1. Praise the Lord for Zaldy de Belen finally being granted his permanent visa. Thanks to all who have been persistent in prayer. Pray for him and his wife Alma and daughter Psalm in the Philippines.

2. Pray for the wonderful work of Mercy Ships bringing medical help to many people in need. Prayerfully consider how much you can contribute to this work as our mission focus for this month.

3. Pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones in recent times.

4. Pray for those of our congregation who are unable to worship with us: Beryl Abbott, Nancy Coleman, Phyllis Wilkins, Geoff Baker, Lorraine Sauerwald, and Brian Toms.

5. Pray for Ruhinda and family as they spend the next few weeks in Africa, and for his daughter Queen being married while they are there.

˄TH

Sheep in Morocco

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures. Psalm 23:1

Growing up on the family farm in the Murray Mallee near Loxton I was often given the task to shepherding a flock of sheep from one part of the farm to another. I quickly learned to trust in the sheep dogs for help; our Australian sheep can be a little on the crazy side at times.

When we bought our present property we had a small flock of sheep – six at most – which kept our grass under control. In summer I would hand-feed them from a large ice cream container. The moment they saw me coming with the container of grain they would follow me into their yard.

While touring Morocco several years ago we saw many shepherds with their flocks of sheep and goats. The shepherd usually walked slowly along the hillside, seeking out good pasture for the animals. With staff in hand he occasionally nudged an errant animal back on to the correct path. It was a scene of utter peace and contentment, the animals secure in the knowledge of the shepherd’s protection close at hand.

As a young shepherd, David knew how to care for animals, a task entrusted to him by his father. Psalm 23 illustrates beautifully his knowledge of being a shepherd. With many hours spent alone in the company of his animals, he had plenty of time to meditate upon God’s wonderful care, comparing it with a loving shepherd.

Take a good look around. Are you following the Good Shepherd? Trusting in Jesus will ensure that you lack for nothing, that you will be able to lie down peacefully to sleep, and that you will have times of renewal and refreshing by the quiet waters.

David, however, knew the reality of walking through the darkest valleys that life presents on many occasions. By keeping our eyes on the Lord our Shepherd we won’t lose our way, we don’t need to fear any evil. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will be there to comfort and protect us, and we will dwell in His house forever.

Keep your eyes on the Shepherd.

˄TH

All are welcome to come to worship our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ tomorrow.

The service begins at 10am and usually goes for about an hour and half. It is followed by a time of fellowship over a cuppa in our coffee shop.

Our worship leader tomorrow will be Chris Longden.

Leading us around the Lord’s Table (Communion) will be Rob Carson.

When it comes to the message from God’s word (the Bible) we have invited member John Lawson to speak, following on his great message last Sunday.

All are welcome.

Venue: Murray Bridge Church of Christ, 32 Seventh Street, Murray Bridge.

˄TH

Murray Bridge Church of Christ

BOOKSHOP 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS.
At a date to be announced.
Manager Chris DeNieuwe would like contact information
(email/phone) of anyone who has worked in the
bookshop over the last 40 years.

If you have a
friend and/or family member who fits this
description please let Chris DeNieuwe know.

Chris, our bookshop manager

This is a reminder that in our church we have a very active Pastoral Care team. We meet at 9am every Tuesday morning for a time of prayer. We look through the attendance roll and check on those of our congregation who have special needs, are not well or hospitalised, in need of visitation and so on. After praying for the people listed we will often arrange for someone to visit or phone them.

Prayer requests

If you, or someone in your family or circle of friends needs prayer, please contact Pastor Grant Spangenberg or elder Trevor Hampel (using the contact form above). Church members may ring them directly.

We also have a very active Prayer Chain via email and phone. Any prayer requests

can quickly be disseminated to most of the members of our church very quickly.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phil 4:6

˄TH

WOMEN’S HEALTH PROGRAMME – MERCY SHIPS

During the month of June we are having a focus on Mercy Ships and their valuable medical work. This is also our mission fund raiser for the month. For more information click here.

Nana suffered severe childbirth injury and after surgery was finally healed
At fifteen years of age, Nana was given in marriage and pregnancy soon followed. After counting nine full moons, Nana prepared herself to give birth but the baby did not come. After three days of medical care in a local hospital, the now lifeless baby was delivered. Nana was left with an obstetric fistula and, as a consequence, her husband left her.

Seven years after her childbirth injury, Nana moved to Conakry, Guinea to access the surgery she had heard about for women with her condition. While Nana’s two surgeries at the hospital in Conakry failed, her life took an unexpected turn for the better. “Three years and four months ago, I met Djibril. He decided that he loved me, and he set about winning my heart. I told him about my condition, and he said that was all the more reason I needed him. Like my parents, Djibril never doubted that I would be healed, and he was just the man God had in mind to help me,” Nana recalls. Then, in 2013, Nana experienced what she calls an incredible blessing. Djibril was watching television and learnt of Mercy Ships and its big white hospital ship.

Nana came to the Mercy Ships screening with a group of friends, and her faithfulness bore fruit. The skillful hand of Australian surgeon Dr. Judith Goh and the intense prayers of everyone around her resulted in a successful fistula repair. After a two-week healing period, Nana was finally healed.

I thank God, whom I serve… as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.’ (2 Timothy 1:3)

1. Remember to pray for one another, just as Paul encouraged the early believers. Use the church directory to assist you.
2. Give thanks for our homes, warm clothing and heating during the cold winter months. Pray for the homeless in our community, and for the agencies seeking to assist them.
3. Pray for the foster children who received the back-packs for which we recently raised money.
4. Pray for the various levels of government in our country, and for national leaders worldwide. Search out the names of presidents and prime ministers and pray for them by name.
5. Pray for those travelling at this time, especially those of our fellowship: Bren and Averil Hawkes, Rob and Stephanie Amos, Ted and Pam Smith, Ian and Wendy Rowley.

Beautiful in the Master Potter’s Hands

‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand’ Jeremiah 18:6

I am not a potter, though I have on one occasion many years ago dabbled in this fine art. I actually made a small bowl which was later fired with a delightful glaze. Ever since then I have used this bowl to store paper clips and other miscellaneous items, first on my desk at school, and now on my office desk at home.

Watching a master potter in action is fascinating; in his or her hands a dirty lump of clay can miraculously be formed into a plate, bowl, vase or some other useful or decorative object. After firing in a kiln the glaze can bring new dimensions of beauty to a fine work of art. The master potter makes the whole process look very easy, but like all forms of art, it takes many years to perfect.

In a recent devotional reading I underlined these words: In the good times it’s easy to see that we’re making progress, but in the tough times we are prone to feel like we’re not making any progress at all. We react to pain, loss and adversity by consulting our feelings instead of God’s faithfulness. (The Word for Today by Bob Gass)

So easily we forget that we are in the Master Potter’s hands at all times, a place of ultimate security. We are a work in progress. The important thing is that we not rely on our feelings but rather yield ourselves to his hands shaping us, forming us and moulding us into His perfect, beautiful design, useful for His service. We ought to be ‘confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 1:6)

In the hands of the Master Potter we are being transformed from shapeless lumps of clay into useful people of great joy and beauty in the eyes of our Lord.

˄TH