Weekly Notices - 22nd Sept 2024
One of the most challenging concepts for many people in the culture we live in these days, is what we are looking at this week – ““Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
For most of us, I suspect, greatness is about being number one, a winner, a success. It’s about power, control, wealth, fame, reputation, status, and position.
The little child that Jesus takes in his arms???
That child is a symbol for something else. The child is a symbol of vulnerability, powerlessness, and dependency. The child in Jesus’ day had no rights, no status, no economic value. The child was a consumer and not a producer. Greatness, Jesus says, is in welcoming and receiving into our arms one like this, regardless of his or her age.
Greatness is found not in what we have accomplished and gained for ourselves but in what we have done and given to “the least of these” (Mt. 25:40), the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned; the symbolic children in each of our lives.
Let’s just remember this, and work together to be great servants to all around us.
May God always bless St Aug’s
Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe
Vicar Kofe
This Sunday’s service (Sept 22nd)
Theme:Taking responsibility as agents, working for God’s Peace in our lives and in the world we live in
Sentence: Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Mark 9:35
Collect:
Give us, we pray you gentle God,
a mind forgetful of past injury,
a will to seek the good in others
and a heart of love;
for the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
Readings: James 3:13 – 4: 3, 7-8a and Mark 9: 30 – 37
Parish News
Centennial Weekend - 12th & 13th October
Please diary this event which will start with tours and a Variety Concert on the Saturday and a Combined 10am Service on the Sunday followed by lunch at the Takahe Restaurant.
Tickets for this luncheon are available from the Parish office.
Please mark Sat 5th Oct in your dairies, and join us here at St Aug’s for a working bee
to spruce up our spiritual home in preparation for our Centennial.
Bring your dusters, your window cleaning gear, your brooms and you energy for a 9.30am start.
Remember that many hands make light work!!!
Our organist Loki and friends (on trumpets) play a short snippet of the Grand March from the opera Aida by Verdi on 18 August 2024
Missing Communion Chalice
One of our Communion chalices has gone walk-about, and this is a plea to anyone who may have seen it, to contact the Vicar please. On this note, I encourage all those rostered on as Communion Assistants at each of our respective services to please be a little more careful when packing our Communion vessels away. I do appreciate the work you do; however, it has been noticed that on the odd occasion, the vessels have been left sitting on the credence table instead of being washed and put away.
Vestry
Please hold Vestry in your prayers as its Vicarage Working Group journey through the sale and purchase of a vicarage. Open Homes are now beginning to take place, so please also pray for Leni & I as we battle to keep the home tidy.
Diocesan Prayer Community - Reminder
The Diocesan Prayer Community has been operating since March this year. This Community identifies the issues which challenge our Diocese (and parish!) and join each other in praying for those issues.
Do consider signing up to pray with others from other parishes. You will receive regular updates and forms of encouragement from our Archdeacon of Regeneration & Mission, and it only takes a few minutes of our time each day or week.
Please let the Vicar know if you’re interested.
Our People, Our Place
Do keep those wonderful “Our People, Our Place” profiles rolling in!
St Aug’s & Beyond…
City Mission ‘Food Bank’
We have recently heard that the City Mission ‘Food Bank’ is VERY short of supplies as it struggles to feed the needy over this winter. So please, if you are able, do donate (non perishable) food into the City Mission food basket at the back of the Church. Grateful thanks!
Living Faith Conference
PRAY DISCIPLE INSPIRE - Bring your parish team and join us for the 2024 Living Faith Diocesan Conference! With Guest Speakers: Elanor SANDERSON, Dallas HAREMA, Grant NORSTWORTHY
This will be a great opportunity for spiritual growth and encouragement as we hear from inspirational leaders who canhelp us grow in confidence in our faith and get better at making new disciples. There will also be a Q & A discussion panel to address your questions.
This conference is for everyone - younger, older, exploring faith, new to faith and the seasoned Christian.
So bring a friend, join a group and register!
Tickets $40/pp, see Jo Ashton Martyn for these, or, scan the bar code on the poster below for this event at the back of the Church, or visit www.bit.ly/LivingFaithConference
Helpful info
Giving
Online Giving - “Green” Tokens (trial) for the Offertory Plate
Hey lovely people, now that the majority of you donate ‘on-line’ we have created green tokens for you to place (if you wish) into the offertory plate. These tokens will then be blessed at the front of the Church along with any other cash/envelopes. If you would like to join those who give regularly online, you can find all the details you’ll need on the Giving Page.
Groups
It’s easy to connect and get involved with some great social and faith-focused groups that meet regularly across the parish. You can find out about all our regular groups on our Groups page. If you have any questions, just click the contact button to connect with the group’s organiser.
Need prayer?
We’d love to pray for you. See the ‘Prayer Support’ section on the Help & Support page for more information on how we can help with your prayer needs. There are confidential and anonymous options available.