Goodbye Harry Duffield

Thank you for your prayers and support as we helped the Duffield family in their time of grief and distress.

Saturday was a difficult day as we had the funeral for Harry, following the funeral of his grandparents Roslyn and John Wilberforce on the Wednesday. We had an opportunity to give thanks for his life and reflect on the difficult questions his early death raised, and to look to Jesus the Good Shepherd to help us in our time of grief.

Rosalie Public School will also have a thanksgiving for his life on the Thursday before Easter.

Please pray for Blake and Jane Duffield as they settle Jack back into School and as they continue to care for Madelaine in her recovery. Especially pray for Blake and Jane as they come to terms with their loss.

Thank you for your prayers GP

Minute for Groote Eytlandt

Our focus on Missions today, is on the work being done by CMS among the indigenous people of our country. With the recent Government intervention in the NT we have all been made painfully aware of the great need for the Gospel's message of love and forgiveness, and of social justice for all. CMS has been doing this in the NT for 80 years! We as a Church have been given the opportunity to become more aware of what CMS actually does in one place where it works - Groote Eylandt, an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It has proved difficult to find four people from St Matthew's who could make themselves available for ten days in mid-July to go as our representatives to see at first hand just how this work is done. They would then come and report back to us all so that we could better understand how to support CMS in this work.

Perhaps it would help us all if we knew exactly what the team will be doing:

The team will be led by Rev Steve Pivetta, the General Secretary of CMS in WA and they will spend 1 day in Darwin visiting Nungalinya College which trains indigenous people for Christian ministry. The first day on Groote Eylandt will be spent on orientation with CMS missionary, Rev Rob Haynes and the last day will be spent on debriefing. The rest of the time will be spent sitting and listening to the stories of aboriginal Christians, learning from them, sharing and being together as brothers and sisters in Christ. There will be very little opportunity for hands-on work, but rather it will be a learning time for those who go. Indigenous people, like us all, want to be heard, to be valued and cared for. This is a precious opportunity. If you feel you would like to take this opportunity, and then share it with us on your return, see Kanishka or Nigel or Gavin or Blodwyn.

It will be a challenge to faith to raise the necessary $2,500 but the Lord can supply all that is needed if this is the opportunity God is giving you. Our faith grows as it is stretched. The proceeds of the Concert will be divided between each one, as St Matthew's gift to help you finance the venture. If we are to have a sizeable amount to share, we will need to sell a lot more tickets today.

The actual dates are 9-19th July which is during the school holidays at the end of second term.

Let us bring this matter to the Lord in prayer now.

Blodwyn

The Christ Files

Friends, a very helpful documentary is coming up on Good Friday on the Seven Network called 'The Christ Files', is was produced by John Dickson, whom many of you will know from his books. Its at 12noon on Good Friday. Please let others know about this excellent program. It is ideal for those thinking about the truth of the claims of Jesus, and for Christians as well, to see the foundations for the biblical account for JesusPresented by bestselling author and ancient historian, John Dickson, The Christ Files takes viewers on a fascinating journey from Egypt to Europe, from Galilee to Jerusalem, through ancient pagan texts to Jewish and New Testament writers, challenging us to assess the facts behind the Western world’s most influential story. Was Jesus fact or fiction? What do historians actually know about Jesus Christ? When was the New Testament written?

Shot in 8 countries, The Christ Files features interviews with the world’s leading biblical scholars and ancient historians and provides unprecedented access to some of the most controversial ancient documents written about Jesus.

Hope you find it helpful for yourself and your friends

See http://thechristfiles.com.au/

For more info

GP

The Realignment of the Anglican Church

Here is a video excerpt of a longer interview describing the difficulties of evangelical Anglicans in Canada. David Short is the Senior Minister of St. John's Shaunessey Vancouver.
This is also J I Packer's church.
These issues will affect us in Perth in the next few years..

Pray for the evangelical Anglicans in Canada

What do you think?

GP

150th Anniversary Final Event Palm Sunday Concert

Bring your picnic blanket for an evening under the stars.
This free event will take place in Supreme Court Gardens on

Sunday 16 March
2008 from 4.00pm to 7.30pm.
Our Guest Speaker is Jade Lewis a motivational presenter
with a personal story that will break hearts, inspire and
motivate the audience. In her youth Jade was an aspiring
athlete who within 2 years became a Heroin addict.
Placing her faith in Christ she reclaimed her life and her
future. Now an author, speaker, mentor, wife and mother
Jade dedicates her life to empowering others to reach
their potential.

Featuring acclaimed a cappella quartet The Idea of North,
One for All Big Band and students from Perth’s Anglican
schools, the special concert promises music that will be
treasured long after the curtain comes down.
The Idea of North is an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble. They are generally
referred to as a jazz quartet, but sing a wide variety of styles, including jazz, pop,
R&B classical, folk, soul and gospel.
The One for All Big Band was originally established to present exciting jazz
arrangements of traditional hymns but have since added to their repertoire music
from the big band tradition and contemporary popular songs.

Colleges participating include All Saints College, Christ Church Grammar School,
Guildford Grammar School, John Septimus Roe, Perth College, Peter Moyes
Anglican Community School, St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls and St Mark’s
Anglican Community School.

Is Felice Sanchez a Criminal?

Postcard from Myanmar (Burma)

Sunday 9th March is the global day of prayer for Burma: The ethnic minorities had their own states in the British colony pre-World War II., but since then they have been harshly oppressed by the Burmese Army. This MINUTE is about the KAREN Group, of whom there are some three million along the Thai border, many of them Christians. Their villages get burned, their children abducted, their food crops destroyed. My eye surgeon colleague, Mitch Ryan, joined the Free Burma Rangers, to help these Karen. Mitch lives in Chiang Mai
The FBR takes small groups to serve the disrupted Karen, usually a pastor/counsellor, a human rights video person, and a nurse and Mitch, who is teaching paramedics full-time. This is his life of sacrificial love for Christ.

Last year he asked if I could scrounge some equipment to start an Eye Clinic in one of the internally displaced people’s camps (IDP camps). The Perth Eye Surgery Foundation kindly donated the funds for an operating microscope and instruments, which are shown here in the operating tent, inside the bamboo clinic. I give thanks to Max Bailey who accompanied me to Chiang Mai –helping bear the cost of the heavy luggage, and also helping lug the stuff around airports, and through customs.

There was another tragedy on the 14th February, just after my return home, notified by the Human rights Group of Baroness Cox in the UK. They write: “We ask your prayers for the Karen people of Burma following the assassination of the General Secretary of the Karen National Union Padoh Mohn Sha, yesterday”

And so we now pray, Father, for Mahn Sha’s family as they mourn this death;
-for Htoo Lay who replaces him, that he will unite and heal his people, in wisdom and strength;
- for the Karen people, that they might find peace.
-for Mitch and Caryl Ryan and family be a sweet savour of Christ in their lives of service to these oppressed people. Amen

Peter Graham