoral Support Workers (School Chaplains) and for the funding of transition bags. 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 POWERPOINT ROSTER – Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy Sunday after Jill Hillbig or Joy Campbell READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER Next Sunday Reader Paul H Intercessor Don B Sunday after Reader Arndrae L Intercessor Vanessa D SANCTUARY ROSTER Next week Flowers Anna Kelly Brass Bonney Tomlinson Cleaning Susan Lee Mark your diary please ...... (a) St John's Exams 29/10-14/11 Does anyone using Windows XP have a use for an HP Laser printer (10/10) and/or a Flatbed Scanner? A call to Fr. Ron on 82987160 will solve the problem ….. for free! RONBLOG on today’s Gospel If you have not looked up your Bible atlas, you are likely to miss some hugely important issues that are referred to in what I call the ‘fine print.’ of these stories. Syro-Phoenician people were not Jews or anywhere near that status. They were Gentiles, goyim, outsiders beyond the slightest interest of the normal Jew or of God Himself, so the theory went. The geography also explains why Jesus went there for a rest, a blow, a chance to recover. No one would have known Him. Oh! Yeah? Please notice how this incident was reported: one is left suspecting that Jesus’ response to the mother was what the disciples would have expected, as would that mother. But that lady’s response to Jesus’ apparent rejection must have left some of the Twelve seeing how disgraceful was such an approach. Here was a person in need, not for herself, but for her very ill child. The outcome of the incident was that the mother’s needs were met, and met with great compassion. In other words, God’s interest was NOT limited to those of Hebrew descent, and, Twelve, you had better believe it. Now check you maps and see that the Decapolis (Ten Towns) was also outside Jewish territory so this man was also Gentile, and theoretically persona non grata. Did that stop Jesus? Of course not! But notice the thoughtful response Jesus made to this person, deaf and mute. Taken aside meant that there was a little peace and quietness for the person, and Jesus’ almost miming of the activity of healing meant that the person had a chance to understand what was being offered. Jesus’ request for no reaction from the crowd would have been as much for the healed man as for Himself, but notice that the response, even from this Gentile mob, was almost a quote from Isaiah! You may well be surprised at the extent of some apparently ’pagan’ people’s knowledge - and understanding— of Scripture.