Newsletter 6 December

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4 December, 2020

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Christmas is a beautiful time to remember how thankful and grateful we are. It is a great time of celebration as we prepare to celebrate both the birth of Jesus, and the truth that he will come again. A time when families get together. As a result of that however for a number of people Christmas can be a difficult time. There are families who have lost loved ones during the year. In the year following the loss of a loved ones there are a number of firsts. The first birthday, or Mothers or Father’s Day, or Christmas are all times where we feel more keenly the loss of those we love. The Service of Solace that we offer is a way of helping people acknowledge loss at this time. It is not just if something has happened this year, there are people who like to come every year and remember and honour those they love. This year COVID has changed many lives and families and for most of us our family gatherings will be different. Those with families overseas are learning to skype and connect electronically. It’s not the same but it a way of connecting. COVID has other effects. Some people have lost employment and though government assistance has helped many families are struggling financially and our Community Helping Hand is one way that we seek to assist people. Your continuing support financially or with time and skills enables this ministry to continue and people’s lives to be changed for the better. Thank you to Ros and Helen and the team. Through the hampers of hope and joy we have been able to reach to needy families who are a part of Community Helping hand or have sought assistance from our local school chaplains. Thank you again to Ross and the team who have facilitated this. There are many local families who will have a better Christmas because of the work that people from Emmanuel do. Thank you to Judy and her team who have sought to make life a better place for the people of Noro in Solomon Islands. We can rightly be proud of what we do but also be aware that there is still much need out there. Take some time this Christmas to pray for those who are in need. For those refugees and those seeking asylum, for those in quarantine waiting for permission to go home, for those who live rough on the streets. Though we cannot meet everyone’s needs we need to start somewhere and make a difference? Thank you to those members of our congregation who do just that. In this Advent/ Christmas season think about how you can enrich and bless the life of at least one other person. Share with them the truth of Emmanuel, meaning God with us this Christmas.

Brian


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This reminds me of Galatians 6:7 (parable of the sower) that tells us that we reap what we sow. While we are concentrating on sowing seeds, it is equally important to nurture the seeds that we have sown and that have had the pleasure to see germinate. Without any guidance and continual nourishment these germinations will shrivel and die off. This is a major factor as to why BB has been around for so long worldwide and a long-term program at Emmanuel.

Noel Pinkerton

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for the rest of the newsletter click [here](https://mailchi.mp/b287e1a6d28a/newsletter-1929047)

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14th February Newsletter

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The church year is made up of a number of seasons and these seasons help give a rhythm to our Christian life. The Church year begins in late November with Advent which runs for four weeks leading into Christmas. Christmas lasts 12 days and leads to Epiphany which varies in length each year to accommodate Lent and Easter. Lent leads us into Easter which lasts 6 weeks and concludes with Pentecost. The post Pentecost season is known as ordinary time and takes us through to the end of the church year when we begin Advent again.

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The material from the daily plan (see attached pdf) can be done as a daily devotional and the reflection questions, though the same each day, help us focus on how we allow God’s word to influence our Christian living. The Sunday readings are the ones we will be using each Sunday if bible study groups would like to focus on those.

Blessings,

Brian

To access the rest of the newsletter click [here](https://mailchi.mp/ebcc49ecaba3/newsletter-1928195)

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7th February 2021 Newsletter

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Last week I was reminded once again of why I am so glad to be here at Emmanuel. The strength of any church is its people, and last week as we commissioned our elders and our group leaders and our volunteers in our various ministries and groups I could see the strength of our church. It is great to work with amazing people as they respond to the call of God in their lives and express that through their daily living, and through their involvement within the Christian community. Last year was a challenging year and many things were put on hold. As a result many things were paused. As we enter this year it is time to hit the play button. The issues of COVID will continue to be with us, and I doubt that a vaccine will change that very much, as we will always be trying to respond to the latest variant or mutation. The result is that we are entering the new normal and as a church we want to tackle that proactively.

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Brian

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