Unity Among Us!

I'm sorry this has been posted late - I've been a bit busy. I'm hoping to get this all back on schedule soon - so that you can read "up to date info" This is from 4 Oct Service...

What a week it’s been! It has been a flurry of activity. There have been lots of joys, and a few sorrows in our family as well. This week we got word that Lisa Fisher (who used to co-run our youth programs) past away in the dust storms in Sydney. It wasn’t an easy piece of news to digest. Along with that we got word that one of our members Janine Brookshaw was in critical condition in the hospital after being crushed by a car, and just this morning she passed away. Please keep the family and friends of these women in your prayers as they grieve. On top of that, as you may know, there have been terrible disasters with the tsunamis that have hit the pacific region. What tragedy.

But today we can also rejoice! There are 2 new “lives” to celebrate – two new babies. The Huf family welcomed a 4th baby on Monday 28/Sept to their family named Sophie Grace. A few days later on Thursday the 1st of Oct, The Moores also welcomed a 4th child to their clan by the name of Ezekiel Ben. Both babies (and mummies) are healthy and well!

This week Tim continued to focus on our core values with an emphasis on UNITY. Many of our core foundations were based directly from this principle. In order to work together and grow together as a family, we need to work through our issues of unity. Disunity is a tool that the enemy loves to use to tear churches apart. Tim advocated that we be on guard, and proactively seek unity among one another.

In Eph 4 Paul encourages the church to: “…be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
He goes on to share how we each have our different roles to play, but the bond of peace is essential.

I was thinking how amazing it was that this week we were faced with so many ups and downs - trials and joys. Nothing brings a family closer together than experiences like these. God is already doing a new thing among us in creating a bond of peace - bringing us closer together, making us stronger, and for this we can only rejoice!