maroubra baptist

Comedy Festival, Starts February 13

 

RSVP for dinner essential - please contact the office on 9344 3355

Have You Heard About Grace? Sunday night Café, Starts October 31

RSVP for dinner essential - please contact the office on 9344 3355 

UN-THINK-ABLE... Sunday night Café, Starts August 15

 RSVP for dinner essential - please contact the office on 9344 3355

Wonder Why...? Come join us!

  RSVP for dinner essential - please contact the office on 9344 3355

HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a great new year!

I love living in the Post Modern Year of 2009, soon 2010. I’m excited by technological, medical, and other advancements. However, I sometimes feel sad when I think of some of the ways in which society is heading.

For example, because of litigation laws, it’s getting to the point where, because of political correctness and the fear of offending somebody, nobody is prepared to give advice any more, for fear of being sued. Consider this Christmas greeting I received this week.

“Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, and gender neutral celebration of the summer solstice holiday, practised within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practise religious or secular traditions at all; and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make Australia great (but not to imply that Australia is necessarily greater than any other country), and without regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability, gender, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting the following terms. 

1. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. 
2. It is freely transferable, but without alteration to the original greeting.

3. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

4. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and the warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher. “

At the risk of offending someone, I’d like to wish you all a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a great new year. Di and I thank you for your many Christmas greetings, cards and gifts. Most of all, we thank you for your prayers and support during the year. 

I hope that you will be able to enjoy a well-earned rest from regular ministry over the holiday period so that we can go even harder next year. I look forward to the joy of serving the Lord together with you in 2010.

Calendar now available

Each month we will be publishing a calendar covering activities at Maroubra. 

This will be printed in Communique and also available on our website here.

Download October 2009 here (pdf).

Getaway 2009 - 30/10-1/11/09

There are 131 of us (82 adults and 49 children) who will ‘Getaway’ at the end of this month to enjoy a weekend of fun, fellowship, great teaching and relaxation at the Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort.

The resort if fully booked. However, if you would still like to join us, we can place you on a waiting list in case there are any last minute cancellations at the resort. For more information please contact Deb Williamson at debbie@ddobj.net or 9344 3887.

Important information regarding the weekend, including what to pack and how to get there, will be emailed to you in mid October.

Jesus All About Life @ maroubra

The Jesus All About Life Media Campaign is now in full swing with the TV ads appearing on all major channels for a whole week now. If you haven’t seen them yet, keep your eyes open. Above all, be ready with your answer and your story because our friends will ask what it’s all about.

We will be running the Jesus All About Life (JAAL) Follow Up Course at our church over five consecutive Monday nights, from 7.00-9.00pm: Oct 26, Nov 2,9,16,23.

This five part series explains the basis of the Christian faith and is a great environment for anyone who is interested in finding out more about Jesus.

Each of the evening sessions will begin with a free dinner, followed by a 25 minute DVD presentation and approx. one hour of group discussion.

Many home groups are opting to break during these five weeks so that everyone is available to either attend with a friend or to serve.

There are many areas where you can help out and even if you are not part of a team related to Outreach, Evangelism, Discipleship, Letterbox Drop or Hospitality but are willing to serve, please contact the church office.

We suggested, several months ago, that you keep these dates free and begin thinking and praying about who you will invite. Now is the time to look for opportunities to tell your friends about this exciting course.

Bible Reading Plan 2009 - Start NT Today

If you started the year with us, reading through the Cover to Cover Bible, and have fallen behind, now is a great chance to get in step again by picking up at Day 274, which is the start of the New Testament. Or, if you start at today’s reading, Day 277, you will have only missed the Genealogies and the story of Jesus’ birth, with which you are probably fairly familiar.

I encourage you to come with us on this exciting journey through the New Testament. I plan to preach from each week’s readings, as I did with the Old Testament.  There is so much to learn! And so much to be encouraged and strengthened by. Make the most of the opportunity.

Failures into successes

Did you know that our shortcomings and failures come as no surprise to God? David wrote in Psalm 139, "O Lord, you have searched me you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord."

Maybe you have had a serious failure in your spiritual life recently. Maybe you have fallen and wonder if you ever can be forgiven. God can take our failures and turn them into successes. God can take losers and turn them into winners. We see this in the life of one follower of Jesus, whose name was Simon Peter.

It is worth noting how Simon got his new name, Peter. The disciples were with the Lord at a place called Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus turned to them and said, "Who do men say that I am?" Various ideas were thrown out. Then Simon, under the inspiration of God himself, said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". This was a remarkable moment. Peter had been given supernatural insight. Jesus told him, "I am giving you a new name. From this moment on, your name is Peter, and on this rock I will build my church."

Before Peter fully lived up to his new name, he had a serious lapse. He experienced a fall that was both notable and dramatic. You'll find the Gospel accounts of it in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. Yes, Peter fell. But it was temporary. Later, in his own epistle, Peter wrote, "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:10).

Instead of being devastated by past failures or being upset with God as to why you went through certain things, allow God to take those things you have experienced and turn them into great lessons that you can share with others. God gives second chances. That is what He did for Peter. And that is what He can do for you.