summer 2014/2015 -...
TRANSCRIPT
Summer 2014/2015
OUR LEADERSHIP Staff
AM Congregational Pastor Mark Falson
0423 201 261 [email protected]
Breathe Congregational Pastor Nicole Regan
0423 246 482 [email protected]
Children’s Pastor Carolyn Schache
0416 084 413 [email protected]
Youth Pastor Rachel Li
0410 687 723 [email protected]
Youth Intern Tom Burton
0450 625 963 [email protected]
Communications/Admin Amanda Faase
0432 842 866 [email protected]
Community Support Coordinator Matthew Pettett
Concord West Public School
School Chaplain Chris Prouty
Homebush West Public School
CONTACT US Web www.baysidecc.com.au Email [email protected]
Office/Arthur St Centre (ASC) 59 Arthur Street Homebush West 2140
Phone 9029 3024 Mail PO Box 338 Concord West 2138
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If not and you’d like to, send us an email and we’ll be sure to include you!
www.facebook.com/buildingcommunity
2015 Oversight Team
Steve Bartlett Sanjay Chandumal Rob Kirk Daniel Lee Tania Tsang Ian Willis
Bayside Community Church is part of the NSW & ACT Baptist Association
..and our summer edition newsletter for 2014/2015. As we head towards the
close of another year we hope you enjoy finding out some of what’s been
going on at Bayside in 2014, and looking forward with us to what God has in
store for 2015!
Although December can be a very ‘full’, stressful, or even difficult time of the
year for many of us, it’s also a time of great promise if we can tap into the
reality of what God was up to among us a little over two thousand years ago.
Arriving in the form of a child, a baby, little did those first witnesses to the
event understand the enormity of what they saw and experienced. Of course,
some realised something was going on. Angelic visitors, wonders in the night
sky, Magi journeying from the east. But even those in the know had no full
concept of what God was unwrapping right in front of them.
The arrival of Jesus changed everything! As He lived and grew and fulfilled
God’s long ago promise of One to come who would save people and recon-
nect them with their God, this marvellous gift has since been gradually un-
wrapped and realised by many across the ages.
For the message of Christmas, ‘Christ has Come’, is a timeless message that
crosses any social or cultural boundaries known to mankind. It’s truly the gift
that keeps on giving... forever! So whatever you get up to during December,
however ‘busy’ life gets, take time to unwrap the promise, the gift of Jesus.
Then as we head into a fresh new year in January, may you find the time and
space to rest, refresh, recreate and realign your life and direction in the light
of God’s marvellous, unwrapped gift... the gift of Jesus.
Grace and peace & Christmas Greetings
Mark Falson
Bayside AM congregational pastor
Welcome to Bayside
from The Oversight Team
As we come to the end of one year, we look back with thanks to God for all the ways He continue to be at work in the life of our church. At Bayside we continue to commit ourselves to the Vision God has given us.
We see a church
Building people, raising up and releasing disciples to live out their God-given calling. We envision a church that develops an excess of leaders to spearhead new things. And we see a church that also champions the missional impact of each person in their own relationships and spheres of influence.
Impacting globally, deeply engaged in making a difference for Christ in mission across the world; thinking and acting globally as well as locally.
Transforming the next generation, championing ministries to children, youth and families. We see disciples raised up from every generation and family heritages transformed for good.
Expanding its influence across the district, deepening its current ministry footprints and adding new ones. We envision an agile, flexible and impacting church, not centralising our ministry in one location but expanding in response to God given opportunities. We see both our current congregations increasing significantly in size and capacity. We see a church that plants new congregations across our local area and beyond.
These are not just words for us – they guide our prayers, our planning, our ministry. Throughout 2014, there have been so many stories of God at work - people bring introduced to God and the life of the church, people experiencing new opportunities for ministry and growth, upcoming generations being discipled into lifelong faith. Praise God!
Of course, the ministry of our church is sustained through the commitment and joyful service of so many people across the life Bayside. THANK YOU!
The Oversight Team & staff will be away on retreat in February 2015, continuing to seek God’s heart for our church and the next steps involved in pushing in to this.
May this Christmas and new year time be one of joyful refreshment as you reflect back with thanks on what God has done, and recharge for the year that is to come.
Steve Bartlett, on behalf of the OT
Podcasts of the messages can be downloaded at www.baysidecc.com.au
December 7
It’s ‘Christmas Unwrapped’ at the Kidzone service with Rick George from the
NSW Bible Society.
December 14
Mark Falson continues the lead up to Christmas with ’Promise’.
December 21
It’s going to be a carols-singing kind of service led by Louise Bartlett. And we’ll be
joined by our own Neale Valentine, home from North Asia for a couple of months.
December 25—Christmas Day
The morning starts at 9am with our Community Breakfast. There’ll be some carol
singing and a short message from Mark Falson.
Join us for a relaxed time interacting
with a variety of speakers
during January at Bayside
December 28…Mark Falson January 4…Mel Wellings January 11…Rachel Li January 18…Tom Burton January 25…Carolyn Schache
KidZone and Priorty One will resume when school commences in 2015.
Activity Sheets suitable for all the KidZone ages will be available
during the services over the holidays
10AM @ Concord West Public School
Festive Season Happenings
December Gatherings
“It’s beginning to look a lot like
Christmas…”
Each Christmas we play carols, watch
favourite Christmas movies, enjoy good
food and celebrate this spiritual and
cultural event in a variety of ways. Why
do so many of us enjoy the celebrations
around Christmas? What about those who
don't enjoy this time of year so much - is
there anything in it for them? What if God made this marker event each
year for one and all, not just for some...? What hope and meaning is there
for each of us in the birth of this Saviour Child that we remember each
year?
Join in the fun of our December Gatherings 6:30pm Sundays (except the
last of the month) and find out!
Wentworth Point Carols on the Court
7:30pm Sunday December 14
@ Pulse Tennis Court, The Crescent, Wentworth Point
FREE BBQ, cold drinks, coffee/tea & cake available 6:30-7:30pm.
Kids Activities 6:30-7:20pm: jumping castle, temporary tattoos, colouring,
craft, plus the chance to have a photo with Santa!
From 7:30pm Carols on the Court with the Breathe & River’s Edge Church
combined band. There will be FREE glowsticks available for night time fun as
we sway and sing to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the newborn King!
For more info contact Nicole.
Summer Fun with Breathe
January Gatherings
May this New Year be truly Happy!
Begin 2015 on a hopeful note with us as we explore the secrets to
happiness and wellbeing. Drawing on ancient wisdom, and the most
up to date research, we will take the opportunity the New Year
provides to begin fresh, with some positive new ideas on how to
enjoy the lives we have been given. Jesus said he came to give life
in all its fullness, let’s explore together what is needed to receive
that great gift he offers.
Breathe is on the move for our gatherings in January, sharing the
love around various homes in Wentworth Point.
January 4- Sean & Nicole’s
January 11- Nath & Em’s
January 18- Trina’s
January 25- Exhale weekend
(no Sunday gathering)
Contact Nicole for more January venue details
A snapshot of 2014
We started the year hearing the words of Jesus : ‘Remain in Me, Walk with Me, Follow Me’, with encouragement to re-energise or rediscover vibrant relationship and connection with Him and allowing that to empower us in what He calls us to
Our Leadership was involved in a significant time of prayer for Bayside in April – where there was a sense of breaking through some barriers, and a sense of spiritual freedom and movement out of this.
In June we had a month-long focus on ‘Heroes of Mission’ which had an impact on some among us to step out and have a go. Talk to Lana Hor about what happened when she did just that! It was great to have a visit from the Crane family during this time. We raised $6390 to help send the Crane family back to Mozambique
Breathe continued to raise awareness of homelessness with the annual Winter Eat Out and Sleep Out.
We had the wonderful privilege of reaching more than 300 kids each week with SRE scripture classes at Newington (KLAG) and Homebush West primary schools
Prayers were answered as the Mainly Music team rebuilt during the year with a number of new volunteers coming from those who attend
Our men enjoyed a weekend of rest, fishing, food and connection away at Culburra
We celebrated all the men of Bayside and their role in helping to raise the next generation with a Pancake Breakfast on Fathers’ Day
Breathe turned ‘5’ in September!
We moved ahead with significant renovations at the Arthur Street Centre to benefit our tenants and open up further possibilities for Bayside ministry 2015 and beyond. Thank you for your support of a few painting working bees!
Both Bayside AM and breathe tackled the tough issue of Refugees and Asylum Seekers investigating God’s perspective and what we are called to do as people seeking to follow the way of Jesus. We got practical supporting Simple Love and House of Welcome.
We moved towards seeking support for a new Senior pastor
Some new folk joined with us during the year
We gathered together for a special time of prayer each term to seek God’s guidance and direction for Bayside; in Terms 2 and 4 these prayer gatherings were dedicated to praying in and for our footprint areas of Newington, Sydney Olympic Park, Rhodes, Liberty Grove, Wentworth Point, Concord West and Homebush West.
There is a sense of God’s movement among us and anticipation as we look forward into 2015
in 2014
Welcome! 2014 has been an exciting year for Breathe,
our simple styled community that calls Wentworth Point
home. We have made new friends in our local community &
welcomed new faces into Breathe community life! It is great
to hear from our new friends that they are experiencing
inclusion, authentic love & friendship with us, commitments
we live by in Breathe.
Making Connections
Breathe volunteers have continued to be involved in Wentworth Point community
life. Our English Conversation Group welcomes those
who are isolated in our suburb due to language barriers.
Michael & Jeffrey do a great job, along with other
volunteers Akeno & Dave., in helping participants feel
at ease & to begin to learn and grow together. Soon
their communication & confidence grows so they can
build new community connections. Contact Michael if you would like to help in 2015
Growth!
Another notable part of Breathe life this year has been a
number of us experiencing greater freedom through Jesus in
our lives and spiritual journeys. Barriers have been overcome
though learning, prayer & personal accountability together, so
we experience more of God’s abundant life! It has been
inspiring to see new friends exploring who Jesus is & what he
could mean to them, & others engaging with Breathe’s simple
spirituality.
It’s been another BIG year of expressing our God given purpose as a
community.
Serving the Homeless
With God’s miraculous provision, Breathe
hosted Eat Out & Sleep Out for
Homelessness during Homeless Persons
Week in August.
Partnership with local businesses,
community groups, & even some local crew
from the Royal Australian Navy meant
Breathe was able to raise awareness of the
issues facing the homeless communities of our city in Wentworth Point. We enjoyed
taking compassionate action with about 80 friends & neighbours,
Eating Out for Homelessness and hearing from those who have
actually lived rough. About 20 people braved the cold to Sleep
Out in solidarity.
Cheques of over $12000 plus donations of clothing & warm
blankets were presented to Meighan from St Vincent de Paul
Society’s Parramatta Diocese Vinnies Van. An amazing blessing
from God that will greatly assist in the purchase & resourcing of
a much needed new van!
Each month Breathe continues to serve the homeless
communities of Penrith & Parramatta through our
continued partnership with St Vincent De Paul
Society’s Vinnies Van.
By investing our energy, care & resources we truly hope
to be strengthening people who are amongst the most
vulnerable in our city. We are blessed to have the
ongoing leadership of Kath in this work. Please
contact her if you would like to be involved
Justice!
Breathe has been challenged in 2014 by the need for justice for
refugees & asylum seekers in Australia. We welcomed Jo Lee
from House of Welcome to share with us her experiences of the
needs & hopes of local refugees & asylum seekers. Through our
prayers, advocacy, practical donations & awareness raising
activities we hope to live out the way of Jesus for people
seeking safety & help in our country.
Inspiring!
2014 has seen God’s power at work in restoring people’s lives. It has been
wonderful to see transformation taking place as different ones experienced more
truth, healing, & confidence to step into new opportunities both in Breathe & in
other areas of life. For some this has meant changes of career direction, new homes,
or courage to partner with God in new ways in ministry. Exciting!
At the end of 2014 Dave will be moving off the
Breathe leaders group to pursue new
opportunities in 2015. Dave has partnered with
God faithfully in leading Breathe since before our
launch in 2009- that’s over 6 years!! John
Wooden says, “The most powerful leadership tool
you have is your own personal example”. Breathe
is so thankful for Dave’s example of how to live
the way of Jesus & as a wise, humble &
steadfast leader in our community right from its
beginnings.
Many blessings to you Dave (& Tash) as you look to the future. We look
forward to seeing what God will do in & through you next!
Breathe has been inspired through our connection with the
NSW Baptist Simple Church Network in 2014. We enjoyed a
great day of worship, workshops & sharing with other simple
church communities in March, & will be attending again in
March 2015. So encouraging to see what God is up to in
Simple Church communities across our state & beyond, & to
be an encouragement to others in the journey that Breathe
has now been on for the last 5 years.
Thank you God for doing amazing things
in & through your people this year!
Thanks to all of Breathe for faithfully being church together
to our local community in 2014!
Youth Ministry in 2014 At Bayside youth, we’re all about building disciples of Jesus through authentic relationships and living out God’s Word. We encourage our youth to grow in their faith through our regular Friday night youth and Sunday morning Priority One. Expectations of Friday nights have not dropped this year because we leave no survivors – everyone at some point this year had gotten either wet, covered with food, or was all sweaty from games. (I think I’ve been most wet this year! But as they say, ‘You gotta take one for the team’.) At Bayside, we like to think that our Friday nights are special; this is because we love pointing others to Jesus through a different perspective. Our discussion topics are inspired by ideas that young people may like or are often very much a part of. This year our themes were: Movies (Term 1) School subjects (Term 2) Either/Or Choices (Term 3) Fairytales (term 4) On Sunday mornings Priority One, we delve deeper into the Bible, looking at how God’s Word speaks to our lives. Though we like to get straight into serious business, we enjoy some pranks every now and then. Our year 5 from KIDZONE has recently moved up to join us and we welcomed them with a special taste of what we mean by ‘serious business’. (You can try and ask what we did but our pact is: What happens in Priority One stays in Priority One…! – which is not true because we often encourage everyone to share about their lives on Sundays, and inspire them to share about their Sundays during the rest of the week.) This year we looked at: ‘me and what God created me to be’ (Term 1) why God sent us on a mission (Term 2) teenagers and adolescents from the Bible (Term 3) Philippians (Term 4) But we’re not only making an impact on Fridays and Sundays. One of our highlights this year was the opportunity to go to KYCK (Katoomba Youth Convention) as part of our youth camp. We spent a weekend away in Katoomba and attended conferences about Matthew 5 and had time to bond over food, games and sharing. I’d like to especially thank our leaders for putting their time and effort into our youth ministry: Simone, Rob, Tom, James S., James B., Shang, Erin and Vinnie.
Rachel Li, Youth Pastor
Connecting with Our City and World
Neale V in North Asia living amongst a Muslim
minority group.
Keep in touch with him at [email protected]
Bob and Chris Prouty helping families and groups of
friends discover for themselves what God is like and
how he wants them to live both locally and overseas
via the internet. Chris is also chaplain at Homebush
West Public School helping recent migrants connect
with the school and wider community.
Mick and Tammy Dunne and their children Jack, Mark
and Harry volunteering on board the Africa Mercy
hospital ship that provides free state-of-the-art medical
treatment to the forgotten poor in West and Central
Africa.
Keep in touch with them at
The boys have email addresses in the same format too!
Jonno and Heather Crane and their children
Samuel, Caleb, Hannah, Micah and Josiah living
amongst the Yao people in Mozambique. They’re
connected with Global Interaction.
from The Mission Team I (Mel) have missionary friends who sign off their newsletters with “until they all hear”. It draws me back to Acts 1:8 where we read Jesus commanding us to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the Earth. At Bayside we take that commandment seriously - getting the message of Jesus to our local community, the rest of Australia and to the ends of the Earth. It’s part of our core values statements and there are a range of ways we engage in that in our local area, our country and the world (specifically North Asia, Mozambique and Madagascar).
In 2014 that’s looked a bit like this...
In June we took time to specifically focus on global mission and our mission partners. We were challenged by guest speakers about what our response is and might look like. One person who was particularly challenged through Mission month is Lana Hor who through prayer decided to take a short term trip to India and spend time in an orphanage she had visited previously. It was encouraging to hear the stories she shared at the recent Celebration service.
Together we contributed $6390 towards the support of the Crane family and have covered our commitments to Neale and the Proutys
Around a dozen Baysiders visited ShACC (Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community Church) in Nowra and joined in their worship service. We have continued to pray for their leadership transitions and search for a pastor.
October had a ‘just cause’ focus. The purpose of ‘A Just Cause’ is to take action on pressing issues of justice. We considered God’s heart for those who are vulnerable, exploited and oppressed; advocated with and on behalf of the vulnerable, exploited and oppressed, in order to secure more just policies; and connected with opportunities to serve in practical ways those for whom they are advocating.
And as we approach the advent season we’ll consider how we can share the great news of Jesus our Saviour with those around in in word and in deed. Stay tuned for details.
The mission team meets 5-6 times per year to pray for our supported missionaries, plan mission month and mission spots. If you would like to be part of that team, please chat to Nicole, Mel or Matt, Tom, Lana or Mark.
We are Your church. We are the hope on earth.
Build Your kingdom here, let the darkness fear.
Show Your mighty hand, heal our streets and land!
Set Your church on fire! Win this nation back.
Change the atmosphere! Build Your kingdom here! We pray!
Lyrics - Build your Kingdom – The Rend Collective
From ‘The Cranium’ - newsletter of the Crane family
Breakthrough!! ... no... seriously?... Yes!!
What's happened? It's hard to believe I'm actually writing this, but we've had a breakthrough in the saga to get the Good family into Mozambique! No Way!?!?... Yes Way!! On Friday we received a letter from the Government informing us that the Governor of the Province of Niassa had, he himself, the biggest-est man-ness himselfness, approved the Goods to enter Mozambique!
Now in case you're not a full bottle on the political dynamics of this fine northern province of Mozambique, allow me to briefly explain the consequences of this.... It's big! The immigration process has now begun anew, now with the full cooperation of the department of immigration, and we're expecting the Goods to enter Mozambique before the end of the year!
How did a momentous event such as this take place? Was it the ties Cam and I have taken to wearing whenever we visit anyone higher in rank than postman? (see us below with stylish African pose) Maybe? Was is it the Instagram photo of Elizabeth and Anna Good I showed the Permanent Secretary? Possibly? But without doubt, the most important thing is the prayer support of so so many people this whole time petitioning our God to allow the Goods to do that which they've been called to do... serve the Yao of Mozambique.
So please keep on praying that the process will now proceed without further difficulty. We won't quite exhale properly until they're in Mozambique with long term visas in hand. I promise to keep you up to date with each major step as it happens.
Thank you!
Jonno Crane
Q&A with Tammy Dunne
How are you going to celebrate Christmas?
Christmas Onboard is a month long festival. There are heaps of activities starting with
St Nicholas day on 6th December run by the Dutch community. Then the Scandinavians
do Santa Lucia - the festival of the light—with a choir singing with candles in wreaths
on their heads ( a personal favourite as the "Santa Lucia" last year managed to keep
singing despite the wax dripping onto her cheeks and all through her hair - they had to
iron it with a serviette to get it out! ).
From our neck of the woods, we have Carols by candlelight on the wharf with Day crew
joining in. We also have Christmas story telling, cookie baking, gingerbread house and
door decorating as well as normal church and international advent services with a
wreath ( AdventsKranz from Germany ) each week. And a winter wonderland fair.
It is quite a busy time but fascinating to see how different cultures do it. It will be
interesting to see which new traditions come Onboard from Madagascar.
What are you doing for New Years?
Mick and I have our own mini tradition of talking through one year goals, 5 year goals
and bucket lists - checking off old ones and creating new ones. Hopefully, we may go
off the ship for dinner around this time
What are your plans for 2015 and what are you looking forward to?
Coming home to Australia mid year.
It also looks like the ship will do a maintenance period in South Africa which will
significantly reduce our travelling time and costs.
Not 2015 - but going to Cape Town and Madagascar. And seeing what God has in
store for the ship
Challenge of Mick sitting his 2nd engineers ticket.
Possibility of grandparents visiting the ship.
Any New Year resolutions?
James 1:19 " quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger" - a good rule of thumb for
living in community for extended periods.
'What are some lessons and highlights' from the past year,
both in your faith journey and everyday life
So many to count. With regard to everyday life, we have all learned to let go of something's - like stressing about the dining room or neighbours snoring. We have instead focused a lot more on what we can do something about especially with regard to relationships with patients and day crew.
Regarding Faith, it’s a very hot topic of conversation right now. We are learning about the value in waiting. There are plenty of examples of waiting for Gods timing which we have been exploring Onboard through the delays before sailing. The question has become, how do you use your time when you are waiting? And what is God doing in you as you wait?
For Tammy, she felt very challenged in working in the training department in her first year. And was questioning if that was what God wanted her to be doing indefinitely? In Early August, she was moved into HR and is now using more of her skills and experience in doing Exit debriefing and welcoming new crew. The irony is that she is being asked to move into doing Personal Development Plans for long term crew in concert with the training department. So now it seems that Gods fingerprints, in terms of professional relationship building can be seen in that sojourn there too.
from Matthew Pettett Community Support Coordinator at Concord West Public School It’s December already! This year has vanished in the blink of an eye!
Term 4 saw the conclusion of the much talked about handball competition. Three comps were offered for Stage 2 boys, Stage 3 boys and Stage 2/3 girls. They played round robin matches in Term 3 and then the Finals in Term 4. The comp ended with an All Stars match which also displayed teacher handball talent! The handball competition got students outdoors more often (to practice!), and students are eager for next year’s competition.
Also in Term 4 the principal, Kim Self, asked me to help coordinate the Scripture Programme here at CWPS. Because my role as Community Support Coordinator allows flexibility with time, I’m able to assist with working on the administration side of Scripture. There have been concerns about how the programme was running, and my hope and prayer is that these concerns can be addressed so that there will continue to be growing levels of support for Scripture from the school.
Early in the term I visited two other primary schools to see what programmes their chaplains were running. There are many excellent ones out there and the one which the school has asked me to pursue training in is Rock and Water. I hope to start teaching this to our students by the end of Term 1 next year. Additionally, there were many good ideas for lunch time clubs which will be important to help us manage with even less playground space next year! I’ve been collecting Lego to start a Lego club next year and am looking into other options too.
As I think back on the year, some highlights include
the Biggest Morning Tea celebration in which the hall was decked out in pink and yellow and over $1300 raised.
the reception of the resilience classes by the teachers and students involved. Aas one teacher put it: “Our CSC has been highly beneficial in teaching our students how to successfully exercise resilience. I've seen a change in my own students with regard to managing their thoughts, increased positive interactions and better understanding toward one another. Our CSC has been an invaluable asset to our school!”
Finally, my biggest highlight has been working with the students in the playground and the classroom to assist them with social interaction and resilience skills. It’s a huge privilege to offer students that kind of support when they most need it and to see their progress with it.
Next year I’ll be back again for two days a week, subject to our school being successful in it’s application for ongoing government funding for the position. I’m very much looking forward to what God has in store!
Have a blessed holiday celebrating the birth of our Saviour!
Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community Church (ShACC)
The Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community Church began in 2009 with the assistance of All Saints Anglican Church, Nowra. It is a community of Jesus followers, consisting mainly of people from the local Aboriginal community but is inclusive of all people. A friendship between our two churches began in 2013.
This year has been an eventful one for the mob at ShACC!
In January the trainee minister leading ShACC moved to WA
Brendon and Amy Garlett ministered at ShACC till Brendon accepted a call to Katanning Aboriginal Evangelical Church, south west of WA. Deryck Howell now oversees ShACC as the official minister, having the oversight of a couple of south coast churches. Phil Miles has the role of ‘pastoral worker’, overseeing the day to day running of ShACC.
The Garlett family with Uncle Tom, a church elder.
Bayside visited ShACC in May A small number joined in worship and fellowship lunch with our ShACC friends for our 2nd gathering together on the 18th May. It was a positive time of mutual support and encouragement and as with our first visit, we look forward with excitement to our next trip south!
There were birthday celebrations in June ShACC celebrated its 5th birthday with a large meeting held at All Saints’, Nowra. This was an important milestone for the church as it was a very concrete reminder of God’s faithfulness over the past few years. About one hundred people attended ,many from ShACC and All Saints’congregations and a number of visitors from supporting churches(Mark Falson represented Bayside) and Aboriginal Christians from further away. A celebration lunch followed the service.
NAIDOC Week celebrations In July ShACC was involved in NAIDOC week by having a tent at the fun day at Nowra Showground. There were thousands there, enjoying the entertainment and food. Having a ShACC stall was an opportunity to let the community know about ShACC’s existence, and to slowly strengthen ties with the wider Aboriginal community in the Shoalhaven. Did you know: The roots of NAIDOC week lie in the efforts of Aboriginal Christians of a previous generation?
ShACCMOW An outreach to older children and youth this year has been through lawnmower racing! This occurs monthly on Illaroo Farm, owned by Uncle Tom, Peter and Gerry Moore. Peter Ellis initiated this regular event by connecting with other Christian men in the region who use lawnmower racing as a way to reach out to kids.
The Passing of Aunty Ett in November Aunty Ett passed away peacefully in hospital on the 1st of November after many months of failing health but continuing strength in the Lord. She was a stalwart of ShACC and an important person in the wider community. Aunty Ett had a strong desire for her loved ones and the wider Aboriginal community
to turn back to God; she spoke and prayed fervently for this. One of the ways in which Auntie Ett was involved in the wider community was in helping set up the first official Circle Sentencing program in Australia, which began in Nowra in 2002.( Circle Sentencing is a method of dealing with Aboriginal offenders in the court system, especially for more serious crimes or repeat offenders.) Her passing is a huge loss to the church family, her own family and the wider Aboriginal Community.
Prayer and praise points for ShACC
God’s care for the church over the last five years
Deryck and Phil as they work with the congregation
God’s leading into the future and for a new Aboriginal pastor
patience and wisdom for the congregation as they strive to do things in ways that are both Biblical and culturally sensitive
work with children and youth
God’s blessing on Auntie Ett’s family, especially that those who don’t yet know the Lord will follow her example in turning to him
ShACC as they learn to get along without her guidance and support.
Give thanks that Auntie Ett and other Christians have been able to contribute to the wider community.
Christian people will continue to help the Aboriginal community as it struggles with alcohol, drugs and many family problems and for the witness of ShACC as the church comes into contact with these issues.
'a drop of dew' A vision of a drop of dew was given by a Baysider to ShACC during our first visit
in 2013, believing its meaning was for us to be refreshing to the ShACC mob.
(Exodus 16:14) . Let’s step into 2015 with enthusiasm, excitement and
anticipation of what God will do as we continue to pursue this special friendship
between our church families!
Simone & Ken Burton
Kids Ministry at Bayside
mainly music is a preschoolers’ music program held Thursday mornings in Newington during school terms, and hosted by Bayside Community Church. The last mainly music session for the year will be on 11th December and it will resume on 5th February. We thank God for this great way of showing God's love to young children and those caring for them in our area. We had a lot of fun with music and toys and made heaps of new friends. We also saw a lot of changes in the volunteer team and have been so grateful to everyone who has helped. Our current team includes Carolyn Schache, Raeleigh Saunders, Louise Bartlett, Rhonda Ho, KC Thor, Sandra Graves, Ella Setiawan, Triana Dhermawan, Peggy Sy (some of them made it into the photo!)
We taught scripture (SRE) classes to more than 300 students each week at Newington Public School and Homebush West Public School. We also got cracking with doing some training to help us do our very best with our class groups. December 2nd was the final SRE for the year at Newington PS and we had a very fun and engaging time of finding out what Christmas is really about, including a puppet show from Quizworx. In 2015 we’ll be seeking a new Coordinator for SRE. Could it be you?
Kidzone on Sunday mornings was a great time of learning about God, encouraging kids in developing their own faith, and continuing to evolve as a supportive and fun group of friends for each other. In 2014 we met in 2 groups and also had a creche for our youngest members. Many thanks to our fantastic teachers, and to the many parents and friends who come in as helpers. Please talk to Carolyn Schache if you are interested in being a Kidzone teacher as we would love to grow our team! We are looking for people who love kids and can teach a block of 3 lessons each term. Out of respect for safety and appropriate supervision, Kidzone teachers must get a current working with children check, have done or commit to doing a Creating Safe Spaces training workshop, and always teach with a helper rather than alone with the children
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him
and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
PRAY and give thanks to God for all the great things that have happened among us this year. Give thanks for the gifts, abilities and resources that God has provided through His people among us and for the ongoing privilege of seeing lives transformed through encounter with Him!
PRAY for our brothers and sisters at ShACC (Shoalhaven Aboriginal Community Church) especially as they seek the right person to pastor them into the future as a community. Pray for them also as they deal with the recent loss of Aunty Ett, a significant figure in their community
PRAY as we approach Christmas and New Year for the Lord’s favour and for fruitfulness through relationship and connection in each of our footprint areas and surrounds. Pray for the people of Wentworth Point, Newington, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush West, Concord West, Liberty Grove and Rhodes. Pray for a spiritual hunger that will not be satisfied except in Jesus and pray they will encounter Him during this season
PRAY for rest and refreshment over the summer break for all those who have played a part in ‘Transforming the Next Generation’ this year by serving in ministries to children and youth through Kidzone, SRE, KLAG, Mainly Music, Crosseyed and Priority One!
PRAY for the Crane family, for Neale Valentine, for the Dunne family and the Prouty’s in the ongoing part they play in ‘Impacting Globally’ with the Good News of Jesus
And finally... as we round off one year and prepare for the possibilities of the new one, pray that as a community of God’s people we might be gracious, loving ambassadors of Jesus wherever we are given presence and opportunity in 2015!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Phil. 4:6-7 (TNIV)
PRAY on Sunday mornings at Concord West Public School
@ 1st classroom from 9.30am
PRAY on Wednesday mornings in Newington
@12 Wing Parade from 6.30am
Praying @ Bayside
Some things to pray for together over summer
Scripture Classes Each Tuesday 9-9.30am @ Newington Public School (school terms) KLAG
Each Thursday @ Homebush West Public School
mainly music Each Thursday 10-11.30am @ Newington Community Centre (school terms)
Contact Carolyn Schache 0416 084 413
crosseyed youth group (Yrs 6-12) Friday nights during school terms.
Arthur St Centre, 59 Arthur St, Homebush West Contact Rachel Li 0410 687 723
Prayer Gathering each Wednesday 6.30am @ 12 Wing Pde Newington
Contact Mark Falson 0423 201 261
LifeGroups and Connect Groups Contact Mark Falson 0423 201 261
Breathe Sunday night 6.30pm (except last Sunday of the month)
@the Brice’s home, 214/4 Stromboli Strait, Wentworth Point Contact Nicole Regan 0423 246 482
10AM Sunday Service with KidZone & Priority One (Yrs 6-9)
Concord West Public School Hall, 378 Concord Rd (near Killoola Ave) Parking in Queen St
Vinnies Van run 4th Saturday of month
Contact Kath Simmonds 9890 5850 or [email protected]
English Conversation group each Wednesday 7.30pm @ Wentworth Point Community Library
except last of the month Contact Michael Villis 0402 908 147
What’s Usually On?
‘Lifegroups’ and ‘45’s Up’ Connection groups
It’s great to gather together on Sundays but at Bayside AM we want our interactions
and expressions of community to go beyond that. Enter ‘Lifegroups’ and ‘45’s Up’.
Lifegroups are smaller group gatherings
where some of life can be shared with each
other on a regular, often fortnightly basis.
Usually this involves a focus on a passage of
the bible, sharing some of life, eating (or at
least sharing coffee/tea/supper) and an
opportunity to pray together and for each
other.
We have a few Lifegroups already happening around the place (men’s, women’s,
young adults) so let us know if you’d be interested as a participant, or even perhaps
as a new host (welcome a group into your home) or a facilitator (helping a group to
come together and function effectively) since we’re always keen for new groups to
kick off as needed.
45’s Up is a larger gathering that comes together on a semiregular basis (about once
per term) but provides the opportunity for connection for people within the wider
church community.
This group usually shares a meal together as an opportunity for relaxed social
interaction, and often involves someone sharing an aspect of a life of faith. This is
also a great group to invite friends and neighbours along to share community
together.
If you are interested in ‘45’s Up’ (aimed at those roughly in that age group – though
we’re not that fussy!) then let us know and we’ll link you up.
If you’d like to know more, or to link up with any of these groups, please contact:
Mark Falson on 0423 201 261 or [email protected]
Our Story
Bayside Community Church began in 2000 to serve the growing population in the suburbs around the Sydney Olympic site. We wanted to be a fresh, relevant expression of the Christian faith, based on the teaching of Jesus
It started in a lounge room in Liberty Grove with Steve and Louise Bartlett and 2 other families, moved to Newington Community Centre and then to Concord West Public School as our congregation grew.
Our second congregation called “breathe” began in the Gloria Jeans cafe at North Strathfield in 2006. A couple of years later it was replanted into the Waterfront estate at Wentworth Point.
In 2009 we were given the church building in Arthur Street where Strathfield-Homebush Baptist Church met until it closed down. We now call it the Arthur St Centre. We’re privileged to continue their legacy of ministry into the Homebush/Flemington district. Our Crosseyed Youth group meets at the Arthur St Centre on
a Friday night and it’s also the Bayside office.
Bayside Community Church is part of the NSW & ACT Baptist Association
Even though we don’t have Baptist in our name that doesn’t mean we don't value the fact that we are a Baptist church. Being part of a movement connects us with many other churches with similar heart to see people impacted across our nation and world for Jesus
“Being Baptist’ is not only (or even most importantly) about how much water you get baptised with. Our whole movement started just over 400 years ago by people who were committed to the capacity of every follower of Jesus to know God’s presence and guidance and to be free to worship in the way they wanted to. Our heritage is also one of energetic commitment to mission. These emphases were in responses to the mainline church of the day in England which did not value these things. And they are the emphases that have been a key thread in the story of what is now one of the largest movements in the church worldwide.
We are part of a heritage that is worth celebrating, and though it is seldom ‘front and centre’ in our minds at a local level, who we are and what we are part of impacts our values and vision as a church. Have you ever checked out the movement we are a part of? Go to http://www.nswactbaptists.org.au/get-connected/who-are-we and have a squiz.
Our Values
Vibrant Faith connected to God, living in His power Expectant for what God will do in our lives and in His church Leading a life of worship that pursues intimacy with God Believing prayer expressed together and individually
Kingdom Living changing our world with Jesus Relentlessly seeking to connect people with Jesus Intentionally biasing our time and resources towards those who are yet to enter the Kingdom Actively making a difference in the world, promoting God’s compassion, justice and peace
Community sharing life deeply Practicing inclusiveness and acceptance Serving one another, sacrificially as needed Honesty and integrity in relationships
Transformation becoming more like Jesus Consistently seeking opportunities to grow our faith Lifelong growth into Christlikeness in the power of the Holy Spirit Practicing appropriate accountability
Empowerment developing, releasing, multiplying Developing—intentional apprenticeship to facilitate the growth of new leaders Releasing of people to new levels of discipleship and leadership Multiplying—an expectation of the birth of new disciples, leaders, ministries, congregations and churches
We exist to love God and love people; encouraging everyone to grow into
passionately committed followers of Jesus