Michele has sent this message with her Christmas greetings in the attachments:
Hi there - Us Again,
Just here to wish you all a very happy Christmas.
May the Peace, Joy and Love of Christmas be with you now and into the new year.
Many blessings from,
Michele and Flora.
Michele has sent the attached update advising that the application for a visistor visa for Flora has been denied.
However, she include the advice that: Home Affairs Australia, after looking at all our documents have suggested that we are better candidates for a permanent residency Adoption Visa, and have asked us to apply through that pathway.
So MIchele see this as not so much a denial as a better pathway.
Michele's message with her Newsletter reads:
To Our Faithful Prayers,
We wanted to send you a Visa Update on where we are up to and why we wont be travelling to Sydney this Christmas - we will be home for Christmas - we just don't know which year that will be!!
Many Blessings to you,
Michele and Flora.
On Sunday 28 November 2021, the last recorded On-line Church service will be released.
Church On-line was introduced in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, when the Garratt Street Centre was closed. We have been through seasons when we have operated with various degrees and risk, in line with ACT Health guidelines. Throughout this time, we have continued to offer services on-line and in-person so that people could chose the option where they felt at least risk.
We now believe that, with the very high levels of vaccination in the ACT, the high levels now being achieved throughout the nation and the eased restrictions, it is now reasonable to discontinue recording a full on-line service each week.
The on-line services are produced at high-cost to our worship team. Their weekly schedule has been: Tuesday rehearse music segment of the service (including new songs and arrangements) and record the entire service, Wednesday post-production of the complete service and publication to YouTube and the App, Sunday rehearse songs and the in-person service at the Garratt Street Centre. The team did this work willingly and to the glory of God and we thank them for it.
From 5 December 2021, we will return to our previous habit of many years of making a recording of the sermon available via our website. Changes will be that we make a video recording of the sermon segment of each week’s physical service and, after some post-production work rather than immediately after the service, publish this on YouTube. The recording will also be available via our App and Website.
As our App is part of the Church Central group, the sermon will also be available to any users of Church Central.
In February 2021, Olive tree Media commissioned McCrindle to conduct demographic and quantitative research to understand the role of faith and religion in forming modern day Australia. The key objectives of this research are to:
- Explore current trends and attitudes of Australians about the role of faith and religion in society.
- Understand the role Christianity has played in the history of Australia
- Investigate how Christianity has impacted the values of Australians
- Understand Australians' perspectives of Christians and Christianity
This report is useful for churches as they plan for the future and includes many facts that invite smaller conversations. Here are a few conversation starters:
- Despite Builders being more likely to identify with Christianity than Gen Z, it is the younger generations who attend church (either in church or online) more regularly....This could highlight a decline in cultural Christianity as members of the emerging generations who identify with Christianity may be more likely to live out their faith.
- Australians who were born overseas are more likely to remain committed to the religion they were shaped in from their younger years than those born in Australia.
- Those who are born in Australia re more likely to be cool towards Christianity than those born overseas.
- Younger generations are more likely to consider National Sorry Day important to the identity of Australia. Whereas older Australians are more likely to consider Australia Day as extremely/very important to the identity of Australia. (National Sorry Day rated higher than Melbourne Cup Day as important occasions to the identify of Australia).
- Australians who are warm/neutral to Christianity are most attracted to the Christian faith by seeing first hand people live out a genuine faith.
- Males are more attracted than females to explore Christianity further by being exposed to the Bible and its teaching.
Open the PDF to read the full report.
Inclusion of the report has been approved by Olive Tree Media. Check out their website for more resources.
Sunday, December 5 Joy to the World Communion
Sunday, December 12 Our Finest Gift
Sunday, December 19 Fall on Your Knees
Saturday, December 25 Let Earth Receive Her King
Sunday, November 7 Everyone`s Welcome Communion
Sunday, November 14 Nobody’s Perfect
Sunday, November 21 Anything Is Possible (1)
Sunday, November 28 Anything Is Possible (2)
Michele's email message that enclosed her newsletter reads:
Dear Friends,
We trust you are all well - surviving lockdown for those in Australia - aaah what a year hey!
Here's a little bit of news from us in Kigali - always feels like the day to day is a little mundane, hopefully there's something in here that will excited you - or not!
Please write and let us know how we can support you too,
Many blessings,
Michele and Flora.
Sunday, October 3 How and Why Should I Read the Bible?
Sunday, October 10 How Does God Guide Us?
Sunday, October 17 How Can I Resist Evil?
Sunday, October 24 What about the Church?
Sunday, October31 Why and How Should I Tell others?