#TryAlpha – Ask anything about life, faith and God

SEEK, ASK, KNOCK.

Last week our reading from Luke captured the heart of Alpha, a course to enable us to do just that. When Rev Jamie suggested we run the Alpha Course this year, I was curious to find out more and soon offered to help. What is Alpha? We have posted some info on the notice board. The Alpha websites are brimming with information, with great videos to watch, outlining everything one needs to know. Check them out! ALPHA = Beginning. I feel excited to start my faith journey at the beginning again and explore Christianity in greater depth using this fantastic resource.

YOU are invited to BELONG too.

This year we are running two courses for our church family commencing in October for 10 weeks, Wednesdays 6.30 a 8.30pm and Friday 10am – 12pm. In 2017, we plan to reach out to the community with more courses. Maybe you want to participate in the course this year. Register now. Maybe you could assist with hospitality, even once or twice serving the evening meal or morning tea. Maybe you feel you could lead a small group or be part of the prayer group to support this learning. There are great new resource materials to support your learning and we propose to make them available to all through a loans scheme.

Keep an eye on the notice board or website for more details or ask Rev Jamie or me.

Blessings Lois

"I walked out of this…thank the Lord!"

Last week one of our parishioners, John Lea, was involved in a serious car accident through no fault of his own. On Route 1 coming back from Perth in the evening he encountered a car straddled across his lane. It was dark, there was no warning. The resulting damage to his vehicle is in the picture. Wonderfully, perhaps miraculously John was able to get out the car and despite being kept in hospital for observation over the weekend has nothing more than serious bruises from his seat belt and a small cut on his hand.

The attending police and ambulance medics were all (honestly) amazed that he was so unhurt. When John sent the picture to us he said…

I walked out of this thank the Lord.

Next time you see him ask him about it. It is a remarkable deliverance; he could have been killed or seriously injured.

It is events like these that can often leave us with questions about how God is working in our lives right now.  At St Nicholas we believe that sharing these stories builds our faith and can bring us encouragement.

This reminds us of the story of Jesus’ encounter with the man living in the region of the Gerasenes. After a remarkable deliverance and reclothed in his right mind Jesus sends him home, back to his community to be a witness to what God had done.

Luke 8:39 ‘39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.’

So thank you John for returning home and telling us how much God has done for you.

Which leaves us with the question…

How is God working in your life right now?