Welcome to The Pastors’ Post, an update for life at Southern Cross.

This week’s Pastors’ Post is in written form only. I found I had no time to record the visuals and put it up on YouTube. So rather than not doing one at all, I would just provide the written form.

‘Go Sunday’ is this weekend. It is an important moment for our church family as we embark on the new year together following the summer holidays.

Many of our staff team have continued to work over the summer. Of course, not all plans have gone as we intended. On Tuesday 4^th January, our staff photos were cancelled due to the rain. Some staff then found themselves in isolation—more close calls. Contingencies put in place, revised and adjusted. Yet we have made it across the summer. This Sunday, Jess E will observe in the kids’ program before leading the kids’ team at East Lismore next weekend. Peita began her role as Ministry Coordinator on Jan 17^th, and Gabby serving from Sunday the 23^rd. James R has been working away across the summer, picking up loose tasks, including M’s visit. We are thankful to Ritchie for his enthusiasm and eagerness to serve.

Again we will aim to have ZOOM available for GO Sunday at 9:45am. We expect to do some forms of commissioning for staff and ministry teams, which may be difficult to broadcast, but we will do our best.

Finally, pray for our Long Lunch that is occurring tomorrow at Woodview. Pray for Ian, Jill, Scott, Bronwyn, Susan and me. We have enjoyed preparing for it but at times thought: Should we say more? Should we say less? So please ask that our father God would give us calm and clarity as we explore the speed of love with some from our church family. But if you missed out, you might like to invite one of the guests over for lunch and get a small taste from them. I guess the great desire we have for this lunch and our church family is that we might see how incredible Christ is and that we might find rest, contentment and joy in him. Do you remember this powerful saying from Jesus?:

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Stew