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Dear Friends,
The year seems like it is well under way now. Where has February gone? This last week has been "O week" at Melbourne Uni. When we get there, we really know that the Summer has passed and we are into a new year for all of our ministries.
First I want to say to those perhaps joining us for the first time today at the beginning of an Academic year - Welcome! We love students here at St Jude's, and we believe this is a great church to help the you explore the claims of Jesus, and grow in faith and service. We love big questions, and wrestling with them together, and trying to make sense of God and His world.
So, Second, I want to invite newcomers (and regulars) to come along this week and be equipped to think about the rise of atheism in an interactive lecture we have planned on Wednesday night at 8pm, when Dr Bruce Langtry, a member of our church, is going to help us respond to the thinking of Atheism.
And Third, St Jude's is a praying church, and the needs around us are great. So I want to encourage the regulars to be praying for the new students arriving over the next weeks, to settle well and learn and grow. To that end - a warm invitation is extended to all members to join us for prayer tomorrow, Monday March 1st in the Church at 8pm for our Renew Prayer gathering. A great hour of singing praise, learning about a ministry area, and lifting it before God. The hour flies by, and I am sure you will be uplifted by it.
Warm wishes,
Richard Condie
Senior Minister
www.richardcondie.blogspot.com
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Dear Friends,
Last week I wrote about the great progress we made towards our Vision last year. We were able under God to achieve lots of the plans that we made. Each one of these steps, we hope and pray will take us a little closer to seeing the Spiritual Renewal of our City.
But of course we can't stop where we are. God calls us on to continue to be lights in the world, and to contend for the Gospel and to work at proclaiming and living the Gospel. So I thought I would share with you what I see as some of the big challenges for 2010.
• Urban Soul effective in reaching the community - this year we need to see the plans for community engagement with youth and young adults really take a step forward.
• Planning for a new Urban Family Congregation in 2011/12 - our vision is to see a new congregation reaching urban families, and so we need to start thinking and dreaming and planning for this.
• 5x2 - our 5 Congregation has been thinking about the best way to reach Urban Workers with the Gospel and they hope to plant a new congregation this year to achieve that.
• Unichurch Growth and Health - with the team back to full strength we want to see our Unichurch congregation really growing and healthy in 2010. O-week starts this week!
• Growth of Internationals Ministry - already Cross Cultures is one of our growing outreach ministries, but we need to see more of this in 2010, with new faces on the team.
• Challenging more people to think seriously and to take positive steps towards Vocational Christian Ministry.
Two other challenges remain that affect all of these. The first is having enough prayer support, so that God is the prime mover of all these things, and that we are fulfilling His plans and not ours. And second, that we have the financial resources to achieve these things. Please join me, so that together our prayers and our giving might come together so that these plans can come into reality in 2010.
Warm wishes in Christ,
Richard Condie
Senior Minister
www.richardcondie.blogspot.com
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Dear Friends,
We have been working on our Renew Vision for over a year now. Last year we took some great steps towards it. I shared these at the recent Prayer Meeting and thought that everyone might like an update.
Under God we have been able to:
• Plant the Urban Soul Church - reaching youth and young adults
• Hold some life courses - to engage local residents (eg. Toolbox Parenting, Divorce Care, etc)
• Keep on witnessing to Christ on the Housing Estates - through a variety of means
• Renew our St Jude's 5 Sunday services
• Forge a partnership with City Bible Forum - to reach out to City Workers, with Rob Martin joining our staff team
• Grow Cross Cultures - reaching more and more International Students
• Appoint a new Minister to Students - David Huynh (principally through people's generosity in the Thanksgiving Offering)
• Hold 2 Consider Ministry events last year - with 70 people being encouraged to think about vocational Christian ministry
• Send a new Missionary to the field - Paul Barker serving in South East Asia
• Give 1% of our income to the Global Poor
• Hold a successful Passion 09 in the Inner North
We are very thankful to God for being able to achieve these things, and for your prayers and generosity in supporting them. Please join me in giving thanks to God for His kindness and mercy.
Richard Condie
Senior Minister
www.richardcondie.blogspot.com
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Dear Friends,
One year on from Black Saturday today, and we remember the devastation to the environment and the many lives lost. I remember waking up on the Sunday as the full extent of what had taken place the night before began to unfold, with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. We all have pictures and images of that following week indelibly imprinted on our minds. This was truly a great disaster for the people of Victoria.
But now there are green shoots on the trees. House blocks with builders at work. Signs of regeneration. One year on we see life coming out of nothing once again. We have seen human kindness in action, as people poured out their wallets, and gave their time and effort to help rebuild. Signs of hope.
And in both these things God is present in His world. Weeping with the broken hearted, and spurring on the generous, bringing new beginnings. The saddest part to me, is the constant recrimination of those who failed to protect through their own human weakness.
Let us be agents of healing as we pray and assist and love, and stand by those who have suffered in this disaster. Tonight at 5pm there is a Memorial Service at Kinglake. Please go if you can, and pray for it if you can't, that God's church might be an agent of healing and hope. And check out www.blacksaturdaynight.com
In Christ,
Richard Condie
Senior Minister
www.richardcondie.blogspot.com
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Dear Friends,
It was nice to have a day off this week to celebrate Australia Day. We ought to take the opportunity to give thanks to God for this nation, for our peace and freedom. It is such a rare thing in the world today. It gives us the freedom to be God's people, to proclaim and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to seek Spiritual Renewal in our land, without fear of persecution.
But at the same time, "January 26" reminds us that our history has a cloud overshadowing it, when our forebears landed here and declared this land terra nullius (no man's land), right in the face of the indigenous men and women who lived here as custodians of it. Not "nullius" at all. And still today, the life expectancy of indigenous Australians is so much lower than average. Many indigenous communities are at a third world standard.
One aspect of our church Vision is to "support ministry to Indigenous Australians". Our Global Missions Committee are working hard at how that might come about. If you are interested in what they are doing, drop John Sugars (the Chair of GMC) a line, and let him know you are interested (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
).
Warm wishes,
Richard Condie
Senior Minister
www.richardcondie.blogspot.com
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