We live in threatening circumstances these days. To publicly state your faith as a Christian may be seen by some as politically incorrect – even though we live in a time when “tolerance” is propagated. I see so many Christians draw back and feeling insecure in their faith-identity. This is so unfortunate! As the church we need to own some of this dilemma as we have not been as effective as we could have been as a preservative influence in society. We have been commissioned to transform this very society with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. This is how Jesus relates our role in this mission as he prays to our Father:

'My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. '

John 17:15-18 NIV

The question bodes: How does he send us into this world? I believe a specific passage in the book of Acts illustrates his plan:

'Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. '

Acts 4:29-31 NIV

Whether you are a full-time mom or an executive at the top of the corporate ladder – you need to receive the Holy Spirit’s empowerment to transform our community with the power of the Gospel!

This coming Sunday is Vision Sunday and we will be praying for you personally and individually in order to go and Be His Presence In Every Place. We will be praying for those working in the following areas:

1. Home life
2. Business
3. Sport and recreational environments
4. The Arts
5. Science and Education
6. Government
7. Religion

Do not miss this Sunday! We are trusting God for a wonderful time of Worship and Commissioning as we engage with our vision!

There are no changes to the Covid restrictions in Melbourne. This will allow up to 490 people onsite in our auditorium and up 170 in our kids church spaces. To secure your places please book via our website calendar. You are also welcome to contact the office should you not have access to the web, we look forward to seeing more of you. For those who can't make it the service will be livestreamed as well. We urge everyone coming to book as soon as possible. Mask wearing will still be compulsory until further restrictions are lifted Book here.

Fuse Youth is back this week and we are kicking things off with the Fuse Olympics! Get ready for some high energy and competitive fun as youth compete to win gold! We have an amazing Term 3 planned with other nights including Christmas in July, Fire Night, Fuse’s Got Talent and Decades Disco.

However, I am most excited about our new theme for Term 3, Discipleship. Across the term, we will be covering 4 key topics regarding discipleship: 

1. Made (who we are as a disciple of Jesus)
2. Made to Make (what were we created to do?)
3. Move (How to disciple others)
4. Go therefore (Where we will commission our young people to go and Be His Presence in Every Place)

Please join me in praying for our young people to grow as a disciple of Jesus, to learn key skills that will equip them to disciple others and take the Gospel message into their schools, sporting clubs and work places, and for a boldness to go and be His Presence in Every Place.

Also, don’t forget to follow us on both Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with everything happening at Fuse Youth! 

It is great to be back at Playgroup for term 3 with minimal restrictions on how we operate.  Just this week a new mum commented that she had grown up in an Orthodox church but rarely attends as an adult.  Now that she has children she is thinking about bringing them to a church where English is spoken – please pray for her and the many others that we interact with every week.

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.

Matthew 25:40 NIV
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

The Food Pantry is available on Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 2 pm to help people in the community during difficult seasons in their lives. We have great people in there who just want to serve and support people by providing them with food and hygiene products at no cost. Please advise friends, family and people in need who would benefit from this community service. Perhaps the Food Pantry ministry speaks to you. Please feel free to provide donations at the church or talk to the Food Pantry team if you would like to volunteer your time. Contact us at [email protected].

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. 

Search to Find:

Search is ideal for new believers, or anyone who is distant to God but open to exploring faith, God, and spiritual reality – A great course to bring your friends to! Search to Find Promo

Growing to Maturity (GTM):

For those wanting to grow in their faith and experience freedom, confidence, and more. GTM Promo

Come along to the introduction dinner to find out more. Register here.

We are also looking for a team to organise meals for Search and GTM 1 on Wednesday nights for 8 weeks. Enquiries BCOC, 9702-1011, [email protected].

If you would like to take the next step and be baptised, or know more about what is baptism, register your interest for our baptism celebration service July 25^th 2021. Register here.

For anyone who is serving as a Leader or serving with children/youth under the age of 18 years, we require you to complete the Safe Church Awareness Workshop.  If you haven’t done this Workshop before, please register online – click here.

Safe Church Awareness Workshop
Saturday, 31st July at 9:30am to 4pm, in Room 1
BYO Lunch – morning tea is provided
Cost: $45 paid by the Church

Our Church puts a high importance on child safety and therefore requires all our volunteers to be trained and informed of their duty of care and legal responsibilities.

If you would like to know more about this Workshop, please contact Karen Fletcher on 0438 886 337.

It is our pleasure to invite newcomers to the next Newcomer's Lunch. Please join us on Sunday, 8th August at 12:30 pm as Roger and Terri Clay generously host a free and delicious lunch at the church.  It's also an opportunity to meet other people like yourselves who are new to the church community. There are limited spots available so we encourage you to book as soon as you can. If you miss out, then don't worry because you will be invited to the next one! Book here.

Thank you for being His Presence in Every Place! 

BRAAM BOTHA

Senior Pastor