I have so much appreciation for the Olympic athletes. The dedication it takes to reach an Olympic podium is beyond the reach of everyone except the three best in their field. A competitive mind will wrestle with that…because a competitive mind hates being fourth…or even second! I have seen many an athlete fall into depression because they missed out on the podium…and sometimes it’s not just a lack of dedication…but talent.

We have to be really aware of the difference between fruitfulness and success. The world we live in worships success. It keeps challenging you: “Show me your podium results. Show me how many properties you own. Show me the car you drive. Show me how much money you made. Show me your qualifications. Show me. . . .” While success isn’t necessarily wrong, what I am saying is that in life the real question is not, “Are you successful?”, but “Am I bearing fruit?”

The amazing thing is that our fruitfulness comes out of our experiences of vulnerability and not just out of positions of power. Actually it comes out of our powerlessness and sometimes even grief. If the soil desires to be fruitful, you have to break it open a little bit and crack the crust. The hard ground cannot bear fruit; it has to be raked open. And the mystery is that our anxiety, bitterness, grief and our many struggles are often the way that we get in touch with our vulnerabilities. You and I can trust that they will allow us to be more fruitful, if lived through in intimacy with Christ.

Precisely where we are weakest and often most broken and most needy, precisely there can be the ground of our fruitfulness. Paul had a deep revelation on the amazing surprise of fruitfulness after an experience of personal challenge:

‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ‘

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NIV

This coming Sunday we will look into the process of grief and how to grief towards a place of mental health. You might be in contact with someone that needs to hear this message – please take liberty of booking them in with you for the onsite services or to watch online.

We are thankful that we can have religious gatherings again according to the latest restrictions as released on Tuesday 27^th July. We can accommodate 100 people at this Sunday’s service but you must wear a mask, the rest will be able to follow our livestream! Please make sure you book your onsite seat as soon as possible as they will be snapped up in no time!!! You can also watch live stream.

Our Safe Church Awareness Workshop ran Saturday. The program has been developed for those involved in ministry to children, young people and vulnerable adults for volunteers and staff. Thank you to all the volunteers and staff who attended.

This week at Fuse, we are kicking off our new series: Disciple.  Come along for worship, a message from one of our amazing leaders, small groups, food and more! See you then! 7-9.30pm, $5, @ Berwick Church of Christ.

‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’

Matthew 5:4 NIV

Grief usually is the fruit of disillusionment, but there is a godly way to be fruitful on the back of grieving. Book now for this Sunday service here.

There is no onsite Kids Church this Sunday but kids get ready for a morning of fun and excitement on Zoom! Parents will be emailed a Zoom link to join Kids Church which starts Sunday 9.30am. If you don’t receive Kids Church emails, please send us a message at [email protected] and we will add you to the email list.

It is great to be back at Playgroup for term 3 with minimal restrictions on how we operate.

If you’d ever like more information about what we do or would like to be involved in Playgroup as a parent, grandparent or child-free helper I’d love to hear from you.  Sue 0403 822 324.

We are back running as normal! Berwick Church of Christ Food Pantry supports our local residents in Casey needing crisis support. If you need support, please contact us and we can answer any questions you have. Contact Berwick Church of Christ.

Due to the impact of the lockdown we could not be onsite to do the commissioning the way we wanted to. We will now have the Commissioning Sunday on the 12^th of September. It will be a very inspiring and exciting experience!!! Make sure you don’t miss it… and bring your colleagues and employees with you for a very special and empowering experience!

Thank you for being His Presence in Every Place! 

BRAAM BOTHA

Senior Pastor