eNews
RSS Feed now available! You can keep up to date with all the latest news from us simply by subscribing to our feed using your RSS news reader.
eNews Update
Sunday PM
Listening to God: As we begin to study Acts in a few weeks time, we will see how Jesus is bringing his kingdom to the world, through the church. But before this took place, Jesus told some stories about what that kingdom was going to look like, and how it was going to come. We read these as parables in the gospel of Luke. In the next 3 weeks we will be looking at some of these stories, starting with Luke 8:1-15, and seeing how Jesus is bringing his kingdom, and how he is calling us to be involved.
Preacher: Clinton Berends
Small Group Sign Up
Small group sign up for 2011 is underway! Lists of groups available are on tables at the back of the auditorium. Please add your name to groups as required and we will get in touch with you. If you need to change groups for 2011 this is a good time to do so.
Even if you can't join a group for the whole year, this is an opportunity to just be involved for the duration of the Acts series.
If you can't find a group that suits, there is another list for you to put your name on. Or feel free to contact Clinton. clinton@redlandscrc.org.au
Ministry Opportunity - Just give it a try!
Over the next few weeks we will be signing up for various ministry teams for 2011. Being involved in a ministry team is a great way to be involved at RCRC, to meet new people, and to put faith into action. Redlands can't survivor without its army of volunteers. Even if you're unsure about how much time you have, or even what's required for a specific task, just give it a try for a few weeks, see how you go!
Volunteer sheets are at the back of the auditorium, along with the Small Group Sign Up.
Flood Damage Report - Queensland CRC congregations
The following is a brief report I compiled earlier in the week and posted on the CRCA email network. It outlines the current situation faced by CRC congregations in Queensland. Overall, it's incredible that the damage has been minimal (compared to most). This also means that congregations in the worst affected areas may be in prime position to show Gospel compassion. Here what local pastors had to say...
Toowoomba (Rev John Westendorp)
After contacting all our members whom I knew to live in low-lying areas I wrote the following in last week's church bulletin:
====================================
It has been a disturbing week... to say the least. Flooding has caused havoc right down the eastern seaboard of Australia. We're humbly thankful to the Lord that the members of our church have generally fared well. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nel Graafland who, to the best of my knowledge, had the worst damage in our congregation as floodwater came through her home. Ed Van der Velde's parents in Grantham had a horrifying time as they were left clinging to the gutters of their home.
====================================
I mentioned on Sunday morning that my assessment was woefully inadequate. Two of our families in Murphy's Creek were evacuated and three other families also had some fairly serious flood damage... but still nothing compared to those in the Lockyer valley. You've seen enough images on TV so that I don't need to describe to you the devastation... except to say that reality is always worse than the images on a television set.
It was not possible for us last week to go down the range to help or to check (we were totally isolated) but we have two families who live at Helidon and they were very involved in the Helidon/Grantham situation. One of these couples at one stage had three families staying in their house and through these people we have offered some diaconal help. The Toowoomba Range opened again last Saturday and allowed us some contact with these families. Through these families some of our folk have donated some essentials to families who lost everything.
Our Pressie friends have a much longer list of needy people and I'll be contacting my PCA colleagues today to see if there are any ways in which we can help them.
I'm also about to go out and do some more visiting to those most affected. Several of them are elderly folk and while they are spiritually strong and have the resources to hadle it long terms they are also very dependent on the help of others to sort things out.
I'll keep you posted if there are any other developments.
JWW
Westside (Rev Josh Hartog)
G'day Reformed Churches across Australia,
I just thought I'd let you know of the situation here at Goodna in Queensland.
Our little suburb has become a rather impressive lake. Most of the homes north of the Ipswich Motorway were evacuated and are now completely submerged. The same has occurred on the southern side of the Motorway, a strip about 100 metres wide and over a kilometre long, which includes the CBD, dozens of homes, and Gailes Caravan Park. I had a meeting planned at Goodna MacDonalds tomorrow morning but only the tip of the roof is showing. We have a friend staying with us whose caravan is now floating somewhere above the local skateboard park.
I managed to check on the property of another church member, and to my amazement her unit was one of only four out of over 60 that escaped the flood waters. Another member was evacuated, but we expect her property to remain above water. In fact, no members from our church have lost property, which has been a real answer to prayer, and in some cases truly miraculous. Some members have lost power and most are isolated by the flood waters. I managed to ring all our members, but I am cut off from about 70% of our congregation.
The School hall we hire has been turned into an evacuation centre so we don't have our normal place to worship this Sunday. However, we're not sure many of our members will be able to reach Goodna until the water recedes anyway. Our big concern is what this disaster will mean for our local community. Some friends who live on the north side of the motorway may have lost everything they own and they haven't been able to get anywhere near their property to find out. Unfortunately, that story is all too common. I estimate over 100 homes have been submerged in Goodna. All those people are being cared for by family and friends and the evacuation centres, but the worse will come as people return home to the destruction, the mud, the smell, and the mess. We are discussing ways in which we can help our community as a local church, particularly with the clean up.
Please pray for our community, that they might experience God's love even amidst the flood.
Busy with cleanup, many house stripped bare, and just waiting on tradesmen now.
God bless. Pastor Josh (Westside Christian Church, Goodna)
Inala (Rev Bill Wiersma)
Inala is fine. One member flood effected.
Dirk and Ann van Vliet survived being run into by a drunken driver. Sustained a few bruises. Car write off, but they and their little grandson are OK.
Warm Regards, Bill
Mansefield (Rev Gerard Oberhlozer)
Everyone in Mansfield is OK. We had 4 families without electricity and one who had to leave their house for a few days - but no damage. We were involved with Josh and send some people to help with the clean up operations and will keep doing that. We will also have a second Sunday of special collections and will work with Josh (Westside CRC) in distributing it into their community.
Tivoli (Mr Gary Vowles)
No damage to homes (even those in ferndale and Laidly), though a few members have had some damage which is covered by insurance. One person's business has sustained flood damage, with insurance cover taking care of a proportion of that. Very thankful that we have been spared the worst.
Redlands (Rev Dave Groenenboom)
Redlands lies outside the Brisbane River catchment, and while we caught a lot of the rain, there has been no flooding. One member (Peter Goodridge) has a warehouse on Rocklea, and has sustained some damage with about 20cm on water coming through the warehouse. Compared to most places in Rocklea, he says he got off pretty lightly.
Bray Park (Rev John Hoogenhout)
One member had a bout a foot of water through her home, but that's about all...
=========
Dave continues...
So the situation varies. Some have been terribly affected, and probably still unable to enter their homes. Some will have sustained significant losses.
In addition to our own congregations, the devastation that as defended on some parts of Queensland is unimaginable. Along with others from RCRC, I have spent two mornings last weekend assisting with the clean up in a Brisbane riverside suburb, and the damage is just terrible. Houses filled with mud, some having to be stripped back to frame and roof: everything else is gone or destroyed. And that is only in Brisbane. Right now there are in excess of 40 towns and cities in Queensland that are flood affected.
In addition to all this we have flooding in some Victorian centres in the Wimmera.
Let's do all we can to support and assist all those who have suffered, especially those from the household of faith (Gal 6:10). You can do this by
- supporting the various appeals: The CRCA WD&R (World Development & Relief) is holding a special appeal this coming weekend - please give generously
- if you are near the flood affected areas, offer assistance with clean up and salvage. The task will take months in some places - be the hands and feet of Jesus
- prayerfully upholding all these communities and congregations (above), asking that God is his grace and power will use his people to embody and speak the grace of the Gospel to those who are suffering
