ANGLICAN
AS schools resume for 2023, please pray for all students and teachers, whether they are pre school, university or somewhere in between. This Sunday we will be baptising three children, welcoming them into the body of Christ.
As the Annual Meeting is planned for Sunday March 12 after the 9.30 service, we remind leaders that reports are due in please. Our Bishop Matt will lead this meeting.
GRAIN SHED
WOO hoo! Our Grain Shed youth are back. This Friday, from 7pm to 9pm at the Grain Shed, we will be having a newspaper night.
All high school-aged young people are welcome with a gold-coin donation, supper included. Bring your friends.
Sunday service starts at 10am and our Grain Shed kids are back onsite. Invite families and friends to join us and be encouraged to stay around afterwards in fellowship.
On Monday, Mainly Music opens its doors for 2023 at 9.45am. This is an interactive music program for parents, grandparents and carers with little ones not of school age.
Sessions start at 10am and finish at 11.30. Cost per family is $5 (morning tea is provided for all).
Every Thursday our craft ladies meet at 10am. A good coffee and laugh is shared through the morning as they delve into their projects.
UNITING
RECENTLY we planted a new plant in an area that has struggled to sustain them. We had planted other trees, but they had died. On advice from a friend, we dug the current plant out and put it in a pot so that it could recover. We then redug the hole and put in lots of compost material, soil conditioner and then covered it, with the plan to replant the recovered plant sometime later.
Why was this important? This area in our garden is a strategic spot. Having a native that grows well will add to the garden and will enhance the garden and the plants already there. We are hoping that once the soil is ready and the native planted, that it will continue to bring about change and growth to our garden.
As I thought about this, God spoke to me. And reminded me that you cannot keep putting in a new plant, a new idea, a new way of doing things if the soil is not conducive to having that particular plant. The soil needs to be able to sustain growth. We need good soil to grow in too.
Romans 12:9-11 (Modern English Version): “Let love be without hypocrisy. Hate what is evil. Cleave to what is good. Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour, do not be lazy in diligence, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”
Honour is a word that does not seem to be used very often anymore. It means to regard with great respect. So, when you honour someone, you are showing them respect, you lift them up, you inspire them, and you encourage them. You are showing them that you care and that they are important to you. When you encourage someone else, their self-esteem grows and therefore, they may have the courage to achieve great things.
How are you experiencing honour in your life?
The Swan Hill Uniting Church is in Beveridge Street. Our congregation meets every Sunday at 10am.
All are welcome to join in Conversations about Life with our small group on Wednesdays at 10am.
On Sunday, February 19, there will be no service at the Swan Hill UC. We are gathering with our fellow churches at Pyramid Hill UC at 10am for worship, followed by lunch.
