Day 2 started off with a team meeting where Keith reminded us of 3 things in 1 Corinthians 3:1-15:
- that God is actively at work in his mission to save,
- that we are nothing as it is God who gives the growth,
- yet we are something because of the dignity we have in being God’s co-workers in his mission field.
It is humbling and stress-relieving to know that God is in control! To top it off, Jen shared an encouraging story from her Carrington Retirement Village visit. A lady had approached her and shared that she put her faith in Jesus because of a Moore Mission from the 70’s. Praise God!
A few of us then went to run the children’s playgroup. James gave a short talk on the parable of the lost coin in Luke. Moore students did a short drama and spent a lot of time chatting with the parents. There were many non-Christians that come every week with a core group of church parents. Thank God for the kids ministry at St John’s and for the opportunities to share Jesus with children and their parents.
Those who accompanied youth minister, Tim, to Camden High had a joyful but sobering SRE-teaching experience. Camden High has an opt-out system which is fantastic but this year many parents have chosen to opt their children out of scripture. This might have to do with normal classes still being run at the same time as SRE. Classes ranged from 6-15 in number. Jess and Jenny were given the opportunity to teach 4 classes on the Bible being an instruction manual that leads to eternal life. In our starting activity, we had one student blindfolded and 2 types of guides: one who knew the directions and another who didn’t. It was a fun activity to demonstrate how wise it is to listen to the Creator who understands all of life and has graciously revealed in the Bible how to have eternal life in his Son. It’d be foolish to listen to anyone else! Though it was a joy to see many students curious about God, we had some who did no interest in being in Scripture. We got a glimpse of how difficult it can be for our Scripture teachers to continue labouring in the gospel outside of a church context. Thank God for Tim for serving in this way for the past 5 years (the longest stint done at Camden High, 2nd longest being 2 years). We’re only here for a week of mission but it will continue for Tim long after we leave!
Below are some photos of the church taken by Richard:
A picturesque sunset shot taken by Bronwyn to end our 2nd day
Please pray for:
- those teaching SRE at Camden South Primary tomorrow morning
- the Open Doors seniors craft group – many non-Christians will be in attendance
- the Year 9-10 boy’s bible study with Jeremy and Lyndon leading
- those teaching at Mount Hunter after school group
- for students who will be sharing their testimonies at various small groups tomorrow night