Here is a short video from one of our pastors, Ian, as he talks about life at SCPC this week.
Welcome to this week’s Pastors’ Post
Well our Youth program has nearly come to an end for the year. Tonight, the senior youth are getting together for their end of year celebration, to farewell our five graduates and launch them into their post-high school life. We’ll also be farewelling Maryanne and Jesse Rosenberg. After serving faithfully at youth for a number of years, and even bringing Elsie along most of this year, Jesse and Mez are looking to move to Menindee in January. Jesse is taking up a teaching position out there and they have a real desire to share the love of Jesus with others.
Our Youth ministry has had a rollercoaster of a ride this year. As we settled into Term 1, COVID hit and stopped us from meeting together. During that time though some youth still managed to encourage each other by reading the Bible together and calling each other.
While in lock down we managed seven weeks of Zoom for our Friday night gatherings, but that was definitely enough. Thankfully, we’ve been able to meet physically together at Park Ave since then. Zoom is definitely not conducive to youth life though. The youth have managed the restrictive size of Park Ave really well this year. The senior boys met outside around a fire pit pretty much the whole time. We managed to meet together, spend time in the Bible together, play games together, eat lots of pre-packaged chips and chocolates together (sorry parents) and ask lots of tough questions about life and loving Jesus.
Our youth have eagerly invited friends along to hear about Jesus, have met with leaders to read the Bible with them and the seniors themselves have sought out ways to spur each other on in following Jesus and reading the Bible together.
Even with all the ups and downs, it’s been a wonderfully encouraging year at youth. Our God is faithful and so loving to us! I’ve been particularly thankful for the leaders for their hard work and determination throughout the year. They’ve adapted to changed leadership, changed locations, COVID, and to committing to our gatherings each term. Our church family is greatly blessed by these young people and their servant hearts.
Well, this Sunday sees our last week of multiplied gatherings, at Park Ave, Wyrallah Rd Hall and the Scout Hall. Next weekend, we’ll be able to all gather back together at Lismore High. The great thing this Sunday is that we’ll be able to start singing together again. So church family, we encourage you to consider how to love each other well as we get to sing together again. We won’t be forcing anyone to be wearing a mask this Sunday, however we will have masks available and we encourage everyone to be mindful of others and be adequately socially distancing.
Finally, as our time comes to an end at our multiple locations, we’re looking next Thursday 17th December to thank the neighbours of Park Ave who have seen a lot of extra activity there over the last 8 or so months. Stew and Dani have doorknocked today and we hope that some might join us for afternoon tea next Thursday so we can say thank you to them for dealing well with all the extra activity and noise.
As our more formal youth programs come to an end, I encourage our youth and their families to remind each other regularly over the summer holidays of the sure hope we have in Jesus and to invite the Bible into our daily lives.
Hebrews 10 says:
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Well, thank you for joining me on The Pastors’ Post today.
