Thanks to those who participated in Soundings last Sunday. This was the fourth time we have gathered a group of people together to dig deeper into a particular area we believe God is leading us into. This year our focus was Spiritual Journey and, more specifically, what it means to “grow” spiritually. This is a term we use quite frequently, but we felt that it would be beneficial for us to explore our sometimes vague definitions. In three rounds of discussion we moved from at 30,000 foot view of what it meant to “grow” to a 10,000 foot exploration of how our community of faith might foster that growth, and then a ground level discussion of what it might look like in two particular areas: reliance upon God and a biblical worldview.

The butcher’s paper and post-it notes have all been transcribed and we are in the process of beginning to sift through them to discern where the Lord may be leading us.

Please be in prayer for this process of discernment – one that includes the senior staff, church council, and wider leadership team – as another expression of what it means to be the church together!

Marc Rader | Senior Pastor

This Sunday:

We’re excited to be kicking off the very first week of Hopetember!

A Father’s Day photo booth will be up after our services! Be sure to grab a pic for/with your Dad or father figure!

Stick around after the 9am service for tea and coffee, and after the 6pm service for dinner together!

Save The Date:

26th September: State Youth Camp

18th October: Fair Trade Market

6th December: Ladies Gingerbread Decorating Afternoon

Christ entered the world on a high note of jubilation: ‘I bring you good news of a great joy,’ cried the angel, ‘which shall come to all the people’ (Luke 2:10). He left the world bequeathing his joy to the disciples: 'These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full’ (John 15:11)

Celebration brings joy into life, and joy makes us strong.

Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh. 8:10)

Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

Richard Foster says “Often I am inclined to think that joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Without joyous celebration to infuse the other Disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong.“

The apostle Paul calls us to ‘Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice’ (Phil. 4:4). But how are we to do that? Paul continues, ‘Have no anxiety about anything,’ or as the KJV puts it, ‘Be careful for nothing.’ That is the negative side of rejoicing.

The positive side is ‘in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.’

And the result? ‘The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 4:6,7)

Shalom,

Greg Williams, Elder

Tomorrow, Saturday 6th September, 7:30–9:00am at Gymea Baptist Church. Sam Hudson is now going to be sharing about Consumption and Contribution!

Join us for a great morning together! 

Apologies for the link not working last week! If you still need to register, the link is now fixed and working

Register [HERE].

All Women are invited to the Embrace Ladies Luncheon!
Join us on Monday 15th September from 11:30am to 2.00pm 

In Atrium, Gymea Baptist Church 

Our Guest Speaker is Jan Corbett-Jones, a Counsellor with Kairos Ministries, who helps women impacted by incarceration through love, hope and faith found in Jesus Christ.

Come along to be inspired and catch up with friends or meet others from GBC and the community. Feel free to invite a friend too!

You can register [here] or see Janine at the tall table after the Sunday service or contact her on 0405 629 790.

RSVP by Wednesday 10th September.

Hopetember is an initiative we run each September at GBC to support the life-changing work of Hopefield.

The goal this year is to raise $35,000 to fund a clinical counsellor two days a week, offering professional support to the most vulnerable in our community. This will be a counselling service for those impacted by trauma and domestic violence. 

Every donation is a step toward healing, restoration, and renewed hope!

​

After a very long wait to confirm details with our insurer, the restoration works for the main auditorium from the flooding event in 2024 are underway again.  This week the cladding has been removed under the platform.  This Sunday, plastic will be covering the front of the platform.  The cladding and plaster for the walls is scheduled to be reinstalled the following week. 

* Please continue to pray for the Drury family and for Karen Watkins as they each recover from major neurosurgery.

* While we don’t know of any other specific updates, we encourage you to pray for all those in our church family who may be unwell, weary, injured, or struggling in any way. 

If you have something for Family News, contact office@gymeabaptist.org.au or call on 9521 4611. 

Black Box Parenting for Dads is a free 5 week program facilitated by Hopefield in Cronulla for dads who have experienced tough life challenges. If you know a dad in your sphere who’s had some challenging life experiences, this program provides skills to build confidence in parenting. 

Christmas Trees Wanted!

Can you belive Christmas is coming up again?!

We are hoping to 'grow' a forest of Christmas trees for our Festival of Christmas this year, 21st-23rd December.

If you have a tree you could donate for the weekend of the festival, or if your thinking of purchasing a new tree this year and are needing to offload your old Christmas tree please contact Jackie Martin [HERE]

You are invited to join us for a short but effective time of “zoom” prayer Thursday at 7:30pm. A 30 minute guided prayer led by one of our wonderful GBC Elders. You can join in using this link JOIN PRAYER ZOOM or using the Meeting ID: 919 1693 5880 Passcode: f603j2. We look forward to spending this time together in prayer.

On Thursday the 11th of September headspace Miranda will be hosting a workshop for parents of HSC students to learn tips to support students during exams and ensure wellbeing. Although this is not a GBC ministry, we believe it could be helpful for parents in our community.

It will be at Miranda Library on Wandella road from 6pm-7pm. 

On Saturday, 13 September from 10am - 12noon, Maggie Dent will be presenting her Girlhood: raising our little girls to be healthy, happy and heard seminar here at Gymea Baptist.  Although this is not a GBC ministry, we believe it could be helpful for parents in our community. Register directly through Maggie Dent's events page. Click [HERE]

MEN’S LUNCH, Wednesday 24th September at Donald Robinson Village (DRV), meeting at 12-15 for a 12-30 start. All men are invited to attend.
 
Guest Speaker this month will be Craig Stalder, DRV Chaplain, who will speak on his life’s journey into full-time ministry. Cost is now $20 for a light lunch
 
IMPORTANT CHANGE: Booking for this lunch and future lunches, will be via the DRV Café. Please book in by contacting the Café (8543 7273, 9am to 2pm) by Tuesday 16th September. Payment can be made by credit card or cash up to 24th September.
 
Any enquiries please ring Ian Scarfe on 0439 914 957