Messy Church in 2021

Messy Church is one place we can mark special transitions. Photo credit: Elizabeth Stoel

From Barbara and the Messy Church Team:

Welcome Back to Face-to Face Messy Church at St Luke’s Highton!

We really can’t wait to see you all again as it has been a while since we met in person and had fun at Messy Church! We are starting cautiously due to the ever-changing COVID restrictions regarding numbers allowed inside.

So ….here are our plans so far…………

Messy Church in February

Friday 19^th February 5-7pm At Drewan Park

CANCELLED DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS

Our first meeting will be outside at Drewan Park, City View Drive, Wandana Heights – just up the hill from St Luke’s and where we had our picnic last Sunday. It’s a great park with a good view and plenty of facilities.

Theme: The Good Samaritan- we will be planning our usual bundle of fun Messy Church activities outside amongst nature. BYO food and chairs.

Here’s a kid-friendly version of the story:

And here’s a perspective on the Good Samaritan parable from one of the First Nations Christian Leaders – Brooke Prentice of Common Grace – and where she sees the situation of Aboriginal people in this story.

Messy Church Dates for the remainder of 2021 – put these in your diary!

Friday 19^th March– Back at St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm- Easter themes including a Labyrinth and New Life activities- sounds intriguing! Stay tuned!

Friday 16^th April -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 21^st May -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 18^th June -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 16^th July -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 20^th August -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm

Friday 17^th September – St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

Friday 15^th October -St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

Friday 19^th November– St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm

See you soon!

Love from your Messy Church Team: Judy, Shaghek, Paul, Barbara, Jean and Robyn xxxxx

09/02/2021

Upcoming Webinar: The Grandparenting Effect

Join author Trevecca Okholm as she shares about

The Grandparenting Effect and it’s implications for the Church and Intergenerational Connections

February 10th, 2021
10am-11:30am

Find out more here

Whatever life gives you and wherever life takes you, there is always a story. Life and relationships all begin and are sustained in the context of a story. This is not a how-to-do-it-right book as much as it is a book of stories–personal stories from the author, biblical stories, and stories of ordinary grandparents and grandchildren who have been willing to share their own stories with which you may be able to identify and be encouraged in your own adventures of grandparenting.

This is a book for everyone that either has biological grandchildren or has the potential to influence the lives of non-biological youth and children in the role of grandparenting. This is also a book for churches to consider while planning for ministry to bring generations together in meaningful interactions, and in doing so, to create space for generations to share their stories and share in God’s overarching Story of reconciling the world . . . one story at a time.

04/10/202004/10/2020

Worship online – Sunday 4 October 2020

Paul continues to explore Tom Wright’s book “God and the Pandemic: A Christian reflection on the Coronavirus and its aftermath” this week. Today we reflect on the question of lament. When the Israelites were exiled to Babylon they wrote down much of the Old Testament we have now (previously it was an oral history). The readings from Lamentations and Job offer insight on how God’s people are called to respond in such challenging times.

You can find more on Tom Wright’s book and where to get a copy by this link.

Led by: Rev. Paul Stephens – with thanks to Lynne Rankin from Belmont for the readings and Colleen Lawrence for our prayers.

There is a reflective post and piece of music recently composed by Rev David McGregor from Brisbane.

LOSS

And finish with a new song of confidence composed by Leigh Newton and Craig Mitchell – based on Ezekiel.

21/09/2020

Belgrave Heights Women’s Convention On-Line – Saturday 10 October 2020

This week we received information from the Belgrave Heights Convention Centre about their online women’s conference. As the conference is online this year, I thought there may be some St Luke’s women interested in attending.

The theme for 2020 is “Generation to Generation” and our guest speaker is Cathie Hillman. Although this is the year, we will remember for generations the theme is still relevant so On-Line we go. We will not be holding a physical convention at Belgrave Heights Convention and you need to pre-register for our online Convention.

Cathie will bring two messages and we have four interactive elective options that will be presented twice. The electives are to be chosen when you register which is why we ask you to pre-register.

The program commences at 9am and concludes at 12.45pm with breaks between sessions.

Our Electives this year are:
1. Mentoring-Helping others to maximise God’s grace in their lives with Vicki Mustafa
2. Parenting through the ages with Jenny Wraight
3. Grieving Well with Dot Hodge
4. Generations sharing their faith with Ruth Newmarch
Please see the website for more information on the electives.

With the theme of Generation to Generation we are wanting to encourage the ladies in your church / organisation to bring their teenage daughter/s (15 years +) and we still encourage their participation as the registration covers the household.

Registration is available on-line https://belgraveheights.venue360.me/public/events/homepage?event=34 at a cost of $25 per household. $20 for concession card holders.
It would be appreciated if you could advertise the Belgrave Heights Women’s Convention On-Line in your newsletters / weekly bulletin, on your webpage and in your notices. Below are some suggested words for you:
Belgrave Heights Women’s Convention – Generation to Generation. Join us on-line with other women for a time of learning and fellowship. The program starts at 9am and concludes at 12.45pm. Registration is per household / device. We encourage mothers and daughters (15yrs +) to join in together. Our Guest Speaker is Cathie Hillman who fills her days with people, coffee and her 3 littlies. She started her career as a high school teacher, has a master’s in International and Community Development and worked in research at Monash University. Cathie is part of a house church network in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne and is passionate about seeing disciples make disciples. There will be 2 main messages and 4 electives presented twice. Register via the BHC Website. https://www.bhc.org.au/womens. – The electives are to be chosen when you register which is why you must pre-register. Please register by Wednesday 7 October 2020.

If you require more information, please contact me by phone: 9752 6855 or email: office@bhc.org.au.

18/09/202018/09/2020

Book Group is Back!

Thursdays 1-2pm via Zoom – contact the office for the link

St Luke’s Book Group and members of the Trekkies study group are now meeting via Zoom to share their journey of reading various books and reflecting on the insights these books offer.

The first book they are tackling is “God and the Pandemic” by Tom Wright. He introduces the book here:

It is available as

an e-book from Amazon and Apple books,
an audiobook through Audible
and from Koorong here

Rev. Paul will also be exploring themes from the book in upcoming online worship videos.

For those of you who have been missing your weekly Trek through the lectionary, the book group may be a good place to connect, however if you are looking for a weekly discussion on our Lectionary Readings, there are a couple of podcasts you may enjoy listening to:

Tea with Two Revs with Rev Amanda Nicolas from East Geelong UC and Rev Ann Key from St Andrews-St Alban’s congregations in Geelong’s Eastern side

And “By the Well” with Revs Fran Barber and Robyn Whitaker (featured in the latest edition of “Crosslight” here: https://crosslight.org.au/2020/08/12/double-take-robyn-whitaker-and-fran-barber/

11/08/2020

Progressive Christian Network now gathering online

Many participants in St Luke’s House Church have an interest in the Progressive Christian Network. Like many organisations, the PCN has moved their in-person gatherings online. This means that people who might not have been able to attend events in Melbourne can now join in on Zoom.

For more information about the Progressive Christian Network, head to their new website here:

Progressive Christian Network

07/05/202007/05/2020

Tips for recording yourself for online presentations

Dear friends,

It has been so lovely to see our people in our online worship and other presentations, sharing greetings, bible readings and prayers.

As one of the editors, I get to see your recordings many times and come up with creative ways to present your contributions so that you are clearly seen and heard.

I want to encourage those of you who are “brave” enough, to consider joining the “digital worship roster”, to help present and prepare items for Sunday morning, Messy Church, Kid’s church and other opportunities we have to share the story of Jesus’ transforming grace and our lives as a community of faith.

Here are some tips for helping you to prepare a great video recording:

In summary:

– Smartphones are fine
– Record from a fixed position
– Make sure the light source is in front of you, not behind you
– Record in Landscape, not portrait
– Record in a quiet environment
– Do a test to check if you are loud enough
– Pause at the beginning and end of the video, and after a stumble so that the editor can work their magic
– Don’t be nervous! We love to see our people in our worship!

Thanks to Abigail and Christopher for their help with photos and sound effects!

We look forward to seeing many more St Luke’s faces and hearing your voices as we continue to gather virtually to keep one another safe. If you are interested in helping to prepare a segment for one of our online ministries, please let either Paul or myself know by emailing the office – info (at) stlukesuca.org.au

28/03/2020

Sunday 29th March – Worship online

Hello friends,

Here is our first completely socially-distanced online worship service:

We hope that you are safe at home and feeling connected even though we are physically distant. If you are looking for something to sing along to, you might enjoy this version of the Hymn “In Christ Alone”:

Lent Event

2 weeks ago, New Zealand commemorated the first anniversary of the Christchurch Massacre – a tragic reminder of the hatred, intolerance and misunderstanding in our communities, but also of the beauty of people pulling together to bring solace and solidarity. Today we meet three old friends – a mix of Muslim and Christian women for whom friendship across faith boundaries has proved rich and lifegiving. Do you know people of other faiths with whom you could have a (physically distant) meal and develop stronger relationships?

Next week: Blessed are the peacemakers

Message from the Moderator

28/03/2020

A reflection from Alistair Pate – Dry Bones

Hello Friends,

Paul shared a thoughtful reflection from Alistair Pate, who is the minister at Chalice Uniting Church in Northcote and who leads a cafe church which until recently would meet weekly at a local pub in Northcote.

He writes:

“These are very difficult times. The challenge for us is to drink deep from the well of faith. To ground and root ourselves in God’s unchanging love for us, in God’s complete commitment to us, which we see made visible flesh in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That, at minimum, seems to be our task just now. Perhaps there is an opportunity here, amidst the stress and anxiety, to treat this as a sort of compulsory spiritual retreat? To develop a daily discipline of prayer, work, and recreation? I know that I have experienced significant spiritual deepening in difficult times, when I was really forced back into what is most profound. Perhaps this might be all of our experience through these difficult days ahead?”

Read the rest of Alistair’s post here:

God, You Know

25/02/2020

Two great learning opportunities for developing faith communities

March is a busy month for learning about new ways of doing faith and discipleship. If you’re interested in exploring faith for the 2020s and beyond, sign up!

To register, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/new-and-renewing-gathering-tickets-87072412931

For more information, contact Mat Harry on mat.harry@victas.uca.org.au