Friends,

Tomorrow night is our first ever SG Parramatta Christmas Eve Service! Let us all prepare our hearts to adore Christ together. With all the case numbers rising, and the panic setting in, don’t take your eyes off Christ. The kids will be singing a new song, written by Henry, and the words are a fitting reminder for us:

“Come hear about Christmas

You don't want to miss this

It's all about Jesus

The greatest gift you could ever receive “

NB: masks are now required for indoor venues, our service will inside the hall, so please bring a mask.

NB 2: Also, children will be in the service with us, we have activity books for them to complete to aid their attention.

We will be gathering on Friday Night, Christmas Eve, for our weekly worship service and therefore we will not have a regular Sunday Gathering. If you would still like to gather, perhaps organise to meet with friends from church or visit a local church in Parramatta to meet our fellow saints and partners in the gospel in other churches.

We look forward to seeing you on Jan 2 @ 10am

We are excited to be gathering together to worship Christ our Saviour as the King of Christmas! Come and bring as many people as possible for our Family Carol Service at 5pm!

Invite friends via the FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/430919108528169/

3 Ways To Enjoy Our Denominational Partnership:

We love Sovereign Grace Churches. We’re stronger as a local church because of our denomination. We’re able to participate in God’s broader mission because of our partnership with our denomination. We receive training, mentoring, encouragement, and accountability through our denomination.

Here are three simple ways you can enjoy this gospel partnership from the comfort of your own home:

1. Check out these global updates and join us in praying.

2. Scan the articles in the 3rd Edition of the Sovereign Grace Churches Journal that cover our new Statement of Faith.

3. Watch this church planter’s God-glorifying, encouraging testimony that was shared at the Pastors Conference in November.

The annual Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference was held November 9-11 in Orlando after a 2-year delay due to the pandemic. Almost 600 attendees traveled from all over the world, including Bolivia, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Germany, Ethiopia, Italy, Mexico, Zimbabwe and the US. Those who couldn’t attend due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and immigration issues from 10 different nations, many from the Asia Pacific part of the world, watched a live-stream which was also translated in Spanish.

The theme was “Christ Preeminent” with the focus on Jesus because “he is before all things” (Colossians 1:17), and “he is the head” of the church’s that we have the privilege to pastor and lead (Colossians 1:18). Each session was planned to build churches upon the gospel and in a way that celebrates the preeminence of Jesus Christ.

Our relationship with Sovereign Grace Churches is not a distant connect but a deep, close and relational partnership! I would love you all to listen to these messages for your encouragement and so you can hear from the key leaders in our denomincation!

https://www.sovereigngrace.com/blog/pastors-conference-2021-messages

In the past 35 years, Sovereign Grace Music has produced Christ-exalting songs and training for local churches from local churches including albums for worship, songs for kids, Spanish albums, a Portuguese album and three Christmas albums.

This Christmas season, enjoy celebrating the unimaginably good news of the birth of Jesus and the mystery of God become man in song:

Heaven Has Come

For many, Christmas is far from “the most wonderful time of the year.” But when grief feels unbearable, when our resources are depleted, when the shame of sin crushes our spirits, and when heaven seems an eternity away, Christmas brings unimaginably good news: heaven has come to us.

Prepare Him Room

The reality of the incarnation, the Son of God taking on our flesh and bones to save us, will be an eternal source of wonder, gratefulness, and joy. These fourteen songs are our attempt to capture that mystery in song. The long night is over and the light of the world has come. Prepare Him room.

Savior: Celebrating the Mystery of God become Man

Savior contains twelve truth-saturated songs, suitable for worshiping God year-round. Each song ponders and celebrates the reason for Christ’s coming.

We are excited to be gathering together to worship Christ our Saviour as the King of Christmas! Come and bring as many people as possible for our Family Carol Service at 5pm!

Invite friends via the FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/430919108528169/

On Sunday 19th December we will be having our annual ‘Thanksgiving Sunday’. For those who are new, this is a very different style of service where we have an opportunity to share how the Lord has been at work in our lives over the past year.

It is a chance for us to look back on all the evidences of God’s grace in our lives during 2021! As Paul says,

 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thess. 5:16-18)

The way it works:

Instead of a sermon there is an open mic time for 40-45 minutes.

Please come up ready to share some ways in which God has been working in you, your life, and your family.

For example, you can share challenges, triumphs, growth in yourself, growth in others, appreciation for people in your life, lessons you’ve learned etc. 

You can share about big things or small things. Grand things or seemingly mundane things. You can share life events (babies, marriage, work) or how you’ve grown in your heart (learning new things, putting sin to death) etc. You can share about mission or mercy, or how this church or particular people have been a means of grace to you.

The key is to testify to God’s grace and goodness and to give glory to Him!

Aim for about 2-4 minutes, it can be helpful to write it out so that you don’t forget key people or moments…and so you don’t drag on forever!

Note: it doesn’t need to be an eloquent speech or amazing or inspirational, it can be very ordinary!

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

On Sunday we had our final message from Matthew’s gospel until March next year. We studied Matthew 20:29-34 and had a chance to see Jesus have incredible mercy upon two humble blind men who cried out in dependence for help. Their cry, “Lord, have mercy upon us” is the fundamental cry of all needy believers, make it your cry in your time of need too!

You can listen to the sermon here.

We are excited to be gathering together to worship Christ our Saviour as the King of Christmas! Come and bring as many people as possible for our Family Carol Service at 5pm!

Invite friends via the FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/430919108528169/