Our morning opened with Chase guiding us through Ephesians 2:1-10. It was a precious time: stopping and remembering our past (v1: ‘dead in trespasses and sins’), but also the gracious gift of God in Christ, so that we don’t work for our salvation, but God works in us, v10: ‘we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them’.
And, as soon as our time in the scriptures had ended, so begun our planning for the day of good things God had prepared for us.
A few of us went out to continue filming for a string of vox-pop videos for the upcoming sermon series, asking people on the streets of Forster about things as diverse as religious violence, to what wisdom might be important to pass on to our next generation.
Others of us visited some of the parishioners of Coast Church, helping them around the house with a few odd jobs. From changing a couple of flat bike tires to a mini-garden blitz, it was a joy to help brothers and sisters in Christ however we could.
Another team went to a couple of local schools to run a scripture seminar. Here’s Luke Sinclair with a wrap-up:
After 6 years of hard work the high schools in Forster finally let Scripture in. You really see the difference in numbers due to policy, however. Tuncurry has an “opt-out” system and so we got to share Psalm 23 with about 25 Year 7 kids, most of them not from Christian backgrounds. Jeri gave her testimony, Evan spoke on the Psalm and the rest of us got to talk more about Jesus in small groups. A number of great conversations were had as some of the kids really tried to contemplate God creating the world and what Jesus did on the cross. Forster on the other hand has an “opt-in” system and so just two Year 7 kids came along. After each of us telling two truths and a lie, Rachel told of a time she really understood what it meant to go through “the valley of the shadow of death” and Evan encouraged the boys from the Psalm to know how God is with us.
And finally to end the day, a number of us attended the local Aboriginal Mission (what has become affectionately known by locals as ‘the mish’), which mainly involves using any leftover energy chasing kids, kicking a footy and losing in tug-of-war. Somehow, despite their endless energy, we managed to gather them together to hear a testimony from Luke and a bible story from Talar, describing that everyone can be friends with God because of Jesus!
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