Presbytery of North Queensland
PRESBYTERY PROMPTS
29 Wentworth Ave Mundingburra 4812
07 4779 5818 presbnq@bigpond.net.au
Website: www.presbyterynq.net
ISSUE FOUR 2007 FEBRUARY 6TH 2007
On the Grapevine…
Hello everyone,
How are you all in the big wet? The wet season has well and truly begun this year. Many people are saying that it is “like the old fashioned wet season”. There is certainly a lot of water here in Townsville with the dams and weirs overflowing. I hope and pray that you are all OK on the wet.
As you will be aware this year has started fairly quickly with an early Presbytery Leadership Team meeting Friday (2nd Feb) and the Presbytery Meeting in Cairns on 23rd to 25th Feb. The year also has the Qld Synod meeting in May (18th to 22nd) as well as our usual Zone meetings and of course all the exciting events and plans in all the congregations across the Presbytery including the plans for Youth, Children and Families ministry coordinated by Steve.
Blessings to you all, Bruce C.
Pastoral Notes and prayer points:
• Pray for Michelle Cook and James and their new baby Zane as they settle in to routines. Michelle remains in Brisbane at her parent’s home for the time being.
• Hardingham family – Tamara continues to slowly improve and has been able to move to Cairns for further education. Pray for her as she settles in and for Garry, Theresa and the family in Cloncurry.
• Please pray for Stephen and Tracie Kersnovske as they continue to work through some issues with the Department of Child Safety surrounding foster care.
• Please pray for Rev Mawunydjil Garawirrtja who will be undergoing surgery in Adelaide on the 4th of February 2007.
• Pray for Dr. Api Maha and his wife Nasain. Api is a senior layman in the United Church of Papua New Guinea who has come to Townsville for heart surgery.
In his Daily Mail devotional on Tuesday, Bruce Mullan refers to the writings of Brian McLaren.
Brian McLaren was about to speak at a church youth convention when his host asked the audience a provocative question.
How many considered themselves liberal Christians? A smattering of hands and a few cheers. Conservative? Louder claps and hoots. Then he asked: "How many of you wish there could be a third alternative?"
The room erupted with cheers. The host then introduced McLaren as a fellow pilgrim in search of the third alternative. The nondenominational evangelist — labelled a "sage" for "emergent church," a growing theological movement aimed at a new generation — was surprised by the response but says he understands it now.
"One of the reasons they cheered is their sense that the polarization between conservative and liberal, evangelical and mainline, left and right has gotten so extreme, it seems like a cartoon," he says. "People have this sense that we've lost our balance."
McLaren isn't preoccupied with hell — who's in and who's out. Emergent church leaders don't view other religions, science and liberals as enemies.
McLaren says the centre of the emergent church's desire is to "re-
The emergent movement also is critical of megachurch "seeker services," where megachurches treat parishioners as religious consumers who need the gospel tailored to meet their needs.
McLaren notes the critics but says he's ultimately trying to teach another audience. In A Generous Orthodoxy he describes that audience as those "outside the church."
"A friend of mine once said that every new Christian should be equipped at baptism with a manure detector because there's plenty of it around in the church world, and I agree," he writes. "I've seen it and smelled it (and too often tracked it through the house). Sometimes, I've felt like giving up and walking away in search of fresher, healthier air. But there's something here that I love and can't stop loving, and that something is actually Someone."
[By John Blake Voice of 'sage' inspires admiration, intense criticism posted by ajc.com/living
27 January copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-
The full article referred to in the web address above includes the following that I thought were interesting:
9 CHARACTERISTICS OF EMERGING CHURCHES
1. Identify with the life of Jesus.
2. Transform the secular realm.
3. Live highly communal lives.
4. Welcome the stranger.
5. Serve with generosity.
6. Participate as producers.
7. Create as created being.
8. Lead as a body.
9. Take part in spiritual activities.
Source: "Emerging Churches" (Baker Academic, $17.99) by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger
Judy Bottrill -
One boy she was working with today has limited interests. However, he has some interest and talent in simple cartooning. Judy wonders whether there is someone in T’ville who has that skill who might be interested in working with the boy for a period, one day a week, to help get him stimulated.
Do you have any ideas?
Please send any ideas to jmbotts@bigpond.com or phone 4779 6489.
Child Safe Church training will be organised in all Zones in the next month or so. Steve Kersnovske is the official trainer for North Queensland and will be running train the trainer events soon. Dates will be confirmed this Friday. As you are aware it is essential that there is a designated person in each congregation who is the Child Safety Officer who has some training. As we are all aware, churches are not exempt from the requirements of the law in this regard and we need to be even more active and vigilant in this regard to provide a safe place for all. Look for the dates and plan to have someone available for training. Training for congregational people will be about 3 hours.
Presbytery Meeting (Cairns) – 23rd to 25th February: Just a reminder to everyone that our first Presbytery Meeting for this year will be held in Cairns at YAL Tropicana Lodge from Friday 23rd February through to 25th February. The information sheets and forms to return notifying the office as to who is attending from your congregation or agency have been sent. Please reply ASAP as the time lines are short.
Synod delegates – if you have not already done this PLEASE send to Jane by FRIDAY the names of those who are attending the Synod meeting in May from your congregation. The synod role is supposed to be finalised by 31st January but we have a couple of days grace.
Hughenden/Flinders Patrol -
New Army Chaplain: We welcome the new Uniting Church Army Chaplain to 1st Battalion RAR in Townsville, Charles Vesely, and his wife Yvonne and children Kari(13), Damaris (10), Shem (9), Andraya (7). They come to us from Central West Presbytery in NSW and among other things are enjoying rain for the first time in ages. Welcome to the north.
Johan Loots -
The Leadership training in conjunction with Trinity College will be held in Townsville as follows. More details and rego form will be available later.
Friday 30TH March
7: 00 p.m. – 10: 00 p.m. Pastoral Care (Bruce Cornish)
Saturday 31ST March
9: 00: -
1: 00 – 4: 00 p.m. Visioning mission (Craig M.)
7: 00 – 10: 00 p.m. Recruiting and resourcing leaders (Craig. M.)
Steve’s Stuff…
Greetings! Below is some information about training and events coming up in the near future…..
Child Safe Church
Ministers will receive two copies of the child safe church book in the post either today or tomorrow. One copy is for Minister and the second copy is for the congregation’s child safety officer. Please remember that it is a Synod requirement that each congregation has a child safety officer who will provide child safe church training for their congregations youth and children’s leaders and also help their congregation implement the child safe church policy and recommendations. In addition to fulfill certain legislative requirements under the ‘Commission for Children and Young People’, we need to implement the child safe church policy.
Training will take place on Saturday the 17th of March in both the southern and northern zones. The northern zone training will be in Cairns and the southern zone training in Townsville. Venues are still being confirmed. Training will commence at 9:30am and finish at 12:30pm.
This training is for Ministers, Youth Workers, congregations ‘child safety officer’ and people who have identified that they would like to be able to train child safety officers in the future (train the trainer). Leaders can attend this training if they wish. However each congregations child safety officer will provide a shorter version for people who lead Sunday school, kids club, youth group, small groups etc..
If you have any questions, please call me (4036 4440, 0427 727 070) or email at stevek@yacmu.com.au
Celebration of Youth and Children’s Ministry
It is exciting to hear congregations talk about the service that they are planning to celebrate youth and children’s ministry sometime in February. Each congregation should have received a resource pack from me late December. This has ideas that you can use in the service. If you haven’t, please put one Sunday aside in February or early March to celebrate youth and children’s ministry. This is a great time to commission your leaders for the year.
In addition we are asking congregations to have a retiring offering to support young people across our presbytery to attend camps and to enable adults to attend training events. Last year presbytery subsidised 9 young people to attend NCYC and nine adults to attend the State Youth Ministry Conference to the amount of $2900. We want to top up the account so we are in the position to continue to support young people to attend camps and enable people to attend training events. We are currently in the process of setting up an account so people can transfer money across electronically. We should have the details next week.
Easter Camp
Easter Camp is now only eight weeks away. Registration forms are now available. Please email me if you would like me to send you registration forms. Alternatively you can download them at www.yacmu.com.au, under ‘Easter Camp NQ’. Follow the links on the left hand bar.
It is my hope that we will have fifty people at our first Easter camp from across our presbytery. Please encourage your young people to come along for great worship, teaching, small groups and activities. Information about the activities and guest speaker can be found on the registration form and webpage. If you have any questions or would like to be involved in some way, please let me know.
Finally, I will be traveling to Israel on study leave from the 19th of February to the 1st of March.
Yours in Christ’s service, Steve.
What’s New…
SECOND HAND COMPUTER TO GIVE AWAY
Do you know of anyone who has a use for an old computer? A family at Aitkenvale Uniting Church has a computer to give away. If you or someone you know may be interested please contact Rev Malcolm Bottrill (Aitkenvale minister) on 0409 513 977.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A LIFELINE TELEPHONE COUNSELLOR????
Would you like to become one of Lifeline’s 5,000 Volunteer Telephone Counsellors? Every day, all round Australia, Lifeline is recruiting and training Telephone Counsellors.
Lifeline is looking for…People from all walks of life who are prepared to…
• Undertake initial training
• Commit to shifts on a regular basis (usually fortnightly)
• Commit to continual training
• Work within the vision and values of Lifeline North Queensland
• Care about the community they live in
• And can pass a comprehensive selection process showing:
1. Self awareness
2. Good communication skills
3. Good listening skills and
4. a non-
Courses start March 2007.
Costs : Self Awareness Course $60.00
Telephone Counselling Course $250.00 (including LivingWorks ASIST training) there is a rebate for 2 years commitment.
Payment plans available for both courses. Please call 4779 9911 for your application kit today.
A CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO ETHICAL WEALTH GENERATION
Saturday, 3rd of March, Central Uniting Church
Speaker: John Chapman
A helpful follow-
Inquiries: Church Office 4771 2584
Please don’t forget these…
GOD’S ANCIENT PATHS OF FINANCIAL SUCCESS
Understanding Finances from a Biblical Perspective 16th & 17th February at Central Uniting Church
WHO SHOULD COME
Anyone who is struggling to get by and desirous of getting out of debt; anyone who has trouble saving money; anyone who wants to learn God’s wisdom on finances; anyone who wants to learn how to be a better steward of what God has given.
TOPICS INCLUDE
”What is Sparrow Faith;” A guide to getting out of debt; How to release God’s blessing in finances and much more...
COST
$50 for Individual; $65 for Married couple using 1 workbook or $85 for Married couple using 2 workbooks
Inquiries at the Church Office 4771 2584
Presbytery Calendar (including Bruce’s and Steve’s Diary)
February 13th – Bruce to Brisbane for Placements meeting
15th – CEM Forum – Brisbane
16th – Moderator & Presbytery Ministers meeting – Brisbane
17th – Council of Synod meeting – Brisbane
23rd – 25th – Presbytery meeting – Cairns
25th – Marcia Cowen’s Induction – Edmonton
March 5th – Peter Harvey Induction – Hughenden
8th – 9th – Bruce, Craig Mischewski, Malcolm Bottrill and Doug Foster to Brisbane for Coach Net Training
11th – Bruce to Ingham – Preach and Worship
17th – Child Safe Training Northern & Southern Zones (venues to be confirmed)
22nd – Bruce to Placements Brisbane
23rd – Moderator & Presbytery Ministers meeting – Brisbane
29th – Presbytery Leadership Team meeting – Teleconference
30th – 31st – Leadership Training Course – Townsville
April – 5th – 9th Easter Camp – New Life Pastures
16th – 20th -
28th Northern & Southern Zone Meetings
Steve K’s Calendar
February 19th to the 1st of March – study leave in Isreal
March 10th to 15th -
17th child safe church training
19th to 23rd -