As you know, our next Women’s Breakfast is coming up on the 16th of September! These breakfasts are excellent opportunities for unhurried fellowship and teaching.
We would love your help to make it a great event! If you’re keen to help with the food and/or coffee for the upcoming breakfast please contact Rebs at admin@sgparra.org.au.
Thankyou!
It’s Ladies Growth Groups this week! Your LG leader will have all the details you need.
On Sunday, Riley gave a challenging message from Romans 1:16-17 on the power, potential, provision and purpose of the Gospel. If you missed it, you can listen to it here:
Not Ashamed | Romans 1:16-17 on APPLE Podcasts
Not Ashamed | Romans 1:16-17 on SPOTIFY
Here is a quote by William Booth to help us see the gravity of withholding this powerful message and to spur us on to fight against fear and shame when it comes to sharing the Gospel with those who do not yet believe!
“I saw a dark and stormy ocean. Over it the black clouds hung heavily; through them every now and then vivid winds moaned, and the waves rose and foamed, towered and broke, only to rise and foam, tower and break again.
In that ocean I thought I saw myriads of poor human beings plunging and floating, shouting and shrieking, cursing and struggling and drowning; and as they cursed and screamed they rose and shrieked again, and then some sank to rise no more.
And I saw out of this dark angry ocean, a mighty rock that rose up with its summit towering high above the black clouds that overhung the stormy sea. And all around the base of this great rock I saw a vast platform. Onto this platform, I saw with delight a number of the poor struggling, drowning wretches continually climbing out of the angry ocean. And I saw that a few of those who were already safe on the platform were helping the poor creatures still in the angry waters to reach the place of safety.
On looking more closely I found a number of those who had been rescued, industriously working and scheming by ladders, ropes, boats and other means more effective, to deliver the poor strugglers out of the sea. Here and there were some who actually jumped into the water, regardless of the consequences in their passion to “rescue the perishing”. And I hardly know which gladdened me the most—the sight of the poor drowning people climbing onto the rocks reaching a place of safety, or the devotion and self-sacrifice of those whose whole being was wrapped up in the effort for their deliverance.
As I looked on, I saw that the occupants of that platform were quite a mixed company. That is, they were divided into different “sets” or classes, and they occupied themselves with different pleasures and employments. But only a very few of them seemed to make it their business to get the people out of the sea.
But what puzzled me most was the fact that though all of them had been rescued at one time or another from the ocean, nearly everyone seemed to have forgotten all about it. Anyway, it seemed the memory of its darkness and danger no longer troubled them at all. And what seemed equally strange and perplexing to me was that these people did not even seem to have any care—that is any agonizing care—about the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their very eyes… many of whom were their own husbands and wives, brothers and sisters and even their own children.”
This Sunday, Richard will be preaching from Psalm 107 and as part of our Sunday gathering, we will be singing a song written by Sovereign Grace Music based on this Psalm.
You can find links and a video of the song below along to help you get familiarised with it before Sunday.
"We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)" on SPOTIFY
"We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)” on APPLE
VERSE 1
Once in the wilderness of our sin
We wandered lost and without hope
Into our desert waste God in grace
Came to restore and bring us home
Let the redeemed of God rise up and sing
CHORUS
We give thanks, O God, for Your steadfast love
We give thanks, O God, for You are good
Lord, You are good, we give thanks
VERSE 2
Through every pain and trial, You provide
Light in the dark of our distress
Lifting us from on high when we cry
Turning our grief to gratefulness
Let the redeemed of God rise up and sing
BRIDGE
You take the darkness and make it as light
Hearts that were dead in sin, You raise to life
You take a barren place and make it a spring
Let the redeemed of God rise up and sing
Let the redeemed of God rise up and sing!
As you know, our next Women’s Breakfast is coming up on the 16th of September! There breakfasts are excellent opportunities for unhurried fellowship and tailored teaching.
If you’re keen to help with the food and/or coffee for the upcoming breakfast please contact Rebs at admin@sgparra.org.au.
Thankyou!
Covenant Mercies is an organisation which runs an orphan sponsorship program for children in areas of western Uganda; Ndola, Zambia; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Monrovia, Liberia. They do this in partnership with indigenous local churches within those areas.
You can find out more about who they are and what they do here.
At around $50 per month, lives like Mesays can be changed, not just by providing material needs, but by bringing them into contact with the Gospel and a church community. If you are interested in sponsoring a child through Covenant Mercies, please come and see Rebs at the sponsorship table at the back of the hall this Sunday after service.
Guys Growth Groups are on this week! Your LG leaders will let you know all the details.
The next music team night will be held this evening!
Time: 7:30PM
Location: Church (27 Iron Street, North Parramatta)
The night is one of our scheduled quarterly times together where we seek to come together to sing, pray and seek to use the gifts he has given us for the sake of Jesus' name.
The night is for current team members (band and sound) and new or existing church members who are interested in potentially joining or rejoining the team. As mentioned at Envision, we would love to see the music team change and grow as the church grows.
We have been blessed to received so much training through our Sovereign Grace family of churches in the first half of the year and I am particularly looking forward to talking through what that might look like for us as we go forward and seek to steward what we have received well.
- Henry
If you’re interested in getting baptised, we will be holding a class THIS SUNDAY the 20th of August at 9am in the Church Offices. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more about what we believe the Bible says about baptism and why it is a significant moment in the life of a Christian.
If you’d like to sign up for the class, please contact Riley at rs@sgparra.org.au.
The next Men’s event is happening this Saturday!! This is a great opportunity for unhurried fellowship between the men of our church. There will also be dinner provided, followed by teaching on the topic of Taking Our Time: Orienting Our Time In Light of the Gospel.
Date: Saturday 19th August
Time: 7pm-9:30pm (Dinner Included)
Location: Church (27 Iron St, North Parramatta)
Cost: $10
It is not too late to RSVP! If you’d like to attend, please email Joel at joel@sgparra.org.au.
We hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there!