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Sunday 22 June 2014

Why Will Tim Costello Visit Our Church?


 







By Eric and Carolyn Hatfield from the Justice and Mercy (JAM) Team
Carolyn and I first met Tim Costello at Black Stump Christian Arts Camps where he was teaching and leading seminars on social justice issues. We were impressed with his broad knowledge and the fact that he could speak for an hour without notes while holding his audience enthralled.
At that time he was pastoring Collins St Baptist Church in Melbourne and we heard stories of the more well-to-do parishioners having to step over homeless people sleeping on the church steps while coming to the morning service. 
As a result of this obvious need, Tim began a ministry from his church to serve the marginalised in inner city Melbourne. When we visited Melbourne we were privileged to be invited to attend an informal evening service in the basement where these people felt comfortable to attend.
Tim is now well known as CEO of World Vision in Australia and a respected spokesperson on justice and overseas aid. He will be our guest at Saturday Night Church (SNC) on 26th July at 6pm to present us with an award.   For the second year running we were the top money raising church in Australia for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine.
World Vision is one of the World's largest relief and development organisations with annual revenue of almost $3bn. It runs the 40 Hour Famine each year, and Menai Anglican Church has participated for more than a decade.
Tim's topic will be God's mission in the world, how Christians can relate to the community around us, and how the 40 Hour Famine is part of all that.  Having visited many countries where World Vision has responded to disaster, war, famine or injustice, he shares from deep experience.
Joining him that night will be musician Levi McGrath, who will lead us in worship and share some of his own songs. Levi has volunteered overseas with World Vision.
It promises to be a great night of celebration, learning and being challenged to serve God in our world. 6pm Saturday 26 July.

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Why I've Prepared A Talk For Women on Being Crazy Busy


A (mercifully) short blog about a (really) big problem (to quote Kevin DeYoung from "Crazy Busy")

I have to confess, when Margaret sent off an email to ask me to write a quick blog about why I've prepared a talk about being Crazy Busy for Women.. my first thoughts were "Oh no, when will I fit that in?!!"


Ironic huh! Ok, so this is really not about me being an expert. But sharing some things that I have had to (and continue to think deeply about)


How often do we find we miss e mails, eat dinner on our laps in the car, double book important dates, and take 5 or 6 attempts to "catch up" with a good friend.


How often do we hear ourselves express our admiration of another woman in terms like "I don't know how she does it"


Yet busyness and the stress that comes from it can rob our lives of emotional depth, creativity, joy and meaning as we skim relationships and activities, like its an Olympic sport to be mastered.


We tend to wear busyness as a badge of honour, somehow marking our significance.


Yet it can be the very thing that keeps us from the things that are MOST SIGNIFICANT...and ultimately from the one who makes sense of it all.. God himself.


By Wendy Potts - Guest Speaker for the Women's Annual Dinner on Tuesday 17 June