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Of course, Nothing containing nuts (or peanut butter) please. For further information, speak to Merrilyn or Heather in the church office (5644 3384). https://prisonfellowship.org.au/programs/victorian-biscuit-bake/
Thank
you to Di and Tony for once again organizing Pancake Day at our church on
Sunday 23 February. Freshly cooked pancakes with a variety of toppings
were available for a donation. Funds raised allowed us to forward
$308.25 to Uniting Vic. Tas. in support of this annual event.
Dorothy was confused. Huge storms and tornados, weird dreams that seemed real, people very different from her family and friends, landscapes so foreign from what she knew. Bewildering! She felt so out of place. But she was prepared to meet new people, share their dreams and disappointments, take advice and followed the ‘yellow brick road’ of adventure. This adventure brought her joy, worry, friendship, danger with people who wanted to harm her, and an understanding of herself and others…especially the Tin man, the Lion and the Scarecrow. Even the play acting and bravado of the Wizard was shown for what it was…big noting and sham.
Sometimes this journey was very difficult and they just wanted to give it all up…it’s too hard! Other times they learned to trust one another and themselves. So growth and understanding of themselves and others began to happen. This brought great happiness, joy, at times hilarity and a determination to continue the journey of discovery. Theirs was an adventure where they were discovering who they were as people, how they fitted in and related to their world, what was important and what was not, what was the meaning of life, just to name a few. And this is partly what the time of LENT (40 days before Easter) is all about. A time to think about our journey in life, what is important to us and if that is really of importance. Or do we just convince ourselves that it is important…bit like the Wizard of Oz who tried to pretend that he was in control but was just play acting to convince himself and others. How we relate to and care for others, and how we accept care from others. In the big scheme of things, what is life all about? How do we relate or not relate to God? What do we think about God? What do we understand about Easter, the arrest, trial, death and resurrection of Jesus? For some people this is of little importance, for others it is the greatest way that God’s love has been shown for everyone. Just as Dorothy learned that love is richer when shared, we are called to share God’s love with others and to work for justice. Our journey is quite different from Dorothy’s but we are bombarded with so many things that we too can feel overwhelmed and bewildered. Covid 19 (Coronavirus) domestic violence, mental health, growing gap between the rich and the poor, homelessness in our community, vastly increased need for food relief. Contrast this with the wonderful work of the CWA, volunteer and professional firefighters, support, encouragement and pastoral care by the churches and others, generosity of gifts from the community and overseas, people continuing to work for the welfare of refugees and the homeless, and people like you and me who have the opportunity to encourage others. Have you heard from my ‘friend’ Nicole? She is the person who calls you constantly about the NBN! She rings me so often, and pretends to be a ‘friend’! And then there are the insistent ads for ‘insurance’, and how easy it is to get a loan for almost everything. Traps everywhere…attempting to convince people that they are uncaring or lacking if they do not have ‘this’ or ‘that’. I wonder how people ‘living’ on the New Start Allowance of about $280 per week feel about advertisements such as these? They can make people feel inadequate like the Tin man, the Lion and the Scarecrow felt. LENT and Easter are times that remind us that a deep sense or feeling of self-worth and satisfaction comes from within us and grows as we relate to and care for others. Many would say that this feeling is God given. This feeling is enhanced when it is within and guided by a meaningful and growing relationship with God. May this time of LENT and Easter be a time of reflection, challenge and growth for all of us and our journey with God. Blessings, Des Parker
Harvest this year included garden produce and also a celebration of gifts and talents from within our congregation. Some examples of items created and displayed (on table above) and below by (clockwise) Graeme, Chris, Glenda, Heather.
On March 18, Open Door is thrilled to be having Maggie Roberts visit us. Some of you will know Maggie, as she regularly comes to our Craft Group on Thursday mornings. She stitches some beautiful, fine cross stitch pictures. She will be bringing some of these to show us. Maggie will tell us about the processes involved in creating these pieces and also bring other pieces of craft work she has done. This will be followed by afternoon tea. We are sure you will be delighted by these beautiful embroideries. All are welcome. If you need a lift, please speak to Jenny or Joy. Open Door at 1.30pm in the Centre Room, on Wednesday March 18
POSTPONED due to COVID-19 Join
us on the next Bus Trip on We are heading to the Royal Botanic Gardens in CRANBOURNE. They have grown and developed since our last visit and autumn is a great time of year to visit. We have booked (with a guide) one of the garden trains (11am) for us to use (21 seats); and if we need more we can book seats on the following service. LUNCH will be a real treat. We are invited to visit Chris and Barb’s new and ‘forever’ house in Cranbourne. Barb is planning on ‘cooking up a storm’ for us. COST $40 (based on a minimum of 40 participants) A
list to enter you name will be outside the church office from ‘Walkers’ are welcome and they fit well under the bus. This
will be a fun day, only as energetic as you choose to make it. https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-cranbourne
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'Just
be careful because people are going crazy from being in lock down. Actually
I've just been talking about this with the microwave and toaster while
drinking coffee and all us agreed that things are getting bad. I
didn't mention anything to the washing machine as she puts a different
spin on everything. Certainly,
not to the fridge as he is acting cold and distant. In
the end the iron calmed me down as she said everything will be fine, no
situation is too pressing. The
vacuum was very unsympathetic... told me to just suck it up, but the fan
was more optimistic and hoped it would all soon blow over. The
toilet looked a bit flushed when I asked its opinion, it said nothing but
the door knob told me to get a grip. The
front door said I was unhinged and so the curtains told me to .... yes you
guessed it ... pull myself together'.
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