World Day of Prayer

Friday March 5th at 10:30am at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church 71 Cumming St, Blackwood

Every year it is important for us as a group of churches in the Mitcham Hills area to regognize and celebrate the World Day of Prayer together. Prayer is a vital part of our ministry to the community and world around us.

This year the service program was developed by a group of women from Cameroon, and features their way of worshipping and and an insight into their lives.

The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement which brings Christians of many traditions together to observe a common day of prayer each year. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, we can come to know how people of other countries, languages and cultures understand the Biblical passages in their context. We can hear their concerns and needs and can feel ourselves in solidarity with them as we pray with and for them. In this way, it is possible to enrich our Christian faith as it grows deeper and broader in an international, ecumenical expression.

Find out more about World Day of prayer at www.worlddayofprayeraustralia.org

Anyone is welcome to join us

Commissioning of Christian Pastoral Support Workers in Mitcham Hills

On Feb 28, at 10am, a service will be held at St Peters Lutheran Church, Blackwood, to commission the CPSWs (Christian Pastoral Support Workers) under the direction of the Mitcham Hills Inter Church Council.

This service will be held in conjunction with St Peters own annual Day of Thanksgiving. We invite members from other churches, schools and general community to join us for this special occasion.

St Peters gathers at the church/school complex situated at 71 Cumming St, Blackwood.

Beacon – emergency relief

On April 15th 2009, we officially launched Beacon with an open day and afternoon tea which was attended by the many people who support and help make Beacon possible.

It was our hope that we would get good media coverage for this opening to heighten awareness among our community that this facility was available. We thank The Hills & Valley Messenger and the Blackwood Times who ran stories in the following weeks and just this week The Messenger has mentioned Beacon again.

Here is some further information and photos to add to the coverage. Beacon is not an initiative of one church but the initiative of 15 churches in the Blackwood/Mitcham Hills region under the auspus of the Mitcham Hills Inter-Church council. This is a great celebration of the work of local churches from all denominations working together to serve the local community. It was an initiative that originated out of conversations between Rev Leanne Jenski (Blackwood Uniting), Rev Mark Riessen (Blackwood Church of Christ), Rev Ian Hunter (Belair Uniting), Fr. Warren Huffa (Holy Innocents Anglican) Fr. Stephen Clark (All Hallow’s/St John’s Anglican) and Nina Corlett-McDonald (CPSW Hawthorndene Primary).

Mark, Leanne and Nina became the driving force, think tank and developer of ideas co-opting the help of other members of the MHICC to form a steering committee to come up with a vehicle for addressing the needs we were experiencing from our interactions with the community. This was not a response to a recession, in fact when we first began talking about this John Howard was prime minister and when the program began to form the economy couldn’t have been stronger. However the needs of our community were constantly present just as much then as it is now.

When we came up with ‘Beacon’, we acknowledged that we needed a sub-committee of the MHICC which is now chaired by Rev. Mark Riessen and a co-ordinator of Beacon operations, Aileen Templeton.

April 15th was a great celebration of the coming together of many denominations on the hill as well as the many aid organization who have come together to help us make this facility possible. Our federal MP Ian Evans was gracious enough to official open Beacon with the cutting of the ribbon and stayed for the afternoon tea.

These photos are from the ‘actual’ opening of Beacon

The first photo represents our hard working volunteers who show up every week to sit with and assist anyone who comes seeking help. From the left: Aileen (Co-ordinator from Blackwood Church of Christ) Bridgid (St Paul of the Cross Catholic), Gloria (Blackwood Uniting), Lesiley and Sue (Coromandel Valley Uniting)

The photo with the 2 people standing either side of the Beacon sign represents our 2 business sponsors. On the left is Lisa from Curves Blackwood and on the left is Mark from Flight Centre Blackwood. We are very grateful for their support to help make this program available to the community possible.

The photo bottom middle from the left: Mark from Flight Centre Blackwood, Rev. Mark Riessen, MP Ian Evans, Aileen Templeton and Rev. Leanne Jenski. The last photo represents the many aid organizations that have helped us establish and continue to have a working relationship with us including Marion Life, Careworks, Salvation Army, Department of families, housing, community services and indigenous affairs.

What a great celebration of a fantastic initiative of the churches to address ongoing needs in our community.

Shalom

Rev. Mark Riessen, Chair Beacon sub-committee

Response to Victorian bushfire relief efforts

Many of us here in the Adelaide hills identify deeply with the devastation of bushfire’s and still have the memories of Ash Wednesday in the back of our minds. Yet it is still difficult to imagine the tragedy and the impact of the fires in Victoria on the people and communities affected. Our hearts ache as we consider how to respond with love and compassion to our neighbours across the border which is why this Sunday our services will reflect something of the nature of how we are moved to respond in prayer, service and financial giving.

This post is to inform anyone who might be wondering, how the churches of the Mitcham Hills Inter Church Community are responding and how you might be able to participate in the response if you attend one of our services this Sunday.

The Synod of the Uniting Churches here is SA has set up a bushfire disaster appeal. Also check out http://assembly.uca.org.au. Blackwood Uniting Church has been taking donations during the week and will contiunue to do so on Sunday and beyond. They have also started a prayer wall where you can post your prayers related to the bushfires.

The Coromandel Valley Uniting Church currently has a member of their congregation (former senior minister) assisting with counselling at Whittlesea (near Kinglake).

The Eden Hills Uniting Church is holding a prayer vigil on Friday morning (13/2/09) at 9am and another on Sunday morning before the service.

Blackwood, Belair, Coromandel Valley and Eden Hills Uniting Churches will be taking up special offerings as part of their services on Sunday.

Churches of Christ SA/NT have set up a bushfire appeal through Careworks SA/NT. Unfortunately there is no website set up but you can call 8278 8666 and talk to Sarah for a donation form. The Blackwood Church of Christ will be taking up an offering on Sunday and offering donation forms to make tax deductible donations through Careworks towards the bushfire appeal.

The St. Peter’s Luthern Church will be taking up an offering that will be directed through the Lutheran Community Care to bushfire victims

The Blackwood Hills Baptist Church will be concentrating their donation efforts through the Baptist Union bushfire appeal. Donation will be taken on Sunday or you can donate online

Holy Innocents’ Anglican Church in Belair will also be taking up an offering to go towards the bushfire appeal this Sunday

All churches will be holding special prayer times in various forms this Sunday and you are more than welcome to come and join us in prayer.

Of course we encourage you to give blood if you are able and to donate financially directly to the Red Cross.

Shalom