G’day and Happy New Year,
What was 2007 like for you? Was it an awesome year? Or was it challenging and your just glad its over? We all have different thoughts and experiences, but the one thing I keep coming back to is no matter what circumstance I happen to go through, whether uplifting or difficult, the Lord is sovereign, in control and will remain on the throne.
I believe I grew more in my walk with the Lord this year than all my previous years as a Christian. I recently turned 33 years old and have just discovered heaps of gray hair. The pressure, stress, challenges, and adventure over the past year and a half has been demanding yet I’ve had such a blast.
The past several weeks have been surreal. We had our first outdoor service followed by a baptism, sausage sizzle, and lots of fun games for the kids. The turnout was fantastic, one of the largest we have experienced here at Calvary Melbourne.
The following week we had a wonderful Christmas service that included a poem and singing program by our Children’s Ministry.
Following the service we all came together for a Christmas Party where we had a great time of fellowship and a fabulous sit down lunch. It was exciting to see the amount of people in the fellowship make an effort to attend the party; there were just over 60 people which is close to triple the size of last year.
Niki’s Surprise!
Niki’s mom Pat and I put together a last minute plan to surprise Niki and the boys for Christmas. Pat and her granddaughter Crystal came in on the 20th of December, and boy was everyone surprised! I wish I had a picture that captured the emotion and shock on Niki’s face. It was fantastic! We all had been a bit homesick, and it was just the right time for Pat and Crystal to come for a visit. We had a wonderful Christmas and were so blessed to be with family. It put wind back in the sails for us to press on for another 6months.
The weather is just crazy
We had several cool and rainy days causing flooding in various cities, and then the next 4 days were extremely hot. When I say Hot I mean hot! One of the days reached 109 degrees.
We did a prophecy update on our last service for 2007. For some, this was their first time hearing about end time events and prophecies. It’s always exciting to let people know about our Lord’s return, and to see how everything is lining up just as the scripture has prophesied.
This last week I had such an overwhelming feeling of love and acceptance by not only our congregation here, but from family, friends, and all of our supporters. It is a privilege to represent and to an ambassador for Christ here in Oz. Thank you for always being there for us, you are a huge blessing!
Point to ponder
The other day I was thinking about prayer and what we could do to reach our city. Here are some thoughts that came to mind. To reach our cities, Christ must reach His church. He must convict our hearts of the arrogance and pride, the jealousy and selfish ambition that have clouded our vision. We must be cleansed of these sins so Jesus can unite us against evil.
Along these lines, here is a verse that convicted me the more I meditated on it, “And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41). If Jesus came today and gazed upon His church in its carnality and division, if He probed into our prayerlessness and lack of outreach, would tears flood His eyes over our cities, even as he wept over Jerusalem?
Time and time again He has called us to humble ourselves and to be united; our heartfelt prayers allow Him to heal our land. The lack of blessing in our cities is not God’s fault, nor is it only because of the sins of the world. A number of our national problems are because the church has been caught up in its own agenda and programs. We have disdained Christ’s call to obedience and prayer.
Maybe we are waiting for God to do something to unite us. Perhaps we are waiting for revival before we truly obey Him. We must see that revival follows obedience, not obedience after revival.
Unless there is a buffer of prayer and an aggressive move of God in our city, it will only be a matter of time before it is invaded by the advancing flood of evil. God has placed the responsibility for our cities upon our shoulders. It is time for us to take our responsibility seriously. Let’s make a difference in our churches and cities in 2008. Amen.
Did you know? Interesting statistics about Australia:
There are over 21million people here in Australia, in which a total of six million Australians receive government welfare.
A massive 17 percent of the adult Australian population is functionally illiterate, or unable to read basic medical instructions (according to a UN report 2006).
A 1995 study, Quality in Australian healthcare, indicated as many as 50,000 patients were injured and 18,000 died each year due to medical and hospital errors.
Leadership Quote
“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” (Unknown)
Upcoming dates
Feb 3rd starts a new term for the schools and children’s ministry
March 23rd – Easter
Last week of March 24th-28th – our citywide outreach – Impact
June – visit to the States for Pastor’s Conf and family vacation.
July – starts our 3rd year here in Australia. WOW, How fast time as gone!
Prayer request:
Wisdom in making decisions.
Provision in finances.
A greater passion for the Word of God and for the people of Australia.
For the anointing of the Spirit upon our lives and the church
For strength and guidance as we home school Joshua this year
For protection, discernment, and guidance.
Quick poll –
We are trying to streamline our newsletters so we can be more efficient and provide better to service to our supporters.
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Word doc
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Just to let you know
Here is our churches web site:
www.ccmelbourne.com
Blessings to you and until next time,
Pastor Andrew Russell
Andrew, Niki, Joshua, and Christian
Contact info:
3 Walton Court
Narre Warren,
VIC, 3805 Australia
011-61-3-9796-7771 = home #
011-61-4-3456-2543 = mobile (cell) #
Email address: ccma@calvarychapel. com
