News

It was our second inter-generational playgroup this week [we have it once a month on Friday morning]. A wonderful group of young and old! Alisa said, “I feel younger already.”

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What a Christmas!

I can’t remember a more meaningful, more impactful Christmas in all my ministry years!

Last Christmas was something worth celebrating. Remembering the God of the Universe inexplicable revealing Himself to us as a completely vulnerable child was a transcending experience. Communicated to us through song, puppets, video, story and word in our worship! The joy in worship this year seemed like the best I remember. It was exciting to lead congregations that were sitting on the edge of their seats anticipating that something good was going to happen. Thanks to the worship, sound and admin teams.

We also experienced how the birth of Christ, all these years later, is impacting our world.

Joy Harris organised a choir to sing with the angels at the local nursing home. It was wonderful to hear them singing so enthusiastically, and so special for the choir to serenade Francis Cowells just days before she was promoted to glory.

Mark & Glenda Millard and so many volunteers descended on the church in the week before Christmas to sort, pack and distribute 300+ Christmas Hampers and 500+ presents to hundreds of families and individuals. It was staggering logistics partnering with many other local organisations – Encircle, Breakfast Club, El Shaddai, Uniting Care, St Vinnies, Target, St. Andrew’s Hospital. [Sorry if I missed you!]

During that same week Mark & Glenda were joined by Catering, Giving from the Heart and the Dept of Communities to provide a Christmas party for some of the most disadvantaged families in our community. Something like 300 presents were provided [not all families were in attendance] and a wonderful meal.

Christmas Day Paddy and a team of volunteers joined with Moreton Bay Regional Industry & Tourism to provide Christmas lunch for 200 people. We received such good feedback for the event, the feel, the food and the Ministry of Paddi. The impact of Christmas is still reverberating in the new year!

Thank you for how you gave generously with time, presents and money. God is still at work in our world!

Paul Clark

Here is our video from worship this morning! Puppets!

Here is a video from worship for the first Sunday in Advent.

Last week over 160 people gathered for a Trivia night to support the Philosophers of Clementine School in Kenya! This is a school set up in a very poor district of Kenya that takes children that would otherwise miss out. It is run by Joseph and Pam who are part of our congregation. The Trivia night was a wonderful event with over $4,200 raised for the school. It will help them build some classroom to replace the temporary structures they currently have. It was great to see so many from the church there supporting this event, about ⅓ of the people were from the church and we were proud to be the hosts.

It was great to have a team from Redcliffe Uniting March in the “Moreton Bay Says NO to Violence” protest today! Kerri-Anne and Pastor Paul are part of the organising team, and Paul did a great job as MC. A crowd of nearly 500 are building momentum in our community to change the Culture - no more violence towards woman! This is serious business.

We had another great Ageing Wisely event with Dr Sue Colen speaking about Looking In, Sgt Raro Tevita speaking about Looking Out, and Rev Paul Clark speaking about Looking up! Wonderful catering by the Redcliffe Uniting Catering Team! Don’t miss the next one, next year!

Each term at Playgroup we partner with Uniting Care to run ’self-care’ week. We give parents some time out and give them ways to ensure they are caring for themselves! That and cake!