We heard stories of God’s work in the lives of people, boldness in talking to people being rewarded, and we also heard a snapshot of some of the plans for the year ahead, and prayed together for God’s work in our midst this year. This week, we enclose a comprehensive calendar for the year ahead at TAC. This is designed to go on your fridge. The same information can be accessed via the online directory, or via our website.

Next Sunday at 2pm is our AGM. While in the past we have focussed on some of the more formal aspects of elections and the like, this year our focus will be on making a report with significant implications for the life and future of our church. We want to encourage all committed to our church to attend and participate, and so will be organising child minding to help.

It is our intention for this to begin a process for us to work and pray together for God’s guidance as we continue to move forward. But - more about that at the AGM. We now have available the Finance, Churchwarden’s and Senior Minister’s reports at the back of the church auditorium. While there will be time for questions about these reports, we will assume that they have been read prior to the meeting. We have also made these available via the online directory.

I’ll also take this opportunity to ask for your prayers. With the recently completed property works, we have seen the benefit of the State Government grant that we received at this time last year. Late in 2011, we lodged a similar application for a new round of funding.

The total application was for just under $80,000. If successful, this will enable us to upgrade the upper kitchen, extend the astroturf, and establish a new Children’s Playground. These applications are now being considered, and it is an ideal time to pray to the God who is in control of all things, that we would be successful.

May God teach us all through his Word, today.

Raj

February 2012 Newsletter (PDF)

Thank you,

Mark Grieve

“Mark and Carol Grieve work with students at the University of Johannesburg and have a ministry among the homeless youth of Johannesburg.”

Behind the scenes, we have been busily praying to our great God and thinking about 2012. Thank you to all who have been involved in this process, the result of which is the enclosed calendar for the year ahead.

We are thrilled to announce today that the former Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, will be joining us at TAC later over the first weekend in November. He himself is a committed Christian, and will be providing us with an opportunity to make known the name of Jesus. This will include a Men’s Dinner and a very special Sunday morning. We count this provision as God’s kindness, and hope that together we will be able to most of this rare opportunity.

In 2012 we will also be trying something new with leadership training across our church. We want to increase the quality of input we provide to those involved, for in turn everyone will benefit. To this end, 11 March will be the first in what we hope will become a semi-regular time for all leaders across our church to meet and pray together, and be further trained. This format will enable an increasing sense of partnership between the increasingly complex parts of our church, better training, as well as the opportunity to break down into our smaller teams.

Furthermore, this year we want to increase our dependence on praying to our sovereign God. Without him, our efforts are nothing. And with our Sunday Night Bible studies now meeting in our revamped facilities on a weekly basis, we want to urge all to make a renewed commitment to corporate prayer. The dates are on the attached calendar, and we will provide more information closer to each one.

God has been very kind to our church in recent years. There is much Bringing. There is much Building. There is much Sending. And with growth comes challenges. Our Church AGM this year will be 2pm, Sunday 19th February and a good part of this time will be devoted to explaining some of the challenges we face.

God has left us in this world as his agents so that more people might come to know Jesus. May he continue to pour out his blessings as we seek to do so.

Raj

Next Sunday morning, at 9.45, we are having our launch for the year. Please join us and be part of it. God has being doing a wonderful work among us in so many ways. People are being Brought to know Jesus. People are being Built Up in Christ. And people are being Sent to serve the Lord Jesus around our city and the world. We have so much to give thanks to God for, and next Sunday morning has been designed for us to do exactly that.

In recent weeks we have been gradually meeting our new staff team. Next week we will also meet some of the people who have joined our church in recent times, and formally launch our Growth Groups for the year.

Over the last 12 months we have made a number of improvements to our property, due mainly to the State Government grant that we received for this purpose almost 12 months ago. With these works now complete, we will also take the opportunity to give thanks to God for these improvements, and pray that they would be used to further God’s kingdom.

With the new staff team quickly settling in and calendar taking shape, we will also be in a position to share some of the exciting plans coming together for 2012. With God’s help, I have every confidence that 2012 will be another year where there is cause for much thanksgiving to God.

Following church, we will also have a BBQ lunch together. I do hope that you will join us for church and also for lunch. We are partners in the Gospel, and this day has been designed to be one expression of this partnership that we share. 

I am very hopeful that our auditorium will be packed as our church meets together in this way, and please note that we will NOT be having 8am church on this day.

Finally, can I invite you to join me in praying for this day and also for God’s work in the year ahead? Without God, we will achieve nothing.

Raj

It has been a mind blowing week. We have heard from young person after young person about the impact of the Gospel in their lives. One young girl spoke about a Christian group in her high school - each year they conduct a ‘mission’ to tell others at their school about Jesus! Others travelled from North Queensland to attend.

The Spirit has been powerfully at work among hundreds of young people through his Word. We looked in some detail at Ecclesiastes and 1 Peter as we were all challenged to live for God, and to do so with his priorities rather than our own.

It has been an honour to have been involved – not just this week, but over the last 15 years.

Humanly speaking the future of Christianity lies with the next generation. There is no permanency in our institutions, systems or organizations that will ensure the future of the faith. Rather, the future of the Gospel lies with God’s people.

Accordingly, as we await the return of the Lord Jesus we should busy ourselves in teaching children and young people the great truths of the Gospel. It is important for every church to invest time and resources into our youth and children's programmes.

There were more than a dozen people from our church participating in the conference, and God was working among them very deeply. They were better equipped and grew in their ability to teach God’s Word and serve the Lord Jesus, and it will be exciting to see how God works through them at our church and beyond.

Please pray that all those who participated will return to their churches and minister to thousands of children and teenagers all over Sydney and across Australia. These are the guardians of the future of the gospel in our land. Whatever training we can give them will be repaid over and over again.

I’d certainly appreciate your prayers as I return this week for the second conference, which is also sold out. Even more importantly, please pray that God would raise up a mighty army of Gospel ministers, ordained and lay, full-time and part-time, men and women who will be able to advance the cause of Christ in our land and overseas.

Raj

It is at this stage I am so acutely aware of God’s blessings among us. People have been brought to know Jesus. People are making TAC their church home. People are being nurtured and growing in their relationship with Jesus. And people continue to be sent to serve the Lord Jesus locally and around the world.

Jesus told his disciples to ‘go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:19). This is what is happening in our midst, and it is exciting to be part of.

To give thanks to God’s kindness and celebrate the start of the year, on Sunday 5^th February we will have a 2012 launch at our 9.45am congregation. There will be no 8am church on this day. I want to encourage people from all congregations to be part of this time, which is a celebration for our whole church community.

We will formally welcome the new staff, give thanks to God and pray together, meet some new people, share some of the plans for the 2012 year and officially commission the completed property works.  I have invited our State local member to attend, as he was a great help in assisting with funding to make it possible.

We will have a special lunch together afterwards in the newly completed facilities. This time will be the formal launch of a great year ahead, and we’ll share the exciting news of some of the guests who have agreed to be part of different events at TAC this year.

But already the work of the Lord is underway. Tomorrow, a number of people from Sunday Night Church will head to the kcc NextGen conference for the week. This conference is one of Australia’s leading evangelical training conferences, and helps people involved in ministry to be better equipped to do so. Thousands have benefitted in this way. This will also be my last year as Chairman of the organising committee, after being involved for 15 years, including 9 as Chairman.

As the year begins, it seems that God has wonderful things in store.

Raj

The summer period tends to be a time of the year when many take time to reflect over the year just gone and think about the year ahead. Can I suggest we also take this opportunity to reflect on our Christian lives in the same kind of way?

How has God blessed you in the year just gone? There is always the blessing of the Lord Jesus that we can and should be thankful for. How has your relationship with the Lord being traveling in the last year? Is your relationship stronger than it was 12 months ago? Have you been learning from the Bible? What about your prayer life? Has there been progress that you are thankful for, or perhaps you are tempted to pray that the year coming will be better.

The Bible talks about the Christian life as one of continual progress. As we start 2011, may we encourage you to pray for wisdom that you will grow this year, and for knowing how to structure your life so that you might. Those who fail to plan generally plan to fail! In an age where so many procrastinate, and where distractions abound, this point is not to be understated. We are told ‘… whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.’ (1 Corinthians 10:31b)

How will you live your life to the glory of God in the year ahead? Is this the year for you to join a Bible study group? I remember how a small group did the PTC Course Introduction to the Bible – each of them raved about how much they learned and grew. Overseas visitors often comment that we have so many opportunities for training on our doorstep. Some express surprise that more people in churches in Sydney don’t make use of what’s available. Perhaps 2011 is the year for you.

Our service of God should also extend to using the gifts that he has given to serve his people. I continue to  dream of a church where every individual is using their gifts to serve one another and God’s kingdom. What things are you good at doing? And are you willing to use those abilities to the glory of God?

Enjoy summer as you revel in God’s creation – doing everything for His glory. And remember: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Raj

God has given us minds to think and to inquire.  People are often surprised at how much the Bible has to say about the answers to some of these tough questions.

1 Jan

Is a new start possible?

8 Jan

Is the Bible reliable?

15 Jan

Why aren't I rich?

22 Jan

What about the bad things Christians have done?

29 Jan

Are Christians against homosexuality?

We do hope you will make the most of this opportunity and even invite others to join in.

It will be a privilege to spend an entire talk on each of these topics, in a way that we do not normally do as we work through books of the Bible.

Sunday Meeting Times

These men were part of the first Jamaican bobsled team, which debuted at the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Many thought it was a joke and you can understand why. How could a winter sports team come from the Caribbean, let alone a team that had very little practice on a bobsled run and that owned no sleds! People will do almost anything for Olympic glory and for this we could excuse them their foolishness.

At Christmas time we are reminded of another group of men who travelled a long distance. They followed a star in search of a baby they didn't know, who was born in a small country town in the middle of nowhere.

It was a Silent Night a long time ago when they found this baby lying in a manger. The Bible tells us that 'they fell down and worshipped Him' (Matthew 2:11) giving him expensive gifts that they brought with them. Now this sounds like a pretty foolish exercise for a group of so-called "wise men". But the baby these men came to see was no ordinary baby.

This was Jesus Christ. It was the King that God had promised to send hundreds of years before. It was the great ruler of the world who came to bring justice and peace on the earth. You wouldn't imagine this from his rather ordinary beginnings.

But Jesus was no ordinary king. Jesus came "not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) Jesus came to die to set us free from foolishly seeking our own glory so that we might have eternal glory with him. He is the King who deserves to be worshipped for ever. And so these men worshipped him, and as the world shattering implications of Jesus’ birth became clear, all who want to faithful to God are called to Jesus. Hence the carol we sing at this time of the year ‘O Come All Ye Faithful.’ We can adore him in an even more profound way, because we know that he came to set us free.

It is a wonderful time of the year where we remember the coming of this man. It's why these 'wise men' were called wise. And within the celebration at this time of the year is also the challenge: will you be wise? 

The Bible speaks of any church with the image of a body. Each person uses their gifts to serve the Lord Jesus. Together, in this way, the ‘body’ achieves amazing things for God. We have had a great year at Toongabbie Anglican. A lost has happened, and God has been very kind to us.

Our simple vision is to Bringing, Building and Sending. In 2011, many new people have joined our church fellowship. Our thanks particularly go to the Men’s and Women’s committees, and also the International Group. They have organised events such as dinners and the International Food Festival. Others were involved with the September mission with Al Stewart, and many events.

Similar things could be said about Building. I want to single out the many Growth Group leaders who have accepted the responsibility for teaching and pastoral care that comes with leading such groups. They have worked many hours, for many weeks. Please take the opportunity to thank your leaders more personally than I am able to here.

And, with the India Mission Team having just returned, it has been a big year for us in Sending. We so look forward to hearing their stories. And let us not forget Rial and Hannah Kidson, who have just returned from spending a year in India serving the Lord Jesus.

It has been a huge year, and we thank all those who have worked in these ways and many others, as this work is supported and resourced.

A week out of Christmas, the year has not yet ended. Indeed, Christmas provides us with an opportunity that Christians in other countries would envy. Many countries in the world do not make much of Christmas. And while it is true that some get carried away, it is also true that the whole country stops for a day that has been set aside to remember the birth of Jesus.

In recent weeks we’ve been encouraging you to make the most of the Christmas opportunity – it is not too late to change your plans to allow you to do so! We hope that you will join us on Christmas Day, starting the day by remembering Jesus, and invite a friend or relative to join you.

God will provide many opportunities in the coming weeks. May we each take them to bring glory to Jesus.

Raj