Dec. 2013— Jan. 2014 St. Andrew’s Uniting

Church News

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour with God.

You will be with child and give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”

(Luke 1:26-32)

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world and everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke2: 1-7)

The angel Gabriel foretells the birth of Jesus to Mary

The journey, Nazareth to Bethlehem.

No Room in the Inn

CHRISTMAS EDITION

Pictures & Bible verses account of the birth of Jesus

Continued on Page 2

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There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified. But an angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.” When the angels had left them and gone to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ”Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:8-15)

During the time of King Herod, Magi (Wise Men) from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matt. 2: 1-2)

Joseph and Mary returned to their own town of Nazareth and the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God .

In the following years news about Jesus spread ;

he taught in synagogues and everyone praised

him. In the power of the Spirit he healed many

and preached the Word of God. He was hated by

the authorities, arrested and was crucified, died

and was buried. On the third day after death he

became alive and spoke with his disciples.

He told them, “This is what is written. The Christ

will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day

and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be

preached in his name to all nations.”

(Luke24:46-47)

Shepherds in the fields

From Page 1

Three Wise Men

Crucifixion

Resurrection

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CHRISTMAS— A time of great JOY

It is very good to have one day on which we celebrate the birth of Jesus, even

if the angel which announced the birth of Jesus did not specify his date of

birth. Luke Chap 2, verses 10-12 says, The angel said to them, “Do not be

afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today

in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

We have to accept that it is impossible to know the date of Jesus’ birth: 25th

December may have been chosen by the early church and we do know that

date is accepted as the celebration date by nearly all Christians.

The angel said it was bringing great joy. After about 2,000 years and Jesus’

birth date is unknown, do we really appreciate the depth of joy described by

the angel?

This ‘Joy’ is not the casual joy of “Did you enjoy the movie last night?”. It

should be the serious joy of relief. Take a close look at the angel’s words: it is

for all the people, a Saviour, no less than Christ the Lord has been ‘born to

you’ . Doesn’t that sound like ‘born as one of you - as a human ?

The Joy of Christmas is truly overwhelming, especially when we know that

Christ the Lord was born to us in order to be crucified to save us from our

sins.

Let us be joyful this Christmas, remembering our church, Je-Kon our minister

and his family, especially Sung-Hee having Christmas in South Korea with her

mother. Also giving thanks for our church activity during the past year and the

plans for next year.

We know we have many reasons to be joyful, and nothing of any

consequence to not be joyful. We pray for our reasons for joy to become

known and understood throughout the Hawkesbury District.

WE WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY AND JOYFUL CHRISTMAS .

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The brainchild of Robin Duignan, aided by Sandra Brown, the ladies (and young ladies) of the church gathered for a refreshing, and very healthy breakfast. Not a whiff of bacon or sausages sullied the air as we viewed (and demolished) the fresh fruit, cereals, toast, raisin toast, croissants and jams, fruit juices, water, tea and coffee.

How nice to get away from our own kitchen and the everlasting question of “what do you want to eat this morning ?” Everything was laid out for us and we enjoyed each other’s company.

After this Robin demonstrated how to make a Mars Bar Slice (using her Microwave) and also a simple table arrangement for Christmas.

Sandi gave a very enjoyable talk on what was expected of women in the past. ‘Correctness’ was the guideline in the 50’s, as outlined in ‘The Woman’s Weekly’ Bible. We were expected to project the ‘Perfect Woman’.

Everything had to be ironed, sometimes starched (no drip-drys anyway) including bed-linen,and teatowels. The house kept spotlessly clean. An apron had to be worn, frilly for when hubby came home or visitors expected. Wives should change into an afternoon dress, brush their hair and put on

perfume before installing husband in a comfy chair with a glass of something nice to help him relax. Sandi’s Aunt did all these things and enjoyed doing them. Sandi herself said that she always irons her pillow case

and hankies – (which she described as ‘cloth tissues’ for the benefit of the younger ones !)

Looking back she remembered her ‘hippy years’ and attempts to be perfect wife and mother but never achieved it. She talked of the Gentile woman who asked Jesus to take the demon out of her daughter. Jesus said

that He had come for the chosen people of Israel, but she responded that “even the dogs eat the children’s crumbs from under the table”. Although Jesus had been speaking of Israel He was thrilled at this demonstration of faith and commended her to all who heard.

“Stay faithful” said Sandi. We too honour God for who

He is and what He can achieve. He listens to a woman’s cry as He did to the Hannahs, Ruths and Marys of the past. Love of Scripture, walking and talking with Him, we become the ‘Perfect Woman’ in Christ , having a commitment to love and serve our church.

ST. ANDREW’S FIRST LADIES’ BREAKFAST – SECRET WOMEN’S BUSINESS

SECRET WOMEN’S BUSINESS – is . . .PRAYER .

By Cicely Sturgess

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In these days, it is politically correct to say that everything a man can do, so can a lady. However, a certain group of ladies has recently been unsure of this statement.

For many years men of the congregation have regularly held a Men Only Breakfast with their invited friends. Suddenly the ladies realised this was happening and decided they must have a Ladies Breakfast to prove that ladies also could organise a breakfast.

Of course they could, but with Christmas approaching, it comes to mind that three wise MEN travelled a long distance to worship Jesus.

I wonder why a group of ladies did not travel with the men.

This question cannot be answered, but let’s pretend how some of today’s ladies might make the journey . . .

Packing would need several suitcases, a special cosmetics bag; a large one for hair treatment, make-up & face reconstruction tools; more space for special day’s wear, evening wear, casual and shoes to match

What to wear would be a constant question; all the bags would be packed, emptied and re-packed several times as opinions on fashion varied.

Suddenly a difficult question arose:.”What sort of a present should I take”? Thoroughly debated with the decision in favour of several packs of disposable nappies –they would be the most useful!

Eventually it was time to depart. But one lady remembered she couldn’t ride a camel (but her husband could). She eventually got a lift sharing a ride with another lady.

All went well until they had a toilet stop and one lady had forgotten her handbag and had to return home for it because it contained her credit card and mobile phone which she urgently must have to talk to her friends.

Several weeks later they met three Wise Men who were making the return journey. . .

WISE MEN OR WISE LADIES OR BOTH?

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So far an incredible 306 bras have been donated by ladies in the local area to the UPLIFT PROJECT. This is an organisation which coordinates the collection and distribution of bras to ladies in disadvantaged communities.

Thanks you to all who have donated to this fantastic organisation which helps so many women around the world.

To see the great charity work UPLIFT does, go to their website, www.upliftbras.org

Kerryn Johnson

UPLIFT PROJECT

Tue 3 7:30 PLT Meeting

Thu 5 9:30 Fellowship

Fri 6 7:30 Friday Shop

Fri 6 10:15 IDA Service

Fri 6 7:00 Youth Group

Mon 9 9:30 Playtime

Wed 11 9:45 TOFMS

Fri 13 7:30 Friday Shop

Fri 13 7:00 Youth Group

Sat 14 7:30 Blokes & Sheds (B’fast with Ladies)

Sun 15 2:00 Cantata

Mon 16 9:30 Playtime

Fri 20 7:30 Friday Shop

Sat 21 Newsletter items

Tue 24 6:30 Aussie BBQ

Tue 24 7:00 Worship

Tue 24 11:00 Communion

December 2013 Church Activities

The World Vision 40 Hour Famine held in August turned out to be a

fantastic effort by all involved. St Andrew's Youth and supporters raised $813 for World Vision to help the massive problem of hunger across the world.

Some of the young people gave up eating for 40 hours, whilst others gave up creature comforts or pleasures to raise money for those in desperate need.

Congratulations and may our Youth continue their great leadership in their support of this cause.

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The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in which verse 4 says, “Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;” Other verses repeat this theme of the first coming of Jesus. Some other verses of Psalm 98 glorify Christ's triumphant return.

It was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; ‘The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament’. The music was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel, not least because the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature sing...) appears in the orchestra opening and accompaniment of the recitative ‘Comfort Ye’ from Handel's Messiah, However, Handel did not compose the entire tune.

The name "Antioch" is generally used for the tune.

Joy to the World ! A favourite Christmas Carol

A timeless carol that has

brightened our Christmas

for three hundred years.

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UNITINGCARE INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY GRANT

Funding Achieved for Youth Research Project

As reported last month in the Newsletter, we have commenced the Youth

Research Project and Jerry Cramer is on-board, active and involved. The

funding for this project is largely provided through the Congregation’s

Budget and the various donors including the our Adult Fellowship who

provide invaluable support to St Andrew’s mission outreach .

Following our Application in September to UnitingCare through their

Innovative Community Grants Fund, we have been advised that St

Andrew’s was successful in achieving a Grant of $4,500 to support this

Project. This is something for which we, as a Congregation are very

grateful. The funds will give greater flexibility and less budget pressure to

maximise the effectiveness of the initial research and hopefully pave the

way for the unfolding of a new and innovative youth ministry.

Some of the aims of UnitingCare’s Innovative Grants Fund are to build

stronger communities through:

Promoting choices and opportunities, adding value to the lives of

people in our communities.

Supporting people who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or isolated.

Supporting special needs groups such as those from non-English

speaking backgrounds or from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Communities.

Improve older people’s health and well-being.

Support the utilisation of Church facilities by the Community.

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Worship Planner for December 2013

* Note This Worship Planner can be changed at any time.

Date 9am Summer

Sunday Services 6pm Remarks

5 January

(Christmas 2)

Je-Kon Oh (HC)

Café style with DVD

12 January

(Baptism of Jesus)

Geoff Brown

Café style with DVD

19 January

(Epiphany 2)

Tony Blake

Café style with DVD

26 January

(Epiphany 3))

Elizabeth Kovacic

Café style with DVD

Congregation meeting

afterwards

Worship Planner for January 2014

Kids’ Sunday Texts

1 December: Isaiah 2:1-5 (Learning Peace)

8 December: Isaiah 11:1-10 (Hope-Filled Vision)

15 December: Luke 1:47-55 (Liberation’s Song)

Note This Worship Planner can be changed at any time.

Date 8:30am 10am 6pm Remarks

1 December

(Advent 1)

Je-Kon Oh

(HC) Je-Kon Oh Je-Kon Oh

8 December

(Advent 2) Chris

McAlpine

Chris

McAlpine Café

Church

15 December

(Advent 3) Je-Kon Oh Je-Kon Oh

(HC)

Je-Kon Oh Kids’ Sunday ends

22 December

(Advent 4)

Tammy

Hollands

Tammy Hollands

Je-Kon Oh

24 December

(Christmas Eve)

11pm Candlelight Service

Je-Kon Oh

25 December

(Christmas Day)

9am Christmas Day Service

Je-Kon Oh

29 December

(Christmas 1)

9am Summer

Sunday Service

Je-Kon Oh

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Annual Leave

Je-Kon is taking his annual leave from Tue. 7th Jan. – Wed. 5

nd Feb.

2014. He will attend one of his nieces wedding in Korea and come back with Sung-Hee.

His contact details in Korea are as follows:

Email: jekonoh@gmail.com (Je-Kon);

sunshineladyoh@gmail.com (Sung-Hee)

Skype:jekonohintouch, sungheeohpark

Phone: 82-31-904-8811 (Je-Kon’s sister) or 82-63-223-6954

Tony has been received as a Uniting Church minister. The recognition worship service will be held in the

Hawkesbury Village Richmond Room

at 2pm on Wed. 4th December. All are invited to the special event.

“Christmas” Blokes Breakfast

A scrumptious breakfast

on Saturday14th December, 7:30am

“Christmases Past”

With John and Hazel McIver

As usual with our Christmas Breakfast All Ladies are Welcome

$5.00pp So place your name on the list in the Foyer

Congratulations to Rev. Tony Blake

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8:30am Church

Traditional worship

followed by morning tea & fellowship.

10:00am Church

In conjunction with our Kids’ Sunday program.

A family celebration including programs from three years old to

Secondary Year 9. Morning tea and

fellowship follows.

6:00pm Sundays@Six; In the Auditorium.

Modern worship with singers, drama and band, plus supper to follow.

NOTE

For service times in December and January

Also refer to Page 9

Sunday Service Times

Pastoral Leaders’ Team (PLT)

Rev Je-Kon Oh 4578 3820 (Office, Bus. Hrs.)

After Hours: 0410 596 991 or 4578 3421.

Email: minister@richmonduniting.org.au

Lester Vincent ( 4575 1507), Marcia Groom (4572 2662)

Justin Dacey (4574 1312) Audrey Morgan (4578 4421)

Sandi Herbert (4573 1517) Beryl Hedges (4571 2087)

Sandra Brown ( 4576 6689) Margaret Bailey (4776 1487)

Margaret Wesmore (4578 0179)

Your Radio Reading Service

1224 AM, 1000.5 FM

www.2rph.org.au Radio 2RPH presents a variety of programmes including readings from all the daily newspapers and articles from magazines and periodicals for all ages and topics such as health, music, entertainment, science and more.

Listeners include: vision impaired, hospital patients, elderly and house-bound who can hear newspapers read to them in comfort.

Learn more? Phone: 4518 8811

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WHAT’S HAPPENING DURING THE WEEK

SUNDAYS Paddlers – Age 3 to Kinder 9:45 -11:00am (Sandra House 4578 2064)

Tweenies – Years 1 to 5 9:45 -11.00am (Robyn Duignan 4577 8732)

GWU – Junior High Youth Years 7 to 9 9:45 -11.00am (Robin Duignan 4577 8732)

MONDAYS Playtime – 9:30 - 11:30am – Parents and preschoolers (Sarah Jones 4577 5353)

Andy’s Hands-on-Help 9:00 - 1 pm , Maintenance & Fellowship. (Bob Thuaux 4578 2309)

TUESDAYS

Church Council – 7:30pm 1st Tuesday odd number month. Greg Inskip (4573 1002)

Pastoral Leaders Team – 7:30pm 1st Tuesday even number month. (Je-Kon Oh)

WEDNESDAYS

Time Out For Mums.– 9:45 -11:15am Fortnightly in school terms

for Mums and preschoolers. (Sandra Brown 4576 6689)

THURSDAYS

1st Thursday: Adult Fellowship 9:30am (Irene Milne 4578 1482)

3rd Thursday: Seniors All Together 10:00am – 12 noon (Crafts)

4th Thursday: Seniors’ Lunch 12 noon – 1:45pm

Senior’s Bible Study – 12 noon -1:30pm (except 4th Thursday)

For information on Thursday seniors’ activities contact Sandi Herbert (4573 1517)

FRIDAYS Op Shop and Mini-Market– 8:30am – 12 noon – clothes and wares. (Anthea Inskip

4573 1002)

SMALL/HOME GROUPS are a valuable and integral part of St Andrew’s ministry. We encourage all members to join a group. For further information please speak to our

Minister Rev. Je-Kon Oh - Phone 4578 3421 (Home)

CHURCH OFFICE MAIL: Post Office Box 450, Richmond 2753 PHONE: (02) 4578 3820 FAX: (02) 4578 0155 HOURS: 10.00am – 2:00pm most days Email: office@richmonduniting.org.au Web: www.richmonduniting.org.au

Centre Manager: Derek Scott: 4578 6015

Please send the editor your news and views and other articles for the

newsletter. email jcsturgess@westnet.com.au

Ph. 4567 1301

St. Andrew’s Uniting Church 25 West Market Street, Richmond, NSW A congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia.

St. Andrew’s is a member of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations.