A friend of mine gave me a call the other day. The excitement in his voice was contagious…and I needed some excitement. The source of excitement? After more than two years of waiting he has taken delivery of a toy. It was ordered with a very high level of specification and therefor the wait. Covid caused an even longer wait…but his hope never feigned. Friends share each other’s joys, so I accepted his offer to come and admire his newfound pleasure. I jumped into my car and drove the ‘’all too familiar but recently rarely traveled” road to his home. On arrival it was clear that he was more excited about showing it to me than I was in viewing it. The tone in his voice was that of a toddler admiring a Christmas tree with all its splendidly wrapped paraphernalia. I’ll try to quote him:

“What you are looking at is a Toyota Land Cruiser with “ajrgckjacjs“ and a “brqiwoemc” that is imported from the USA and upgraded with a “khxmmn”. This would allow it to “rjchajbh” when I do the “skralmkheb“maneuver on steep climbs and downhills.  I have also added the “ncubck” conversion which makes its towing capacity 30% higher than the standard model…..and on and on and on…”

Unbelievable! He had bought this vehicle and added a whole dictionary to it. All I saw was a beautiful, sturdy cross between an army tank, a UTE and a camper. In my ‘underwhelmed’ state I mustered all of the available intellectual capacity left to respond with some intelligence: Where do you intend to go with this? I asked. His response must have come as no surprise:

This vehicle was designed to accommodate any change in terrain!

My idea of a toy for a boy would have come with “the flying lady” on the bonnet and the “RR” on the grill. But a Rolls Royce hardly does well on changing road conditions…

And that is what we need to understand about life…it constantly presents change and challenge. As humans, we form maps in our minds as we navigate life. It is a way of creating a sense of order amid the chaos circumstances. These maps help alleviate anxiety and uncertainty. We all have these “maps” …for our marriages, our careers, our friendships, our finances (it’s called a budget). They describe reality for the realist… ór our values for the idealist. Whichever way…we navigate life’s changes with them. But sometimes storms arrive…out of nowhere. It is then that we realize the wisdom of a life built to accommodate change in circumstances… because circumstantial storm can make your “mental maps” map obsolete.

The son of God saw man contending with the storms of life and brought out a map…the only one that will stay relevant through all of eternity. But more than just giving us this map…He explained to us how to use it! The map looks like this:

' “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. '

Matthew 5:3-12 NIV

The vehicle for this life is built like this:

' “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.'

Matthew 7:24-29 NIV

Let’s build lives that are fit for any kind of change in circumstances! Let’s apply His way of living amid the storms of life and overcome the storms of life.

Partners Gathering | Sunday 14th November

This Sunday we will have a chance to meet with the partners of the church and share with them some of the exciting developments and plans we’ve been working on over this past year. We will talk to several items, and present an opportunity to bring out partners with us towards the fulfillment of our mission, vision and purpose, to be His presence in every place.If you are a partner, please register via this link.

24 hours of Prayer | Saturday 20th November

We are opening up a zoom meeting for 24 hours of prayer, all of our Church family are invited to join us when you can to engage in prayer for our world, from Berwick, to Casey, Victoria, the nation and the globe!

We will provide a host who will support and guide you, together we can petition heaven for a mighty move of God, for His glory, for His purposes and for His church.

Time: Nov 20, 2021 10:00 AM Australia/Melbourne
Join Zoom Meeting: Here
Meeting ID: 231 649 2440

Pastoral Care | Update

2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

We are thankful that the roadmap gives the opportunity for life groups to meet face to face. It would be great for life groups to spend some focused time in pastorally caring for one another.  This includes asking the questions like… How are you doing? How are you really doing? How can I pray for you?  The Living Springs Counselling Centre is also available if you need them by calling them on 9702 6687 or emailing them at [email protected]. If you need practical assistance in the form of food and groceries, then the Food Pantry is also available on Tuesdays from 10:30 am to 2 pm.

If you need a listening ear, someone to talk to and pray for you, call us on 9702 1011 or send us an email at [email protected] and someone from the team will reach out to you. As a church, we are called to serve and comfort each other and it would be great if we could be available to each other in this season. Even if it's just making or taking a phone call. God Bless!

Bringing Christmas to life | Update

There are families in our community who are not able to celebrate Christmas the normal way that most of us are able to. They are not able to give gifts to each other or even have a festive meal together as a family. As a church, we desire to bring Christmas to life in the lives of people who are struggling during the festive season. That is why we have a big event called Bringing Christmas to Life. However, because of different reasons including the implications of the pandemic, we are not having a big event this year. Rather we will privately bless our Food Pantry clients with gifts that would allow them to celebrate Christmas this year with their families. Please spare a thought and a prayer for our Food Pantry team as they Bring Christmas to Life in the lives of our Food Pantry clients.

Is this you? | No experience necessary

We have an exciting opportunity for someone looking to gain some experience in the church office as our reception and administration assistance over the next 5 or 6 weeks.

Fuse Youth | Update

We are very happy to be able to share with you that Fuse Youth is moving back ONSITE in a modified format this Friday (YAYYYY)!

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 be running two youth sessions this Friday night. Session one will be from 5.30-7pm followed by session two from 7.30-9pm. This is to ensure everyone can come along whilst remaining under the limit of 30 attendees. Booking is essential and the try booking links will be made available later in the week on our website and social media platforms.

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 this Friday the 12th of November. Find details below!

Genny Cameron

Youth Pastor

Fuse Youth | Friday 12th November

This week we are back onsite (WOOOHOOO) so we are throwing you a Fuse Welcome Back Party! We will hangout, play games, eat good food and more!
There are two time slot options; 5.30-7pm and 7.30-9pm.
Booking is essential and numbers of each group are limited.
Can't wait to see you all there!

Book your party now!

Kids Church | Sunday 14th November

Every night before he goes to sleep, Elfie leans on his bed and prays for his parents. First he thanks Jesus for saving him and then for all God has done for him. Then he earnestly prays that his parents would become friends with Jesus and know him like he knows him. For months and months, he had been praying for them before bed and for months and months, he hadn’t seen any change in their behavior. They were still fighting, they were still angry, they were still mean and unkind to him, but still Elfie prayed every night.

But tonight something was different. He knew, he just knew God was answering his prayers.

Click here for links to Berwick Kids TV and Wonderkids to Grade 6 programs starting at 9am Sunday.

Thank you for being His Presence in Every Place! 

BRAAM BOTHA

Senior Pastor