christianity & crisis … · inclusion and healing. mission: we will live out our vision by:...
TRANSCRIPT
24 May 2020
Christianity & Crisis
Church News
The Uniting Church in Australia
MINISTRY TEAM:
Minister of the Word / Team Leader: Rev Cameron McAdam
P: 9787 1683 M: 0425 774 780
Playgroup Coordinator: Barbara Mort
P: 9787 1683
Youth Engagement Coordinator: Tim Gordon
P: 0401 875 505
Pastoral Support: Shona Potts
P: 0424 787 204
Communication & Administration: Sally Mullins
P: 9787 1683
OUR VISION AND MISSION
Following Jesus and walking together, the Village Church
aspires to live God’s unconditional love. We live Christian faith with integrity
and meaning and, with a servant heart, we offer a place of welcome, care,
inclusion and healing.
MISSION:
We will live out our vision by:
• Following Jesus who lived with integrity, honesty and justice.
• Building community both within and beyond the church.
• Nurturing a questioning and living spirituality.
• Fostering an inclusive and welcoming spirit.
You can find us at:
fb.com/villagechurchmteliza @villagechurchmteliza
www.mtelizaunitingchurch.org.au
ORDER OF SERVICE
Christianity & Crisis
Sunday 24 May 2020
9:50am Livestream Service welcoming
SONG Be still for the presence of the Lord
WELCOME
PRAYERS
SONG TIS 744 Refresh my heart
COMMUNION ANNOUNCEMENT
READING Psalm 46
REFLECTION Christianity & Crisis: Resilience
Quiet reflection and prayer
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
OFFERING PRAYER
SONG O God, you search me
BLESSING
MUSIC
Sunday
May 24 10:00am Morning Service led by Rev Cam McAdam
Live streaming of service on Facebook
10:45am Morning tea catch ups via Zoom invitation
** Let Cam or Shona know to join a group
Monday
May 25
Tuesday
May 26 9:30am Church office re-opened - Regular hours apply
Wednesday
May 27 10:30am Men’s Coffee morning tea via Zoom invitation
** Advise Ken Sleep to join meeting
Thursday
May 28
Friday
May 29 7:00pm Village Youth Zoom catch up
led by Tim Gordon
Saturday
May 30
Sunday
May 31 10:00am Morning Service led by Rev Cam McAdam
Live streaming of service on Facebook
10:45am Morning tea catch ups via Zoom invitation
The Village Church Services www.facebook.com/villagechurchmteliza
WHAT’S COMING UP?
This week’s livestream service is supported by:
Bible reading: Chris Opie
Music: Chris Opie
Singers: Cam, Ruth & Esther McAdam and Kate, Zoe &
Gemma Driver
Technical support: Tim Gordon
Flowers: Marlise Botha
Facebook support: Steph Hill
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE WEEK THAT WAS ON
OUR SOCIAL MEDIA...
Have seen or experienced
people’s resilience across this time?
How might you have been resilient
yourself; maybe learnt something
about yourself?
As a church, we rely heavily on
volunteers.
This is National Volunteer Week, and we
want to say a big ‘THANKYOU’ to our
m a n y , m a n y v o l u n t e e r s w h o
generously contribute their time and
gifts to the life and vibrancy of our
community - our church could not run
without you!
‘Justice—Care for all’ means a
valuing of human life over
commoditisation and profit
motives.
We must continue the shift from a
‘thing-oriented’ society to a
‘people-oriented’ society.
This week...with Cam
I hope your week has gone OK. I know that experiences for our church
community across this time have been and remain vast. Some have almost
relished the quieter pace, the withdrawing and personal time, and others are
overwhelmed with anxiety and stress. I appreciate the contact I have with
church members, and in particular, the deep reflections I am privileged to
hear. Thank you.
Next Steps
On Wednesday evening our Church Council met via Zoom and held
preliminary conversations about the lengthy range of things that will need to
be worked through over the coming weeks and months, such as how we will
worship, what does it mean when other people use our facilities, cleaning and
finance. We have established a Covid-19 response team to support this work
and ensure we respond appropriately. We looked at some principles, such as
gathering for worship is important, but safety of people is more important, and
the weakest or most vulnerable are the test for any decision we make.
Volunteer Week
Finally, this is Volunteer Week, and those on social media may have seen our
post there, or it’s included in Church News, but I want to add my thanks for all
the work so many of our church members do as volunteers and community
members, not just for the church, but the wider community as well. We have a
fabulous church community and I’m so grateful for all your contributions and
to share in ministry with you. Thank you.
Bible Study
Christianity & Crisis: Resilience
Welcome each other and share:
➢ Share experiences about what you are seeing in the community
currently. What are you experiencing?
➢ Have you seen or experienced anxiety or fear across this time of
pandemic?
➢ How have you seen or experienced people’s resilience across this time?
Reading Psalm 46
➢ Take a moment to reflect on the passage, what jumps out of the text?
Some thoughts…
Psalm 46 is a strong affirmation of trusting God in the most troublesome
situations. Each verse reinforces God’s presence and God’s protection. God is
with us, even when the world around us might seem to be falling apart. In the
midst of unpredictable natural disasters that change and destroy the earth,
God’s people are not to fear. In the midst of political calamity, the voice of God
can be heard. In the midst of militaristic strife, God will bring peace.
Clearly, the images are not literal, but metaphorical, and are meant to draw our
mind to something beyond. The earth may change, the mountains shake, the
waters roar and foam, our refuge and strength is in something else.
Indeed, the psalm is a declaration that our refuge and strength goes far
beyond that which we imagine; beyond creation; beyond empires. Despite this
sense of beyond-ness, that God’s power lies beyond all in which we might
traditionally seek security, [the walls of Jericho, Jerusalem and Berlin have all
come tumbling down] or in which we might traditionally place our trust, at the
same time, despite that beyond-ness, the psalm reminds us that God is close and
intermit, “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge…Be still, and
know that I am God.” ‘God is our refuge and strength…’ or as Martin Luther tells
us, “God is our mighty fortress...”.
Questions…
➢ Can you see a paradox in this psalm?
➢ What are some of the paradoxes of our Christian life and faith?
Some thoughts…
Thomas Merton said the Psalter “will, above all, tell us not merely what we ought
to be but the unbelievable thing that we already are…we are at the same time
in the desert and in the Promised Land. The Psalms are our Bread of Heaven in the
wilderness of our Exodus.”
Questions…
➢ What does it mean to be at the same time, in the desert and the
Promised Land?
Prayer: Spend time in prayer, holding your thoughts, and if in a group, your
conversation and time together, before God.
Church Council meeting via Zoom
On Wednesday night the Church Council met again by Zoom. The ‘new
normal’ for their meetings in this current time.
While a formal update
will be shared in Church
News in due course, the
conversation largely
focused on what the
restrictions mean now
and in the foreseeable
future for the church.
O n e a c t i o n t h e
Council agreed on was
the creation of a COVID
-19 response team to
work through the
c o m p l e x i t i e s a n d
implications of lessening
restrictions for our church
and facilities.
Men’s coffee catch up…
The Men’s coffee catch ups have continued to enjoy strong attendance, with
15 joining the Zoom catch this week. Everyone welcomed the relaxation of
restrictions from last week, sharing their catch ups with family and friends and
outings, which
this enabled.
There was of
course, crea-
tive input from
Ian Johnston
and time for
jokes too.
Prayer in the time of Coronavirus
...BRING YOUR COMFORT, HOPE, STRENGTH, AND HEALING LOVE.
Village Youth Update...
Life goes on for Village Youth thanks to the internet. Though we can't wait to
once again be looking at each other's real faces rather than pixelated
representations, we've certainly found a kind of normal on Zoom. It's not all
bad either; virtual backgrounds, internet games, and the 'mute' function are
all silver linings that have made these meetings a little more enjoyable than
they otherwise would be (I'll especially miss the 'mute' function when we're
back in person).
This week we played the 'first person to find 'x'' game, where young people
had to race to find random objects from around their houses. After this we
talked about self-discipline, and why it can be so hard to develop good
routines.
I think overall our young people are doing okay, but boredom and loneliness
are definitely present. It's sad in a way that we're so excited about seeing
each other via Zoom; it's nothing like the real thing, but at the moment it's all
we have to look forward to.
We've also begun a Village Youth group chat on Facebook Messenger so
we can keep in touch throughout the week. During this pandemic a lot of
supports that young people typically have access to (school wellbeing,
casual conversations with friends) have been taken away, so we want to try
to bridge that gap.
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.
Tim Gordon
Happy 50th Wedding
Anniversary to
Ken & Bev Sleep
Did you guess who celebrated
their 50th wedding anniversary last
Saturday 16 May?
For those who may have been still
guessing, we can reveal that it
was….Ken and Bev Sleep - a very
special couple in our church
community and a wonderful
milestone to be celebrated.
Please let us know if you are also
celebrating a special milestone, as
while we can’t be together at this
time, it is still lovely to celebrate
‘virtually’ together.
Church Office re-opening Tuesday 26 May
With some lessening of restrictions and school children progressively
going back from this Tuesday 26 May, the Church Office will also re-open
from this day. Our standard hours from this date will apply:
Monday & Tuesday: 930am-12:30pm
Wednesday: closed
Thursday: 930am - 1:30pm
Friday: 9:30am - 2:30pm
As social distancing measures will continue, if possible, please contact the
church office in advance so we can maintain safe practises for everyone.
Living with Purpose By Samantha Tidball
This article is featured in the
Growing Spiritually issue of
Ministry During The Pandemic.
Around the world at this time
people are required to stay
socially distant from one
another in order to help slow the
spread of COVID-19. God created us to live in community, so social
isolation takes a toll on our psychological health. However, it’s critical we take
social distancing seriously to prevent health care systems from getting over-
loaded which can ultimately lead to more deaths. As a result, people are
spending more time at home and some have more time on their hands than
they know what to do with in a creative and positive way.
The great pause During this time of quarantine, it’s as if someone hit the pause button for most
of society. The days are blending together and boredom is hitting some
people harder than others. Since we have not collectively experienced
anything like this pandemic in our lifetime, it’s easy to feel anxious from the
unknowns and worries over loss of life, jobs and normalcy. It’s also not unusual
to experience boredom.
I’m bored Still, boredom isn’t necessarily a bad feeling. Many psychologists claim
boredom is necessary for our brains to generate creative solutions to problems
or serve as an artistic outlet for our anxiety. On the other hand, boredom can
cause trouble when we feel tempted to sin or become apathetic. Boredom
can lead to incredible ingenuity or creative expressions of our humanity that
bring glory to God. In fact, Isaac Newton came up with his greatest
discoveries after being sent home from Cambridge University in order to stay
safe during the bubonic plague. The year he spent at home was known as his
“year of wonders.” During this time he discovered important theories about
gravity, optics and calculus. What if this could be a year of wonders for us?
This doesn’t mean we have to make a huge discovery or come up with some
novel theory. Perhaps during this time we can make room for self-care and self
-reflection that will be crucial for our faith development. Perhaps we can learn
how to love others better during this time, or even begin a new hobby.
Whatever we do during this unique time, it can be an opportunity to explore
the good things God has planned for us.
Question of the day: What’s the funniest thing online you have seen
someone doing out of boredom?
Spending time with our Community
Claire Dawson
This week we caught up with Claire Dawson to find
out how she has been getting on through these
unprecedented times.
“I remember feeling that initial 'jolt', with the
introduction of rather extreme and inconvenient
physical distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 threat. The hue of
the world suddenly changed. Certainty evaporated, about short and long
term plans, our health and longevity, and the very shape of our lives. The kids
finished the term early and I packed up my desk, preparing for an indefinite
season of working from home while supervising the kids' learning. In my roles
as HR Manager and Careers Advisor at Bayside Christian College I had to
figure out how to meaningfully support staff and students from a distance.
Life was still full, but in a very different way: the need to juggle work and
learning. And stay sane, as life spiralled 'out of control'. Work events
cancelled. Social events cancelled. Time felt different. The days blurred. I
borrowed a friend's bike and we managed to fit in some rides around our
neighbourhood. And board games. And time in the garden together. And
reading books. Walks with friends, with appropriate social distancing of
course! We s l o w e d d o w n. And took some very necessary deep
breaths. Oh, and there were of lots and lots of zoom meetings: for school and
work and social catch ups and board meetings and interesting webinars on
re-making our world for the better.
Like many others, I have felt more attentive in this season. To my kids and their
deeper needs for security and place and presence. To my thoughts and
emotions. To my plans (in complete disarray). And to nature: the songs of
kookaburras and currawongs have been a particular source of joy. I have felt
profoundly thankful for good health and wonderful friends and stable work
and a lovely home.
I will remember this season as being
challenging and transforming. I will recall
precious times of connection with my two
kids. And I will remember the sense of being
invited to step into this emerging season with
greater courage and resolve: to pursue
kindness, to keep risking, to remain thankful,
and to make each day count”.
Claire Dawson
Favourite Recipes…
With extra time on our hands and more people cooking at home, we thought
it would good to share some favourite recipes. This week, we have a
favourite dish of the McAdam family.
Chicken Rice Dinner
from Cam McAdam
This is comfort food in the McAdam
house. It has a beautiful rich sauce, is
always celebrated when added to our
meal planner, and is healthy. I cook it
without a recipe, so I’ll do my best to
give measurements and instructions.
I cook my rice in a rice cooker, 3 cups takes about 20 minutes, and this meal
can basically be cooked in the time it takes to cook the rice.
Ingredients:
• 2 Chicken Breasts Diced
• Mixture of Vegetables (a mix like, carrots, bok choy, broccoli, zucchini)
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Wine
• 1 (and a bit) cups chicken stock (I use the Massel powder – heaped tsp)
• 2 heaped tsp Cornflower
• Peanut or vegetable oil
Method
1. Marinade the diced chicken with the ginger, garlic and 1 tablespoon
each of the soy sauce and rice wine.
2. Cut vegetables into bite size pieces, separating stalks and leaves (things
that take different times to cook).
3. Heat a wok on the stove, add oil, wait until hot and stir fry chicken scrap-
ing all the ginger and garlic and sauce in.
4. Add thicker vegetables and stir fry, adding a little water if it sticks.
5. Add leaves and remaining vegetables, stir fry. (Vegetables should be
cooked, but crisp still)
6. I make the stock fresh with boiling water now. Add stock, and a splash
more of rice wine and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer.
7. Mix cornflower with a little cold water, and pour into wok, whilst mixing
and thicken.
8. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and enjoy!
Mornington Fence Types
“Good fences make good neighbours.” (Robert Frost)
Ian Johnston has shared some novel fences seen in a walk around
Mornington streets:
The pussy-cat permeable.
Allows your puss to come and go at
will. Keeps in your dog too, unless you
have a Chiahuahua.
The anti-pigeon percher.
Impossible for any pigeon to perch on
this fence! Pointy pickets conjure up
memories of John Wayne movies
about Davy Crockett and the Old
Alamo.
The rhinoceros-proof.
Allows you to sprint between any two
posts when escaping a charging
rhinoceros.
Rat, snake, lizard, beetle, and bull-ant
friendly fence.
Strains out all larger animal species.
Very appealing to ecology buffs.
The Ditherer’s Fence.
For indecisive householders who like
to “sit on the fence”.
Auditors report to members of
The Village Church
Snowflake activity
from Barbara Mort…
This is a great activity to do at home. As no two
snowflakes are the same, this activity can also
lend itself for a lovely discussion with children on
their own uniqueness. You might even like to
create more than one snowflake and create a
beautiful mobile or window decoration.
Steps
1. Start with a
square piece of
paper.
2. Fold the square
diagonally in half
to come up with a
triangle.
3. Fold the
triangle in half
to make a
smaller triangle.
4. Divide the
triangle into 3
equal sections.
5. Once you've
marked out the
three equal sections,
fold the left section
towards the front.
7. Turn the shape over so
that the side with the
horizontal edge is facing
the front.
6. Now fold the right
triangle towards the
front.
8. Cut along the
horizontal edge so
that you end up
with a cone shape.
9. Keeping the cone
folded, cut out
random shapes out
of the edges.
10. Carefully unfold the paper to
reveal your paper snowflake. Like
real snowflakes, your paper
snowflake has a 6-point or
six-sided symmetry.
Making an offering...
If you would like to make a financial offering to the church, here's 2 options:
• You can make a direct deposit into the Village Church’s
General Statement Account: BSB 633 000 Account No: 143 632 834
• Another option now available will be to deliver your offering to the
church office (using the inside office mailbox to provide some anonymity)
on a Friday between 9:30 & 2. Please note that with this exception, the
church facilities remain closed, and we ask anyone dropping off an
offering to respect the required social distancing restrictions in place.
We hope this helps open an opportunity for people to make an offering to
the church at this time. It will certainly help the church.
Cameron
Mandatory ZOOM updated required by all users!
As part of Zoom’s security updates, they are requiring all users to update to
Zoom 5.0 by May 30th. Failure to complete this update will mean you will not
be able to connect to Zoom meetings. You can complete the update
straight away by visiting https://zoom.us/download.
Please note that this advice applies to everyone who joins the meeting.
