west epping uniting church€¦ · west epping uniting church the best day of her life! weddings...
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Our Vision: We are people sent to share the love,
hope and compassion of Jesus Christ with
all the world
WEST EPPING UNITING CHURCH
THE BEST DAY OF HER LIFE!
Weddings are special and my daughter’s wedding last
Saturday was no exception. Preparations seemed to go on
forever while the actual day was just perfect despite some of
the imperfections that occurred.
Clouds moved in to threaten a light shower. The bride was
late for the ceremony. My one year grandson, who was to be
the ring bearer, got stage fright. Then word came through
that the person delivering the wedding cake was involved in a
car accident. While no one was injured, the wedding cake
was destroyed!
But my daughter and son-in-law took it all in their stride.
Determined to make this the best day of their lives, they
delighted in this special day and simply enjoyed it. Meanwhile,
for the rest of the family, it was a lovely time of catching up,
sharing stories and relishing in the good things of life.
Life is like that. There are always imperfections. They pop up
to surprise us, to way-lay us and to simply make life difficult for
us. But such things should not prevent us from living every day
to the fullest.
It really depends on how you approach life. Is the glass half
empty or half full? Do we focus on those matters that are
working against us, the things that are making life difficult or
are constantly tripping us up? Or do we concentrate on those
matters that are good, those things that enrich life and make
it all worthwhile?
Imperfections haunt us. But they shouldn’t stop us from living
life and making the most of each day.
I am constantly inspired and encouraged by a number of
people in this congregation who face enormous
imperfections in their lives. But, despite these set-backs, you
simply get on with the business of living life and celebrating all
that you have. Such an approach is a powerful witness to us
all that life is precious, life is to be valued, life is to be
celebrated.
And most importantly life is to be received and appreciated
as a wonderful gift from God.
Imperfections haunt us. But don’t let such things prevent you
from living life – and, most importantly, don’t let them stop you
from constantly giving thanks to God for this most precious gift.
My eldest daughter was married amidst a number of
imperfections. But this was still, and will always be, the best
day of her life!
Rev John Barr
Sunday 29 April 2018
Welcome 환영합니다
സവ്ാഗതം 欢迎 Ki ora Malo ē lelei
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace:
We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that
sustains life,
for the food of this earth that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends without which there
would be no life.
We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty
that the eye can see,
for the joy that the ear may hear,
for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the
universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the
definitions of our selves.
We thank you for setting us in communities: for families
who nurture our becoming,
for friends who love us by choice,
for companions at work, who share our burdens and
daily tasks,
for strangers who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands who call us to grow in
understanding,
for children who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.
We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to
love,
for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and
peace,
for neighbours and one more person to love and by
whom be loved,
for your grace and one more experience of your
presence,
for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to
give salvation.
For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal,
loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Vienna Cobb Anderson
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we gather, the Wallumedegal people of the
Eora nation and give thanks for their care of the land over many generations.
MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP ~ Wednesday 2 May
10am to 11.45am. All welcome.
Speaker will be Ali Cooke from UnitingWorld.
Enquiries: Jan Dunstan 9876 3344
PRAYER GROUP ~ If you would like prayer for
yourself or for others please contact Lois Rees,
Helen Campbell, Annabelle Avern or Rev John
Barr who convene a weekly Prayer Group each
Thursday in the Cottage 12.15-1.00pm. During
this time we pray for all members of the West
Epping Community and for the
needs of others.
New members of the Prayer Group
are always welcome.
CONTINUOUS FOOD DRIVE ~ is part of the Ladies
Fellowship outreach into the community. Start
collecting an extra packet or tin of
non-perishable foods when
shopping and bring them in on the
first Sunday of each month. The
food collected is given to Christian
Community Aid at Eastwood.
WELCOME TO OUR MODERATOR
The Moderator of the Synod of NSW and the ACT, Rev Simon
Hansford, is our guest today. Installed on 29th September, 2017,
Simon will serve in this role for three years.
The Moderator is elected to give prophetic and pastoral
leadership to the people and congregations of the Synod, by
assisting and encouraging expression of our hope in Jesus Christ,
offering challenge because of that same hope, and reminding
the church of its call and the God who calls each and every
person.
As Moderator Simon said of his vision for the Uniting Church:
“Our Church has a vital place in our community, and we have a
long experience of seeking to engage our community with the
gospel, through advocacy, service, and the ministry of individuals
and congregations.
Our lives – and our words – proclaim the hope we have found in
Jesus, and this echoes in our worship together, in our challenges
for our community and in our service for all those around us.”
Simon has served in ordained ministry for more than twenty-five
years, serving in rural and regional communities across New South
Wales.
He grew up in Sydney was formed for ministry at the United
Theological College, North Parramatta. Simon was ordained in
1990 and moved with his wife Fiona to Dubbo in 1991. It was in
Dubbo where their two daughters were born and here that he
developed his deep love for regional, rural and remote Australia.
In 2003, Simon and his family were called to Queanbeyan
Congregation and he served there until 2006. From 2006 until
2012 he served as the Presbytery Minister for the New England
North West Presbytery, and it was in this Presbytery where he
completed his most recent placement in Tamworth Southside
Congregation in August 2017.
Simon sees this time as an opportunity for us to articulate our
experience of God, who is deeply committed to our entire
creation; it is not simply serving those who need it, but sharing the
hope which places us with those in need, living the story of Jesus
Christ, in whom we find ourselves made whole.
Welcome, Simon,
to West Epping!
COTTAGE CAFE ~ Thursday 10 May from 2pm.
Come and join us for a relaxed
cuppa and a chat in the cottage.
All welcome! Bring a friend.
MEN’S FELLOWSHIP ~ Monday 14 May at
6.30pm followed by speaker at 7.45pm
Dinner Bookings to: Bruce Elliott 0438 180 342
NEXT SUNDAY 6th MAY
Next Sunday, 6th May, will be Ruth Budge’s final
day as our regular organist. We will sing some of
Ruth’s favourite hymns (which are many of our
favourites!) and acknowledge Ruth’s 40 years of
faithful service to this congregation.
You are all warmly welcome to attend this service
of worship and the morning tea afterwards as we
give thanks to God for Ruth’s wonderful
contribution over so many years.
Sunday 6th May at 8am.
“Sing and make music from your heart”
Ephesians 5:20
FRIDAY DISCOVERY ~ Group for Seniors
Friday 18 May, 10am. All welcome! Join us for
morning tea, followed by our speaker Rev Bruce
Noble, who will tell us stories of his interesting
ministry over many years.
Enquiries: Joan Ross 9873 3713
PRAYER POINTS
Pray for our Moderator, Rev Simon Hansford, our
General Secretary, Rev Jane Fry, our President, Pastor
Stuart McMillan, and all those offering leadership in the
Assembly, Synods, Presbyteries and Congregations of the UCA
across NSW/ACT and Australia.
Pray for the upcoming triennial Assembly of the Uniting Church
which will take place in Box Hill, Melbourne, on 8th to 14th July.
Participants will be drawn from six synods, 30 presbyteries and
various Assembly agencies and working groups. Discussions will
focus on directions and priorities of the Uniting Church for the
next three years.
Pray for all those who have particular needs today – the sick, the
lonely, the grieving, the anxious and the broken-hearted.
WEUC is committed to protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm and abuse.
Acts 8:26-40
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south
to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness
road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a
court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her
entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning
home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the
Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it
and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand
what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides
me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage
of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.’
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet
say this, about himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to
speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good
news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to
some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent
me from being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both
of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip
baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way
rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing
through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he
came to Caesarea.
John 15:1-8
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every
branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes
to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word
that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the
branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those
who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me
you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a
branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and
burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever
you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you
bear much fruit and become my disciples.
How will we commend the faith in Australia today?
Rev Dr Chris Walker will lead a series on how we can speak about our
faith in today’s world.
Day 1 – Saturday 26th May, 9am-1pm
Day 2 – Saturday 2nd June, 9am -1pm
Day 3 – Saturday 16th June, 9am- 1pm
All sessions at the Centre for Ministry, North Parramatta
For more details and registration:
http://ume.nswact.uca.org.au/upcoming-courses/course-registrations/
or contact Ian Robinson [email protected]
Ministry Team Rev John Barr 0457 879 099 Rev Radhika Sukumar-White (on maternity leave) Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi (Lofa) 0403 283 756
Office Administrator Helen Tattersall 9868 3574 Safe Church Contact Person Erica Harrison 9873 3989
Church Office 35 Orchard St Epping 2121 p: 9868 3574
Office Hours Monday to Thursday 8.30am—3.00pm Friday 8.30am—12.30pm Email [email protected] Website weppinguca.org.au Facebook facebook.com/weppinguniting WEUC Bank Account Westpac BSB 032 081 Account 961263
What’s on this week!
West Epping Uniting Church uses information and news provided by its members, adherents and officers for the
purposes of conducting its pastoral ministry. In the course of that ministry, material published in this bulletin may reach an audience wider than the membership of
the congregation.
Sunday 29 April ~ Together Service, 9am
Visit by the Moderator of the NSW/ACT Synod Rev
Simon Hansford
Thursday 10 May ~ Ascension Day
Sunday 13 May ~ Mothers Day
Tuesday 15 May ~ Mid-week Communion, 10am
Sunday 20 May ~ Pentecost
Sunday 27 May ~ Trinity Sunday
Wednesday 11 July ~ Lamington drive
Saturday 22 September ~ Mystery bus tour
Diary Dates
West Epping Uniting Church is a member of an Ecumenical Covenant
with the Anglican Parish of Epping,
the Catholic Parish of Epping and
Carlingford, Epping Baptist Church and
Epping Uniting Church.
For Pastoral Care needs
please contact:
Rev John Barr 0457 879 099
Serving next Sunday 6 May
Tuesday 1 May 9.30am Men’s Shed at Arrunga
Wednesday 2 May 9.30am 9.45am 10.00am
Men’s Shed at Arrunga mainly music Missionary Fellowship
Thursday 3 May 9.30am 10.00am 12.15pm
Men’s Shed at Arrunga Thursday Craft Prayer Group
Sunday 6 May 8.00am 10.00am 4.00pm
Worship HC Worship HC : JAM for children CSI
DEDICATION AND BLESSING OF ANNA PRIYA SUKUMAR-WHITE
Baby, Anna Priya Sukumar-White, will be Dedicated and
Blessed on Sunday 13th May during the 10am service.
You are all warmly welcome to attend this service to
support Adrian and Radhika as we give thanks to God
for this child. A special morning tea will follow.
8.00am 10.00am
Welcomers Annabelle Avern
Betty Taylor Jean Chapple Jan Williams
Stewards John Planner John Norman
Morris Ross So Young Paik
Ministers Assistant Margaret Leivesley Peter Brown
Communion Assistants
Mavis & John Hall Ruth Budge
Pete McAndrew, Lois Rees, Margaret Gibbons
Reader Doug Blunden Jean Chapple
Prayer Ministry Annabelle Avern Sue Elliott
Prayers for Others Jan Venn-Brown Jan Venn-Brown
Sound/Computer Bruce Sheldrick Nick Ostle
Flowers Dot Plannet
A SERVICE OF HEALING will be held on Sunday
27 May at 4.00 pm in the Cottage.
You are warmly invited to attend as we seek God’s
wholeness together.
Worship and Faith Development Team