Bring Hope to 2024

Wombats are Australia’s Holy Animal -

Pictures from Maria Island

looking for the door

Recap

This year has been about Friendship

We have taken steps in Hospitality, Discipleship and Intergenerational (walk this way).

When we met together to discern what God was putting on our hearts - a place filled with people from the community

Last week I finished with a thought of a ship moving forward and we are the crew, each with kingdom assignments.

This year a marker that we are sailing in the right direction is baptisms

1 Peter 3:21–22 NIV

and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

HOPE

Hope and life are found here. - the slides will be statements from ou strategic plan

A community, guided by the Holy Spirit, known for faith, hope and friendship

1 Peter 1:3–4 NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,

what a powerful verse

There is a danger in preaching about heaven that we get caught up in the question of if we are going to heaven, in the book, have our ticket.

Have you ever wondered that? okay

Negative truth and positive truth

- truth is that the devil has us isolated and we have fallen back to thinking am I worthy enough, good enough to get into heaven? which is about our own ability and what we have done. That is a lie, we are not worthy, and there is nothing we can do to win or gain our salvation.

+ truth is we are waking up. The question does lead to ask there must be more than this. I remember in college thinking there must be another level, a craving for more of God.

Not a distant heaven that I have to die to be part of but what now is God doing that I can be part of.

that is our living Hope, not only our eternity with Jesus but also our today.

Living the hope and peace we have in Christ

preaching on Our hope and living it - open our doors - harvest festival -towards the end of the fruit season.

Hospitality that creates connection

Men in the shed - Men out of the shed (mission trip, working bee, assisting the community). Maybe Men gone bush

important that this year we get a women's ministry happening too

Reaching out and offering to people the hope of God’s love and truth.

Reaching out during the week - getting a team together (heart of winter, Christmas parade)

Heartbeat - Chat n Choose - the drop-in centre

Connecting with community on environmental care - Punch Bowel Park, North Esk River - recycling (war on waste)

Alpha in Feb

Walk this way

Encouraging one another to trust in God

Share stories - newsletter and interviews

Master plan for the building - signage, offices -

Developing intergenerational ministries

Trust in God for families - families pastor (growth area to invest in)

Believing and applying God’s Word the Bible

Being equipped to share the hope of the Gospel to people near and far

Growing mature disciples of Christ

Get practical with this.

Who do we ask - POP

-people that like you, listen to you and serve you.

Secondly, this is in God’s hands - he has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and speak on our behalf (Sally’s story)

Discipleship BDC

Ask someone to read the bible with you

Choose a passage - read, read it again (different translation) and retell it from memory. pray and reflect silently.

What do you see? What does this say about us? what does this say about God? What is God saying to you?

What are you going to do? Who are you going to tell?

This is the same for our life groups - that is all the leader needs to facilitate, not the master of all.

Finally, we are going to officially open the time of the annual celebration meeting. Part of that is renewing our partnership pledge. This is like a covenant, we do it differently because we have an emphasis on being intentional with God and our church family.

Intentional about the unity of the church

Intentional about sharing in the responsibility

Intentional about our spiritual growth

and intentional about serving others

Pray