Fathers! Be fathers!

Happy Father’s Day.
Being a Father is an immense privilege.
When you first hold a floppy little bundle of warm child in your hands you are overwhelmed with emotion but you don’t really have a clue what to expect. It’s usually not long before you find out and the first few weeks involve crying, pooing, feeding, holding, sleeping (repeat). And somewhere in the midst of all that noise and all those smells it dawns on you that this little bundle of smelly noise has been given to you by God. And therein lies the privilege.

God has entrusted a life to you. God has said here – have this – it’s yours to care for and love and grow. It’s a gift. And each one is a privilege. Just ask those without children or who have lost children and they will underline this reality all the more.

But we adults often act in such ways as to ignore the privilege. It is a sad and tragic symptom of our society today that so many children never get to experience Fatherhood. So many children grow up outside the ideal family. I know almost every single mum tries their darndest to grow their children and help them along in life and nurture them, but almost every one I know, in their most honest moments, wishes not only that they could have someone else to help and support them but that their children could have an involved and engaged dad.

A SMH article said: The National Fatherhood Forum manifesto claims that “fatherlessness and family breakdown are the major social problems of our society”. Steve Biddulph, in his best-selling book Raising Boys, writes that boys with absent fathers are more likely to be violent, do poorly in schools, and join gangs.

And this does not apply just to broken families but to families where Dad is disengaged or uninvolved. Some time ago Brodie came into our bedroom and I was sitting on the bed texting and Nicky was on the bed about to read her Bible with her computer open and he said, “Hello anti-social people”. Funny but a great warning. Dads can be present and absent all at the same time. Be careful with your phone time – don’t give your kids the impression that people outside the room are more important than those inside it.

John Piper writes helpfully, lifting the vision of fathers to our Heavenly Father:
We ought not be cowering or dumbfounded or paralyzed in the presence of our merciful Father; nor should we be flippant or careless or trifling or presumptuous in the presence of our majestic Father. But rather discover in the power of the Holy Spirit a bold brokenness, a reverential relaxation, a fearing familiarity, a trembling tenderness, an affectionate awe. Oh that our kids might find something similar in us dads.

In Christ
Nigel

Sponsor a Sister

At Campbelltown Anglican Churches we believe that money should never be the obstacle that prevents people from coming to a church gathering.

If you are financially able we would love you to give as generously as you can, to help subsidise or fully pay for another person’s registration cost.

Knowledge of your donation will only be known to administration staff. Similarly, knowledge of those receiving subsidies or sponsored registration will only be known by administration and some ministry staff.

We humbly thank you for your generosity and praise God for caring church communities.

Big Day In

Saturday the 30th of June, 2018!

The 2018 BIG DAY IN aims to be a very memorable church community day to build up the body of Christ in love of God and one another.

  • Venue: We are using the New Life Anglican Church in Oran Park to host our own Big Day In.
  • Speaker: Simon Manchester, the Rector of St Thomas North Sydney and regular preacher on Hope 103.2
  • Date: Saturday, 30th June, 2018
  • Time: All day from 9am. The day will end with some evening activity after dinner.
  • Cost: $45/adult – $20/teen – $15/child up to 12 years old and children under 5 are free.

Register now buttonRegister now for our Big Day In!

A ??? of Anglicans!

Dear Friends, 

What is the collective noun for a gathering of Anglicans? A gaggle? A confusion? A politeness?

Truth is, I am not sure there is an official one but this week more than 250 Anglicans will be gathering in Maroochydore for what is called “General Synod”. 

General Synod is a national gathering of elected representatives from each of the Anglican Dioceses across Australia. I have been elected as one of the 71 representatives of Sydney – making up about 30% of the whole Synod. The numbers are worked out on a proportional basis – the more clergy you have ordained and working in your diocese, the more representatives you are allowed to send to General Synod. I leave on Sunday 3rd and will return Friday 8th. 

The General Synod is run from 8.30am-9pm every day and time is spent discussing issues of national importance to Anglicans – both internal issues and national issues. 

This General Synod, significant attention will be given to Child Protection rules for bishops and clergy and how we can work together in unity despite the differences in Anglican churches across Australia. 

Unfortunately, in many of the 23 dioceses around Australia there are very few people attending church. There are many factors at play in this including diminishing populations in country towns and the ongoing secularisation of society. However, it is my view that the most significant factor is that in many places, the Gospel is not preached and the churches are not remaining culturally engaged. 

It may come as a surprise to you that in many Anglican churches around Australia, while the Bible would be read week by week, it is not believed. Many clergy do not believe that Jesus died an atoning death as our substitute to take away the sin of the world. Many clergy do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Their Gospel is often a stripped back statement about the love of God that demands little and sanctifies everything.

This is where the problems for us Anglicans arise. The reality is that someone like me who believes the Bible is the inspired word of God, that Jesus died as an atoning substitute for my sin and that he rose bodily from the dead are not welcome in the pulpits of many Anglican churches around Australia.

Until we can work out what God is on about, it is unlikely we can have meaningful unity. If you pray for anything this week, please pray for that! 

In Christ
Nigel

God’s Big Picture

The bible is a worldwide best-seller and yet many, even Christians, find it difficult to comprehend. Jesus himself gave his disciples insight into what the bible is all about. ‘God’s Big Picture Plus+’ (GBP+) is a course designed to lead you through the whole bible, showing how the different parts fit together as Jesus understood it. This course, with the aid of a book by Vaughan Roberts plus extra class material, will help you to unravel the many parts that make up this one truly profound story.

If you find yourself loving some parts of the bible and yet finding other parts tricky, confusing, weird, or even irrelevant, then please come to the GBP+ course. All who attend Campbelltown Anglican Churches are welcome.

This course will begin at 2:30pm on the 27th of August, 2017, and will finish on the 5th of November. There are 8 workshops and there will be 3 weeks to catchup on life and reading along the way! Each lesson will last 90 minutes. A $10 donation to cover materials is required.

Click HERE to register your interest.

Our Work with Anglicare

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, Anglicare has recently merged with Anglican Retirement Villages to create a larger, more agile organisation that is better able to meet the real needs of people and regulatory requirements of the government. As time goes on, it appears that there are greater expectations on both sides of this equation and the new organisation is better placed to manage care and ministry into the future.

They explain their mission saying, “Whilst our services keep expanding across greater Sydney, we still uphold our original values by reflecting God’s love through care, and sharing the great wisdom of Jesus. And more importantly, our caring and compassionate approach will always stay the same.”

At the local level, we see Anglicare as a Ministry Partner and our relationship with them continues to thrive.

In contrast to a Mission Partner (who we support financially so they can grow their work; eg. CAHSM, BCA, Moore College, CMS), a Ministry Partner is an organisation who works with us (using their resources) to grow our ministry in the local area. For those with long memories, you will know Anglicare has taken various approaches to partnerships with parishes, but right now, they are keen to support, encourage and grow local work.

We see this happening in Campbelltown in a myriad of ways.

  1. Provision of food hampers for people who are socially or financially disadvantaged. Some weeks we give away 2-3 hampers a day and we hope to grow the ministry opportunity connected with this.
  2. A Mobile Food Pantry that visits St Andrew’s every second Wednesday offering low cost groceries and ministry connection opportunities for our church.
  3. A Playgroup is run at St Andrew’s by Anglicare staff with additional church volunteers to connect with local parents and this provides opportunities to care and share faith.
  4. Provision of low cost Counselling through staff at Anglicare Campbelltown.
  5. We are in discussions about a Mental Health Support Group that would provide regular care for church members.
  6. The Anglicare Shop in Dumaresq St provides an opportunity for church volunteers to connect with local people and for us to advertise what we are doing at church.
  7. We host the Toys’n’Tucker Distribution for our area in December each year.
  8. We are planning to reinstitute our Training Seminars to help people grow in various ways – you may have noticed the Tuning into Teens sessions coming up.

Anglicare help us to extend our work and make Gospel connections with people we do not easily make connections with. If you would like to be involved in any of the activities above, please speak to a member of staff.

In Christ
Nigel

 

Hidden Figures

Dear Friends,

In every organisation there are people who are upfront and well known. They receive most of the praise and recognition, the accolades and awards. They speak to media, they go to important meetings, they know everything that is going on and they can make decisions that influence the future of the organisation at any time.

There are also hidden figures who work tirelessly in the background doing time and business critical work without which the whole place would collapse. This is the story of the movie Hidden Figures. It is also the story of every church everywhere.

Hidden Figures is the story of three brilliant mathematicians who worked on NASA’s Space Program in the 1960s. They learnt and taught Fortran, provided parabolic analysis for spacecraft to return to earth and engineered the craft to ensure the safety of the men who were in them. They worked tirelessly in the midst of segregated America in a man’s world. They were women. And they were black. Thus, hidden figures.

The movie tracks their emergence out of the shadows and into the midst of the upfront and well known. It is a feel good movie and recognises the difficulty skilled black women had in the midst of the oppressive and fear-driven world of unapologetically embedded racism. The movie is not 100% accurate but it does make many clear statements including the call to never underestimate or devalue the people who are hidden away in the back offices. Fame is no measure of value.

In our church there are lots of well known people. But there are also many people who are known to those they sit near in church or those in their GG and few others. But fame is no measure of value.

It is dangerous to start listing out the hidden figures in our church but they are everywhere. People who volunteer to cut, fold, sort, file, pick up, drop off, wash, rake, clean, listen, ring, cook and much more. They are unknown to most and rarely seen doing the things they do. But they are busily using their gifts to the Glory of God.

It worries me that so much of what people do now is motivated by recognition. As an example of this, a school principal told me that when they do fundraising they will receive 500% more money if the end result allows for givers names to be on show to everyone. Surely that is an indictment on our culture.

The names Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson were hidden to me until this week. The names of those who serve our church in hidden ways are unknown to most. But their value to God as they serve him is immeasurably more than any of us might imagine.

To all our Hidden Figures, thanks!

In Christ
Nigel

Life Today, Life Tomorrow

Life Today, Life Tomorrow

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” James 4:13-17

I was reading James this week and was reminded that to live realistically, is to realise that life is fleeting, brief, uncertain, and frail. Illness, accident, or the return of Christ could cut short our lives just as quickly as the morning sun dissipates the mist. In the end, death is the great leveller. But, James’ point is not ‘fear death’. He actually wants us to embrace life rightly.

We have to acknowledge that God not only exists, but that he is the owner of life itself. That he has a plan and that our plans ought to be in accordance with his. Our lives ought to be shaped by and lived in reference to God’s sovereignty and our mistiness.

I think you can diagnose your approach to life by looking at how you make decisions. Do you ask what is best for me? Or do you ask, how can I best serve God? Does your desire to serve God leave the church with you or do you leave it on the seats? Do you plan your day, your week, and your next year as though you were Lord of earth and time and there was no God in heaven.

Now we might note equally that saying or praying “God willing” is not some sort of purifying statement that makes things we do right. It is not a protective talisman. Or immunity idol. To be sure the words “If the Lord wills” can be said with little more than vain hope and superstition; but they can also be the sweetest and most comfortable reassurance to a humble and trustful spirit.

What James urges us to do is to order our live from God outwards.

This passage must drive us to recognise that God has given us our life to be used in service of him. Are you?

Why I go to CMS Summer School…and why you should too!

Dear Friends, 

This week in church we are handing out the registration forms for CMS Summer School. CMS is the missionary organisation we support as a church and Summer School is a week long conference run in January each year. I would like you to consider coming to Summer School and here are five reasons why.

1. Great passionate Bible teaching. Every year CMS invite godly and thoughtful men to come and teach the Bible. I have always found myself challenged, changed and charged for the year as the Word of God is placed before us and we are challenged to respond. In 2017 William Taylor will be unpacking God’s promises to Abraham.

2. Growing understanding of world mission. CMS send missionaries around the world and each day you have the chance to hear their stories and insights into world mission. A one hour missionary session is part of the daily program and the focus is to lift our eyes from our own navels and look to the millions who don’t yet know Jesus and are going to hell.

3. Catch up with missionaries. During the conference there are opportunities to speak to, meet and catch up with “real missionaries”. On a three year cycle, all of our church’s link missionaries attend and you are able to hear more of their work. The conference is also an opportunity for you to consider what part you could play in world mission. I know more than one person who can attest to being overseas serving God because they came to CMS Summer School.

4. Great children’s program. Now you might be thinking, this sounds great but what about the kids? More than 1000 kids attend summer school and they are all catered for in age specific programs (Babies to Year 12) that are awesome. This means kids have fun and adults can concentrate on learning. Our kids have loved CMSSS every year.

5. Rest. The program runs 9am-12.15pm and 7-9.30pm every day. This allows you time to rest, relax and given that most will take a week off work to be there, you will feel like you are holidaying too. While there are some activities on, we use the afternoons to catch up with friends and enjoy time with the kids.

Choosing to come to CMS Summer School will be one of the best decisions you make. Registration are open now and kids need to be booked in by Monday!! I’d love you to join us. Come!

In Christ

Nigel

Opportunity for Encouragement

Dear Friends,

Living as a Christian in our world is not always easy. In fact sometimes it is just downright hard. There are all sorts of reasons that people find the Christian life hard – personal struggle, persecution and doubt are just three of a long list. When people around you are rejoicing in God and you feel like you are walking through knee deep mud, the matter sometimes compounds.

If you feel like this, two things are important to grasp hold of. First, the Christian life is not lived alone and second, God is not unaware of your struggles. Both of these things come together in the Bible where God constantly instructs us to encourage each other.

There are a myriad of passages we could point to with this instruction; here is one:

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today’, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:12, 13)

 You have a responsibility to your fellow believers. Your responsibility is encouragement. How might you do “encouragement”? The Bible makes it clear that it involves words that uplift or embolden faith. So here is a place to start…

When you see a Christian friend, share something you have learnt from God; ask them how they are going with God; pray with them for issues that are on their mind; help them to work through their struggles or discouragements by offering to meet, talk, pray, or walk alongside as they struggle.

I wonder how often we actually start conversations like this after church, after our Growth Groups or over dinners or coffees? Do you encourage people with news of Jesus or with news from The Olympics, your sports team or your child’s latest exploit? You may find that starting an encouraging conversation about Jesus may actually turn into an opportunity for you to be encouraged and for your friend to be deeply cared for.

Have a go, then let us know how it went via a Next Steps Card. We’d love to pray for you.

 In Christ,

Nigel

Conversations with Jesus

‘Conversations with Jesus’

There was a wealthy, lowlife, tax-man named Zac, whose life changed when he climbed up a tree to see a teacher from Nazareth. This teacher saw him and honoured him by coming to his house for dinner. As he engaged in conversation with the teacher, Zac was transformed. He decided to follow this man – giving up his previous life of corruption with the promise to pay back all those who he had swindled. That day, Zac was saved – becoming a follower of Jesus. (Luke 19:1-10)

Conversation is a powerful tool. Through conversation people can sway people towards good or wrong; it can persuade people to change their thinking; it can influence people to radically adjust their lives. We see this in our politicians and journalists, the memes of our social media and in the banter and conversation of the school, university or workplace. And there is no more powerful a moment, than when people begin engaging in conversation with Jesus, as Zac did in 33AD. Conversations with Jesus tipped people’s lives upside-down back then and they have the same effect today.

Several months ago, one of our 10am congregation members, Ian, began a conversation with Jesus as he began reading the gospel of Luke. Ian began with some cynicism – demanding that sound evidences were needed in order to back up the claims of Jesus. He was amazed that this guy Luke, who interviewed many eyewitnesses, could verify these stories as facts. The more he read of Jesus – the more he came to understand that Jesus was not just a magician and wise man of that age, but that he was God and that he really came to save. We praise God that Jesus has had such an impact on Ian’s life.

As we enter into a time of heightened evangelistic activity here at church it is worth us stopping to reflect on what we are hoping to encourage our not-yet Christian family, friends and neighbours to do. We aren’t trying to dazzle them with fine sounding arguments or convince them with philosophical rhetoric – they don’t want this anyway. Instead, we hope to engage people in a conversation with Jesus, the creator of all things and the one who came to save them.

Who might you help to engage in a conversation with Jesus?

Mick Bullen

No Small Thing

I am sorry if we haven’t explained Jesus death on the cross clearly enough. It is no small thing.

Christians everywhere know that without Jesus death on the cross we would all be done for.

Christians everywhere know that because of Jesus death on the cross we are forgiven.

Not because of our works.

Not because of being good.

Not because of going to church.

Not because of baptism.

Not because of giving to charity.

Not because of our families.

Not because of swearing a little less than the next guy.

Christians are unrighteous like everyone else.

But at the cross, Jesus died for me and for you. He took my sin and the penalty I deserved for not living God’s way, for committing wrong against God and other people; Jesus took that and made it his own and he was punished there at the cross for me. Instead of me. Because of men. In my place. As my substitute. Jesus paid the price of himself for me. Jesus died for me.

And Jesus died for you.

The cross is no small thing.

It is how God takes sinners like me and forgives me, makes me perfect and invites me into relationship with him now and in heaven forever.

I am deeply sorry if you have never understood this until now.

As Christ hung there upon the cross, he saved us from certain eternal death. He gave me what I could never have.

And he offers this exact same thing to you right now.

To anyone and everyone.

No matter what you have done, no matter what you have become, God has an invitation for you.

Come to Jesus, for his death at the cross was for you too.

Friends, there is a King on a cross, because God wants to draw you into a relationship with him. The death of this King is the very foundation-stone of the Christianity. Christ’s cross is our ticket to heaven. It is true that we have all done wrong – but it is equally true that our King has taken that wrong for us and died because of it on the cross. It is true that we deserve that death he suffered – but Jesus has died on our behalf. It is true that none of us is good enough to get into heaven – but that’s OK because the door does not open for the good, but for the forgiven.

Annual General Meetings        

Dear Friends,

The Annual General Meetings for our Church will be held on the Sunday’s either side of Easter.

  • St Andrew’s AGM – after church on Sunday 20th March.
  • St Peter’s AGM – at 12.30pm on Sunday 3rd April.
  • Combined AGM – no earlier than 1.30pm on Sunday 3rd April.

At the AGM we will elect people for the office of Parish Council (St Peter’s AGM), Warden (St Andrew’s & St Peter’s) and Nominators (Combined AGM).

Wardens are actively involved in ensuring the proper management of property and finances on at least a weekly basis. They also assist in managing ministry and staff. We will elect two wardens for St Peter’s and two for St Andrew’s. Nominations are open now and should be in writing via letter or email to me.

Parish Council make decisions on how money and property should be spent and used in light of the church strategic plan. They also assist the minister and staff in directing the ministry.  We will elect a Parish Council of 3, 6 or 9 people. Nominations are open now and should be in writing via letter or email to me.

Parish Nominators are the people who select a new Senior Minister for the Parish if the current one leaves. We will elect 5 Parish Nominators. Nominations are open now and should be in writing via letter or email to me.

I ask you to pray that God will continue to raise up Gospel hearted people to serve us.

But the most important thing we will do at this year’s AGMs will be to think about our Strategic Plan that flows from our Vision Statement. Last year we all participated in the M20 Survey that took the temperature of our church on four significant issues: Mission, Maturity, Ministry and Diversity.

I have attached the results to this week’s newsletter because I would love you all to look through them and come prepared to the meetings ready to discuss ideas that flow from the data.

What does it tell you? What should we work on? What concerns you? What excites you? What ideas do you have to improve weak areas? What should be our focus over the next 12 months?

Spend some time reading and thinking and praying, write some observations and questions and come ready for a discussion.

I’m excited about all God is doing among us and hope you are too.

In Christ,

Nigel

Ministry Thinking

Dear Friends,

The “M” I am taking responsibility for at church is MINISTRY – God has saved us to serve. We have not been captured up into the church of God by the blood of Christ to watch others use their gifts but to use the gifts God has give us to serve him. In the church, no one is left on the bleachers!

I have been reading a few books to get some fresh ideas and in one of them, it is suggested that there are four types of people in churches when it comes to ministry and serving…

1. “On the fence, thinking it over” People – You’ve see the opportunities, you know the need but you’re not quite sure they are for you. You worry about whether you really have the skills, time or passion required. You’re not doing anything but want to.

2. “Let me at me, I can’t wait to start” People – You’ve seen others involved and excited about their serving opportunities and you know you are going to love it. You can’t wait for the next opportunity to start doing something.

3. “I haven’t found the right fit, maybe they don’t need me” People – You have tried different things but nothing seems to fit. You may have even put your name on a list and not been called. You want to serve somewhere but feel like there may not be a place for you.

4. “Veteran Serving” People – You have been serving and you love it – there are moments of exhaustion but you feel involved and engaged in Jesus’ work at church and are thankful for the opportunities you have.

 I want to suggest that there can also be a fifth type of person….

5. “Can I stop now” People – You have been serving but you don’t have the energy to keep going or you know your skills are tiring or you have been a square peg in a round hole serving opportunity. You worry that if you stop there may be no one to start.

 I’d love to have a conversation with you about where you see yourself and how we can help you in your love and service of Jesus. Catch me after church or call me and let’s arrange time to talk and see what God has equipped you for in 2016.

Thanks for your partnership in Christ

Nigel