St Luke's Uniting Church, Highton
St Luke's is a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia, located in Highton, Geelong.
Clean up Australia day is actually scheduled for this long weekend, however as many people are away, the Environment Action Team has scheduled the St Luke’s event for Sunday 21st of March – save the date!
Guess what everyone?
We have an online fundraising Team for Lent Event this year – you can join our team and start your own fundraising page to encourage your friends and family to donate to Lent Event in 2021 where our help is needed now more than ever!
In all of the change that happens around us, one of the constant aspects of our faith journey at St Luke’s is the annual cycle of the liturgical calendar, marking the seasons of Jesus’ journey on earth.
Tomorrow we commence the period of Lent – 40 days of reflection and sacrifice as we imagine the time spent by Jesus in the desert, grappling with fears and temptations.
If you are looking for some resources to use as part of your devotional time during Lent, here are some suggestions:
Every year at Easter, Common Grace brings a Lent series based on the central teachings of Jesus. In 2021 they’ve put together a compilation series from Christian teachers, who show us what it looks like when justice overflows from following Jesus.
To sign up to their weekly Lenten emails, click here.
UnitingWorld is the part of the Uniting Church with the privilege of nurturing relationships with our global church family, and we love the season of Lent! Through Lent Event, we provide a Bible Study series to help you think through what it means to be a global neighbour, and encourage you to take action with a 40-day challenge to give or take up something that helps make the world a better place. With stories that show how your prayers and gifts are building hope and ending poverty around the world, we aim to cultivate generosity, compassion and awareness of others.
If you’re ready to take a new look at Lent, go for a deep dive online to find resources, and check out www.lentevent.com.au for simple ways to get involved.
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
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.
Mark the 18th to the 25th of April in your calendars because we are invited to share in 7 days of solidarity with our partners from all over the world.
More here: https://donate.unitingworld.org.au/7dos/resources
Community
Fun
Sharing
Our Messy Church family and friends picnic (postponed from December) is to be held this weekend.
Where: Drewan Park near the Wandana Heights Lookout (which used to be known as the Ceres Lookout), just up the hill from St Luke’s church.
When: 12:30pm on Sunday 31 January 2021
What to bring: Everything for a picnic (food, drink, tables, chair, rugs, kid’s games…)
THE PARK HAS A PLAYGROUND, TOILETS, BBQS AND SHELTER
Who can come: Young and older – you just need to come with an open heart to have fun and be inspired.
NOTE: COVID SAFE REQUIREMENTS APPLY … PLEASE PLAN TO PHYSICALLY DISTANCE, AND WEAR MASKS WHEN THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE. If you are feeling unwell, let us know and we’ll be thinking of you, but please don’t come – see your doctor or get tested if you have COVID symptoms.
Picnic
The annual Time for Remembering ceremony invites people to come together to commemorate loved ones lost and injured on our roads, give thanks for those who survived, and pay tribute to all who work tirelessly to reduce the road toll.
This year the 20th annual ceremony will be held via Zoom on November 15 from 12pm-1.30pm.
Register here:
https://events.humanitix.com/time-for-remembering
Hi Messy Church Friends!
Our next Messy Church Zoom will be 4:30pm Friday 18th September – put it on the calendar!
We will be talking about “How Precious and Special we are to God!”
Some fun things are happening during our actual Messy Church Zoom Meeting- including craft, music and catching up and seeing all our friends!
When we think of God’s Precious people in the world right now, and we know many are struggling in the strange challenging place due to the pandemic or life experiences. But we often feel- what can we do? Some organisations that do help: Uniting World, Save the Children, UNICEF or World Vision.
Maybe a suggestion might be to make it a family project to find ways, through these organisations, that you can help to show that others are precious too.
We miss you, we hope you’re well and safe, and we look forward to seeing you again on Friday September 18th at 4:30pm.
Love from St Luke’s Messy Church: Barbara, Shaghek, Paul, Judy, Jean and Robyn
PS have you read this book before? We have a copy in the St Luke’s Library!
Grace and Peace to you all, in the name of Jesus.
Heartfelt thanks to Linda Salamy for editing this week’s worship service so that I could catch up on some very behind university study! Thanks to Paul and Sue for presenting our worship today.
We also have many families from our Messy Church community who celebrate Orthodox Easter this weekend as part of their traditions – here are some special greetings from some of them!
If you are wanting to sing today, you might enjoy this favourite – “Be Thou My Vision”:
We also have some multi-sensory activities for you to do at home:
You might like to try dyeing your own eggs with Costa and friends:
Please keep in your prayers our partners in the Pacific, particularly Vanuatu, as they deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Harold. Here is an update from UnitingWorld about the impact of COVID19 on our partners from poorer nations:
Above all, we urge you to continue to uphold one another in prayer, and we pray that you and your loved ones stay safe and well, and know the transforming presence of Jesus through these challenging and uncertain times.
