The pastoral team will be going away from this Sunday afternoon 10th - 12th September for their annual prayer and planning retreat. Please be praying for them as they spend time praying and planning for the remainder of the year and beyond.
Things to be praying for:
Clarity of vision
Godly wisdom as they think through ideas and plan
A spirit of unity within the team
We look forward to what God will do in and through this time!
As you know, have our next women’s breakfast coming up in just over a week!
This is a great opportunity for some unhurried fellowship and great teaching on an important topic.
It is not too late to join us! If you are planning on coming along, please RSVP to the details below. Thankyou!
When: 8:30-10:30am, Saturday 16th September
Where: Church (27 Iron Street, North Parramatta)
Cost: $5pp
RSVP: Rebs (admin@sgparra.org.au)
We hope to see you there!
Life Groups are on this week!
Life Groups are so vital for us as a Church as they allow us to take the joy of Sunday and work out in smaller communities where we can know each other more deeply and help each other out more personally. We hope that this time together with your group blesses you!
Your LG leaders will send you all the information you need for this week.
This Sunday, we will be celebrating the dad’s of our church for Father’s Day! We are so grateful for all the dads at Sovereign Grace Parramatta and are looking forward to honouring them this Sunday as a church community!
There is usually a lot going on for each of us on any given Sunday morning! However, if you do find yourself free between 9:30-9:50am on a Sunday, please join us for Pre-Service Prayer as part of our worship each week. We will be meeting in the little paved area in front of the church offices - ALL are welcome! Psalm 127:1 says “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” Come and join us as we undergird all that we do in prayer and wait expectantly for the Lord to build His house.
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!