2018

12 posts,12 months

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It has been a year since I started my role as Communications Officer at St Nic’s. One of my earliest and enduring initiatives has been separating the feature of our weekly print bulletin from our (almost!) as regular blog posts.

“Looking back only gives you a sore neck!” is a regular saying in my favourite sport, Supercars. However, at times looking back can be also be a pretty awesome and satisfying exercise.

So for this blog post, I am looking back at 12 of my favourite posts from the past 12 months. In no particular order (drumroll please):

Our Stories

Finding Her Voice
Blessings of a Moon-Boot
God-incidences
Millennials @ Church Part 1 & 2

Our Prayer life

1 Minute Prayer
Prayer Changes Things
United in Prayer

Our Community

Presenting the Marvellous Site Management Team

Our Personal Growth

Where is Your Sacred Space?
Journaling Part 1 & 2

Our Understanding

An Easter Reflection
The Good Gift of Power at Pentecost

Happy Reading everyone!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

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A Prayer for Christmas and Epiphany

Blessed are you, Lord our God,
our eternal Father and David’s king:
You have made our gladness greater and increased our joy
by sending to dwell among us
the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace.
Born of Mary,
proclaimed to the shepherds,
and acknowledged to the ends of the earth,
Your unconquered Sun of righteousness
destroys our darkness and establishes us in freedom.
All glory in the highest be to you:
through Christ, the Son of your favour,
in the anointing love of his Spirit,
now and for ever and ever.
Amen

From the Prayer Book for Australia (p.436)

Carols, Cappuccinos & Celebrations!

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Today, Saturday 15th December, we gathered as a community to celebrate. We held together two historical narratives that though distinct relate to one another around the person of Jesus.

Did you know…

… it was because of his love for Jesus that John Allnutt offered gatherings for Christians originally in his own home (now called Henton Cottage). On 12 September 1850 having reordered the cottage across the street it was consecrated as a church building where he led services until his death in 1861.

A lot has happened since that time here in Australind

Did you know…

… that many people continue to gather around the person of Jesus? Families such as the Narroways, the Cliftons and others have shared life together in and around this little building. In 1914 the Anglican Church purchased it and renamed it Church of St Nicholas Australind and consecrated it in December 1915.

Did you know…

… that in the 1990’s the church grew to sustain life as an independent parish? Since then the church community has grown and new buildings have been funded by the congregations over the years through sacrificial giving. The same love John Allnutt had for Jesus has continued to be shared here in the community that is St Nicholas, Australind.

Community stewardship, a historical resource and a place for prayer…

Do you know why we have given sacrificially to restore the smallest church building in WA? Firstly we are stewarding part of our shared heritage here in Australind. This is advertised by our Shire and attracts tourist interest and commercial benefit to the area. Tourists go across to the retail park following a visit here. We have appreciated the shire’s support of the project in helping provide a protective fence. Stewarding this building is in part a gift from us to the wider community. As we want to bless those around us in Jesus name.

Secondly did you know it allows us to create a meaningful historical resource that we can share with local schools? Several of our parishioners are professional teachers and we will work with local schools to facilitate resource packs and visits in line with curricular needs.

Last but not least did you know that though too small for our current congregations it will again be a renewed sacred space for prayer, worship and blessing? Jesus is the reason for the season, but He is also the reason for the continuing existence of the building. Do you know Immanuel, God with us, in your life? If you want to explore life with Jesus try an Alpha course in 2019 or join us for our open meals on Wednesday. It was a great pleasure to welcome so many people here today to celebrate with us.

Carols, Cappuccinos and of course the Celebrations!

Our celebrations continued with a sausage sizzle, children’s entertainment, specialty stalls and an excellent Op Shop fashion parade. It was a pleasure to have our younger members with us, enjoying the bouncy castle, and participating in the service and fashion parade. We look forward to the next chapter with them following Jesus as part of St Nic’s.

AMP 2018/19 – Get Involved! Step 4: Get in on the Action!

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So you’ve enrolled to vote, you’ve been praying about the nominations, you’ve read the report and sent in your questions- now it’s time for action!

Nov 25th AMP Part 1: Elections & Ministry Reports

This is when the actual election happens and where we get an overview of the past ahem… 9-ish months (we’ll explain soon). Voting takes place over 2 weeks (18th & 25th) and is like going to the polls – there’s ballot papers, instructions and you have to get marked on the roll that you’ve voted.

Feb 17th AMP Part 2: Financials & Budget

If you like numbers or are interested in stuff like income and expenditure you don’t want to miss this! This is when we will vote on our budget for 2019. We will release it 2 weeks earlier for us all to analyse and dissect. Again, please send in questions beforehand!

Why the 2 parts?

Having our elections early means our new councillors and office bearers can hit the ground running when they officially start their roles Jan 1st. It also gives a neat six weeks for any handovers to happen. The rhythm may feel off (with only 9 months since our last AMP) but by next year it will feel right in time!

And Voila! AMP accomplissez!

AMP 2018/19 – Get Involved! Step 3: Get in the Know!

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This weekend we are releasing our Annual Meeting of Parishioners Report for 2018/19. Thus we humbly introduce to you:

Step 3: Get in the Know!

Inside the Report you will discover a collection of submissions from our Ministry Team Leaders (MTLs) and church leadership sharing their reflections of 2018 and their ministry goals for 2019. (If you would like a copy please get in touch with the church office here.)

Did you know…?

The who, what, when, where, why and how of our many ministries here at St Nic’s Minster? You’ll find some amazing facts and information about our community life in this report. Read it – and get in the know!

FYI the only thing you won’t find in the report is the financials (income, expenditure and budget stuff) – they can only be done at the end of the year so they will be released separately in time for Part 2 (Finances & Budget) of the AMP Feb 24th 2019.

Hang a sec, I have a question…?

We like questions- they’re great for learning stuff! Unanswered questions are not so great. That’s why we love it if you submit your questions before the AMP. That way we can ensure your question gets answered. And who knows? Maybe someone else would really benefit from hearing your question answered!

So please, if possible, submit your questions by Nov 22nd!

Stay tuned for Step 4: Get in on the Action!

AMP 2018/19 – Get Involved! Step 2: Get in the Mix!

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Earlier this month we launched our 2018/19 AMP campaign and sent out the call to get those Schedule 9’s in (see our post here). Many of our parishioners jumped into action and before we knew it, those of us in the office had the fun task of compiling this years Electoral Roll.

If you are yet to submit your form, please do so this Sunday!

But enough of that, lets keep the momentum up! Next up is –

Step 2: Get in the Mix!

Nominate for positions – there a four vacant positions on the Parish Council for Councillors (all Councillors must be re-elected each year). Also, we have one vacancy for a Church Warden (we may have a maximum of three Wardens).

The Parish Council is integral to the governance and running of our parish (find out more here). If you are interested in serving our community in this way, speak to Jamie or Suzanne. Nominations close 8th November.

Next in line- Step 3: Get in the Know!

Serve up some justice!: Ping-Pong-athon 2018 @ Vineyard Church

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St Nic’s parishioner and dad of two, Byron Forster joined the Fight for Freedom during Oct 12-13, read on to find out more…

There are some things about living in Australia that remind us how blessed we are. Then there are the things we see around the world that just make you hug your kids so tight. Human trafficking is one of those scourges of this world, especially when it comes to children. So Aussies have found a way to help rescue children from that life… by playing Ping Pong!

Pong vs Slavery

This year our local event was at the Vineyard Church in Bunbury, organized by Tim Wheeldon and his team. Not only did he arrange it, he then went on to play for over 13 hours straight! You would think that by that point fatigue would set in and I could get a few wins, but I guess it just meant he really had his eye in and morphed into the Roger Federer of ping pong!

Regardless of the scores, the kids are the real winners. There are 9 different organisations across SE Asia that the Pong raises money for. More information on each of these wonderful organisations is available at www.pingpongathon.com.

We set ourselves a goal to raise $6000 at the Bunbury Pong and by God’s grace we achieved our target before we were even half way through the event. Our grand total was over $15,000 to contribute to the national pool. Congratulations to everyone that was involved with playing and donating. With ping pong marathons happening all over Australia throughout October, we have been able to band together and raise over $318,000 this year, bringing our grand total to over $1.57 million since the Pong started in 2011.

We can really make a difference in the world of Human Trafficking when we band together. I am so proud of all the people that make this happen from those hitting a ping pong ball over a net, to the men and women who pick up those children and show them the first sign of love that many of them can remember. Next year we will set ourselves a new target, and you are more than welcome to be involved!

Thank you and God Bless
Byron Forster

AMP 2018/19 – Get Involved! Step 1: Get on the Roll!

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On November 25th we will be holding our 2018/19 Annual Meeting of Parishioners.

This year the AMP will be delivered in two parts. Part 1, November 25th, covers Ministry Reports and the elections for church offices. This year we have vacancies for the office of Parish Councillors and a Warden. Part 2, February 17th, will look at our finances for 2018 and the budget for 2019.

But wait! Before you get all excited about being here for the AMP there’s

Step 1: Get on the Roll!

Make sure you are registered to vote on the Electoral Roll – complete and return a Schedule 9 Statutory Declaration to the church office by October 28th. You need to register every AMP. Please note your partner cannot witness for you- please ask another member of the congregation or see Sophie, Ian, Suzanne or Rev Jamie.

 

Don’t worry, we’ll keep you posted on Steps 2-4. In the meantime, sign that Schedule 9!