The impact of lockdown on relationships span a variety of possibilities. Even though it isn’t as prevalent in the news and media as the virus statistics, we can “read between the lines” and wonder what the statistics are for relational tension in this season. Relational failure can shove your life of course…and make you miss the mission to love people!

Admit it…some people are especially hard to love even in normal circumstances. We all know who they are… They’re the difficult people who drive you crazy by being irresponsible, rude, or socially deficient. Or they’re the demanding ones—pushy, obsessive, and stubborn. Perhaps someone has disappointed you, let you down, proven to be unreliable or even disloyal. And then there are the destructive people who intentionally hurt others with their deadly behaviour, leaving a trail of broken lives in their wake. God says we are to love these people too. But how? How can we possibly love these people as Christ loves? We find wise counsel in scripture:

“Love is…not rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.”

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)

1. Resist rudeness – there is a way of managing relationships in a truthful but tactful way. Write what you want to say before you say it…a lot of wisdom is found in the journey from your mind towards the paper. You’ll be glad you did. Things sound different in your head than they do in your ears, and once you’ve read what you wanted to spread…you will find a kinder way!
2. Tone down on your demands – we keep other people accountable to our expectations of them, but we keep ourselves only accountable for our intentions towards them. That is not fair. Be easy to be around and lower the bar of expectations by covering people with an umbrella of God’s grace.
3. Don’t project your irritability – we all get cranky sometimes…and then we need healthy release mechanisms. The damage done in a moment of irritability can last longer than the lockdown, so, identify a few healthy strategies to handle your irritations without causing damage to relationships.
4. Position yourself mentally as a forgiver. In life we need to develop a thick skin and a tender heart. We unfortunately get that the wrong way around sometimes and we end up with a tender skin and a thick heart. Forgiveness move you in the direction of the right combo! Forgiveness doesn’t change what happened in the relationship, but it does change what can happen in the relationship.

Let’s love people as it is our mission as Berwick Church of Christ!

We are thankful that we can have religious gatherings again according to the latest restrictions as released on Tuesday 27^th July. For the next two Sundays we can accommodate 100 people at our services 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!!!

‘Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’

Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV

Bitterness may be the fruit of suppressed anger…Compassion is the fruit of a deep revelation of forgiveness received. Only 100 seats available due to Covid restrictions. Book now!

If you missed Pastor Ken’s prayer to know God as ‘Abba’ Father Sunday, here it is.

God forgive me for where I have tried to control life through my own limited human strength.

I thank you that you sent your son Jesus to forgive me and set me free, and to put his Spirit in my heart.

I accept that I am your child, your son/daughter, and you are my heavenly Dad who loves me and cares for me.

I give you my tiredness, my anxiety, my past, the lies I have believed and any effect on my health.

I declare in Jesus’ name; I am no longer a slave to fear and anxiety. I am a child of God!

The Shed is for Grade 5’s and 6’s and is a fun space where youth can play billiards, table tennis, basketball, soccer, and group games while also learning how to make wise decisions as they enter secondary school. It runs at church from 3:30 to 4:30 pm after school every Thursday during school term. Book now!

Fuse Youth is back onsite this week and we are kicking things off with CHRISTMAS IN JULY and we are gonna celebrate! Come along dressed in your best ‘ugly sweater’ and get ready for a night of competition, food and good laughs7-9.30pm, $5, @ Berwick Church of Christ.

The Safe Church Awareness Workshop is going ahead this Saturday, 31st July.

If you booked in to attend, please ensure you arrive 10 minutes early so you can check-in and find a seat.  Don’t forget to bring your lunch – although there are few places nearby, if you want to buy your lunch.  Morning tea will be provided.

Any questions please feel free to contact Karen Fletcher 0438 886 337.

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.

Welcome back to Y&Y! Stick around afterwards for byo dinner and some amazing fellowship.

It is with pure joy that we celebrate the birth of Grace Isabel Nicholas on the 22nd of July, arriving in the early morning at 2:52am weighing a very healthy 3.75kg. We celebrate this news with the Nicholas and Simons families.

This is a wonderful blessing for Mitchell and Mikayla who have been part of Berwick over the past 2 decades, most recently leading a young adult life group, as well as leadership roles in our young adult’s ministries, playing a crucial role in the Y&Y service and all things YA.

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