Blog
Volunteer at Going Bananas
Going Bananas is one of our biggest church events of the year, with over 120 kids coming to take over our building and spend three days doing craft, playing games, and learning about God’s love for them. It takes a village to deliver this program, so we thank you, in advance, for being willing to use your gifts, time, and love for Jesus, to contribute. The program will run from 3-5 July, 9:30am-3pm, with volunteers needed throughout the week and…
The Marriage Course
Date night is cheaper than a divorce. We are hosting a relationship course! The Marriage Course is for couples wanting to invest in and grow their relationship. To ease any worries, the setting will give couples privacy, with each couple spaced out separately on individual tables – it’s like having your own special date, so you won’t be airing dirty laundry in front of everyone! We want to open this up to the wider community, so think about some couple-friends to invite along. The course…
Young Adults Mini Golf Night!
Attention Young Adults! Get ready for an exciting Mini Golf Night on Saturday, April 27th, at Latrobe Golfpark Bundoora, starting at 6:00 PM. It’s just $22 per person for an evening full of fun, friendship, and fierce competition. Bring your mates along and let’s tee off together! See you on the course!
Sunday Night Dinners
On the first Sunday of the month, 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 coming up are: Sunday, 7 April Sunday, 5 May Sunday, 2 June Sunday, 7 July Sunday, 4 August Sunday, 1 September (Father’s Day!) Sunday, 6 October Sunday, 3 November…
TOGETHER Art Show
Embark on a visual journey through the tapestry of the Nillumbik community at TOGETHER. This unique showcase will combine the diverse talents of local artists, uniting their creativity in a symphony of colours, forms, and expressions.
St John’s Kids Term 1 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to 2024 for St John’s Kids! Coming up in Term 1 2024 This term we will be looking at a few different character studies (including Ruth and Nehemiah) from different books of the Old Testament. We will also spend four weeks in the book of James before preparing for Easter together which falls early this year on March 31st. Our aim at St John’s is to help our kids engage with the Word in welcoming, gospel-centred, age-directed, and missionally…
Thanksgiving Resources 2023
This year in the lead up to Thanksgiving Sunday on 12th November, we have put together a few Thanksgiving Resources that families and households can use in times of fellowship and play to practice thankfulness! Check out these ideas or create your own to foster attitudes of gratitude at home! Bring along to our service on the 12th anything you’ve collected or any stories you’d like to share of how God has used these ideas or your own to help…
St John’s Extra: Taking God out of the Equation
In these episodes of St John’s Extra we are wrestling with the problem of suffering. Last week we acknowledged that suffering is a real problem but not everyone would agree with this. For an atheist suffering is not a problem at all because it is just the way things are in a materialistic universe and there is no point trying to grapple with it and explain it. This is the way that the prominent atheist Richard Dawkins puts it: ‘In…
St John’s Extra: The Problem of Suffering
We need only look at a news feed or social media to see that the world is full of suffering. Around the world there are wars, violence, sickness, and starvation. There are natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. Closer to home, we experience serious sickness and disability, relationship breakdown, and the death of people we love. Suffering is very real. The challenge for us as Christian people is how we respond to this suffering. Let’s be honest, it’s…
St John’s Youth and Kids update – King’s Birthday Long Weekend
Hello Parents! The newly renamed long weekend is coming up this weekend, and with it, some changes to our regularly scheduled Youth and Kids programs. With 18 young people from St John’s joining the Nillumbik United team for the State Youth Games, there’ll be no Youth Life Groups happening this Sunday afternoon. Keep the team in your prayers as they head off to Warragul over the weekend. Youth Life Groups will be back on the following week (June 18) before…
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…