Blog
Northern Churches Young Adult Trivia Night
St John’s is hosting a Trivia Night for young adults in the northern region on Thursday, 15 June! Come along for a night of fun facts, competition and a good time! Doors open at 6:30pm to register your team, start thinking of those names!! Trivia will kick off at 7pm Book Now
Join our prayer walking team
Join our prayer walking team to pray for newer areas of Diamond Creek. Walking and prayer is not only good for you but powerful because God is at work! If you have approximately one hour free every fortnight, please come to an info session on May 21st after the 10am service to find out more!
Volunteer at Going Bananas
Going Bananas is one of our biggest church events of the year, with over 100 kids coming to take over our building and spend three days doing craft, playing games, and learning about God’s love for them. We simply cannot make this happen without a huge team of volunteers, and would love your help! The program will run on June 28-30, from 9:30am-3pm, with volunteers needed throughout the week and before and after hours. There’s a range of roles needed…
Sunday Night Dinners
On alternating Sundays, we host dinner before our 6pm service. We’d love to see you there from 5pm! If you’re able, a $5 per person charge helps us cover our costs – but if you’re coming for the first time, don’t worry about it 🙂 Dinner dates for Term 2, 2023 are: Sunday, 16 April Sunday, 30 April Sunday, 14 May (Mother’s Day – mums eat free!) Sunday, 28 May Sunday, 11 June
Playgroup
Join us for St John’s Playgroup every Friday from 10:00-11:30am, beginning on April 28! Come along for a dynamic parent-led Playgroup where preschoolers and babies can play, learn, and grow in a fun and engaging environment. Our Playgroup is held every Friday in our warm and welcoming creche, with heaps of toys and a stunning outdoor play space. Parents and caregivers actively participate in facilitating play and activities for their children. It’s a wonderful opportunity to bond with your child,…
Thanksgiving Appeal
One hundred and fifty-five years. For 155 years, St John’s has been “the church on the hill” in Diamond Creek. In November of 1867, the foundation stone of our church building was laid (and subsequently lost, but that’s another story). Each year, on that anniversary, we come together to thank God for the work he has done, and is still doing, in our midst. Our services on November 13 marked this anniversary, with a time of reflection and thanksgiving. As…
St John’s Kids & Families, 7 October 2022
Welcome to Term 4! I hope everyone enjoyed some quality downtime over the semester break. St John’s Kids resumes at the 10am service this week … Our curriculum this term will cover the book of 1 Samuel, which will link with, but not strictly follow, the preaching series. Our 3yo-Kinder program will remain in the rooms off the Hall. Any child who has turned 3 is welcome to join this group. Please note: We need a few more assistants…
Discord and Online Ministry
How we connect online during the week The internet has come and revolutionised so many aspects of our world. As a millennial, I’m one of the first people to have grown up with the internet. I can remember dialing-up for the first time and setting up my Facebook account in 2007. Where would we be today, without the ease of connection that the internet has given us through 2020 and 2021? Whether that’s Facebook, YouTube, or apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime…
Youth Unite Spring 22′
Hey Parents, Youth Unite SPRING is coming to St John’s! This is a chance for our youth to join youth from churches in our area for a time of worship, games, hanging out and learning more about God. This is also a great opportunity to invite friends, everyone is welcome! Details: Friday 2nd September St John’s 7-9.30 pm $5 entry RSVP here.
Youth Bonfire Night!
Hey Parents, We are very excited to announce that Friday the 19th of August we will be having a Bonfire Night! Invite along friends for a night of playing fun games, hanging out, and eating good food around the fire. Details: Friday 19th August Time: 7 pm – 9.30 pm Location: a youth’s house in Research (Address will be texted to those who have RSVP’d) Cost: $10 Pizza dinner included! Please RSVP here.
St John’s Kids & Families, 22 July 2022
Winter has set in & Term 3 is underway! I hope everyone enjoyed some quality downtime over the semester break. Coming up … Parenting Toolbox – Primary Years This is a six-week course designed to inspire and equip parents and carers of children aged approx. 5-12yrs, led by a trained facilitator, in a relaxed small group setting. Light supper included! When: Monday evenings, starting 1 August, 7:30-9:30pm Where: St John’s, 61 Main St. Diamond Creek Cost: $90 to…
YLGs to Join the Gawa Wurundjeri Resource Trail Walk
Hi everyone, This coming Sunday will be our last catch up for the term and we’ll be running our Sunday Youth Lifegroups in a different time slot and location. Instead of meeting at church, we’ll be participating in the Gawa Wurundjeri Resource Trail Walk. It will be a great opportunity for us as a group to connect and learn from the traditional custodians of the land as we’re lead by Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Dave Wandin. This is a meaningful step…
St John’s Kids & Families, 27 May 2022
Going Bananas: Anchors Aweigh! – Wed 29 June – Fri 1 July Registrations for our Holiday Program for Primary School kids opens this coming Monday – 30 May. We have been known to book out very quickly, so get in quickly to avoid disappointment and encourage family and friends to do the same. If you would like to join our team and serve the families of our community through this fun outreach event, it’s not too late. Register your interest…
St John’s Kids & Families, 13 May 2022
Don’t forget, the Church Picnic is this week – Sunday 15 May, from 11:30am. This is a chance for people across all our in-person and digital services to connect with each other socially. ALL WELCOME! Anthony Beale Reserve Playground, 277 St Helena Rd. BYO lunch (there are BBQ facilities available). There are also great facilities for kids, so bring your cricket bats, basketballs, scooters etc. Hope to see you there. Dinner & Games Event for St John’s Kids in…
Youth Excursion To Bounce!
Hey Parents, Firstly, I just want to thank you for the warm welcome so far. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you better over time. It’s been somewhat of a rocky beginning, not even making it through my first week before I was thrown into isolation! The good news is I’ll be out shortly and in plenty of time for our first event for the term on Friday May 20th! We’ll be adventuring out to the aptly named…
Reshaping our Digital Service
Since first going into lockdowns in early 2020, our digital service has remained consistent as an opportunity for connection with each other and with God. Our focus has been to enable community, worship, and discipleship online. As we bounced in and out of lockdowns in 2021, the digital service remained adaptable, sometimes taking the role of the sole service of the week, serving our whole church family. Services took different styles, replicating those of the in-person congregations the service was…
St John’s Kids & Families, 29 April 2022
Welcome to Term 2! The St John’s Kids in-person program resumes this week at our 10am service. Life Groups are an important part of the life of our church. They are small groups that meet during the week to delve into God’s word, pray together, build relationships, and support each other pastorally. It can be difficult for parents of young children to regularly attend an evening group together. One of the options available is an alternating men/women’s group, so…
St John’s Kids & Families – Easter
More information about our in-person and livestreamed Easter Services can be found here. St John’s Kids in-person program is in recess during the holidays. We hope our leaders enjoy a much-deserved break! At our in-person services over Easter, we will have some activities available, to keep young hands busy while engaging with the service. If you’re unable to join us in person, or prefer to connect online, you might like to use some of the same activities at home … Craft Eggs are…
New Youth Minister! Welcome to Cam Berndt
Hi Parents, This is the last parents’ blog update you will receive from me (Andi)! Very shortly I will be stepping down from my role as Youth Minister, handing over to the wonderful Cam Berndt. I will still be around St John’s, volunteer youth leading and occasionally preaching on a Sunday. This email is mainly to say a huge thank YOU for your support of my role in the last 3+ years. I have loved the opportunity to hangout with…
St John’s Kids & Families, 1 April 2022
St John’s Kids Last weekend, we were blessed with amazing weather for a special event for our Grade 4/5/6s, who enjoyed a bush scavenger hunt, a discussion about trust, good food and friendships. Cooking damper and marshmallows was an absolute hit! This Sunday is the last week of the St John’s Kids program, at our in-person 10am service, for Term 1. We hope our leaders enjoy a much-deserved break over the holidays. Family Discipleship The following Sunday marks…
YOUTH UNITE AUTUMN
Hey Parents, Youth Unite AUTUMN is NEXT Friday! This is a chance for our youth to join youth from churches in our area for a time of worship, games, hanging out and learning more about God. This is an especially exciting YU as we will likely bump into friends made on camp at NCYC last weekend! Invite a friend, everyone is welcome! Details: Friday 25th March Diamond Valley Baptist Church 7-9.30 pm Let us know when you RSVP if you would like to…
St John’s Kids & Families, 13 March 2022
Lent The season of Lent began on Wednesday 2 March. This is a time of reflection and preparation in the lead up to Easter. If you missed them, refer to the last two posts for ways your family might engage with each other and draw closer to Jesus during this period: 25 Feb / 6 Mar. We can all benefit from each other’s experiences. If you have a particular way that you like to prepare for Easter, share with others…