NEWS NOTES - JANUARY 2012

Services in January

Many of the congregation including the pastor will be away during the first week of January attending the annual camp at Phillip Island in Victoria. Consequently there will be NO CHURCH on 1st and 8th January.

Evening Outdoor service on 15th January at 7 pm. We hope to try something different with an outdoor service in the church gardens, weather permitting. In the event of rain we will have a backup plan for indoors.

Services on 22nd and 29th will be at the usual time of 10 am.

News
We are expecting Bishop Peter and Lisa Buss for 9 days starting on Saturday 21st January and staying in Baringa. The bishop and his wife will be returning from the wedding of Lisa Smuts and Shaun Hester in Perth. Two of the bridesmaids will be Angela and Michelle Heldon. We expect the bishop will be able to preach at least once while he is here.

Rev Glenn Alden will give a class on the last two commandments on lying and coveting on Monday 23rd January. This will be a dinner as well at 7 pm which will also give people the chance to visit with Bishop and Lisa Buss who we anticipate will be with us then as well.

In recognition of the work Rev Glenn and Mary Alden have done in the last six months two gifts were presented to them after church on 18th December. Whilst Glenn is staying till the end of January Mary needs to return to the USA and leaves on New Year's Eve. The gifts were both made in Australia - a Don Sheil truffle tray with a flowering gum engraving and a framed aboriginal friendship symbol hand painted on slate. Thank you both so much Glenn and Mary. You rescued us 6 months ago when we thought we would have to continue with no pastoral care for many more months.

Mary Alden has had some ups and downs with her health for some time. The latest report was "on the up" so we hope this continues for Christmas and on into the New Year when she returns home.

In the last newsletter we reported that Michelle Heldon was preparing for her art exhibition in Finland. This took place in early December and was very successful. Michelle is now back in Sydney and looking forward to Christmas with her family after a year overseas.

Hardware One, the business owned by Mike and Kerry Lockhart has moved from Pitt Street in the city about 6 blocks away (10 minute walk) to 423 Elizabeth St, Surry Hills. If you notice Mike and Kerry are a bit more relaxed over Christmas it is because the move is finally over and done successfully.

Grace Horner, formerly of Baringa Vale near Tamworth who had, for the last two years been living in Loftus and was being cared for by her daughter Margaret Heldon slipped peacefully into the spiritual world on 23rd December surrounded by family members. Grace was the mother of Graham, Pam, Ralph, Brian, Ken, Margaret and David and grandmother of 20 and great grandmother of 14. A funeral and resurrection service will be held on Friday 30th December.

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Margaret Heldon (9th), Rachel Heldon (15th), Kerry Lockhart (24th), Emanuel Swedenborg (29th) and Kaye MacFarlane (30th)