Hi Church,

I want to start by saying thank you. Thank you for those who have reached out to me, and let me know that you have been praying for me as I was recovering from a bacterial infection. I am all back to ‘normal’ (well – as normal as one can be in the midst of a pandemic), and after a time of retreat in South Australia, I am feeling quite renewed and refreshed.

While on retreat, we were led for 3 days by Pastor Peter Steicke, who you may know from his conferences and visits to Ipswich in past years, and he shared with us, among many things, about his new book (which if you would like a copy of – and I suggest getting one – please speak to Martin Oldfield), called ‘The Freedom Journey’, and the main thing he shared with us was about not over-complicating things, and doing the things that Jesus told us to do, and doing them well.

And I don’t think it’s particularly a ‘Lutheran’ thing, or even an ‘Ipswich’ thing, but so often we really over complicate, and create barriers for ourselves to simply live in the grace of Jesus, and be open to sharing that grace with others.

We want all the answers, all the possible training, we want to know what we need to do, or say, and when to do or say it. But, having received the good news, the gospel, how God loves us to the point of sending His Son, Jesus to live, and die and live again, and how God empowers us with His Holy Spirit to remind us of that each and every part of each and every day, we are then called to live a life following and serving Jesus.

There is not some complex formula that we need to follow, we are just called to follow and serve Jesus, it is that simple. 

How are we best equipped to do that? By listening to God. And one of the best ways to listen to God is to hear what He is saying to You through His Word.

It is through the Word (the Bible) that God reminds us of His love, grace, mercy and forgiveness; and where we are called to go out into this world to share this with others. It’s not a program, it is you, living out your life of faith, and inviting others to join you on that journey.

So, as we finish off our message series going ‘Back to Basics’, let’s aim to keep things simple, and not over complicate the grace of God and the hope we have in Jesus, and let’s just follow Jesus and serve Him and those around us. 

…
In Christ
Pastor Ben

Hi Church,

We are have been so blessed to be able to have had our worship centre doors open with all the things going on in neighbouring states, and excited to gather as we still can. Thank you to those who have registered and will be attending worship in person.
We continue in various ways to go back and also adapt as we move forward and persist in our prayers for Victoria and pockets in other states, and indeed new cases discovered in Queensland. May the cases hear be handled swiftly and not impact the positive trajectory we currently experience. And may the “second wave” that is mentioned in an increasing capacity not be remotely as significant as the initial one.

As we pray and continue our physical worship centres, it should be mentioned that we are blessed to be able to continue our online services, and look forward to people joining us again in this way. A reminder also to please not feel under any obligation to join us physically – especially if you are over the age of 70, or 65 with underlying health concerns as per our governments health advice.

To ensure a great experience for our online worshippers, we are looking out for further volunteers in this great area of ministry, as we seek to reach out to more people with the good news of Jesus. So if you are able, and have a calling and desire to help in this way, please let us know!

It is worthwhile to again be reminded that the coming weeks and months ahead are going to look anything but ‘normal’, and even as we gather together, it is not going to be ‘worship as usual’, but as we have found as we have gathered together online for the past four months – we can adapt, and the Holy Spirit can still speak to us through his word, no matter what worship looks like, or feels like or sounds like – even if it is a bit different. After all, worship is not “our surroundings” but an expression of our hearts.

So as we gather together in church-wide worship – online and in-person this weekend, I trust and pray that you will find joy as you continue to be served by God through His Word for you.

…
In His service,
Pastor Roelof

Hi Church,

We are excited to be able to have our worship centre doors open still amidst all the things going on in neighbouring states, and excited to gather nevertheless. Thank you to those who have registered and will be attending worship in person.
We continue in various ways to go back and also adapt as we move forward and persist in our prayers for Victoria pockets in other states, and indeed new cases discovered in Queensland. May the cases hear be handled swiftly and not impact the positive trajectory we currently experience.

As we pray and continue our recent re-opening of physical worship centres, it should be mentioned that we are blessed to be able to continue our online services, and look forward to people joining us again in this way. A reminder also to please not feel under any obligation to join us physically – especially if you are over the age of 70, or 65 with underlying health concerns as per our governments health advice.

To ensure a great experience for our online worshippers, we are looking out for further volunteers in this great area of ministry, as we seek to reach out to more people with the good news of Jesus. So if you are able, and have a calling and desire to help in this way, please let us know!

It is worthwhile to again be reminded that the coming weeks and months ahead are going to look anything but ‘normal’, and even as we gather together, it is not going to be ‘worship as usual’, but as we have found as we have gathered together online for the past four months – we can adapt, and the Holy Spirit can still speak to us through his word, no matter what worship looks like, or feels like or sounds like – even if it is a bit different. After all, worship is not “our surroundings” but an expression of our hearts.

So as we gather together in church-wide worship – online and in-person this weekend, I trust and pray that you will find joy as you continue to be served by God through His Word for you.

…
In His service,
Pastor Roelof

Hi Church,

We are excited to open our church doors again this Sunday, and maybe a bit nervous watching how things are tracking in others states, but excited to gather nevertheless. Thank you to those who have registered and will be attending worship in person.
We continue in various ways to go back and also adapt as we move forward and persist in our prayers for Victoria pockets in other states, and indeed new cases discovered in Queensland. May the cases hear be handled swiftly and not impact the positive trajectory we currently experience.

As we pray and continue our recent re-opening of physical worship centres, it should be mentioned that we are blessed to be able to continue our online services, and look forward to people joining us again in this way. A reminder also to please not feel under any obligation to join us physically – especially if you are over the age of 70, or 65 with underlying health concerns as per our governments health advice.

To ensure a great experience for our online worshippers, we are looking out for further volunteers in this great area of ministry, as we seek to reach out to more people with the good news of Jesus. So if you are able, and have a calling and desire to help in this way, please let us know!

It is worthwhile to again be reminded that the coming weeks and months ahead are going to look anything but ‘normal’, and even as we gather together, it is not going to be ‘worship as usual’, but as we have found as we have gathered together online for the past four months – we can adapt, and the Holy Spirit can still speak to us through his word, no matter what worship looks like, or feels like or sounds like – even if it is a bit different. After all, worship is not “our surroundings” but and expression of our hearts.

So as we gather together in family worship – online and in-person this weekend, I trust and pray that you will still have the opportunity to be served by God through His Word for you.
…
In His service,
Pastor Roelof

Hi Church,

This is the second week that we have the amazing opportunity to gather both physically and online, and we are excited to open our church doors again this Sunday. Thank you to those who have registered and will be attending worship in person.

We continue in various ways to go back and also adapt as we move forward and persist in our prayers for Victoria, and new cases discovered in Queensland. May the cases hear be handled swiftly and not impact the positive trajectory we currently experience.

As we pray and continue our recent re-opening of physical worship centres, it should be mentioned that we are blessed to be able to continue our online services, and look forward to people joining us again in this way, and please do not feel under any obligation to join us physically – especially if you are over the age of 70, or 65 with underlying health concerns as per our governments health advice.

To ensure a great experience for our online worshippers, we are looking out for further volunteers in this great area of ministry, as we seek to reach out to more people with the good news of Jesus. So if you are able, and have a calling and desire to help in this way, please let us know!

It is worthwhile to again be reminded that the coming weeks and months ahead are going to look anything but ‘normal’, and even as we gather together, it is not going to be ‘worship as usual’, but as we have found as we have gathered together online for the past four months – we can adapt, and the Holy Spirit can still speak to us through his word, no matter what worship looks like, or feels like or sounds like – even if it is a bit different. After all, worship is not “our surroundings” but and expression of our hearts.

So as we gather together in family worship – online and in-person this weekend, I trust and pray that you will still have the opportunity to be served by God through His Word for you.
…
In His service,
Pastor Roelof