Welcome to everyone reading this newsletter. At Emmanuel we believe that God is with us each and every day and that by learning about and following Jesus we get “closer” to God who helps us make better sense of the world and our part in it. In fact in the bible, in one place (James 4:8) it says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”That’s an amazing thought isn’t it? That: the God of the Universe is willing to come near to us. In ancient days people thought of God as remote and disinterested in what humans were up to. Kind of like a watch-maker who makes the watch, wi...

Welcome to our latest newsletter! If you’re visiting with us today please do make yourself known so that we can show you around and enthuse about our church – which is awesome! We welcome Dr Paul Hedley Jones, from Trinity College Queensland as our guest preacher today on 3rd June.Last week in the sermon we took a “romp” through the Sermon on the Mount. That is to say we covered three chapters in frightening speed. The reason was simply to point out that choosing to live by the words of Jesus is much easier said than done and that if we really do want to build our lives on the firm fou...

Hi Everyone! I love winter in Queensland – so sunny and warm with crisp, clean air. Someone said to me when I was thinking about coming up here, “It’s three months investment for nine months perfection” – I think he was right! But speaking about investment for an excellent return . . .What about spiritual investment? What are we investing in to help our church grow? I was reading a short book written by a friend of mine, Alex Absalom, called “One of”. In it he describes four stages of investment by God:1. “For” – He has always been for us, wanting the best for us and crea...

Welcome to everyone reading this newsletter from Emmanuel. I’m writing this on the 1st May which means it is one year exactly since I started work here. A lot has happened in that year and sometimes it feels like my head might explode with all the new information, ideas and people! It has been a new experience working collaboratively with a team of Elders and we have an exciting year ahead as we begin the long and thorough (but necessary) process of forging an agreed set of protocols which will enable us to do mission together more effectively. I can report that each of Graham Emblen, Krist...

Welcome to everyone reading this in print or online – it’s great to be part of a community that worships Jesus Christ as Lord and represents Him as His body in this part of the world. It’s often said we are meant to be Christ’s hands and feet, as it were – how is this true for you?Last week we were challenged to think about how we can be signs that God is amongst us and even further, how we can demonstrate the same power that Jesus did when he walked the earth. Over the next three weeks we will explore various aspects of that thinking about: eternal salvation; practical ministry and...

Welcome to everyone worshipping with us today at Emmanuel and/or reading this online. It’s great to have you with us!What a wonderful weekend of services we had over Easter and our thanks should go to all involved in presenting the worship so engagingly. I have to say I felt emotionally moved, which has not happened for some time in an Easter season.The drama of the weekend moved us from understanding that Jesus was killed because of our sin but raised to life having washed us clean by his own blood so that God sees us now as though we have never sinned. We were able to leave behind a symbol...

Welcome to this Easter edition of our newsletter! I hope we’ll see each other in person over the next week or so at church but if you’re unable to for any reason and are just catching up online – we are still very glad that you’re part of our community at Emmanuel.Palm Sunday marks the start of Passion (or Holy) Week in more traditional and liturgical churches. Many find the movement of the week very helpful spiritually and emotionally. I’ve served in churches where something happens each day of this week and I’ve been in churches where the bare minimum is managed – and of course...

Welcome to everyone reading this on paper or online – Hey! Have you noticed the new icons for our app and website? (They match our lovely new signs above the door, on the flags and at our driveway entrances.)At Emmanuel we try to be Real People with Relevant Faith for Our Community and that means that there are times when we are happy, sad, excited, distressed and all the other emotions as well. In other words what we feel is very much a part of what we model to others in helping them understandJesus and how he makes a difference in our lives.Two weeks ago we were all somewhat shocked by the...

Welcome to everyone worshipping with us this week at Emmanuel or reading this at home or online somewhere! We’re aiming to be Real People with Relevant Faith for Our Community. Please read more information inside or on the website or app to see how you can be part of what God is doing amongst us.Last weekend, worship “went off”! It was fantastic and was a highlight of the visit from the Boys Brigade of Noro, Solomon Islands. For some it was their first experience of paper planes in church or “follow the leader” as we explored what it means to be “yoked” to Jesus and let him teach...