A Training opportunity for families

Dear Families,

I want to encourage you to come to the
Perth Children's Convention 2008

It is a day conference on 17th May.
9:00am to 3:15pm
Swan Christian College
381 Great Northern Highway
Middle Swan

The conference is focussing on how families and church can work together to help children grow in their knowledge and love of God.

Please consider coming
there is a full children's program for all ages too!

For more info check out the CCOWA website
http://ccowa.org/



GP

Do you know what your kids are watching?

I have mentioned this website before Christianity today Movies. It does Movie reviews from the point of view of a christian family. It supplies useful discussion questions to sit down with your kids too.

I like it because it is conservative and Identifies inappropriate language and sexual references.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/

Just last week one of our boys went to a party.

The Family changed the movie for us from Jumper (M) to Horton hears a Who (G)

It is worth knowing what your kids are watching.It is worth making a stand (gentle and graciously) on what your kids friends watch too! We train our kids to be discerning with what they watch. As our kids mature so do the movie choices.

Happy Viewing

GP

PS I have put the website in links as well

Do you notice any other tweaks to the 1oam Blog ?

Article IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ.

I was disappointed reading the West's article "Resurrection leaves church leaders divided " March 22, 2008, p11. It seems that some notable leaders in the Anglican Diocese of Perth reject "the notion of a physical resurrection of Jesus' body, saying the Bible should not be taken as an exact historical account of Jesus' life and death... ."

The news clip sprayed a diversity of opinion about the Resurrection of Jesus.

It might cause you to ask what do Anglicans believe about the resurrection of Jesus?

Fortunately the Formularies of our denomination give us more guidance than some of our leaders.

Article IV. of the Thirty-nine articles couldn't make it clearer

IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ.

"Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sits, until he return to judge all Men at the last day."

The Apostles Creed

"...The Third Day he rose again from the Dead...."

The Nicene Creed

"...On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures..."

How do these Anglicans who deny the physical resurrection justify staying Anglicans?

Well that is a good question! Perhaps they should find a denomination where their false teaching is welcome.

Be angry but sin Not !

GP

Easter Postcard from Mexico

Our dear friends,

Greetings from Mexico! It's been a super start to the semester, with a good mixture of "seasoned professional" student workers at Playa Coyote, and a number of "newbies" who have quickly got the hang of things. This semester we have enough workers to start from 6:00am and go through until 10pm again, and we have more customers than ever, so the coffee and orange juice is flowing freely. Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to pray for good conversations and a strong witness to our community of the love of Jesus.

Shelley is keeping busy being involved in two modules of Teacher Training this semester, as well as studying the Bible with Esther, one of the girls renting with us. At present we have four students renting with us - Sandy, Esther, Monserrat and Martin and another student, Juan, sleeps over twice a week to help us open the café in the mornings too. So we have a pretty full house, and full days as well.

We have had one week off now for Easter; most of the students went to the Compa National Camp, and we've had some calmer days of rest and re-organization. Tom and Luis will be going to a kids' church camp next week as well.

We wish you a happy Easter, filled not with chocolate, but with opportunities to remember and share about our Lord Jesus. Keep fighting the good fight.

Love
Robert, Shelley, Tom and Luis Chapman

Something more than buns and eggs

Here are some letters to the editor over easter

Date: March 21 2008

DANNY Katz writes about the whacko differences between religions but there are also important similarities: all the great faiths look beyond this world and fret about what will happen when we die. All religions acknowledge that there is something wrong with humans and that something needs to be done to bring us back to God.
The distinctive message of Christianity — the "Good" of Friday — is that whatever is wrong between us and God, Jesus has already died to mend it. Because of Jesus' death we can be reconciled to God no matter what we have done. There is forgiveness without denial of guilt. There is liberation from the need to think of ourselves as better than others. There is something better than over-priced buns and tasteless chocolate eggs. I know, it all sounds strange, but if you think about it for a while it turns out to be the most sane thing of all.
Andrew Moody, Blackburn South

Try a little love
DANNY Katz's article "How religion can make us look like the Easter Bunny" (Metro, 20/3) highlights how our society's celebration of Easter masks its true significance. Christians remember and commemorate and celebrate Easter for similar reasons Australians commemorate Anzac Day.
The words of Jesus Christ in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this to lay down his life for his friends", are repeated on innumerable rolls of honour throughout this country. Christians are in awe that God loves people so much that he died for us and paid the price for our sins. The good news of Easter is that this love offering is available to all who receive Jesus and believe in his name.
John Clarke, Dubbo, NSW

Costly consumerism
LAST year, my family toured a chocolate factory prior to Easter. After breathing in chocolate fumes for the greater part of a morning we were told of the huge amount of chocolate that Australians consumed each year, particularly during Easter. At the end we weakened and bought some discount chocolate to take home.
But something has changed. This year I have viewed the endless shelves of chocolate eggs in the shops with curiosity and pondered our culture and why Easter has become an excuse to indulge in chocolate. Unlike Danny Katz's argument (Metro, 20/3), I think it is our consumerist culture that encourages us to gorge ourselves, and, like Christmas, a religious holiday is perverted into another excuse to go on a spending frenzy.
At what cost does this come? How many of us question the effect our chocolate habit is having on vulnerable children who are forced to farm the cocoa beans in the developing world?
Katherine Thompson, Mitcham

Doubting Danny?
THREE things are certain in life: Good Friday, Easter Sunday and their denunciation. Bets on publicity-hungry clerics, writers or scholars stirring up some controversy with their dressing down of Jesus' divinity and resurrection. If it's not some esoteric discovery purporting to throw new doubts on Jesus then it's some reinterpretation of biblical material to assuage post-modern sensibilities. There is nothing new under the sun. Doubting Thomas will poke Jesus, perhaps with a different finger each time. Even so, it's the same pair of hands.
Hendry Wan, Matraville

I smell hypocrisy
I NOTICED that in his uproariously funny satire on religion, Danny Katz passed up the opportunity to take the micky out of Muslims. I presume that would have been due to lack of space?
Shane Hennessy, Toorak Gardens

let's stop good Friday ?

Andrew Bolt: Herald Sun

Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 03:39pm

No wonder the Uniting Church is dying:

A Uniting minister said:

"Good Friday should be dumped as a public holiday and replaced with a national reconciliation day recognising Aborigines as integral to Australia’s identity, a Melbourne cleric says. The Reverend John Evans, the Uniting Church Minister at the Church of All Nations in Carlton, said Good Friday had lost its religious significance outside the Christian community."

Andrew Bolt said:

"Here is a minister demanding his holiest day be turned from a contemplation of Christ’s sacrifice for all men and women, to a comtemplation of a racial agenda. It’s a change from seeing people as united under God to seeing them divided by race. From seeing each as an individual to seeing them as members of a tribe. And, of course, it’s a turning from the religious to the secular.

Why doesn’t the priest just enter politics instead? "

What the ? GP

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