House of Hospitality

On Saturday 5 March Bishop John inaugurated a new ministry in the Parish which will be centred on the Rectory and led by Margaret Holt.

IMG_1217sAt a service in Christ Church he licensed Margaret and blessed her for her work as a lay minister and preacher in the Church.

IMG_1220sThe congregation then moved down the street to the Rectory where we shared in Holy Communion and the house was dedicated for its new ministry.

IMG_1224sYou are invited to drop in to this new place of hospitality and prayer for a chat or a cup of coffee and to share in the regular offering of prayers during the day.

Fifty Years Ministry

Fr Owen 2007It is fifty years this month since the Rev’d Owen Thomas was made a Deacon in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney on the 20 February 1966 after studies at the University of Sydney and Moore Theological College, Newtown NSW. He was ordained priest a year later, also in St Andrew’s Cathedral , Sydney.

Owen has had a varied career, serving as parish priest, school chaplain and Regional Officer for the Bush Church Aid Society, at first in the Diocese of Sydney and then in the  Diocese of Adelaide.

Since retirement he has acted as locum in several parishes in Adelaide Diocese as well as in the Diocese of The Murray. However he is always happy to spend time at home in Callington with his wife Hilary.

Happy Harvest Festival

Harvest Festival at St John's
Harvest Festival at St John’s

Sunday 31 January was a lovely day and a happy group of parishioners from all parts of the parish gathered at St John’s Langhorne Creek to celebrate our Harvest Festival. We sang some of our old favourite harvest hymns and admired the splendid array of gifts which were arranged at the front of the church.

Following the service we went on to Barry Potts’ place for a shared lunch, great conversation and the auction of some of the more perishable gifts.

At this time of the year the harvest of cereal crops is complete and the paddocks are littered with bales but the grape harvest is just beginning, an important time for folk in Langhorne Creek.

Our Harvest Gifts
Our Harvest Gifts

Mothers’ Union Presentation

<a href="http://strathalbynanglicans viagra est une pilule.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MargaretLove.jpg” rel=”attachment wp-att-742″>MargaretLoveMargaret Love was presented with a Certificate and Badge marking her fifty years as a MU member at a Christmas get together in Strathalbyn.

The presentation was made by Eileen Smith, the Mothers’ Union Diocesan President.

Margaret also celebrated her 90th birthday in December.

Thanks from Kaye Gale

Many thanks to you all for your great support throughout the year. Together we have been able to touch many lives with God’s heart of love. Your generous spirit of giving has enabled me to support families with volunteering, meals, hampers, vouchers, furniture, a staff lunch, a Christian Option program and the list goes on.

Kaye Gale
Kaye Gale

The family we were helping with furniture now have beds and bedding, wardrobes, lounge, washing machine, kitchen table and chairs, crockery, cutlery, pots and pans – and even an offer of bikes for the children. It was great to receive so many phone calls offering help. The Mum, Judith, asked me to please pass on her very sincere thanks to all the churches.

Thank you for all your help with the catering day where we provided morning tea and lunch for all Eastern Fleurieu staff (120) at their recent Professional Development Day. This was such a beautiful way to bless the staff.

Our Christmas Christian Option Program was a great day with a very high percentage of children attending.
The meals we have provided have been such a great way to support a families in need. A text from one such mum to me said ” Thanks for your help to myself and my young family. We appreciated everything you do for us, you  are amazing with a beautiful heart.”

Folks I couldn’t do this work with out all you do standing along side of me. Praise God how love and grace touches lives.
May your Christmas be filled with God’s love, peace , hope and joy.
God bless,
Kaye Gale (Pastoral Care Worker).

Baptism at Christ Church

IMG_0726smThe Second Sunday in Advent: 6 December 2015

The usual morning congregation at the Holy Communion Service at Christ Church also welcomed through Baptism seven month old Seth James from Langhorne Creek as “a member of Christ, the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Father David Smith and the congregation welcomed Seth’s Mum and Dad, Kristy and Damien with his little sister Maisy. God-Parents were Amy and Christopher Nelson, and Lochlan Milne.

Kristy’s Mother and Father, Mr and Mrs Tucker had been married in Christ Church, and were happy to join in the celebration of their grandson’s Baptism in the Church that had so many memories for them. There were many other family connections and memories shared with the congregation, with Kristy having also been presented for confirmation in Christ Church by Fr. Alex Bainton some years ago.

Representatives of the Mother’s Union, President Eileen Smith and Jean Merchant presented the newly baptized Seth and his four year old sister, with knitted figures as keepsakes as well as certificates for the parents and God-Parents, together with a Baptismal candle.

sethsprayerAt the end of the Service, refreshments were served in the Hall and many reunions were recalled and discussed.At the end of this Service a retiring collection was also undertaken for the victims of the SA Pinery Bushfire Disaster, and with more donations still to come in Fr. David announced that so far $240 has been collected, with the Appeal continuing into next weekend.

The Baptism family presented a delightful prayer memento to everyone in the congregation, which is copied here, together with a little gift for all.

A delightful occasion for all to share, and the ‘Prayer for Seth’ summed up the thoughts and prayers of everyone at the Service.

Mothers Union Wave of Prayer

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Phyll Schneider cuts her birthday cake.

At the MU meeting on November 10th 2015 President Eileen Smith lead a Wave of Prayer service when members remembered the MU members in five Dioceses around the world that the MU in this Diocese is linked with. 

Nell Endersby told us about the Diocese of Lui in South Sudan which has 53,290 MU members; Jan Payne included thanks for the work the members in Embu in Kenya take part in;  Pat Mold asked for prayers for Orlu in Nigeria where there is still a threat from Boko Haram to Christians in the region;  Margaret Shoesmith told us about the tribe in Awori in Nigeria who are friendly and welcoming people;  Jeanne Merchant welcomed news from the women of Medak in India where members of MU are known as Women’s Fellowship of Christian Service;  and Beryl Merrick gave thanks for the Bishop and members of the MU in The Murray Diocese.

During the afternoon meeting congratulations were made to Phyll Schneider who celebrates her 90th birthday this month.  At afternoon tea she cut a birthday cake while members sang Happy Birthday.

Fifty Years Recognized

Beryl Merrick receives her Mothers' Union 50 year badge and certificate.
Beryl Merrick receives her Mothers’ Union fifty year badge and certificate.

This year Beryl Merrick has been a member of Mothers’ Union for fifty years and she was presented with a Certificate and fifty year badge by Diocesan President Eileen Smith during the MU service in Christchurch in October 2015.

Pastoral Care at EFS

KayeGale
Kaye Gayle with Marg Holt and Fr David Smith following the service.

We at Christ Church were delighted to welcome Kaye Gale to our Sunday morning service on the 8th November. She was able to tell us about her ministry as a Pastoral Care Worker at the R – 6 Campus of the Eastern Fleurieu School in Strathalbyn.

Although she is only at the school for about two days each week she is able to provide valuable support for students and their families as well as staff members.

It was also good to hear that she is helped by a number of members of our congregation.

Alex

Pregnancy and Infant Loss

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Candlelight Prayer Vigil

Sunday 18 October, 7.00 pm

Christ Church Anglican Church, 24 East Terrace, Strathalbyn

The International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is held each year on the 15th October and we would like to provide an opportunity for families who have had such a loss in their lives to remember their little one in this Service of Remembrance.

The Candlelight Prayer Vigil is a remembrance service for people who have lost a child at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy, whether last week or 80-years ago.

The service is open to anyone of any faith or no faith.

The service is for women and men who have suffered loss, their children and their extended family and friends, whether the loss is recent or historic.

It should also be noted that all are welcome regardless of the type of loss they have experienced, so whether they have been through early or late miscarriage, an ectopic or molar pregnancy, still birth, early infant loss or any other type of baby or child loss.

If you need to say goodbye to a baby or to grief, or you want to come along with a friend who needs to say goodbye, you are welcome at the service.

Loss at any stage is traumatic. Early loss is often not acknowledged or discussed, with commemorative services seldom taking place, whilst services for babies who are stillborn or lost in early years, are usually conducted while parents are in a fog of grief and pain.

The service will give you the opportunity to stand with other people who understand the pain of losing a child.

Come and grieve, remember and formally say goodbye.

You are invited to bring a symbol of your loss eg photograph, flower, poem etc, to place upon the altar during the service.

For further information contact Jeannie Minnis

jminnis4@gmail.com Telephone 0427 478 069 8538 5514