Everyone is welcome to come along to the Murray Bridge Church of Christ to join with us in worshipping God, and remembering our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and what He accomplished for us on the Cross of Calvary.

When: Sunday 1st February 2015 at 10am.
Where: 32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge, South Australia

Speaker: Pastor Grant Spangenberg
Topic: “Mirror, mirror on the Wall”
Readings: Joshua 1: 1 – 9 and James: 19 – 27

Worship leader: Chris Longden

Communion leader: Ted Smith

Reminder: The Sunday School and Young People’s Bible Studies commence for 2015 this coming Sunday part way through the service.

Why not come along, bring a friend – and meet some potential new friends.

Stay after the service for a chat, a cuppa and a biscuit or two.

All welcome.

˄TH

Enjoy fellowship in our coffee shop

The Sunday School and Young People’s Bible study groups have been in recess over the Christmas – New Year break.

Both groups recommence lessons again this coming Sunday. The children and young people leave during the worship service for their lessons.

The worship service commences at 10am at 32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge, followed by a time of fellowship over a cuppa in the Coffee Shop.

All welcome.

˄TH

I was recently alerted to this quote from an article:

It’s no secret that reading is good for you. Just six minutes of reading is enough to reduce stress by 68%, and numerous studies have shown that reading keeps your brain functioning effectively as you age. One study even found that elderly individuals who read regularly are 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their peers.

So, I thought, if six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%, what could six minutes of reading the Bible do for your health? Surely we can all find six minutes in a day to read our Bibles. Just six minutes of Bible reading a day will mean you read through the entire New Testament in less than a year. That has to have a beneficial effect.

Go for it – think about how much good it is doing you, both your physical and spiritual health.

You can read the whole article here.

˄TH

The following appeared in CWConnect, the regular newsletter of CareWorks which is a ministry of Churches of Christ in South Australia.

We are supposed to be blessing people:

Recently, one of the board members tabled a fantastic little quote. It is good to remind ourselves of this sentiment, which is at the heart of CareWorks, and all our church ministries:

“The most common question church people ask of a church consultant is: How can we attract more people to the church?

And it is the wrong question. The harder you try to attract people to the church, the more you will drive people away from the church.

Here is the right question: How can we bless more people in the community?

The more we bless people in relevant ways, with no strings attached, the more that they will value the church. Church growth is a side effect of blessing people.”

Reprinted by permission from Australian Leadership.

Sydney Harbour Bridge (photo credit T. Hampel)

On the 26th January 1788 the First Fleet, with a military escort, arrived in Sydney Cove under the leadership of Captain Arthur Phillip. Following an official ceremony claiming this new settlement for King George III and the British Empire, Phillip wrote “We have come here today… and have founded here a state which we hope will… become the beneficial patron of all the nations of the Southern Hemisphere. How grand is the prospect which lies before this youthful nation.”

And so we find ourselves gathered for worship on the weekend of our nation’s 227th birthday grateful to God for being Australian, privileged to be enjoying the prospects of which Phillip wrote. let us then worship in a spirit of gratitude and praise attributing to God the worth which is fully and rightly His.

As you go into this new week be mindful of how you would answer the question posed by the psalmist and used by the Rev. Richard Johnson in his, the first sermon on Australian soil: “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?” (Psalm 116:12)

˄GS

All are welcome to come along and worship with us tomorrow morning.

Pastor Grant Spangenberg will be the speaker on the topic: “Advance Australia Where?”

The Bible readings will be Psalm 116 and Luke 9: 51 – 62

Our worship leader will be Ted Smith and Neil Page will lead us around the Lord’s Table (Communion).

After the service we invite all to stay for a time of fellowship over a cuppa and biscuits in the Coffee Shop.

Venue: Murray Bridge Church of Christ, 32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge.
Time: 10 – 11:30am

A small group of keen craft enthusiasts gather on the third Wednesday of each month in our church. They have a great time of fellowship and conversation, learning new crafts as they chat.

This group is about to commence again with their first meeting scheduled for February 18th at 10am.

You can read more about the group’s activities on the page dedicated to them – click here.

˄TH

It is that time of the year again when lots of ministries are starting up again. Here is what is happening in the coming weeks:

TONIGHT 7:30pm: special guest speaker Mr James Abraham (GMP) about the project he is involved with in South Sudan.

Sunday 1st February: Junior Sunday School recommences

Sunday 1st February: Young People’s Bible study recommences

Monday 2nd February 7:30pm: Hampel’s Home  Group recommences

Tuesday 3rd February 1:30pm Christian Women’s Fellowship recommences

Wednesday 4th February 7:30pm: Home groups starting (Mills, Page and Spangenberg groups)

Tuesday 17th February 2pm: Service at Murraylands Homes for the Aged.

Wednesday 18th February 10am: Let’s Get Together Craft Group recommences.

˄TH

There will be a special meeting in our church this coming Wednesday evening at 7:30pm. Super is provided.

That’s tomorrow!

Guest speaker will be Mr James Abraham from GMP (Global Mission Partners)

James Abraham grew up in Kenyi but fled the war in 1986. His family was welcomed to Australia as refugees in 2003. They joined the Ballarat Church of Christ in Victoria where James began to share his vision to support his homeland.

GMP has appointed James as Project Manager of the Bongibot Agricultural Project in Kenyi Payam in South Sudan.

In the Kenyi Payam district, in the fertile hills close to the Ugandan border, four sections of land have been provided for agricultural enterprises to generate food security, agricultural development, employment and finance for community development initiatives.

Kenyi Payam continues to experience extreme poverty as a direct result of civil war. Agricultural development ceased during the civil war and continues to be severely restricted, leaving the community with little opportunity for food security, employment, income generation, or the ability to finance basic community development.

The Payam is divided into four Bomas with a combined population of 85000. There are three primary schools, no secondary schools, and three clinics that are staffed by a nurse who can provide basic medical assistance. The region was a major conflict zone from 1983 until 2005, which halted development and restricted agriculture severely due to land mines.

The land is extremely fertile but people lack knowledge and equipment for modern farming practices. The project aims to equip people with these skills through the four models farms, training and providing key equipment.  Any return from the farms will be poured into community projects in the area.

All welcome to attend.

˄TH

Photo credit: Trevor Hampel

From the Book of Worship a prayer written for this, the third Sunday of 2015 reads:

“O God of grace, who at this time did give Jesus to be our Saviour: we beseech you to overcome our darkness with his light, our selfishness with his love, our indifference and cowardice with his steadfast devotion, that we may live ever in your presence, and perform faithfully our appointed tasks, and finally come to everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

As we move into another week, remembering that we are still in the early days of the New Year, may the words of the opening verse of the well-known and loved hymn Be Thou My Vision be a source of assurance and encouragement for each of us:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thou presence my light.

˄GS