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St David's Minister's Missive

Dear St David's Church Family💒

I hope all our children and grandchildren are enjoying some downtime in the first week of school holidays. For many, life won't look much different to term time but picnics and friend's bubbles are now possible and thankfully we have some beautifully sunny days. We are thinking of parents and children as you have a break from the online school routine.

This Sunday is our fourth and final Sunday in the Season of Creation. In this season we have been paying particular attention to the world around us and giving thanks for the gifts of creation.

You'll find the liturgy attached here. Please join us this Sunday at 9.30am on livestream through our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you there!

Pentecost 18 Yr B 26th September 2021

Here are the things that I would like to pass on to you this week:

Zoom Morning Tea - would you like to have morning tea together via Zoom after church on Sunday? We are going to trial this as of this Sunday. Morning tea will start at 10.45am so if you are interested, grab a cuppa and follow this zoom link:

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 896 7470 7158
Passcode: 652145
We look forward to seeing you there 😊

School Strike for Climate - online forum facilitated by Julie McCrossin - Hear from a diverse range of Uniting Church members about why and how they support the School Strike for Climate Movement. To register please follow this link:

Book recommends - Looking for something to read at the moment? Judith and Kim have passed on a couple of faith book recommends:

From Judith: Sara Miles, 'Take this Bread'. Ballantine Books, 2007.

One morning in her thirties Sara, raised an atheist, wandered into a church, received communion, and found herself transformed. Sara didn’t worry about angels or good behaviour or piety; her faith centred on real hunger, real food and real bodies – she began a food pantry in her church, over quite some opposition, and ended up feeding hundreds of “real-life Dickensian characters” in a living communion with Christ. Judith says: "I found the eclectic, chaotic nature of her faith believable, exciting, real – mainly because that’s my experience. Highly recommended."

From Kim: 'Have a little faith' by Mitch Albom.

Mitch Albrom is happily married with a good career. But when he meets two men, a rabbi and a pastor, he realises there is a faith-sized hole in his life.

How a tree, a dog and chimpanzee taught Jane Goodall to hold on to hope - I posted this article on Facebook this week. It seemed to link very well into our season of creation.

This week's photos of hope / season of creation include: Thank you to everyone who has sent their pictures in this week

Dominic - wow, he's grown!

Rocks from Owen collected on his daily walk around Henry Lawson Drive

Indian vegetable vegan curry from Kaye

Cup and Saucer wetlands in Earlwood from Roger A

2 photos of Parramatta River at Chiswick - thank you Chris L for introducing me to this beautiful place.

Book quote from 'The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse'.

this week's story book.

Morning Prayer and Communion Service - 9.30am on Wednesdays. Space to connect with God and each other. If you would like to come along via Zoom, please let me know and I will send you the link. All are welcome.

Wednesday night Bible Study Group Zoom - This group is on hold for a few weeks. If you would like to be part of this group when they start up again, please contact David for the link.

Needing support? There are a number of us available to offer support - over the phone or Zoom, to meet people 1:1 for walks, make meals, and deliver food from the Kindness Cupboard. Please contact me if we can offer you some assistance.

Mission of the church - please continue to pray for the people who use our Kindness Cupboard; our work leading the children in Godly Play each Tuesday, during term time at Haberfield Public School (on hold during lockdown) ; for the work of The Ella Centre; and for Lenka as she prepares to start a playgroup for children living with a disability.

Prayers for local churches - This week, please pray for the people and mission of the Baptist Church.

Joy's day off - Friday (if something urgent comes up, please don't hesitate to contact me)

Story-time - Hello to our St David's kids! Dominic, Matilda, Harry, Frank, Sophie, Edie, Ella, Aiden, River, Sacha, Eli and Elise. Our story this week is a new one that arrived this week, called 'What is God like?' by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner with beautiful illustrations by Ying Hui Tan and Graham will be reading it for us. We look forward to having you join us on the story mat via livestream 😊

This week's prayer is called:

Prayer for A Just Climate

God of Creation,
You created night and day.
You separated the sea from the sky.
You gave life to all living creatures and saw that it was good.
Help us to reconnect with the majesty of your creation.

God of Love,
Fill us with your love for all creation.
Empty us of apathy, selfishness and fear.
Inspire us to live simply and in harmony with creation.
Help us to be good stewards, caring for all creation with self-sacrificing and nurturing love.

God of Compassion,
Breathe into us solidarity with all who suffer now
and the future generations who will suffer
because of our environmental irresponsibility.
Help us to put people before profit and 'being' before 'having'.

God of Justice,
Empower us to work together as one global community,
To find creative and just solutions to protect those most vulnerable in our world, and all of creation for future generations.
Move us into action for climate justice and to restore your creation.

Amen.

Caritas Australia

All are welcome in this place.

With love, hope and peace

Joy💒

UC National News 22-28 September - Hope + Hospitality @BankstownUCA, Rolling out the fala, UCA celebrates Mark Kickett as MoW, Peace Day and more

Social Justice Forum Uniting Church