A surprising doorway to being resilient!
The past weekend we were able to enjoy some of our newly found freedoms post lockdowns. As the Botha family, we had been waiting for this opportunity: We have a favourite activity that has developed a ceremonial value for us as migrants. It combines an intimate experience of five of the things we hold most dear: Our family relationships, a road trip altogether in one vehicle, the Southbank Promenade, great food, and lots of friendly banter as we reminisce on the season gone by!
Our expectations were higher than usual after 77 days of lockdown. Everything went wonderfully as planned until we saw how stressed the staff at our favourite restaurant was. We were ready to feast away on our plans…waiting to be served all our expected delicacies…only to be confronted with the stark reality of how deeply our broader community was touched by the pandemic.
As we walked up and down on the promenade…I saw something interesting. One restaurant was open and emulating days gone by with party music and loud guests, although not many…and right next door a closed restaurant with a sign on the door saying, “Closed until further notice”. Have you had that experience? Some people engage with their lives as if nothing has changed…while you are “Closed until further notice…”
My challenge is partly that I don’t enjoy negative emotions. I steer away from loss, pain, disappointment and would many times respond with a “she’ll be all right…”. Immediately I was reminded of a time in our life as a young family when all of life was grinding to a halt due to trauma, and the rest of the world just wanted to get on with things!
We were in mourning >>>
and the rest of the world was ready to move on!
Life is ambiguous now…and you need to know…THAT IS FINE! It comes with the territory for now. On one hand, it can make you feel like a hypocrite (feeling one way but having to front up and act in another) and on the other hand, it can make you feel ill-prepared for the responsibilities you have to carry through this season. It can be a very be a confusing time in life. It is very much like Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome: You battle for mental clarity during emotional confusion. As a Pastor I’d like to share with you three truths that will help you make wise decisions in this season:
1. Respect the fact that everybody was impacted differently by the pandemic…and we are all in need of empathy. Some people had more to deal with than just a pandemic. They had health issues, collateral damage and may have been confronted with death. Meditate on this:
'We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbours for their good, to build them up. '
Romans 15:1-2 NIV
2. Facing, tracing, and embracing your losses are a critical part of finding resilience again. We are a society who so easily would rather be distracted than we would want to “handle” our reality. Meditate on this:
' Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. '
Matthew 5:4 NIV
3. As much as we try to avoid the pain of mourning…it is a key element in clearing your internal system in order to find hope again. The tears we cry don’t just clear our physical eyes…but it clarifies our eternal hope! Meditate on this:
'You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.'
Psalms 30:11-12 NIV
May you experience His removal of the sackcloth and his dressing with joy!
Life Group | Update
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:35
You will be aware that the Victorian government has determined that at 6pm on Friday 29 October, more restrictions will be eased. Note – under these temporary and transitional arrangements, masks will remain mandatory indoors but are no longer required outdoors. It is highly recommended you continue to wear a mask outdoors where you cannot physically distance.
Under the next phase of the easing of restrictions (29th October, 2021), there are several aspects that are relevant.
Life Groups wishing to meet in a private dwelling (home)
- Up to 10 people (including dependents) per day will be able to visit homes
- Vaccination is highly recommended
Life Groups wishing to meet in outdoor settings
- Up to 30 people (including dependents) per day will be able to meet outdoors
- Vaccination is highly recommended
Life Groups wishing to meet at the church
- This will be assessed on a case by case basis.
- If fully-vaccinated, up to 500 people with DQ4 are permitted for religious gatherings. Note, however, that most life groups are under 30 people.
- If vaccination status is unknown, up to 30 people with DQ4 are permitted for religious gatherings
- COVID Marshals will be required
Fully vaccinated or unknown vaccination status group?
We strongly advise that life group leaders make it clear and transparent about the “status” of their group/meeting so that all participants can make an informed choice about whether they would like to attend the group or not. Whether the group/meeting is fully vaccinated or of unknown vaccination status, the group should make arrangements to accommodate all the participants. For example, zoom meetings may need to continue for a season.
Do Life group leaders need to be fully vaccinated?
In general, all church leaders (paid or volunteer) are considered to be “religious workers”. The church has a duty of care to them, and those they are ministering to. The common understanding of people “working from home” is that they, therefore, aren’t mixing with members of the public or colleagues. This is clearly not the case at a life group at someone’s house, hence the questions being asked about whether such Group Leaders are technically “home” and if they would be required to be vaccinated. The government advice we have received is that “if a group leader is working from their own home (e.g. hosting a bible study) they are exempt from mandatory vaccination. If they are running the same group elsewhere, they are required to be vaccinated.”
Our group is more than 10. How can we meet face to face?
We would encourage you to think of creative ways to meet within the government guidelines. It may be appropriate to multiply into 2 or more groups for a season and ensure that each group has a leader/host. Or perhaps it's better to meet outdoors for a season.
Guidance for Life Groups and Life Group Hosts
As a church, we are working through these temporary and transitional arrangements towards an approach that is as loving, gentle, and inclusive for all people as is possible. We understand that many people in our congregation have already made the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We also understand that some people in our congregation are undecided about, or even opposed to the notion of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
While it is highly recommended that people who visit others in their home are fully vaccinated, this has not been mandated. We determine that it will be permissible for people who are vaccinated and those who are not vaccinated to be together if they choose to do so – up to 10 people (including dependents) per day.
In every group/meeting situation, it is important for all our people to exercise grace and compassion towards others on the matter of vaccination status. Our people must understand that Jesus himself did not exclude anyone from his ministry on any basis. For us, this means that when our people attend Life Group at a home, it is likely that there will be people who are vaccinated, and also people who are not vaccinated. We do not want the issue of vaccination status to be divisive in any way, and we do not want a person's vaccination status to be the basis on which we as a church family facilitate entry and/or exclude others from attending Life Groups in a home. To be clear, our Life Groups will continue to play a central role in the life and ministry of our church in this season and the next, and we do not want a person's vaccination status to become an issue within our Life Groups.
This also means that if Person A who is vaccinated does not feel comfortable attending a Life Group in a home because it is possible that another person is not vaccinated, Person A will need to consider their options on the basis of their conscience and their own health advice. Our heart is to see the Life Group continue to meet where that is possible.
There are implications for Life Groups that wish to meet in outdoor settings or indoor settings like cafes or at the church. In these situations, a person's non-vaccination status (or their non-disclosure of their vaccination status) will mean that their access to those venues is currently prohibited or limited. This is a scenario that we do not want to put our people in, and we don't want to put our Life Group Hosts in a position where they have to ask people about their vaccination status and/or to exclude people from attending Life Group on the basis of their vaccination status. We would encourage you therefore to avoid any settings where the vaccination status of our people will become a deciding factor for who can and cannot be included in the activities of the Life Group. If all persons in a Life Group are vaccinated, then there is no reason why this Life Group could not make the most of these additional opportunities.
We are available to assist and support you through these temporary and transitional arrangements, so please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
Michael Rojales
Associate Pastor
Fuse Youth | Update
We are very happy to be able to share with you some exciting opportunities to regather as a Fuse Youth family in the near future. While we don’t have all the details to share with you just yet, we can tell you that with the new easing of some restrictions, FUSE Youth will be able to engage onsite in a modified format from the 12th of November 2021 (YAYYYY).
What we can assure you is the health of our young people is our highest priority. Current government regulations state that for religious gatherings, groups of 30 may meet together without being required to disclose their vaccination status.
With this in mind, we are thrilled to announce that we will look to run multiple youth sessions on a Friday night, ensuring everyone can come along whilst remaining under the limit of 30 attendees. As we are keeping numbers under 30, we will not be required to ask participants for their vaccination status. However, all participants must check in using the official government QR code upon arrival. Please be aware that this means there may be both vaccinated and unvaccinated participants present. It is important to note, however, that all leaders present will be required to be fully vaccinated.
We are eagerly looking forward to being able to gather together again with you all on the 12th of November and will have more details to come in the coming weeks on Facebook and Instagram.
Genny Cameron
Youth Pastor
Fuse Youth | Friday 29th October
This week is FUSE TV live at 7pm on YouTube! Alec and Annie go head to head in the “Brain Fart Challenge" and the loser gets #egged… and by egged… we mean dunked in 24 eggs! Afterwards, Genny will be bringing the message as we continue in our series Resilience. See you all there!
Kids Church | Update
We have an exciting month coming up in Kids Church! The Grades 3-6's continue Elfie's Amazing Story: Evangelism Curriculum via ZOOM while our Grades Prep- 2's continue to discover how God has made them with the wonderful Orange Curriculum content. Berwick Kids TV continues every Sunday from 9 am and will be following Elfie's Amazing Story. For our preschool children, we have Orange Videos designed just for them that are available in the Kids Church section of the Berwick Church of Christ Website.
On November 7th we have a kids outreach/evangelism training for our team with Chris Templeton who has devoted her life to sharing the gospel with children and youth in Melbournes inner-city commission estates. I am excited by the fruit that will come from this training.
Finally, last but not least the SALT team is running a 5-day online event for parents and children's leaders from the 15th to the 19th of November called: “Sparking Prayer: Showing your kids how to delight in being with Jesus".
It is designed for parents and children's leaders of 6-10-year-old children. Visit here.
ANDREW AUSTIN
Childrens' Pastor
Kids Church | Sunday 31st October
This week on Berwick Kids TV, Elfie invites his parents to a church event, and to his surprise, they say Yes!
They are greeted by Gazza's parents and have an amazing day. When Elfie returns home, he expects his parents to erupt in a Ninja-fight like they usually do, but to his surprise, there is peace and God's presence fills his house. Something had shifted, God was answering his prayers.
Click here for links to Berwick Kids TV and Wonderkids to Grade 6 programs starting at 9am Sunday.
Sunday Service | How to have hope when things seem hopeless
There will be times in our lives when tragedy strikes and we feel hopeless and helpless. How do we pick ourselves up and stay resilient and hopeful during these times? Watch on live stream via YouTube and Facebook.
Boys Brigade | Closed Monday
Due to the long weekend, Boys Brigade will be closed Monday November 1st 2021. If you would like further information on Boys Brigade, visit here.
Playgroup | Update
I have been working hard to communicate with the playgroup team and all of our 60+ families, and we hope to resume playgroup very soon. We obviously have restrictions and government guidelines to adhere to, as well as having people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated to accommodate. I would really value your prayer in the weeks to come, for protection for everyone who attends playgroup and for each family to experience God’s love for them as they engage with me and our playgroup team.
SUE NICHOLLS
Playgroup Ministry Director
Thank you for being His Presence in Every Place!
BRAAM BOTHA
Senior Pastor
