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It was great yesterday to meet and plan with the leaders of our all-new youth group at my church, Sylvania Anglican. We start the new group, ‘Slice’, next term.
I was a great joy to experience the enthusiasm and excitement of the leaders as we start something new and even a bit groundbreaking! We’re starting a group for years 6 to 8, and it’s going to run from 3.15 to 5.15 on Friday afternoons. The plan is that it will help smooth out the ‘bump’ between our children’s ministry and the teenage youth ministry.
However, in many ways nothing is really new. We’re still preaching Christ in his word to young people, encouraging them to pray and serve God and each other, and we still will provide leaders who love and care for them as spiritual parents. Nothing new there.
Pray that the new ministry next term will meet its goals, and will be a place where people Grow in God!
To find out about ‘Slice’ visit http://www.youth.sylvaniaanglican.org
Last month I wrote an article for sydneyanglicans.net called Praying to Win (see my ‘talks and writings page for details’.) It addressed the surprisingly controversial practice of praying in ‘evangelistic’ gathering.
It was nice to receive some positive feedback from some readers. One reader emailed me, and included the following in the body of his email:
“I have had many people tell me stuff that is going on in their lives, either on the train, at work etc, and the only people who have ever refused when asked if it was OK to pray with them about that, were Christians. Every time I have asked a non Christian about praying with them they have said yes. Whether it be on the train / station, bus,
work and even on the street. Some of those people I have never seen again, some of them I have prayed a few times with since and the door is open to share the gospel message more with them – but every time they have been touched, and said “thank you to me””
In response to this feedback, and at the request of the www.sydneyanglicans.net editor, I’ve written a follow up article further exploring the issue of public prayer as a form of promoting the gospel. Look out for the article in the next few days!
Today I prepared a series of prayer points for the Year 13 mission trip to Uganda, Africa. It is very exciting to think of how God will use this team to promote his gospel in Africa.
It is also exciting to think how he will use the trip to strengthen and build the lives of the 18 year olds on the trip.
The team leaves Sydney on Sunday afternoon for their trip to Kampala via Dubai. It will be sad to say goodbye to them, knowing that they will experience much as a team, and be thoroughly changed upon their return. But it is a joy to know how much will happen in their relatively young lives in the next month.
I think I’ve become one of the people of whom Johnny Warren said “I told you so!” I never understood how anyone could enjoy watching a game that produced such low and inferequent scores.
But the game against Japan last week changed everything. The continual tension of side against side, both desperate to hit the back of the net leaves every other code of football for dead.
The parallels with Test cricket are numerous. The high speed thrill of limited over matches never can surpass the reward of watching endless hours of a test match waiting for a century or a wicket.
Last night’s game was at an ungodly hour… 2am… exasperated by a busy day of three sermons. But even the loss to Brazil was worth it. Croatia, watch out.
Now where’s my coffee…?