Services, Sunday 14 November
Join us for one of our four services today, as we celebrate St John’s 154th Birthday with Thanksgiving for all that God has done for us in the past year:
- 8am – traditional Anglican Prayer Book service, celebrating communion
- 10am – blend of traditional & contemporary worship, incl. kids’ program
- 5pm – relaxed service with a focus on youth and young adults
- Online Service – Premiering at 10am & 5pm, but then available to watch at any time
In line with current restrictions, the in-person services are limited to fully vaccinated attendees. (Children under 16yrs are exempt from vaccination requirements.) Check-in via the ServiceVictoria app or our laptop-kiosk will again be required, and vaccination status needs to be proved.
Masks are now required indoors for children from Grade 3 – Adults, and strongly recommended for children in Grades 1-2. Younger children are still exempt from mask-wearing mandates.
For those wanting to keep young hands busy while listening to today’s talk, or to use as an activity during the week:
If you are a family with Kinder/Primary children who are not returning to in-person services yet, or who were expecting a kids’ program at the 5:00pm service, I would love to hear from you so that (a) we can work out the best ways to support you, and (b) make decisions about kids’ programs for 2022.
Family Discipleship
Although the decision to accept Jesus as our Saviour is a singular decision, growing in our faith is an ongoing journey. Giving thanks, practicing intentional gratitude to God, is a spiritual discipline which, like praying and reading the bible, helps us draw closer to God and strengthen our faith.
It can be very hard to give thanks during difficult situations. But the life of Paul, the writer of Colossians, is a great example to us. He was beaten, jailed, shipwrecked … but he remained obedient to God and was able to see the good God was doing in his life and in other’s lives, despite the hardships he was going through. And he continually gave thanks!
TALK about examples of when it might be hard to be thankful.
DISCUSS what things we can be thankful for during those times.
Start a Gratitude Wall in your home. You could use a chalkboard, whiteboard, or post-it notes on a wall. Each day take time together to reflect on what you are grateful for and write or draw something for the wall. After a couple of weeks your wall will be full of visual reminders of your blessings.
Toilets & Kids
As you may have heard, we are currently undergoing a refurbishment project of our toilet facilities. For long-term gain, this will cause a small short-term inconvenience as the facilities in the church building are not available.
Last week, I communicated that portable toilets may be in place in time for this week’s services. At the time of writing, these have not yet arrived, so it’s possible that the toilets in the office will be used again instead. Either way, the most direct access will be from the Worship Centre exit door to the right of the stage. If we are using the office facilities, a key will be stationed at that door.
For safety reasons, during the St John’s Kids program, kids will be sent back to their parents, to be escorted to the toilets.
Creche
The toilet refurbishment project also has implications for our Creche. This room will not be available for use. Restless children (and sometimes adults!) are part of life, and they are always welcome to stay in services. However, if parents need/want a bit more room to move, you are encouraged to utilise space in the foyer, where a selection of toys will be available.
Grade 6s
While our Grade 6s are very much still included in our St John’s Kids program, we are also encouraging them to transition to youth events as they feel ready, so in Term 4 they can do both! Upcoming events:
- Sat 13 Nov – Youth Bike Ride & Lunch
- Fri 19 Nov – Youth Bonfire & Dinner
- And there will be one final event for the year … stay tuned!
More details can be found at our Info Hub. And if you haven’t already, subscribe to the Parents’ Blog – Youth, below.
Have a great week,
Kylie – Children & Families’ Minister
St John’s is committed to Child Safety and welcomes your feedback on how we can keep improving.
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